Athena

Here is a drawing of Athena, the godess of ancient Athens. She is one of my favorite Greek gods, right up there with Posiedon. This drawing is what I imagine the statue of her looked like 2400 years ago in the Parthenon. I have seen the new Parthenon in Nashville, which although very nice and interesting to see, pales in comparision to the real thing, with the exception that you can get an idea of what the whole thing looked like when new. It is said that she sprang fully grown and armored from the head of Zeus, her father.

Greek Boxer

As some of you may know, I am fascinated with the ancient Greco/Roman world. Sometimes when my imagination gets the better of me, I'll do a drawing. This particular sketch is "not ready for primetime", but I liked it anyway so I'm putting it up. Sometimes when I draw, I'm out to create a masterpiece. Other times, it's more of a doodle like this one. I picked this subject because I was reading about the original Olympics. The concept of channeling warlike aggression into peaceful competition was something that the Greeks first thought of, and lives on not only in the Olympics, but in Football, Hockey, etc. Too bad we can't decide wars this way. You get your toughest boxer, I get mine, and whoever is still standing wins the war. Greek boxing was much tougher than the boxing of today. Bouts could go on for hours, and only ended when one's adversary was knocked unconscious. Not only that, but Karate chops, Rabbit punches, striking with the palm, and elbows were all allowed. The only rule was against thumb gouging in the eyes! Often, a boxer was killed. This was frowned upon and the "victor" was usually banished from the city. Their faces were so deformed by the end of their career, that the Greek word for ugly and boxer were interchangeable.

Time to open a can of WHUPASS!

W: "Cap and I were just having a discussion about the direction the country has been moving in since I took office 5 years ago, and he gave me a solid pat on the back(side)."

W was probably sporting wood...

HOCKEYTOWN!!! Wings smash Blues 5-1

Yes, the hockey Gods have been awakened from their slumber, and I for one am thankful for the distraction from the LOSER LIONS!

Yes, once again they have snatched defeat from the jaws of victory

I'm trying to remain calm here, but another bumble by Marcus Pollard puts us at 1 win, 2 loses. If only he would here landed in bounds. Final score: Lions 13, Bucs 17. This is the problem with the Lions. They come so close to winning and screw it up in the final moments. It's like they are just out there to collect a paycheck and go home. When will hockey save us from this demoralizing farce? I won't force you to endure a photo, you have seen them lose before.

Detroit Liedowns lose to the Bears 38-6

It's ugly, it's pitiful, it's typical. A disgusting display. Well, here we are again. The Lions prove that they are not capable of overcoming the loser mentality that permeates the organization. This loser mentality goes all the way from the lowest janitor, through the players, and all the way to the top. Matt Millen is a disaster, Steve Marriuci, a brilliant coach for the 49er's, is falling under the spell of mediocrity that permeates every fiber of the team. William Clay Ford Jr., why are you allowing this? When will Millen and every player who doesn't pull his weight be ejected from this team. Again, a national disgrace. I yearn for the Red Wings to open their season.

UNDEFEATED!

The Lions have defeated the Packers 17-3 yesterday at Ford Field. We are now #1 in our division, because the Vikings, Bears, and of course, the Packers all went down in defeat yesterday. Hey, let's enjoy it while it lasts. Think positive DUDE!

When only the best will do

Again, it falls to Uncle Sam's Can-do Group to succeed where others have fallen short. Vice Admiral Thad Allen was tapped to head the entire federal response to the Katrina relief. VADM Allen's Bio can be Read here . Take care of business, sir. Let the other fellow (who's name will NOT be said here) go back to riding Arabian horses, because it's time for somebody to be in charge who can get-r-done. I salute you sir!

Poseidon rises from the Sea!

I think the choice of Poseidon, the sea god of Greek Mythology was a subconscious pick for a subject, considering recent events. I hope no one thinks that I am insensitive in posting this now. I have always been fascinated by the way the ancient Greeks embodied the terrible forces of nature and their power into gods. Like the people of New Orleans, the Athenians earned their living from the sea. The story goes that Poseidon and Athena gave gifts to the Athenians to woo the city. Poseidon gave the city its great harbor and maritime prowess, but they were finally won over by Athens gift of the very first olive tree, which the ancients used as their butter, soap, lamp and cooking oil, and a staple of their diet. This was a rich prize indeed.Could it be this spurning of the Sea God that caused their colonial fleet to meet its tragic end hundreds of years later off the coast of Sicily, which doomed them to defeat in their war with the Spartans? Only the ancient gods of Olympus know for sure. The Greeks feared the unknown dangers of the sea and held a healthy respect for its dangers. In our modern arrogance, have we forgotton this? Just when you think you know everything, you fall on your ass and that proves how wrong you are. I did this drawing tonight with none of these things in mind, the technique is pencil on bristol board, inked over with a number 2 brush with India ink. As I look at my handiwork though I wonder...

Captain America calling!

I'm calling all cities from all over the world, this is Captain America calling...

I bailed you out when you were down on your knees, will you catch me now I'm falling.

Captain America asks you to give generously:

Organizations and groups that the Federal Emergency Management Agency says are collecting donations or offers of help:

ADVENTIST COMMUNITY SERVICES:
(800) 381-7171

AMERICAN RED CROSS: (800) HELP NOW (435-7669) English; (800) 257-7575 Spanish.

AMERICA'S SECOND HARVEST: (800) 344-8070

B'NAI B'RITH INTERNATIONAL: (888)-388-4224

CATHOLIC CHARITIES, USA: (703) 549-1390

CHRISTIAN DISASTER RESPONSE: (941) 956-5183 or (941) 551-9554

CHRISTIAN REFORMED WORLD RELIEF COMMITTEE: (800) 848-5818

CHURCH WORLD SERVICE: (800) 297-1516

CONVOY OF HOPE: (417) 823-8998

CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE DISASTER RELIEF FUND: (202) 606-6718

FEED THE CHILDREN: (800) 525-7575

LUTHERAN DISASTER RESPONSE: (800) 638-3522

MENNONITE DISASTER SERVICE: (717) 859-2210

NAZARENE DISASTER RESPONSE: (888) 256-5886

OPERATION BLESSING: (800) 436-6348

PRESBYTERIAN DISASTER ASSISTANCE: (800) 872-3283

SALVATION ARMY: (800) SAL-ARMY (725-2769)

SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION - DISASTER RELIEF: (800) 462-8657, ext. 6440

UNION FOR REFORM JUDAISM: (212) 650-4140

UNITED JEWISH COMMUNITIES: (800) 462-8657, ext. 6440

UNITED METHODIST COMMITTEE ON RELIEF: (800) 554-8583

List - New York Times

Captain America painting used with permission of creator Michael Netzer

See his A-Z superhero poster at FLAMING SWORD

THANK YOU

These are just some of the many countries that are donating aid to Katrina Relief. I just want to say thank you to each and every one of your citizens for helping America in our time of greatest need. Please note, this is just a partial list and I will update it if I am provided any new names.
Austria
Australia
Belgium
Canada
China
Cuba
Denmark
Egypt
Estonia
France
Finland
Germany
Great Britain
Greece
India
Iran
Israel
Japan
Korea (North and South)
Luxembourg
Netherlands
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Switzerland

On behalf of all Americans, thank you very much.

GO GET'EM COAST GUARD!

The current disaster in New Orleans will showcase the fearlessness, sacrifice, and dedication of some of the most caring and couragous men and women of the USA! Uncle Sam's Can-do Group. Don't forget the men and women who are keeping us safe by risking their lives right here in America while the other branches of the service are off fighting abroad. Go get'em Coasties!!!

Time to go at it again!

Well, finally got the resolution on the ticket thing. This burns my ass, but I made a deal (through my lawyer) for no points on my record if I plead guilty and pay the fine. Railroaded! The swine! Money grubbing bastards! Now that I've vented, I guess that is not so bad, but I did not deserve the ticket in the first place. I get hit by some schmuck and they give ME the ticket. $800 ($650 for lawyer, $150 for ticket) to keep my record clean. Just goes to show you that we have the best justice system that money can buy.
Took the family on vacation to the Upper Peninsula and hit all of the sights. Mystery spot (where gravity does really weird stuff), Taquaminon Falls (really dry this year, but still great to see), Marquette, Houghton, Gay (had to stop at the GAY BAR), Eagle River (got some thimbleberry jam at the JAMPOT, and Copper Harbor, which is the home of the Estivent Pines. These are the biggest pines in Michigan. Unfortunately, the biggest one (the Monarch of the Forrest) fell over a couple of years back. Eighteen years ago as newlyweds, my wife and I were just awed by the size of it. It was a real disappointment to not be able to show it to the kids. Overall, a fun vacation. It was striking how the area has slipped even further into decline except Marquette, which seemed to show quite a bit of growth. We also stopped in Munising and took the boat tour of the Pictured rocks, which are really pretty. Besides that, it's been a decent summer at home as well.

I'm on the road as I write this, and it has been a rough day. I'm sitting in the Hampton Inn in Wausau, WI. Got here at 9:45 AM, and had to wait until 1:00 PM for my tools to make it. I did my equipment installation, drove back to the airport and still no suitcase! Finally tracked it down. Somehow it was still in Detroit and will be delivered sometime after midnight. Needless to say, all I have is the clothes on my back. I'm either going to St. Cloud or Rochester, MN tomorrow to take care of some more customers, and am hoping to cut this trip short if I can arrange my schedule right, but of course that always depends on whether the equipment arrives and if the surgeries don't interfere with things. I've still got to hit the Cleveland area before the end of the month, and go to our annual service meeting in Denver as well. That actually could be fun because we are going white water rafting on the Colorado River. It is usually a booze fest for at least one night so it will be fun to see that since I have decided to quit drinking until I lose some pounds. Those vacation pics were just SCARY! So I said to myself "Tim, you are not having another beer until you lose that spare tire!" I'm also cutting out any dessert, pasta, etc. I've lost a few pounds in the first week. I've also been increasing the exercise, but I'm telling you, when you're over forty you won't lose any weight if you suck down 5 or 6 beers almost everyday. Not gonna happen!
As an outlet, I've started drawing again.

I have a good friend from the old days (I've known him since 1975) that I haven't seen in forever. He is a professional Comic Book artist and now lives in Israel. He is sort of a walking contradiction. He is Jewish, and Lebanese. I think he is the only Jewish person I have ever met who is also an Arab. After he moved to Israel, he changed his name from Michael Nasser to Michael Netzer. I've really enjoyed getting re-acquainted online and have participated in his blog and forum discussing comics and art. He is really a great guy and very talented. He is also quite off the wall. He has a lot of out there ideas about religion, politics and such. But you know what? He is very creative and I think that creative people push the envelope of convention and therefore move art and civilization forward. He is also quite fearless about what he says and doesn't care who thinks he's a nut, he'll say what he thinks without worrying if you agree.
Mike has also sort of inspired me to be a little more honest with myself and my feelings. I don't think I'm going to go off the deep end and join a kibbutz or anything, but I'm starting to realize that for the last 15 or so years I have been trying to act the way others expect me to be and not who I really am. I think that's why I've been unhappy to a certain degree for quite a while, because I'm suppressing my dreams and therefore suppressing who I am. Some of that fearlessness is rubbing off, for good or ill, I'm not going to try to stuff that genie back in. I'm starting to get my smile back, and Mike, I thank you for that.

Finally, I get my van back

Today I got it back. 4 days shy of 1 month! Man, I was dying to get rid of that Hyundai! I caught it a bit from the Boss over being in this situation in the first place. He did it without really chewing me a new one, but the underlying threat was very clear " IF YOU LIKE WORKING HERE, THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN". So, I think for the next couple of years Tim WILL BE OBEYING ALL TRAFFIC LAWS, NO EXCEPTIONS! If you are behind me and beeping your horn, TOO BAD! I am not going to speed.Period. I will try to get into the right lane to let you pass, so please don't tailgate. It was a long day. I drove to the Cleveland burbs, got the Caravan, then continued on to Youngstown, OH. I did my work, left, and continued on to Buffalo, NY. I really kind of like this place, it has a lot of heart. All these Great Lakes cities do! Detroit, Toledo, Cleveland, Erie. I just don't know why they are not thriving. I go to North Carolina, Denver, a lot of other places and they are hopping, even though I think they have less resources as far as climate, water, forests, etc. Even down south, in Florida, they don't have the space, etc, but everybody goes down there. Yes, they don't have winter but it is murder in July! Okay Fla. people, I like your state, just not in July! You should come north in July. We have FRESH WATER beaches waiting for you. If you are in Buffalo, you must go to the home of the original Buffalo Wings, the ANCHOR BAR It is a treat. I'm doing some work tomorrow here, and then heading back to Detroit though Canada. I wonder if they will give me crap when I go through. Last year it was smooth, but I hear they are tightening up because "SINCE 9/11" (God, if I hear that one more time I will puke!). If only they would have tightened up the Afgahnistan border two years ago and caught OSAMA BIN LADEN, then maybe I could go in and out of Canada like I used to since I was 6 years old. Now, they are talking passports. Not only that, but they want to force states to make you present 4 pieces of ID to get a driver's license! When I was a kid, it was only your birth certificate! Oh, let's not forget about seeing what books you have read at the local library! "If you choose Security over Freedom, you will have niether" said Benjiman Franklin. Why do they keep using "SINCE 9/11" to take away our freedom? Why are they after US and not OSAMA BIN LADEN? I think we should have stayed out of Iraq, and sent all those soldiers to Afgahnistan to finish that job. But what do I know. In 2000 I said if GWB got in, we'd be in Iraq. My Republican friends said "Yeah right". Well, here we are. Oh yeah, the insurgency is on it's last legs: IRAQI INSURGENT VIDEO. How much longer will we be misled before we begin to see the truth? (Breath in... Breath out... sorry, didn't mean to get political, but I really hate this war).

Summer is here!

Summer is here! The Caravan is in the shop again, this time from an accident in the Cleveland burbs. I got hit by some guy, and I get a ticket! Man this is burning me up. I got a lawyer and am fighting it, but I'll bet my chances of winning are low, because I am from Michigan and an out of stater. Not much going on of late, but a lot has happened since my last post.
I've been to Minneapolis, Syracuse, Cleveland (see above), Myrtle Beach, SC. and Wilmington, NC. When down there I rented a new 2005 Ford Mustang and all that I can say is this car is BADASS! I drove 70 miles up to Wilmington, and then back to Myrtle Beach (140 round trip), and it was the best driving experience I've had in a long time! I get to drive a lot of different cars when I travel for my job, and so far this was the best! I did finally get a new windsurf rig, and am lovin it! Forget the Bic Techno, this is the one! I got a STARBOARD GO 180 liter, and a 7.8 square meter Aerotech sail (mine looks just like the yellow sail in the picture, but the slash mark is red) and all that I can say is SWEET!, I am a 43 year old blasting around on the lake like a kid ( I even had a couple of women trying to get me to give them "lessons" until they found out I was married). I got all this gear from Surfingsports.com, and I'm telling you what, Warren (WARDOG) Thomas, the owner there will really set you up right! He spent the time with me over the phone to make sure everything was right before it was shipped, and I was totally satisfied with the price and the gear. Go there if you need anything for wind/kite/surfing. Let's see, what else... Got my driveway redone and had part of my yard hydroseeded where it was ripped out for a new septic field last year, and painted my living room, bed room, and stairway before getting new carpet (which will be probably st the end of this month). Still have to get to Youngstown OH and Buffalo NY this month, which will be next week after I get my van back from the body shop. I'm driving a Hyundai rental car for now ( I hate it but my wife and kids think it's great).