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the avra valley dispatch: 25 April 2004 -- Free Your Mind and Your Ass Will Follow
In a fit of self-absorption and curious about the current level of my brand saturation, I tested out the new a9 search engine by googling (a9'ing?) my name. There was the usual stuff, one or two links from out in left field (my comments on the Ramekins cooking school website), and I was reminded of the existence of a marital aid book I illustrated ten years ago (I'll spare you the $20 and give you the details: be creative, communicate, don't knock it 'til you try it).Most interesting was a community site that had a link to my sorta erstwhile Barbie Project. The person posting the link loved the Barbies, but one person (aptly nicknamed "ADeadHeart") posted the comment: "Someone has NO life...I'd hate my daughter to find one of these somewhere..."
I contemplated her comment for the better part of a day. Her opinion didn't stick in my craw or hurt my feelings -- after all, I survived art school and worked in Silicon Valley, I can take whatever people throw at me -- instead, I just considered the meaning of "life."
And I realized that if having a life doesn't mean engaging in creative pursuits, or climbing a mountain; or visiting the sea; or getting off the interstate and out of the car and marvelling at the vastness of a dry lake bed or the badlands or the prairie; yet does mean limiting or dreading your child's future experiences, then heck yeah, I have "no life."
Damn straight.
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