h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Bon jour!
The trip was good. Kansas gave me a full fange of fall weather during the 3 days I was there--sunny and crisp, coolish with those high, whispy clouds that don't quite let the light through (we never seem to have clouds like that here) and then a day that was just like Winter: cold (50s F!)gray, steady mist to rain. Traveling back was long but the weather was nice. The trees were just thinking about slipping into Autumn colors, but it was still lovely. I made the mistake of going through Chattanooga after dark, had forgotten that the gorgeous bit of mountains is on the way in, so I pretty much missed it. I'm thinking of making a camping trip up thataways next fall.

Georgia was a pain in the butt. Pretty much all of I-75 was delegated 'under construction' with accompanying reduced speed limits and exhorbitant speeding fines, so that bit took forever and reinforced the stereotype of Georgia speed traps. I saw one overpass with a radar cop above and about 10 police cars past the curve pulling people over. Bah. I guess they have to fund the state somehow. The oddest thing about Georgia was the radio, though. Tons of Xtian, country, various music stations. Seemed as if the NPR stations only played music rather than the news programming I love. That surprised me, at least around Atlanta. And I was listening to that scary Family Values programming (I'd never heard it before, and it was creepyier than I'd expected). Those bubbas have got fear and loathing down to a science *snort* (include it in the science curriculum, why dontcha?) and the creepy aspect was that they *sound* sane enough, and mostly reasonable, until you start paying attention to what they're getting at. I didn't hear the rabid, foaming-at-the-mouth kinda prejudice I'd (in my uninformed bias) expected to hear. Very disturbing, very much the style propoganda Hitler was using as he built the Nazi power structure. That stuff didn't start out as the massive, goose-stepping, Heil Hitler rallies we're accustomed to thinking of in terms of Nazi propoganda.

I just googled up Old Rag Mountain. I envy you that hike, JCNSmith. It must have been stunning! I fell in love with Virginia a few years ago when I went on a Great Adventure and ended up camping my way along the Blue Ridge parkway at peak leaf time. Didn't make it quite up to the Shenandoah Natl Park, headed back south when I ran into the dinosaurs at Glasgow. That whole area is magical. Do you live in that part of the country or just make an annual hike there?

Thank you for the birthday month wishes. It's off to a good start, now I must go fulfill my promise-to-self to make this month incredibly productive in terms of painting. That way I'll be able to afford the total distraction I feel coming on when I allow myself to start playing with Sound. I'm getting 2 softwares that'll allow me to do pretty much ANYTHING, and after briefly playing with them at my parents' place I fear it'll be another total immersion experience, same as when I first started button-pressing with Photoshop. I'm doomed.

"Do you live in that part of the country or just make an annual hike there?"

I live within an easy drive of Old Rag. I try to do the hike each spring and fall if possible. Can't even begin to say how many times I've done it, but it's always magical. Spring flowers glorious, as are autumn leaves. Not recommended for summer months ... too hot/humid/buggy. Yes, I'm a fair weather hiker!

Was interested in your comments on the Family Values programming. Sounds like we're on the same page about that!

Sounds like your time will be filled with a nice variety of creative activities. What sort of painting is your passion? Oils, water color, acrylic, other? Abstract, representational, other? I've dabbled with painting (water colors and oil, mostly abstract) from time to time. Have found it very theraputic.

There's nothing wrong with being a fair weather hiker, ya know. It's a sign of being evolved.

My time gets to be *too* full of creative activities, and then I grind to a halt. I'm trying to break through a period of inertia at the moment, probably due to having to focus on making stuff that'll actually earn me income (gasp) as opposed to just playing with stuff. I'm finding it difficult to settle down and just get to work. And I'm avoiding making signs and a programme (what kinda production is this thing turning into?) for my brother's impending wedding because experience has taught me that no matter how meticulous I am with these wedding-related projects, numerous nit-pickety edits will be in order. *sigh* So the painting I'm *supposed* to be doing today is illustrations for a hybrid painting/photoshop template so I can become rich beyond my wildest dreams...... mwahahahahaha...

*wakes up*

The painting I really get off on is therapy painting. I usually work with oil pastels and acrylics and vodka. Some of them are in the gallery here. http://www.brittamog.com They're colorful and big. I call myself a Primitive Expressionist when I want to be impressive. Otherwise I just admit that I never quite outgrew that kindergarten feeling of Immeasurable Power when presented with a big sheet of blank paper on an easel and a bunch of colors to schmear around.

"I usually work with oil pastels and acrylics and vodka."

I hope you don't mix the vodka with the paint! I can think of better uses for it.

Thanks for the link to your gallery. I love your paintings! Really! Great use of colors! They certainly speak to me. Remind me in a way of some of the water colors I did many years back. Worked out a lot of emotional issues in the process.

Do you ever go down to Key West? They have some wonderful galleries there. I can spend hours browsing through them. Your paintings easily would fit in there. Not inexpensive exhibit space though, I'm sure.

I'm off to a Maria Muldaur concert this evening. A CD release party. Maria Muldaur sings love songs of Bob Dylan. Don't want to be late, so gotta run!

Do you have any samples of your paintings online somewhere? (hint hint)

I haven't been to Key West in the past couple of years though I used to loooove spending time down there. I was younger and rowdier back then and was more involved in the bar scene than in seeking out galleries. Lately it's got too much a tourist trap feel for me.

I'm really enjoying the art scene here in St. Petersburg. Smallish town, but loads going on. Little by little I intend to work my way through everything, haven't even visited the Dali museum since I moved here. I envy you your proximity to DC. Wow, they have some amazing art there. I spent a few days there summer 05 wallowing in the Smithsonians and art museums but time was so short I didn't have the luxury of really taking things in. It was like a 'see all of Europe in 6 days' tour. Total whirlwind. One day I shall visit less frantically.

How was the concert? I sampled portions of the CD, she has a lovely voice and seems pretty versatile. Is she one of your favorites?

Sorry, no samples of paintings on line. Most of my favorites are gone. Either given away to anybody who expressed anything remotely resembling a positive response to them, or lost in various moves. I still have one small water color that I'm rather fond of, but it's locked away in a rented storage unit.

I still love Key West. Touristy, yes, but if you stay off of Duval St. there are still many charming parts, too. I love the creative energy there and the diversity and the free-range chickens, and the laid back atmosphere, not to mention the climate. Seems like a place where you can do as much or as little as you like, and you can get around the whole place via bicycle. Have been going there for the month of January for the past few years, but don't plan to go this coming Jan. Long story for another time.

I've only driven through the Tampa St. Petersburg area, but it struck me as having a really big city atmosphere, and not necessarily in a good sense of the term. But I'm sure I didn't see the best parts.

I'm ashamed to admit that I don't take maximum advantage of the treasures readily available in nearby DC. The old story of familiarity breeding not contempt, certainly, but more like complacency. I go down to the galleries if they have a new exhibit that grabs me, and I go when acting as a tour guide for out-of-town guests, but that's about it.

The concert this evening was a hoot. Maria put on one hell of a fine show. I can't say that I've been a huge fan of hers or that I've followed her career, but certainly remember her from some of her earlier big hits. I am a big fan of Bob Dylan though, so the combination of Muldaur singing Dylan at a venue that's a five-minute walk from my place was too much of a draw to pass up. Glad I went. She performed quite a few numbers from her new Dylan love song CD, and she did a nice job. In the end, however, I decided that I'd rather hear Dylan sing them than Muldaur. Ended up buying one of her earlier CDs, Richland Woman Blues, a tribute to early blues artists, which she kindly autographed it for me. Nice.

I hope if you ever travel up this way you'll give me a shout. So far, I've never actually met a fellow hootooan in person. In fact, have occasionally found myself wondering whether there really are other people out there or whether perhaps the whole thing is a charade put on by a handful of paid BBC employees assuming various identities as required ... like the scene in the Wizard of Oz ... ignore the man behind the curtain!

If you look at my PS and find the drop-down list "Researchers I have met" - yes, I've met them all. (Of course that's presuming you realise *I* am real and not made up)

What a fine job that'd be, getting paid to assume various identities as requiredbut then I'd be called Sigourney Weaver

I actually did just now go to your PS, GB, and checked your drop down list of h2g2 researchers you've met. Having done so, I'm now totally convinced that you're not a real person either! I don't think I've met that many people in my entire lifetime! At first, I thought it must just be a roster of all h2g2 researchers, but didn't find my own handle there. That fooled me for a moment. Pretty tricky, you! You've somehow figured out an automated way to list all h2g2 researchers EXCEPT the one currently viewing the list! You can't fool me for long; I didn't just fall off the pumpkin wagon yesterday, you know! Smoke and mirrors!

Wouldn't that be a dream job to just sit online and create personas to play with! There was a time, waaaaaay back in the ancient days, when someone thought *I* was another manifestation of GB! We held a rapid posting frenzy to prove that we really weren't the same warped mind. How's everything going GB?

I know what you mean about the laid back atmosphere in Key West. I used to drive down there in the early 90s with my truck loaded for anything--camping, fishing, snorkeling, and a cooler full of beer and picnics. I always left my watch at home, didn't really need to mark time except in terms of what day it was. I'd always start the adventure at The Parrot, usually ended up meeting somebody who'd invite me for a boat ride, and it would just flow from there. I was always lucky to meet wonderful people and never had any problems. It's kinda sad, because I just can't imagine going off with total strangers like I did then, and nothing bad ever came of it. I used to have the most amazing adventures! Nowadays the back of my mind would be worrying about that statistical 'what if'.

I think you went through Tampa, which is just another big city suburbanizing the environment at a scary rate. St. Pete is another whole world. Very artsy here, we have some of the prettiest beaches in the US, the downtown area (where I live) is small enough to feel cozy, but incredibly vibrant, especially now that the university students are back. Unless I need to haul something or go beachside I ride the bike everywhere. I love it here-- my neighborhood is full of bricked streets with a canopy of big trees and the houses each have individual character and grace. I feel as if I've stepped back a few decades when I come across the bridge from Tampa. People are even *nice*! I put some photos in the St. Pete album when I first got here. http://public.fotki.com/BrittaMoG/

For years I've been wanting to visit DC when the cherry blossoms are doing their thing, so you might just have a chance to meet the other US person in h2 (the rest of 'em are generated by gerbil power). If I find one of those can't-pass-it-by deals I'll let you know.

Great photo albums ... thanks for sharing! Yes, the St. Pete's shown in the photos does look nice, and your place very comfortable. Can understand your dismay at having the garden dug up! Hope it's recovering by now.

DC during cherry blossom time is lovely. I'd invite you to hang out here if you visit, but I've just recently downsized from a five-bedroom house to a one-bedroom apartment, so not a whole lot of privacy to be found here. By cherry blossom time I might even be almost all moved in, but I wouldn't count on it. I am, after all, just a guy, with all the typical guy failings, plus a few original failings of my own thrown in for good measure. A neatnik I'm not. At a minimum, I've had some experience as an amateur tour guide, and could put that experience to good use. So by all means do let me know of travel plans this direction. At least that way I'd know that there's at least one other "real" hootoo person.

The garden is thriving again and my place is back to 'normal'. *snort* I wasn't thinking about the apartment pics being in there, now the illusion of me being a respectable ol broad is just shot. Oh well.

Sooooo, what exactly are all the 'typical guy failings'? That oughta be an interesting perspective, from a guy. And while I'm being nosey, how do you usually manage to take the entire month of January in Key West? And are you trying to fit all the furnishings from a 5 bedroom house into an apartment? That woould put even *my* capacity to squeeze stuff into other universes to shame.

I shall certainly not be invading your territory til the horrible part of winter is done. I don't even own boots, the UK in April is about as cold as I care to immerse in for more than about 2 days. However, if you find yourself moseying into Florida sometime let me know. I'll disorganize an adventure if possible.

I thought the photos showed your place looking very respectable, homey, and cozy. A very livable nest.

What are typical guy failings? Now that's a curious question coming from a person of the female persuasion! I suspect that evolution has equipped you with knowledge on that topic far surpassing mine! (How was that for tactfully finessing the issue?)

Oh, okay! Let's just say, as one hypothetical example, that neither my vacuum cleaner nor my dust cloth has been severly overtaxed of late. Guys tend to be practical. Hey, it's only going to get dusty again anyway, so why fight the inevitable? Right? When important artifacts begin disappearing beneath the dust then it may be time to begin thinking seriously about dusting. Not a moment sooner! That sort of thing. The list goes on and on. Which is not to say that I'm a slob. Au contraire! Cleanliness is next to godliness, at least in terms of personal hygiene, but that just doesn't always extend to things such as dust. A bit of good, clean dust never hurt a fly. Besides, I've got better things to do than dust and vacuum all day!

As to how I spend a month in Key West, it's called retirement! Foot loose and fancy free retirement! Hey, when I was working I worked my butt off, paid my dues in full, so now I'm reaping the rewards. And loving it.

No, not trying to fit the 5-bedroom house into the apartment. Downsizing. Simplifying. Not easy for a born pack rat. Everything has some sentimental value attached. Stuff I couldn't bear to part with that won't fit into the apt is stored in a small rental storage unit. If push ever came to shove, it might end up being just me and my old dog's collar. Some things are non-negotiable.

I'd love to go on a disorgandized expotition to explore St. Pete's, so may take you up on the offer some time, assuming, of course, that you're a real person. If you're not, I've got to hand it to BBC for doing one hell of a job of faking it. Speaking of one hell of a job, I definitely got the right Maria Muldaur CD. Let Dylan sing Dylan love songs. Let Muldaur sing traditional blues! Good CD.

Waaaaait a minute, buddy. HUMPH. What makes you think that *men* get to corner the market on being practical and having a life rather than equating virtue with a dust-free home? Huh? Women can be slippery about that kinda prioritizing too, ya know. We're often just better at justifying it. Why do you think I felt such delight with my semi-permeable living space? I have only one room that actually merits regular(ish) dusting, the rest is fine if cleaned on a seasonal basis. Besides that, I *like* the lizards.

Retirement! Sounds like you're loving it. Are you spending your time doing all the things you didn't have time for when you were working? Do you miss anything about being tied to a real job?

I'll see if they have any Maria Muldaur CDs at the library next time I go. It's always fun to discover new music.

Retirement: yes, spending my time doing whatever I damn please. Nice. When I worked, I worked with gusto. Now I do retirement with gusto. Not in the sense of a frantic frenzy of activity. Quiet time for friends, reading, music, daydreaming, long walks, and unhurried travel is good, too. Gusto in the sense of being committed to retirement and not looking back and living in the past. Things I miss about the "real job" years: some of the people and some of the challenges. But there is more to life than work. I try to tell the youngsters I meet to "save your allowance and invest it wisely so you can afford to goof off in comfort some day." Someone was kind enough to give me that advice when I first started working; it was good advice, so I've tried to pass it on to the next generation.

Sounds like your life is perhaps pleasantly "unstructured" in some regards, too?

On Muldaur: the only CD I can vouch for is the one I have, 'Richland Woman Blues.' Good idea to check it out at the library before investing in a copy. If you like traditional blues you'd probably like it, but people's tastes in such things are hard to predict.

Incidentally, if you'd like to see some other art that totally floats my boat, check out some of the things at http://www.herzogart.com/reproductions.htm

I tend to think of it a "eye candy." Extremely pleasing colors and compositions. Just looking at it lifts me somehow to a slightly different level of existence. She had some of her work at a local art show this summer. I immediately fell in love with it. So much beauty, so little time, so little wall space!

Her work is really neat! I love the colors and the rich texture, had to go reading through the website to figure out if the originals are three dimensional structures. It's great when people blend media so skillfully that way.

Time. My time is less externally strucured than most people's. I work as freelance makeup artist so I can gonzo or not, depending on my financial needs and availability of work. Sometimes I work non-stop, other times it's more sparse. Right now I'm building a clientelle on the west coast and haven't developed the exposure I'm used to. I need to have a schedule I must meet, otherwise I tend to get really distracted and don't produce much of anything though I'm not idle. I try for a nice balance, seems as if it's generally glut or dearth in terms of work though. I'd like to do makeup about 3 days weekly and generate enough income through my other projects to maintain my lifestyle. I'm really fortunate that I figured out a way to earn a living doing things I'd do as hobbies even if I were independently wealthy, so going to work is rarely a chore.

I'd meant to mention earlier that after looking at your album of DC photos, I think you should be the tour guide if you ever get back up this way! Very nice! Don't know how often you check your Yahoo account, but I did provide feedback via the "reactions" facility there! All positive, you can rest assured!

WOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOooooooo!

*sip*

Just had great fun anagraming my moniker for the holyday, in all the years gone by *sucks on moooostache and lack-o-teefus* I never discovered that one before.

AND! TODAY IS IMPORTANT!

*taiko drumroll/thunderhead powered along plush and barely threadbare red carpet... buff, spangled pages in schweeeeeet nude-glowing-pink spandex (and feathers!).... a jubilee of fizzy, esoteric cocktails dangled with tacky plastic monkeys (for effect)... and...

*ding*

I PRINTED THE STORYLET!
and I'm happy with it.
and I don't feel that horrible need to twitch/rub/redo/erase/niBBle at/toRment/MASH TO A MOLECULAR, MINDLESS PULP OF NOTHINGNESS any longer. It's been long in the chutes.

MY WORK HERE IS DONE!


WOOOOHOOOOO!
and to help celebrate, a cold front came through, the wind is suddenly kicking up and blowing my palm fronds off the trees, and it's time to snuggle into the winter pajamas and fluff the down comforter.

Bliss.

No need to hold back and repress your feelings like this! You're among friends here; it's okay to "let your hair down" and tell us how you really feel about it.

Incidentally, CONGRATULATIONS!!!!