Why Won't My Kids Run Away?

 As a mom I'm often frazzled to the point I wish my kids would run away.  Since that never seems to occur then the only solution I'm left with is running away myself.  Now I could pack my bags, drain what little I have in the bank account and disappear. I've seen enough spy and international crime movies to be able to figure out how to vanish. Yet leaving the house never seems the best option, so I have a daily back up plan.  Pull out a corkscrew and uncork a bottle of wine.  A couple of glasses in and I've completely left my mind.  I'm sure the kids just think I'm bitch some days.  Well I hate them too!

The World is Full of Special People - Idiots Really

Many times I feel either like I'm the most disconnected, illogical individual in the world or the world is just full of complete idiots.  We have a new public library near my home.  It just opened and I happened to be driving by and thought I'd pop in and check it out.  They have a parking area especially designated, by signage, for low emission, fuel efficient cars.  Cool, I whip my very compliant Fiat into a spot. Upon walking away from my car I notice the car in the space next to me has its engine running.  I step over to the car to investigate.  No one in it, and sure enough the engine is just purring along. 

So here is where the world just doesn't make any sense to me.  I get to the main desk and wait for someone to appear.  When they do I share the information about the car running in the low emission parking spot and I thought maybe the owner might want to know.  The only response I get is, "I wonder if it could be one of our employees?"  Why the hell that matters is beyond me, but I leave it at that and proceed to tour the new facility.
 

Two things struck me as just illogical.  One, there are people there, moms and kids mostly and then I recognize they are all teaching.  And it dawned on me these must all be "home schoolers".  Isn't home schooling supposed to occur at home?  It seems the government has built a really large library with numerous study rooms to accommodate "home schoolers".  Isn't that considered a school?  Two, I did want to see a particular book, a reference book.  I didn't see the reference area so I approached the "Information Desk".  I inquired of the location of the book.  I was told I can get that online at the library website we don't have the book here.  Hmmm?  Isn't the library supposed to have books?  I turn and depart and as I reach the doors to exit I realize the entire time I was there not one single announcement was broadcast in the library to inform the owner of the car parked in the GREEN ZONE their engine is running. 

Today will be marked as the first and last visit to the new library funded by my contribution to the SPECIAL PURPOSE LOCAL OPTION TAX where I've figured out SPECIAL refers more to the people associated with the purpose than the purpose itself.

Humans Suck At Managing Nature

One of my Facebook friends posted a picture of a group of deer standing in a neighbor's yard.  She commented, "Beautiful sight in the neighborhood this morning."  I would agree and I do enjoy seeing animals; deer, rabbits, squirrels, bear (not seen one but how cool), gophers and beavers (I said beaver heee-heee, god I'm juvenile).  After I appreciated and "LIKED" her picture the thought popped into my head that this is exactly the kind of picture that will prompt some pro-hunter type to justify hunting with some comment to the extent of "hunters provide a valuable service of population control".   That without hunters annually going out and killing deer that we would be over run with deer.

Population control?  Really.  I'm pretty sure Mother Nature has a way of dealing with over population.  It is called starvation.  Allocation of resources, good old supply/demand and survival of the fittest.  These have worked for eons to balance out populations of everything.  I don't see sitting in a tree with a high power scope and sniper rifle, 200 yards down field of a deer as a qualified form of population control.  Face it you just like to kill stuff.

If you want to control the population of certain animals than simply stop manicuring nature. Unfortunately or fortunately, humans have created environments that not only we enjoy and feel comfortable in, but so do a lot of other animals.  We've created more and easier food opportunities.  We've created cover and hiding places that are very conducive to all these animals.    To say humans must kill extra animals to prevent them from starving is ass backwards.  It isn't over population.  The population has just risen to a natural level in line with food and shelter opportunities.

Funny thing about nature is it has a way to fill voids and find its own level.  You push on one side and a bulge appears on the other.  It is a zero sum game.  I heard the other day that the population of rattlesnakes is increasing.  Why?  Because we have successfully hunted rattle snakes.  How could this be?  Well the way rattle snakes are hunted is you walk around and listen for the rattle.  When you hear one you zero in on it and snatch it up.  What this has ultimately created is a perfect opportunity for all the rattle snakes with weak, silent rattles to survive and multiple.  So now we have more rattle snakes but fewer that we can actually hear or receive warning from and hence more people are and will be bitten by one.  Way to go humans.

Humans are notoriously poor managers of nature.  The fact that we've been able to manufacture and sculpt these animal oasis into the natural world is not only a testament to our power within our environment, but an arrogance and stupidity of the limits of our power.  We do all this and expect nature to just yield to our view of how it should be. Nature is not going to leave a void or unexploited resource it is just not its way.  It is just not reasonable to expect our environment to be sterile of other living things.  Even your home, your little safe, sterile space is just an illusion of control.  Open your doors and nature will come in.  Plants, bugs and animals.  Nature will not relent to human management because we suck as managers of nature.

Mural Done For Kids Room

This is a wall in a kids room.  I bet it measures 12 foot long by 8 foot high.  Some air brushing involved.  Took a weekend.

Large Format Signs and Murals - Grocery Store Promotions

I did a lot of special promotion sign work for Publix.  These are just a few that were used in store.  The fun shack was for summer goods display, the two kids promoted the use of some loyalty card, the football player was for a Super Bowl display of Pepsi, and the lower right was used as a sign carried during some charity walk.

Large Format Murals and Signs - Grocery Department Signs

I used to do a lot of large format work.  Signs, displays in Publix grocery stores, murals, and promo pieces.  Most were done on 8 foot by 11 foot foam board, air brushed and cut out.   Here are some samples.  These are scanned in photos so there is some glare.

These are signs created for four department - (clockwise) Sea Food, Meat, Bakery, Produce