I hadn't put pen/pencil/etc. to paper in several weeks due to being involved with other projects, plus the inevitable flare-ups. Life can be distracting, as we all know. Finally changed that late last week. Snapshots of my current effort follow...

Got something to do for an art trade, so the ship illo won't get done right away. Stay tuned, folks!

For a few years now, I have argued that the United States is an empire in decline. To my way of thinking, we reached our peak sometime in the early 1990's after the fall of socialism with the USSR coming apart. At that point certain trends of decadence were in motion within American society & more specifically within academia & business but overall, it was as good as it will ever get for us. We had the most effective military on the planet, our economy was strong, the Internet revolution was just getting started & China was emerging from its dictatorship under the late Deng Xiaoping into the current "state capitalist" (read as neo-mercantilist) nation it is today. We had no peer competitor of any kind.

That was 1991-93 or so. ⏩ to today &, well...isn't it amazing how much can change in 30-some-odd years? I could go into evidence for my stance but that would take way more time & lines of text than any of you would read here. All I'm gonna post is the latest economic evidence of it. With our weaponizing the dollar to punish nation-states we don't approve of & most of the West going along with it, certain other countries have taken note & are looking to free themselves from dependence on the dollar as a reserve currency. The CCP regime--always on game--is taking full advantage & welcoming them with open arms. To wit:

I just have one question: have any of the governments of these countries looking to free themselves from western/US hegemony thought about how they will deal with Chinese hegemony? Because China has been looking to be king of the hill for a while now...once we're knocked down a few pegs--& it will happen at some point. No empire lasts forever--the great dragon of the East is the most likely replacement. That is how the game is played: when a kingdom or nation stops being top dog, others will try to take the crown & the most capable one gets it. The dragon's rule, I suspect, would (will?) be quite different from ours.

Also, Michelle Makori has botox in her cheeks & forehead. I kinda wish she hadn't done that.

Happy 4th, my fellow Americans.

(Actually, July 3rd is the "real" holiday but that's a separate discussion)

I was out all yesterday evening...sketched, ate & drank. Plenty. So tonight I'm resting & then roasting a chicken. What an exciting life I lead. 😏

Good thing I stayed inside yesterday, because of this:

"Sunshine State" my hairy white ass.

A few weeks ago, in responding to a comment I said that I plan to do more marine-themed art (in other words, cool-looking boats). I meant it...however, my life is kinda busy these days. I probably won't get to it until later this year.

One thing I have been doing is lettering practice. Yeah, I'm a calligraphy nerd... Someone has to keep the art alive, & there aren't all that many of us left. I am a trilobite & fucking proud of it. So you'll see a few samples of that in weeks to come.

Aside from that, not much else to report. It's been raining a lot lately so I've been stuck indoors most of the time. Am dealing with tax stuff; I will get it done soon enough. If everything goes well I will go on a day trip to Orlando sometime in August. Been doing a couple craft projects as well...no, I am not going to post snapshots of 'em here. This account needs to stay focused, & I have enough trouble with that as it is.

I got the offer letter & the proposed rent increase isn't nearly as high as expected. That might be because I've been here for this long & don't give mgmt any real trouble. So I can stay here for another year.

As I have another year if I want it, the only thing to do is use it well. Now only two questions really matter:

1. How do I get out of here to a better (or at least more value for the $$) place? Part of the answer for that will be the answer for...
2. How do I increase income despite being disabled?

I do have a few ideas for #2...the decisive factor will be one of feasibility.

I decided to stop sketching people in real life for a bit because it's getting boring now. Am still doing other creative things, most of which I won't post here because let's face facts: NG isn't the right audience for it.

Aside from that, in just so many weeks my lease will be up. I plan to see about options for it tomorrow. If the leasing company wants to jack the rent, the fact that I'm disabled might or might not be a factor in being able to affect the company's decision. Gotta check local & state laws about that.

If they do decide to up the rent & I can't afford it...then life will get pretty rough for a bit. Let's hope that doesn't happen.

The first started as a sketch with permanent marker...I scanned it in (back when I had a scanner), then scanned in another sketch & put 'em together in Photoshop & did some other stuff involving filters & layers. The second one is a lettering practice piece/cultural commentary, which was then slightly (& digitally) edited. Enjoy.

...for lack of a better term, since so much of it is digital these days. Guess it's better than going through piles of forms on one's kitchen table...but still.

It's a pain in the ass. One of the curses of modern civilization.

Gotta get ready for the annual bleeding by the U.S. government!...

...it's actually ridiculous since for the most part, the IRS already knows what we all earned last year. We really shouldn't have to sweat over taxes like this. But that's how the system is set up. Sometimes modern civilization is a pain in the ass.

Aside from that, I've been working on a couple small projects lately. Not the kinda stuff people normally post here. I will get back to the art when I can. I have been doing some lettering practice here & there; if any of it turns out good enough I'll post it. Was gonna restrict this account to finished work only but given my participation rate, that rule doesn't make sense.

I haven't done much lately as my main condition has been flaring for quite a few days now. Because of it & other stuff (joint pain & an active lower tract), I've had little energy for creative activity of any kind. It'll pass sooner or later... Of course the time when the fedgov takes its cut of our earnings & profits is coming, too. Gotta gather all the paperwork for that, etc. As always, life has its demands.

....as of now, it's raining again.