Ohh... Hoo...

Well, Mick (and, well, me on his blog) talked about this guy running for governor of Minnesota... The self-styled Vampire... Sharkey... He's been arrested on two felony counts in Illinois.

Muahahahahaha!

The sick saga continues...

Man.

-- Tuckmac

Sound and fury... Signifying nothing.

Link.

The title of today's blog should give away most of my thoughts.

Although... To use more of the same quote (bold text denotes a change for humour):

Out, out brief candle
Bush, is but a poor player
who struts and frets his hour upon the stage
and then is heard from, no more.
It is a speech told by an idiot
Full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

I did that one from memory... So any Shakespeare fans out there that take umbrage to my quotation... Please deal.

Anyhoo...

I'm feeling pretty good. I spent all day Sunday, and most of yesterday sending out job stuff... Gah. But I get to take today off. Also did laundry, but really... Who cares about that. I made yet ANOTHER wonderful meal... My mother actually licked her plate. So... I know I'm still an amazing cook. I have yet, to do the dishes, however... And it's looking a bit messy up in the kitchen.

Ah...

To my friends in Britain, who've always wondered where the American phrase: "Going Postal" came from... Here's yet another example of it: Link. You really have to wonder what the hell goes ON in a post-office in the States. I mean... Talk about a dangerous job!

My Lady bought me a really wonderful gift for our "Anniversary." Before you all worry... It's not our first "wedding" anniversary, it's our 2nd "first DATE" anniversary... Which is tomorrow. Anyhoo... She got me Bill Bailey's "Live at the Apollo, Part Troll" on the iTunes music store. He's a great comedian from Britain, and I'm going to link to a rather funny song that sort of sums up his humor, fairly well:
Unisex Chip Shop (in honour of Billy Bragg)

Mick will recognise the singer. Or maybe not, as this is Bill Bailey pretending to be Billy Bragg, rather than Chris de Burgh. Anyhoo... Hope folks like it.

I'm off. My Lady is going out "running" with the puppy. Gah. There's no way in hell, you would get me to go jogging. Well... It's her funeral.

I'm going to have another cup of joe, smoke another fag... And then perhaps I'll actually get going, do the three "s's" and finally clean up the kitchen from my culinary exhaustion from last evening.

Smiles and kittens, readers...

-- Tuckmac

Vah... Monday.

Wasn't it JUST Monday a day or two ago? Man... Where is the time going? Gah!

I don't like this.

Well... I think I've finished the "letter from hell" and such... That was a problem. Gah. Both My Lady and my Mother have gone over it... And My Lady is going to look at it again, and then... With a few more corrections... It'll be in the "e-mail" world soon.

Yay.

We're starving... So I can't stay long.

But I've had a nice time... We saw Underworld: Evolution last night... Great FLICK! Both of us really enjoyed it. Then we came home and had a nice "heavy drinking session" which was needed. Seriously.

I've been a bit rough this morning, but it was worth it.

One quick link... To a nice write up about a fairly interesting artist. Don't go here, unless YOU TOO are an artist, otherwise you may be bored. Use: Bug Me Not to avoid signing in to the NY Times.

Okay... I'm off. Have a good one, readers.

Smiles,
Tuckmac

AARGH!!!

I'm currently taking a break from writing a rather excruciating letter of support for an application to a rather wonderful job in Britain.

Yeah... Yeah.... I know, Britain.

But it's a nice job. (I'm not writing what it is here, 'cause I don't want people I know to become competition. ;-) )

Anyhoo... It's awful trying to write these things. I mean... A "cover letter" is bad enough. "Touting" yourself, and attempting to get your C.V. read by a person hiring... That's bad... But a letter speaking about your qualifications, and PHILOSOPHY is just a bitch.

Gah.

Anyhoo... My Lady just gave me a wonderful cuddle, and so I'm already starting to feel better. She's amazing.

My friend Mick has the plague, and my hopes go out to him for a speedy recovery. He's been walking around with pneumonia or a bad influenza for over a week now, and he's just returned from Urgent Care (A&E) and is now hopefully resting. Don't bug him. Get well soon, Mick!

My mother is going to make a wonderful dinner for My Lady and myself this evening... Which is really nice. I made a really mean chicken-red sauce and pasta dish last night... My cooking skills are still amazing. (This according to My Lady and my Mother, so... It's with a slight grain of salt.) But I think it was pretty fantastic. But I'm looking forward to being pampered a bit after this ordeal of letter writing today.

All else is fine... I'm getting a bit tired of the job search, but I know that something is going to break soon. Either I'll get a job... Or I'll get broken. I find the idea of gibbering like an idiot and drooling on myself in a nice padded room is starting to look pretty good.

And that can't be a good thing.

Och weel... I'm off. Wish me luck.

-- Tuckmac

Saturday, and it's a nice quiet day.

Seriously... Mother's upstairs watching the "Magnificent Seven" and Fi's in her studio doing more "art-related" stuff... And I've had time just to peruse the internet. Love it. Drinking too much coffee, smoking a few too many fags, and having the puppy being asleep at my feet. It's a great time.

Anyhoo.... I looked for the link to a story that I read like 10 days ago, but I couldn't remember WHERE I read it, and thus, couldn't find the link... However... The story was great. It was something like:

A young Asian-American female was arrested for indecent exposure during a rally.

That was it, or something even LESS fact-full of a story... Can't really remember. But I was thinking... DAMN, why wasn't I at this rally?

Then... Reading the City Pages on-line this week, I came across a Mike Mossdale View-Finder.

It was HER?

And I find myself STILL wishing I were at the rally. There's nothing like scantily-clad women to make a guy's day.

Speaking of which... My Lady, the other night, had on this GREAT um... And there was lace... And um... Velvet "up to the elbow" gloves... And um....

Okay, I'm not going to write about that, I guess... Still...

Va Va Voom!

I am a very lucky man...

Thank the gods... I am a very lucky man.

On a sombre note... 20 years ago, the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster occurred.

You know how people always seem to "define their lives" by something they saw on T.V. as a kid? Sputnik or the Kennedy Assasination or now for younger folk... 9/11.

I remember being in seventh grade (um, 13ish) and seeing the Challenger disaster on T.V. LIVE in the Library at Oak Grove Jr. High. It really DID change things for me. I was always a big LOVER of the space program as a kid. I mean, who wasn't, at my age... We had the space shuttle! How cool was that? And then, suddenly... The disaster happened, and it all became so real to this kid... I mean... People died trying to explore space. It made the "magic" of the space program go away, and it taught me a valuable human lesson. People DIE for these things. Our search for new frontiers has always been dangerous, and people have been dying for thousands of years, in search of broader horizons. It's scary... It's sad... But it's also wonderful. My wishes of peace, and my thoughts go to the families of these brave pioneers that gave their lives for us, the whole human race. Thank you.

Okay... On that rather depressing note... I'm off. I love you all, have a good 'un readers... And think about it... There's so much that all of us can offer the planet. Start thinking about what YOU do. Do you "do" anything to better the planet? Or do you sit around grousing about "how horrible" everything is, without giving thought to how you may make it better? I think about these things. I really do. Perhaps I should do more. What can I do? I don't know yet... But I know I HAVE to do something more. All of us should!

Ta!

-- Tuckmac

So... It's Friday again.

What did I do today, so far?

Made a colour wheel for Fiona, for her "painting studies" that she's doing.

How? Well... With Photoshop, of course.



I used to have my computer-design students make a colour wheel as one of their introductory projects to the colour-theory section of the class. They usually would be pretty good at manipulating Photoshop by the time we made this. There's lots of steps involved with Layers and Channels, and Transforming, Wand and other selection tools as well as "mixing" colour on the computer. It's a good refresher for manipulation etc...

Anyhoo...

The drama continues with our "Application for a Marriage Visa" through the U.S. Government. Now even our Immigration Attorney is confused. He's "Thinking" about the options. Man. It's not going well. I mean... I've heard all sorts of stories, but I was sincerely hoping we wouldn't be an "interesting case study" and it seems as though My Lady and I are bound to be written down in the case-book. I HATE being interesting!

Fudge.

Anyhoo... Not lot's to say, which is why I didn't update tomorrow... More of me on the computer... More of My Lady in her studio, more of Memnon, the puppy... Being a nut-ball. Same ol' same ol'.

So... I'll let you go. Just know that both My Lady and I continue to fight for our right to live together in my country... And we're not giving up... And though we look to "both sides" of the pond as a "stop-gap" plan... We're still hopeful, and keep on plugging away at my recalcitrant government.

Please, continue the prayers, happy thoughts... And magick!

Love to you all!

-- Tucker

You know...

I think I'm going to quit.

Quit all of this shite.

Fuck my bloody government.

They don't want my wife here? In fact... They don't want ME here, as the guards to our country asked My Lady, "Why don't your husband and you just stay over in Britain, and make it easy on everyone?"

Now they've returned our application for My Lady's visa... And said it was sent to the wrong place. I saw the law-books, my lawyer showed them to me proving that we DID send them to the right place... And then... They secretly removed items FROM the packet, saying that they'd sent everything back to us... All, I think, to trick us into sending an INCOMPLETE file of application to the government.

Luckily, the lawyer checked over everything before sending it, and discovering this small problem.

I mean, FUCK! What the FUCK?

England is looking really fucking good right now. My Lady is tired of this... I know that I am tired of this... Everything is shite.

Fuck.

I hate this fucking country's freaking stance on immigrants! Why can't my wife just live here with her husband like EVERY OTHER COUNTRY ALLOWS ON THE FUCKING PLANET????????

Fuck.

-- T

Okay, addendum today...

Wait a minute.

I found this "Piracy Calculator" on-line... Here

My number came up with $3453.77 USD for my computer, if the "bad-guys (or good-guys, depending on your motivation)" come after me.

The reason I'm a bit upset... Is that the calculator asks for all sorts of things, how many films, tv shows, etc... But then it asks for "total time in hours, minutes and seconds" of your music collection. Not total number of songs you've downloaded illegally... Just TOTAL AMOUNT OF MUSIC!

I have no movies, no films, no tv shows... All I have on my box is music.

And I'm a "pirate?"

BULL SHIT!

There is nothing on my computer that I don't fucking OWN. Okay? I don't have a problem with people being chased after if they've actually downloaded shite without paying for it. However... All my music is burned from MY CD'S for which I paid the full price! Either that, or from iTunes music store, for which I've paid full price for music.

Somebody explain to me, how I'm a pirate? Seriously. I don't like this fucking label! I mean... If it's really illegal to have your own music collection on your computer... Then everyone with an iPod is a freaking pirate! How many of those babies did Apple sell last year? 10's of millions? How about interactive D.J.'s? They run all their shite off computers... How about, how about... Well, fricking EVERYONE!

So... Explanations? Anyone?

Jeez...

-Tuckmac

Ah... Tuesday, and a bad day for toupees!

Greetings, readers...

It's windy outside, at the moment. Very, very windy. Like a lot. Don't wear loose head-gear today in Minneapolis.

Man.

Anyhoo... Found this great toy... You ever get tired of those "motivational posters" that you see in corporate board-rooms at the moment?

Well... I hate them. I mean, as an artist, I'd rather corporations buy MY work, rather than a $20.00 poster and use IT! Bastards!

Anyhoo... Make your OWN! Check THIS out:



Tee hee... Here's the link: "Motivator" A thank you to the "Welsh-speaking Guy" for finding it originally. And... I'll be nice. The "Welsh-speaking guy" writes stuff, and he's funny, and he has a new column out. Why am I being nice? Well... He was blatant enough to ask people to link to it, so he gets more "Google" hits. If you're THAT ballsy, I'll go along, even if a guy's just joking around.

Anyhoo... After yesterday's entry... I received a comment from a friend across the pond, saying that I should run for president.

What do you all think?

I think I should. Of course, I don't have any endorsements... Or money... And the foreign wife is an issue... And the fact that I'm a tree-hugging - bleeding-heart liberal - socialist - Anglophile probably wouldn't stand me in good stead in an American race for the highest office in the land.

So...

I guess I won't go for it. Och weel.

(I'm deliberately NOT talking about the puppy today. I won't go into how insane he was yesterday, and how nice he's being today, or that we're thinking of taking him for a walk around the lakes, even though it's really windy, or that he's just a cuddle-muffin from cute-ville, or anything like that, 'cause none of you want to know about our cuddly-wuzzely-boofda-head today, do you?)

Well...

My Lady is painting in her studio, and I'm going to get to work on more job-searching shite today... Gah... So...

Since you don't want to hear about that... I'm going to get going. Have a good-un!

-- Tuckmac

It's a Monday... And I am thinking...

"Monday, monday... ACK, aghhhh, cack, gagls..."
--Dennis Leary, impersonating Mama Cass dying.

Anyhoo... I really don't like Mondays. Up early with Memnon, as we're not sure whether or not he would be very good at dealing with my Mother leaving, and no one being around to keep him busy. He's a scamp... Always getting into things, and that's normal. We love him! He really enjoys having his last walk at 11:30 at night, which is a bit of a pain, but he makes it through the night without having accidents, so... We're willing. Enough about the dog.

I woke up worrying about something and read the BBC first with this story:
Ford to slash up to 30,000 jobs.

We have a big Ford plant in St. Paul that employs countless folk, and it's a big part of St. Paul's economy. Needless to say, the mayor of St. Paul, and even our annoying governor went to Detroit (the Ford headquarters) and tried to save the Ford plant in St. Paul. Luckily...

Ford Cutting up to 30,000 Jobs (In the Star and Sickle) Let me know that the plant is NOT one of the 14 that Ford is closing! Thank the gods.

Why do I care?

It's the economy, stupid. Should sum up my concern.

So... "Good news" for the Twin Cities, and various Ford employees in St. Paul. Bad news for countless OTHER workers around the nation.

Now... Here's something that bugged me. Speaking of the Star and Sickle.... Hundreds of newspapers run editorials from both Liberal and Conservative authors. This is normal. But the Star and Sickle, seemed to deem it necessary to put in a "warning-rebuttal" paragraph above Al Gore's speech exerpt run in the Editorial Pages, you can read the excerpt of the speech, and see the "warning" here: LINK

I mean... For chrissake! It's an editorial! You don't have to put an "Editor's Note" about a freaking editorial! We all KNOW that it's going to be pro or con SOMETHING! Don't "Editor Note" the damn thing... As a newspaper, to remain fair and balanced (which is a joke, anyway, but...) all you have to do is run a "rebuttal" editorial when someone of equal weight WRITES ONE!

Man!

Fucking weirdos!

Blogs around the country/world got really involved in Al Gore's speech. Here's a great article about it:
Gore's accusations got the internet's attention.

The funny thing, is that it starts with the comment:
The big news on the blogs this week was the return of Al Gore. In a Monday speech the former vice president accused the current President Bush of breaking the law by authorizing warrantless wiretaps and called for a special prosecutor to look into "criminal issues." Inexplicably, the mainstream media felt this was not big news. The bloggers felt differently.

Um... I don't personally think that it WAS big news. I didn't talk about it on my blog until now. It's not because I didn't read the excerpt run in the Star and Sickle, I did. I just knew that it was Gore talking off his wooden head again.

Folks... Gore's a guy who lost a presidential race, 'cause Bush rigged the election. Of COURSE Gore's going to go against anything the current administration does... He should.

I'd be more impressed if Republican's got arsey about Bush.

Oh, wait! They ARE getting arsey!

Man, you have to start worrying about your approval ratings, as a president with conservatives starting to get uppity about you! Muahahahhahaha!

I like this quote from the above story:
Said David Keene, chairman of the American Conservative Union: "This is not a partisan issue. It is an issue of safeguarding the fundamental freedoms of all Americans so that future administrations do not interpret our laws in ways that pose constitutional concerns."

Chairman of the American Conservative Union!

Bushy... You are messed up!

Oh, and then there's THIS whole mess: Bush photos with Abramoff Oh... But Bushy's never even "Met Abramoff.?" My ARSE!

Whoops... Damn photographers!

Muahahahahha!

Anyhoo... Enough fun for my day! Smiles!

-- Tuckmac

YAY PUPPY!

Today Fiona and I went all the way up to Maplewood Mall, and the PetCo up there to adopt a puppy.

A serious huge thank you to Joann and Matt for the help! They sent a link to us, showing us an entry for two cute puppies, and we went up, and adopted the little boy puppy.

His name is Agamemnon. Named for our friend Roy's ancestor. ;-)

We're calling him "Memnon" for short.







He's a "rescue" pet. The Homeward Bound folk think that the puppy is a Newfoundland/Lab/Something mix. He's a big sweety, bear-cub, cutie. He's bound to get pretty big, from 65-100 lbs. (4 1/2 to 7 stone.) And he's just a doll.

That's the news for today... We're going to go play with our puppy.

Smiles,
Tuckmac

Friday... TGIF

Hello folks,

First, a big thank you to Mick, for the conversation last night. It was a good'un. Thanks also to our wives, Michelle and My Lady, for allowing two guys to go out and have a "boy's-night out" it was appreciated.

Okay... Here's a new one: Death By Squirrel. I mean, how are you meant to recover from the shock, as a family member. "Margie always HATED the little tree-vermin, and they finally caught up with her." Sorry, sick sense of humour, I know.

Rock posters are art. I guess. Okay. Nice to know. Now I understand why I don't make any money as an artist. I need to start doing art for other reasons. We'll see. Hmm... Ger.

And this one, is just great: Japan refuses U.S. Beef. This all stems from a 2003 case of "BSE" that was found in the North West in the U.S. Our beef now is "tainted" just like Britain's has been for years (at least, according the the French.) Hmm... I still think this is amusing, especially as the cow in question back in 2003 was actually from Canada. That's right... Canada. Damn Canooks! Look at all the trouble your country is causing to mine! Damn Canooks! Ger.

(Above paragraph was typed with my tongue firmly in cheek. Although it's true the cow was from Canada.)

Anyhoo... Here's another example of my government being just a bit paranoid:
GOOGLE SEARCH RECORDS SUPOENA.

You know... (Here's a political rant) This is what bugs me about wire-taps, and internet records being searched, and our e-mails combed through by the U.S. Gov.:

They say they're only watching "People with known Al Qaida links." And yet... How do we know that they have the right people? Seriously. My wife is British, I've just returned from living in Britain for two years... There's "supposedly in-grown" terrorists in Britain... Thus, a British person could have ties to Al Qaida. Thus, my wife, according to the U.S. Government could be under suspicion. The fact that she's a white/celtic woman from Scotland who belongs to the Church of Scotland, and is married to a white/celtic/norse guy who was raised in St. Paul as a Catholic doesn't seem to matter.

There are TONNES of people who are on "Watch lists" for terrorism, and thus have problems flying. The fact that they are obviously NOT actually terrorists doesn't seem to remove them from this list. Hell, two weeks ago a four year-old boy was not allowed to board a plane. FOUR YEARS OLD!

By the current administration's own words... They have the right, to look for terrorists. Yes. I agree. I don't agree that they have the right without an oversight through the courts. There are laws already set up that allow for domestic wire-taps, and doing an end-run around this law from the freaking 1970's, is just wrong. The government keeps saying "trust us" and prove over and over again, that it's citizens CANNOT trust them.

How far are we willing to allow our rights to be trampled upon? Just how far? I ask our congress that is meant to be a check against an overwhelming Executive branch to start BEING a CHECK! Think about this, Republicans... You don't really worry about it now, 'cause your guy is in office. How are you going to feel about it if Hillary is the president in 2008? Are you still going to be happy with the president being able to ignore the constitution? Are ya?

Don't bloody well think so.

-- T

Er, well... Hmm... Okay.

Hi folks, I know that yesterday I promised a "political-rant" but...

I also realised today, that if I don't do the rant when my "dander's up" then, I just lose the ability to write about it at all.

I was upset yesterday, but I've calmed down today.

Mick's probably laughing at me. ;-)

Anyhoo... To fill the void, I found two things that made me "happy" to post. Surprise, surprise.

The first is a cool article about a new "ION-DRIVE." thinggy! How freaking cool is this? The fact that it's at LEAST 10 years in the future, hell... What's 10 years? (article).

And the second thing is an "art project" based in New York. I was just really caught-up in the idea, and had a fun time reading and viewing all the results of the project. First... Yes, it's pretty conceptual. Second, there's bound to be people who don't think it's art. Third, it leans toward the frivolous. But... I like it. And I have a feeling that whether or not you think it's art you may enjoy it too! The Bubble Project. Just click on the bubble when it comes up.

That's it for today, folks... Like I said: Perhaps having a happy post once and a while won't ruin my reputation as a "rabble-rouser." It doesn't does it?

Oh... One more question for all my readers. I'm still stymied on the "job-search" thing. I've sent out more resumes (C.V.'s) today, and I'm still awaiting news on the other ones... But... Look... I'm not really getting anywhere.

So... If you have a weird idea... Anything... Out-side the box, or in, that you think I should think about, please send me a comment with your idea. Anything is allowed... Whether or not I take you up on the idea is entirely up to me... But I promise I won't ignore ANY idea, and will consider even the most bizarre notions. Dorsey, your idea is already in the works, so no more "writing" ideas from you! ;-) To everyone out there: Thanks folks!

-- Tuckmac

Greetings from Snowy Minnesota

Hi folks, that's right... It's finally acting like winter again in Minnesota.



Above image stolen from Weather.com. It's cold. (About -6°C) and breezy. It's been pretty grey since my birthday on the 16th. And to be honest... Due to My Lady and I both wanting to go ice-skating, we're both rather happy about that. Nothing like buying skates, and then being forced to NOT skate due to unseasonably warm weather! Gah!

Okay... First, a big thank you to My Lady and Mick and Joann for a fun birthday celebration at the Dubliner in St. Paul:


Guinness toasting at my birthday

And thanks also to Tim, Lucy, Anastasia, and other's for happy birthday texts from abroad (and in the case of Tim, Nevada) and also to Matt for the "Happy Birthday" song on my voice-mail!

I had a nice birthday, and it was very enjoyable. Yes... I drank a lot. No, I didn't drink so much to be sick... And yes, I had a wee bit of a hangover yesterday.

I do have a bit of political ranting that I want to get off my chest, but y'all will have to wait for tomorrow, as I'm trying to keep my happy "thanks" entry separate from "Tuckmac the angry tree-hugging hippy socialist" entries!

So... Thanks! I wish you all a good (yet cold Minnesotan) day!

-- Tuckmac

It's my birthday... It's my birthday... Ba-dum-ba-dum-tup.

Or something.

That's right... I'm 21 (plus or minus 12) years old today! I'll let you do the maths.

Anyhoo...

Still looking for a puppy. Of course, no luck. Went to the Ramsey County Shelter for Companion Animals (dude, how much more P.C. can you bloody-well GET!) And they had two little rat-dog puppies (please!) and three adult dogs, one of whom was already adopted. And to be honest... As a life-long dog owner, you really WANT a puppy. Not just 'cause they're cute and all (although that's a good reason all in and of itself) but because you really need to get the little bugger's YOUNG in order to make sure they're trained well... Nothing like inheriting a three-year old dog with a million bad habits! (Before you get upset, or something... Think about it... These are the dogs that the owners GOT RID OF, and it's ALWAYS due to the owner being an idiot, it's not the dog's fault.)

I don't mind if we get a mutt... In fact, I'd prefer to get a mutt. Why? All the weird defects from the in-breeding of "A.K.C. approved dogs" is helped by a little genetic-mixing... Anyhoo... We're also looking for a "wolfy" sort of breed-mix. You know... Something like an Alaskan Malamute-cross or a Husky-cross or whatever... Big... 50-100+ lbs... Heft! That's what a person needs in a dog.

This may anger you...

But I think that little-rat-dogs are useless! What's the bloody point? Get a fucking CAT if you want a little animal. Cats are cleaner... Use litter-boxes... And eat less... Plus they don't fucking YAP every minute of the bloody day!

If you get a DOG, then DO it... Get something that's almost as big as you... That loves you, and protects you, and rips the face off of a dangerous burglar! I'm not kidding! That's why Golden Retrievers, although beautiful dogs, are on my "useless list!" If you study the case-history of that particular breed... There's never been a case of a Golden Retriever attacking a human, unless it's been rabid!

What's the point? Rapist comes into your house, and the dog wags it's tail, and then calmly watches you get raped and killed??????? Is that a fucking dog? NO SIR/MA'AM!

Case and point... We had this great dog... His name was Arthur. He was a Black-lab Malamute cross. He weighed 85lbs, and NEVER barked. Never. Anyhoo... I was away at college... And my Mother was home alone. The front-door was open, but the screen-door was locked. It was about 3:00am, and someone came to the front of the house... This dark figure was wearing a hoody, and had the hood pulled forward to hide his face.

Meanwhile, in the back bedroom... Mother is awoken by a low growl. Arthur is laying at the foot of her bed, where he used to sleep, and his head's up, and he's looking down the hall. Mother gets up, grabs the baseball bat (that I bought for her for protection) and together, they walk down the hall. She gets to the front door. Sees the guy on the stoop, and his hand is rattling the door. She says, calmly, "What are you doing?" The guy looks up, sees the bat, and continues to rattle the door.

Meanwhile... Arthur is just standing next to Mother. He hasn't made a noise. You see... She was calm, thus... The dog was calm. Of course, at the guy's disdain for the bat, Mother becomes nervous. She repeats her question in a more shaky tone, "What do you want?"

The man continues rattling the door trying to force it open.

Arthur picks up on my mother's tone. I'm sure he thinks something like, "Mom in danger!"

A VERY low growl begins deep in his chest. (Malamutes have VERY big chests bred for pulling... Thus a growl sounds like 100 choirs of demons in the lowest of the nine-circles of hell.)

The man suddenly stops. He can't see the dog... Arthur was black except for a white chest, and that wasn't in view, nothing but darkness... With this deep, deadly growl coming from somewhere next to my Mother.

The man begins to back away from the door. Arthur isn't finished... Arthur stands up, putting his front legs on the door, and breaks the door from it's hinges... Thrusting himself out the front door... Bounding down the front walk... Chasing after the man... Arthur LEAPS....

Knocking the man forward onto the ground.

Does he bite him? Oh no... Arthur doesn't like the taste of human flesh.... No... Arthur stands on the man's back growling and drooling over the man's exposed back. The man starts to cry... He's never actually SEEN this dog... The hood has obscured his vision, and all he can feel is this heavy weight... Hearing the growling only inches from the back of his neck... The man is crying.

Mother... With a shaky voice says, "Arthur. Come here."

With a final growl, Arthur steps off the man's back... And calmly trots back to the house. The man runs... Runs far and fast... Never to be seen again.

Mother and Arthur returned to bed, after setting the screen-door to the side of the stoop, and closing the front door.

That. That is a dog.

Yeah, so... Anyhoo... That's what I want again. A dog.

So... It's my birthday, and My Lady made a few photos with my camera.


Me and my cake, that My Lady picked out.


Close-up on the cake

For gifts, I received Expandable cooking tongs (10'' to 14'' length), a coffee-thermos-urn-thinggy to keep my coffee warm, a new duvet, $15.00 iTunes music credits, $50.00 in Barnes and Noble gift cards, and a new watch band for my broken watch.

Yay!

I'm off... I think Fi and I are heading to the Dubliner in St. Paul on University Ave. tonight. There's no live-music, as it's a Monday... But Darren, the bartender supreme is working... So that will be fun! Everyone can come. But there's no "specific" party, or anything... So... Don't feel obligated.

See ya readers... Either at the pub, or here tomorrow!

-- Slàinte --
Tuckmac

Saturday, and a better day than before.

Hi Readers...

If you haven't picked up on it... I'm a bit down this week. And I want to apologise for dragging all of you folks down into my own personal dumps. It's my own problem... And I'm finally beginning to work on it.

It's the common "male" complaint... Married, and in America, that still means "Bread-winner," and frankly... I haven't two pence, sorry... Pennies to rub together.

Ger.

But... I'm turning over a new leaf... I know, now, that I'm doing all that I can, and I just have to wait for it to start taking effect.

Right?

Anyhoo... 'Cause I've been doing this lately... A photo:


Tucker in the studio

Okay...

What have My Lady and I been up to today?

Errands.

Man the shite one has to do some Saturdays. I bought strings (so did my Lady) for our instruments... And currently, I'm taking a break from stringing. I have three instruments that I play on occasion... A Mandolin (eight strings) an Octave Mandolin (eight strings) and a 12-string guitar. Regular acoustic guitar for me? Hell no... I have to play a fucking 12 string one.

I've been stringing for the past hour and a half, and I still have yet to start on the bloody 12-string.

Gah.

But anyhoo...

We went out, also, to get some batteries, and some zippo fluid, as I've been using a freaking Bic lighter, and that's just "Not On!"

And finally... I drove all the way from Bloomington, down to Apple Valley (about 12 miles south) and then from Apple Valley to Maplewood (36 miles) and then back through St. Paul (another 20 miles) before coming back home.

Why?

We're looking for a puppy.

Yep... A puppy. I need one... Fiona would like one, and the matron of the house is more than willing. So... My Lady and I spent the day travelling to different "Pet Warehouse" stores... Not that they warehouse pets, but the biggies... PetCo, and Petsmart etc... Places that sell all sorts of shite for pets... (Brits, think Asda for pets... Yanks you should know, but think Walmart for Pets.) Anyhoo... The various pet-rescue societies go to these big stores to show off, and attempt to convince people to adopt the found/rescued/or un-loved puppies and dogs.

We didn't find one. Not that there wasn't a few EXTREMELY CUTE little ladies out there... Man... We almost got this "hound-mix" puppy. Don't really know what the heck it would've turned into as an adult, which is why we didn't get it... But it was just the hardest thing... Here's my deal. I firmly believe that a puppy has to respond to you in some manner, and then "that's" the dog for you. Well... Both Fiona and myself saw this little sweetie sitting in the pen with her litter-mates and they were all really insane, yet she was contentedly sitting there chewing on a toy, and being stepped on by her sibs... And she was just adorable... But I thought to myself... "Nope, I'm standing here, and NOTHING, not a glimmer. Obviously, she's not the puppy for me." And what happens? Just as I think this... She stands up, comes over to the little fence thing, and jumps up and looks me FULL in the BLOODY FACE!

Damn that dog.

Damn all mind reading dogs!

So... It was close. We almost bought the damn thing... But.

But.

It was $270.00. Two-bloody-hundred-bloody-seventy-bloody dollars!

I couldn't do it... Not only 'cause of the "not having two cents to rub together" but because... Look... If it's a dog I really want, and know the breed... Etc... Then I'd do it. But not knowing what this "hound/hound/hound" thing was going to be... I just couldn't.

So... We're going to keep looking.

I want one.

I want a cute little sweet... Adorable little Lady to match my ACTUAL Lady.

Wish me luck... I'll keep you all posted.

Finally... Wish me a happy Birthday! It's my birthday on Monday, and I'm really excited. Yay! B-day!

Well... I'm off!

Smiles,

Tuckmac

Bad day today.

And to not infect any of my gentle readers with my mood...

I thought I'd throw up two photos from yesterday (Thursday) at the Fine Grind in St. Paul.


Fiona playing patience (solitaire to us Yanks) at the coffee shop.


Me, looking rather scary, and dreadfully out of focus. But then, I kinda like it.

Maybe some more photos tomorrow? I don't know.

Smiles,
T

Okay... Old fashioned "News" commentary.

First, I thought I'd put a photo up of my current desk-top wallpaper:


Mick, Me, Kris, and Matt at my stag-party.

It's also, as I type this around 12:00 Noon... Warmer in Minneapolis, than it is in Canterbury, England! Take THAT Britain! I live in the tundra, and it's nicer here than there! Muahahahahaha!

Okay.

First, most of you know about the never-ending saga of the "Marriage Visa" for My Lady. What's been amusing, is the current mess we're having in Minnesota about Immigration. A bit of back story... It's all politics. Due to our Republican (conservative) party that's currently in control of the Minnesota government, being quite "pants" as my wife would say, lack of education funding, transportation is bad... Etc... Etc... The Republicans are now chasing after a wedge-issue to hide the fact that they suck, and get Minnesotans to be "scared" or something. This issue seems to be illegal immigration. Now... I'll first say that this issue is crap. I just feel that way. I personally don't care that we have Mexican and Central American people coming into Minnesota. I like their culture, and I like the fact that we're just a little less "Scanda-hoovian" here now. Anyhoo... Nick Coleman, a columnist from the Star and Sickle has been writing about a so called "Focus Group" where regular Minnesotans were called in, and after complaining about issues like education, and transportation, and subsidies, were then asked by the focus group: "But those damn immigrants, they're really bad aren't they?" Cue the cricket sounds. According to one source at the meeting... No one had any problem with immigrants. Damn... Poor Focus Group Leader. Anyhoo... Nick Coleman is trying to trace down just who PAID for this focus group. Of course, he's pointing fingers at the Republicans... But there's no "real" way to know. LINK

Due to a bit of a hue and cry over our Governor's last proposals about illegal immigrants... He's back-pedalled a bit. Pawlenty Announces More Immigration Plans. Gee... Thanks Governor.

Followed shortly by a story about two more tunnels under the U.S. border allowing more illegal immigrants from the South into the U.S. Ha. Man.

Anyone else really glad you're not a Muslim? Hundreds killed in Hajj stampede Seriously... It's really, really sad. They have tried so hard this year to add barriers, and more crowd control, and yet it happens again. Man... I have images of a whole mess of Catholics falling all over each other to get to the pope, or something. And... Then I realise that Catholics just don't really care all that much. Folks who profess to Islam are obviously very devout. I personally am glad that I'm not, and that no one else I know is quite that devout. Man.

It's nice to know that it's not only the U.S. that's been mistreating Iraqi prisoners... Now it's those crazy Danes! Look, folks... If you're really, really trying to save a country, and spread democracy... Stop Beating And Torturing Prisoners

Jeez.

Finally... Yet another cancer-stick nail in my coffin. I hate this smoking-ban shite. Okay? I really, really do. I understand that it's bad for me... And I'm NOT against banning smoking in bars.

Surprised?

Well, I'm not! I think it's a great idea. When I go out to a bar in Minneapolis, I'm smoking like, three cigarettes in a whole night! That's a great cut down from smoking 20 or more in an evening out at a bar. I don't stink like fags once I'm home... And I save money.

The issue I have, is the same one that most right-thinking bar-owners have. These piece-meal smoking bans hurt their businesses! Okay? That's it! That's why I'm cheesed off! When St. Paul didn't follow suit with Minneapolis in a smoking ban... Minneapolis bars lost business, and St. Paul bars got MORE business. It's fine that St. Paul is now joining the ranks... But that still leaves Ramsey county... Dakota county, and since two weeks ago... Hennepin county (after repealing their ban) allowing smoking in bars. See... What happens... Is that okay, the major city BANS smoking. But the bar three miles down the road in the same county, but not in the city limits, gets all the freaking business, thus hurting the CITY BARS!

It's all or nothing. Pass a STATE-WIDE BAN, and the Bar-owners will STOP fighting the government.

I'll still be angry that I can't smoke. But at least no one's losing business anymore.

Okay... I'm off. Stuff to do... People to see... Food to consume... And some weird art-thing my wife is dragging me to tonight.

Smiles,
Tuckmac

Pheww... Glad YESTERDAY is over.

Seriously...

I can't think of a worse thing, than writing cover-letters, and changing your C.V. around 18 times. Gah.

By the way, if you're wondering WHY I changed my C.V. around 18 times, it's... Well, okay, I only did it about nine times. Not 18, but saying 18 just has that effect ya' ken?

Anyhoo... I took a course in college about job-searching, and "selling" yourself, and they said that you really should cater to specific jobs in you C.V. and Cover-letter. It's true... It's always worked for me... But that doesn't mean that it's any fun.

I normally have TWO C.V.s. I have my "Bartending/Retail/Sales" C.V. with all the "normal" jobs that I've done... And then I have a "Professional" C.V. with my artist/photo/educator sort of stuff on it. But... When looking for such a slew of different jobs, I had to adjust the damn thing over and over again.

Och weel... It's done... I have all the different versions SAVED, so... If I'm applying for a retail job, I use a "retail" C.V. if I'm applying for a Bar job, "Bar C.V." and if I'm applying for a photo/art job... The "Art C.V" but that's different than my "Publishing/Graphic Design C.V." and...

Ad infinitum... Ad nausium.

Anyhoo...

I got three "Job-position StarTribune" job search e-mails this morning... And they're already the same jobs I applied for yesterday so... I'm saved the trouble of sending out MORE of my freaking things. Thank all the gods.

Anastasia... You poor, poor baby. Hang in there... And you really SHOULD have at least a glass of wine after work to help you to calm down. Needless to say... I didn't apply for any non-profits or charities. I'm not that insane. ;-)

Dorsey... Thanks for your inspirational words... I'm glad you like my writing. Do not for a minute think that I'm not always open to pursuing an occasional column here or there in a magazine or publication of some sort... However... Writing is much like being an artist. You do it 'cause you have to, and occasionally someone is silly enough to pay you for a piece of work, but... It doesn't put food on the table, nor does it put a roof over one's head. Oh... I suppose I could get lucky, either as a photographer (as is my wont) or a writer, or heck... Even a musician. But usually that's all about LUCK, and lately, except for the amazing wife I've caught... My luck is pretty shite. Och weel... I'll keep trying, and thanks again for your words.

Thought I'd throw up a few photos...

First, Monsieur Sorebum chillin' in the studio:



and My Lady in the studio:



My mother has just bought a new dryer, as the old one died a week and a half ago... It's rather interesting... The guys came in to take away the old one, and put in the new one. The moron that put in the old one was trying to kill us all... No safety valve on the gas-connection... No flex tube (but it was a long time ago)... And he put it in "hand tight" meaning the moron didn't use a tool. The installation guys were like: "It's amazing you didn't blow up years ago!"

Comforting, no?

Anyhoo... The new one is working, safe, and is much prettier than the 35 year-old former dryer... So, YAY! My Lady and I were on our last pair of undies today, and so laundry is a GOOD thing.

I'm off to fold!

Smiles and Kittens!

-- Tuckmac

Addendum, 11:30am:

Found, yet another, silly meme...

You scored as Democrat. <'Imunimaginative's Deviantart Page'> Democrat 100% Green 100% Anarchism 92% Communism 67% Socialist 58% Fascism 25% Nazi 0% Republican 0% What Political Party Do Your Beliefs Put You In? created with QuizFarm.com

Interesting results... not.

-- T

I hate Job Searching

Hi there folks...

Well, the chore that began this morning at 10:00am, has finally been completed... AT 4:00, fricking PM!

That's right, folks....

Job searching, résumé (C.V.) printing and creation, cover letter typing, printing, and on-line applications sent.

I have three envelopes containing cover letters and c.v.'s for the jobs that didn't have an on-line option...

I've applied for:
- Retail, photographic supplies
- Sales, art work and designs
- Bartending jobs
- Graphic Design Jobs
- Art Director Jobs
- Photographer jobs

This job-search is NOT the same as my continued search for a professorial job somewhere in the country... This is a search either for an alternate career that will allow me to continue being an artist, whilst still having a pay cheque... Or something of a stop-gap depending on my job prospects for the future.

I hate this stuff... But.... It's done for now. Obviously... I'll be continuing this search... I get e-mails daily about new job opportunities that will require MORE of this... But the bulk of the current jobs are now completed.

Look... I need some happy thoughts... My bank balances are looking rather dire... I have a wife that CAN'T work depending on me, as well as a parent who is more broke than I am, allowing myself and my spouse to live with her...

I want a REAL job that will allow me to be a grown-up. You know?

So... Say a prayer, perform a magical rite, or just send happy thoughts... Whatever you prefer. I can use all the help I can get!

Thanks, readers...

From, your desperate and insane blog-writer...

Tuckmac

Ah... Monday. What a bitch.

I hate Mondays... And I'm not even working a REAL JOB YET!

Gah.

Anyhoo... I found this on-line quiz thing at Meshtey's blog, and thought I'd through it up here too. No big surprises.

You scored as Art. You should be an Art major! How bohemian! Art 100% Dance 92% Theater 92% Sociology 83% Mathematics 75% English 75% Journalism 75% Biology 67% Psychology 67% Anthropology 58% Philosophy 50% Engineering 25% Linguistics 25% Chemistry 8% What is your Perfect Major? (PLEASE RATE ME!!<3) created with QuizFarm.com

Sorry folks... That's all I have time for today. I'll try to get more going NEXT time.

Smiles,
T

I love Sundays - Part Duex

Again... There's a bit of a dearth of news today, but I was able, by waking up VERY early, to read my Sunday newspaper.

The only thing worth mentioning...

Muahahahahaha!

Anyhoo... I thought I'd share a few funny photos, of My Lady and myself. Also... A comparison of our art studios, as it's bound to be the best comment on our differences.


My Lady in "A Fine Grind" our favourite coffee shop in St. Paul.


My Lady's studio-space


My studio-space

And finally... A rather unflattering, yet true to life view of myself:


Me, during my first morning fag and coffee

That's it for a Sunday folks... Thanks for visiting, reading, and viewing.

Ta!

--Tuckmac

Saturday, and art is happening

My Lady and I are heading to the The Walker today for a talk at 3, and a possible show tonight around 6 or something... For my Brit (hell, Yank) friends that don't know what the Walker is... It's a really great museum (gallery to my Brit readers) in Minneapolis... It's all about modern/conceptual/and actual GOOD contemporary art. My Lady and I have just joined the membership, and are going to start taking advantage of living really close to a great place for Art!

Last night, My Lady and I spent time at Kieran's Irish Pub enjoying music from "Bedlam" and having a few pints of the magic brew.... The entertainment was great, and the chicken fingers and chips (fries) that we had are second to none. As Fiona says, "It's great to have a chip that was actually once a potato." My Brit readers will probably understand that sentence more than my Yank ones... But I agree with Fi. After two years of trying to choke down what the Brit's consider to be a "chip" at the various fish and chip shops... I honestly wonder if a "chip" had ever even been CLOSE to a potato, once upon a time... Gah...

Anyhoo... I'm taking today off of working on Web-design... I've been immersed in Cascading Style Sheets and dhtml, and gods KNOW what else for the past four days... And I'm tired! Gah! (N8... I don't understand! No... I do... And it's starting to scare me.)

I've also just joined "Skype" and I'm hoping that other friends from "across the pond" will ALSO do so, as if you have broadband, we can talk for FREE on the internet! How cool is THAT? Get Skype, get a user name (mine's "Tuckmac" which should be obvious) and let's start TALKING!

Okay... I'm off, readers... Have a great weekend!

--T

Gah... STILL nothing.

It's been a stark, dry week! Nothing funny to talk about... Nothing really in my OWN life to speak about... Nothing.

Fi and I spent four hours yesterday coming up with a logo for our new web-art-place thing. That was fun. Two artists, both with their own strong opinions... Trying to agree on a logo.

Interesting? Maybe. Something to talk about on a blog? Nope... I love my marriage too much. (Just kidding love.)

Actually... It was very calm, but it DID take four hours to agree on a design. Och weel... Perhaps our shared work will be better than anything we would have done separately, simply from the constant "tweaking" it takes to get to something that we agree on. Hmm...

Anyhoo... If you want to SEE the logo... Click HERE on our new website. There's nothing UP there yet, except a "nothing here yet" page... But you can see the logo. www.two-artists.com

I'm currently messing with DHTML and CSS stuff in the design of the new site. That's why it's not already up there. I have to redesign my entire site, and actually "design" Fiona's part of it. She does video and sound... So I'm learning more about streaming and stuff too... Gah. Gone are the days of simple HTML. Gah.

Okay... Memes. I know... I know... Evil. But I found this one about "blogging" on This Guy's blog, and thought... What the hell... It could be an interesting study of my own strangeness.

How did you come to learn about blogging?
For quite some time, I had friends, N8 and Meshtey, that were doing blogging, and thought... Hell, I'm in Britain, and I should do this stuff too. I was always impressed with the ability to be able to post something, and have people write BACK making fun of me. Or something like that. My FIRST blog wasn't actually a "real" blog. But... I've started to catch up with other folks.

How long have you been blogging?
Um... My first "non-official" blog entry, which was just a "news" thing on my website was in September of 2003. My first, "reply-able" blog was here, in January of 2005, and it was nice to finally have a blog people could "comment" on.

What got you interested in creating your own blog?
Like many "other" folks, I assumed, wrongly, that I could do a much better blog than I had been reading... I was an ex-pat living in Britain, from America, and I had "stuff" that should have been interesting to others. Or so I egotistically THOUGHT. I've learned my lesson. Although... I did get named a "Minnesota Blog of the Day" from CityPages... So at least I'm not a complete waste of internet-space.

How many blogs do you have?
Really, only THIS one. I had another blog, You Call This Writing? which is actually now defunct, as I didn't finish the November Writing Month's challenge to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. Too bad...

How has blogging affected your life?
If I were being silly... I would talk about how empty my life is, and how spending an hour or more a day doing blogging has ruined my social life. However... To be honest, blogging kept me in touch with friends all over the world, and has had a great effect on my social-life, as I actually have been able to get together with other "computer-geeks" and see people in an actual setting.

What feelings do you associate with blogging?
I refuse to answer this question, as it's silly. Shit... Okay, um... "Wonderous fondling of verisimilitudinous feelings."

How does blogging benefit you?
Well, to be entirely honest... I haven't felt any "far-reaching" effects that have come through my blogging. I guess, it keeps me from writing 20 e-mails a day to my friends around the world, as they can just read this thing, and they'll know how I'm doing.

Discuss some of the relationships you have formed through blogging and how they have affected your life.
I haven't actually formed many "cyber-relationships" through blogging. I've met a few folks, and talked with a few folks... But I tend to be more of an observer of other people's blogs, and don't do a lot of "commenting" except with people I actually know. I tend to read a few blogs like This Guy who lives in St. Paul, but with British connections, whom I found through This Lady, whom I found by searching for "Upcoming wedding in Scotland" as I was about to embark on the experience. Jennyfreckles is a Scot who lives in London and teaches... I was an American living in Canterbury, marrying a Scot... A few months after her. I have NO idea who Jennyfreckles IS, I don't know who Chris Cope is... I'm sure both of them would be surprised that there's this weird Yank reading their blogs... But that's not a relationship... They don't know me... And now I'm babbling. Gah. My Lady, N8, Meshtey, and Mick would be the closest "relationships" I have over blogging. But again, I tend to SEE them occasionally... With My Lady, I see her everyday, as I'm married to her.

Okay... The end of that Meme.

Man... That's a lot of linking. I'm tired now.

Take care readers... Smiles,
Tuckmac

I got nothin.

Honestly... I did spend some time looking around. Besides the rather horrible:

Miners are all alive, celebrations... (Yesterday's BBC breaking news)

Oh wait.

Company apologises for telling families that the miners were all alive. (Today's BBC News)

Man...

Seriously, last night at about 11:30pm (-6 GMT) I read that the miners were all found alive EXCEPT for one guy, and today... All are DEAD except for one guy in critical condition.

Dude... Do you see the lawsuits? I do. And for once, I don't argue with the litigious nature of the U.S.

Man.

Anyhoo... Nothing really to go on about today, so I thought I'd throw up this picture that I made back in Scotland in September.

Notice the print that I've circled "red":


Copyright © 2005, by Tucker MacNeill. All rights reserved.

Okay... Adiós! My Lady and I have a few art related things to go over. Wish us luck. Planning on embarking on the first collaboration is a scary thought!

Smiles,
Tuckmac

Okay... It's been a day.

First... I'll give the GOOD news, although it's tempered by the fact that it was a bit of an ordeal.

Okay... I got a NEW Airport, from the Apple Store today. It took three hours of waiting, and a bit of kvetching from both Fi and myself, but... I'm typing this from my laptop, through an Airport connection!

Yay!

So, now Fiona and myself are all happy and stuff.

That's the good news.

The bad news? Do you really want to know?

Well... It's more immigration stuff.

Are you SURE you really want to know?

Okay... You asked for it, as you're still reading.

Part of the whole "Marriage Visa" thing, is that the foreigner (or to be fair, My Lady) has to get a health-check. A physical performed, vaccinations given, and tests run. Okay? Sure, don't want any foreign bugs to destroy the population of the U.S., now do we? But...

My Lady's TB test came up "positive." So... Today, we got to go get a chest x-ray. We don't know WHY, necessarily... And the doctor is talking about a check up every month for 9 months... Or something. Okay...

So... We really are a bit stuck. I'm hoping my lawyer has sent in all the stuff that he HAS so far, 'cause the health-thing is definitely going to be taking some time.

Now, the really FUNNY bit about this... Is that Fi's had a TB vaccination back in Britain. So... I'm thinking (I'm not a doctor, but) I'm thinking... That the test came back positive, 'cause she has the anti-bodies due to the vaccination. See... They don't HAVE a vaccination for TB in the States. So... They may be a bit dim when it comes to this whole thing.

What are we doing about it? Well... We've left a message for the lawyer... We are going to write to Fiona's doc, back in Britain, and try to get her vaccination records, to prove that Fi isn't absolutely "riddled with TB" or something.

What a fucking kick in the head!

Gah.

Look... Folks. I've told Fi this, and I've meant it... All the problems that we're going through are going to be worth it in the end... I love her... She loves me... And we're going to sort all this shite out, and move on with our lives... But I do want to express and give a caveat or two, to everyone else out there:

Do Not Marry A Foreign Bride/Groom! Just don't. Save yourself the frustration, the tears, and the torment.

Gah.

So...

Anyhoo... There we are.

Happy that our computers are all happily talking together... But... Having to deal with a LOT of crap too.

Life, huh?

Okay... I'm off. Smiles and kittens.

Tuckmac

January 2nd, okay...

Hi folks.

Okay, after my rather cynical and depressing New Years message, I've sort of recovered. Well... A bit.

There's still a tonne of things to get over, and do, and I admit to being a bit frightened by them all. You see... I've done this before.

Oh, not that whole "marriage thing." No, first time for that one...

But the whole, get done with school, and try to find a "job thing" that's the one that's kicking me in the ass. The shite thing about it, is that I've been psyching myself up about it since last June. I knew that it was going to be a bitch, but I was hoping it wouldn't be too bad. Well... It is. Okay. I'll have to deal with it.

It's the "fun childhood" slipping into "extreme adulthood" movement that tends to be rough on all of us. I've done something that most of us "adults" do NOT do... At least, not until some sort of mid-life crisis... The "career change" portion of our lives.

I had finished my BFA in photography, and was teaching at a catholic high school in Richfield. Now... It's a Catholic school, so my salary was pretty rough, but every year, I'd get a bit of a pay raise, and life was beginning to settle down. And I left.

(Okay, they were probably going to be firing me anyway, so... I suppose my choices were limited)

I decided to go get my MFA, and thus be able to teach at the university level. Wow... I thought, that would be "great!"

Hmm...

Well... See the thing that's put a bit of a hole in my plans needs a bit of an explanation.

There's certain things one must do to be an art professor at a University or Art College:

• Have an MFA (check on that one)

• Maintain a professional level of artistic exhibitions (check on that one, although, I need to get working on MORE of them.)

• Have prior experience teaching at the university level. (check on that one too.)

• Teach at least THREE years at the secondary level. (This was the hardest one to swallow... But universities were noticing that a LOT of their professors didn't actually know HOW to teach. Thus, by hiring folks that have actually dealt with the ins and outs of the secondary school system... Rubric writing, committees, course creation, seminars, teaching retreats, and five classes of 30 little snot-nosed children per day... That my friends, is learning to teach... In the trenches, I'll tell ya.)

• Have 20 professional slides/transparency's of your own brilliant work. (check)

• Have letters of recommendation from 3-5 professional folks. (check.)

• Have 10-20 examples of student work. (che... WAIT A MINUTE?!?!?!? WHAT? Okay... That one I do NOT have. You see... When I started my 10 year journey to becoming an art-prof... That wasn't a prereq to becoming a professor. That's a new "thing" that has started up in the past year. I don't HAVE any examples of student work. And until I teach again, I won't have any... And until I HAVE some, I can't get a job teaching... Ad infinitum.

Hmm...

So... I'm stuck. I'm down to a few jobs that are NOT asking for said "student work" and I'm applying for those... And I'm also asking around and "networking" for a job somewhere in the Cities...

What am I doing until then? Working in the studio.... Trying to get into more exhibitions... Working on my new website with My Lady and starting some "podcasting" ideas... And working in the studio... And etc... etc...

I'm fine. Fi's fine... And we're keeping busy.

Thank the gods.

Take care readers... Smiles and kittens. Slàinte!
T