Daniel Johnston with Kid Show

Last Thursday, I saw Daniel Johnston live for the first time. The show was amazing. If you've never heard of Daniel, be sure to rent The Devil and Daniel Johnston. It's a great documentary (and one of my favorite films) of his life and music.

The photos above are Daniel with a DVD of Kid Show and other animations. Whenever I put together a DVD, I hand-draw the cover. I didn't get to hand it to him personally, but my friend Andy Roulston and his brother Jonathan were photographing Daniel that night, so they were able to bring it to him and take these great pictures. Thanks Andy.

Kid Show Poster

Jessica, my amazing wife, helped me make this great poster for Kid Show when it screens at AFI, and any other festival after. She's such a good designer.

I painted today for the first time in a while. It was a good process. I forgot how good it feels to experience the back and forth of frustration and joy when I paint. When I'm done, I'm exhausted, but I feel peaceful, like I've added a new chunk to the pile of clay in my head. I also appreciated the freedom of how a painting can develop. I wove in and out of meaningful forms and abstract whatever. The painting is about sitting outside and feeling great about the mountains and flowers. I sound so flowery. All this talk about feeling good and great and joyful, and painting.

The ghost of accident past has come upon me and I am experiencing strange pain in my knee. It's unusual, because it hurts below my kneecap and on the side--not anywhere at the actual joint. I think I'm going to go to the doctor soon, as long as I can figure out who my doctor is!

Also, I will be seeing one of my favorite musicians next month, Daniel Johnston. Jess and I are really pumped.

My Cat Can See Demons

If you've never seen The Devil and Daniel Johnston, you should. Daniel Johnston has had a crazy life and just learning about it and listening to his music has changed mine.

The sun makes me happy.

Everyone is weak, that's a given.

Oh, a dog story: my wife Jessica, her friend Anna, and I were walking on Thayer street. There was a huge black lab dog sitting in the shade next to a gray house. I walked over to see if he'd let me pet him. There was a large bone, like a thigh of a cow, lying on the ground next to him. He stared at me as my hand came closer to his face. I imagined him biting me, but in the end, he just sat there like a basket full of dolls. Jessica and Anna walked over and we gave him a good pet.

I don't know if it was Anna's skirt, or just her aura of kindness, but something got the dog excited and he went for an excavation under Anna's skirt. She gasped a little and bent over so fast that her glasses fell off. The dog quickly snatched up the glasses in his mouth and wouldn't let them go. We pleaded with him to let go, but he resisted. We could hear the sound of his teeth sliding against the lenses.

After another moment, I was able to talk him out of it, and he eventually eased up and let me have them. I handed them to Anna and she wiped off the drool.

That was fun, I miss dogs.