The Department of Old Things Found, part 4

Here's another one from the small spiral notebook I found recently. It's what I call the...

Little Electron Guys



Or, Life In the Circuitry, if you prefer.

I don't recall that I had a particular reason to draw the electron people in a teardrop shape, but it seemed to work. These guys are everywhere, as you can tell - there's a whole bunch of them looking out of the control room windows of the phonograph cartridge in the lower right.

If I remember right, my idea was to draw a series of these showing electrons at work in their world inside electronic circuits. Those of you with an electronics background can figure out which component I had in mind next to the guard with the gun, under the "Single File" sign.

Oh and for the record, I can tell from the notebook that I drew this in late 1978, or at the latest, maybe early 1979. So I wasn't inspired by "Tron", which didn't come out until 1982. I think it was just a random thought. What if electrons were people running through the circuitry?

I remember that I had fun sketching this.

P.S. and speaking of cartoonists, in honor of "Mad's maddest artist", Don Martin, I wish one and all a Happy National Gorilla-Suit Day!

Department of Old Things Found, part 3

I've been going through a drawer, sorting out old papers I no longer need or want; so far I've thrown a fistful into the bag we have for paper recycling. I did come across a keeper, a small spiral notebook from the late 1970s.

See, back then when I'd get an idea for a cartoon I'd open my notebook, and quickly sketch what I had in mind. I guess I was more spontaneous than I am today...now I tend to worry the little details to death.

I think I need to somehow get back to my former way of creating things. Anyway, for your amusement, here's...

Halloween 1978!

Once more for the old year

I don't want to wish my life away, but I have to be honest. I can't recall another year I've wanted to kick under the bus more than this past one.

Goodbye 2011...don't let the door hit you.

It's been a rough year around here, but let's talk of pleasant things instead. Right now, my family and I are really enjoying a visit with our eldest daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter from California. Certainly one of the highest points of the year, along with their earlier visit near Thanksgiving.

Other highlights...back in June, my wife, my sister and I drove to Ohio to visit some of my relatives. That was a really fun visit, we enjoyed seeing my aunt, uncle, and four guy cousins and their wives. Stories were told, pictures were taken, and dinners were eaten. The other thing that made this special was the time spent with my sister visiting, taking turns driving and listening to music.

I also got to do a couple of things I've always wanted to do. Our church had a fireworks tent this year, and I volunteered to work a shift. And in mid November, I helped a friend of the family wire up a professional looking Christmas light display...animated, computer controlled, and set to music. The works. The family and I drove over there a few days ago to watch and listen to the show. It turned out really nice.

So I ought to just leave it at that, count my blessings, and end with my wish for a healthy, prosperous, and Happy New Year. May 2012 be a better year for us all. It just about has to be (I didn't go into all the various losses here this year, so just trust me on that).

I did get to thinking about one other thing...what was new in my life in past years. Regular readers of Poppy's Front Porch know that I like to make lists. Anyway...

Some positive things the years have brought...

1957 - my family's big trip to Colorado

1959 - our move to a bigger house and my start of school

1964 - baptized and joined the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod

1966 - lit the candles at my sister's wedding and added a brother-in-law to my family

1967 - flew with my dad to Atlanta and back. Later, discovered the hobby of model rocketry.

1969 - watched the Apollo 11 moon landing on tv and started high school in the fall

1972 - graduated high school and went off to Central Methodist College

1975 - transferred to the University of Missouri (lost some credits, but hey...)

1977 - graduated with a BA degree and got my first (short lived) mapping job

1979 - became interested in genealogy and started working on the family tree

1982 - married my best friend, still my lovely young bride. Saw the ocean for the first time on our honeymoon to Florida.

1985 - our first daughter born

1986 - attended a National Association of Rocketry regional meet and started becoming active in the NAR

1988 - landed my longest mapping job (lasted 13 years)

1989 - our second daughter born

1991 - our son born

1995 - our third daughter born

2005 - our first daughter's wedding. Later, our first granddaughter born.

2009 - our family's big trip to Colorado, Utah (Zion NP), California (our daughter's house and Disneyland), the Grand Canyon, and back

2010 - our second granddaughter born

I could probably find a few stories in all that.

Notes from the househusband, part 1: Consequences

Earlier today I was sorting clothing for the laundry. There was one item, I forget what it was exactly now, maybe a shirt or a woman’s top, but I noticed the care label and the admonition to use “only non-chlorine bleach”. Plainly stated in only four words, but I didn’t laugh and neither should you. It’s a serious business.

You might think you’ll get away with using the wrong bleach just this once, but I’m convinced otherwise. It’s better to be safe than sorry, so I’ll never use chlorine bleach on anything; because they have ways of finding out.

High tech ways.

They will come to your house some night, some cold night when you least expect it. They will break down your door and drag you from your warm comfortable home out into the cold. And all of your tears and your pleading for mercy will be to no avail.

Then they will begin to thump…

Eh what…there aren’t? You’re really sure about that? So they were pulling my leg about the bleach police?

Okay, well anyway don’t use the wrong bleach because there will be some kind of natural consequence. Your clothes will turn the wrong color or get a funny smell or something.

It would be bad, I’m telling you.

Day O' Bob

(This ran originally in 2007 and is re-posted today to celebrate the man's birthday. It is not known if happenin' britches are widely available today. - Ed.)

No doubt the skies over Independence, Mo. are ablaze with fireworks as the daylong festivities commemorating the birth of key citizen Robert K. Wingate are reaching their appointed climax. Even at this hour, you'll probably still be able to pick up pieces of candy strewn along Noland Road, flung there by the various fire departments and ambulance brigades during the parade. That is, if you can pick it out amongst all the confetti and twenty dollar bills shot from cannons or launched from those rubber-band sling things by exuberant cheerleaders. Kansas City loves a parade, yessiree, Bob.

Pictured here is the man of the hour in an earlier time, probably about 9:30 a.m. He's in the foreground on the swing. That's me on the glider with the happenin' britches on. Probably he had spent the night at my house and we would all wind up down at Poppy's later on. The girl is my big sister, but enough about her.

Time flies and Bob and I have a married daughter each. He's a grandpa now. Happily, though, we've not traversed too far from laughing our fool heads off at cartoons, ours or someone else's, giddiness fueled by hot dogs, Shasta and not nearly enough sleep.

So, get your happenin' britches on! It's the birthday of Independence's own Bob Wingate! Happy Birthday, cousin!

Yessiree, Bob.

The Evening Rambler for 11-11-11 (Six digits...all ones!)

I don't really have a plan for this, and I don't know where I'll end up when I'm done writing. This will be an Evening Rambler in the truest sense of the words.

In fact, I fully expect I'll go away...and then come back and write more. It's like some kind of law of nature...

The sun rises in the east - then sets in the west.
What goes up - must come down.
Bob goes away - then he comes back.

Before I forget, thank you Mike for the last two posts while I was having writer's block. The color wheel for all the Crayola crayons was really nice to look at. I did notice a bit of history revisionism on their part, one of the colors (I think it was Peach), used to be called Flesh. Somewhere in the 80s I think it was, they had collected enough complaints that they decided to change the name. In fact, I think they released new colors at that time in other flesh tones, but none of them named Flesh.

Day to day family life here at the northern annex to The Porch has been in upheaval lately. My wife's dad has inoperable terminal cancer along with other medical conditions. He has been in a hospice house for a week or thereabouts, and he is receiving good care. So my wife is staying with her mom for a while, a truly good deed which I fully support.

Of course, that means someone else has to cook dinner here, as the budget won't allow fast food every night. Daughter number two cooked chicken alfredo two nights ago, and it was very tasty.

Tonight was my turn, so we activated a test of the Emergency Food Warning System..."Dad is cooking...should this become an actual emergency, you will be instructed to seek aid..."

That kind of thing. I followed the directions on the box of fish fillets. I also got a few potatoes out of the bag to bake in the microwave. They'd been in the bag for a while and had kind of an earthy smell to them, even after a good washing. So I went ahead and baked them, then peeled off the skin, cut them up and fried them. Surprisingly, everything turned out good. Along with some baby carrots and some apple slices, we did all right.

Back after Fringe...

...And I came back. Told ya.

That Fringe episode was easily the best so far of Season Four. I've got an idea of one thing they could do from here on, but I won't say; especially since I know most of my readers are not regular fans of the show. The writers will probably take it in some other direction anyway.

Why do I like Fringe so much? Well for starters, it has a mad scientist! And at least one alternate universe! Not to mention some great acting and characters you grow to care about. What more could you want in a strange TV show?

Before the day gets any older, I'll wish all veterans a Happy Veterans' Day! I'm not sure if I have any readers who are veterans, but I always like to thank those in uniform, and those who used to wear the uniform, for our freedoms. Really, any day is a good day to do that.

Six days ago there was an earthquake in Oklahome. I forget the magnitude - somewhere around 5 - but strong enough to be felt across several states, including Missouri. I talked to some people at church who said they felt it here in Independence. I didn't notice it, and neither did anyone in my family.

And something like a week before that, there was a large solar Coronal Mass Ejection and geomagnetic storm which gave rise to the best auroral display seen in the USA in years. The northern lights were seen as far south as Arkansas. I heard about it while they were visible, so I grabbed my wallet and keys, jumped in my car, and drove out beyond the city lights.

See, you should know something about me. I've wanted to see the northern lights ever since I learned about them in grade school...and I never have. It's still one of the top things on my "bucket list"...and I say still, because by the time I got beyond the light pollution and got out of my car, the northern lights had subsided. I stood in the dark for a good ten minutes anyway, long enough for my eyes to adjust. No joy.

Sometimes I just get the feeling that I miss out on things.

All around the town

Knowing as I do the interest in maps that the host of this blog possesses, I thought the following link would be appropriate.

What else would you do with a wooden map wrapped around a cylinder?

See it here.