Stuff: Adventures in Culture

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It's funny when someone asks you what you do and you tell them you're an illustrator (Or, graphic artist, or cartoonist, etc.) what they'll usually pop off, next. I have been asked if I work for Disney, Marvel, DC; and if I know any of the big names. (Usually they just want to know if I've met Robert Downey, Jr.) And then there's the usual; "can you draw me Spiderman?"

Of course, once they find out it's not all big money and high life... Well, they tend to lose interest real quick like.

Last week I was supposed to go to my friend James' house. He's a lawyer who lives up in the hills of San Francisco. He likes to throw these fancy dress Scotch tastings. Basically, everyone brings a Scotch (One rule: It must be from a glass bottle.) and we all take turns trying it out. I was so excited because I was finally going to be able to go.

And yet, even with directions, I could not, for the life of me, find his place. I must have gone back and forth, up and down, and through every possible twist and turn. At one point you could smell the NEWLY and EXPENSIVELY repaired brakes starting to burn, some.

After about an hour of this, I gave up and started to try and find my way home. It was then that I found my other friends' house in the same area. You see, they were throwing a social, too. And I was going to go to there's as well. Since they lived so close to James, I figured we'd just walk to their house. So, I didn't bother to get directions. And yet, there I was, at their door.

At Krys and Rob's place - my other friends - I met Rob and Ryn. He worked with my friend Rob doing video games, and Ryn, his wife, worked at Berkeley studying air pollution. Our conversations turned from science, to cartoons, to culture. Then a couple from Finland jumped into what was becoming a fun stand up routine about growing up a dumb American. When they mentioned they were from Finland, all I could say - since I know nothing about Finland - was a Montey Python line.

Yeah, no one was impressed. But I got to keep my Scotch, so that was a plus!