Technomad, Creator of Art (in the very broadest sense of the word…) Twitter Updatesfollow me on Twitter Tumblr (3.0; @jblank)http://www.jblank.net/<p>For as many years as I can remember the shittiest part of year seems to be the period of time from my birthday (today the 5th, actually) and Valentine’s Day. No idea why, it just ends up that way. The other day I caught myself actually thinking this year would be different. As it turns out, it’s not different.</p> <p>But hey, there’s something to be said for predictability, right?</p>http://www.jblank.net/post/17126005016http://www.jblank.net/post/17126005016Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:44:11 -0800Life<img src="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxoe77n8Ae1qzh199o1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><span>La Rêve Élélementaire, by J. Blank.  Acrylic on canvas, 2012.</span></p>http://www.jblank.net/post/15715887627http://www.jblank.net/post/15715887627Wed, 11 Jan 2012 23:59:31 -0800ArtCrap<img src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lrowcpreRT1qzh199o1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>La Robe Rouge, by J. Blank.  Acrylic on canvas, 2011.</p>http://www.jblank.net/post/10334579645http://www.jblank.net/post/10334579645Sat, 17 Sep 2011 16:10:01 -0700ArtCrap<img src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_losylgBCj01qzh199o1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><span>Les Trois Sœu</span><span>rs, by J. Blank.  Acrylic on canvas, 2011.</span></p>http://www.jblank.net/post/7980775660http://www.jblank.net/post/7980775660Sat, 23 Jul 2011 13:08:00 -0700ArtCrap<img src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_losyhkFqod1qzh199o1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><span>La Cité des Roses, by J. Blank.  Acrylic on canvas, 2011.</span></p>http://www.jblank.net/post/7980697279http://www.jblank.net/post/7980697279Sat, 23 Jul 2011 13:05:00 -0700ArtCrap<p>Actual comment from a CNN.com article on the budget stalemate in Congress:</p> <p>“part of the reason that the top 1% has so much wealth is nanny state mentality that the democrats are pushing on us. Get rid of that and the wealth will spread out more.”</p> <p>I just… I mean, how do you respond to something like this?</p>http://www.jblank.net/post/7243459628http://www.jblank.net/post/7243459628Mon, 04 Jul 2011 16:04:00 -0700Politics<a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/writing/comments/ifse0/ive_always_found_kurt_vonneguts_rules_for_writing/">Kurt Vonnegut's rules for writing, reprinted from r/writing</a>: <p><a href="http://wilwheaton.tumblr.com/post/7217856924">wilwheaton</a>:</p> <blockquote><ol><li>Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted. </li> <li>Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for. </li> <li>Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water. </li> <li>Every sentence must do one of two things—reveal character or advance the action. </li> <li>Start as close to the end as possible. </li> <li>Be a sadist. No matter sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them—in order that the reader may see what they are made of. </li> <li>Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia. </li> <li>Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To heck with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.</li> </ol><p><a href="http://redd.it/ifse0">The discussion at Reddi</a>t that goes with this is illuminating, and worth your time.</p> </blockquote>http://www.jblank.net/post/7218171704http://www.jblank.net/post/7218171704Sun, 03 Jul 2011 22:00:29 -0700<p>Based on the original recipe from <span>Harry Craddock’s Savoy Cocktail Book.  The Cocchi Americano is the closest available thing to the the original Kina Lillet, which went out of production in the 80’s.  Also, I like Grand Marnier better than Cointreau, but feel free to use that instead.</span></p> <ul><li><span>1 oz gin (I like Martin Miller, Westbourne Strength)</span></li> <li><span>1 oz Grand Marnier</span></li> <li><span>1 oz Cocchi Americano</span></li> <li><span>1 oz lemon juice</span></li> <li><span>1 or 2 drops absinthe or pastis (I like Lucid Absinthe)</span></li> </ul><p><span>Combine, shake with lots of ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass.  Garnish with either a slice of lemon peel or a cherry (I’ve used both).</span></p> <p><span>Enjoy!</span></p>http://www.jblank.net/post/6677992209http://www.jblank.net/post/6677992209Sat, 18 Jun 2011 21:16:21 -0700Cocktails<img src="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lma4q4U2DB1qzh199o1_r1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>La Meule de Foin, by J. Blank.  Acrylic on canvas, 2011.</p>http://www.jblank.net/post/6183991574http://www.jblank.net/post/6183991574Sat, 04 Jun 2011 11:58:00 -0700ArtCrap“Now keep in mind that I’m an artist and I’m sensitive about my shit…”<br/><br/> - <em>Erykah Badu</em>http://www.jblank.net/post/4770533619http://www.jblank.net/post/4770533619Tue, 19 Apr 2011 23:18:24 -0700Art<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lj7fgjkhEr1qzh199o1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Dunno, I just sort of like this one.  Twin Tacoma Narrows Bridges, Tacoma, WA.</p>http://www.jblank.net/post/4378312970http://www.jblank.net/post/4378312970Tue, 05 Apr 2011 17:17:07 -0700Photography<img src="http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lfgfwnwk0t1qzh199o1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Marionette Shop near Les Invalides, Paris</p>http://www.jblank.net/post/2883955925http://www.jblank.net/post/2883955925Sat, 22 Jan 2011 18:50:47 -0800Paris<img src="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lf1xn1qOqZ1qzh199o1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Confectionary Shop, Île Saint-Louis, Paris.</p>http://www.jblank.net/post/2756807872http://www.jblank.net/post/2756807872Fri, 14 Jan 2011 22:49:49 -0800PhotographyParisTravel<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l5xpigDxdW1qzh199o1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Crow, Oregon Coast</p>http://www.jblank.net/post/842847928http://www.jblank.net/post/842847928Wed, 21 Jul 2010 18:01:27 -0700Photography“There’s a cold wind blowing softly through a narrow, dark ravine. A sound is heard, soft and everywhere, like the rustle of silk. It echoes from every dismal reaching corner of the abyss, and whispers of the aching loneliness within the crevasse. A cold, blue-white light transcends an aura of weird lifelessness to the jagged rocks of the cleft walls. There appears a soul within all of this, like a thin frail mist, congealing within its center — a tiny translucent gray cloud.”<br/><br/> - <em>Ralph Kenyon, 1962</em>http://www.jblank.net/post/805511968http://www.jblank.net/post/805511968Tue, 13 Jul 2010 00:04:43 -0700Quotes<img src="http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l5cys76rmQ1qzh199o1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Chiles, Pike Place Market, Seattle</p>http://www.jblank.net/post/794830853http://www.jblank.net/post/794830853Sat, 10 Jul 2010 13:12:07 -0700PhotographySeattle<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l35x4xXYVN1qzh199o1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><span>Les trois Grâces by </span><span>Jean-Jacques Pradier, Louvre</span></p>http://www.jblank.net/post/642593398http://www.jblank.net/post/642593398Fri, 28 May 2010 20:46:00 -0700PhotographyParis<img src="http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l1e48ukRsw1qzh199o1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Eye to the sky.</p>http://www.jblank.net/post/545869966http://www.jblank.net/post/545869966Sat, 24 Apr 2010 09:53:18 -0700Londonphotography“Inside every cynical person, there is a disappointed idealist.”<br/><br/> - <em>George Carlin</em>http://www.jblank.net/post/303691498http://www.jblank.net/post/303691498Sun, 27 Dec 2009 19:29:00 -0800Quotes““We despise all reverences and all objects of reverence which are outside the pale of our list of sacred things and yet, with strange inconsistency, we are shocked when other people despise and defile the things which are holy for us.””<br/><br/> - <em>Mark Twain</em>http://www.jblank.net/post/165477874http://www.jblank.net/post/165477874Mon, 17 Aug 2009 22:36:00 -0700Quotes