Karmic Ass Biting..

It's not often in life, you get to be a witness to some good old Karma Payback.

A couple years ago, my wife was a shift supervisor at a local grocery store. One of the clerks decided that she could do my wife's job better.. and began to undermine and back stab her, all the while pretending to be her pal. Theresa, (my wife) had climbed through the ranks.. Had some great work ethics, never took a day off from work, (even when she was sick), she had earned her position. Her pal Ella went from being a clerk one day to being Theresa's boss the next! They stripped her job from her that quickly and never said a thing to her about it. They let Ella tell her. Ever so chicken shit of Brad, (Theresa's boss.)

Turned out to be a silver lining.. It seems the owners of the store next door had paid attention all those years and had seen Theresa's work ethics and had made note of them, so, when Theresa was demoted, the other store offered her a full time job, with benefits and vacation PLUS, they wanted to pay her what she was getting at the market... And so without a bassackwards glance, she jumped the market's ship, went to work next door and is happy as a clam, (2 years later.)

NOW, we come to the Karma payback. Ella has been a total shit, in her new position as supervisor. No work ethics, came in late everyday. She quickly found out that Theresa's job was a lot tougher than she made it seem and so she began to hone her extortion skills and began to demand, special treatment. She decided she didn't want to do the whole job that was required for the position so she threatened to quit, unless they changed this requirement and of course girlie-man (Brad) cowed down and gave her what she wanted. More money for less work.

Then, she got it in her head she was, "the best employee they had.." and demanded to be relieved of the burden of being night supervisor, demanded to be put on days... Demanded a raise.. or, "she would quit." Girlie-man gave her what she wanted. She wasn't supervisor and promoted to days, plus a hefty pay raise. The market hired a new person to supervise and things settled down for a bit. A tiny bit... Till Ella caught wind of the pay, this new person was getting. She found out the person that was hired for her old position was getting higher pay than her and it just made her furious..! She went to the girlie-man and DEMANDED more money NOW, or, "she was quitting... you blankety-blank no account." Girlie-man, tired of being pushed around by her said, "fine, don't let the door hit you on the butt on your way out.." And out she stomped.

Ella climbed the ladder of success starting with my wife's shoulders and now a mere two years later she is unemployed and broke, (the broke part is what she confided to Theresa last night.)

Theresa has MUCH to much class to say this, but not me.. I've been wanting to say it for a long time, so I will, (it's my blog after all.)

HA-HA Ella! Fuck you! What goes around, comes around and you got your JUST reward!

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AAAAaaaahhhhhggggr! Where is the humanity!!

See the grid, in the background? This is as close to a visual I can give you about the workings of my brain. Not the grid so much but, the quadrants, in between. To the eye they are flat, but in reality, (seen from the side) they are 1000 feet deep, only........ because my grey matter tilted a number of years ago most, (not all) of my artistic thoughts are more of the 8 Ball variety. I just can't stop messing with the design of this damn Blog page. Lines, lines... more gawd damn lines.. Click, click, click.. It's like I can hear the letter press in my head just ka-chink, ka-chunking, click, click..

More, more....MORE! The design just keeps creeping and creeping. It's almost like those vines in the jungle.. They just keep creeping, winding their way around everything they come in contact with, covering up any ideas as quickly as they are thought. On and on.... I think I am done, post a blog, (like the one below) then I dream the design, when I sleep.. Wake in the morning and click, click, ka-chink, ka-chunk... The brainvines come creeping, sleep comes sleeping.. I wake, and here I am again, making way for the vines.

"AAAAaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhgggggggr! Where is the humanity!!"

Before I forget, if you happen to be an occasional reader of this Blog, because of my obsessive compulsion about the visual design of this beast, please remember to re fresh the page in your browser so you will be able to view, any changes.

Thankyouverymuch .... Or, something like that.

YEOW!BOING!

Well, looks like I am running out of ideas for art work so I reckon, until I learn how to add new text boxes... What you see now, is what you get. I'm happy with it, (for the moment.) I've spent some time looking at the other blogs and not too many are custom like mine soooo... Works for me! As long as I am not walking in another's shadow, I am happy, happy, joy, joy.

How about some fun links to burn up some of your life..

Devil Girl... Robert Crumb artwork combined with candy.... *Link Here*

Steve Krups... Underground Comix

*Link Here*

Check out the art of Eric So, (kicksass!) *Link Here*

I have no idea what it is all about but the website is entertaining.. *Link Here*

New Looks..

I am working on the background, I looked at the code, trying to figure it out, spied the width and height of the graphic needed for the back ground, jumped over to Photoshop and messed with an idea all day long I think it's shaping up..

I made the 3 eightball logo and put it in place thanks to a nifty little FREE image host service.

*ImageShack Link*

Although, I do like the, Flickr, image program *Link Here*
I don't like the fact that I have to come up with 2 seperate explanations about the photos. One for this page, one for the flikr.

Another thing about the Flickr account is that your copyright really doesn't seem to be protected. When you use the service your stuff is in the public domain.. You can use their service to get something that they will embed in your image that says it's yours, (a watermark.)

With the imageshack, I can just add the code to the html.. and I'm pretty used to doing it this way..........
I photoshop the copyright anyway, free, doesn't cost me a dime.. so, I will switch, I reckon.

Thanks for looking..!

Fall Blooms..

Fall Blooms..
Originally uploaded by RicTresa.

While out taking my urban photos I happened to look up and saw these fall blooms, hanging from my back porch.

What a surprise... I thought these muthas had died last season. They were'nt looking good. The leaves had lost most of their color and it just looked... terminal. While watching a local tv garden guru, he happened to say that the best thing for my problem was to prune them down to about an inch of the dirt and if they live, they live..

This one greened back up this spring but I didn't expect any blooms till next season.

T'was a gift, I do believe....

Photoshopped.. Under painting, water color, poster edges, black outline, eraser tool, blur tool.

Candy Apples..

Candy Apples..
Originally uploaded by RicTresa.

This apple tree is in my yard.. It's at least 70 years old, maybe older.. and it grows the sweetest, juiciest crab apples I have ever eaten.

I photoshopped the foliage.. under paint, water color, poster edges, black outline and some india ink...Opacity adjustments. But I left the apples alone and the way you see them here are the way nature made them, and nothing more..

Wonderful!

Urban

Urban
Originally uploaded by RicTresa.

I moved to my left, a bit.. tilted the lens down and got this shot..

More of my own private, urban jungle. Photoshopped..

4 layers.. under painting, water color, hue and saturation, soft light... Blended and opacity adjusted..

Yonder

Yonder
Originally uploaded by RicTresa.

This shot is a series that I am doing of the urban jungle in my back yard.

Walked out the back edge of the fence line...

I put my Olympus Stylus 300 on the tripod, tilted it waaaaay back and took this shot with the remote. Photoshopped a tad.
4 layers.. Under painting, water color, color burn, poster edges.
Blended and stuff..

Looks great on the desktop.

SpidersBc

SpidersBc
Originally uploaded by RicTresa.

The monsoon season is upon us, here in the frozen north. Everything is getting it's much needed water. The trees are digging it.

Everything was getting water except for the plants I had on the back deck.. We have a roof on the deck so not much rain falls on the plants. I took the hose and misted the hanging plants and watered them all.. Then I noticed how the water was beading up on a spiderweb that was attatched to my spider plant and saw an Photoshop oppourtunity.

3 layers in this pic..
1. Desaturated.
2. Poster edges/eraser tool/black outline.
3. Original layer.

I sliced it, diced it... toss in a little blend. Presto-chango! Makes a nice desktop...

RTTwins

RTTwins
Originally uploaded by RicTresa.

Jeepers creepers! I now have two blogs I'm trying to add witty shit to but... I'm still using the same old, and at times, forgetful grey matter..

Birthday next month and we are going to go spend it on the coast, (hope there is a storm.)
We won't be ordering another meatball sandwich again like last time. Hamburg rolled into a ball swimming in tomato paste DO NOT make a meatball sandwich.

Bitch moan groan.......... Well, I managed to put off some chores, all summer long and now that it is, raining, (the monsoon season has arrived up here in the frozen north) so.. I must move LAST seasons, fire wood under the carport to get ready for 2 new cords...

Happy happy.... Joy joy.

It get's worse, I have to split most of it up...
Becausse of my disability I must do this splitting while sitting in a chair. One good thing is it gets me back in shape after a summer's worth of sloth.

"Bow wow, yippie yo yippie yay, bow wow yippie yo, yippie yay!"

--=RT=--

911

911
Originally uploaded by RicTresa.

It was my wife's day off, so we were sleeping late. The phone rang.. I let the machine get it.
I heard our daughters voice, she was sobbing.. telling us to turn on the tv...New York...It was just awful.. And she hung up.

I got up, turned on the coffee and turned on the tv just in time to see the 2nd plane slam into the towers. I'm yelling at my wife, (who's still in bed) Geezus Christ Theresa! A plane just hit a building in New York!..........

Up until this point in time I had thought, (rather smugly) that I had lived long enough not to be shocked by much.

This event showed me how wrong I was. It not only shocked me but filled me with such grief. It was as though everyone of them were my personal family members, and the loss was almost to much to comprehend.

I end this blog with the words to, Taps:

Day is done
gone the sun
from the lakes
from the hills
from the sky
all is well
safely rest
God is nigh.

Fading light
dims the sight
and a star gems
the sky,
gleaming bright
from afar,
drawing nigh,
falls the night.

Thanks and praise,
for our days
neath the sun
neath the stars
neath the sky
as we go
this we know,
God is nigh.

Jimz

Jimz
Originally uploaded by RicTresa.

Every once in awhile one of my friends loses their minds and send me an image of them selves.... I can't help my self and must have my way with it through Photo Shop..

One thing though, try not to stare at Jim's chicken hair. He's kind of sensitive about the subject..

BOINK!
--=RT=--

Bluze

Bluze
Originally uploaded by RicTresa.

I'm always thinking of new ideas having to do with my art.. For this one I took a picture of myself, then printed 3 copies. I rolled the images up and stapling them all together. I took another picture of the three adding the blue in Photo Shop.

Yeow!
--=RT=--

RTCGD

RTCGD
Originally uploaded by RicTresa.

This is the 1st of many, shameless acts of self promotion... You will see from me.

RicTresa the website

Yeah Baby!

Current Pic of Me
Originally uploaded by RicTresa.

Up until Feb., of this year, I had no idea what a blog was for and why you would want one.. I mean, it isn't like I don't have a couple websites, because I do so why would I find it a good deal to post my ideas and general bullshit, thinking that anybody might find my inner thoughts interesting..?

Then I joined an online community that had free blogs for it's members.. I opened one up, posted some of my life and found that people DID want to read what I wrote and so I was hooked and have been a blogger ever since.

The only problem with the other group is I kind of type cast myself as a realy nice person, (which I am... Just not all the time.) So I think this version of the 8 Ball will be the pallet for the rest of me... Like it or not.

But, just like the other version of this blog I will be using this space to show the art I create for anyone to enjoy...

.. Let the show begin..

8 Ball Logic.. Post No. 1

Old man witticism to wrap your mind around... or maybe just some more of my BS..

"Life is like a parking lot, Stay in one place to long and they will tow your ass away....."

yeah baby! --=RicTresa=--