Looooooong Day...

Hi there! It's been awhile. Here's what's going on;

Today at work is Fall Break, which means campus is pretty much a ghost town. I was asked to come in early, at 7am, rather than the normal noon time. Just me in the office from 7am - 2pm, which is nice. I've been able to listen to some music (Pandora/Spotify), and finish season 1 of The Walking Dead. I was also scheduled for a lunch break, which I usually never have (to save money and time, I brown-bag it). Tried a new Indian buffet, Delhi Palace. Pretty darn good! I had to go back for seconds (and thirds) for the rice and mango puddings.

Lately, I've realized that since I spend so much time in the office, I should try to enjoy my time as much as I can. Not slacking or anything, just making the office a more comfortable place to be. I really gotta find some art of mine to hang here, I thing it'd "really tie the room together, man." This morning, I spent about 30 mins today adjusting my desk/chair setup to be as ergonomic as possible. I've brought in a tennis ball to exercise my hands, to try to avoid carpal tunnel. These changes, along with just overall office maintenance and organizing, should help make the workday more comfortable.

Another realization that I've come to since Phil was born, is just how precious time is. Sometimes I feel like people spend far too much time worrying about material possessions, wealth and status, and then too late realize that their time has ran out, and they could have done so much more with what little time they've been given. I came across the site 17,000 Days, which made me really think about maximizing what I do with my time. Modern society sometimes seems to stagnate in comfort, when people get too comfortable in their positions in life, stop trying to improve themselves, and to be a benefit to society at large. It's helpful to really step back and look at things from a larger perspective once in awhile.

Phil's been growing up so quickly! He's already crawling like crazy, and will shortly be walking.

I enjoy every minute I get to spend with him, even when he's fussy, grumpy, or needs a change. He's also getting a bit more self-sufficient, so can spend some time by himself (and lots of toys) in a play-yard, which gives me (or K) some time to catch up on things around the house, or just take a breather. He still loves attention though!

Last month, I had fun creating a few small artworks for my nieces and nephews:

 

 Spidey Logo

 

 

 Monarch Butterfly

Also did a watercolor of a ladybug, but can't find a photo. I hope they enjoy them as much as I enjoyed making them!

Also did the Plein Aire competition at the IUPUI Regatta, which was great fun, as always:

I've been catching up on reading, especially during my commute (via library Audiobooks). Again, a case of maximizing my time. On average, I figure I spend around 240 hours driving to/from work a year, so might as well multitask, and learn a little at the same time.

Well, gonna try to finish up some stuff here at the office for the reminder of my loooooooooooooooong single shift, so I'll talk to ya'll later. Hopefully I'll have some more art to post next time!

-J

Fatherhood!

Phillip Florian Bieschke, my son, was born on January 27th, 2012. Here he is:

I decided to take a month off work, to focus on getting to know Phil, setting up routines, and getting the hang of everything. I'm about halfway through my leave. I really appreciate being able to take the time off work (most of it paid). Phil is an awesome little guy! He's already got a favorite book (Cluck and Moo), and some favorite bedtime songs (Brahm's Lullaby, Goodnight Sweetheart, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star). From what I've heard from other parents, he's spoiling us with how well-behaved he is. He sleeps for around 3-4 hours at a time, and then eats, poops, and then sleeps some more. Hardly any crying/fussiness.

I've now got some time to catch up on other stuff (other-than-baby stuff), so I decided to update my blog.

I created a Tumblr account, but so far, I'm not really digging it. Blogger may be more complicated, but it seems to me that it's more my style. So, I think I may switch back to Blogger exclusively.

I've just been given the green-light to resume work on the Cambodian project for a friend, so spent today taking photos of all the work I've done so far, and did a new landscape piece for it:

We've been saving a bunch of money, since I haven't had to drive back and forth to work every day (30 miles round trip), and haven't really left the house beside grocery-getting. So, I've been thinking about getting a data projector for the studio, with some of the cash we've been able to save. Nothing too fancy, but something I could watch movies on, or play some videogames on. I got rid of a small TV I had out there, because I have an adapter that allows me to use the laptop as a TV/AV input. Kerry helped me arrange the studio really well, so that it's broken into different areas (work, play, excercise). It's a large space, and is now much more manageable. I've got soooo much old work stored up though, I've been thinking about trying to sell it off, to make more room. This week, I should be able to re-gesso some older works, and get started on some stuff for my upcoming show (in a few months).

I'm also working on creating a better work/life balance, which means I've been trying to have equal amounts or family, work, and recreation time. In the past few weeks, have been using Goodreads and catching up on some reading. I've recently been on a sci-fi kick, and read Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World," Kurt Vonnegut's "Cat's Cradle," Philip K. Dick's "Flow My Tears The Policeman Said." Right now I'm in the middle of Cormac McCarthy's "The Road." I've been downloading the books (some even digitally from the library) to my phone, and reading them on there.

It's been so cold out, have been staying inside. I've fallen behind on biking, even stationary biking on the recumbent bike, since we've been just a bit busy with the newborn. Next weekend, a buddy of mine is coming down to visit, so that should be fun to catch up. Well, will hopefully update again shortly, and have some more new work to share.