I remember when I first met @Donkey_Guy_10 in person. It was a horrible disappointment. I imagined a bucked tooth hairy beast with long floppy ears and a swishy tail, but instead he was rather sophisticated and debonair, not at all what I expected. Still, he was entertaining in his way, that is if you like subtle humor and a quick wit. Donkey_guy was my first non family friend here on Xanga.

I remember when I met @Seedsower for the first time. She was standing with my sisters and I knew, the stories my mother told us as a child about selling our naughty sister Josephine to the gypsies was true. I am just glad that after 45 years we found her and were able to be reunited.

I remember when I met @DanishDoll and her husband, @Ihatepeas. She was sooooo tiny and small, but had the biggest heart warming smile. A real glow!

I remember when I met the @Dreadpirate too. He drove a battered pick up truck from somewhere south and stayed with us in our home. Danged son of a gun stole a plank from my cabin before he left. I'll not forget that. I chased him halfway across the state trying to get that plank back but to no avail. He vanished into the foggy hills of Allegany county.

I have met a lot of people in person that I first met on Xanga. We celebrated holidays and birthdays together, played coed naked twister, gone skinny dipping in the pond and flung rubber bands at a ceiling fan. Many of my Xanga friends have shared meals with my family, for which I am ever joyed. I was looking forward to meeting more of you in person. Perhaps it may still be possible.

If for some reason though we never meet face to face don't think for one minute that I don't cherish our friendships. Some of you have become as close a friend as I have ever had, even if we are separated by thousands of miles.

I have learned about many cultures and walks of life, been granted a glimpse into the homes and hearts of countless mothers and fathers struggling with daily life, tried to offer a word of kindness or helpful hint whenever I could think of one. Xanga has been a place where not only have we been amused by the drama kings and queens of the internet, but a place where we ourselves have found a sense of purpose, acceptance and belonging, even as we argued over opposing points of views.

Yes. I have nothing but fond memories of my time here on Xanga, and I had hoped that Xanga would outlive me, but that very well may not be the case. I think every person deep down in the depths of their spirit desires an iota of immortality. This is why we reproduce, or create art and music, poetry and prose, so that a small piece of our being might be passed down through the generations. I secretly had believed that the internet might also be one possible way to achieve that as well. They say, once "it" enters the web it never can be erased. Maybe that really isn't true.

Nothing lasts forever, so let's make the most of our time here, now. I propose a party. A party a day, every day until the end of Xanga I, and then if Xanga II happens we'll have a bigger party. We need a place to have our party... Hmmmm who would make a good party host? I know! I volunteer @Shining_Garnet. Her place is small but hopping! We can cram a lot of people in there and get real close, if you know what I mean! Don't forget to bring some snacks...

My wife and I were discussing letting both our Xanga accounts die on July 15th and opening one single new joint account. Of course Bishop's account will be closed, and so long as he behaves we would let him post now and then on ours. We have joint bank accounts, joint emails, joint custody of the chocolate, achy joints, why not a joint Xanga? Just in case the new Xanga flops, friends who want to stay in touch, can always send email to Aloysius_son@yahoo.com. That should be easy enough to remember. Leave me your contact information any time. Hopefully though this won't be necessary and we will see each other on the other side...

I am curious, how many of you have pledged? Who thinks that they are not going to pledge? If not, why not? Would you use the new Xanga if someone gifted you a membership?

I am considering pledging, as I said jointly for my wife and I to open a new account, and gift 9 other friends, preferably people who really really want to remain a part of the Xanga community, but have budget limitations that are making the decision for them.

There is still plenty of time to make up my mind as to what I really want to do.
On a lighter note, I made venison chili yesterday . . . But it's all right now, in fact, it's a gas!
jumpin jack flash,
Its a gas! gas! gas!

My naked mind... Some of my thoughts might be offensive, so in order to protect the innocent I am posting protected below. If you wish to be added to my protected list simply ask.

It's hard to believe, but I have been painting for over forty years. In that time, I've painted a lot of birds and landscapes. Through out my career as a roofer, I've stayed with painting all along.

Now I am at a crossroads, as my space is filling up where I store my paintings. As the status quo is no longer possible, I've been working to figure out the best way for me as a painter to move forward.

I've seen other artists go down different paths... some have sold their works to the highest bidder, while others have cut off their ears and shot themselves through the heart. The thing is, it's really hard to sell your paintings in a struggling economy. Picasso, Da Vinci, Warhol... lots of people have tried to sell their paintings, and rarely, if ever, have they succeeded.

ANOTHER PATH

I started to wonder if there was another path. I started painting back in 1966, and it's amazing how much my work has changed in the past 47 years! If I colored then like I do now, I wouldn't have eaten my crayons quite as much - heck I'd probably even kissed that red headed girl I always liked.

I'd focus on what I have always felt was my core strength: Painting nudes in the landscape. And I'd have a LOT more models to work with - especially when it came to the subtleties of shadows and lighting, the bane of any artistic vision. I would be a painter in the nude, for the nude and of the nude.

As I mapped it all out, I thought: "Is this possible... could I do this??"

Well I mapped it all out, and got really excited. I believe that this is a plan that could give my painting a fresh lease on life. And life is the key word, as my options look like this:

Door #1: I can't afford to buy or lease an expensive building near my house to store my works, so I would have to offer everyone a free painting, and stop painting all together.

Door #2: I could find a way to market my paintings to the community at large or find a rich patron, and reinvent my works within the community.

I strongly favor Door #2, but need your help to pull it off. I would require two things to open that door: time and money.

MONEY

I'm not willing to work for free, I need roughly $150k to open door #2, including:

* The costs of purchasing the building.
* The costs of renovations and upgrades to suit my needs.
* The costs of marketing and operations.

Because of this cost, I would have to charge people to look at my paintings, where patrons pay to see my works. (Just being a member of the community at large would still be free though, except for the part about paying taxes.) I would enable patrons to pay in either cash money or credit card, (Or check, with two forms of ID). At first, though, I would only be able to offer cash money options - as I would need a significant amount of money to make the building purchase possible. I would also include a gifting option, where you can buy a gift certificate for a friend... or earn one through volunteering to help with remodeling, electrical, carpentry or plumbing, and give that gift certificate to a friend.

Since this is a new venture, I would need to advertise maybe on TV and radio... every ten minutes... the same annoying ads... over and over again.

I would donate my ideas to get things up and running... but cashiers and models would still need to be paid unless anyone wants to volunteer to model naked for me. So I am launching a Kickstarter-style fundraising effort, with the following rewards:
◦A small 6" x 6" drawing or painting ($48)
◦A larger 8" x 10" drawing or painting (i.e. About the size of a sheet of paper... $96)
◦An even larger 12" x 12" drawing or painting ($144)
◦An even larger still 16" x 20" drawing or painting ($192)
◦Or the largest yet 24" x 24" drawing or painting ($240)

(+ shipping and handling)

Here are some of the features I'd be able to offer out of the blue:

* Custom themes - you'll be able to use pick your own subject matter.
* Colors - I will provide a work of art that will be in either color or black and white, I can even match your living space designed by using your favorite colors.
* Free viewing - At long last, you'll be able to view the painting in the privacy of your own home at any time for no extra cost!

I have been busy assessing the feasibility of my plan, and started the work necessary to launch "The Artists' Cave"! If I can raise $99k by August 15th, I will be able to purchase the building! If not, I will understand and will have to stop painting.

TIME

I also plan to build my new art empire while continuing to work for the roofing company. I would ask for volunteers in various areas, including:

* Drywallers: to help remodel the interiors
* Electricians: to help install new lighting
* Plumbers: to help bring the restroom up to code, and to make it handicap accessible
* HVAC: to help with environmental controls
* Pipefitters: to help install a fire suppression system
* Docents: to help visitors with their purchases
* Accountants: to help keep track of all the money I will be making.

Volunteers would receive free coffee and doughnuts and a pizza on Friday afternoons.

* Your choice of two toppings
* A litter of coke.

KEY DATES

First things first: no matter how things turn out, I've made it so that all my friends and subscribers can download any of my paintings posted on Xanga through July 15th:

http://Aloysius_son.xanga.com/photos

Beyond that, here are the key dates for the next two months or so:

* June 2nd: I am launching this fundraiser, and continue my work on financing the building though a bank.
* Through July 15th: I will contact my friends and subscribers with multiple mass messages about the fundraiser, and also allow any and all users to download photos of my works for free.
* July 15th: This will be the final day for the free downloads.

If I have a successful fundraiser:

* August 15th: If I've raise $99k, then I will move into my new building and start remodeling.

If the fundraiser isn't successful:

* August 15th: If I haven't raised $99k, then this will be the last date that I paint anything.

One last note: throughout this process, you will have full access to my site, at least until July 15th!

You can check out the fundraiser (and make a pledge!) here

* http://www.xanga.com/message.aspx?user=Aloysius_son

TOP FAQs

How can I download your photos?

All Xangans can download photos by right clicking on the desired photo and selecting "Save picture as" on the pull down menu.

What will happen to all of my friends and subs?

If you are truly a friend you will first pledge $48 to Xanga and help keep the site up and running, and then buy a drawing or painting from me!

When will I be charged for backing this fundraiser?

If you back my campaign, you will be charged immediately and can pay by cash, check or money order, as that is the only means of collecting fees I have set up at this time. That will probably be changing soon. Even if the full $99k campaign goal is not reached I keep the money and you keep the drawing or painting.. If the goal is reached, then I will conduct a second campaign for the remaining $51K that I need to get the business up and running. To back the Xanga fundraising campaign go to https://xanga.crowdhoster.com/relaunch-xanga and click on the "Contribute" button.

I can answers more AQs in the comments section of this page.

----------------------------------------

Let me know if you have any other questions! I'll be answering questions, reworking some canvases and posting regular updates.

Aloysius_son

I bought a used wood chipper. After trimming the apple trees and shrubs I made enough wood chips and leaf mulch to cover all the garden beds. It is loud and powerful. Oo-yeah. The neighbors love me.

This past weekend we put a marble floor in the bathroom at camp. A few years back a bank was remodeling and throwing away the marble countertops. I grabbed pieces out of the dumpster and used them for the floor. It looks awesome.

I have allergies. I never used to, but over the past few years I have developed them. Ugh.

The offer we put in on the commercial building for the studio/art gallery was accepted. Now we have to come up with a boat load of money. I wonder if there is an easier way to make money than working for it. We stopped by the bank yesterday, but someone had beaten us to it. The cops were there and the whole place was sectioned off with crime scene tape. We decided to try something different.

Seedsower is the best sister I have. She sent us a box of chocolate. I love my sister. I would love my other sisters too if they sent chocolate. Yes, my love can be bought.

A bear ate all my bird feeders. All of them. Stoopid bear.

Work is keeping me busy.

Cats are driving me crazy.

Gardens coming in nicely.

I'll stop by to see ya'll soon.

A long long time ago I had a lot to say
Now the words evade me
Along in time somewhere I lost my will to say
what was on my mind
out of politeness
out of concern
out of fear
In the dark of the night I sit and contemplate my demise
Who will I share my soul with on this earth
who shall be my concubine
You? or maybe you?
I have no money
so I have no friends
I have short stubby fingers
and this very well might be my end

In the silence of the night
I hear the stars ringing
Can you hear the sounds?
They shrill and they sparkle
lighted little rainbows twinkling in the sky
No one is here to listen with me
No one is sitting in the wet grass as the dew settles in
But me
Alas
This is the sound the stars make
"We are creatures of the night"
Fe fi fiddly-I-o little stars
I am a giant compared to thee.
Thou art tiny tinsy little pin pricks of light in the vast sky
Silly stars
Falling to earth now and then

It takes a long long time to listen
Don't say you weren't warned
But it is worth the time spent
When you have no dollars
or dimes to spare

Time to share
Composition #140

If you are reading this chances are you are addicted to social media. It is not necessarily a bad addiction though. There are worse. However if your addiction prevents you from engaging in other healthy activities, such as sleeping, working, caring for and visiting friends and family members in person, then you should consider getting away from your web devices and doing something more worth while.
Lately I have been trying to reduce the amount of time I spend on the internet. With the nice weather I spend more time outdoors, gardening, hiking and exploring. I have been spending more time at work focusing on what is important there. Of course I have my distractions, like painting and playing the piano, and a cat who seems to think it is the center of the universe.
I have seen a few posts lately, "16 things" which I have enjoyed reading so much so I decided to participate myself.

Sixteen things about myself you might not know:

1. As a lad I had better than perfect eyesight. The doctors told me I had 40/20 vision in my right eye and 30/20 vision in my left. That means I could see clearly at 40 and 30 yards what the average person could see at 20. Perhaps this is why I enjoy drawing and painting so much. I see a lot.

2. My eyesight helped me to attain sharpshooter 1st class ranking at age 14. I belonged to a rifle explorer post and could hit 99 out of 100 bulls eyes at regulation distance on a regulation target. That one in a hundred miss however disqualified me from pursuing an spot on the Olympic team. Those shooters are really really good.

3. My shooting skills have allowed me to harvest 24 deer over the years with my Hawkins single shot muzzle loader. I butcher my own venison and share it with family and friends. It is a skill I learned from my dad and he from his.

4. Hunting has taught me a great appreciation for nature and the outdoors. I prefer to be outside than in, except now as I am getting older I don't tolerate the cold as well. I like to play and relax outside, but working in the cold weather is sort of becoming a real drag.

5. I like to work. Rather, I like being productive. It gives me a boost of adrenaline and improves my self esteem when I am producing. In many instances I can out produce my coworkers 5 to 1. I have learned how to better motivate my coworkers rather than out compete them, I try to inspire them to out compete themselves. I think this is why I am considered such a valuable asset to my company. If I do the work of 5 men, 5 men will end up out of work and I end up exhausted. If I instead inspire them to perform better, everybody is a winner.

6. I am loved and hated both, often at the same time. I tend to push others around me. Many people don't like to be pushed, even if it is in their own best interest. Many a man has told me that they often want to "push back", but after a while they realize they are heading in a better direction and they eventually express their gratitude. I don't push too hard though. It takes way too much energy.

7. Although I don't have as much energy as I once had I am still rather hyper. I used to consume 12,000 calories a day and never gained a pound. Now I am down to about 5,500 and I have put on a few pounds. I like to sit more than I used to. I think it is because my legs are tired. I walk nearly 20 miles a day when I am working, so when I get time off I just like to sit.

8. I learned a lot about leadership through the Boy Scouts. I started scouting when I was eight, became a Boy Scout at 11, an Eagle Scout at 14, an assistant Scout Master and Cub Master after college. Eventually I served as a Scout Master and in several district positions. I served on many scout committees, for scout camps and events. Currently I have stepped down from my active roles in scouting and only serve as an advisor to APO (Alpha Phi Omega) the service fraternity at RIT.

9. Family First. I love having a family. I have a brother, sisters, mom and dad are still alive, or at least they were when I wrote this post. I have cool cousins and aunts and uncles. I have an adopted seed sowing sister and 2 brothers, that is I have adopted them as my family . The two brothers were scared of each other at first, until they met. Now the pirate and donkey are friends.

10. I love my wife. You probably could have guessed that, but what you probably didn't know is that before I met my wife I had 40 different girlfriends in 7 years. Yeah, it seemed like I just couldn't find the right person. Since I met my wife, I have never "been with another woman". Sure I still like to flirt. I like all women in general, young and old, thin or tall, chubby, short, dark, light and everywhere in between, but my wife is my one and only. If you like to flirt, I am the married man for you, but if you want it to go any further, it ain't gonna happen.

11. I am always right. It is a gift. It is a curse. Even when I know I am wrong, I don't like to admit it. I don't like being wrong. If I admit to being wrong then that means a lot. I am stubborn in my opinions, but open to examine alternate points of view, even if they are wrong. When I find that I have made a mistake, I try to correct it before anyone else finds out. If I can't fix it then I try to find someone whom I trust who can help me fix it. As I get older I am finding that many mistakes are good learning opportunities, and not really as bad as they often seem at first. Of course because I am never wrong there is no point in trying to argue with me. We can however have an intelligent conversation, where you present alternate points of view. As I said I'll entertain those.

12. My stubbornness. What can I say? I am a Taurus. At night I look to the stars for the constellation of the bull and watch as he pursues the seven sisters, fleeing from Orion. Yeah. That's me.

13. I first played the piano when I was a small child. My uncle had a piano, and when we visited I kept trying to play it, but apparently I wasn't very good because everybody kept telling me to stop. In elementary school I wanted to take piano lessons, but we didn't have a piano so I took clarinet lessons instead. I hated the clarinet. It hated me in return. My folks bought an electric organ and I learned to play a few songs on that. Then my grandfather bought us a piano. My youngest sister took lessons for years and she was quite good. I would fidget with it every once in a while. I loved playing, but again, I wasn't very good at it. In college there was a piano in our dorm lounge. I would play that as much as I could, but with everything else college had to offer it wasn't nearly enough. By the time I had reached my senior year I had discovered the music annex and it had several sound proof practice rooms. I typically played from 11:30 at night till 3 or 4 in the morning nearly every night. I eventually gave a concert of my compositions on stage. I played a $34,000 Baldwin full concert grand piano in front of 350 people. I was naked. I still love to compose and play. I didn't play much when the kids were growing up, but over the past few years I picked it up again. I still have never taken a lesson. I probably should. I still play naked. I probably shouldn't.

14. I began drawing when I was 4 or 5. Like every kid, I scribbled incoherently with my crayons. Because my mom had 4 other children all younger than me, she encouraged me to keep drawing and coloring. It kept me quiet and out of trouble. I wasn't any better than any other kid my age, but I had encouragement and that is why I still love to draw and paint today. I went to college to study art. It helped my critical thinking, but did little to teach me techniques. I am self taught, with a college degree in drawing and painting. I've learned more about my craft from roofing than I did from my schooling. Drawing helps me to understand things in the world, both inside and outside myself. I think everybody should learn to draw. It is as valuable a tool for learning and teaching as reading and writing.

15. I will eat almost anything that is considered food, except sweet potatoes. I don't know why, but I just don't like them. Nope. Not one little bit. Granted there are a lot of foods that I will eat that I don't particularly enjoy, like white chocolate and many store bought snack foods. I prefer my chocolate dark and my snacks wholesome and nourishing. I love fresh fruits and vegies and meat. Oooooo I love my meat. Mmmmmmm bacon...

16. Speaking of dark chocolate, I have a dark side. I love dark things. I love the night. I like being awake late at night when everyone else is asleep. That is when I am at my best drawing and painting and composing music. I love dark haired women with dark eyes. Although I will admit blondes and red heads with blue and green eyes are sexy too. I rooted for Darth Vader all through star wars. In the end, he turned out to be not such a bad guy after all. I love dark skinned women, dark meat at thanksgiving and darkened toast, with cinnamon sugar. I like closing my eyes and resting in the darkness of a shaded room in the middle of the day. I don't like the sparkly vampires. I prefer my vampires villainous and creepy. Most of all I like dark thirty. That time when everyone else is turning on their lights and I am getting my night vision. I like walking in the woods in the dark without a light. There is an intensity of feelings that rush through ones veins in the dark. It is fear, fear combated by courage. Yeah.

I think these posts are suppose to be followed by tags, so here it is... If you read this 16 things post and haven't done one of your own, consider yourself tagged.

Relaxing on my day off. A preliminary study for a painting I have in mind, "Eve in Contemplation". Working strictly from my imagination I find it very challenging to render Adam's wife. I wonder how dark should her skin be? What color is her hair? Her eyes? How old do you suppose she was? It is difficult to imagine the light just right, with shadows convincing. I suppose it doesn't really matter how it looks in the end as whether or not you wonder the same things I do, when you see it. The whole idea is an allegory.

This particular composition didn't work out quite as I imagined. I imagined a greater play between her face, the sun and the fruit. Perhaps in the next version. I think I will explore the idea a bit more on this sketch before undertaking a canvas. 

 

"Eve in Contemplation"

14" x 16"

Mixed media - Acrylic, chalk, colored pencil, water color, gouache, charcoal and ink on partical board.

I am trying to start my own business. I am looking to purchase a commercial property and open a studio, gallery, store front to create, display and sell my works. I have been roofing for 34 years and am looking to retire soon. One of my lifelong goals was to retire early enough from roofing to take on a second career as a professional artist. I have been drawing and painting all along, and periodically selling works, but it is now time to make a serious effort to move solely in this direction.

I have been looking at commercial properties, writing a business plan, meeting with realtors, bankers and independent business owners, developing a plan of action. It is a daunting undertaking. I have been successful at a great number of things in my life. I believe I can be successful at this as well. Writing the business plan so far is the biggest challenge. Have you ever tried to write a business plan? I need to present mine to a lender in order to secure a commercial loan for the property.

The ideas for the business are the easy part, it is the profit and loss projections that I am finding most difficult to wrap my head around. I can calculate costs easy enough but sales projections are pure guesswork at this stage. I need to get this business up and running before I retire from roofing, and I need to retire sooner than later. I could just finish out my roofing career, kick back and relax on the fat little pension I have been putting away, but where's the fun in that? I need a challenge. I think this is it. I have produced over 2,500 original works that I could sell or make copies of for sale.

Anybody want to buy a painting?