The Art of Self Control video

Just when I think I've got everything under control, things unravel. Rarely are these things bad. They just fill up time and space with their presences. Nothing to do but knock them down, like a living game of whack-a-mole!

Now I've got a breather again and I'm proud to present this great video by The Center for Advanced Hindsight. This is a great organization and I've been twice honored to be one of the artists for their yearly shows.This year, I was able to participate in a video interview for their show, Restraining Order: The Art of Self Control. I could go on and on about it, but it would be good if you checked it out yourself. Especially if you're a creative person, but it's information that benefits all of us!

See the video here: http://vimeo.com/58153096

Be sure to let me know what you think!

5 Reasons to watch Gangster Squad

I went to see Gangster Squad with mediocre expectations, and that turned out to be a good thing. If I had been salivating to see it, I would have been as disappointed as the time I went to the The Musketeer. There's a simple equation for this, my friends:

Mediocre Movie + High Expectations = Shitty movie
Mediocre Movie + Low Expectations = GREAT MOVIE!
Shit Movie +Low Expectation = Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

Taking this into consideration, there are still some very valid reasons to look forward to seeing Gangster Squad. In no particular order:

1 - You think all tough guys should talk like Michael Jackson!
Ryan Gosling's character, Sgt. Jerry Wooters, is this troubled ex-military dude who has apparently seen his share of death and violence and is now bitter about it. And he sort of sounds the way you might imagine a baby squirrel would sound if you woke up as a cartoon filled with talking animals. Now, I don't know about you, but I like my tough guys to be gritty or deep voiced or at least smart-assy. But, if you like a tough guy that sounds like a soft-spoken kindergarten girl then you are in luck!

This is what it sounds like when the doves cry!

2 - You've wondered where the hell John Woo got to
You know what I miss? Slo-mo for no-reaso. You know that easy button from Staples? Screw that thing! I would take a slow motion button any day of the week! Exploding Christmas ornaments, Josh Brolin walking away from an unimportant conversation, Sean Penn walking around a Christmas tree, all of these would be slo-moed by yours truly. Hmmm, why didn't they slo-mo Emma Stone's side boob shot???

3 - You want your big brother instincts to kick in!
Emma Stone is gorgeous. We all know it. But, she's girl next door gorgeous. She's the girl you wish lived next door so you could watch her tan in the back yard instead of Mrs. Gimpercrook, my current neighbor, who I'm sure was an extra for Harry from Harry and the Hendersons.

What she is NOT is vampy or trashy. And so, when she was all glammed up like Patrick Swayze in Too Wong Foo... I felt my protective instincts kick in. I wasn't drooling inappropriately or anything. Instead, when she was lying in bed with girly-voiced Ryan Gosling I just wanted to run up and drape a robe around her. And punch Ryan Gosling in the face. "Get your hands off my sister, Squirrel!"

I like your voice. But, my big brother is
going to beat your ass if you deflower me.

4 - You love when one guy is trying for an Oscar
Sean Penn is a great actor. Great. You can tell how great he is when you see him acting next to that guy who  was the second Terminator. Is that Peter Weller? No, that doesn't sound right. Max Headroom? I'll get it in a second.

Mr. Oscar was working his whole face, his whole body, his whole being. Maybe he thought he could win World's Greatest Actor. Maybe he can't dial it back, even a little bit, even a tad. That's fine. Don't betray your acting ethics, Penn. "You're gonna be beggin' for a bullet before this is over." Quality, Mr. Penn. High quality.

5 - You love when the good guy trounces the bad guy, even when he shouldn't be able to.
What is this, Snow White and the Huntsman? No one ever told us that Josh Brolin's character, Sgt. John O'Mara, could fight. No one told us he was a boxer. Sean Penn's character, Mickey Cohen, on the other hand, is all about boxing. He was an amazing boxer. Fights all the time. Then, instead of just arresting this asshole, O'Mara decides it would be a blast to do a little boxing. "Hey, I know you've killed some of my buddies, sold girls into slavery, and I know I don't really have any backup over here, but I think it would be a great idea if we fight like 6th graders on the playground." First off...

WAIT! That Terminator guy's name is Robert Patrick! Phew. I knew I'd get it. Didn't he played Agent Dipstick or something on the X-Files?  Anyway, he's no Sean Penn.

Say, that's a nice bike.

Where was I?

I don't remember. I think I was saying that Gangster Squad was an awesome movie if you like Michael Jackson's voice, miss John Woo, like being an older brother, like over-acting, and you really like when the good guy whips ass beyond all sense! So, what are you waiting for? Go see it! Go see it right now!

Either that, or go watch Battleship.

Got a different opinion? I'd love to hear it!

No Need for New Year's Resolutions

Every year many people say to themselves that they want to be thinner or more fit or smoke less or laugh more or see more things are touch more stuff or masturbate more/less. They schedule workouts, join the gym, set up get-togethers with friends, convert the third bedroom to a yoga studio or pull all of the unread books off the shelf and stack them next to their bed.

And that's great. Good intentions are wonderful. But it's for suckers. Screw the New Year's Resolution! We don't need it.

We don't need it because we are fucking awesome! Look in a mirror. Go ahead. Got some belly flab? Who gives a shit? Right now someone is thinking about trying to get you into bed. Taken? Someone is probably wondering how hard it would be to steal you from your man/woman/inanimate infatuation. Someone wishes they had your hair or your pecs or your girl or your kid. Someone wishes they had your discipline or your sense of humor or your sense of style. Someone wishes they had the energy to go to as many parties as you do, or had the willpower to say no so that they could relax at home as often as you do. Someone either wants to be you or they want to be sitting in your lap. And why wouldn't they. You're a goddamned legend!

I'm too sexy for this shirt!

I'm not saying you should spend the year resting on your laurels. Just the opposite. We might be gods and goddesses, but we not only CAN improve, but we WANT to improve. And we don't wait until the beginning of the year to do it. We set regular goals.We change the things in our lives that suck. If it's August, we don't wait another 120 days to do what we need to do. We do it then and there. Oh, MAYBE we wait until Monday, but that's only so that we can indulge in some guilty pleasure over the weekend. But waiting till the New Year? That's for amateurs.

Wait 'til they get a load of me!

We'll do more push ups this week than we did last week. We'll have more conversations with our family. We'll spend more time on the couch with a loved one. We'll eat more veggies. We aren't doing it because of some once-a-year resolution. We do it because, as amazing as we are, we know we can be better.

This does not apply to everyone. Some people have the drive of a '89 Geo Storm and the willpower of tired 3-year old. But I know my demographic. If you're reading this then the odds are good that you have no need for New Year's Resolution. Odds are good that you are going to have a New Year's Resolution, a January 14th Resolution, a June 3rd Resolution, and a bunch more. Great people improve when they damned well want to, not when the calendar says they should. And I suspect, my friend, that you are one of the great ones.

And as amazing as you are now, you're going to be even more amazing when midnight of January 1, 2014 rolls around!

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What was your last amazing "resolution"? We'd love to hear about it and about how successful it was.


Geraud

Golden Rings

GOLDEN RINGS
11" x 14"
Oil on Canvas
$300

The first painting of the year is complete. This was a lot of fun to do and was a great way to get the year started.