Blogging

The – I’m ok but figuring it out post.

~ Cave_Guy ~ 17 Comments

The – I’m ok but figuring it out post.

The posts on the Cave are slowing down a bit because I am rebuilding my life….

I am here people and I am writing and sketching, I am a little behind – I may be down to once a week with posts while I catch up with my life.

I have so much to do and I am happy to say I am doing it.

If you see a lag in response or I don’t get to your blogs and visit as much — I will — just be patient – we all run into this blog/life balance issue.

Some good news:

The Night Swimming site where I deal almost 100% with the intimate and heart wrenching subject of cancer and grief is going well – I am writing it out and it is helping me. I am not going to mix the two blogs, most of you don’t want to see that side me, and if it was totally public – I would not feel free enough to share – — so email me for a link if you are brave enough — I thank the few of you that have – it has been good on many levels.

Working out at the Y for the last three months is bringing my physical health back in line –  I am getting my strength and wellness back!

I started some therapy for my mental health – I am happy to say I carry a lighter mind. To talk fully with no restrictions to someone who is legally bound not to share — I can’t express how 3 years of cancer and losing a soulmate almost requires that you do this. If this is you — do not walk to get help — run.

Spiritually, I am in a state of reflection and expansion – I am not ruling anything out as I keep my heart and my mind open. I am Christian but I will be honest and tell you that I leaned heavily on Buddhism during my wife’s illness. Am I getting an orange robe and shaving my head? No, not yet – but universal truth is universal truth and close mindedness is the route of much evil in this world. When you are pushing around a dying wife in a wheelchair, you take and do whatever you can to help, you do not check the label on gifts of love before you open them. Love is love. Truth is truth. Light is light.

My house is falling apart and needs much work – that must start soon.

My past job is done, right now I have no work to go to. I have a new job lined up for Jan of 2017 – I may not go back to a “real” job until then. Is this a problem?  No, not at all.

And lastly – I bought myself a new acoustic guitar and started playing a little — I’m not terrible – I am not going to be a rock star but, so what! – it gives me pleasure – it lifts my soul.

This is where I am – And now – some music.

Reboot ~

~ Cave_Guy ~ 19 Comments

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The Cave is Undergoing a Revamp for the Spring

I want to:

Stay SFW – edgy yes – funny yes – fired for visiting – no

 A Reblog once a month – I don’t think we, as bloggers, reward good content enough.

Post my own photos and art as much as possible – a free-range chicken, all organic with no copyright infractions is the goal.

More projects and challenges with other bloggers. This is the center of the blogging watermelon – it really is! Making connections and friends. Sweetness!

My own challenge of hitting every type of blog genre in 2016 with an attempted post.

I mean all the favs:

Fashion- Music- Art – Photo – Food – Healing – Religious – Political – Conspiracy – Poetry – Sports – Books – Fiction– Redneckism (is that one?)  – Travel – Fitness –  Love – Sex – Collectible Coins – Movies –  Cartoon, Antiquing, Geek, Ancient Greek … etc., etc., and etc. (yes – I will take suggestions)

I want to do as many as I can – with no limits on if something is too edgy or too sketchy — How far can I push myself? Don’t know? Are you scared? — yeah …me too…ain’t it grand!

techno-dude

If you want to know why I want to do a blog genre mash-up bust-up house party with strobe lights and underground techno music —

I think that we should all write about *everything – in the writing and discussion is where answers and clarity come from.

The web is better when we make it better – so yeah –I am going to write about it all!

I guess the short version of the above is:  I’m doing everything and some of it twice – so keep up please – and enjoy the ride!

* Not to worry – I will give fair warning if it’s going to be something that would shock you!

jarbeach1

tiffanybeingfree.com/…6/02/15/golden-jars

This is a drawing I did for a poem by Tiffany @ tiffanybeingfree

It was great to try a sketch from her idea. The poem deals with some intense subject matter and the process of healing. It is an honor to help in this small way.

Bloggers working together –  Always a rewarding experience. For me, it knocks me out of my comfort zone and makes me swim a little harder. I need that because it is too easy to get complacent and start doing boring stuff — Helping others makes my own work better! So if you have an idea for a little co-bloggery with the cave — Please send it my way and maybe we can do something!

 

Next, we head to a blogging challenge with my friend Mek from Australia @ https://10000hoursleft.wordpress.com/ who likes to write stories based on artwork.

And I got to pick one — So I took a trip to Maine for a little Wyeth theme.

Chambered Nautilus by  Andrew Wyeth

The challenge is to write a short fiction piece based on this painting – I will leave the length of it up to you (I’m thinking 500 words or so?)  – this is a no stress “walk about” kind of challenge. I am going to try fiction for the first time (yea- me!), but if you want to write a poem or something else, that is cool. I only ask that you do it sometime in March and let me know so I can link them all together. This could be fun.

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And finally:

This is my home and you are all welcome in for a virtual cup of tea, coffee or beer anytime. We are always open!. No need to remove your  shoes or make a fuss – you may want to pet the dog so she knows you are cool. Other than that — relax.

I want everybody to just enjoy the cave.

Mi casa su casa

Cheers and here we go!

 

 

You are what you post ~ writing Part 3

~ Cave_Guy ~ 10 Comments

dragon-attack-color-5566

I did this in 2014 after receiving the “Dragon Loyalty  Award” – I did an illustration instead of the award- This took my music blog in a new direction. I am facing my dragon but not ready to kill him – I mean , what’s the point?  Isn’t the facing the main part? And I don’t have the stomach for it. Nasty business -Dragon Slaying

Great work

I ask you my blogging friends to take a look at your best ever post.

Don’t tell me they are all great or all bad—– just not possible.

Some of them hit a higher mark – some of them strike a chord.

Sometimes we surprise ourselves and exceed our zone.

Then we have a new level to break.

It’s called getting better – and it happens all the time out here.

It’s the product that determines our worth – simple as that – there is no resting.

You are only as good as your last blog.

You can be a writer – you can be a poet or an artist — you can call yourself a photographer – you just need one post to prove it. Most of my blogging friends have already done it many times.

 

lake-george02-invert

I have better images on my blog but this is my favorite. It is sunrise on Lake George “inverted” – A simple thing in Photoshop – The blacks become white and the oranges become blue. Fire turns into ice. There is an “abstract art” emotional feel that I can’t explain, but I like.  — cool and….. more cool.

 

Blogging is Community

Is it because we will never meet? Is that what drives the confidence of thought and discussion?

And would we share if we all got together at a cook out, or would we sip our beers and think it such a long time for the cheese to melt on our burgers — so we could just eat and go?

Would we still connect in real life?

I’d like to think so.

And what is real life anyway? So much communication is done through devices. Is the old way of meeting for coffee considered the old way and quickly becoming obsolete?

Connections I have made here, while sometimes ethereal, have been and continue to be a source of real comfort and strength for me as a human being. I know I move through this world a little easier because I blog.

We all need to be somebody.

Before I stepped on this electronic stage – I wasn’t as much me – Now I am.

This cat is “out of the bag” – and not going back.

wp-world-55

This was my me trying to make sense of this crazy blogging world – It did not get much attention when posted but seems to fit here. I love this world — this is my home.

 

 

 

Dodo

~ Cave_Guy ~ 11 Comments

dodo1

The Dodo

I followed this blog from Mauritius because it seemed such a cool and exotic place — in the middle of nowhere — out past Madagascar (which seems like the true edge of exotic).  — No — keep going, there is more.

I looked and looked and gave up trying to re-find this blog that I am pretty sure I still follow —- sadly— I can’t get back. So this country in the middle of nowhere has a blog on it that is lost to me right now.

If you see this, nice blog person – please click me a like or something and I will visit.

Anyway

I just finished “A Short History of Nearly Everything” by Bill Bryson (excellent book! — A cave 5 star rating!). And it has a bit about Mauritius because that was the home of the infamous extinct dodo bird.

So – I did a sketch.

I wanted to show the respect I have for this animal — not cool that it got screwed over.

Sailors just clubbed everything in the 1600’s — I know there were no resorts that served cold drinks with fancy straws in them at that time… but …. Seriously—– you just wipe this creature off the face of the earth?

And to add insult to injury – you gave it a name that makes it sound stupid.

This is not cool.

This bird was just chillin’ on a nice exotic location. It was not bothering anyone.

Why does history have to be so cruel?

This is my part to right that wrong.

I aim to make it more detailed and add color.

I also want to make it look respectable.

I feel some connection to this bird that is based on absolutely nothing – but is there nonetheless.

Can we still be friends? Blogworld

~ Cave_Guy ~ 11 Comments

Can we still be friends?

wpworld

This post is about a failure – I cannot get this sketch to full color illustration (at least, not yet).

I can shelve it for now or throw it out to the world.

Wait!

Nobody is paying me here  – in fact, this blog thing is done mostly as a way for me to journal the progress of me, a regular guy, who likes music – and also takes some photos and draws a little.

Does that make me a music critic or photographer or artist? —-No! … It makes me a blogger in a sea of bloggers doing the same thing.

We are many and we are taking over the world.

This sketch was my attempt at figuring out this crazy world we bloggers operate in.

All these awards, likes, follows and prompts falling from the clouds of blogland.

Brand new bloggers with no clue in their tents writing one simple post and waiting for the magic to happen – here is a hint: It won’t happen by itself.

BUT – that brand new blogger that lights a little campfire by leaving some comments and spreading a little joy by throwing “like” buttons like candy from a parade float.

That guy has a chance.

Looking around this sketch – you might find my website in the neighborhood with the other friendly music bloggers (many thanks to them for letting me move in). 🙂

Here is another hint: If you make your blog about something—-anything—- and tag it as such—the other folks that do that same something/anything will try to help you if you let them.

Let them and visit them.

They will become your friendly “shire” in this crazy world – you will be like Winnie the Pooh having Tigger and Eeyore stop by——-you will move from your tent to a neighborhood on WordPress —NOW- you have a great chance at finding your voice and becoming a real blogger.

Whatever that means?

I think it means that you feel at home with your site and move forward with conviction and passion.

“It’s not much of a tail, but I’m sort of attached to it.” – The wisdom of Eeyore explains how most of us feel about our sites.

So whether you are: music, photo, flowers, conspiracy theory or erotica. Whatever you are – there is a place for you here.

AND – thank you my friends – I am not going to list you and leave people out because this post is about inclusion. But you know who you are!

This sketch will need a follow-up post.

Hopefully I can add some color.

Cheers from the cave!

What we doing tonight Brain?”

~ Cave_Guy ~ 2 Comments

“Same thing we do every night Pinky — Try and take over the world!”

The WordPress world map is my favorite of all the “how is your blog doing?” tools.

The first time I saw it I thought- “Wow, this is kinda cool and somebody found me from Canada.

And then, I had this thought that must pass through the mind of every WordPress blogger at least for an instant——–I —er, yes me—-want every country to visit my blog; from the little ones that I don’t know exist to the big ones that scare me—-every country in the whole world!!!

And why do we think this crazy Napoleonic thought?

Because WordPress puts this map on our nice new blog with all these blank spots that need to be filled in.

We can’t help ourselves.

Below is my progress on this map:

world map 2014

Except for Africa and that middle east/central Asia part-we are doing pretty good.

The day I got my Greenland hit  is one of my single most proud moments in my blogging life. I still remember how warm the hot chocolate was and my screams of joy almost resulted in a 911 call from my neighbor’s house—-that was a great day.

I made a joke about a Mongolian yak herder in a post about Joe Bonamassa and got a hit from Mongolia-that was kind of weird but also cool at the same time.

A couple days ago I got a visit from Laos or more accurately “Lao People’s Democratic Republic” – this one was not on my radar. I saw the country light up and thought for a moment it was North Korea.—-Oh no!  Kim Jung Un is at the cave!–it would have to be, right?- because he is the only one in the whole country with Wi-Fi.

But no, this was next door. North Korea Lite

Which makes this post a little dangerous because nothing stops anyone in the world from taking a glance at it.

Hope you have a good sense of humor.

And hope that whatever corner of this friendly or unfriendly world you find yourself in. This post finds you in good spirits.

Cheers from the cave!

One to hang on the great WordPress fridge

~ Cave_Guy ~ 14 Comments

dragon-attack-color-5566 I may have to start a page for art-type stuff on my site or not. After I did my little sketch for the dragon loyalty award-I thought it might be a good idea to throw it in Photoshop and add some color. I am not kidding when I say that I never really tried to paint something in Photoshop before-but I liked it—–I liked it a lot! I have noticed a trend of people just putting the crappiest art they can make, adding a few un-thought out words and boom-bang-pow…We got a blog post!

I guess this is my attempt at that.

Below is the pencil sketch from last week- I might do a few more and start a page. I am at this point in my life where I am just going to do stuff and then post it—-worrying if it is “post-worthy” or if it will muck up my blog will come later. I write about music but I dabble my toes in many different ponds. And I don’t mind getting wet up to the ankles to try new stuff out.

dragon-attack

Nothing mystical here except me thinking about what it is like to really face a dragon….because my experience tells me that no matter what you think something is like—-it is always different once you really go through it-there is no substitute for the feet on the road and the eyes on the prize! Nothing is ever what it seems.

And Photoshop is really cool.

Dragon loyalty and thanks for getting me to 500 followers

~ Cave_Guy ~ 9 Comments

dragon-attack

A loyal blogging friend nominated me for the dragon loyalty award and even though I am not going to really do this award to pass it on in the prescribed way –it will generate a post and has already generated a sketch.

I sketched for an hour-just me and my imagination—I wanted to get the feeling of meeting a dragon and then wondering what to do about the slaying part. I don’t wish ill on any creature and even though dragons have a bad reputation—–getting rid of them is always a tricky thing.

I don’t know where it came from and I don’t know if I am up to the task.

And does this dragon really need to go anyway?

Enough about my conflicted soul and back to the award that I am not doing.

Loyalty is a rare and special thing – I am mentioning two bloggers that have been with me through thick and thin.

Mike  http://mikeladano.com/ always drops by and like the friendly neighbor in any good sitcom-the show simply can’t go on without him- so I thank you my friend.

And also http://peacelovegreatcountrymusic.com/ who nominated me for this award-I thank her very much for the support because there was a long time that I was writing and felt I could not write well enough to stay here on WordPress. It is ironic that a country music fan would help keep a rock fan afloat-but she always does.

I don’t think I would have been out here long enough to gather all these followers without a couple good people in my corner. I really mean that.

Now I will do the 7 things about me part.

  1. I listen to hip hop when working out- Biggie for cardio and Slim Shady for weights.
  2. I am fascinated by birds that migrate enough that it affects my driving.
  3. I am not a good driver.
  4. When I look at the stars –I imagine that I am on a big rock hurling through space.
  5. I don’t get “The three Stooges”.
  6. When choosing between cheap beer and no beer- I go thirsty.
  7. Skating in hockey skates is pure joy.

Next post I will be getting back to the music

For now I will leave you with  Queen.Dragon Attack

Cheers from the cave!

Greenland Baby!

~ Cave_Guy ~ 21 Comments

Greenland

Greenland Baby!

Oh sweet mystical frozen land that everyone flies over going to other places!

Oh beautiful Holy Grail of no blogging hits!

You don’t know how one accidental visit can make a guy happy.

I don’t know what brought you to my site and even though I am curious-I am ok with a quick hit and no explanation. It is fine because I have been waiting for you for a long time.

You have made my day! I can see the northern lights dancing in my head right now!

I can hear a polar bear moaning for its mate on an ice floe.

I can almost see a seal popping his head above the waterline to see if I am friend or foe.

I am a friend! I Love you Greenland!

greenland flag

I am not one to brag about this and that on WordPress

I appreciate every single follower and every single like button. They are like little drops of candy from the sky that keep this blogging thing so sweet.  I do have a bunch of followers and a few regular readers but I am not really into throwing a badge up for the numbers. I think that a good honest blog with 10 regular followers and readers that are engaged is a successful blog.

And I also think that most bloggers give up too easy when they don’t see good numbers.

If you enjoy writing and do it on a regular basis-you will find yourself getting better and also find a voice that starts to speak to others. When that starts happening: people will find you.

All us bloggers that people think are good started out as a jumbled mess with 3 or 4 followers and no like buttons. We all get better as we go along.

I  have not been Freshly Pressed

I’d like to think I have been close with maybe a misplaced comma or an image that could have been a bit stronger making the WordPress gurus winch just enough to not check that box. Or they may not even know I am here! Either way-don’t have that badge.

I am an Award agnostic

I love the fact that they engage the whole community spirit of blogging, but I hate the chain-letterness of them.

But Greenland baby- Greenland- all you bloggers that have ever stared at the world map and seen that big white blank island at the top of the world know what I am talking about .

And I hope you can also reach this blogging Nirvana .

It is a beautiful thing.

Let’s play a happy song- some bouncy major chords and a feisty little drum beat.

I like American music and I love Greenland.

Cheers from the cave!

And Qujanaq Greenland! (I hope that means thanks)