Mo Willems and Lou Ferrig-who? at the N.Y. 2009 Comic Con

The three-day New York 2009 Comic Convention that commenced on February 6 at the Jacob Javits Center was quite a hit, or so I was told. My husband took my son, who met the nationally acclaimed Brooklyn author/illustrator, Mo Willems, the illustrious creator renowned for his clever children stories and straightforward illustrations, dominated by offbeat characters, such as the utterly wily pigeon, who repeatedly carries out his antics in a series of attempts to gain your trust in “Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive the Bus”, “Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late”, “The Pigeon Finds a Hotdog”, and “The Pigeon Wants a Puppy”. And was Mr. Willems rather pleasant to his supporters, I’m told. He didn’t charge a penny for a snapshot with him.


***Video courtesy of cnet.com

On the contrary, Lou Ferrigno, the former green monster guy, named The Incredible Hulk, who underwent a grotesque transformation every time he was overcame with fury, apparently had his head stuck in green once again at the Con, well, metaphorically speaking. And no, I don’t mean that rage overcame him all over again. Mr. Ferrigno was somewhat possessed by a different sort, or shade, of green, as in dough, the cash kind, in which case, you might as well take his green obsession quite literally, I suppose. You had to hand him both a Jackson and a Hamilton for a picture with him. Now, that’s incredible! And I don’t mean that in a cool way. No, not at all. Now, whenever I’m reminded of the dated green guy, I think of this hideous “green” guy—and definitely not the Hulk of our current times, Ed Norton—for charging my son who had actually been excited to meet the green monstrosity with his dad at the Con.

Dismissing this not so incredible facet of the Con, the event was pretty awesome, my son reports. By the way, Mo Willems’ website, mowillems.com, and his ironically famous but nameless pigeon’s site, pigeonpresents.com, offer smart amusement and a totally cavity-free treat.

Zipping through happenings that zipped by

Zipping through life leaves me befuddled, aside from breathless. So, for my sake, as this blog is practically my journal—I record more of the thoughts my reeling mind churns out here and also on pieces of paper and napkins than in my actual, old-fashioned, hard bound journals—I need to log a few things that happened this summer, and maybe even events that took place in recent years, that they don’t just become random fragments floating in my already cluttered head and promoting further congestion. I need to unload them here.

First, The Hudson County Waterfront Clean-up. It was such a hot day in June at the park by the bay. But it was also such a pleasant thing to help clean a small part of Newark Bay with other responsible, earth-conscious individuals. My family's looking forward to participating again next year to help reduce the garbage defacing our earth, right here in our small part of the world, because every little effort, every little hand, and every little heart counts.

Next is Liberty State Park's 34th Annual Cultural Arts Festival, which The Hudson Artists of New Jersey participated in. Here’s the always delightful chairperson, Marge Colavito, who is a truly remarkable artist and also the association's chairperson. She holds painting classes for anyone interested at The Upstairs Art Gallery, where she also offers services such as framing and art concession. And here’s a glimpse of my hand-painted shirts for a sample sale. Of course, the event showcased many impressive works by other artists, one of who had his paintings printed on shirts, and I, being an artist who likes to support other artist/artisans who passionately put their hearts and souls into their handmade products, just had to buy a couple of those creative shirts, one for my husband and the other for my brother.

Speaking of my brother, he is also an artist, and is quite exceptional as well, especially for someone who just recently graduated with a Fine Arts degree and hasn’t had any professional experience. Here’s a glimpse of his work in sculpture and the eagle in the Senior Art Exhibit 2008 poster pictured below. He had already bequeathed three of his original pieces to me—the eagle done in graphite (shown in the picture), a pelican in pastel, and another bird in acrylic are all perched in my hallway. They look so realistic that I could almost hear the birds sing. Well…

Anyway, here's a video of him painting with his class at the University of Guam. (I envy their al fresco ambiance; which painter wouldn't be inspired to paint the colors of nature? Surely, the bright and boundless nature can always spark something magical to transpire. You just have to keep your eyes open...and you'll see the guy, with a white shirt and a full head—thick hair—standing while he paints; that's my brother :)

Finally, Fourth of July was nice and relaxing this year, just like last year, and unlike in 2005, when we camped at Liberty State Park and trekked back to the light rail station when the fireworks were over, which was quite grueling with all our packs burdening our backs as we guided our son through the exodus in the dark. There was one consolation. Yoda communed with us...

This time, we just sat by our town’s Waterfront Park while the fireworks fascinated us. See…

On my next posting: trip to Salem last year, coffee shops, Strands Bookstore, Gray’s Papaya Hotdogs, summer at the Washington Square Park in the village and Ocean Grove beach, this year’s Halloween, and a few other happenings yet to be mentioned...I hope...

Harry Potter Theme Park for Us, Minions and Muggles

Yeay! And another big treat for us faithful followers of Potter. (Sorry it isn't Ms. Potter of Hill Top this time, though her own inimitable heritage shan't ever be forgotten so long as Peter, Benjamin, and their mates continue to flourish and frolic around at the Lake District; see previous article below on this subject) Of course, I'm talking about the other Potter, and his mates, who have surely captivated our society and managed to evolve from mere cult to prominent mainstream and, as it appears now, to an all-time classic, for his minions anyway. November 21, 2008 will quench us with the first part of The Half-blood Prince to be followed by the second part sometime in May of 2009, if I'm not mistaken. Then, the really big treat arrives in 2010, when The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Theme Park opens at Universal Studios in Orlando. Sweet! Imagine being inside the immensely significant settings: Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, Three Broomsticks, with an Owl's Eye View! The books are fantastic, the movies have been incredible, and the novelties, including the websites and events related and/or strictly devoted to the Harry Potter mania, abound. But these just aren't enough. They'd never gratify enthusiasts such as those who have followed the Harry Potter saga, as in us, minions. To be able to walk in a scene as the characters did in the story would fulfill both the muggles and countless minions of Harry Potter. Let this announcement from Universal Studios in collaboration with Warner Brothers confirm yet another major forthcoming Harry Potter event. This will be massive. Professor Trelawney's prediction is rather unnecessary in this case.

Hoboken Arts and Music Festival, Wicked Monkey, and May is So Over because of hasty June...

May is gone and June was hasty. School already ended for most students and as anticipated by many, summer is here. (The last time I checked, I was just watching the 4th of July fireworks dazedly; I need about another month to catch up with July which is a couple of weeks shy of being kaput as well, so I’ll put that subject off until then when I’m entirely there.) Apparently, time just zips by, leaving me utterly winded…there’s never enough of time to do anything much with and, much less, everything. So I’ll just have to make a minor adjustment and forget about all of my plans this summer. There. That should take care of this funny business of hyperventilating. And to think, I was even so ecstatic about this fiery season during the spring showers…

Blame it on May. It—my ludicrous perception of summer euphoria—all started with May, which I’ll return to shortly since this posting is supposed to be about my spring events, an account of which is already two months delayed, thanks to the flower power that is May and its onslaught of activities. May subliminally instigated my blasted, out-of-control summer notion that is almost uncanny and not funny at all. She (May) is the culprit that spawns events in an incredibly rapid succession, leaving one with hardly a break in between to heave a second wind, and spews them to an already swamped and robotic yet still very acquiescent society who knows naught but to mechanically nod through their overscheduled days and recite phrases like “What time does it start?” for confirmation—such confirmations are sure to satisfy man’s insatiable need for affirmation. (Wake us, George Carlin—such a loss to society, who shall continue your reason and your fight-less fight?—and those of you who are brave enough to act on your grumbles, Wake us!—us—mindless drones of mankind drifting listlessly, though fully functional like robots, in a world submerged in a mass hysteria for “filling”. Forget about doing—there is great and inexpressible spiritual sense in the doing of something that is united with the heart. Otherwise, it is only filling… gorging… hording. We have an enormous craving to fill a huge void—an immense, dark hole that is man’s unquenchable thirst for approval. Hence, the birth of palm pilots—aha! The power to connect, confirm, and ultimately organize—or control—is in our hands. Once again, we have achieved instant gratification for our immense need to belong, at least for the time being. And palm pilots are almost archaic due to the speed of our technological advancement. We have moved onto smarter, sleeker, more sophisticated technology that boasts more features and functions and buttons; buttons are easier to push, never mind the ancient levers as they require more physical work like playing with a stick that requires more mental exertion otherwise known as creativity. As Carlin clearly expressed his thoughts on society and its children, albeit abrasive his views are, children aren’t allowed to play with sticks nor stare at a tree anymore; they are far too busy to merely commune with nature and stare and think and wonder. These children are now a new breed, highly advanced and ambitious. They are a class of their own, a modern hybrid that needs to belong, attain, and win. They are serious and focused. And they mean business, or their parents do, at least. Hence, the emergence of after-school, weekend, and summer programs, because the normal schooling just isn’t sufficient to hone a child anymore, and the adults at home are crammed (their palm pilots say so) to engage with their kids with as little as a mere glimpse, never mind a conversation which requires too much mental effort. In fact, the standard school’s performance is now substandard, so there is only room for higher expectations and excellence by providing more school assignments and activities. And the adults are of course extremely concerned. They can’t take their invisible eyes off their kids as they wade through their pool of commitments. These children are going to be our future leaders, so there is no time to waste. There is only enough time for grooming these youths to perfection—we need future leaders like Bush and Clinton, and majority of the government officials that currently manage our society. Doing more is the only way to keep up. And make sure that you fix others and their backyards first before your own. Keeping up is the only way to prove something—to gain another human being’s admiration and approval to ultimately mean something. Because “God is never pleased”. A catholic church newsletter said so. Wait something feels awry. Eerie actually. Maybe it’s just my neurosis.

Okay, maybe I am just connecting dots and being totally neurotic. But listen, it is probably really April’s fault. Perhaps, she is the one liable for this sort of event obsession with her spring and Easter hype and, also, whoever it was responsible for making March cover Easter too, as if there were not enough leprechauns and clovers to manage its merrymaking all through another month of craze. And weren’t we still suffering from the hang-over that was valentine’s madness and its colossal stuffed teddies that lined up the store shelves?

Now back to May. What happened in May…hmm...oh, I remember now. It was my son’s interview for another school on the 5th, his birthday party on the 10th, his friends’ party on the 16th and the 25th, also the day of our friend’s get-together, Hoboken’s Art’s and Music Festival on the 4th, and oh, mother’s day on the 11th. The month was also stuffed with school activities such as field day, fun night, and early dismissals. And as if that weren’t enough to keep me panting on all fours and trying to hold on to dear sanity for the third grader living with me—forget about the roses on mother’s day, I definitely had no time to smell them…wait, I can’t even remember if I received any…I remember going to our friend’s get-together that afternoon…I had breakfast in bed, courtesy of my thoughtful son, assisted by my husband (check); cards (check); lunch at Houlihan’s and having on my dainty, chiffon, light pink dress (check); and Chip Kidd’s edition, Peanuts: the art of Charles M. Schulz, a treat from my husband which I absolutely enjoyed, because Sparky’s work is truly remarkable, and I consider him a genius like Theodore Giesel. So, I hope to write more about this special edition of the Peanuts in another posting.

Anyway, as I mentioned earlier, as if the excitement weren’t enough to last well into the summer and past it, both Indiana Jones and Narnia happened to emerge from their creators’ closets on the same month. So, we packed our weekends with events that included the movies, like we were packing for a long vacation overseas. (How I wish it was actually a vacation overseas in a tropical oasis, like last year’s in Guam.) Fortunately, Iron Man was released around the time of my son’s 9th birthday party, so we took care of seeing the movie and having the party simultaneously. Ahh, what joy!—one stone took care of a couple of birds…there really must be something to be got from aphorisms... My son was allowed to invite a few friends—a few meaning as much as the fingers on a set of normal hands, because the day of inviting the whole class, in my book at least, had culminated in 1st grade—to the movies which was immediately followed by a party at our house. What else could you do for a 9 year old boy? Clowns were creepy, and arts and crafts a little too cheesy for these slightly older children, most of which were boys. In previous years, we had been there and done a Veggietales’ pizza party, Star Wars with Darth Vader as a special guest, and Sam’s Green Eggs and Ham a year after Bob the Builder turned the cake into a nice yellow property with sugar grass. No way could we have snuck in time for cloud-watching or tree-communing for the kids. Sorry, George. Ah, but for us adults, my husband and I, at least, did I mention having squeezed in time at the park before sundown for our sanity’s sake and for planting on Memorial Day, the 26th , too? All these activities happened in one deep, long breath that is called May, which was also crammed with schoolwork and karate classes every week. And that’s just my son’s life which apparently overlaps my husband’s and mine.

And by the way, as those events transpired, I was also in the middle of unfinished paintings, shirt and bag designs, and unpublished writings. In fact, I’ve been in the middle of all these projects for a while now. It’ll be a great relief if I could complete a dozen paintings for a small showing at a bookstore, café, or other similar venues, and definitely a huge treat to have prepared a good amount of shirts and bags to sell at future art fairs.

Before I cease babbling, I have to talk about the Hoboken Arts and Music Festival that took place on the 4th of May, Sunday. It was somewhat enjoyable. Detecting a hint of boredom in my tone, don’t you? Well, I don’t know if it’s just me and my self-detected ADD, but the event has become tiresome for one reason or another. Maybe because I was not given a chance to prove that, unlike most of the silly shirts that currently plague our malls, there is real art in my shirt designs to the snooty phone lady, who had rather tersely replied during my application inquiry that “they”—the mysterious and sacred festival committee—would just “ignore” my samples,. The festival air also reeked, not of art and music, but lifelessness and the unpleasant odor of mere business hullabaloo. This is not to disregard the market’s role in the creative sphere at all, otherwise the artist wouldn’t be able to cultivate his craft and carry on. But once commerce undermines the creative process, the very heart of creativity is lost, leaving only a creative mirage with the stench of commercialism at its core.
Okay, on the other hand, I did enjoy the Wicked booth, its lively staff, and promotional perks, which included sunscreens and a free snapshot of you and your group complete with props and backdrop. And my son enjoyed the foot long hotdog, as he always had since he started coming along and been able to consume a hotdog of that length. And since I began coming to this event twice a year in spring and in fall, my husband and I have started collecting a souvenir or two. So far, we’ve acquired jewelry, an African musical instrument, and toys such as a pirate marionette, a set of wooden bow and arrows, a wooden rubber-band gun, all unique, and absolutely hand-made. We even tried some delicious dips. This time I decided to pick up another musical instrument, which was some type of a Mexican recorder or flute, in addition to my son’s second marionette—a blue-eyed, lavender alien. That’s just the point of these festivities, to discover, celebrate, and support artists and local musicians, and sample a variety of international foods. If only the foods are a little less pricey and the music’s turned down a notch, these treats could be appreciated more, while the people get to enjoy their food and conversations with music in the background. The $5 tin cup of old fashioned soda poured out from wooden barrels was a real treat though. And other than wishing that I saw more people supporting the artists by buying their products, I actually am looking forward to the autumn event. Do I really wish business to pour over these artists, my counterparts? I do…I have to, as it is also one of my deepest desires for my art to be seen, appreciated, and ultimately purchased for my official validation…
Ay, humans…so simply complicated. Can’t live with or without…just like summer.

Earth Day, Community Date

April just passed. However, and despite my thousand and one preoccupations, I still have to talk about our 2008 and 5th Earth Day celebration here at Hudson County, NJ--check out the link here and on the side, labeled "Hudson's Home" under the heading Earth On You if you care for more info. Anyway, it was a really beautiful day at Liberty State Park, by the Hudson River and overlooking Manhattan's skyline. The event hosted various activities. It was kicked off by the adult race, which I sorely missed by a few minutes, and the fun run for the kids soon after; luckily, my son with the black shirt and red pants in the picture was able to participate. There were music for all, al fresco; children's games both outdoors and indoors at the ferry terminal; and tons of giveaways, including school supplies, toys, plants, information on numerous social and earth conscious organizations of course, and food galore!-from bagels to donuts, bananas, oranges, drinks, and even 100 calorie snacks--a Nabisco promotion, which I think is very clever of them to advertise that day. I'd definitely have to remember to skip breakfast next year because I can catch it there with loads of other treats, after participating in the early run.

This is definitely one event I've looked forward to every year since it started. It reminds me a lot of the cultural festivals held every year in the mall in Washington D.C., a few of which are the Taste of D.C., which I just found out,while writing this bit and wanting to link the event's site, to not have only been temporarily suspended, but unfortunately terminated...makes me wonder about the budget on events like this for the community...hmm..., the Smithsonian Craft Show, and the Cherry Blossom Festival. Anyway, let me get back to Earth Day. This event is truly enjoyable and informative. One thing though, I just wonder how much stuff is procured from China for freebies, like the chip bag clips or the letter openers, with Jersey City's mayor's name on them, for this event. I hope it's not an excessive amount of stuff...I mean wouldn't that defeat the purpose of the event in a way? I better end it here before my thoughts steer me elsewhere. I do love the baby blue toothbrushes and the herbs. And my son loves the owls, the oversize, sponge golf balls, and the pencils. And of course, my husband loves the food and makes sure he doesn't litter.