receiving two useful documents for the car well before their deadline

If, after a week of sun and above-freezing temperatures, March has decided to squeeze in one last-minute prank, then I am grateful that I have no obligations to go out in it today.

the best batch of head grapes so far this year

I dunno if I can say that Secret Story is The Mighty Pat's best album, but it's one of his most approachable and appealing, and it's the one I find myself listening to most often. And, a while back, a moment on that album helped me crystallize some of my own thoughts about myself.

The Longest Summer is one of many stellar tracks on the album. This one in particular stands out because it prominently features Pat on piano as well as guitar. I love his piano playing on this track, I find it gorgeous.

It occurred to me that there might be people who wondered why he didn't get a Real Pianist to play this. He knows many of them. His buddy Lyle Mays, pianist for the Pat Metheny Group and one of the finest pianists in the world, was available -- and in fact Lyle appears on several other tracks on the album. There might be people who listen to Pat's piano here and think that they know of "better players" -- more technically proficient, more dazzling. And, granted, it's clear from this song that Pat is much more adept on guitar, which is his "real" instrument.

But, for one, I figure he must've wanted to do this one himself, because he did. And he could. And, for another, he did fine. What he plays fits what the song needs, it's attractive and satisfying, and it completely works. Would the song sound more gorgeous or more touching if the piano were flashier? I would argue no. Pat's piano playing on this song is not just good enough, it's Plenty Good Enough®. This was the moment where I stumbled upon this concept.

I realized that, if I try to evaluate my own work as a cartoonist as objectively as I can, I would say that I am Plenty Good Enough®. You can easily find lots of cartoonists who are technically better than I am, whose work is more dazzling and impressive and arresting than mine. But my goal in my comics is to tell a story, and my work tells that story with clarity and with some appeal. The story wouldn't be better if my work were more "eye candy" than it is. My drawing works for what I do, more often than not.

While Pat is not the most amazing pianist you ever heard, he is still a better pianist than most people you know, primarily because most people you know aren't trying to play piano at all. Similarly, I am a better cartoonist than most of the people you know. (Even though you know, or know of, quite a few who are much better than I am.) And this doesn't mean I'm not trying to be better -- but I do that for me, because I find pleasure in becoming a better cartoonist. But as I stand now, I feel like I am Plenty Good Enough®.

the equinox - this winter was particularly challenging and I am glad to see the back of it, even if only nominally


UPDATE! I went for a walk to the park and saw a cluster of five robins -- fat, happy ones. My first robin sighting of the year! What more apt way of ushering in the spring could there be? [And the answer is, "None. None more apt."] Yay robins!

a big sky with a sunny break

( moar big sky )

getting my laundry out of the way early

ducks in the park

the cold easing up enough for me to take a walk in the sun

finally feeling like this flu is letting up -- been down with it for a good week-ish