It seems like I should at least post a new blog every quarter.
Between Brian, Sara & Rebekah being out of town, and Mom being inthe hospital over Christmas, we didn't celebrate our Family Christmas until New Year's Eve! But we all had a very enjoyable evening together. Mom and Dad conked out early, but the rest of us toasted in the New Year with glasses of Martinelli's.
End of November we got DSL installed. Since we don't have cable, I discovered the joy of broadband by watching the Sci Fi Channels miniseries 'Tinman' on their website one Sunday afternoon/evening. Bonnie was excited to hear it was online, but when she went to watch it on Monday, it had already been pulled.
I rescued my computer from the Angela Way house where it's been sitting for a year. The side cover had fallen off and the cats had peed in it. So the motherboard wasn't working. Urine is highly acidic and etches electronics. However the hard drives were fine. So I used Christmas $$$ to buy a 'bare bones' system from Tiger Direct. My buddy, Os is helping me transplant the harddrives and get things functioning as soon as the new system ships.
Once my computer is up and running, the plan is to set up a wireless router so Bonnie and I can both have our own computer workstations. I'm trying to fit mine in the dining room. That way I can easily show Mom her email and I can use the computer without keeping Bonnie awake.
On the Art front, Rex is still evolving. Even though he's a cartoon, I do want him to be close to what a T-Rex looks like and I'd gotten away from that. Sara got me "The Complete Book of Dinosaurs" for Christmas so I'd have source book for characters. There are a couple of very odd looking dinos that have caught my eye. So we shall see where things go.
Also, my folks got me Jim van der Keyl's DVDs on how to draw caracatures. However, the pen he uses is no longer in production and I've been having a tough time finding a replacement pen. Sharpies just don't cut it. I need something that I can easily do dagger strokes with, as varible line width is essential to caracature work.
Friday was Mom's 80th birthday. I took her to the DMV to renew her driver's license and then we went to lunch afterwards. After lunch I poked my head into a used a book store and found a book entitled "Cutting Silhouettes for Fun & Profit". It's a delightful little book that actually teaches you how to cut silhouettes of folks like the silhouette artists at Disneyland do. It's been a year or so since Ive done any paper cutting. And I think cutting silhouettes may be a fun way to get back into it!
Other than that, things are just the daily grind of being a caregiver to my folks. Dad needs someone with him 24/7 at this point. I couldn't do it without Bonnie's help and the sanity breaks that she gives me. Brian and Sara help out, too, when Bonnie and I both need to be gone at the same time.
Next Saturday we're doing a Birthday Celebration for both Mom and Dad (his birthday was the end of December) with friends and family joining us. So that will keep me busy this week.
So I'm really taking each day as it comes and counting my blessings along the way.
