Fort Building

So the kid down the street is building a tree fort. I think that a lot of kids find fort building instinctual. They naturally know how and they 'just want to'. It reminded me of the time I met one of my best friends...
It was back in Grade One, the year after kindergarten, and nobody knew anybody yet. We were in the library for the scheduled class visit. Ancient Mrs Hudson was teaching us how to check out books using slips of paper and rubber stamps. While I've always liked books and enjoyed reading, I was eyeing up the multi-coloured vinyl foam cubes that were underneath all the book shelves. Actually meant to be used as stools for story-time or whatever, I got the idea that they would stack pretty well. At the exact same time, this other kid in my class had the same compulsion. We started to amass a huge reserve of these blocks and started to build a considerable sized fort in the corner. It was just starting to take shape (which was vaguely igloo-like) and quite a few other kids decided that this was pretty cool. They started to supply us with steady shipments of blocks while we could concentrate on the architecture. It was pretty awesome really but no matter how old your librarian is, eventually someone in authority is going to see a large building project in a place that is supposed to be quiet.
I ended up getting in trouble but I also made a good friend with someone that I still know today.

Tornado Battleship

So about 4 years ago, when I was at work, there was a tornado that came off the sea and went through the CBD. Pieces of destroyed buildings flew everywhere and some large chunks even came through our roof. The path of the tornado hit the building next door on its path into the city.
I'm still working at the same place and quite recently, another tornado came to town. This one damaged buildings about two addresses away on the other side of us. As I look around right now at the scaffolding up and repairmen making things normal again, it makes me think that this feels like a giant game of Battleship. My workplace is a ship, the white pegs are near-misses and maybe that there is a red peg getting warmed up.

If, after reading this, you feel like a game of Battleship, here is a place where you can play it online.

Stuffed animals in car windows

So maybe I'm missing the point, but I don't seem to understand the reasoning behind the concept of putting herds of stuffed animals in the rear window of a car.
(Is a group of stuffed animals a herd? or flock? or pack? Does it depend on what type of animals they are? But what if they are more than one type, all mixed up? A portable easy-care zoo. Or an ark! Maybe there should be two of each type in case of heavy rain.)

Cop shows

So I've noticed a change in cop shows in the last few decades. Obviously, some of the change would be expected since it is now a quarter of a century into the future. Rapid advances in real life police technology would filter through to the fictional TV world. One thing I miss is when an undercover cop used to go into action. One arm would be driving in hot pursuit and the other would be reaching around through the window, placing that magnetic blue police light on the top of the (usually enormous) vehicle. The viewer would then know at that time that this cop is 'all business' right now.
Another previously common behaviour of the TV-cop was to commandeer a vehicle. "Excuse me, sir?... I need to commandeer this vehicle!" And then, in what was borderline theft/vandalism, the hero would chase after the bad-guy in a variety of modes of transportation, and often resulting in destroying the citizens property. I mildly looked it up on the internet and at least in some parts of the USA, it is actually something that cops are allowed to do, even today. I could imagine that it is very rarely used these days since the courtroom aftermath that would inevitably follow would deter most boys in blue. This real life deterrent is probably acknowledged by the writers and now we hardly ever see it.
A third thing involves terrorists. Why are police shows needing to be fighting them all the time? Maybe it's more sensationalistic to be fighting terror than crime these days. Maybe the people that make shows think that's what people want. Since I'm a person myself, I can say that we just want the odd cop show with decent writing with characters that we actually care about.

Free gym membership

So it was a cold, dark and rainy night. I was waiting for my fish and chips amongst my very-casually dressed, hungry neighbours. Being inside the warm and dry shop, listening to the battered and starchy food sizzle in hot oil, we all were there for the same thing.
I noticed a clear plastic box to one side of the counter. I could fill out a form and win a prize - a six-month membership at a local fitness club. Being transparent, I could see that this box was empty. I've entered this raffle before at a video store and although I didn't win, I was offered a week's free pass. I took them up on the offer, enjoyed my week and decided not to sign up after that time. But this box... I could see that this one was going to be abandoned for some time. We all were imagining our greasy seafood and potatoes. Wearing any old clothes to brave the elements on a rainy night like this, we were on a mission. We were reading old magazines, watching re-runs on a mounted TV screen in the corner and mildly paying attention to a large tank of goldfish. No one was filling out any entry forms.
I can see that how putting a box in a place like this seems like a good idea. Target the people who feel guilty about their poor diet choices while they wait. Even with the logic, there was a missing factor that they didn't consider. When I entered the draw at the video store there were plenty of other entries. Maybe that is more the type of place where you could be overweight, feel self-conscious and want to enter the draw. However, tonight I was in a place where you could gain weight, safely not care about your appearance and go home.

Blogomatic

So I missed a week. When I started this blog, I didn't set out to make this a weekly thing but it evolved and settled into a punctual once-a-week illustration.
I've never done a blog or anything like this so it's a bit of an experiment for me. I'm deciding how to make the drawings the best that I can and still meet a regular production deadline. I feel that if I miss another week, it will make it easier to miss another after that. I can see how it could spiral out of control and then I'd stop doing it. There's the instinct to keep on working on illustrations and ideas until they are good enough and then post. There's also a 'I could post something when I get inspired' approach. I'm starting to notice that it's probably not going to happen if I wait for each post to be perfect or just the 'right moment'.
It's about discipline. Although I am enjoying doing this (and getting faster as I go), I feel like some sort of 'Blogomatic' - pumping out ideas. (Which is a good thing!)

Prom night

So I was shown some photos the other day. They were of someone's niece at home on the evening of a formal school dance (ball, prom ,etc). Now there were a handful of different poses and various family member combinations, but two of the photos sort of stuck out to me.
One was of the niece and her sister. They were happy and full of energy and smiles. The other pic that I took notice of was of her and her dad. While the older man seemed happy to be in the photo, the girl had the opposite reaction. It looked as though she just didn't like him much at all. It's nearly impossible for me to know of course. This is all speculation. Best-case scenario for her would be that it was really awkward to be dressed-up beside dad. Maybe she felt confident to be smart, formal, and elegant with her peers (and sister) but it was weird to pose with parents. She seems to be at that age that where she too old to be a kid and too young to be an adult. It can be the most trying time of anyone's life. Maybe that photo just managed to capture it.

See the original quick sketch

Smart or chicken?

So there's a dirt path shortcut through the park. Over the school holidays, I passed some kids digging it up and making a set of jumps. These are hardly the regulation construction that the pros get. This is the kind that is done by 10-year olds with some spare pieces of building materials. I recognized that right away since I remember the danger from the 80's. I've built jumps myself as a kid. Several of them collapsed under the weight of the bike making them instant deathtraps.

What we have now is that the kids are back at school and the jump is still there. I pass it every day. Should I take it? There's enough foliage cover around to conceal any below average attempts and preserve dignity. (But there will be no one around to help stop the bleeding if it gets ugly.) Is it smart to not take the jump since I know that it is not well constructed? I have plenty of experiences and scars that reinforce those points. Or is it that being older has made me chicken since I remember the possible consequences and decide that it's not worth the risk anymore?

Maybe I'll try it tomorrow...

The home team

So my neighbour was waiting outside the Lawnbowling Club with a bag as I was walking my dog. I stopped to say hello and found out that she was waiting for a ride. Her bowling partner was picking her up and then they were going to the championships in the next town.
Last year they made it to the finals and lost. They were scheduled to play the pair that they had lost the finals to in this year's first round. While she was very sportsmanlike, polite and generally just plain all-round nice, you could tell that there was a side to her that wanted to really go out there and get revenge. It was pay-back time for her.
I wished her well in hopes that she would bring the trophy back to our locality. Although I'm not much of a lawnbowling fan, it made me realize that you really can't go wrong cheering for the home team.

Kite Skills

So we just had a major windstorm with wind gusts up to 130kms. I saw these guys starting to fly a kite at the local school field just as the winds were picking up. Shaking my head, I put it out of my mind.
The next day, it was wrapped around the power lines in front of our house. You could follow the string from the kite up in the air and it was still attached to one of those plastic spools that you wrap the string around. It was also tangled around a different set of power lines about 5 houses away. The school yard is another block past that on the other side of a stream.

Moon for sale

So on the back of each of my grocery receipts are coupons for things that I usually have no interest in. This week was the same even though I'm blogging about it! 
Apparently for $20, I can own an acre on the moon. Sadly, I didn't buy enough groceries to get the whole ad. I only have a half of the first line of fine print which, on something like this, is where you can usually find the hilarity. It was possible to determine though that you would actually need $30 per acre. But this is totally legit! It says that this scam is "filed with the United Nations". Even if it was, if the United Nations can't keep the US out of Iraq, how will it in the future, enforce where on the moon a nation-state (or corporation) can build a suburban lunar colony? "Yeah we know you spent billions on your moon programme, but 64 years ago, some guy spent $20 (actually $30) and owns that crater. You're going to have to shift over to the next one."
It says that this is a "Great Gift for someone with everything!" I think that's true since this is kinda nothing.

[After finishing this illustration of the moon but before actually blogging it, the local newspaper put this story as a front page story. I couldn't believe it; I was scooped! Either I actually have some journalistic skills or (more likely) this city needs more scandals and crime to write about.]

Alternative Fuel Sources

So I'm someone who bikes to work pretty much everyday. I take the money that I save at the pump and invest it in alternative energy sources. In a way, my mountain bike is powered by chocolate cake.