Starting Off 2008 Right

Let's start of the new year right, shall we? A couple of super sweet images from a Metropolitan Life pamphlet from 1966 (part of an entire series -- see a previous Met Life pamphlet drawn by JP Miller here). No illustrator credit is given, but there's some speculation that it could be Roy Doty. Any clues? Give me a ring and let's discuss. I'd love to know who did these wonderful illustrations. I've had this for a long time, just waiting for the right moment to post it. Since it's the New Year, and people usually like to start the new year with resolutions, and resolutions usually consist of starting off right, health-wise, these fun two-color illos fit in rather nicely for the day.



So, it's been a while, hasn't it? Sheesh. Didn't mean to take that long a break. But it was needed. On Christmas Eve, the Jenkins clan hopped on a plane and flew to Atlanta for two weeks. It was the first time for the kids and they loved the entire experience. They were so excited by it all. And, surprisingly, they did really well, considering that it was a red-eye flight. At one point, a flight attendant leaned over to tell me just how well behaved my kids were. I almost responded with a "Well, just you wait," or "Thanks, but these aren't my kids," but decided against the cheesy dad joke-thing. Plus, she was already out of earshot.



Two weeks was just enough time for us to be away. Andrea and I both thought that while we were hanging out with family and friends that we would find the time to post on our blogs and/or Flickr, but, alas, it was not to be. Apparently, vacation time doesn't really mean a true vacation when kids are involved. But that's okay. It was great to catch up with a couple of friends (sorry we missed out on hooking up with others -- there's not enough hours in the day), so good to see all the cousins playing (somewhat) nice with each other, and it was great to see a couple of fantastic films. For the record, JUNO and the Coen Brothers' NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN are high on my list of best films for 2007. And I plan on seeing THERE WILL BE BLOOD soon. Big fan of Paul Thomas Anderson.

And yes, we found time for two rounds of bowling. Awesome.



Can't lie -- we miss our families. Of course, that's a given. This past year has been hard on us, since uprooting the family in March to move from Atlanta to Portland. Being so far away from close friends and family takes its toll after about 6 months. I long for the times where I could just swing by my Mom's and chat, or go see a flick with my Dad. Andrea's brother and his family live in Atlanta and we always enjoyed going over to their place to just hang out, order some pizza, listen to some new tracks, talk about TV shows, movies, silly things, nothing. While we were in Atlanta for Christmas, we got to do all of that. And more. After a week and a half, though, it started to get to us. Each day was filled with obligations and things to do, places to go, people to visit. By the end of each day, Andrea and I were so worn out, so exhausted.



But it was a good exhaustion. Even though each day was tiresome, we enjoyed the time spent with everyone. And it was good to be back home, to see all of our old haunts, our former houses, favorite restaurants, flea markets, stores, movie theaters, etc. One thing I noticed: in Atlanta, you have to DRIVE everywhere for like, 20 to 30 minutes. It was crazy. Funny how it takes me being nine months gone to finally realize that. Boy! Maybe it was all the driving around that made us exhausted. I wouldn't doubt it.

So, here we are. 2008. A new year, a new start. I'm excited about this year. There's already a lot that's planned. A sample:

I want to get my workspace up and running downstairs. A couple of trips to IKEA and various flea markets will do the trick, I guess. The reason I want to get my workspace finished is because...

...I want to get started on my short film. This is the year I must get going on this thing! Enough fooling around. Time to forge ahead. I'll post a couple of drawings here sporadically throughout the year just to give you all a heads up, but in the meantime, you'll have to wait.

Sigh....we need a new computer. Our current Powerbook G4 is barely getting Andrea and I though each day. If I start working on my short film, the little guy won't make it. Looking for a new Macbook. We'd be happy with just the basic one, but man! what I'd do for a nice Macbook Pro. Oh, well.

On February 12th, my good friend John Brian Ludwick has asked me to speak at his school again, at IUPUI, as part of a School of Informatics speaker series. That's in Indianapolis. If you're in the ballpark, stop on by.

In March, I'll be part of the Flip the Bird: Part Deux show at Lunarboy Gallery in Astoria, OR.

UPDATE: Oh, forgot to mention -- in March, I'm planning on visiting San Francisco to check out the Mary Blair exhibit at the Cartoon Art Museum. I'm so looking forward to that!

More vintage goodies to scan and talk about! Stay tuned. Lots more fun to be had here, kids.

Here's to a great 2008!