Exuberant Trepidation

The other day as I waited for the commuter train, I heard a little kid exitedly say to her mother "The Train is coming! The Train is coming!"

I've now been riding the Metra train to work for 17 months now, and I must say, after the first month, I stopped jumping up and down and shrieking at it's arrival (these days, I limit myself to a single teardrop from the corner of my eye and a trembling sigh). Anyway, the exuberant moppet made me think of the suggestion that if one could view new things with the fresh wonderment of a child, one's outlook would be all so groovy. Of course, there is always this aspect of childhood...

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The following pics were all taken with my first digital camera (a Canon Powershot A75), on 12/27/05:
construction site (through screen & fence) at Randolph & State

In the evening at Diversey & Levitt


And finally we have another illustration of young trepidation...

Vapor Seller, Outhouse & About

This here is a book I've been recommending to,

like, everybody:

Ha, ha -- just kidding! No, no... Just thought of a nonsensical (yet credible) sounding title for some "#1 Best Seller"... All full of conspiracies and intrugue and all that best seller stuff. I figure it could be part of a series featuring some secret agent or something ( Maybe a newpaper food critic for the Hoboken Times...) who battles secret corruption in high places; I'll call him "Lance Hrondeux". And of course, Leland Ridgeway is the perfect name for an author!!

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Pics from my journey to Bucktown last Sunday

Somebody's made themselves at home under this viaduct ... though they weren't "in" while I snapped this pic.


Here's something out of the Sketch Pad. For some reason felt like drawing one of those out-houses you see in cartoons (or at least used to)

the Public Has Mumbled

A pencilly post-it pic from way back -- but still relevant, even in today's world of hyper-informed electorate, where you know that something as frivolous as a mustache could not sway votes!

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One of my favorite photo subjects, the Skyline from affar

Hey, what's this?? Could it be this is right outside my front door??

Bounding Bounder In Focus

Another older cartoon. I had this charcter, Freddie, in several cartoons -- he was something of goofball cad, but one from a more civilized era. I wanted to draw the fellow flying through the air, shoelaces all aflutter and such, while being physically ejected from some office.

So what Freddie had done to deserve his embarrassing exit was to suggest that the reception area of his employer would be the perfect location for a cardboard cutout of Rod Serling (implying that one is now entering The Twilight Zone).

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Interesting objects down at the end of my alley. I'd seen these hunks of cement lifted using a forklift, and then used to pound down the refuse in a dumpster.

Trying out a new lens I got last week, I took some pics of things around the house, going for a shallow depth of field look.

Just a meaningless drawing here, folks -- move along...

Keep your i on the Pi

A friend of mine asked me to draw a pie with a slice out of it -- Golly, does the wackiness ever stop???

Did end up doing this -- not perfect, but a decent cartoon pie...

And speaking of slicing -- On Tuesday I sliced into ( and chunks off of ) three fingers and a thumb in three different incidents -- and yes, in case you were wondering, one of these incidents did involve a bagel.

Some pics from Monday night.

This is a nice friendly looking alley - just north of Madison, seen from LaSalle; technically it may not be an "alley"; It's actually got a street sign on it that says "Calhoun"

Ball & Chain Polish

Another older cartoon. Not sure exactly what incident may have given me the idea for this, but it had something to do with corruption being such an ordinary part of... blah, blah, blah... you get the idea... The following three were taken from the interesection of Armitage & Damen

Was on the train heading home, and past by some interesting looking stuff; The train was moving pretty fast, so I wasn't sure I'd get what I was expecting.

Spudliness, Dog Town

A couple of my old cartoons that I dug up recently involve Anthropomorphic Potatoes. This first one I called PBS Couch Potato.

This one is The Birth Of Mr. Potatohead
I guess to find the humor (or boost it exponentially to a theoretical Infinite Humor level), it helps be familiar with the movie The Fly and the Mr. Potatohead toy (and kids, what is more fun than playing with food??)

Was down at the Bucktown Art Festival on Sunday. Here are a few pics of our furry friends

Bought a new lens for my DSLR, and was testing it on Alexander The Great

Digging up some lively entertainment

Found more old cartoons in a box -- here's one I did just for kicks. Not sure when it's from -- mid-to-late 1980s, I think. Of course there's that reference to Betamax, which would that some explaining to the young people out there...
Some more pics from Friday

Robotic Rebuff

Said to myself: "Rob, why don't you draw a lady robot?" -- I answered: "Sure!"

This fembot appears to be reacting to the unwanted attention of some mechanical lothario. From what I can piece together, in the future world where machines have replaced humans, "Change Machine" would be some kind of derogitory comment; Rather uncomplimentary, to say the least. Yes, I would say that a robot referred to as "Change Machine" would not be pleased.

This first pic was taken at Arcade Pl and LaSalle
These were taken while walking along Washington