The only thing that that gets you is dirt in your ears, eyes & nose. No fun! Sorry for the long hiatus (I actually have had a couple of interim posts on Kunstpike, but it ain't the same.) Recently, I have been dogsitting (looking after my friends' CL & AF's doggie Mango (an 11 month old German shep/lab cross) for the weekend, while the two gallavant in TO for Chinese New Year. Btw, Happy Year of the Pig everybody!), reading, sleeping, cooking, studying French, working at the JTIH (Job That I Hate) and drawing like a crazy grrl (the JTIL.) In between, there has been television, movies, dinners at the So Good, Yang Ming & Green Door, visits with family & friends and visiting my old Storyboard Guru Mik Casey in hospital. He's doing much better now, friends! Thank goodness. So it's been a busy old time, and truth to tell, I shan't be sad to see February's ass go waddling away and shaking into the slushy beginnings of March.
Things that I've learned sitting on a dog for 4 days: nobody can lick your face like a dog. Completely; in like 20 mega-fast swipes of a glooby pink tongue. Your eyes, ears, nose, chin, cheeks and yes, hair (guess I won't need a shampoo!) get slimed. Nothing can exuberantly run, play and eat snow like a dog. I've never seen anything slide head first into piles of snow with such unbridled enthusiasm. Dogs are the embodiment of playful joy. Nothing can dislocate your shoulder and back like a dog running on hyper adrenaline out for a walk. 'Nuff said. Nothing is quieter than a house where a dog has been and is no longer. The cats, rabbit and rats are on alert, but the thwapping wagging tail, panting, whining, yips and throaty bark-growls are quiet. I miss Mango. (Here's a pic of her when she was a sweet little pup!)No, we won't be getting a dog in the near future :-(
On to "Sue Reads." I had tried to post this a couple of days ago, but just became enraged, then disconsolate, excited, depressed.. now finally a bit stable, I can paste it in from a saved file.
For the love of Troy Little, I kept doing something and expecting different results (classic definition of Insanity I think.) Every time I picked up "Cerebus", I wanted to approach it with the same awe, interest, adulation and respect that it deserved, and every time I did that, the same thing happened. I couldn't separate the artist/writer from the comic. I'd get my back up, my skin felt tight, it was hard to breathe and I wanted to strangle something. I'm not generally a violent person, so the urge to strangle things is not a frequent occurance.
I had wanted to read "Cerebus" for some time, but Dave Sim's misogyny made me loath to send any money his way and thus support something in which I do not believe. Being female and gay seem to be two things that get his back up (re: *Feminist-Homosexualist Axis), so you'd wonder why I kept finding myself drawn back to this guy's stuff if it was the antithesis of my own beliefs. Well, you can't have an opinion if you're not informed, and .. well, I respect and love Troy. Troy respects and loves this work. I wanted to see for myself.
So I borrowed "High Society" from the library for free.
Devouring is usually a term reserved for Tiramisu and really good chicken wings. "Chiaroscuro" has been inhaled as was "High Society" It was a great book, phenomenal story-telling, artwork, lettering, emotional descriptions, and *funny*. Very funny :-) So, I am a bit saddened to discover that the library only has two Dave Sim books; the first one, and this one. So, unless I borrow the phone books from friends, I will just have to be content with that & whatever I can find online. Speaking of which, I have found some of Sim's written works and have been poring over them. It's hard to swallow when you feel like strangling things, so I'll chew slowly. There will be more on this later when I've read more and can get my hands nice and dirty. As my poet, postie, political pal Anders Carson says: "Don't wrestle with pigs, you'll only get dirty and they'll love it." It's equally applicable, but because Troy, Sim, Canadian Comics, Feminism and myself seem to be tangled together, I'm bound to get a bit of dirt on me if I want to eventually extricate myself, my thoughts & have some love intact.
Another line that pops into my head regarding this is from the old "Art & Fear" book I've mentioned a couple of times..about disconnecting art from the artist. How one would delight in having a Van Gogh on the wall, but not necessarily be as happy to have Van Gogh sitting on one's couch. (Of course, Anders said that that would make his day! But you know what I mean.) Can one enjoy, appreciate and laud the Work and keep that entirely separate from the creator of the work? Possibly. I think regarding "Cerebus" that it would have to be, to actually enjoy the stuff without rampaging around or getting depressed.
We'll see how it goes.
*"The Feminist-Homosexualist Axis" can be found in Dave Sim's Tangent. Have a bucket handy, wet naps and keep sharp objects locked up.
PS: If there are any interested, I have updated the DragonHead Store at Cafe Press. You can now purchase a wide range of "Axe Sis!" merchandise, to show healthy support for the Feminist-Homosexualist Axis. Even if you aren't a card-carrying dyke, feel free to sport the merch, especially if you are female, know women, like women and feel that having emotions is not a detriment to being a thinking person.
PPS: You can NOW purchase and official WOMANGUE mug at Cafe Press! You've read the Blog, now drink the drink. Nothing like a steaming mug of Womangue to get the day started off right!PPPS: A new article at Helium on weight loss tips. Check it out! Every click means a penny goes in my penny jar. Woohoo :-D
PPPPS: Ok, enough with the PPPPS's.
