Thursday, August 27, 2015

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


11 comments:

  1. Wow I am trying to get a few things done, but as always your blog post lured me in! I am the same about my own time... more so now than ever before. I think it may just be an age thing... I was more adaptable then. This post was so jammed with interesting things! Thanks for sharing your amazing indy self! I love it. I always come away with a few nods of agreement, and a new tidbit to research! I really like steadmans art too! Can't wait to watch the documentary...just saw Muscle Shoals Doc, you and your son were the first ones I thought would love it as much as Beardo and I did http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2492916/ But I figured you probably already saw it! Thanks for sharing your amazing art and self!

    Hugs Giggles

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  2. Laughed out loud as always. Also, I have the exact same copy of Mostly True, found in a second hand book shop. Don't people know what they're giving away?! xx

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  3. I love your painting, very cool. And that t-shirt! Beautiful pics. I watched a girl in line at a smoothie shop today, she checked for phone 10 times in 2 minutes. Why???

    Happy PPF! :)

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  4. Great blog! Loved your painting and happy you survived the family encounter with no murders. I am with you on the gadgets. What are they looking for????

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  5. I LOVE this post and what you have said-esp. about getting off the social media, and noses looking down at screens, and so enjoying alone time. I feel much the same. I think the way you have spent your alone time is perfect...oh, and I think I need that t shirt too:) Happy PPF!

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  6. Hello Pauline, great to visit again, thanks for all you share here, such great art, so expressive! I so understand about those gadgets, this blogging and computer time is largely enough for me, I don't do face book and have no mile phone...I would hate such a connection all the time.
    My sister is constantly hooked to that, way too much for me!

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  7. oh, I so know what you mean Pauline, with longing to have your own space back, even though you've enjoyed the company..... I just love that painting you made, how all of a sudden that figure is sitting there, and then the addition of the yellow and green that really makes it come alive. Beautiful .... And Brian Andreas: I get his "Story of the day" every day and enjoy every single one of them. I didn't know this poem yet, such beautiful words. Thanks for sharing!

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  8. Wow. I can so relate to your comments about family visits and social media machines. It often makes me sad as well. Love your painting. I think it fits perfectly.

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  9. The composition of your painting is very pleasing. Nice work!

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  10. Hi Pauline. Your rant about social media addiction hit home. And the art you created speaks volumes about how trapped people stuck to their screens can seem.
    Love the last sunset and the T-shirt:)
    Thank you for sharing the little story...got me thinking and dreaming. xx

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  11. Ah, yes..I so agree with you about phones and social media. I can't stand trying to talk to someone when their face is in their phone, and they're grunting replies. My husband does it allllll the time, and I find it so rude. Ten minutes later, he'll bring up the very topic I was talking about, as if I hadn't just spoke of it 5 mins ago. He doesn't hear a word I say. It irks me to say the least. haha

    I'm going to check out the documentary you wrote about. Thanks for mentioning it. I've never really understood the huge fascination with Hunter Thompson..to me, it's a sad story. Maybe that's all there is to it?

    Congrats for making it that long without any alone time!! Spending that much time with family would drive me nuts..haha I love them, but I cherish alone time soooo much.

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