Hola, Sneakers! Welcome to Episode 491 of the best little podcast on the internet.
This week: built-in excuse; now you tell me; working man’s blues; keep feeling vaccinated; the first dose is the deepest; sick of you; Terminator world; we can laugh about it now; sasquatch conspiracy; nervous tics; the barn district; the Nancy game; funny, but not cool; the GAU; make your own decisions; baby hate; disappointed parents; don’t be a controlling hand; intentional parenting; classy move; date with death; heatlhy choices; most dangerous occupation; musical fatalities; Superman’s parents; the dumb Phantom Zone; Dork Shadows – A Serpent in the Garden; Question of the Week – Sneakers respond; Oscar treats; arriving Las Vegas; Colonial weather; Dave takes it all back; and, finally, dreamy pets.
Question of the week: Are you doing today what you originally planned?
Sub-question: Did you ever disappoint someone? Was it right that you felt that way?
How to play Five Card Nancy.
The Art of Three Rocks.
Someone stole Dave’s idea for a video game:
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I didn’t originally plan on doing anything in particular. I had a vague idea of maybe working in theatre since that was my arts major. After I graduated, I was fortunate that my parents didn’t put any pressure on me to get a “real” job or to move out. I only had to contribute $100 a month towards household expenses (about 250 in today’s dollars). I split my time between home and a boyfriend’s apartment. That allowed me to do a variety of low-paying part-time theatre jobs until I eventually landed my first TV writing job. My parents never made me feel I was disappointing them. I don’t think there was the same stigma back then about a young woman still living at home in her 20s. As was more culturally expected at the time, both my brothers moved out soon after high school, one to get married and one to live the happening post-disco bachelor lifestyle.
I always knew I could make it as an artist of some kind, I just knew it be my career. I had a wonderful art teacher in the 7th and 8th grade who took very careful notice of what I was drawing and asked me one day if I knew what I wanted to do for a living. Not really prepared to answer her she suggested I might excel as a “Commercial Artist.” Not really knowing what a Commercial Artist was, my teacher explained the profession and the seed was planted in my heart and mind. I remember this event very clearly and I credit my middle school art teacher for setting me on that path.
Later in college, when I was looking into what I should minor in, I visited my counselor. I originally wanted to minor in Photography but that field was under the same curriculum as Graphic Art. My counselor, who I became good friends with, was also the top Graphics instructor at my college and he liked my work. He said, “I know you can draw and design, but WHY do you draw and design? Your minor should reflect WHY you do what you do.” He suggested I take the 101 intro classes to “Advertising” and “Radio, TV & Film” and see if one of them inspired me to focus on a minor. Surprisingly, I hated “Radio TV and Film” but absolutely loved Advertising! Then I remembered my 8th grade art teacher’s words about being a Commercial Artist. The Advertising instructor who taught the intro class also taught all the Advertising classes up until I graduated. After college, I was fortunate enough to work with him for some of his clients and got my start as a “Commercial Artist.” He’s still teaching Advertising at my college and has more tenure at The University of North Texas than anyone living or dead. So I can’t take full credit when it comes to my career, I had a bit of help from some very special teachers, counselors and instructors along the way.
Speaking of my profession, I took on a freelance job for a friend once who wanted me to illustrate his book. This friend of mine happens to be a magician and a very good one, I’ve known him most of my life and he’s a very popular entertainer in his field. He thought of me immediately when he decided to write a book about magic tricks so he called me to discuss illustrating the book. I originally said I’d be up to doing the cover, I had done some other covers for his DVDs and card decks…but an entire book?! He kind of talked me into it so I felt I should at least try. Let me tell you one important thing about magicians, they are incredibly detailed and precise, so he needed all the illustrations of the hands doing the tricks to be exact. He wanted them to have that inked antique lithograph look to them too, as if this book was published 100 years ago.
I couldn’t do it. I felt terrible. I was so incredibly anxious about doing these illustrations, I dreaded doing them at all, I was out of my depth. I thought, “This is no way to work, I need to back out of this job.” On top of all this he wasn’t paying me enough to stick with it anyway, so I called my magician friend and gave up the job. He was very upset and disappointed, so much that we didn’t speak for years after this. We’re back on speaking terms now but he has never asked me for my services since I backed out on his book, I guess it’s enough that we’re on speaking terms and Facebook friends again. I knew we were okay when he showed up at my 50th birthday party and performed, I asked him to make my age disappear and he laughed…I knew we were okay after that.
If you want to see the logo I designed for my magician friend, this was initially what got him interested in me doing an entire book of illustrations.
https://www.deviantart.com/draganski/art/Diamond-Jim-Tyler-Logo-155861521
I wanted to add another comment about the 1960’s “Batman” Series. After Crystal wrote about her fondness for the show last week and commented on how nice she thought Adam West was, I can say firsthand that he was a perfect gentleman. For about an eight year run, I had the opportunity to design the badges for the local Dallas Sci-Fi Expo conventions. In October of 2001 they themed the con after the 1960’s Batman Series with all the cast in attendance…as well as George Barris who brought a Batmobile he created for the show. By designing the badges for free, this meant I could design one for myself with the highest level of clearance and go back stage or wherever I wanted and meet the Batman cast.
I swear to you, Adam West IS Batman, he carries himself as if he’s still in character. When I was with him you could cover your eyes and just listen to him speak, you’d think that you were in the presence of Batman. Frank Gorshin was the best, I spoke with him the most. At the time he was onstage playing George Burns in a one-man show called “Say Goodnight, Gracie”. I asked him if he would ever retire and he said, “I can’t sit still, I have to keep moving, that’s how Lincoln got it.” Julie Newmar was kind of in another world but she looked fantastic, and tall. It was one of the best Sci-Fi Expo Cons I can remember attending. If you want to see the badges I designed, you can check them out here, they were fun to design!
https://www.deviantart.com/draganski/art/BatCon-Badges-Set-878599882
This was for you Crystal!
Edward, you have absolutely delighted me! Thank you for sharing the story about Adam West, the Dallas Batcon, and the other cast members of the show. Your badges look amazing! Once again, thank you. 😀
Hello David and Ian and Sneaky peeps!
Congratulations for getting your vaccination, Ian! Wonderful news! Congratulations to ALL of us who have been vaccinated!
I was almost weeping during your talk about your parents this episode. Thanks, once again, for the frank discussion. My dad was an emotionally remote parent, and the first (maybe ONLY!)compliment I could recall receiving from him happened when I was 42. We had taken my Dad and stepmom, who were visiting us in the FL Keys from St Louis, on a gulf water boat ride. When we brought the boat in to the ramp, there was a lot of wind and the waves had kicked up, pushing the boat off course. No, I did not WALK on the water, which would have been extremely compliment-worthy, but I did manage to drive the boat straight up on to the trailer without a hitch! (Wait! It had to have a hitch, or else how would we pull it home?)
ANYWAY, my father was impressed and said so. It meant a lot to me then and still does, but I have to tell you, I have not waited to compliment my kiddos. They hear the good stuff often and proudly!
Question of the week: No! I never had a plan, and have worked at many different jobs in my life! It’s been kind of fun along the way, watching for the next cool thing to make some scratch and have an adventure. I remember telling people when I was little that I would grow up to be a “missionary-nurse”. I guess I’m finally doing a relatively close thing for 10 years now! I graduated from Massage school in 2011 (at age 53) and have built up a really nice practice, caring for my clients along the way.
As to disappointing people, geez! I feel like there’s a real good chance of that every day! It’s a “wall” I still have to talk myself down from quite often! “Sweet Laurel, the world will keep going around whether or not you are able to…” whatever. 🙂 And , of course, it does!
Hey! You know when you do your “plugs”, maybe talk more about David’s show cards and how to find them on this website, eh? Ian, I know you’ve mentioned it sometimes. I just think for new listeners coming on, they need to have a look! Your artwork is brilliant, David!
Love to you guys, and all! Keep Sneakin’!
Hello Ian, David, and everyone out in Sneaksville! Ian, you did fine with the show. You might have not thought so because you had just received your shot, but trust me, you sounded fine.
Question of the week: When I was a little child, I wanted to grow up and become a nurse. Probably because I had an aunt that was a registered nurse. I thought it would be a great way to help people in need. I changed my mind and fancied several other vocations through school, until one day I bought an old copy of an Atlantic magazine at a thrift shop. I bought it in a stack of other magazines that had been published in the 1960s. There was an article in the magazine about the librarian profession and how America today (at that time) needed librarians who were personable extroverts; people who desired to improve the lives of residents in their community; and bright-minded, clever people who could immediately call to mind history facts and other trivia. Too much of the profession had been filled with people wanting to escape high pressure jobs and find a second career where they could hide away from the world… which was the last thing the author thought was needed in the modern library. As I read through the article, I felt like it was written specifically for me. That’s when I knew I wanted to work in a library. When a part-time position opened at my local library, I applied. I worked my way upwards while working my way through college. I can honestly say I have held every position at my library. When I was given the position as head librarian, I made sure to hire people who were energetic, knowledgeable, compassionate, and friendly.
Sub-question: When I was a child the worst thing in the world was for my father to tell me that he was disappointed in me. Mom could spank me or grab a switch and make me do the hickory tea dance and it had no affect, but let her say she was going to tell my father and that he would be sorely disappointed… now that would get me begging, pleading, and negotiating that I would behave. As an adult, I try to not disappoint people, but sometimes it is unavoidable. When these situations happen due to some oversight on my part, I mentally beat myself up worse than anything.
Oh, before I close off this post… is there any guidelines or criteria I need to know about for the 500th podcast celebratory listener submissions? I have a silly idea rolling around in my brain that I hope to make a reality. Just wondering.
Have a wonderful week and I look forward to the next episode!
I’m falling behind again, but I had really wanted to answer a few questions from previous episodes, so I’m going to attempt the shortest possible versions of those before answering this week’s.
I have two half sisters and one half brother, but I grew up alone. My first sibling came along when I was almost 15 and lived in a different home, so I was essentially an only child. I always wanted siblings growing up, but it is what it is. Here’s a bit of fun: my mom got remarried and had two more girls. My dad got remarried and had a boy. So – wait for it – I literally have a brother from another mother and two sisters from another mister.
In August of 2017, I drove alone almost a thousand miles each way from Southern California to Albany, Oregon to see the solar eclipse. Along the way I visited landmarks of an extremely difficult but important time of my life in Northern California, fought fear and exhaustion, and saw the most beautiful thing I could have imagined (and something I had dreamed of seeing since childhood), all within an incredibly tight budget. I found new levels of strength and determination in myself that I didn’t know I had. I wish I could access it more often, but at least I know it’s there when I really need it.
Speaking of that time in Northern California, when my grandmother was diagnosed with mesothelioma, she moved to the Sacramento area to live with her younger brother, who cared for her to the end. I also moved up there for a while, but I couldn’t find a job and had to move back home. Her brother didn’t like me for a variety of complicated and petty reasons, and he chose to interpret my crappy adulting skills as intentional manipulation to live easy and get handouts from everyone. But mostly, I think he was jealous of how close we were. Anyway, during the year or so she lived with him, he got into her head. She was on a lot of medication so she wasn’t really thinking clearly, but by the time she died, he had at least partially succeeded in driving a wedge between us, and I have no way of knowing what she truly thought of me at the end. I know she loved me more than anything, but it certainly seemed like she had been brainwashed into being disappointed in me as well. Or she may have been disappointed in herself for not raising me better. I will never know. As for whether any of it was warranted… I have always felt like I’m missing a gear in my adulting machinery. I don’t seem to be capable of functioning properly in a capitalist society, and from the outside it could certainly look like I’m being lazy and expecting handouts. It feels very different from the inside, of course, but maybe that’s just me being self-centered. As you can tell, he got into my head a little, too.
Welp. Sorry for the downer. But hey, here’s something to cheer us all back up. I don’t remember what made me write the note-to-self to mention this, but it must have been something discussed in last week’s episode. There’s a store near where I worked for a while called Pants Town, and it always made me laugh. Here in Southern California, pants just means trousers. But as UK listeners have probably already noted, it has two meanings on that side of the pond – “underwear” and “crappy” – that make it a terrible name for a store. Nobody around here ever seems to appreciate how hilarious this is… maybe I’ll have better luck here.
Let’s see if I can post a photo…
http://www.conejovalley411.com/images/uploads/984/IMG_4733.jpg
Oh well. That link to is to a photo of Pants Town, if anyone wants to see it in its full pants glory. ????
Pants town? I had no idea that a store entirely devoted to pants existed, but it makes me think about the song “Trouser Freak.” There is a Dress Barn an hour drive from my home. As I find the name of the store off putting, I have never gone inside to shop. In my mind the name conjures up images of the kinds of dresses that Lulu wore on Hee Haw. That and I live on a farm so I wouldn’t really want wear a dress that had been sitting inside a barn. Sarah, I must ask about this Pants Store as I am awful curious: were female employees allowed to wear a skirt now and then or did they have a strictly pants-only dress code?
Question of the week: I guess I am doing what I planned on. Kind of a nice simple life, with a nice family and a job that gives me the security to pursue more artistic avenues. So, I’m very lucky in that way.
Hi guys,
Haven’t listened in a long time, but I’m back! When I switched jobs a while ago, I ended up getting a car, and most of my podcast time was spent on my bus commute. But since November or so, I’ve been working from home a lot. And I’ve found as a result I tend to sit on the couch all day and all night. To try and shift this, I’ve put a step counter on my phone and committed to 10,000 steps a day for the month of May. So I’ve been listening to you guys on my walks. I’m really happy to be listening to you again, forgot how much it’s meant to me. I tend to listen over a few days, so I never seem to finish in time to answer the questions in the correct week. But I wanted to answer this one. am I doing what I originally planned.
So growing up my father was a police officer. I always planned on following his footsteps. So when I was 19, my plan was to join the army, get in the military police and get some experience, then become a regular police officer (the path my father took to get there). So I enrolled in the army. On my paperwork for placement I picked. 1. MP, 2. Ambulance Driver, 3. Infantry. I went to the army base to do their extensive testing to see where I would best be placed. It took hours and was very thorough. A week or so after the testing they got back to me and said that I was accepted as a Finance Clerk! Well I was pretty disappointed, but agreed to go. About a week before I was supposed to leave, I got cold feet and backed out. I bounced around doing different jobs, going to school trying to train to do different things. Well now I’m a CPA, have been for years, and I’ve wound up in a pretty good job. So maybe I didn’t like it, but it looks like the army’s testing of me was spot on.