joe randel's art dump

The other day I was talking with a friend about cartoons we grew up with.  He mentions RugRats and I was like… that show was on when I was in college.  We found out that what I was seeing was the final seasons of the show near the end of the 90’s but still, it’s not a show I grew up with.  Funny thing is, I didn’t feel old, I just felt that he was young.

Shows/cartoons I did grow up with he never watched or only heard of.  Shows like Battle of the Planets, The Little Prince (I loved that cartoon), Fraggle Rock, Muppet Babies, Dungeons and Dragons, Pole Position, Donkey Kong, Pac Man, The Get Along Gang, Reading Rainbow, Sesame Street, Commander Marc and the Secret City, Snorks, Duck Tails, Tail Spin, Rescue Rangers, The Real Ghostbusters, and for some reason I remember watching a Jackson 5 cartoon.  Watching any of these shows now would be horrible I’m sure so I’m quite happy to just remember them in my head.

What cartoons or shows did you watch as a kid?

We all have moments in our lives that have helped to sculpt us to be the people we are now.  Maybe it was opportunity that you took that changed your life, or maybe something you missed.  Maybe it was an accomplishment that you achieved for yourself.  I always find it interesting to look back and see those defining moments in our lives.  We don’t always see them at the exact moment they happen, but they’re there.  I think it’s important to reflect on these and see where we’ve been and maybe understand who we are.

Some moments in my life where meeting my wife back in high school.  Little did I know I would spend the rest of my life with her and that she’d help me become a more rounded and confident person.  Being a father showed me a new out look on life that I never could have imagined.  Taking a job with a small time game studio right out of college started the ground work for my entire career.  The passing of my first dog helped me understand life and death and my place in the world.  If any of those things didn’t happen, who knows where I’d be or who I’d be today.

What do you think are some of the defining moments in your life thus far?

Tonight wife and I went out for sushi with friends.  We don’t go out a lot but when we do, we usually go out for sushi at our usual place.  What makes this place sort of interesting is that the first time we went there, I ate myself stupid.  The food there is great, and I’m very glad that it’s all you can eat other wise it would cost me a god damn fortune because of how much I eat when I’m there.  But that first time… well, I can honestly say I’ve never eaten so much at one sitting in my life.  I ate so much that the next day at lunch, I was still feeling full and ill.  It was painful to think about eating more (I even had a  super light breakfast).  I’m sure I could have fed a small village with what I put in my body.  Since then I’ve learned to better gauge how much I should eat and I leave feeling full, but not gross.

Have you ever eaten to the point where you feel ill?  What was it that you ate?

This one commission sure was tuff.  Who was it of?

Okay people, I’ve asked about computers for a future purchase, but now I ask you this.  My wife and I just might buy a new camera in the next few weeks as our current one is getting on in years.  I’d like a fancy one, but my wife wants one that’s not overly complicated and still good for point and shoot moments.  Our past cameras have all been Cannons and we seem to do well with them, but are there other brands that are better or just as good?  Which ones should we stay away from?

Update: I’m willing to spend $250 – $300 but would like to spent less.  The camera needs to suit a simple point and click style of photography for my wife but have options I can mess with so I can take more fancy shots.

So last time I talked about mold, it was in my basement.  We had found some mold along some of the baseboards in our basement/rec-room so we had to call in a mold guy to check it out.  He came by did some tests and asked us a few questions about furniture placement.  Apparently, poor air flow behind furniture that is pressed up against the wall can cause mold too.  Not the case here, although it’s not so bad.  It would seem that who ever put up the drywall put it all the way down to the concrete floor which is a no, no in a basement.  You’re supposed to have a few inch gap on the bottom to keep that from happening.  What happens now is we have to cut away any mold that is on the walls and replace the carpet.  Which is okay, because we where looking to redo the basement anyway since we’re also putting down new hardwood in the house.

We are lucky though that the mold didn’t climb up the walls behind the drywall.  Then it would have been all kinds of bad news.  It will cost us money in the end, but it’s good to know that I shouldn’t have to worry about it again.  Have you ever had house/apartment issues that you had to deal with?  It’s not fun, but nice when it’s done.

I often bring up the topic of vacations with my single friends and why they don’t take more of them.  Usually by the end of the year they still have the majority of their vacation days to book off because they didn’t use them during the year.  Then I have to listen to them talk about how it’s a pain to take the time off.  That totally floors me!  I always ask why they don’t take more vacations to see different places.  They don’t have to go around the world, but just to see what our own country might have to offer.  I mean, if they’re single then their vacations are going to be way cheaper then the ones I go on.  There are four members to my family.  Imagine how big my vacation bill gets.  In my head, they should be taking this great opportunity to do some traveling.

There response to all that is… traveling by yourself doesn’t sound like much fun.  Plus even if it is cheaper for them to travel, they still might not have the cash to do so.  I can totally understand that.  It would be better to travel and share those experiences with someone and not everyone has travel cash.  We all have bills to pay.  Still, I think if it where me I would go and see some places.  But then I forget that this is married me talking.  I’m looking at it from a skewed view point.  If I’d always been single, I might feel the same way they do.  I do hope that single me would pick up a ticket and see the world.  I guess I’ll never know.

If you’re single would you ever consider going on a vacation by yourself?