Scribble Duel: Bedrock
In the inaugural Scribble Duel, I felt it necessary to get back to basics. Basics for me means dinosaurs, and lots of them. Yes, dinosaurs are the name of the game; the more, the merrier. As luck would have it, I ended up drawing two adorable dinosaurs. I want one as a pet badly. When are the mad scientists of the world going to get around to cloning one of these guys? Seriously.
“Backyard”
Our patio (or lanai, as they say here) is the closest thing this apartment has to a backyard. A tiny fragment of the great outdoors — really just a slab of concrete eight stories above the ground. But it is outdoors, right? Right? So, one of the first things we did after moving in was create a “planter” out there with a few varieties of the local flora. Seriously, having a little spot of green of our very own here in the city sort of calms me down. That’s probably weird, but having that element in my living space does help me focus and unwind. Plus, this patio has potential, and that is exciting. Tiki accessories, anyone? I sense an awesome HGTV show pilot: Pimp My Patio. Snoop Dogg would have to host it. GENIUS.Where is my genius hat?
Am I a patio nerd? It seems likely. Now that we are more settled in, I will spend some time out on the patio, soaking in the sights and sounds of the neighborhood from our sky-high vantage point.
Song of the Moment #1
Artist: Murray Hammond
Song: “Life is Like a Mountain Railroad”
Album: I Don’t Know Where I’m going But I’m On My Way
This song has been part of my “Yep, time to unwind in just a minute and a half” exercise. Sweet safety when things get hectic at work and I need to buckle down and get working.
Link to iTunes Store. Have a listen!
OMGsh a Trip
Disaster Scenario: I have overslept and have mere minutes to pack before my vacation to an undisclosed location. Oh dear George, how the hello am I going to pack everything I need for this trip?
Solution: Pack what’s necessary.
1) iPhone. This one is kind of a no-brainer for me. I can keep track of my e-mail, receive calls and SMS. Maybe most importantly, the built-in Google Maps feature lets me know where I am and look up local businesses. Plus, it’s an iPod.
2) A book. This would be whatever I happen to be reading at the time. Almost any trip has some down time, right? In the near future, I could probably ditch the book — there are a bunch of book applications available for the iPhone right now, including an LDS scriptures app.
3) Camera. Even if I’m not going somewhere not particularly memorable, in the very least I can find something I need to snap a shot of.
4) Toothbrush. No one likes a stinky mouth, especially not me.
5) Converse shoes. Because no other shoe is as versatile. I have gone hiking in Converse. Seriously.
Just the Place
For weeks I have been daydreaming of the most ideal camping experience. When I was just a boy, my parents took me to Flaming Gorge in Utah, where we camped for an afternoon by the Green River. What details remain of this particular camping spot probably resides only in the cotton candy sectors of my dreams, but let me describe the now idealized campsite in detail.
In my daydreams, our tent is just yards from a slow-moving river, and trees line the path toward the river’s edge. We get to spend the day sitting, enjoying the smells, sights and sounds of the great outdoors. Mostly, this perfect camping trip would involve a lot of sitting. Maybe we would go for a hike, but the opportunity to slow down and relish the sights the wilderness has to offer has always been a large part of the camping experience. I am a nerd.