D.J. Coffman - Sequential Artist, Thinker

I’m back! A very long and busy weekend. Friday night-Saturday night was ALL wedding stuff, Sunday was all kids football stuff— I pretty much spent 3 days without drawing anything at all. This was the first time this has happened in I don’t know how long. For two days my computer was pretty much OFF and I was offline. Unheard of! My brain never stopped thinking “Dude! Dude! You should be drawing something!”

This morning my computer was acting wonky and I could’nt get my Cintiq screen to get video, even though it was clearly on. It looks as though my video card settings were changed somehow while I was away, although I don’t believe my computer was turned on… HURM… Next time I’ll make sure it can’t be turned on, because I wasted about an hour this morning troubleshooting here and worrying that I’d have to be scouting for a new video card — but now it’s all good to go.

details of the weekend and thoughts after the jump…

Saturday was filled with my sister inlaw’s wedding. I was a groomsmen and had to wear a tux, to which I do not like wearing any kind of suits, but at least this one was comfortable and well fitted. The last time I rented a tux it was not so.

Friday night at the rehearsal for said wedding, I had my Obama pin on my Pearl Jam hoodie. I kinda figured I’d be inviting some words of some kind, but I’m kinda sick of all the backhanded comments and racism I hear here in Southwestern PA, so I wear it proudly and secretly HOPE that someone will say something so I can unload a passive aggressive jab or two. And like clockwork, the first time down the aisle, a nice redneck fellow had pointed out to his wife that “Hey honey, you’re standing next to an Obama supporter!” And he repeated it until she heard, “You’re hanging out with an Obama supporter!” — to which I shrugged my shoulders and said… “Yeah, you know, I kinda like my presidents to have BRAINS” — and it immediately shut the guy down. “Brains? Brains, huh?” — Yep. Good old fashioned brains.

I also got to hear the word “Nigger” not once, but twice, minutes before the preacher was opening the door so we could all walk out and begin the ceremony. In my own paranoia, I believe they just say this around me now to try to get a rise. My now brother-inlaw did tell them to watch their language, but I’m sure they’ve all had a good chuckle behind closed doors that I support a black guy for president. And you know what? I’m not going to judge these guys, they are who they are because of however they were raised. Beyond their shallow political leanings and pretty open racism and banter, they seem like reasonable people. It’s a shame. My wife and I believe that they just don’t know a lot about the actual issues, and if they did, everything they say they are for makes no sense at all to vote for McCain. We agreed that if they actually heard some of the issues and facts, they might be surprised. I don’t want to judge them by saying they are SLOW, but it does really seem like they will believe anything they hear. They think Obama is Muslim in disguise… that he has some hidden agenda. They think this because someone told them this, or they read that chain email! They’ve done no fact checking outside of looking to their other elders and asking… Is this true??? And the elders nod in a yes fashion.

A funny moment, during the wedding dances we went to switch partners and I ended up dancing with this man and dipping him. See, we CAN all get along. You know, I really wish I could change peoples minds, because it sure doesn’t seem like their hearts are where what their mouths shoot out.

My friend sent along an article on NPR directly talking about the area I live in here and racism: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95297635&live=1&ps=bb4 - and I noticed Southwestern PA brought up on MSNBC this morning as well. You know, I’d love to go on one of those shows and talk about my experiences in this area. I’m tired of them tip toeing around the racism issue, it’s true. And I feel like if we shine a flashlight on it, people might change their minds realizing that it’s 2008 and not 1958. Or maybe some of the youth voters here will realize that their parents or grandparents are just MORONS.

Sunday was filled with kids football, and more football, and my wife and I are pretty exhausted from all the running around and lack of sleep. But alas, there is work to be done!