Friday, January 26, 2007

Illustration Friday: Red

The night before their first meeting Horace emailed Mona: "You'll know me by the red carnation in my lapel."

Peace to you all, and may all your encounters be memorable.

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Illustration Friday: Superhero

Look at his legs twitch. He may be asleep on the rug in front of the fireplace, but in his dreams he's chasing those jackrabbits he never caught in his youth. Before the leash laws caught up to us out here, before the condos and ticky-tacky houses took over the two meadows just north of us, on our morning and afternoon walks he ran free. He ran with the jackrabbits that were always just out of his reach. We used to see foxes right where the apartments are now. And burrowing owls... I remember a family or two of those funny little birds with their bobbing heads... their holes were paved over with a cul-de-sac. All that has changed in just ten years. Oh, look now... he's barking in little blips. He's having a good one... Super Blackie must be terrorizing the rabbits tonight. Poor old deaf pooch.

Peace to everyone, and stay close to your superheros.

Saturday, January 13, 2007

Illustration Friday: 80s

"Yeah, my nephew got that new Nintendo game deal for Christmas. Christmas afternoon everyone took a turn on it. I embarrassed myself. Couldn't get the hang of it," Charlie said. "No aptitude for it, I guess."

Louie shook his head and drained the last of his beer. "Tell me about it. Last video game I could ever play was PacMan. 'Member that one?"

A sheepish smile came over Charlie's face. "Don't remind me of the 80s. I spent half of that decade trying to drink myself to death and the other half repenting. Less said of that time the better."

Charlie threw a tennis ball across the lawn for his dog to retrieve. The dog gave the ball a tired glance and waddled over to his water dish. "Couldn't play that PacMan game either. Hated that crazy music and those weird sound effects." He sighed, then turned to Louie quickly. "Hey, how about a game of pool? Now there's a game."

Louie nodded, "Yeah... timeless."

Peace to you all, and watch out for Blinky, Inky, Clyde, and that other ghost, whatever his name was.

Sunday, January 07, 2007

Illustration Friday: Buzz

The alarm sounded at 5:30; not that Harry needed it. His brain had crackled and popped all night under the weight of those last words before she left: "The last ten of these thirty years have been hell."

She took only her toothbrush. She left the rest of those years behind. Left it all with Harry... the twenty-odd pairs of shoes (some odd); the good china and the everyday dinnerware; the toothless cat and the hairless dog. Harry got it all.

She swept it all away with her little brush and took the clothes on her back down the walkway and around the corner, and that was that.

Harry's brain had buzzed all night, and he knew the neighbors would be buzzing before the end of the day, and he hoped Mr. Coffee (she'd left that, too; she'd left all of it) would provide enough buzz to get him through the day.

Peace to all, and keep the buzz respectable.