instance / workrhythm

Successfully moved Mastodon instances from the catchall Mastodon.social to writing.exchange – I'm now at @twweaver@writing.exchange – and, in so doing, learned the value of the local timeline: what a delightful group of creative and generous people. Further, set a donation of $100/yr to the admins to keep the server lights on – which is what I probably would have paid by self-hosting my own – with the value of a new community. Worth it, I think – this co-op model is wonderful.

Accepted, somewhat, that I've slid into something of a natural workrhythm in which I work on stuff for this space / newsletter on weekends (makes me a little more elastic in terms of work/life etc etc). The two projects/day thing isn't going to work: my brain was too muddled and I spent much of the day yesterday in a jittery, button-pressing mess.

Looks like my Principles page will be going live tomorrow, maybe – eight of them in an ever-updating document.

shorn / split

Sheared my hair yesterday for two, maybe three reasons: one, I was sick of having it and needed a change, especially since I popped into this world with a head full of black hair; two, I like wearing hats and my hair looks like shit every time I take one off; and three, I don't have to draw my hair on these cards anymore. At least for awhile anyhow. This is a victory.

Finding that doing two projects a day and splitting them into different workblocks, starting the second project in block two and continuing in block one of the next day and repeating with a different project – prose->comics is usually the switch – is helpful. Means I don't have to continue in block two, when I'm tired and hungry and can do so instead when I'm more alert in the 0500-0700 workblock.

It seems that that's all I have for you this morning, site. Here’s a cartoon.

muskville->mastodon: week two or maybe three IDK all the days merge together anyhow

Remain content with my shift from Muskville to Mastodon (@twweaver@mastodon.social): still in the process of deciding value of having my own, single-user instance when I have this space. In truth, however, my shift is more than a purely "fuck Elon" move but rather a happy confluence of a long-standing desire to exit Twitter cold turkey for different social pastures and the dumpster fire that is Twitter's descent into Muskville. Amazing how a 14-year addiction vanishes when the supplier becomes tainted and (more evidently at least) corrupted.

Current thinking for how a single-user instance would function/interact here: this space would move to once-daily while all whenever/whatevers would move to Mastodon (EarBliss, dogpictures, etc.) That being said, I like the way this site is set up, with the zuihitsu combinations of things all on a single page – hence my present reticence to rock the boat.

But who knows. Maybe the mood will strike me and I'll go for it (when host sites open back up after the present diaspora) and then change it (my new 404 page is nothing if not the entire mission statement / creative statement of this space). Who knows. So long as I avoid redundancy (I've set Mastodon to delete all posts older than a month, so this space is currently essential as a living, breathing document of myself) and being redundant I'm good.

In other: I am stuck in ZELDA – stupid strength/battle tests. But hey, if nothing else, I was right about needing to combine things (in The Work, not ZELDA) - had to see it to believe it or believe it to see it maybe one maybe the other, IDK.

“close your eyes and see me”

Took some time out of an otherwise uninspiring work session to do another of the humbling exercises in Lynda Barry's MAKING COMICS, this time, "Close Your Eyes and See Me." The instructions:

"Set your timer for one minute, then close your eyes and draw a bacon and egg breakfast with coffee, toast, and silverware. Do it again. Draw... a mermaid... a giraffe with spots... the Statue of Liberty." – Lynda Barry, MAKING COMICS p. 54-55

The results:

I'm particularly fond of number three, my tiny giraffe / brontosaurus hybrid (Jurassic World, indeed) with a tiny neck disconnected ears and similarly disembodied spots. Enjoying myself.

midterminal, coda

Prediction largely correct – though definitely not as bad as I feared. Biggest disappointment – though not at all a surprise – was Tim Ryan's loss. Hopefully will cause some recriminations in the DNC over lack of support sent his way; I'm not sure he could have won it with it, but it would have been welcome. Confident that this isn't the end of Tim's political career – he would be the one Democrat (other than Sherrod Brown) that could win the governorship (sorry Nan): Ohio is a red state, full stop, having fallen hook and line from one red slimebucket for another (and this one's a shit writer) – but at least I can find solace in Fetterman's defeat of the other out-of-state opportunistic snake (oil salesman) on the IKEA side of the state line. Current prediction: Repubs take neutered control of House with a slim majority and Senate remains a 50/50 deadlock or one seat +/- towards either party but we won't know the latter for at least another month because I'm almost certain Georgia will head to a runoff. Does this "red trickle" render Tumor toast? I want to say yes, but it's not like he's ever shown the capacity to know when to leave a party, even after he's shit all over the guests and absconded with their top secret documents.

In other news, I slept. So that was nice. And I want to sleep some more. But please get rid of all the signs.

earbliss/20221108

My great friend - and first SOCIALIZED RECLUSE guest - Uziel Colón and percussionist Adam Snow performed this stunning version of Mongo Santamaria’s “Afro Blue” as part of a faculty show at Cal State LA (if the video starts at the beginning of the concert, skip to 2:13:20); to make it even more so, note that Uzi is playing most of the show with his left hand - thanks to having fought a losing battle against a piece of fragmented bakeware - to the tune of seven stitches in his right hand the day before. Fortunately, Uzi had the last laugh and did the show one-handed. May all bakeware tremble before his grit.

Journals, 2009-present