The Joys of Childhood

At the grocery store I walked past a sweaty, little kid (eight; dirt rings around his neck) staring at the candy shelf maybe fifteen feet behind his huge Mom who was shopping up ahead.   Suddenly she stomps back down the aisle, yanks him hard by the arm and yells, "Do you wanna get stolen!?"

I swear it looked like he wanted to say yes.


(sketchbook page)

John Quincy Adams

I was hiking last week in Griffith park when I saw a kindly looking older man pulling a metal detector out of  his car. To be social and because I was curious,  I stopped and asked him what was the best thing he'd ever found.   He immediately wheeled and angrily barked, "I don't want to get into it!"  Then spit on the ground in disgust and marched away with his equipment.  

As I backed away slowly I remembered this sixty-something guy in Yoga warning me, "from forty on you have to work like hell every day not to become an angry old fuck." 

 I think he's absolutely right.

                                                            (Private collection of  Thomas D. Hird.  10x15 Acrylic, board)

                                                 

   

Hello, my name is...

The "Dunning-Kruger Effect" states that our incompetence masks our ability to recognize our incompetences, or, in layman's terms, why dumbasses think they're so smart.  It also completely explains politicians.

(Acrylic on board 30 x 30)

Another quote from Grand Exalted Potentate Ernie Gunderson, Sandusky, Ohio
(tempera on paper)