I hung out with some of the nice folks from Flamingo Road Church (FRC) on Tuesday for a fun evening of coffee and trivia. I’m pretty sure my team won all rounds. Woohoo!
This sudden cold front hitting our fair city has been great. Out came the jackets, thick bed covers, scarfs, and anything else that usually lingered in the depths of our closets year round.
I haven’t attempted to catch up to the latest season of LOST yet. I may just attempt that this Sunday afternoon. In the meanwhile I’m just enjoying the hilarious episodes of The Office and the gripping saga of Jack Bauer on 24.
I updated my About page with some hand-drawn graphics and links to the other spots you can find me on the web.
Some of you have noticed the certain influx of Sketchism entries. In addition to some of the other positive habits I’ve been working on, producing and showing my designs, cartoons, photos, and thoughts on this site has become of great importance to me. I’ve come to a point where it’s become a necessity to actively create. I want to say a big “THANK YOU” to everyone who’s left encouraging comments.
And so I’ll leave you with the music video for Stereophonic’s Mr. Writer. This is really the only Stereophonics song I’ve ever heard, but I love it. Have a great weekend!
Last night I saw the film The Wrestler, the portrait of a lonely professional wrestler reaching his last days as a performer. It must be a very sobering feeling to reach those final days. I suppose I’ve seen my share of final days, but somehow I’ve always maintained the perspective of starting something new, eager about what’s to come next. I’ve always walked ahead, not really caring to look back, but lately I’ve wrestled with some thoughts of my own.
Today I began walking after a heavy meal at Chipotle. Living in a suburb where everything is slightly spread out, walking is somewhat of an unexpected form of transportation. But on this Sunday afternoon I decided to leave the car parked in that strip mall lot as I began walking west. I let the evening provide its own soundtrack: cars zooming by, leaves swaying in the cool breeze, the murmurs of strangers and the laughter (not to mention the whining) of children.
I began thinking about my life as an amateur traveler. Something inside me yearns to see the world, one city at a time. I thought back at my experience a year ago in the city of Chicago. I went alone with nothing but my messenger bag, one bag of luggage, and a few gadgets to help me document the following days. Day after day I just walked, in awe of the high rises and skyscrapers that surrounded me. The city grabbed my heart and caressed it with wonder and curiosity. There were silent moments in those winter days as I strolled down each sidewalk, watching my breath form temporary clouds of mist that disappeared with each step. I’d walk and look around, soaking in the moments, hearing the subways screech above, only stopping to take another photo or to rest at one of the millions of Starbucks in every corner. Those were wonderful days, short as they were.
And so here I was today, entering a shopping mall and I continued walking, watching the families stroll, bags in hand. The young men were sitting on benches, taking a break from their own purchases. I’d glance at the venders in their kiosks thinking to myself how dreadful it must be to sit there watching so many people walk back and forth, most of them avoiding eye contact so as not to hear another sales pitch.
I did a bit of reflecting, realizing that I’m a free man. Here I am, single, graduated, debt-free, a heart full of ambition, a head full of wonder, working a job that I love, creating artwork that I’m proud of, ready to take on the world by the horns. But now what?
Where will I go? What will I learn? What kind of man do I want to be? These are heavy thoughts I’ve been exploring in the recent months. Although I’m in no particular rush to answer the above questions, walking around today helped me realize their importance. I look forward to continuing these walks to help me eventually get to those answers, one step at a time.
A few other things on my mind:
Piano lessons begin this Thursday night. I can’t wait!
I just purchased the Vagabonding book, for that extra push of encouragement in my need to travel the world.
Question: What are my commitments to my family? I’ve been the odd one out for so long, it feels like a good time to continue that role as I head out into the world.
Question: Where am I spending my time and money? Where do I want to spend it?
Request: Anybody want to open their home to me? If I could find a place to stay for a weekend I’ll fly out to your city and hang out. I can promise good conversations, artsy photos, and I’ll treat you to a dessert or two. Oh, and I’m very clean. Let me know via the comments or shoot me an email – david [at] sketchism.com
And so with that, I welcome you back to your regularly schedule program of images. Here’s a slideshow of my Saturday full of dim sum, mall breakdancers, and the amazing artwork by Dani girl, aka Knee.
As I was rummaging through some of my old sketchbooks I found this unfinished drawing from 2006 of my pastor. I figured I’d post it since he’s recovering from a Flu. I don’t know that this will help but, hey, this is as close to a Get Well Soon card as I’ll get.
And now for an update. I’ve been diving into some reading the past few days, attempting to reach my goal of 12 books for 2008. As of this entry I’m only 3 books short. But I’ll be able to wrap one up in a few minutes. And in 2 days I can still finish the last two books. I didn’t reach my goal of visiting 4 places outside of Florida, but I got awfully close. Tallahassee is only a few miles south of Georgia, so I’ll consider that my fourth place for the year. Oh and I can scratch the Bachelor’s Degree off the list. That feels mighty good.
As far as 2009 goes, I intend on creating and selling some prints through the new year. Which means I’ll make my official portfolio site and store very soon. I’ve begun organizing my work so that I can document them photographically.
A big shout out to those of you who still read this little blog o’ mine. I wish you well in the ‘09. Any big celebration plans?
<a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/sketchism/3119104000/” title=”Everybody! by david.uribe, on Flickr”><img src=”http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3077/3119104000_a0f21ab435.jpg” width=”500” height=”333” alt=”Everybody!” /></a>
Ever since I wrapped up school only a few days ago I’ve felt this sudden boost of joy. All of a sudden there are friends and family I can visit, sports to play, naps to take, but above all social events to attend. Gone are the days of avoiding invitations because of the looming homework on my shoulders. Now it’s time to work hard and party hard.
There’s a certain spring in my step these mornings knowing I’m heading to a job I love, working for people I admire and respect, doing the kind of challenging work I was born to do. I’m very thankful indeed.
Even though I’m out of school, I’m eager to learn. Thanks to companies such as the Teaching Company and the Great Books, I’ve got a full plate on subjects and topics to master. I’ll be picking up a few languages on the way as well if all goes as planned. I’ll post an updated Goals section soon so you can see what all my excitement’s about.
This is a new season in my life and I’m eager to make the best of it. Cheers!
A few weeks ago I had the privilege of seeing one of my favorite authors Frank McCourt speak at the Miami Book Fair International. I became a fan of his memoirs since I first read Angela’s Ashes 8 years ago while riding the school bus to Design & Architecture Senior High and back.
I knew if the opportunity arose to meet the man who overcame a miserable childhood, a miserable adolescence, and a miserable career as a teacher, I would go. So when I attended Mr. McCourt’s session at the book fair, which was co-hosted by the funny Dave Barry, I knew what I wanted to ask him. If you’re at all curious what I asked, watch the video below. The whole presentation is entertaining, but my few seconds of glory can be found at the 37:13 mark.
Afterward when McCourt was signing a copy of Angela’s Ashes for me he said, “Sorry I won’t be able to join you for that drink,” and we both laughed. Then we took the photograph above. Unfortunately, there were 2 volunteers taking the photos and I think he was looking at the wrong one. Oh well. It’s not a completely miserable photograph.
