J...o...h...n...’...s.....J...o...u...r...n...a...l
A R C H I V E S
Thanks
for
visiting.
February 12, 2000
So
long Joe,
you sonuva gun . . .
. . . Well,
I guess my last daily vice has bitten the dust, now that I am nearly two
weeks into my newfound coffee abstinence. This time it is "for real,"
mind you, even though we built our biz on the buzz of the bean and I owe
it at least a solemn tip of the hat as I lay it to rest in a plot next
to the other substances that have taken their toll on my well-being.
.
. .
The British Empire was built on tea and the American Supereconomy was
built on coffee, there's no doubting that, but I was rudely reminded on
the last day of January that I was going to be one more hulk on the side
of the road If I didn't get a handle on my constant use of caffeine. It
came on the heels of a mad expedition to Cincinnati to create a predicament
that remains unresolved--a massive piece of furniture stuck in my truck
and no easy solution at hand. Only a few days before I would have sworn
that Java was a faithful habit I was committed to retain. Quitting the
eternal Cuppa Joe was the farthest thing from my mind. But minds do have
a way of turning to alternatives, sometimes in desperation, when the belly
declares mutiny and threatens to take the ship down, screaming for relief,
or else . . . My old "iron stomach" was history, and he got
my attention on his way out the door, turning things over to a replacement
who had no intention of putting up with abuse.
.
. . I
suppose I should leave it at that, and wait to see if I can pass the long-term
test. As rough a chore as it's been, the early indications are good. Better
nights of sleep, calmer moods, and my lower back has stopped hurting for
the first time in well over a year. Who knows, maybe I can even start
running again?
February
11 , 1996
Four years ago . . .
.
. . Came
back to the book out of desire, rather than allegiance to a consecutive
entry. Today I'm decided about one thing--I want to spend the day in the
studio getting organized mentally and physically. Many thoughts about
my mixed media/assemblage project goals. Why do I suddenly see this type
of collage approach as my best shot at a fine-arts diversion? I'm beginning
to collect things that pass my first-cut scrutiny. Formulating a real
desire to set up a drawing board and art area in the basement under the
dining room--a place that can be left messy with pieces in progress. I
want to merge my design ideas, compositional strengths and sense of color
with my desire to utilize my collection of visual stuff, and my need to
create artifacts that document the contradictory forces that are present
in my life. I'm not sure where it will lead ultimately, but perhaps, optimistically,
it can drive my need to get organized, providing a creative counterbalance
to my professional work. From there I can move on to an expanded self-awareness
that is somehow tied to larger personal horizons, and the freedom to get
back to the land. I need to prepare for the final statements I will make
in this life; statements that will be in harmony with my voyage of self-discovery
and inner meaning. Something is beginning to quietly explode . . . a direction,
a purpose, a unifying action.
