Saturday, September 27, 2008

So Long Butch, We'll Miss You





I was heartbroken this morning to hear of the passing of a true classic movie star of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Our beloved Paul Newman has lost his battle with cancer at the age of 83.


I don't know of anyone in the country that hasn't found at least one of Newman's characters to fall hopelessly in love with. Whether you love the steamy and sultry Ben Quick, the moody and brooding Brick of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", or the iconic, precocious and forever playful Butch Cassidy, you're sure to have loved Paul in some way. Even straight men would have to admit that while they don't feel the attraction to Ben Quick, they secretly admire Cool Hand Luke.


I completed this prismacolor drawing of Paul as Butch Cassidy a few years ago. Over the summer I began an oil painting of him. Regrettably, I don't have a photo of it to post. But, as you see, Newman has been an inspiration to me for a long time.


For more news about Paul's passing, click on the following link.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Little Rocker


River City vertical
I'm officially a Little Rock resident. I've rented an apartment and my mail has been forwarded to my new address. I'm getting into a regular routine and making friends here. As a matter of fact, I'm meeting friends tonight at a local bar to watch the most recent episode of "Sordid Lives". That's certainly something I would never have done previously. I had dinner tonight with a friend and we talked about "guy stuff". I'm currently sitting at a Barnes and Noble paying bills online because my Internet won't be turned on until Saturday. I'm home sick and not feeling extremely successful yet, but its because I'm way out of my comfort zone. I knew it would be like this for a while. But, its a good thing. I had become complacent and stagnant. It was time to grow personally and professionally. I like to think of this current discomfort as "growing pains".
So many friends and acquaintances have been surprised at my sudden change in job and location. I've had so many responses such as, "I can't believe you did this," and "this is the last thing I ever thought you would do." To all of those comments I simply say, "Good!" I can't remember the last time I did something risky, unpredictable and spontaneous. Let me explain it a different way with this analogy.
Remember the last Lord of the Rings movie? In the final scene a very old and frail Bilbo Baggins is taken to the Elves ship to sail away with them. He is so old that it seems he has nothing left to do except lay down and die. But, as he is about to board the boat he looks at his companions and says, "I think I'm ready for another adventure." That's exactly how I feel. Its been a long time since I've felt challenged or inspired. The last time I pushed myself for a new adventure or a personal challenge was when I went through graduate school. It was difficult. It was gruelling. But, I came out the other side stronger, smarter, and better for it. This will be the same way. It will be tough at the beginning. But, I will learn something about myself and be stronger for it. And if I'm lucky, I'll find someone to share my life with and end a lifetime of isolation and separation from the world. That isolation is the potential future I faced had I not made this move. I have a chance to make a difference in the future of my life. That's something I didn't have before.
The embedded picture of the Little Rock skyline and Arkansas River in the foreground is from a Flickr album by justpics2000.