I Will Rememer You.

I know your name

And I weep when you hurt

And I cheer when you win

Because you are my son

I will come when you call

I will hear your prayers

And I will fight for my name

Because you are my son

-You Are My Son, Scarecrow and Tinmen

"Naked I came from my mother's womb,

and naked I will depart.

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;

may the name of the Lord be praised."

-Job 1:21

This past weekend was devastating to me. Things I cannot completely verbalize yet for fear of completely breaking down occurred on January 10th. I know I will carry the scars of that day for the rest of my life. My life has seemingly passed in slow motion and is void of any real color, much like the winter landscape around me. Every where I look, there is some kind of reminder to me of life and love lost. I never knew I could feel so completely empty. So lifeless. So grey. Life in monochrome.

I will remember you fondly and always with all the love in my heart. I will not be complete again until I meet you again, on the other side of this life. May God keep you and protect you until we meet again. January 10th, 2009 will always be with me.

The Home Stretch

It's January 5th and it's 13 degrees outside. Not your typical fun-time weather, but it is January, so what can I expect. Today begins my final semester at the American Academy of Art in Chicago. I am anxious to complete my education there but simultaneously saddened and hesitant to leave. I have thoroughly enjoyed being in Chicago on a daily basis. I have made many new friends, many of which I hope to work with throughout our respective careers. I am thankful for the opportunity to have been a student under the instructors I have had these four years. But, all things must come to an end and I am ready for the next phase of my artistic endeavors. 

As is usual, I am sitting in a Starbucks while writing this. Actually, let me get more specific. I am sitting in the Starbucks on the corner of Wabash and Jackson in Chicago (just in case you were wondering. . . .) There is actually a really cool and inexpensive Japanese restaurant called Tokyo Lunchbox right across the street from me. They are really fantastic. Fresh sushi and a great assortment of Japanese favorites. If you're ever in town, stop bye. You won't be disappointed. 

Speaking of good Chicago food, I am thinking of gathering a small group of friends and heading down to the Burghoff for some lunch one of these days before the end of the semester. A few of us used to go all the time our Freshman year. It'd be a fun way to look back on our schooling and have a few laughs.

Ta-ta for now. . .

Caleb

Caleb's Shiny New Year

Another year is here. I could go on and on about how this year will be completely different from the past year, but in actuality, that would be tradition talking. So, I have used this particular entry to close out 2008 and usher in the great 2009 with a jambalaya of thoughts and updates. Stick with me. I promise not to ramble too much. . .

There are some rather big changes coming up this year, however, that are important to note. One of these being the induction of a new president. Usually regime changes are a positive change for the nation. In this particular time and place, this change represents many positive, and a few negative things.

The positive things, for the most part, are the obvious: Obama being the first African-American president, the general sense of hope that this particular president represents, the things he stands for could potentially be world changing, not just impacting the United States. The thing I have sensed (and justifiably so) is the complete and total dependence upon him and his policies by a majority of the people who were marginalized and misrepresented under the current Bush administration. 

This is a mistake.

No matter what Obama represents and the kind of man he is, he is still a human being. He is still dependent on the Senate and the House in order to pass any of the reforms and changes he pitched to us during his campaign. This really means that severe and, most likely, drastic changes will alter his original ideas to be more accepting to the vast majority of Americans. Regardless of who was elected, that person must still govern the people of the opposing political party. All that said (and this is really only a sketch of an idea; a sketch of a conversation) Obama will not meet all of our expectations. He will not please all of the people who voted for him. He will no please all of the people who did not vote for him. He will ultimately let some of us down, even those who desperately need him right now. I truly wish the best for Obama and support him as our next president. He will be (and has been) a strong symbol for not only American growth and change, but a symbol of healing and unity for the world. God bless him. I am glad he will be our new president.

On the up and up, gas prices are low again. I am pleased. Now my gas bill has gone down from $30 to under $12 - thanks Toyota Prius!

My garage has been converted into a modern art studio complete with 24" iMac and Nikon D90 camera. The flooring is arriving on Monday the 5th - all bamboo (keeping in step with my environmental values. . .) I got the ideas for a lot of my decor and building plans from the MSI's exhibit The Smart House - a "green" house incorporating hundreds of practical energy conserving (and in some cases, even energy generating) products and designs. I tried to use as many as I could afford. Overall, I am greatly pleased and thankful I was able to find these at a reasonable cost. 

I will be graduating at the end of the semester from the American Academy of Art in Chicago. Having earned my BFA, I will be exhibiting at the annual Wizard World Chicago convention in August. It has been a ong time in the making, but it's the journey that counts, not the destination. . . 

I will be taking a post-graduation trip out to Santa Fe, NM with some friends and one of my all time favorite teachers, the fabulous Mat Barber Kennedy R.I., on a painting excursion named the "Sons of Turner." We'll be staying in an eco-friendly compound (sans Pauly Shore. . .) from May 4th through May 11th. I am totally excited about this trip. It'll be one of my first real artistic journeys. I plan on doing this throughout the rest of my life. I'll keep you posted on the details as I learn them myself.

That's all for now. I need to get some sleep. 

Caleb