Upstate Ramblings: April 2006

My new toy

As a relatively new freelancer in illustration, money is not something I have a lot of. This past weekend, I threw caution to the wind and broke the bank: spent some money on a new mountain bike. My old bike was just that...OLD! I bought it just after graduating college. Everytime I took it to the shop, it would cost me $75 - new brakes, tires, etc. It was a entry-level bike in the first place costing me only $300 brand new. Instead of dropping that much money on repairs, I spent the extra cash and bought a new one. It is a TREK 4500 - the next level up from my old bike. It's still an entry-level bike but perfect for the amount of riding I do. I also bought some lights for the night-riding I plan on doing!

Yeah...another way to hurt myself!!!!

Saturday, April 22nd

This past Saturday, Lucy and I made the most of our day. We started our day by driving to Lawrence, KS to see an art show featuring a favorite illustrator of mine, John Hendrix. The show was entitled, "Dear Old Kansas" and was at the 'Signs of Life Gallery'. John is a relative newcomer to illustration and has been making it big for the past few years winning a few Society of Illustrators awards. He was a KU grad (in graphic design) before heading to NY to go to SVA's Illustration as Visual Essay program (which I didn't get into!!! #$Q#%$$#%). Anyway, his work has always jumped off the page to me (great colors!) but seeing it up close showed me how much detail he puts into each stroke. His work is all hand-done which I truly appreciate because I, too, prefer to paint by hand and try only to use photoshop when I'm pressed for time. Great stuff, John!

After Lawrence, Lucy and I, along with two of her coworkers, took in our first Royals game. Even though they were mired in an 11-game losing streak, Lucy and my 'mojo' was too strong and the Royals won! Lucy and I are regular 'streak breakers' this year. First, we attended our first Kansas Jayhawks football game last fall and they beat Nebraska for the first time in 36 games!!! Yowza! Even the Royals putrid play lately can't defeat us! What I'm truly disapointed about though is that the Royals didn't get 12 hits (ending their night at 11). At 12 hits, everyone in the stands get a dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Even though they had 11 hits after 6 innings, they couldn't manage one...more...hits. My waistline thanks them though.

Here are some pics of our day.

Jack Daniels distillery

Lucy and I visited some of our old friends in Nashville recently, David and Carlene. It was my first time spending any time in the city I've heard so much about. We both enjoyed it and look forward to making a few more trips there.
That weekend, we decided to visit Mufreesboro, TN, home of the Jack Daniels distillery. There's not much in Mufreesboro besides the distillery - the population is around 250 people which designates it a 'dry' county. Don't quote me but I remember hearing on the tour that a county in TN needs at least 2,500 people not to be considered 'dry'. Kinda odd that Jack Daniels, the item that puts the town on the map, can't be sold there. The distillery covers over 1,200 acres and is dotted with 80 warehouses full of casks of whiskey!
Here are a few pics from the trip. BTW, one photo depicts the 'killer' of Jack Daniels! After he purchased the safe, he had trouble opening it. One day he got frustrated trying and kicked it! He broke some bones in his foot, infection set in, and he later died from it.

My new job

I never thought I'd really do it, but I actually worked in a grocery store today! It's not what you're thinking (me bagging groceries or working a register!). I actually gave out free samples of juice........intriqued now? Here is some background information.

My sister, Melanie, moved to Fort Worth, TX, to work for Bolthouse Farms as a sales rep.
The sales rep is asked to find a 'demo team', a group of people who set up a table at local grocery stores and give out samples of their juice. Melanie met the local KC sales rep for BH, Natalie, who mentioned she was looking for 'demo' people. Melanie mentioned I lived in the area....so a few weeks later, I'm a Bolthouse employee!

It's really a laid back job. Since I do freelance, I can work whenever I like, keep all the opened juice (which I buy anyway), and get a decent hourly wage for it. When I have plenty of freelance jobs, I won't work that week. But there are times when I need to get out of the house (and have human interaction) so why don't I get paid for it? The employees at the grocery store were great as well today. I started at 12:00 so I didn't eat lunch beforehand. The ladies around the store brought me samples to try: spicy chicken nuggets, chile, fresh fruit, and my juice! I actually ate better than I usually do!

I wish I would've brough my sketchbook though. There were plenty of times when I had five minutes to draw when noone was passing by the booth. Hopefully I can get some sketches over the next few weeks.

Never thought I'd be a juice salesman!