Saturday, October 13, 2012

'a masterpiece of calculated chaos'.

"An abstract painting by the German artist Gerhard Richter has sold for £21.3m, setting a new record for the price paid at auction for the work of a living artist." "...described by Sotheby's as 'a masterpiece of calculated chaos'."
I am in the business of calculated chaos, I know calculated chaos, and you sir, are not chaotic! I don't know.... I'm thinking that maybe my blogs do have clothes on despite what the peasant child says.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2012/oct/13/gerhard-richter-painting-record-price



Actually, in further investigation of this picture which was growing on me, I believe the artist hung the picture sideways after a failed attempt at doing a landscape. Here you can clearly see the shore at the bottom. the lake in perspective and in the distance you can see the houses with roofs. Then a bunch of scribbly stuff to disguise it. Looked at in this light it is not chaotic at all. Failed landscape picture, paint splashed on top to disguise it. :)  Are those people walking along this side of the lake? You be the judge my friend. :)

I think the artist turned it sideways when storing it and said "Eureka, that looks vaguely like Barnabas from Dark Shadows with a runny nose peaking around a door frame!"  I can sell that old piece of trash I screwed up on. :)  Abstract painting. Meh.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Daydreams

I have been hard pressed to find the time to write long form blog entries. I am basically wearing myself out keeping to a schedule, that while impressive, is not really doing my health any good. I have little time to walk, listen to music, and daydream.

I long for one more month to go by, when I will be unencumbered by self-imposed work in my off time. I have at least learned in a very short period of time that I have a few things to contribute to the world and the world seems to like them.

I have always contented myself with small personal triumphs. There is nothing more rewarding than helping someone apply for a job online, for instance. Today, however, I had to tell someone the bitter truth that the people who had sent him to the library to apply probably had  no idea if there was a job opening in the category he had enquired about. I took him through the entire search of the particular employer. Finally I explained this problem he was encountering. The man shook my hand and said "thank you so very much." I think under normal circumstances I probably would have felt guilty that I could not personally help him but you know, the man really appreciated me leveling with him. I had suggested a job center nearby that would probably know much more than I about the particular situation and emloyer and off he went.

I guess, through my problems with handling stress, I just have ignored these kind of honest moments. The last thing I ever want to be is the guy that discouraged someone from a path that might lead them to a better life or even greatness. Yet, sometimes what someone needs to know is to change directions. The stress of sending someone in a new and unknown direction was always too much for me, but with a few small accomplisments in areas where I never thought I would accomplish a thing, I suddenly have more confidence to use my 54 years of wisdom gathering to make decisions that may well turn out right or wrong. I just do not stress and I do my best.

Daydreams are great. Daydreams that lead to accomplishments? Well, you can't get better than that. I will have so much more time to daydream soon. Maybe these daydreans will not be as productive without a defined mission. But you know, how many pats on the back does one need to prove that one is doing the right thing in living life in the best way one can?

[Oh yes, as part of my photoshop training, I have created a new logo for this blog. I am proud of the fact that my simple idea very quickly translated into final product.]

Friday, October 5, 2012

Time Managed and Spent

Since things change so rapidly in my life so it is time for another rundown of what I do with spare moments of time gathered here and there, while on break, or skipping lunch, or watching TV with my wife and stepdaughter or traveling to church or whatever...

I blog at Mike's Amiable Blog, Mike's Aimless Blog, Tomato Sandwich of Truth, Crazy Mike's TV Warehouse (currently on election season sabbatical), and Tumblr. I am on Facebook and Twitter @joemuseum (composed of the most innocuous tweets I can manage).

My online presence has grown substantially on Facebook as I work for one more month with a political page. It has been rewarding.

Time management is at a peak in my life even if I cannot keep all of these projects really properly done! For my extended years of time I am most wondrously happy.

Oh, I completely forgot my parody of an 18th century blog: Rampant Letters. My excessively excessive attempt to do the different. P.S. you won't like it. As you would also not like my TREC blog, my parody of a graphics designer with a grudge against his electric company. The line between parody and reality... sometimes I wonder where this will all lead... but the journey IS the finest in my life!


Monday, October 1, 2012

PS: Lesson 3 is Not to Believe Lessons 1, 2 or 3

I have been on the Internet forever. Windows 3.1 was a big deal when it finally came around.

My Playstation 3, the most awesome Christmas gift my wife had given me up until that time, which saw about 2 hours of gaming in it's lifetime and just countless hours of video streaming and blu-ray use, finally broke. It was the Yellow Light of Death or YLD, as the game types call it, and off to the attic it went. I bought a Sony Network something or other to replace it for $40 and it was ok. I also have 2 Rokus and not enough need for any of this stuff. 

Here is the way it went down:

I had invited my wife to eat dinner at Cracker Barrel which is near our home to make Friday more of a Friday, since I work on Saturday. Wanda gets home early on Friday, so this is relatively close for her to drive and it is on my way home from work. We are in the middle of our meal and somehow I mention the PS3. Wanda said: As a matter of fact, I was just playing around and bought some bids on this site. You pay a certain amount of money for a certain amount of bids....

Now, I am not one to let anyone complete their story. It is something my wife puts up with and actually continues to love me. I usually let people I don't know well complete their stories but, the better you know me, the better you must be at remembering where you left off before being rudely interrupted.

At this point I said: Oh gosh no, not one of those sites that sell numbers of bids? Those are constantly cited as some of the biggest ripoffs out there. How much money did you lose?

So my wife said as usual: Let me FINISH my story.

Well, you have to guess by now, that I was totally wrong in my interruption. She spent $20 dollars buying bids and actually won a PS3 for a dollar. With free shipping, from Amazon no less, the total expenditure came to $21. She had leftover bids and wasted those away on something else she did not win, because you never win! It is just out and out gambling with the advantage going to the house, or Internet site. You really have to take their word for it that the person who wins a bid actually exists in real life.

Wanda completely agreed with my interpretation, but there at home, like it came from the tooth fairy, was a new in box PS3.

Netflix is far better on this newer slim PS3 than on the old one, either Roku, or the Sony networking whatever it is.

I will not divulge the name of the Internet site as they deserve no publicity. They are sleazy. Wanda will not be buying more bids because she agrees with me.... and of course, I am wrong.