I am happy to report that both Pup and Pop survived the week on their own. Cathy was in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on a business trip, with a couple of days added on for some genealogical exploration. With some planning and preparation, we survived the week without significant difficulty. Augie and I enjoyed regular trips to the beach. The Pup really enjoys his visits with Mr.Ocean. I'm also happy to report that there were only two fast food indulgences during the week—one trip to Jack-in-the-Box and one to Der Wienerschnitzel. On reflection, I can say that while Jack-in-the-Box was fun, three Der Wienerschnitzel chili-cheese dogs were a bad idea. A terrible idea. We shall not speak of it again.
While on her trip, Cathy visited Minnesota's Largest Candy Store. She brought me home several delectable items, which, on the advice of counsel, I won't be disclosing right now. But I feel compelled to share with you my favorite item, a box closely resembling a package of that most holy of foods (see below).
Three things are essential for you to note here:
These are not the fun kind of gummies.
While the package closely resembles the sacred substance, the contents taste nothing like macaroni and cheese.
The contents taste like fruit. Fruit, I tell you! What manner of blasphemy is this???
Regardless, this is my favorite of the gifts Cathy brought me, even though it sits on the shelf, mocking me.
Here are some things I did this week, probably when I should've been doing other things.
This first one grew out of me doodling the guy on the right. I'm not sure why he wound up with a knife in his belt, but between that and the appearance of his outfit, I got the impression that he was either a sensei or a sushi chef. Please don't ask me why. Looking at this later on, I realized that Mr. Danny might very well be Canadian. The clue here was that things are “aboot” to get real. I had intended to use the word “about,” but these are the kind of happy mistakes that make this whole process fun.
The drawing below is the second iteration of this idea. I've learned that Iteration is the name of the game. Sometimes, you start with a thought or a doodle and set off searching for an idea. I probably have a few more rounds to go. 😂
Sometimes, I get disheartened by the slow progress of my writing, drawing, or both. Let me rephrase that: every day, I get discouraged by my lack of progress. Nevertheless, I persist.
The cartoon below, by Scott Ogden, is a great source of comfort to me. Perhaps it will encourage you as well.
And so, in the spirit of persistence, here a couple more that I worked on this week. These are both drawn by hand, using an Apple Pencil, on the iPad Pro. it is a different experience from using traditional analog tools on paper and there is a bit of a learning curve, but it's hard to beat the portability and flexibility that drawing on the iPad affords.
As I mentioned, this one was drawn on the iPad after a pencil sketch on paper. I suppose I am dating myself, and it is possible that only people of a certain age will get the joke. It is what it is. It made me laugh, which, by the way, is the primary criterion for any work that I do these days.
This next one is important to me for a couple of reasons: first, this was an opportunity to experiment with producing a cartoon from scratch on the iPad. Clearly, I have a lot to learn about how to effectively use these powerful digital tools, as well as (obviously) about drawing and writing itself. There will be more iterations to come..
Second, I've been profoundly disturbed by the near seamless integration of online gambling with sports at the both the collegiate and professional levels. The recent rash of gambling scandals in professional sports, most recently in Major League Baseball, should've been easy to predict. Perhaps it was, but the genie is out of the bottle, and it's virtually impossible to put them back, particularly in light of the enormous amount of money that is at stake. I suspect that this is only the beginning of these type of revelations.
That said, this one made me laugh, too, albeit satirically.
And now, a word from the Supervisor.
Augie wanted you to know that he is aware that many of you probably had deeply held concerns about his well-being while his mother was away and he was left in the unreliable hands of his father. He appreciates your concern, even if it was unspoken. He wants you to know that he loves and deeply appreciates all of his loyal subjects, both current and future.
I want you to know that he thinks of you often and affectionately, especially when he is on one of his visits to see Mr. Ocean.
It should be apparent by now that somewhere during the writing of this week’s epistle of ec’s epistle of eccentricity, I apparently lost my damn mind.
With that in mind, until next week, when we will be back with another edition of Doodle Soup. Or whatever the heck we're calling it then. Enjoy your life, and have a few laughs. Augie commands it.