Fear and loathing in eastern Canada

hello everyone!

Well, summer is almost over here,

so I'm enjoying every last bit of it.

As much as i love summer,

I love the fall even more

so at about this time of the year,

I begin to look forward to brisk morning walks

and cooler nights.

The weather here has been hotter 

and more humid than usual (for us at least)

- in the high 30s with humidity -

so one had to be either in the water,

in the shade, or in the house. 

My 2 brothers came home on vacation for a week

and stayed here with us.

They left a few days ago (last Sunday).

I loved spending time with them,

but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward

to having my own space again.

It has nothing to do with my brothers

or their families

and everything to do with 

having 5 extra people in the house

for an entire week

and no time to myself.

For someone who values alone time

as much as I do,

this was no easy task for me. :)

Having relatives visit

for extended periods of time

also makes me realize

how set we are in our own ways.

We were raised by the same parents,

and yet,

we are all so different from one another.

But despite the differences,

by the end of the week,

no one was insane,

and no one was murdered,

so I guess it's all good. ;)

It kinda made me sad

that so many of us spend so much time

on social media.

I almost regret not setting a rule

when they first arrived:

LIMIT OF ONE HOUR of SOCIAL MEDIA PER DAY.

I feel like we lost precious time together

because so many had their faces stuck to their screens...

scrolling for the next post on Facebook

or texting someone

or watching the next talent video on YouTube.

At one point, I wanted to scream:

SHUT THE DAMN GADGETS OFF!!

I don't care who's fucking talented on YouTube.

I don't care who's getting married

or divorced

or who ate what for dinner.

We did a lot together in one week,
but it just seemed like as soon as we got home
and there was down time,
even if only for a few minutes,
everyone would reach for their ipad or phones.
I remember a time
when we would engage in conversation,
or tell jokes,
or pull out the guitars to play music together.
Today, it seems like everyone's in their own little bubble.
It just made me sad.

So after they were all gone,
and the house was quiet again,
I did what I normally do
to feel grounded again.
I went to Frenchy's (2nd hand shop) 
and browsed the used books.
I picked up a coffee
and drove to the wharf to drink it
and watched the seagulls fight
over a piece french fry.
I wrote.
I listened to music.
I read.
I painted.

I watched a documentary the other night
on the life of Ralph Steadman called:
For no good reason.
Obviously inspired this piece.
Well, that and perhaps some of the
underlying frustration I felt.

Johnny Depp is in this documentary,
interviewing the artist (Steadman).
That was my reason for watching it. :)
Steadman is a British artist
who collaborated on several projects
with the infamous Hunter S. Thompson -
a journalist to some (gonzo journalism), 
a deranged idiot to others.
He put a bullet through his head in 2005.

I enjoyed the documentary,
but be forewarned:
it can seem a bit strange to some.
Steadman's art is nothing like the man himself.
Just as we say "never judge a book by its cover"...
well, never judge an artist by his or her paintings.
He comes across as a kind & generous man.
He is gentle.
And his paintings look like this:
(self portrait)


and this:

and this, his tribute to his friend, Hunter Thompson.

Years ago, I had read Hunter Thompson's book
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,
and I came away from the book thinking:
"this man is not well in the head". ;)
But I loved the few illustrations throughout the book.
Ralph Steadman's illustrations,
so I knew I had to look him up eventually.

One last sunset before I go. :)

a Tshirt I plan on getting for myself. :)

My book find from Frenchy's...

and this little story,

from Brian Andreas' book.

I love this.

xx