Moving

Well it's been a long long time since I've updated this blog. I have decided to fulfill it's intended purpose as a photo blog and move it to word press. I work a lot so it probably won't be up and running for a week or two, but check me out.

http://negativesouth.wordpress.com/

Up and coming

Working on my masterpiece. Will post when finished.

Because I couldn't put it on Facebook

Rain Song

To make up for my lack of posts here's a bunch of stuff at once as you can see. This is a recording of an old song of mine that I pounded out earlier while it was raining. Not the best performance over all, but decent. Wanted to get it while the drizzle was still going. Call it rain song since I never actually wrote formal lyrics for it, and it was raining. Sounds better than "Untitled."

Simple

One of my photography videos. Some of my best work. Much love to Edward G. for giving me my camera.

You can check out the photo set on my Facebook page here

My Documentary

Here's the finished documentary I co-directed. It's short and about an average person who has accomplished nothing except being a human being. I always wanted to documentaries about average people so this is a start.

Eb and Flow

I don't think that it's any surprise that I don't keep my word when it comes to updating. Blogging to me is pretty much the same as calling people back. I think about it all day, but when it comes time to sit down and get to it I get distracted by something else. Not to mention that when it comes to making announcements every one that knows me knows that nothing I plan is ever written in stone. So let's trace everything back to my birthday a month ago. You know? When I was supposed to do an update. My birthday was pleasant. Mostly family with some friends around though everything got started late do to my friend's crazy wife. To be honest I don't remember much about it. I don't remember much about the last month for that matter. When you're unemployed the days tend to blend together.

Speaking of which my parents were in the news paper, and have appeared on national television. My other wrote a letter to one of the reporters of a local paper, and they did an interview. They even had my father play some of his music. Apparently some Associated Press people also wish to speak to them, but I stay out of it. I'm not sure my visage paints the most sympathetic picture, and besides that I just don't want to be known as the poster child for flat broke.

We'll be moving soon. God has blessed us and given us the means to survive long enough till the unemployment was reinstated. We had to sell off a few valuables, but in the end why get too attached to things you don't ever really use or think about? Not long ago I sold my blue bass guitar. Had it for nearly a decade, but hadn't touched it in God knows how long. I felt a sort of pang of regret, but I needed the money and it's in good hands. A former band mate who also cherishes it.

Recently I came to another realization that sort of startled me. Not because of the nature of the epiphany, but more the fact that it took so long to realize it. I had a fairly unpleasant run in with a girl I used to be close to. I don't think the nature of the problem needs to be stated, nothing serious though, just that she was lonely and looking for some one to be close to, and I wasn't falling for it. I tried to be diplomatic about it, but she didn't respond very will to the fact that I didn't just fall to my knees and thank the heavens.

So I stated politely that I would prefer never to hear from her again, and she responded with a stream of profane words. Anyways, the end result is that I felt moved by the whole experience and decided to write a song about the whole thing. I finished up a first draft that starting performing it when I it occurred to me that I had no idea what I was doing. I thought to myself that I would never play this song for any other person, and I began to wonder why?

The conclusion I came to was because I would be too scared to put myself out there like that. How do I know if it's any good? Would people laugh? I generally don't have that problem with the things I normally do, and then something occurred to me. The soundscapes, the fake names and characters, it's all just to create a barrier between me and the "audience" (I use that word generously). I want to express myself, but I don't want to really put myself out there and risk looking like a jerk.

So I think that maybe I'll just use my real name from now on (unless what I'm working on is based around a character like Kelly Correy Ritter). I'm even thinking about getting some people together and performing.

In other personal news I think I'm finally going to stop drinking all together (except for certain nights when I'm doing the buddy thing). No dramatic events have led up to this decision. I've just gotten sick of it. I had cut back dramatically, but around my birthday I came into money and my bad habit gradually got worse again. Once you get away from sustained hang overs and nausea long enough it's hard to get comfortable slipping back into that kind of life.

The real kicker was last weekend. My good friend and fellow Christian was having some troubles at home so he stayed at his parents house while they were away. Naturally misery needs company so I tagged along. It was two straight days of shiftlessness, day and night drinking, watching Norm McDonald, and working on projects. We even filmed a documentary about a friend of his.

I've always thought about doing documentaries about regular people. I don't mean some average person whose accomplished something big, but an average person who lives an average life. We filmed about 30 or so minutes worth of footage, and all that's left is to string it together. I'm really happy with the look so far so we ended up uploading the title sequence to YouTube. I'll post it at the bottom along with a link because posting videos on these blogs always end up with half the video missing.

I have some interesting thoughts and revelations concerning the Bible especially the nature of Hell. I think I'll share them in a separate post. I still hope to go to seminary next year so keep your fingers crossed. I realized that if it works out, if I can help people, and live a life I can be proud of then I have nothing to regret. The fact is that all my mistakes, all my procrastination, and waisted opportunities would be steps in a path that led to the person I would become. Till then I study and play Playstation 2.

So what am I working on? Well Striaghtline Comics is now a dot com. We're working on merchandise, and just hoping to whore ourselves out till me make something of it. A friend of a friend is starting a local zine and they want to use our comics as well as have me write for it. So if that pans out I can add published author and cartoonist to my resume. Either way check us out. I'll post links to everything at the bottom of the post. I would appreciate if every one who reads this becomes a fan. I also started a second comic called Corporal Gun Balloon. So check that out f you wish.

Well I hope this update was long enough. I wanted to make it worth reading after the extended silence. I appreciate and adore every one of you who left comments and encouragements. I do this for you and you only. Have a wonderful day, and now for the links:

Straight Line Comics Facebook here

My Facebook if you want to follow me since I update that daily here

Straight Line Comics Website here

The intro to our documentary here