Caroline's Crayons

Come visit me!

2010-12-20T21:47:00.002-06:00

I have moved to a new site. Please come visit me.

The End

2010-02-19T19:35:00.003-06:00

2010-02-06T16:55:00.014-06:00

I decided, after starting to color this one,

that I wanted to publish it in black and white.

Retrospective

2010-01-21T08:12:00.015-06:00

"Dancers"

2003

A recent conversation with Jamie Ridler inspired me to look back through all of my illustrations since my first post in 2004. It's a pretty interesting progression. Here we go. These two are from 2004 or 2005:

In 2005 I decided to try to "really" draw, copying from images in magazines. That was a really great (and inexpensive) art school at the time.

Then I decided to go back to drawing in my own way. Soon I started to tell little stories like this one (2005).

Later I developed a stronger sense of line. Below is one of my most popular images (2006). Seven academics and one businessperson have asked permission to use it in presentations!

I drew the one below in 2007 after a company bowling outing. Everyone teased me for wearing a skirt. Notice that in my untrained hand, I got the order reversed. It should read from left to right.

I continued to work hard on my writing. I wanted really smooth narrations with no extra words. I became ruthless. Below is a drawing from one of my best stories. Unfortunately, it was not one of my best drawings.

The post below got really big feedback. It illustrates an anti- (Iraq) war essay by Bill Moyers. I sent him a copy of the panels; he actually wrote a little card to me about the post!

Below is a panel from 2009. I tried doing black-and-white illustrations. When I compare this one to my first drawings above I see better composition, better perspective, and a much more confident hand.

And finally, one of my favorites, done in 2009. You can see that I have learned about perspective and light. I also became less exact about details -- see the size of the wine bottle in his hand!

This retrospective shows me the improvements that I have made. It also gives me a sense that I can continue to grow a lot as a storyteller and illustrator. Thanks to anyone who has left a comment on my blog. The comments, more than anything, keep me growing as an artist. I never would have lasted these five years without this supportive and perceptive blogging community.

PS: I encourage you to make your own retrospective. You will discover a lot about your product and your process.

Learning Turkish

2010-01-17T18:59:00.008-06:00

Here

Whoops, that's Kurdish,

but the singer is Kurdish-Turkish.

Ice

2009-12-30T17:08:00.018-06:00

sledding

2009-12-15T09:41:00.002-06:00

Open for Business

2009-12-06T17:48:00.009-06:00

Hello!

Welcome to my postcard shop! There are 6 different images to choose from. I am selling packs of 5 cards for $8 (includes shipping and packaging). If you can't decide, then buy a variety pack; they are already packed and ready to ship.

If you love technology, then use the E-crater/PayPal method offered in the sidebar -- it will be up this morning. One thousand thanks to Terry for the many hours spent setting that up.

If you prefer to pay by check, please e-mail me with your request. Here it is: carolinebenforadoATgmail.com I will e-mail you back with the land address.

.

For ordering purposes, I am calling these "Wine," "Hill," "Giraffe," "Chicago," "Cliff," and "Time"

Mail

2009-11-29T23:16:00.011-06:00

Postcards

2009-11-22T20:00:00.012-06:00

I am going to sell postcards on this blog pretty soon. Notecards are far too expensive. If you have a moment, please scroll through these and name your top 3 (or more). Your votes will help me decide which 5 to start selling. Voters have absolutely no obligation to buy!

I am still editing some of these images. They will be clean when I go to press.

Thank you. Have fun!

Orange

2009-11-14T08:49:00.016-06:00

Julia Child said that a cook never apologizes for her food. But I must explain that I have a new scanner that does not like crayon work. So my colors are either faded or a bit forced, but I think things will improve with time.

Also, for new readers, a reminder that I publish every other Monday morning.

Finally, I strive to improve my illustrated storytelling with each post. Feedback is truly the best motivator. So, thank you for the thoughts both written and unwritten.

mindful play

2009-11-03T22:03:00.001-06:00

This version is re-colored just a bit

since I published it.

That Red Pot (version 2)

2009-10-18T12:14:00.027-05:00

Followers, I had to re-scan and re-post these.
For more detail please
click on image.

I hope readers will write of
their own enchanted objects below.

Magic

2009-10-04T13:08:00.013-05:00

Click on any image to enlarge it.
Look for the spelling error.

Thank you to Jean on the River and to Margaret for their guidance with the narrative. This post took me 25 hours of work(!). The experience with Magic touched me deeply, and I wanted to give it justice. It was hard to draw him, and the hat, and the cards. I kept getting stuck as I tried to render the story in as few words as possible. I was so grateful for the assistance from my friends.

I hope the Comments function works. If not, e-mail me and I'll call the police.

My pencil

2009-09-21T09:21:00.014-05:00

Hmmm. The "Comments" section is closed for the day -- or until I ask my niece for help. Just send me good thoughts. I'm pretty telepathic.

See you in two weeks!

Every other Monday

2009-09-11T15:27:00.004-05:00

Little Sister

2009-09-05T11:39:00.009-05:00

Please click on any image to see detail.

Your kind words on the last post inspired me to reach farther. I will try now to post every other Monday. That predictability will provide a helpful structure.

Finally, I cannot tell a lie. I used PhotoShop to spruce up the lake in the sunset image.

Creative Process

2009-08-25T13:21:00.016-05:00

I sketch and doodle a lot.
It keeps my hand loose.

Sometimes I sketch
from a magazine.

It helps me know
what things look like.

Sometimes on rainy day,
I work hard and really figure out what things look like.

Dungarees

2009-08-12T14:33:00.012-05:00

Click on any of these images for more detail.

Sustain yourself

2009-07-24T20:52:00.007-05:00

Trucker, part 3

2009-07-11T00:44:00.011-05:00

I hope this music works....

If it doesn't work, I'll get it working soon enough.
telli turnam - Musa Eroglu

Every morning before starting the engine,

he thanks God for the truck.

Trucker, Part II

2009-07-05T21:30:00.009-05:00

Thank you very much for the enthusiastic and insightful feedback this week. Several people have pointed out the challenges of the plot here. Yes, how to render 30 years into just a few panels?

This blog continues to serve as my art school. The trucks are especially challenging, but so are the gestures and compositions. For every image posted here there are perhaps 3 unsuccessful ones discarded on the floor. I'm having so much fun doing this post, I'm excited to write the end of the tale this week.

A special thanks to J. and B. who helped me rethink and reconfigure the original version.

Trucker, Part I

2009-07-01T10:36:00.011-05:00

I am away from Photoshop. Did I misspell wracked? Racked?

I think that in changing my template just now,

I inadvertently erased 10 comments. I am so sorry.

Peek

2009-06-28T23:44:00.003-05:00

No need to comment. You'll enjoy this panel in the larger context of the story. Tally-ho. Have a good week.

50

2009-06-22T07:55:00.018-05:00

I sketched that first panel on my birthday in March. It took several months to really get the image right. I'm so happy with it.

I am trying now to draw things that seem too hard -- like the bike and the witches shoes in the bookcase drawing. The results set me a bit on edge, but I've decided that imperfection will pave the way to growth. Look for more bikes and shoes in future posts.

Ordinary

2009-06-14T20:23:00.011-05:00

I wrote and drew this quickly, just as an experiment.

Outtake. I lost a lot when I added the wild cookie as a backdrop to the drawing. Less is more? So I used Photoshop to restore some of the simplicity.

sparrow

2009-06-07T11:53:00.018-05:00

This post took about 14 hours (conceptualize, draw, color, edit). It took 4 years of thought to render into just a few sentences. I'm not sure why I did that strange (ugly) lettering on the last two images. I wanted to convey the prickly, un-scripted feel of the moment.

Thanks to Jim Burns & Co. for the use of this beautiful image. Visit their website.

Time

2009-05-31T18:02:00.010-05:00

This is a gift that I made for each parent volunteer in the baking program that I managed this year. Three times a week I worked with a different volunteer in the kitchen. We guided the children through challenges such as measuring, pouring, keeping fingers out of noses, and then of course, breaking eggs.

It seems like these days donating time is more difficult than donating money -- that first drawing shows time terrorizing someone. I'm really grateful for their work.

Choice

2009-05-26T08:06:00.003-05:00

Have you ever faced a really difficult, hurtful conflict in your life? Me too. I'm trying to do the right thing, but as Johnny Cash sang, I walk the line.

When I find myself in times of trouble, the words of Thich Nhat Hanh often come to me. It was cathartic for me to do this drawing last night.

Local produce

2009-05-18T07:52:00.008-05:00

That says "Rock on."

That evening, I gathered my harvest on the counter.
This is what I came up with. Thanks to the person who gave me such helpful feedback on the rough drawings.

Picnic

2009-05-10T20:09:00.004-05:00

Meetings and retreats provide nice, long stretches for sketching. I drew this during a staff meeting in October.

I have been a fickle blog friend for about six weeks. My apologies to my blogfriends old and new. I will soon have coverage at home and will be able to visit and comment at my leisure.

Thank you for sticking with me.

pitch

2009-05-02T19:24:00.019-05:00

You will have to click on this one in order to read the text.

This is a self-portrait by Simms. Besides being a good keyboard player; book reader, fiction writer, master sledder, origami maker, top-level pitcher, Monty Python scholar, maker of strange sounds, strong mathematician and scientist, he is also a good photographer.

Pitching

2009-04-25T14:56:00.002-05:00

This is the introduction page to the post that I'm working on this week.

gratitude

2009-04-17T19:56:00.019-05:00

Click on images to see charming detail.

This post took several weeks to write, edit and illustrate. I really enjoyed working on it because it made me feel close to my dad.

Not good enough

2009-04-04T12:13:00.009-05:00

Happy Passover. Thanks very much for all the warm welcome backs. I'm going away for a bit. See you next weekend -- around the 17th.

Quiet moment

2009-04-03T12:45:00.003-05:00

I hope you enjoy the stories that this illustration tells. I drew this last year at a local wine shop/coffee bar. I have since added color and shadow, then cropped it, then used Photoshop to intensify the light.

Thank you for the warm welcome and the kind words. My computer will return from the shop within the week. I will then be able to visit blogs and leave comments.

True Story

2009-03-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

Iranian New Year

2009-03-20T08:23:00.013-05:00

Spring

2009-03-08T09:54:00.005-05:00

I'm coming out of hibernation. Happy Spring! I'm preparing a first post, which should be ready by the official first day of spring.

The farsi in the blue circle actually says "Happy New Year."

Hibernation

2008-09-25T07:36:00.006-05:00

Courage and happiness

2008-09-19T07:48:00.013-05:00

This is a post about how scary and brazen it is to make a career change in adulthood. The stakes are so much higher than in our youth.

At press time: Please add Dale's name to this list.

A Magnificent and Singular Opportunity

2008-09-12T07:28:00.015-05:00

Imagination

2008-09-05T08:02:00.009-05:00

No story

2008-08-29T07:48:00.000-05:00

Buildings tell stories

2008-08-21T14:42:00.016-05:00

They don't make main streets like this anymore.

No Walgreens, CVS, Burger King, Home Depot, Walmart yet.

The vision of those cash-strapped citizens in 1937 inspired me so much. They actually met the demolition crew and paid for the house then and there. Visit the National Trust for Historic Preservation here to learn about how we can help save some of the stories that buildings tell.

Vacation!

2008-08-13T11:29:00.020-05:00

PS: Thank you so much for the encouragement and good leads last week.

Fame

2008-08-03T12:40:00.030-05:00

Well, can you believe it? This summer's issue of "Artful Blogging" features an article about "Caroline's Crayons."

This is an excellent and inspiring magazine, and I feel so honored to appear in it. I've scanned the first of four pages here. If you wish to see the entire article, you can find it at some small craft stores and at Borders Books (in the crafty magazine section.)

Part II: Cards

A second chapter in my fame is this: I would like to start selling cards and postcards featuring some of my favorite images. Do you have advice concerning Etsy or CafePress? You could leave a message here, or e-mail me directly (carolineaksoy AT gmail.com). Thank you for your thoughts.

Here are some that I am considering:

Well, thanks for coming tonight. I'll sign all autographs at the book table. Bye-bye.

Senbazuru

2008-08-01T07:17:00.014-05:00

Senbazuru is a string of 1,000 origami cranes. A Japanese tradition holds that anyone who folds a thousand origami cranes will be granted a wish, such as long life or recovery from illness or injury. In modern times, the crane also symbolizes peace.

Since Hiroshima, senbazuru has become associated with the story of Sadako Sasaki, a girl who contracted leukemia as a result of radiation from the American atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

Here are directions to make a crane. Mine are always terribly lumpy and lop-sided, but I don't think my mom would mind.

Important Work

2008-07-25T09:18:00.011-05:00

Keene Organics, a Wisconsin Family Organic Farm, sells at the Marshall Farmer's Market on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon. Write to them at keeneorganics@aol.com

Bat Mitzvah

2008-07-18T07:37:00.011-05:00

Going to press now, I have discovered that I drew the prayer shawl in several different versions. Nothing like advertising my ignorance. As soon as I post this, I'll do some research.

Municipal Pool

2008-07-11T14:55:00.017-05:00

We took our first trip to the municipal pool the other day. There were so many things to look at.

PS: I use the library's internet twice a week to check e-mail and read blogs. You might notice fewer comments from me, even though I continue to read you.

Thank you for your enthusiasm and kind comments and two blogger award nominations! Our interactions propel me into a higher Crayonic orbit. I would never be working so hard on my illustrations were it not for this community that we continue to build together.

Enthusiasm for life

2008-07-01T16:17:00.023-05:00

Life Force

2008-06-27T16:34:00.010-05:00

Warning:

This post contains a repetition of an egregious spelling error. I discovered it just now at the library as I'm ready to post. Brace yourselves.

Hair

2008-06-21T08:12:00.002-05:00

Betsy is a stylist at Hair on Monroe Street in Madison, WI. They don't have a website, but they are in the phone book.

learning

2008-06-12T20:33:00.010-05:00

Yarn

2008-06-07T07:00:00.001-05:00

If you ever pass through Madison (Wisconsin), look for the store in the town of Verona, which is just west of the city.

my dog

2008-05-31T16:15:00.009-05:00

That first image is my feeble second attempt at PhotoShop. I prefer the original sketchy kitchen-table version below. I have really missed reading and staying in touch with my BlogFriends! We have decided to live without the Internet in our home. In addition, I have started a demanding teaching job, which leaves me with little energy to draw.

And then my dog ate my crayons....so, no post this week. Hey, I'm not dead yet. Many people have written to say that they will miss me. I'm still going to post and comment, just not from my home.

Thanks for leaving comments on Crayons last week. I revel in reading your insights. I will make weekly visits to the library in order to surf, read, and leave comments. I will continue to post each weekend.

S'mores

2008-05-24T09:49:00.010-05:00

2008-05-22T17:45:00.000-05:00

I criticize myself at every turn. That's me throwing myself out with the bathwater.

Creating a post

2008-05-17T13:41:00.010-05:00

Canoe

2008-05-11T09:31:00.010-05:00

Bill Moyers

2008-05-03T13:58:00.012-05:00

Passover 2008

2008-04-26T20:30:00.010-05:00

Literacy

2008-04-19T11:04:00.014-05:00

Lines at the book chains suggest that reading is still a beloved pastime in the United States. Yet it is hard to believe that we in the 21st century read any more than we did before the birth of those Behemoths.

On the contrary, the Internet, Tivo and cable TV threaten to strangle the last drop of literacy out of us. I suspect that the majority of books purchased go unread. We are in the habit of buying books, not reading them.

So I extracted myself from my cynical mantle and set out in search of someone actually reading instead of surfing the net or talking on a cell phone. These are a few of the readers that I found:

In the neighborhood coffee shop. Notice the blue background. I'm learning how to use Photoshop.
My wonderful, kind, nervous, agitated bus driver on his short break.

A man on the #3 bus. In my mind, the NY Review of Books counts as a book-like collection of essays.

A woman in the gym:

So, maybe it's useful to ask ourselves these questions:

What are we teaching children about the value of reading vs. the internet?
What do they see adults doing all day long?
Does a child ever see you read a book? (I include myself in the question).

Go out and look for readers this week. You will find a few. It's a really fun and gratifying and even inspiring game.

Dinner and a movie

2008-04-12T16:47:00.014-05:00

Anatomical blooper:

Here's a little piece on Nepali cuisine. Here are some portraits of people in Nepal. The movie we saw was Bon Cop, Bad Cop. It was both bon and bad.

Community

2008-04-04T11:08:00.017-05:00

Here it is April 2008, two years later. Our connections keep me inspired and hold me to high standards. I revel in illustrating during the week so that I can post on Sunday. I am having so much fun this year!

Let's keep encouraging one another in our growth as writers, knitters, photographers, birders, musicians, cooks, illutrators, film critics, enlightenment seekers, painters, gardners, readers, and peace makers.

Sunday Night

2008-03-30T21:25:00.013-05:00

This is a true story about defying the Sunday evening blues. Only the pajama colors have been changed to protect the innocent.

Two favorite bloggers inspired this post.

First is the irresistable Dr. Monkey von Monkerstein, who sometimes blogs in photos his culinary adventures.
Second is the talented and humble Clotilde of the French blog Chocolate and Zucchini. We found the recipe there.

Please make this cake using any kind of fruit. It takes 5 minutes to mix, and then bakes up like a dream.

Coffee

2008-03-23T14:23:00.011-05:00

Rowdy

2008-03-16T14:57:00.007-05:00

This is a true story. It happens nightly.

Persian New Year

2008-03-09T21:29:00.009-05:00

I'm quite busy preparing for my 49th birthday (Tuesday) and for my favorite holiday, "No Ruz," which is the Iranian New Year.

This week, Iranians all over the world are cleaning house, getting rid of all clutter, buying a new outfit, and preparing to invite friends on March 21.

We are throwing a joint birthday/No Ruz celebration this weekend.

Tuesday, March 18 is "Chahar Shanbe Souri," or the last Tuesday of the Persian year. On that night Iranians and friends of Iran will take part in the traditional fire jumping ceremony.

March 21st, the first day of spring, is the first day of the year, according to the Iranian calendar. My friend Rachel has offered to prepare the Haft Sihn Sofret, or the Table of Seven S's for our party.

So, clean your house, buy a new suit of clothes, then sprout your wheat seeds today. Consult your fire department if you plan to jump fires. If you know any Iranians, be sure to wish them "No Ruz Mobarak!" (Happy New Year!).

Vocabulary

2008-03-02T14:54:00.011-06:00

Do you have a size 44 bustline?

Help!

2008-03-02T13:18:00.000-06:00

The lovely and thoughtful Cate of Beyond the Fields We Know has tagged me. Here are the instructions. Visit her blog. She takes stunning photographs and lives in harmony with the nature that surrounds her. Hers is one of the most truly peaceful blogs I've seen.

egg

2008-02-25T10:49:00.016-06:00

Visit Luminiferous Ether. This is the beautiful egg she made:

PS: I've had trouble with spammers this week, so I put the annoying letter identification apparatus back in place. I hope you leave a comment anyway.

Sing this post

2008-02-18T18:12:00.008-06:00

Peter and Lou Berryman are a cultural institution in Madison.

Michele Morrisson

2008-02-16T17:29:00.011-06:00

My museum mentor passed away several months ago. Even in the depths of her cancer she did everything to steer me toward avenues to knowledge. She gave me self-confidence and hope.

I wrote this little booklet as a condolence card for her husband and children. I like to look at it from time to time because it brings back such fond memories. Wherever Michele was, there was intellectual curiosity and hysterical laughter.

I'm thinking of her a lot now as I search for a new job and career.

This is from the Brown University alumni magazine:

Michele Morrisson Bernstein ’81 AM, of Setauket, N.Y.; Aug. 16, of pancreatic cancer. She was an anthropologist and curator who won national recognition for an exhibit on 19th-century seafaring women. In 1990, combining her love of sailing and history, she became a fine arts curator for the New York Yacht Club in Manhattan. She became the first director of the Three Village Historical Society and later worked as curator and educator for the Stony Brook University Institute for Long Island Archeology. She enjoyed punk-rock music and gardening. She is survived by her husband, David, as well as a daughter and a son.

Neighborhood, Part 2

2008-02-14T07:28:00.008-06:00

Neighborhood

2008-02-10T16:33:00.000-06:00

My friend Marco

2008-02-03T09:03:00.000-06:00

Dead battery

2008-01-31T00:33:00.000-06:00

Looking

2008-01-25T22:05:00.000-06:00

She was all alone and quite vocal at her small table.

Being authentic

2008-01-21T01:16:00.000-06:00

In the course of the film, "coming out" becomes a metaphor for all closets and for all inauthentic, frightened behavior.

Which parts of you do you hide simply in order to fit in?

Perhaps we all have closets to come out of.

A trip to the Wisconsin River

2008-01-15T22:23:00.000-06:00

So this is a story about going out to the Wisconsin River. Brush up on your geography skills. The river is clearly visible in the SW quadrant of this satellite photo. So brace yourself, it's longer than usual.

PS: Jean wrote a really beautiful book about living on the river. It is called "To Thank a River." I recommend it highly.

I'll be back soon

2008-01-13T14:36:00.000-06:00

Sea monster

2008-01-09T20:20:00.000-06:00

This is a post about children's art and the art that my nephew Charlie creates.

On a recent blustery Sunday afternoon, my niece Sarah (12) and I walked up the street to my local cafe/wine bar. We were to meet up with her family who had gone cross-country skiing.

Once they arrived, we took a large corner table and spent the next two hours talking, playing tic-tac-toe, knitting, reminiscing, and having hot chocolate with ginger cookies.

Charlie (8), in drawing mode, was a bit in his own world. I love this drawing. I love children's art. I wish to see a museum of children's art in every city.

He couldn't think of a title, so he asked for suggestions. These are the ideas received so far:

-"Santa Claws and his friends" Goldendaze

-"Attack of the Sea Monsters" Dreaming Tree

-"Come in, the water's fine" Anonymous

- "20,000 Crayons Under the Sea." From the Faraway, Nearby

PS: In the interest of highlighting process, here is the uncropped version of my drawing. The perspective and composition are awkward. Drawing that corner there is very difficult! I cropped it (above) hoping that it would hold together better. I'll go back and try it again.

Hafez, Rumi and Laundry [final chapter]

2008-01-06T08:23:00.000-06:00

Here's an interesting link to Rumi for Kate at Kate's Smudges.

Hafez and laundry, chapter 3

2008-01-03T21:38:00.000-06:00

This is what my work looks like when I'm somewhere between rushing and frantic. I did these this morning before work, and am posting them now just as they are. Artistic readers might print these out, edit them, and then add color using crayons or colored pencils.

Laundry: Chapter 2

2007-12-30T21:14:00.001-06:00

When I found my laundrymat closed, I panicked. What would I wear to work the following day? Then I remembered having heard something about a trendy laundry place near campus.

I drove downtown, peering through the freezing fog -- and there I found it: Laundry 101. The place is bright and colorful. They serve beer, espresso and little pastries. Numerous are video games, televisions, and undergraduates engaged in magnetic pre-mating gazes. I approached the barista for tokens.
To be continued on Thursday.

My friend Marianne convinced me to add this rejected drawing just for comparison. Now that I see it here, I'm not sure which one I like better. Each has problems. Each has strengths.

In the meantime, you might enjoy listening to a Hafez poem in farsi (persian). He writes here about seizing the day. Read the whole thing and you'll see why the 14th-century religious leaders felt threatened and exiled him. In Iran, poetry and music two sides of the same coin, so the recording starts with a melody.

Laundry and 14th-century Persian poetry

2007-12-29T00:39:00.000-06:00

Laundry is a thorn in my side. First, because I never learned to do it well. Second, because I suffer from low-grade agoraphobia. I dislike the smell, lighting and general feel of the laundr-o-mat. But I had run out of clean clothes, so on Wednesday night, I gathered my laundry, bundled up, donned my big boots, and grabbed my purse.

*This on the recommendation of From the Faraway, Nearby, a fellow admirer of Iranian culture. He recently asked me to consider the merits of Hafiz (or Hafez) over Rumi. I was looking forward to an hour of discovering this 14th-century Persian poet while my laundry ran its cycle. But when I got all the way out there, the place was closed for holiday break! to be continued

Diamonds

2007-12-24T16:00:00.000-06:00

During a biting snowstorm the other night I walked up the street to my wine bar/cafe. As soon as I sat down to draw, two men came in and took a table next to mine. The banter was an out-and-out wealth competition thinly disguised as a friendly conversation over a glass of wine.

Office Holiday Party

2007-12-22T10:01:00.000-06:00

Our office pod voted to forgo the usual fattening holiday restaurant meal in favor of a field trip to the local bowling alley.

It was fascinating to see that the place was chock full at 2:00 in the afternoon. I always imagine that life shuts down while I am in my carpeted cubicle.

We got our shoes, ordered greasy food and cheap beer, and then got down to brass tacks. I didn't want to intimidate the young people in our office, so I played an easy game and let them win. My high score: 64. Their average: 250.

Democracy, Last Chapter

2007-12-20T00:37:00.000-06:00

The next day people told me not to hold my breath, that politicians are all the same, that we are all going to hell in a handbasket. But I really felt good about the listening event that she provided. She seems like a regular person, a real person who is committed to the democratic process. She listened really well.

So on the morning of December 15th, I was happy to see the news.

She has joined forces with Robert Wexler(D-FL) and Luis Gutierrez(D-IL) to press for immediate impeachment hearings against VP Cheney. Read the very good short letter here. Send encouragement here before Nancy Pelosi's people get to her.

Democracy, Part III

2007-12-18T23:28:00.000-06:00

It was moving to see so many regular people sitting together, taking turns speaking before our Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin. What a contrast to the version of governance that has passed for democracy over the last seven years. I made a mental inventory.

We have a leader who hears God tell him what to do. Check.

We have a leader who soils the Constitution every few weeks. Check.

We have a leader who makes planet-threateninig decisions without the courtesy of offering a vote in the House or Senate. Check.

I text-messaged my Pakistani friend. She replied that since the election was rigged, it is a dictatorship. I text-messaged a friend from Saudi Arabia. She said that smells like a constitutional monarchy.

But the dominant American culture is so....distinct. It doesn't take anything fancy like that to seize power.

One more chapter to go. Thanks for the fun comments and e-mails and water-cooler conversations.

Democracy, Part II

2007-12-17T19:42:00.000-06:00

Congresswoman Baldwin, standing in front of the podium, called on each speaker and then listened actively. She nodded, took notes, and sometimes asked for clarification. Ninety percent of the speakers expressed strong opposition to the occupation of Iraq, and urgent support for impeachment of Dick Cheney and George Bush. One timid man stood up clutching a small copy of the Constitution. He spoke haltingly and quietly. I was so proud when Luminiferous Ether stood up and delivered a point-perfect description of the crimes that this administration has committed.

Her final remarks were quite simple: "Withdraw, impeach."

To be continued, I think.

Democracy

2007-12-16T14:07:00.001-06:00

This image won't publish any larger. Click on it to see what Suzy is knitting....or just to see the details.

To be continued probably.

What say you?

2007-12-13T23:36:00.000-06:00

These are a few more drawings from last week's performance of "Twelfth Night." Cape and Tights suggested that sketches are just as much fun as final drawings, so I've tried to show a bit of process here. During the frenzy of gender swapping, I had the sudden thought that Shakespeare would have embraced Gloria Steinem's adage that "femininity is women in drag." Women played men, and women played women. We all play gender roles to some extent.

The flickering quality of the teenage actors added another layer of play. Sometimes they seemed like children, and then suddenly like fully-formed adults.

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Thanks to Scout (Viola) for a really wonderful performance and also for helping me name these characters. I wish you all the good things in this world. (Photo by Scout's father).

decompressing

2007-12-11T19:26:00.000-06:00

Fluffy snow fell all day long today. If my calculations are right, this is the fourth big snow we have had this season. By noon it was still snowing, and we had almost five inches already.

At lunchtime a cube neighbor and I went out to walk in the woods nearby. We walked over logs and under branches. We heard snow and silence and a cardinal. Both of my boots got filled with snow. My wool jacket got pretty wet. But it was exhilerating.

The drive home was objectionable and harrowing. I warmed up and wound down with a candle-lit bath. Click on the drawing for better detail.