So much for grand pronouncements in my last post. I just don’t have the necessary time to document it all in real time. And it is too damn draining to do so anyway. I’m not sure if one day we’ll look back and the history books will have the truth or it will be some glossed over vision of whatever dictatorial regime is in power. Anyway you look at it, the current timeline is fucked.

I’ve taken an inward focus when it comes to directing my attention. I spend very little time looking at the news, and instead have invested my time in family, personal growth, and Shapeshifter. I’ve continued with counseling, and have adjusted my meds a bit, resulting in a more calm and less agitated demeanor.

Juniper is coming up on her 16th and will be driving soon. As a matter of fact she’ll be embarking on the driving portion of driving school in a couple of weeks. It’s crazy to think we give these young children keys to 3000 pound death canisters. Even at 16 she seems like a child. The responsibility just seems so profound as to negate anyone under the age of 21 for consideration of driving privileges.

Time goes quickly. When I came into Juniper’s life she was 3 or 3.5 years old. Here we are, she’s grown up, and I turn 50 in about two months. I’m not sure what I think about this. It’s a little sobering to think about, but then again, it is another day. I cross my fingers that I remain healthy and the devilish behavior of my past doesn’t come looking for a pound or two of flesh.

Of course, it’s been awhile since I’ve made time to be here. I had to dust some cobwebs off the place just to get started. Sheesh. As noted previously, all of my free time outside of work and family has been dedicated to Shapeshifter Sculpting. Any time I’ve had for writing blog posts has been written over there. To get it documented and to move on, here is where I’m at:

• Currently in the process of preparing for my first event: Boise Comics Arts Fest at the end of August.
• I have a mad amount of stuff to complete by August 30th and it will be a miracle if I pull it off. This amounts to product output as well as planning for sales,presentation, packaging, etc.
• I am going live with the online store September 1. Basically, anything left over from the BCAF event will be available on the shop. Could be a lot of stuff, could be a little.
• I have registered for my sellers permit with the state, so I’m officially almost there when it comes to collecting payments and paying sales tax.
• I’ve made some gains in social, but it’s all about time and effort. I’ll probably make another push sometime soon.

I had my first sculpture purchase. My older brother purchased a Biomechanical, number 1 of 7. He will be showcasing it, as well as one of my Blast Face zombie busts at this year's Gen Con convention. I mailed him some business cards to go along with the pieces. So, here’s hoping it drums up some interest.

What else has happened? I suppose I can just run a list.

• I went home to visit my mother this past Spring. As always, it is strange to be back in the area and the neighborhood. At one point I was walking over to the neighbors to give them back their key and someone let off a rapid fire series of gunshots. I ducked back and waited. Must have been 7 or 8 rounds. Quiet afterward. While I was in I met up with friends I haven’t seen in about 30 years. We had some dinner and hung out, shooting the shit and catching up. It was good to see them.
• My mother has been dealing with health issues for about three years now. It seems she never gets a break. Everytime it seems like things are looking up for her, something happens that sets her back. I hate thinking of her in the assisted nursing facility. It is far out from friends and family, located in Crown Pointe, Indiana. When I visited it took about an hour each way from my childhood home.
• Erin and I went to the Monsterpalooza convention at the end of May. That was a blast. Such a cool time. It was nice being in California and having some time just to ourselves. Unfortunately it was only for a few days.
• My mother-in-law went to a nursing home. Her condition makes it necessary at this point, and with my father-in-law getting older as well, it just makes sense. It’s sad to think about. Naturally this has brought about changes in routines and most profoundly my father-in-law's day to day life.
• Work continues to ebb and flow. We saw some dramatically slow months after Trump took office and started destroying the economy. It has picked up a bit since but there has definitely been a downturn. We’re running a pretty lean crew at this point.
• I haven’t been reading. Shapeshifter again. But I’m starting to miss it. I usually do at least one book a month. I think I’ll pick up something after this show in August.
• Music: there is always music. Everyday. So many new things have tickled my ears over the past months. I will have to make an epic Heavy Rotation post soon.

I also had a few moments to look over some family history paperwork my uncle shared with me almost two years ago. Due to him not having extra copies I snapped images of all the pages he had. The other day, while reading through some of the material I came across an amusing story about an ancestor on, I think, my grandfather Wood’s side.

Jeremiah Roach, born in the 1700’s (father of Job Wood’s first wife). Apparently he had gold in his home, and I suspect being cautious, he buried it in an iron kettle somewhere on the farm. He was also a horse lover, and , according to the notes, loved fast horses. He cut timber in the winter and pulled stumps in the summer for farmland. Notes go on to say he was cutting timber in the winter and his horses ran away, though they were pulling a log chain. It caught his foot and he was dragged across the frozen ground. He survived two days and died unable to tell his wife where the gold was buried.

Now that’s some shit right there. Dragged to death by the horses he loved, and his gold lost forever due to being overly cautious and failing to tell his wife where it was. I guess if there was an interesting way to go out of this world this would certainly fit the bill.

That is essentially it. Or what I can recall at this moment. Until next time…