Okay, I fully understand if you never want to talk to me ever again. The abusive neglect, the lack of phone calls and the general all around shabbiness of my behavior is inexcusable. Here it is three weeks since my last post and I come crawling back at 7:30 at night reeking of overtime and exhaustion only to write to you a paltry apology that has nothing to do with gardening or landscaping or sustainability. Nor does it have any neat-o photos or illustrations of puppies or cute chickens! How crass. How sad. This is all I can muster at the moment.
A sad little cellphone selfie using the light from my laptop and a meager 5% remaining battery power. One shoe off and an unhealthy dinner getting cold on the counter. Something involving potato wedges and a meat item of sorts. This is my life the last few weeks. Not keeping in touch with my good friends at Mind Your Dirt but eating shitty food long after the sun sets while the couch absorbs my sad tired form.
Why you may ask? Well, see that bronze disinterested lady up there in my feature image? Well, she (and her twin) represent 1/8th of the massive new project at the San Diego Museum of Art. To “free the art” from the confines off storage and bring it to the people of San Diego in all its glory.
There’s me holding the first “E” in FREE. See how excited I am? I’m the one guy in this photo that was most impacted by the project.
A fantastic plan when you are a fantastic person sitting around a boardroom table spit-balling fantastic ideas. But for the poor schlubbs like yours truly, a daunting undertaking to organize the logistics and build the mounts for ginormously massive bronze sculptures when you have zero time in an already INSANE schedule. That said, let’s do it!
My days have looked something like this…
Each object had it’s challenges, but the Zuniga also had some bad galvanic reaction. That’s when you use two different types of metals touching one another and then stick it outside for several years and they fuse together. Like permanently. Well, someone at some point thought that carbon steel and bronze would be a good idea. Nope. It wasn’t. So Zuniga needed me like the desert needs the rain.
I won’t bore you with the details, but lets just say the last few weeks, as well as the last few years, have been very taxing at the museum for me. But, I tend to thrive under pressure so I soldiered on and we are almost ready for next Thursdays big press preview and circle members opening! Almost.
All of that said, I am so exceedingly sorry to have not been more a part of your life! I have been working in the garden, but haven’t been reporting back to you. I am the worst person ever!
And I am sorry.
Um, wait a minute!! I DO have a cute puppy photo to post!!! My bestest of friends just got a new puppy and I took a photo of her. Hold on…I’ll go get it…
HA! You thought that I couldn’t produce didn’t you? I’ll never completely let you down. Not all the way. Just a little.
What else has happened? Well there was a huge wind storm on Sunday night that jacked up most of my house and yard. Here’s me on the roof trying to fix everything…
And when I got to work the next morning, there were several downed trees…Two people were crushed by fell trees actually! Not these, but you get the idea of what 80 mph winds can do.
And then when I got home, I fell these mini trees…of broccoli.
And one of my friends that buys my extra eggs shared this photo with me of one of my backyard chicken eggs next to a store-bought egg.
Let’s see, what else has happened? Oh, these amazing wildflowers are growing behind my museum. They give me great peace when my stress meter hits the roof.
And lastly I will share this snapshot I took of one of the many garden guardians I have hidden throughout my yard. This one is called Juan Buddha. When South meets East, if you will.
Nirvana without siesta is taxing at best.
Okay campers, that’s about all the steam I have left in me at the moment. I’m typing very poorly and there will be little to no spell-checking going on up in here tonight! Plus, those potato wedges really depreciate in value when the heat leaves them. AND Sasha needs belly rubs like crazy right now.
I DO have tons to share with you about my garden and stuff. Including root knot nematode battles so please bear with me. I’ll also be in Mexico City for work for a week and change this month. But I’m hoping to have time to write a bunch of stuff on the cargo plane…
Again, so sorry and I love you all with all of my being. that may be the sleep-dep talking…
You may be tired, but you get to work at an ART MUSEUM!! While I am formatting mind-numbing 100-page technical documents and waiting for the damp dreariness of Northwest winter to turn into the damp dreariness of spring. It is the ugliest time of year up here in Seattle … but the Northwest Flower and Garden Show is two weeks away! That’s when I know I’ve survived the winter. Hang in there!
So long as it’s damp and dreary of course. Here it’s bone dry and blindingly bright. I am tired indeed, but in a good way. I do seem to thrive in a high paced stressed environment for as much as I adore complaining about it. Plus, this install has the eyes of the city, the mayor and possibly a nice little newspaper article about it. I do like tangible results. Although, I just blacked out for a half hour in an upright position…
Hang in there man. Thanks for the post but I’m sure people understand. I’m on my way to Chicago next week to spend the week observing software systems in their jail. Mexico City sounds better. I’ll send photos of my wearing stripes. Get some rest.
Say what? Are you busting out convicts by disabling their security systems? I always knew it. I feel like it’s still way too cold to be in Chicago! Stay warm and good luck with those cons.
Snow on Monday and winds so blustery this California girl is actually not looking forward to a trio for the first time ever.
As far as busting out criminals and stealing diamonds I was trained by the best. Tom Cruise and Sean Connery of course. Although I’m probably more partial to Simon Pegg in Hot Fuzz.
Stay toasty please. Eskimo coat all the way! Or carry around a hobo fire barrel. Either or, but not both! Very dangerous. Did that once in Buffalo.
Hobo barrel. That’s funny.
When do you think your exhibit is going to open? I might be down in San Diego in the next month or so on business. I’d love to stop by and see it.
It’s open by next Thursday come hell or high water! It’s all out in front of the museum. If you’re in town, let me know. I’ll get you some visitor passes… Maybe a tour depending on when you come.
Ok. Thanks. I’ll let you know. It’s all a bit up in the air at the moment. Might have to come down to help a developer code a product we want to buy for a little while but we are waiting to hear back from them. I might need to warm up after being in Chicago anyway.
That was worth waiting for
I can’t tell if this is sarcasm or not. The West Coast has blurred my filter. If it was, I know, I’m sorry. If it wasn’t then, you must mean the puppy photo! So damned cute. Or Juan Buddha…
It was the pics of you 🙂
Okay, but don’t make it a habit.
And it *is* a cute dog pic! Heard about the wind–that is, my husband told me about it as he was watching the golf on TV last week. Very weird weather going around these days. Careful out there!!!
Great sense of humour! Good to read what you are getting up to James, as always very entertaining.
Hi Agnes! How are you these days? I’ve been so distracted with work, I feel like I’ve lost touch with my favorite people! I hope to remedy that in due course. It’s almost 10pm here now and I just walked in the door from work. Ugh. That’s makes it a 14 hour day. I long for retirement…
I hope you’re well and thanks for not giving up on me!
Here all is well James, and spring is definitely on the way. Despite all your working you are still turning out brilliant posts! Don’t work too hard though, and retirement will come soon enough 🙂 Kind regards, Agnes