Richard Artschwager

Art Appreciation

Born in Washington, D.C. on December 26, 1923, Richard Artschwager was an American painter, illustrator, and sculptor. 

Artschwager served in the United States Army during World War II. Although wounded in combat, he was assigned to move high-level prisoners, including German General Nikolaus Von Falkenhorst. 

Artschwager studied chemistry and mathematics at Cornell University. In 1944, he enlisted in the United States Army. He then was assigned to an intelligence posting in Vienna. 

In 1947, Artschwager returned to the United States, and finished college. Although he received a Bachelor of Arts in physics, Artschwager and his wife Elfriede Wejmelka moved to New York City to work as a baby photographer. 

A couple of years later, Artschwager studied under Amédée Ozenfant, a purist painter, in Paris. However, he abandoned art soon after and resorted to working various jobs. 

In 1953, Artschwager began selling furniture. He then began designing and manufacturing simple and modern furniture. 

He was commissioned by the Catholic Church in 1960 to build portable altars for ships. In a time of abstract expressionism, he was inspired to explore incorporating craftsmanship into art working to produce small wall objects made of wood and laminated composite material known as Formica. His breakthrough piece was a three-dimensional wall piece made of Formica titled Handle.

Although he was best known for his furniture, Artschwager was also a painter. Many of his figurative paintings were from photographs. He also experimented with perspective creating the illusion of space in many of his paintings.

In 1968, he incorporated what he called blps, space punctuation, in his pieces. A dispersed installation called 100 Locations, had blps in 100 different in Manhattan's Whitney Museum, later that year.

In the 70s, his work was more into decorative design and bourgeois interiors that relied on light and its ability to guide the eye. 

In the 80s and 90s, he continued to work on furniture and incorporating painted wood, Celotex, and Formica. In the 90s, Artschwager made an extensive series of sculptures in the form of shipping crates. 

His final gallery exhibition featured five laminate sculptures of upright and grand pianos at the Gagosian Gallery in Rome in 2012.

He passed away at the age of 89 on February 9, 2013.

Installation, Haus der Kunst 2013

2020

Splatter Piano II, 1995

Installation view, Spruth Magers, Munich, 2006

Source: Wikipedia, Hausderkunst.de, Artforum.com, mcba.ch, Spruethmager.com

Cosplay is an Art: Holiday Matsuri 2021

 

via Justin Pineda Media

Dance: Meghan Trainor - Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree

Choreography by Satoco

via Hyperion Dance Studio Tokyo

Dance: Here Comes Santa Claus Remix - TNT Dance Crew

Choreography: NhanPato

via BoBo Dance Studio

COVID and the Holidays

Pardon the Interruption

My daughter and I were expected to be in Washington, D.C. Unfortunately, there was a change of plans. She came down with COVID-19.

It's disappointing because I was wanting to sneak in that last "awesome" trip before she turns 18 and graduates from high school. Honestly, my fear is that she will just leave after graduation and that opportunity will be lost. 

I'm slightly annoyed that my ex-wife is on a vacation trip with her husband. She informed me that our daughter's girlfriend had COVID the day our kid came to my place. I accepted the news. But, honestly, deep down I really wanted to push back and say our kid stays with you then. But I didn't.

I didn't because I'm our child's dad. 

She took the BinaxNow rapid antigen test and indeed came out positive. 

I internalized the newfound information for a bit, then started calling Southwest Airlines and Hilton to cancel our reservation.

To be honest, there was a part of me that wanted to keep our travel. It's probably the last time I will have the opportunity to travel with her anywhere. 

There is also a part of me that feel she gets to travel to cool places with her mom and new husband--a slight envious feeling towards my ex and her new life, I know.

But the silver lining to all this is that we get to spend time a home together. She's in the room next to my office, isolated. But she does come out and I do ask how she is doing. Quality time, in an odd way. 

Cosplay is an Art: Akron Comicon 2021

 

Via Kodachi

Cosplay is an art: MCM Birmingham

 

via Digital Genki

QAnon and COVID-19

Pardon the interruption

My uncle-in-law, an MIT graduate, and his wife are QAnon followers. They believed the QAnon narrative about the virus and the vaccine. They both held their strong convictions and chose not to get vaccinated.

Today, I was informed my uncle passed away after being in the hospital for weeks dealing with COVID-19 symptoms. My aunt had it as well; however, recovered after receiving treatment. Unfortunately, that treatment was not available for my uncle. 

My uncle isn't the only Trump-er QAnon person to die of COVID-19. Many others have died too. And for what? To prove what? 

It's upsetting to say the least because although my uncle had different political opinions than mine, he was an amazing man who loved his country and his wife. 

R.I.P. Uncle Andy

Force MDs - Tender Love

Music Appreciation

Tender Love was a song that appeared in the 1985 musical comedy film, Krush Groove, based on the early days of Def Jam Recordings and a little known record producer named Russell "Walker." The heartthrob Blair Underwood portrayed the Russell Simmons character in the film.

Written by R&B pop songwriters Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis -- better known for their Grammy Award winning production of Janet Jackson's Control album -- Tender Love introduced Force MDs, a new jack swing / old school band, to Adult Contemporary.  

The group from Staten Island, New York took the song to number 4 on the R&B charts and number 2 on the Adult Contemporary chart. 

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tender_Love

Dance: BTS - Permission to Dance

Choreography: BTS

via BANGTANTV

The Rolling Stones Concert, ATX

When I was 18 years old, my dad took me to my first Stones' concert in San Antonio, The VooDoo Lounge Tour. We woke up early that day and started our drive to San Antonio from the valley (Rio Grande Valley).  The concert was at the Alamodome, which had just opened the year before. The opening act was Bryan Adams. 

In 2006, I took my dad to the Stones' concert in Austin, A Bigger Bang Tour. We had arrived early to Zilker Park, because I wanted to grab a good seat on the lawn. As we were about to sit on the grass, we were approached by an event person. He asked how many were in our party. I replied it was just my dad and I. He handed us two tickets and directed us to the bleachers at the side of the stage. Lawn tickets turned out to be the best seats. My dad loved the show.

This past Saturday, I took my 17 year old daughter to the No Filter Tour at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA). We left home early expecting the unexpected -- it was my first time at COTA and I wanted to make sure to have plenty of time to arrive, park, and find a spot on the lawn. Good thing I did.

COTA is a large complex with many parking lots. Ours happened to be at the very end, LOT R. We parked, walked to the complex, and found the Bronze area -- a hilltop overlooking the stage. We laid our blankets on the ground and waiting for the show to begin. 

Crazy things happen in the cheap seats, which isn't included in the video. 

I was offered pot. I was also offered popcorn. 

The drunk girl behind me almost fell on me. Same girl spilled trash on a group sitting behind her. Same girl stepped on my foot at one point. She then decided to squat and pee next to me. 

The guy friend the drunk girl came with was dry humping her. How do I know? I was within earshot of him talking to her dirty asking if she feels his hard penis. The girl who offered me popcorn, started dancing with the two. I'm thinking the guy got lucky after the show.

During the concert, a girl walked passed me with about six feet of toilet paper hanging from the back of her jeans. She must have traveled a long with with that since the closest port-a-potty was down the hill. 

I had a conversation at the end of the evening at the port-a-potty with a young lady. She said that she would rather get UTI than use a port-a-potty. I countered and said that the ride may be long getting out of COTA. She gave in and went into the blue closet. When she emerged out, she was clearly disgusted with the experience. 

Dance: Renuka Panwar, MJ - 52 Gaj Ka Daman

Sakshi Gupta Choreography / Unique Dance Crew

 

via Sakshi The Dancing Soul

Francis Danby

Art Appreciation

Known for his imaginative style, Francis Danby was born in Ireland on November 16, 1793.

Danby began painting landscapes at a young age. In his twenties, he ended up in Bristol, joining an informal group of artists known as the Bristol School. This group influenced and encouraged Danby in later art pieces to be more imaginative.

 

View of the Avon Gorge (1822)

The Enchanted Island

 

A Tale About Alex Jones

Pardon the Interruption

When I was in my 20s, I worked for a House Committee in Texas as the clerk. My responsibility was to take care of the bills filed with the committee, set hearings, manage testimony, and the minutes. 

My office was located in the "dungeon" of the Capitol building. Some knew where the offices were located. A few knew the importance of committee offices. 

Alex Jones knew the importance of the offices in the dungeon. 

My old boss, the chair of the committee, had a bill that dealt with some issue that caught Alex's attention. I don't recall the issue, but it may have been either DNA testing or something to do with records. But during that legislative session, Alex Jones was in my office.

At the time, Alex was a local personality best known for his public access cable TV show.  He grew in popularity in Austin to the point he was voted "Best Austin Talk Radio Host." 

His popularity grew trifold when he began promoting the conspiracy theory that the George W. Bush administration was behind the 9/11 attacks. 

I met him in the beginning of 2001, before 9/11.

When he would stop by, Alex was super nice. He had charisma and I was interested in what he had to say. I listened to a lot of his theories and questions. And I found myself asking the same thing. He made valid points. 

One night I went home and told my girlfriend (ex-wife) about a guy that has been coming around the office and has got me thinking about things. I shared one of the conspiracies that had got me thinking on how black helicopters are flying over certain areas. She stopped me from continuing and replied, "Wait. Alex Jones? You know I broke up with my ex-boyfriend because he was addicted to Alex Jones."

Needless to say, I kept my distance from Alex. 

Before Alex became Alex Jones, he was a one-man show. He carried with him a video camera. He would interview behind a video camera. He would set up a video camera and then record himself provide testimony. 

He would ask permission to set up his camera. It started with him setting up his camera in the back of the committee hearing room, and then it moved to the front corner. He did ask to place his camera on the landing of the dais, but I said no as directed by the chair of the committee. But that didn't stop Alex from placing the camera on the landing focusing on the committee members sitting behind the dais. 

When did Alex Jones begin transforming into the Alex Jones a good percentage of Americans despise? Does he really honestly believe the shit he says? Why does he do this? These are things I think about every time I see a headline with him name on it. 

Recently, the headline that caught my attention read, "Connecticut judge orders Infowars' Alex Jones to pay damages to families of Sandy Hook shooting victims in defamation lawsuits."

Sixteen families of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims filed a defamation suit against Jones for spreading false claims.

Senior Night

It was the first time, in a very long time, that we walked along together happy.

About seven years ago, my ex-wife and I decided to call it quits, separated, and then divorced. Amicable, I guess. It had to be. We weren't happy. It showed.

But we weren't happy. We, my ex, our child and I, were happy. He was the only thing that kept the family intact. And it pained me so much when that glue lost it's adhesiveness. 

We began to work on shared time. We hungered to do as much as we could with our child.

She remarried and is happy. In a way, the new guy was the adhesive she long for to continue that experience she shared with her child. I don't blame her. 

My route took a different turn. I dated. And dated. And dated some more. I have fell head over heals a few times. I had my heart broken. I broke many hearts too. I lived my life.

At times I feel guilt. I could have saved all that money and wasted time and spent it with my kid. I could have been there. Why did I have such a grudge? Why did I feel jealousy towards my ex and her new life? 

It's envy. It's guilt. It's a desire to rewind history and live it right, if it were ever possible.

But this life. We learn from it. We forget and move to the next. 

And I think that's where I am at at this point in life. 

My kid is graduating this May. She has had a rough time -- growing pains -- with adolescence. Sophomore year she got into drugs. She experimented with a whole lot of them. She failed most of her classes. Then COVID hit. She fell further behind. 

Last January, she came out as being a transgender girl. This was a surprise to both her mom and I but we have grown to accept it and support her. 

She went through an awakening. She stopped doing drugs. And as THC has gradually been released from her body, she is more focused and willing to accomplish her school work. 

As we walked together before a crowd onto the football field, I felt our smiles bigger than ever. We were happy. 

At that moment, I felt at peace. We raised our kid together through the great times, the tough ones, the heartache, and happy ones. We've come along way as a family, but we did it for one person and that's for our kid.

Otakufest 2021 - Cosplay Music Video

 

FD Sedano https://youtu.be/YPaNsON5p2o

Ty Pennington

If you are my age, you probably remember the ABC reality series Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. You know. The one where that guy yells "Move that bus!" before revealing a renovated home. That guy is Ty Pennington. He led an eight person design team to renovate family's homes and the show ran for 10 years.

Born on October 19, 1964, Ty started his career as a model for J. Crew, Diet Coke, and Levi's, to name a few. He later became a set designer. 

In 2000, Ty joined TLC's Trading Spaces as the show's  original carpenters. He then picked up a role in an independent film, The Adventures of Ociee Nash, before being selected for Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. The show ran from 2003 to 2013.

During that time, I remember shopping at Sears with my family and seeing the Ty Pennington Style line all over the store. You couldn't escape it. I think we bought a few bedding and home decor that had his name on it. 

Ty was everywhere. Even in kid's shows. He played Ty Ty the Tool Guy on Wow Wow Wubbzy and appeared in Phineas and Ferb. 

Source: Wikipedia

Otakon 2021 Cosplay Music Video

 

Flannel Ninja https://youtu.be/bijJaaPx2lE 

James Tissot

Art Appreciation

Jacques Joseph Tissot, aka James Tissot, was a successful French painter and illustrator, best recognized as a genre pinter of fashionably dressed women and biblical events.

Born on October 15, 1836 in Nantes, France, Tissot was influenced by his merchant father, designer mother, and his hometown. 

He traveled to Paris to pursue an education in art, enrolling at Ecole des Beaux-Arts to study under Hippolyte Flandrin and Louis Lamothe. He became acquainted with other artists such as James McNeill Whistler, Edgar Degas, and Edouard Manet. 

In 1859, Tissot exhibited in the Paris Salon, where he showed five paintings of scenes from the Middle Ages, many depicting scenes from the tragic play Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. 

After Paris Salon, his work was exhibited at the London gallery of Ernest Gambart, an art publisher and dealer that dominated the London art world.

Tissot moved to London, after serving during the War of 1870. His popularity quickly developed as he became known for painting elegantly dressed women in fashion. His paintings were sought after by wealthy British industrialists. 

Later in life, he began making paintings depicting Biblical events. And while many French artists were moving towards Impressionism, he moved towards realism in watercolors. 

Jesus retrouvé dans le temple 

La Frileuse (1876)

La Japonaise au bain (1864)

Sources: Wikipedia, Williamweston.co.uk

Jessica Drake

Updated: July 3, 2022

You probably recognize Jessica Drake as one of the women who alleged former President Donald Trump made unwanted sexual advances. 

Or if you are like me, you recognize the name from adult films.

Texas native Jessica Drake was born on October 14, 1974. She worked as an exotic dancer in El Paso while attending college. 

In 1999, Jessica entered the adult film industry acting in her first film, Modern Love. She then did North Pole #9 which featured her on the box cover. 

A few years later, she received her first AVN Award winning "Best Tease Performance" for her role in Shayla's Web.

In 2004, she gained headlines with her comments during an HIV outbreak in the porn industry, "working without condoms in the industry is less dangerous than going home with someone who you just met randomly in a bar." 

I remember her comments and the way I interpreted it was that she was implying it's more riskier to hookup with a random person and not wear a condom than it is to perform in a sex scene with someone who is not so random.

Not only is Jessica Drake an actress, but she is also a director, writer, producer, sex educator, and a online business owner. She is also a philanthropist. 

In 2016, represented by feminist civil rights Gloria Allred, Jessica Drake became the 11th woman to accuse Donald Trump of sexual misconduct. It was seventeen days before the 2016 presidential election. She explained that she met Trump at the Wicked Pictures booth during the American Century Celebrity Gold Tournament in Lake Tahoe in 2006. Trump denied knowledge of Jessica. 

Jessica Drake isn't shy to share her opinions. In 2017, she criticized August Ames' tweet regarding concerns of crossover performers in porn. Unfortunately, Drake's tweet started a movement that eventually led to Ames' suicide.

Sources: Wikipedia, IMDb, LAWeekly

Mariotto Albertinelli

Art Appreciation

Born on October 13, 1474, Mariotto di Bindo di Biagio Albertinelli was an Italian Renaissance painter known for his chiaroscuro, and intimate compositions. His work shows influence of Leonardo da Vinci.

Albertinelli was a pupil of Italian painter Cosimo Rosselli, who was known for painting large frescos. While learning under Rosselli, Albertinelli met and formed a partnership with Baccio della Porta (later known as Fra Bartolomeo). 

It is said Albertinelli lived as a libertine, in his younger years, and experienced financial problems.  

Birth of Christ (1503)

Madonna and Child with Saints Jerome and Zenobius (1508)

Creation and Fall of Man (1490s)

Source: Wikipedia, Britannica

Deborah Foreman

Deborah Foreman is best known for her starring role in the 1983 teen romantic comedy, Valley Girl. 

Born on October 12, 1962, Deborah entered modeling at the age of 13. She started modeling for Maybelline.

A few years later, she got into acting and did a few comedy pilots and TV episodes. In 1983, she appeared on Family Ties before picking up a starring role of Julie Richman in Valley Girl.  

After Valley Girl, she appeared in other comedies such as Real Genius and My Chauffeur, as well as several horror films such as April Fool's Day and Waxwork. 

My Chauffeur was a favorite of mine. Deborah plays a free-spirited super cute young woman who lands a job as a chauffeur. 

 

Dating During COVID and the "End Game"

I started dating this wonderful woman before the start of COVID, literally. 

Our first date was in late January. We went on a few more dates, and then COVID hit.

We've been together since. Through the pandemic. 

We were in lockdown together, but as we slowly emerge from COVID reality is starting to emerge. Granted, I suspected this would occur three months into the pandemic: what's the end game?

Fast-forward to tonight. 

We had a lovely evening eating at Sushi Zushi at the Domain in Austin, Texas. The weather was perfect -- not too hot and at all cold. Perfect.

Being an epidemiologist, she is super cautious of exposures. Add to that: her son is getting married in a couple of weeks so spread of virus is absolutely on her radar.

During our meal, I expressed my concerns regarding my kid. "She, will be with me," I explained, "It has been bothering me because she comes first. I'm conflicted," I admitted, "because for me I need to be 'dad' when she is with me."

She didn't take it lightly. I figured it would bother her. I felt berated. Later that evening, after things cooled down, I expressed my feelings of being scolded and added that a relationship, to me, was one of being honest and open. I added that I was more looking to share my feelings with my companion and it was received negatively. 

The whole thing was soar, to be honest. 

Later in the evening, at a different location, she brought up dating after COVID and how we were at that point.

I kind of knew where this was going. It was something I brought up earlier in the year. 

Being me, I herded the conversation in my direction.   

I explained that in my point of view, I felt that people are placed in other's lives for a reason. It is up to us to determine and decided whether to follow them. For me, a higher being brought an epidemiologist into my life during a pandemic. And for me, an catastrophic outage during a winter storm caused her to be with me.

Later in our conversation I added that we are on borrow time. We have to appreciate the life before us as in the now. We can't hold grudges. We have to find comedy in life. We can't find the negative in things. 

I went into this relationship because I wanted to live. As a grounded individual who cares so much for his offspring, I felt it was important to rely in someone's knowledge. And I did. Still do.

I wouldn't trade it in for anything less. 

When I dropped her off after our date, I felt she was thinking a little more about this situation. I'm sure she was contemplating all the other elements revolving around her head.

In isolation, dating each other worked. We had each other. We depended on each other. But for how long? When's the 'end game?'  

Waldemar Kazak

Art Appreciation

Russian surrealist artist Waldemar von Kazak is best known for his illustrations and drawings depicting sexually-charged and bizarre characters. 

Check out his other digital art HERE.

The Moth via boredpanda

Only Love via boredpanda

Aphrodite via waldemar-kazak

Sources:

http://www.waldemarkazak.com
https://www.facebook.com/waldemar.vonkozak/
http://waldemar-kazak.livejournal.com/
http://waldemar-kazak.tumblr.com/
http://waldemar-kazak.deviantart.com/
https://conchigliadivenere.wordpress.com/2014/03/05/waldemar-kazak-1973-russian/
http://www.boredpanda.com/dark-controversial-illustrations-waldemar-von-kazak/

Getting to No Debt

After my divorce, I was broke.

I didn't know what I would do. I was stressed.

My marriage was good. I felt comfort, or I thought I did. There was love, but it was directed more to our child and not ourselves. 

My marriage allowed me to experience life outside of Texas. Ironically, during the early years of my ex-wife's career, I had to comfort and encourage her on her business travels. She traveled for work a good majority of our marriage.

But there was a trade-off which she was eager to share with us. I appreciate that and will never ever think less of that decision we made together. It was a trade off.

In reality, the trade off worked but there was ramifications towards my finances. I subsidized the expenses with my credit cards. 

Like a coward, I didn't share it with my wife. I thought I could handle it. I tried. Really. But our toddler needed things. And I wanted my wife to be happy and maybe show interest in me again.

Things started to fall apart in our home, our vehicles, and our relationship. But I thought maybe paying for things I couldn't afford could somehow show strength. 

Eventually, I met my low. I got divorced. I was in debt. I was depressed. I lost it all. 

I'm not that religious. I wish I was--it would make this story so much better, really. 

I met a wonderful girl, so I thought. I fell in love, quickly. She was it. She was the one. She was the perfect... Oh.

She is ill. Mentally. 

My life collapsed. 

I wanted a life with her, I decided. But I couldn't have use get pregnant. Not now that I know it wouldn't be right, I thought. I got a vasectomy. 

I loved her so much. I could spend anything for her. And I did.

We travelled to visit her grandparents--a few times. It was all worth it, really. I would do it again, many times. I felt loved. This was my family.

I was in debt coming home.

Life changed and a breakup happened.

I was devastated.

Seasons changed and I began to turn a new leaf. I dated. More debt. Dated more. More debt.

Then the pandemic hit.

Lo and behold, it was as if nature was cleansing itself.

A silver-lining. I met this wonderful girl. We enjoyed dining at home almost everyday during the pandemic. If there wasn't food, we improvised. Actually, she improved.

Within a year, I closed my Discover Card with a zero balance, and I owed less than $4,000 to Visa now, something I can actually pay off.

I guess, the moral of the story is that I had it somewhat easy--the pandemic. I say that lightly, but really, if you feel struggling with expenses and feel there isn't a light at the end of the tunnel, use me as an example. I was in debt close to $30,000. In five years, I was able to pay it off. It can be done.

How? Don't be afraid to ask for help. First, call the credit card companies. Negotiate a reasonable APR. Second, destroy your cards. Get rid of them. Pay your due amount but more. Be straight forth with your partner. Don't hide something that will surface eventually. More importantly, stay positive.

Anthony Green

 

English realist painter and printmaker Anthony Green RA was best known for the narrative paintings that portray domestic life in compound perspectives and polygonal forms. 

Green was born on September 30, 1939 in Luton, Bedfordshire. He was taught by Welsh landscape painter Kyffin Williams and the Slade School of Art. 

In a seminar series in 2013, he mentioned the struggle to fit in as a "European artist" at the Slade School, "...I'm a half-French. I cut my teeth not in English art, which I thought was a kind of off-shore paled shadow of continental art, but in fact the proper art was found in Paris. As a school boy, I knew the Louvre better than the National Gallery... when I came home from my relatives in France, I was into French art. I considered to be a good European artist."

After spending some time in the United States, Green was elected a full Member of the Royal Academy in 1971. Green was sought out for exhibitions internationally. His pictorial sculpture titled Resurrection toured UK cathedrals in 2000. 

Resurrection (2000)

Springtime in Lissenden Gardens, London (1939)

The Chinese Lantern (1974)

Source: https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/art-artists/name/anthony-green-ra

Sylvia Kristel

 

I use to wait up for my parents to get home from date night. It was scary at first but then it became a routine I looked forward to. 

I was in my teens and my parents had upgraded their cable service to include the movie channels, HBO and Skin-a-Max -- I mean, Cinemax.

My parents had date nights on Fridays, and that was okay with me. My dad would take me to the video store and let me pick out two movies. I would typically get a comedy and a Disney movie. 

At the time, the house wasn't that big. It was shaped like an L with the entertainment room being in the center.

Before my parents would leave, pizza was typically order from Pizza Hut or Dominos. I had my pizza and movies ready and playing. 

By 10:30 pm, I had finished the two rental movies and ready to turn on Cinemax. 

Right on the dot. An after hours movie would begin. 

Emmanuelle.

The amazingly gorgeous 5'9" Dutch actress and model Sylvia Kristel caught my attention and I quickly fell in love with her character Emmanuelle. 

Sylvia Kristel was born on September 28, 1952 in Utrecht, the Netherlands. She is best remembered for playing Emmanuelle and eventually typecast to other similar roles that capitalized on her sexual provocative image. 

She began modeling at the age of 17. She won the Miss TV Europe contest in 1973, before starring in the role of Emmanuelle.  

In the 80s, Kristel starred in Lady Chatterley's Lover, Mata Hari, Private Lessons, and The Nude Bomb. 

In 2006, Kristel received an award at the Tribeca Film Festival for directing Topor et Moi, a short animated documentary film.  

On October 17, 2012, Kristel passed away from esophageal and lung cancer.

via Wikipedia

via rannygallery

Source: Wikipedia

Matt Harding

Where in the Hell is Matt? Better yet, who in the hell is Matt? 

Matt Harding is a video-game developer who, in 2006, decided to quit his job and travel the world. He became a YouTube celebrity after videos of him dancing in different parts of the world went viral. 

Born on September 27, 1976 and originally from Westport, Connecticut, Matt worked in the video game industry before becoming an internet celebrity.

He's credited in developing eight video games, such as Destroy All Humans! and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow.

Want to smile today, check out his YouTube channel HERE and his website HERE. 

Nintendo Koppai

 

On September 23, 1889, Fusajiro Yamauchi opened Nintendo Koppai, a shop that produced and sold hand-crafted flower cards known as hanafuda. During this time, the Japanese government had outlawed gambling cards except for Yamauchi's hanafuda. Demand for the cards increased, which led Yamauchi to mass-produce the hanafuda cards as well as offer lower-quality cards known as Tengu. 

In the 1900s, Yamauchi entered into an agreement with Nihon Senbai, a nationalized tobacco company, to market its cards at various cigarette stores throughout Japan. 

In the 1930, Sekiryo (Kaneda) Yamauchi established the company as a general partnership titled Yamauchi Nintendo & Co. Ltd. 

In 1947, Sekiryo founded the distribution company Marufuku Co. Ltd. A few years later, his successor grandson, Hiroshi Yamauchi, changed the name of the company to Nintendo Playing Card Co. Ltd. and changed the name of Marufuku Company to Nintendo Karuta Co. Ltd.

In the late 1950s, Nintendo contracted with Walt Disney to incorporate the Disney characters onto the playing cards. A few years later, Nintendo became a public company and changed its name to Nintendo Co., Ltd.

The company released its first video game console, the Color TV-Game in 1977. Donkey Kong was then released in 1981, followed by the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) console was released in 1985. 

Source: Wikipedia

Maria Lassnig

Born on September 8, 1919, Maria Lassnig was an Austrian artist known for her self-portraits and theory of "body awareness."

Raised by her grandmother, Maria attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. In the 50s, she was part of the Hundsgruppe, a group of artists known for abstract expressionism and action painting; however, she later became known for her self-portraits.

In the 60s, she began to focus more on self-portraits exploring the human body and psyche. 

She became the first female professor of painting at the Vienna University of Applied Arts in the 1980s.

"Selbstporträt expressiv" (Expressive Self-Portrait), 1945

"Adam and Eve and a Mirror," 2001

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Lassnig
http://upliketoast.blogspot.com/2014/05/rip-maria-lassnig.html
http://art-mirrors-art.tumblr.com/post/96636359299/maria-lassnig-adam-and-eve-and-a-mirror-2001
http://www.sothebys.com/en/news-video/blogs/all-blogs/contemporary/2017/03/5-things-to-know-about-maria-lassnig.html

Testing Positive for COVID-19

Recently, I was tested for COVID-19. Well, let me back up a little and give some background to this story.

I work for an organization. Not just an ordinary organization--one with a lot of kids. Anyways, I coordinated for the public health authority to come to our institution and test our staff. Of course, this was all voluntary. 

Only 16% of our staff came to get the PCR test. Sixteen percent. Dieciséis por ciento. Let that sink in a bit. Not even a quarter of a population.

Any way, although I coordinated the event and I didn't have any symptoms what so ever, I volunteered. I chose to take the swab to the back of the lining of my brain. Not fun. It felt like a stick rubbing and turning inside your face while it scratches the back of what could possibly be the furtherest anything can ever go. I tested positive.

Yup. I tested positive for the coronavirus. The results weren't instant. Nope. It took the health authority three days to provide the results. 

Thursday night my coworker and I were receiving results of the test. It was pouring in slowly. At 10 or so we decided to call it a night and check on the results the following morning.

That morning--early morning--I received a call from my coworker that I couldn't come to work. She instructed me that I shall quarantine at my home until September 20th. 

This caught me by surprise, to say the least. How could this have happened? Who gave me the virus? Was it my friend? Was it Vegas? Was it my girlfriend? The gym? Who? 

I was in denial. I took it as a joke. But then reality hit. I had to respond and think of those I was in contact with during the past week. I called my girlfriend--she was upset. I texted my ex-wife--she was concerned about our child. I told my kid, she couldn't go to school until she took an antigen test. I texted my best friend who I traveled to Vegas with because he was scheduled to pick up his daughter that evening.

I told my coworker all the people that could have been close contacts. I expressed my concerns about one of my coworkers who is a cancer survivor and asked that they list her as a possible close contact. 

Everything was flooding into my brain and I was feeling exhausted. 

My kid tested negative twice. So did my girlfriend. My best friend tested negative in the PCR test. This wasn't Vegas. It was at home, I thought. It kept me up for hours one night as I tried to remember who wasn't wearing masks. 

Living in Texas you have two breeds of the same kind. You have those who don't wear a mask, period, for political reasons. And you have those who wear a mask, period, for political reasons. Unfortunately, a piece of cloth became a political divide. 

I am here to say that I wore a mask not for political reasons. In fact, I have to admit, I chose not to wear a mask at the gym. Why, should I? I was socially distant, I argued my defense to my epidemiologist girlfriend. 

Well. The thing is, we need to wear a mask not for us or our freedom or whatever. We need to wear a mask for others. Period.

This is a new virus. We don't know much about it--we are getting there, but not yet. Our scientists and doctors are playing catch-up because we aren't allowing them time to evaluate a variant long enough to solve it. 

To put it into perspective: I was one of 16% of our staff who tested positive. Statistically, that would mean 6 out of 100 of our employees are carrying the virus and spreading it without even showing signs. 

Considering that only about 70% adults are fully vaccinated, that would mean 2 of those 6 carrying the virus would feel the effects of COVID-19. 

The one thing that is helping slow the spread is the face mask. I wear mine at work. The only time I don't at work is when I'm alone in my office. Big mistake. 

Outside of work, I wear it everywhere, except the gym. Big mistake.

I implore all of you to just consider masking and testing. Both will slow the spread of the virus. Stop with the politics. It's not you against me. It's not me against you. No one has the upper hand.

The virus doesn't care about politics. It doesn't care if you are Republican or Democrat. It doesn't care if you are a Trumper or a Bidenist. It feeds on our ignorance, period. Full Stop. 

Texas and Transgender

Pardon the Interruption

If you aren't aware of this, "Pardon the Interruption" breaks from the absolute "norm" of this blog and pops in some personal thought or commentary. If you don't care for someone's thoughts, perspective, or belief, especially when it comes to politics, jump to the next entry or check out some of my previous posts.

About a year ago, my kid came out to me and his mom. It wasn't gradual. There were no signs. 

"Dad, I am a girl," he said as he walked to his side of the couch as we watched TV. 

Dumbfounded, I replied, "okay." No follow up. Just "okay."

I raised my kid as a boy, I thought. Little league baseball. Soccer. Cars. Trucks. Thomas the Train. All boy stuff. 

He hated pink, I remembered. He wanted nothing to do with dolls, although I teased him multiple times at Toys 'R Us walking down the doll aisle. 

This was a surprise. I had no idea what to think. 

The following day I responded the wrong way, "It's your choice." I said it without knowing for a trans person that's the wrong thing to say. It's not a choice. It's who they are. 

I tried to reason with myself, not him. It's a phase. It's something he'll grow out of. It's like me when I  tried on pantyhose. It felt good but the response was more because I thought of girls. 

I recalled bullies calling me faggot, fag, or gay when I was in middle school and high school. I was odd and I had very little knowledge of the opposite sex so I was naïve. 

I knew I liked girls but just the suggestion made me think otherwise. Plus, MTV music videos clouded my feelings even more as I ventured through my teen sexual identity.

George Michael's Freedom '90, Madonna's Express Yourself, and Price's Cream made me really question my sexuality. I had no idea what gay was? I was sheltered and raised that boys like girls, period. All I knew at that age was that I felt tingly when I saw girls in very little clothing and showing their body.

So, fast forward 20 years and I'm having to figure out how to address the news my kids delivered to me. How am I supposed to respond? I know I love my kid, and I knew I would love him/her regardless, period.

She approached his mom and I and said she wants to start T-blockers. This quickly became real. 

Things around my house started changing. The first thing that went up in her room was the trans flag and a light display formed of a heart. 

The baseball boy became a girl almost overnight. I had to adjust to this setup. 

His mom and I discussed this over text and phone calls and determined to support out kid throughout. We began the process to help her navigate through this event.

Appointments were scheduled with a transgender therapist and physician, and in no time we were in their office or visiting over Zoom. The tough questions emerged. The what, when, where, and how. We were new to this, but we both knew we had to be there to support our kid. 

In the meantime, the Texas leadership decided to rein in on transgender kids. In their view, I assume, they felt parents were abusing their children by making them be the opposite sex. That's way far from the truth. 

As a parent who believes so strongly on individual rights to be a human with solid convictions, I feel more willing to support my child and their belief. She is no different than if she was a "he." 

I have no bout against the Governor of our state. He proved himself a strong leader up until he decided to pander to the far right and lead his state astray. 

He decided to call not only once but three times the legislature to address law that would suppress kids who feel whole-heartedly, their God-given right, as the opposite gender. Gender. Gender. 

I remember being called a faggot. I didn't know what that meant. My heart hurt. I was bullied without knowing what "bullying" meant. Everyone knew I was naïve and had no clue what it all meant. It hurt. I really did.

I look at my kid. And I am so proud of her. She is able to stand against the bullies and be who she is regardless of the name calling. That's true bravery. 

God Bless Prince and Tom Petty

Little Red Corvette is the first song that pops into my head when I think about Prince. I was no more than five or six and I remember that song vividly listening to it on the radio as I sat on the passenger seat driving home or where ever we were going in McAllen, Texas--a song town then in south Texas.

To be honest, I had no clue what a little red Corvette was, but it sounded nice. "Little Red Corvette, Baby You're much too fast..." Oh, the sound was so cool. 

For me, Tom Petty came much later in my life. I was probably a teen watching MTV when Free Fallin' caught my attention. Maybe it was Devon Kidd, the girl in the video, that attracted me to continue watching. Needless to say, this quickly became a favorite video of mine.

In a tribute to George Harrison, who passed away on November 29, 2001, Price, Tom Petty, Steve Winwood, Jeff Lynne, and others performed "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" at the 2004 Hall of Fame Inductions. 

This is a perfect tribute with Tom Petty leading the group but allowing the Price to give all the well deserved tribute to George Harrison.

Elise Trouw

Music Appreciation

On my return from my hiatus, I stumbled across a young multi-instrumentalist who has made a name for herself through her social media accounts creating music and mashing songs to make it her own--if I may say. 

The California native has been playing piano and multiple instruments throughout her young life. She was selected to be a member of the Grammy Foundation's Camp alumni band leading her to release her ten-song debut album, Unraveling.

Hello, Stranger

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?

Well... I could say I'm still hiding from society and the grips of COVID-19. But that's not entirely true; although, lo and behold, I did come down with COVID-19 last week and now currently in isolation.

A lot of things have happened in my life. And to be honest, I thought perhaps no one was really reading my blog. I found other avenues to share my appreciation for art through Instagram.  And Instagram does upload to Tumblr which makes life so much easier. 

I do miss my blog page. This page has been with me way longer than the first blog post. Actually, the first post was through Facebook, and it was primarily created to keep the grandparents up-to-date of the cool things my kid was accomplishing. 

Eventually, since the blog moved away from Facebook and now public to all to see, it turned into more about my hobbies and interests. 

I don't share a lot of my personal life and I won't start now. Well, let me rephrase: I wanting to continue this blog and share more about my experiences growing up as a human. Yes, I will share my love for art, photography, music, dancing, and more. But I kind of see this blog to be more of a personal platform where I can share my experiences and thoughts. 

Now, I don't expect you to agree with me on everything. Hell, I don't agree with a lot of things I think now. But do see what I share as one human to another. Understand what I think now may change what I think tomorrow or the next year or 20 years from now. We evolve as humans and that's okay. 

So... back to the fun.  

Robert George Harris

Art Appreciation

Born on September 9, 1911, Robert George Harris was known for his illustrations of pulp and Western stories. He also worked for women magazines, such as Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, and Redbook. During World War II he volunteered and joined the USO Artist For Freedom Project where he drew thousands of portrait sketches of wounded servicemen. After the war, he worked in advertising on major accounts, such as Coca-Cola. 

Young Blonde Beauty Bathing With A Family Of Peking Ducks via conchigliadivenere

Sources:

https://www.pulpartists.com/Harris.html
https://conchigliadivenere.wordpress.com/2014/06/09/robert-george-harris-1911-2007-american/
Wikipedia.org