The National Weather Service is confirming 3 tornadoes in Maryland today. Luckily no one was hurt and they were EF0 in strength. Now what frustrates me about the while thing is 1 yr ago on the 25th, my house got hit with one that they claim was a ‘straight line wind event.’ Now, the storm in question was Tornado Warninged (meaning there was rotation and either one was seen or on the ground) when it came through my house. That was why I was hiding in the closet for thirty minutes until it passed.

Now, I had been cutting the grass earlier that day and could see the storm coming towards me for over an hour as I was on the riding mower. In fact, the first clap of thunder, or flash of lightening, didn’t happen until I came in and took a quick shower. At that point my police scanner lit up and alerted me to the warning being issued for my county. Well, I hopped off the phone with my dad and raced into the closet. This is where things got wild.

Wind, rain and debris pelted the house for the next several minutes and then it went silent. And when I mean silent, it was as if you’d been locked away in a sound proof room. No bugs creaked, no bird chirped and there was no wind. A friend of mine from the midwest always told me that happened, then a twister was nearby and to run for cover. Well, I was already in the closet, so I called my mother and told her we were probably going to be hit.

While on the phone suddenly it got windier then ever before and I could hear debris hitting the house HARD and it went on for about 2 minutes. After that it went silent again. Ten minutes later the warning ended so I went and looked out the window. The sun was shining! Mind you, the storm took well over an hour to reach me, so it shouldn’t have blown clear that quickly.

Outside, I had to tops of a couple trees on the ground, one by the house split (had to cut it down) and another large arm of a tree in the field next to us ripped off and touching the ground. Window screens from my side of the house were in the back yard and ones from my parents side were in the field next door.

Straight line wind event my ass.

You can still see a path, about 20-30 yards wide where trees were ripped up (there were a lot of others down outside the area but that was the worst of it) on the street beside my house. Luckily for us, we were in a gully so the house avoided damage (that and not many trees around the house.)

Right now there are two sections of trees (facing different directions and a quarter mile apart) that are severely damaged on a road nearby. Both sections are 20-30 yards apart. Hmm…sound like straight line wind to you?

Be careful with believing everything they tell you because there’s a reason why most small twisters won’t be called one. You see, most wind events (hurricanes and tornadoes) aren’t covered by homeowners insurance. It takes a rider (a separate smaller policy within your policy) to cover that damage. So, by not calling it what it is, then people can get help from the insurance company.

Still makes for poor policy and one that is very dangerous. Thus, keep an eye on the sky, invest in a police scanner so you can hear Skywarn, and keep yourself safe.

While I understand there seems to be a “fad” for them, when do publishers say ‘enough is enough?’ I have spent the last month looking for a new science fiction novel to read and can’t find one. Why? Because the shelves are overloaded with Vampire/Werewolf/Zombie stories-and I don’t care for that subject! Then, if that isn’t enough, a majority of what’s left is some sort of time travel and/or alternate universe.

What happened to the good old fashioned science fiction action story? Have we become so jaded as people that the idea of people having adventures in space means nothing? Where has our sense of wonder and desire to lose ourselves in something that can potentially be uplifting? I feel that the big occult rush (and those of people turned into animals too) doesn’t do a thing to lift the spirit of a person. If you’re in darkness, then it’ll do nothing to help you feel better.

I miss the days of Asimov, Bradbury, McCaffery and (before he started going downhill) David Weber. There’s something about losing yourself in a good story that leaves one happy at the end of the day.

And it’s not just science fiction that does that too. Lee Child’s Jack Reacher series is one I love. However, I wish my library carried the ‘Crystal Singer’ trilogy from Anne McCaffrey. Killasandra is a neat character and the world around her is so neat that it makes a nice break from reality.

I guess I’ll have to keep watching anime to have my science fiction adventure fix.

This day started off early for me, which is not necessarily unusual, so that part doesn’t matter. I had strict instructions to get 2 new tires put on the truck. So, I left the house at 1030 and that’s where things started to go downhill.

I arrived at Pep Boys twenty minutes later and tell the guy I needed two Dakota Definity’s for the truck. They have them in stock. Fine. Put them on.

“We can’t put them on the front…it’s company policy that the best tires go on the rear.”

What the hell??

So I spend the next ten minutes arguing with the guy that I don’t need them on the rear but the front so the truck could be aligned. No go. Fine. I bought to two tires and took them to a hunting buddy of Dad’s who has a service station. They mounted and balanced it. Good, end of story. Time to eat and go home. Now mind you, my cell phone also has been Grand Central Station this entire time so I’m starting to get really annoyed with the constant stream of calls.

I leave the station and drive a little over a mile west and stop to have lunch at Shoney’s. Nothing bad there..an all-american burger with the salad bar. Yummy.

Well, I haven’t even reached the truck before my phone is going off again. It’s dad. “Take it down to xxxxxxxx and get it aligned for me. Might as well do it all in one shot.” Great. Now it’s going to be another hour at least before I get home.

This is 230 this afternoon. I finally leave the shop at 4pm and then have to stop at Advance Auto to pick up a windshield wiper. I drive back out of town to the rural suburb we live in. Stop and get gas and then two cans of pork and beans mother had asked me earlier, during the deluge of phone calls I got, to pick up from Food Lion. By the time I actually pulled back into the driveway, it was 5pm. Mind you I left at 1030.

Should’ve just worked today instead.

The ridiculousness of the situation was the “inability” to put tires on the front as requested. How stupid is that? Supposedly they got sued for it so no one can get it done now. This is inane given the fact that they always want to align the front end. You can’t do that with OLD TIRES. The geometry changes between new and old tires, so what might be completely lined up with the used tires won’t be when you put new ones on, which then means the new tires will get chewed up.

Knowing business as I do, I’ve got a feeling this is more to get you to buy 4 tires instead of the 2 you want. That way they get to double their sales at the time. Just one more reason to know what’s going on now days.

Consider it a warning for the next time you need two tires.

This is a post from my friends blog. I agree with her wholeheartedly and now understand why the musicians had such a problem with Limewire and Napster. It costs us money to produce our product (in my case paper and ink cartridges to do hard copy edits) for you to buy. It’s not asking too much to be able to cover our expenses with a small profit. Hopefully other artists will stand up like Bonefish Designs out of Charlottesville, Va. has done. 

An Artist’s Gotta Eat

Hello, Dear Readers~

I’m so sorry there’s been such a delay between my last post and this one. I’ve been exceedingly busy, not just with my art but with life in general. Recent events though, have prompted me to write a new blog (not that I haven’t attempted to write several only to trash them).

Recently, I shot a lovely couple and their grandkid. It was one of those impromptu things, I just happened to have my camera and it was a special moment. They asked me to have prints made, and that they would pay me.

I was more than happy to oblige. It’s been a long time since I’ve used photography to create art and not just as a tool towards the end product.

I wanted to impress them, not just give them a CD with a bunch of photos on it. By the time I turned over the photos, they got:

1 photo book
4 8 x 10″ enlarged prints
25 4 x 6″ prints
1 CD containing all the photos

This cost me $50 even to produce. When time came to pay up, they didn’t want to. Said it was “too much” money, that it was “extravagant”, and they had no idea I would “spend so much”.

First of all, $50 USD for all of the above is NOT A BAD DEAL!!! Second of all, having not had the opportunity to shoot people since I converted to a DSLR last year, I wasn’t going to charge them an exorbitant amount. I figured they’d get some great keepsakes and I’d get some valuable experience. Boy, was I wrong.

To put it in perspective, typically when I do commissioned work, it breaks down like this:

hourly rate ($$$/hr) x amount of hours worked + cost of materials + shipping/handling OR delivery (gas)

Had they gone to a so-called “professional” photographer, they could easily spend $300+. Had I wanted to, I could’ve charged them my usual commission rate and they threw a fit because all I wanted was reimbursement for the cost of actually printing their photos.

Saying I was livid is an understatement. I was also incredibly angry and indignant. It’s also incredibly frustrating when people think that an artist’s work is “only” worth x-amount.

When you commission me, regardless of whether it’s for a painting, jewelry, photography, WHATEVER, you are contributing to my ability to keep producing art, you are helping me pay my bills, you are ensuring that my degree- which cost me thousands of dollars and many years of my life- is put to use and it’s an insult to me, my hard work, and my craft that you would think $50, JUST the cost of materials is “too extravagant”.

In the course of my career as an artist I have bled for my work (stitches, twice), I’ve burned and blistered myself for my work, I’ve broken nails, singed hair, I’ve broken equipment and had to replace it, I’ve gotten sunburned and rained on, I’ve gone days without sleep, been exposed to harmful chemicals and materials, I’ve sacrificed so much that you thinking I’m asking “too much” is an insult to all the work I put into your commission that I did NOT charge you for.

Every commission I take on and complete puts me one step closer to being able to live on an artistic career, not just a weekend hobby. It puts me closer to achieving my dreams. If you’re going to commission an artist you need to understand that you are contributing to our livelihood and understand just WHY something is so “expensive”.

Also, don’t forget, when you’re commissioning an artist, you are also paying for a one of a kind creation. You can’t just go to Wal*Mart and find something comparable.

Eventually, they did pay up. I had to threaten legal action. Unfortunately, this experience has prompted me to change how I do my commissions. How so, you ask? I don’t make the same mistake twice.

Should you seek to commission me:

 

1. you WILL sign a contract. 
2. It WILL be notarized. 
3. You WILL pay half of the commission up front. 
4. If I’m mailing it to you, you WILL pay in full, up front. 
5. If you live locally and are going to pick it up or have me deliver it in person, you WILL pay the other half of the commission upon delivery. 
6. If you do not pay, I WILL keep the commission for 7 days and you have 7 days to pay up. 
7. Should you fail to pay up, your commission will go up for sale on my website. 
8. I will keep the half you already paid. 

I hate that it’s come to this but I cannot afford the run around I have experienced. I’m trying to run a business so you’re commissioning of me will be treated as the business transaction that it is, regardless of means/income or relationship to me. 

I know the above image pertains specifically to jewelry but it’s true of any commission.