Blank canvas

 In the way a bomb site is a blank canvas.

8 tons of concrete fish pond removed from the back yard (charged us extra for overfilling the 5 ton bin) and this thing just keeps going down. I still think all of this was done to hide a body in the 1950s, but at this point, I just want to scrape it flat and build a deck over it. Sorry, hypothetical dead person.

My teenager was accepted to his first choice college in New York. They offered him 32k in scholarships for the first year. That brings the tuition for his first two semesters down to just $30,000.

Get your persuasive arguments ready, kid, because for 30k + (60k x 3 more years), I could build a house on the bomb site and send all three kids to state university.

Here’s the painting I’ve been slowly working on (bottom half is unfinished). 

inert

I turned a painting into a chicken coop. And I assembled most of it myself, until the boys figured out I was up to something and took the drill away from me.

 

 

I think I’ve hit some kind of a wall. Building this thing felt like nothing. Painting feels like nothing. I get home from work and slump sideways on the couch and don’t want to watch a show or read a book or draw anything. I'd go for a walk, but I just don't want to.

 

I'm going to let myself sit here for a while and then see if learning to pour a concrete driveway or install cabinetry feels like anything.

Po

Po died in my arms. She stretched and exhaled and was gone, very peacefully. 

She was a brave cat, the first to explore whenever we moved to a new home. The first to get outside and wedge her butt into a banana tree and need rescuing. Once, she disappeared for three days on Maui and I ran around the jungle calling her name, only to turn and find her following me, confused about what I was looking for. She had a scratchy voice, weird nipples, and she went from purring to scratching the shit out of you in half a second. She peed absolutely everywhere and destroyed all our furniture. One time, when I leaned forward on the couch, she got behind me and peed down my butt crack.

I loved her very much.

Pour one out for Po tonight, friends.

Three in three weeks. My best terrible girl. I am so fucking heartbroken.

Circling the drain

Now Po is trying to die. She’s an old lady, she has every right to, but I’ve been sneaking up and poking her when she gets too still, and she jerks around and cusses at me. Not sorry. We’ve already hit our cap on dead cats for the month, Po. Submit your request after the 1st.

16 years of dedicated service, with special awards for peeing on everything she’s not supposed to and skittering through the house like a bowling ball on legs

Other news:

* Sold two paintings. Probably should have taken better pictures of them first.

* Stepped around a pile of human poop on the sidewalk in Chinatown. A truly ridiculous amount of poop, like someone had piled bratwursts on the sidewalk. Almost impressed that someone took the time in broad daylight to do that.

* Watched the taco truck guys try to paint parking lines on loose gravel. It did not work.

* The rock pile behind the house was finally hauled away in a 5 ton bin!

* The 5 ton bin destroyed the driveway.

* The next gallery show is going to be fish-themed. I am trying to figure out how to paint something fishy when I don't actually like the looks of fish very much. Bought a package of head-on shrimp and painted something that looked like a wet cockroach. Gross. 

Need to think about this.

Downtown

And now old lady Po is circling the drain. At least it’s her natural time, after 16 years of peeing on everything she isn’t supposed to and skittering through the house like a bowling ball on legs. She’s decided she wants to die on the patio, and crumples up like a broken thing with her eyes half open, then whips her head up and gives a scratchy meeeeh when I sneak up and poke her. I’m going to keep giving her her thyroid pills and putting her in front of bowls of fancy feast until she decides which way she’s going here. I love her and it's upsetting to see her coming to the end, but I can just try to do the best for her and help her be comfortable.

 

The gallery show has been extended, and two of my paintings sold. I probably should have taken better pictures of them first. 

While I was sitting at the gallery on Sunday, somebody started screaming hoarsely outside. I walked to the window to watch the homeless people across the street. They’re in worse shape downtown, jerking while they walk or collapsed and rocking to themselves with hoods over their faces. Above them, a scrolling marquee on the building flashed “DO NOT ABANDON US”, and then it blinked and said, “SUPPORT LOCAL THEATER!” We live in a dystopia.

Walking back to the parking garage in the evening, I stepped around a huge pile of shit on the sidewalk. Felt like I’d seen a rare bird. The Chinatown Sidewalk Poop. I've heard about them, but never seen them in person.

What a year this week has been

What happened is this: the taco truck lady got mad about where my car was. I went out to move it and she snapped at me, so I snapped back, so she snapped louder, so I walked away without moving my car. She phoned her son, who phoned the owner, who phoned the landlord on the mainland, who phoned my boss. 

I moved my car. 

The septic tank construction guy who was watching all this and laughing said, “how’s that office job going?” and I said “I’m switching with you today.” 

So I threw a blanket over my online accounts while the neighbors were hot. Pretty sure the coup attempt took some of the heat off of our parking dispute. (And if it didn’t, and they find themselves here, I ACCEPT YOUR SURRENDER. And okay, I’m sorry. I had just seen a body pulled out of a head-on collision, which I might have been in if I had left for work on time, and I was not being friendly and professional, which I will endeavor to be from now on. If it makes you feel better, the septic tank guys accidentally broke the water main and we had no toilets for the rest of the day.)

 

 me hiding all my social media accounts after getting in an argument with a taco truck

 Not a fan of 2021 so far.

Milo

 The neighborhood blew up at midnight. The next morning, only three of the four chicks came out of the coop with their mom. We found the little body in the nesting box, killed by the frightening concussive noise of the fireworks. On New Year’s Day you are supposed to do a little of everything you’d like to continue through the year, and having a burial seemed like a bad precedent to set.

This morning Milo died. 

After delivering his mortal remains for cremation, my aunt started texting that she found a pregnant cat and wanted us to help sort out the situation.

I’m going to bubble wrap all the remaining members of our household. 

Off to a good start

At 5pm, I shut off the library computers. “Yay, let’s go, 2021!” And as I ran out of the room, my belt loop caught on the door latch, and it swung me around to slam face first into the wall.

Nice touch, 2020.

Annual questionnaire 2020

1. What did you do in 2020 that you’d never done before?  Rescued a rooster impaled clean through with a steel dart. Made Julia Child’s chicken fricassee (whoa). Had a gallery show. Got weird about romance novel covers.

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions? The theme was “get the ball rolling”. Let’s check in on how that’s going:

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? My friend's baby 'Meaty' arrived in March! And the world shut down. Coincidence?

4. Did anyone die? Mjolnir. Mike's grandparents are both in the hospital with covid. My cousin died of the virus. And my step-grandfather. And a family friend. And my co-worker’s neighbor. My friend Philip died of a heart attack. My colleague Rick died in a plane crash. An egg-bound chicken died in my arms. My aunt almost died after her son smashed her finger in the car door like a candy cane and it went septic, necessitating an IV of antibiotics for a month. If spotting the Spectre of Death were like spotting shooting stars, it was a meteor shower of a year.

5. What places did you visit? lol

6. What would you like to have in 2021 that you lacked in 2020? I’d actually like to keep the masks, thanks. I have a face that would really suit a beard, and this is as close as I’ll get. I'll take the vaccine, though. And a plane ride with my new star-spangled driver’s license.

7. What moments from 2020 will remain etched upon your memory?

Zenny vs. the roofing nail. 

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Gallery show! That is all. I sat at the library door and felt my life drain away for the rest of the year.

9. What was your biggest failure? Being nice to patrons while sitting at the door feeling my life drain away. 

“You must be so glad to have people back inside the library!”

No. 

“MASKS DON’T WORK I HAVE A MEDICAL CONDITION.” 

Ffs.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? I burned my hand pretty badly on a roast beef.

 
11. What was the best thing you bought? We made a point of buying food from small restaurants every Friday to help keep our town alive, and discovered a place nearby that makes fresh calzones and stromboli. Good citizenship and wadded up pizza. This was a win.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Gavin got his driver's license and has been applying to colleges and Apple internships. Leif learned to play piano. Zenny started reading chapter books. Mike worked from home and got all the kids through distance learning without losing his shit. I am not on this achievement list.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled? I always make fun of tv shows where the characters speak to each other from 4 inches away, right up in each others' lunch breath, but HOLY SHIT PEOPLE REALLY DO THIS. They just charge right up like they're going to kiss you or trample you. I want my desk back.

14. What did you get excited about? I broke up half a dozen fights and wrote a bunch of security reports, that’s kind of like being excited.

15. What song will always remind you of 2020? 

Between Volcano Man and My Stick, there has been a lot of terrible singing happening in our house.

This is the song that caught me crying in the car, though. Thanks for the permanent brain connection, radio.

 

 

16. Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) happier or sadder?  lol
b) thinner or fatter? This is going to become more a matter of mass distribution as the years go by. My meat is still affixed to it’s assigned portion of my skeleton, mostly.
c) richer or poorer? I think I’m coming out ahead somehow. For now. 

17. What do you wish you’d done more of? I was really wanting to rejoin the figure drawing group this year, just in time for it to be disbanded indefinitely. I need more painting models in my life, my kids are tired of me and have started assigning cats.

19. "So! How's your love life?" 

 

20. What was your favorite TV program?  What we do in the Shadows, Mandalorian, and Atlanta. I tried a few Korean dramas, and of those my favorite was Signal. I am here for the grumpy tired guys with strong codes of honor. And vampires.

21. What was the best book you read?

 

Troubled Blood. I know we're all mad at JK Rowling, but I like her stories. Your heroes will change throughout their lives, but your relationship with a song or a book or a painting is personal. It’s okay. You are a speck of electricity in a meat suit on a rock hurtling through a void around a ball of fire; just like what you like.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, was good, too.

I liked Devolution: a Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre, but it felt like a first draft. Write it again with more character development and less “this is going to be a movie with Chris Pratt”, Max.

22. What did you want and get?  I got to keep my job in an age of economic ruin. Also: giant rubber lobster claws.

23. What did you want and NOT get? Oh hey, there is still a MASSIVE ROCK PILE where the back yard should be. I’m going to start trailing gravel around the neighborhood in my pant leg, Shawshank-style, if someone doesn’t get that dumpster situation sorted out.

24. What was your favorite film of this year? Portrait of a Lady on Fire. I also liked Parasite, and The Eurovision Song Contest. 

25. Did you make some new friends this year? lol

26. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Rum strong enough to blow the figgy pudding off the table. Flaming desserts are the only holiday fireworks I fully endorse.

27. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2020?  “I Bet I’d Look Good in Clown Pants”. Surprise: I do not.

28. What kept you sane? That train somehow stayed on the tracks without any help from its driver. I sat back and looked out the window all year.

29. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy? 
 

Cormoran Strike in absolutely stupid Musketeer pants.

 

30. What political/news issue stirred you the most? There has been a lot of very troubling news this year, and I was as stirred as anyone (the wildfires, protests, and Rick’s plane crash) but the news item that made me laugh was the failed Russian underpants poisoning, solved by calling the assassin and telling him he was in trouble.

31. Who did you miss? Nothing like a plague to make you think about the people you haven’t spoken to in two or sixteen or thirty years, and wonder if you’ll ever see them again. 

 

(Except you, S. You can stay fucked off at this point, I’m not sending any more Christmas cards into the void.)

32. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2020. Nah. I’m going to pass on this and learn two things next year, instead. 

Cats and Carnations

It’s back to work tomorrow after a long weekend. Had time to paint for the first time in more than a month. Feels like catching a big breath before hitting a flip turn and swimming back the other way.

It’s cool and blustery. Massive apple bread pudding and meatloaf in the oven. I’d like another week of days like this.