THE YEAR OF THE TIGER!

The Tiger (虎) is the third of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. The Year of the Tiger is associated with the Earthly Branch symbol 寅.

The Year of the Tiger begins on 1 February 2022 and ends 21 January 2023.

Thank heaven for Wikipedia!

Death Toll Of January

Next month's gotta be better!

SIX MONTHS IN ANOTHER TOWN

I moved into a new town six months ago and I still feel very much out of place. No familiar faces anywhere and none of my friends live nearby. Anyway, I guess I'll get used to it as the weeks drag by and I finish settling in, but in the meantime, I'll have to get used to this rather uncomfortable feeling!

THOSE MAGNIFICENT FIRST YEARS AT THE DRAWING BOARD!

As I was preparing some materials for an interview, I came across several items that made me go back in time and recall those very first years when I started my career as a cartoonist.

Back then, during the early 1970s, where there was no internet, there were no scanners, no Photoshop or any other digital means to aid artists in their creations, you had to depend on the more traditional tools of graphic design.

Essential instruments for my work were the Gillott nibs, the wooden handles, the indispensable Pelikan Black India Ink, the erasers, the HB pencils and my paper of choice, the vellum cardboard.

And of course, another very useful item to complete the package, was me at the drawing board!

(That's me, in about 1976 or 1977.)

I really do not miss those days for I actually thrive using every digital assistance available today.

However, I do miss that long-gone comic book era, when BEEP BEEP, THE ROAD RUNNER and THE PINK PANTHER occupied my creative hours!

PICK UP AFTER YOUR DOG!

I do not have a dog and I do not intend to have one ever again...I had enough mutts when I was growing up, and later, when my son was a small kid. Those times are past. But the question persists:

why do so many dog owners forget to pick up after their flea-bitten mongrels? 

Mistaking the Hamper with the Trash Bin!

If you keep your hamper next to your trash bin, this may someday happen!

(Spoken from experience!)

"I'm Mr Hardy; Oliver Norvell Hardy!"

              Every January 18, I remember one half of the greatest comedy team in movie history!                                                                                    Bless you, Oliver Hardy!

OLIVER HARDY

SENIOR FITNESS REGIME

Exercising after 70 is a breeze! Who knew?

ANOTHER INSTALLMENT OF THE GOOD AND THE NOT SO GOOD!

 

THE GIRLS' WAITING ROOM

My Favorite Uncle.

I was recently rummaging through some old boxes I was unpacking during my recent move to a different city, when I came across this old caricature I did in 1989:

This guy happens to be my late uncle, Salvador Lomelí, who was my mother's older brother. And it brought back some very nice memories of my earlier life, when I was recently married and he would frequently drop by to visit! My uncle was a huge movie fan and he knew almost everything about films,  as far back as the early silents up to the late 80s and beyond.  We spent many evenings listening to soundtracks and reminiscing about our favorite movies. He was quite knowledgeable about filmmaking although his chosen profession was as a librarian. I learned quite a lot from him, not only about films but also about classical music, painting (he had been an art student at the Academy of San Carlos, a very prominent and renowned art school in Mexico) and many other subjects, including cooking recipes!

I remember we would sit in the living room, near my stereo system and browse through my movie book collection while listening to some appropriate music. He would stop on certain pictures from the books and tell me very interesting stories about the film in question or he would just describe the scenes to me.

    Eleanor Powell             Lucille Bremer

His prefered genre was musicals and he knew everything about them. He loved Judy Garland, Fred Astaire, Eleanor Powell, Lucille Bremer, Gene Kelly, Alice Faye and most of the other great stars of the musical scene of yesteryear. 

             Judy Garland            Alice Faye

Of course, we both had different tastes in some aspects and that was the ingredient that made our conversations even more interesting. I liked stars like Humphrey Bogart, Errol Flynn, Ann Sheridan, Marilyn Monroe and Lauren Bacall while he was more partial to Tyrone Power, Douglas Fairbanks Sr., Bette Davis, Betty Grable and Greta Garbo. We both agreed on Cary Grant although he loved Chaplin and wasn't so big on Laurel & Hardy, which I was. He liked Walt Disney cartoons and prefered them over Bugs Bunny and the other WB characters, but nevertheless, he was willing to watch anything with me...and he laughed and enjoyed all those films immensely.  Furthermore, he knew a lot about classical music, movie soundtracks and just as much about the great art painters or how to prepare a tasty paella.

To this day, I have never had a conversation with anyone else like the ones I used to have with him!  I do miss my uncle a lot. He never married, had no children and passed away in 1998 under strange circumstances.  I deeply felt his departure. However, I frequently think about him whenever I glance at my movie book collection, admire great paintings at a museum or when I see an old musical on the TV screen.  Rest in Peace, dear uncle Salvador!

Celebrated Mexican painter Juan O'Gorman (1902-1982), dedicated this lithograph to my uncle in 1963:

 

(As a footnote, I should mention my uncle was gay. He knew I knew this but we never addressed the issue because it was never, in any way, relevant to us. I just mention the fact in case some of you were wondering.)

Entering 2022!

Every time we start a new year we hope it'll be better than the one before. This time is no different. 

We may have our doubts about the future what with the pandemic still going on and such, but one thing is certain: nothing will stop the march of time so... get on with it, dammit!

 

ACAPULCO BITES

I spent New Year' Eve in the festive and crowded Acapulco bay, where everything was  fantastic...until a flock of mosquitoes decided to make my body their own private holiday resort.  Back home, I counted more than 100 mosquito bites, strategically scattered all over my anatomy.  But all is well. 

Happy 2022!