Any Lifetime Warranty on These?

So i decided that even though it's nice having money around from my tax return, there are some things that do need to get done. And right at the top of the list is, go to the dentist to get my teeth checked out. about 9 months or so ago i had a filling fall out and at the time i was broke because of the whole divorce thing. so i let it go, and have been trying to eat on the other side of my mouth, and keep the hole clean. it doesn't hurt. and i have a lot of hope that it will be a simple clean and re-fill job. but there's a definite chance that having gone without care i will have to get a root canal. this would be unfortunate because of the price. but it must be done if it must be done. so i called up my dentist today and i go in on Monday, in the morning, for my appointment. i admit i like the dentist i have had since i was a kid. BUT going to the dentist is my one thing that i feel shame at having to do. i do an o.k. job at keeping my teeth clean. but it never seemed to matter as a kid. my sisters and i would go in and it would be Morgan: 0 cavities, Taylor: maybe a cavity, and Forrest: 2-3... sigh. so I'm not super thrilled to go in Monday and find out just exactly how much of that 1200 dollar tax return i will end up keeping.

R. E. S. P. E. C. T. Show you, what it means to me.

since when did political correctness (or treating everyone with respect) become a "gay/wussy" thing? I really don't get it. I'm talking mostly about older men here. though I've definitely noticed some nasty older women doing this too. It's like, treating other cultures and peoples with respect, some how makes you appear less of a man in their eyes. i don't understand this. it literally doesn't make any sense. And if you are racially stereotyping an entire portion of the world, for example the middle east, north Africa, and eastern Europe ALL as Arabs. then I'm going to correct you. some may be of Arabian descent, but they are Egyptians, Iranians, Iraqis, Slovenians, whatever fucking country they are from, that's who they are!!! And to label the Egyptians as, and i quote "A bunch of fucking Arabs with a grudge and a bad attitude." is going to make me want to throw up all over your face.

Sins of the Soul

so I'm celebrating my one year anniversary at jinx this month. I don't know what to say. From a young age I recognized that art is in my veins and makes me look at the world surrounding me in a different way then others do. But I also recognized that art as a "career" was both difficult, and not very monetarily rewarding. And so I tried to focus on other things. Culinary arts, Farmer, Auto mechanic... but as I got older my interests changed or events in my life caused me to rethink the path I was on. And now I'm beginning to see something. I am an artist. Whether I scorn it, or embrace it, changes nothing. My interest in painting has never waned completely. And as I've gotten older it's actually become more a part of my life then ever before. I'm exploring new styles, new techniques, new subject matters. I have invested money into it on a constant basis for almost ten years. And I never get the twinge of worry, when I buy art supplies, that I normally feel while purchasing other things (including food and clothing). And in fact as the days and years go on it's becoming harder and harder to not realize the truth of the matter. I AM AN ARTIST. I need to stop hiding that fact and simply embrace it. If that means a life of poverty and obscurity, then so be it. I will be the king of my own world of color and shape and line. Because if I decide to live without ever fully delving the depths of my talent, then that is the truest sin of the soul. And when it comes time for me to pass from this world (may it be a long time from now) I want to look around my room and see all my paintings, and say, here it is. Here I am. I am Fulfilled.

Here are a few new pieces that i finished using a new method

Some days you just want to watch the world burn

I've been thinking a lot about inheritance and life lately. the idea that one can work hard and succeed in life is an idea that is quickly disappearing for me. and as i get older it should seem closer then ever, and yet success only seems to be getting farther and farther away. I've failed at deciding what i want to be "when i grow up", and so i work at my job, that i like, but that destroys my body, and doesn't compensate me enough and never will. i failed at my marriage. I don't know if there is anything i could have done to save it knowing now what i know, but regardless it failed. my art, which is my number one most prized thing I've done in 26 years on this planet, is good and liked by a lot of people, but may never take off since i have no way of working on it all the time.

i grew up in a poor family, i recognized that at a young age, and tried to learn to not listen when people talked about money. it was something different for those with it. to them it was a resource that could be counted on to help them. something that would always be there to help in a time of need. to me it was something to be feared and hoarded whenever possible. and for a long time in my early twenties that was the best thing for me. because while all the people my age were getting money and spending it i was scrimping, saving, and trying to create something that would help me in the long run. under the assumption that if i worked a lot and saved my money, i could one day be the "giver". i could bestow this gift to someone i cared about. but that doesn't happen. no i only got older, and expenses continued piling up. i met people i thought i cared for and let them take advantage of me until one day i woke up and realized that i had nothing left. all the time and energy put forth to save, all the suffering and doing without had come to naught. i had nothing. now as i near my thirties, in the next few years, i wonder... what should i do? should i save still? should i spend frivolously and realize that this life is fleeting and that you really can't take it with you? i don't have the answers. i never have. and so sometimes on days like this, when the weather outside makes me hate living here in bellingham, and everyone i know is talking about how they want to buy a phone that is worth more then what i have in my entire bank account, i go and write down all the hatred and bitterness that i have towards this world and it's bullshit hypocrisy. then i take that paper and i go outside in the cold and i light it on fire. And I'll watch it. I'll watch it till all remnants are charred and cindered and no warmth emanates from it. i don't know if it helps at all. but it doesn't matter. because some days you just feel like letting your hatreds burn.

WARNING! : Artist's are bad for the environment.

Well I was going to go out this evening and see some music at western, but exhaustion has hit me hard after today. we started working on the second green house and getting it all cleaned out, and with the new drilled tarp fixtures. This is o.k. though, because Friday is gallery walk which will have lots of people and music down at JINX.

I made a concerted effort yesterday to go and paint four new backgrounds that hopefully will be dry enough by Friday so that I can paint on them. This is an unusual way for me to paint. Normally I'm a spontaneous painter and I start with the main item or focal point and paint the background in around it. This has been my MO for the last 8 years and it's worked well enough so far; however, at the heart of my resolution, are moments like these. Moments when i decide that it doesn't matter if it's "worked out, so far". Moments when I decide I'm going to try something new.

So, Friday: music... art... people...
Tonight: blogging... spaghetti... sleep...

Lately I've been thinking a lot about inspiration. I've recently decided that when I get my tax return (a healthy chunk of change) I want to invest a little in getting some equipment to start doing stencil production. I'm feeling extremely interested in stencils because I feel like it's an art form that I can use to portray my feelings about foreign affairs and political events better then i currently can. I can stencil a face and portray it however I want without actually taking the time to learn how to paint human faces (something I have no desire to learn)

I did however promise to put up some pictures of my last piece...

And as a special request, I'll post some pictures of my oph cat for a certain feline located in a mountain town to the south.

This is a smaller piece, in the same vein

as the large black and white squid i did recently

What the hell is this ice crap?

Oph cat enjoying a resting spot.

Coming's and Going's

So i tried to go without doing a blog for a couple days and all of a sudden i've got all kinds of things going on. first off the concert last thursday at neumos, in seattle, was great! I had a lot of fun and was still able to get home around 2 or so in the morning. I took a few pictures which were of a mixed quality. the music however was not of mixed quality. Giver's, the opening band, performance was top notch, and ra ra riot, the headliner, was audibly amazing.

The next piece of big news is that I hung up my Art in Casa que Pasa (in Bellingham) on Saturday. It was a pretty big space (about 5 large walls) but i have so much work it wasn't difficult to fill the space. I think it looks really good against their red walls and hanging Pothos plants. I beleive the peices will be up through march.

And lastly my vehicle has been acting up lately. I suspect that I need to replace the spark plugs and wires today. A good job for a nice Sunday afternoon.

*Vehicle Update* the spark plugs and wires have been replaced and I noticed a leak in one of the air lines. So I tightened that right up; which should fix my lack of power in lower gears problem.

Also this coming wednesday "Finn Riggins" will be playing at WWU. They're a fun band to watch, and I definitely will make that my show to see for this next week.

Resolve

This evening i will be heading down to Seattle to go to a show at "Neumos". I'm going to see "Ra Ra Riot", which is a band I've been looking forward to seeing for a while. I'm going by myself and i do have to work in the morning, but my new years goal this year was to do more things. i have so many interests and i felt that i needed to expand my horizons if I'm going to continue to be an interesting person with an open mind. so I'll start with my show tonight, and continue this next month with my exploration of life, by trying out a new art style this year. I'm not sure if I'll like it, or if I'll do much with it, but i intend to give it at least a month of my time to experience what it has to offer. So my next Art adventure is going to try and delve into the world of stencils. i feel like there is something very grimy, dirty, and ill-reputed about the stencil trade. something that when you touch it, touches you back. this interests me and I'd like to see what ideas seek me out when i open myself up to this new artistic style. I'll be sure to make posts on my feelings of pieces i complete, and the way the process affects my psyche, if at all.

Don't think about it, Can't live without it.

Jobs, careers, professions, apprenticeships, work, employment. All names we give to that process that grants us the power to do "Things". Yet, woefully cuts short the amount of time for an individual to do said, "Things". Today i will talk about my JOB...


*rising from his chair with one hand raised, and another across his heart, the man speaks. "My name is Forrest, and I am a Farmer... "*





I work at a place called Joe's Garden's.

__________That's it right there------------>

It's an amazing, farm/nursery/JOB. I have just started my 5th season this year and all ready i'm feeling the powerful energy of the farm. We've been spending a lot of time this year redesigning a system of laying the tarp floors securely on the ground. so for the last week i've been helping to drill holes in concrete, and screwing down halved PVC pipe. Among that though we've also been pressure washing a green house, planting starts, transplanting plants, climbing on greenhouse roofs, and TODAY was the big move day! we moved all the seedlings we started in december out into our renewed/cleaned/heated greenhouse.along with 2 full rows of baskets.

I decided to try and take pictures of the amounts that we moved. so i took morning afternoon and end of day shots of both green houses.

* But first some pretty pictures of herbs...*

-Garden Sage-

(I know a good chicken sage cheesey goodness recipe,

I want to do this summer on the grill.)

-Lemon Thyme-

-One part of the farm all furrowed out, and soaking wet-

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*O.K. now some pictures of the moving process.*

-Early Morning Greenhouse 1+2-
(6 bays of pansies, 4 bays of herbs, 2 bays of

onions and artichokes, 18 rows of hanging

baskets,7 racks of strawberry starts)

-Cleaned Greenhouse 4 with new tarp securements-

-Mid Day-

(Baskets have all been moved, pansies have been

started, and all herbs have been moved.)

-End of Day Shot-

(All pansies, onions, artichokes,

parsley, and strawberries have been moved.
and basket stuffer flower starts arrived on the truck today.

One man, Fifty Clams, and a Journey to Victory.

So today Water was everywhere. Today was ruled by Water. Today was pressure wash the greenhouse day at work, It rained all day long, and for dinner I was lucky enough to receive 50 clams from a friend. So I figured why not try out my hand with a "recipe blog". So this entry will be about one of my favorite things... FOOD!!!

"Forrest's Fantastic Clams"

Equipment:

2 sauce pots- one w/ lid
1 deep saute pan w/ lid
slotted spoon
whisk

Ingredients:

50 clams -(scrubbed clean)
2-3 cups seafood stock or vegetable stock
3 Tbs. cilantro-rough chopped
2 Tbs. butter
1 cup rice
2 cups water
Asparagus-trimmed (qty: however many you like!)
Lemon slice 1/2" thick- cut in half
5 cloves of garlic -crushed with the side of a knife
S+P-To Taste

Time to Cook!

1. Prepare all components, and combine the 2 cups of water w/ the rice and start to boil on high heat. Once the rice gets to rolling boil, turn to low and put the lid on it. let cook for approx. 10-13 minutes. fluff rice with a fork when done.

2. combine the garlic, lemon, stock, and clams in a deep saute pan. start to boil on high heat.

3. start a pot of hot water boiling for the Asparagus

4. once the clams get to a boil, cover with lid, and reduce heat to med-high and let sit 10 minutes. Also put the asparagus into the pot of boiling water at this time and cook for 4-6 minutes, drain once tender.

5. Once the clams have opened up your rice should be done or close to being done, and you can use a slotted spoon to remove the clams while reserving the liquid. combine the liquid with the butter, and heat till melted, whisk to incorporate. combine clams and liquid in bowl and enjoy!

serves 2 or 1 if you really like clams and/or not sharing...

Here's some pictures of my Journey...

-Ingrediants-

-Getting the Clams Boiling-

-Boiling Clams and Asparagus-

-Soaking in there own Juices!-

-NOM-

-All Journey's must come to an END-

Apologies only help those that say them.

So last night was a show, at Jinx, that I've been really looking forward to. I had gotten paint earlier in the day, and some new paintbrushes, and was planning on having a nice evening painting with on-lookers and concert-goers. Unfortunately I was greeted by a crowd that was belligerently drunk, rude, and even a little destructive. And throughout the whole evening all that I kept hearing from the people that I confronted with their rudeness was... "I'm sorry."

This combined with "Are you mad at me?" are the two phrases that I feel should be stricken from our societal vocabulary. They mean almost nothing to the person that gets told them, and sometimes it feels like the only reason people say these phrases at all, is to absolve themselves of responsibility. I feel like people should come up with a new way to apologize from now on. and learn some basic logic. If you do something that invokes negative emotions in another person, then ergo obviously they're going to be mad at you.

Well, enough ranting.

In other news, I have been very productive with my painting lately, and have gotten some nice new pieces finished. i ran into an old friend last night, who had nothing but rave reviews of the new pieces I've been doing, which really helped to lighten up my evening. Also i was successful in obtaining the Cantina Show at Casa que Pasa,. This is very exciting, and it means this week i have to spend some time putting hangers on my pieces.

On that note i will post some pictures of my recent pieces, and bid you adieu.

"The sun"

-150

"Squid with Sphere 1"
-150

"Squid with Sphere 2"

-150