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Revisiting Childhood Aspirations

Remember the other day when I mentioned happening upon a box of my old letters, and shared a random pick for whatever purpose? Well, while my butt was firmly planted on the couch today what with all the football and NASCAR (I love Sundays!) I brought the box with. Along with a case of beer and a pack or two of smokes, of course. What an awesome day.

Anyway, I thought this was odd because I had forgotten about it completely. I remember always writing weird-ass stories as a kid, always a writer. And way many songs, both before, during and after my stint with the band. It had slipped my mind, though, for unknown reasons that as a kid I also had aspirations to be a cartoonist!

In that box of letters and miscellany, I grabbed a huge stack of my early, um, work? I have no idea my age since none were dated, but I know it was grade school stuff because it came back to me that I used to sit at the kitchen table doodling on notebook paper. I'm glad I kept them, though. I scanned a couple here, one when I now remember trying to come up with some main character so I could maybe end up in the Sunday funnies one day like Chip Sansom's The Born Loser. The other I have no idea about, but I liked it.


Comments

  1. You are a very talented person. I once had aspirations to be a cartoonist. Bought the Walter Foster books and all. I never could master perspective. Even my best efforts were crude at best. I did better when I took up guitar as an outlet for my creativity.

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  2. Thanks, Doug! I had forgotten about my cartoonist wishes until I ran across these today, that's weird. I think I was probably about 10 or 12 with the batch here that I ran across, but it was strange to not remember. I guess music was mostly my main thing, too, you and the guitar and me and the piano. Too bad I've done nothing with anything I really feel passionate about, but at least like you mention these are our outlets. I would like to hear you play sometime, I love guitar. Podcast maybe?

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  3. So cute! I think as a kid I TOO wished I had a cartoon strip! I never could draw though, so that dream was short. Still, only stick people for me. The best I can do is throw some clothes on them now and then...you know, like the triangle skirt on the women? Yeah...that's about it. :)

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  4. Lumina - at least you could do a skirt. I just noticed that I seldom did anything below the waist. Don't know what that means, but you'd think I could have at least done a triangle or something.

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  5. Very nice! I keep everything that my children have ever made me. Before my son started school, I taught him at home. I have some of the book reports he wrote for me when he was four years old. I have all the little cards and poems too.

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  6. Never realized back then why it seemed important to me to keep all the shit I did, but I'm glad for it. Even though it just points out mostly paths I wish now I might have taken but didn't. It's a big box of stuff, really! No doubt when I die there will be a bonfire following my memorial service.

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  7. Cool! I got into cartooning in my 30's, my job gave me so many funny strips. I became the work cartoonist, passsing them around on the sneak (the bosses didn't coe off too well, LOL)---then, dang it--MS...ended my drawing career. I love yours, Doug. Go for it! You have a fine wit and slicing outlook.

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  8. Cool, Diane! You should share some of your pre-MS underground toonage. That would be most enjoyable, at least for me anyway.

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  9. I probably dumped them...you o me thinkin' tho (dangerous ) I still have a few good fingers...hmmm. That lego vid...very cool. Can you imagine how long it took to set up each shot? I didn't know Legos had evolved into little people.

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