smack-dab | The Direction of Intention

Get Lost [David’s blog on saturday morning smack-dab]

Posted on November 18, 2023 by davidrobinsoncreative

It’s true. She is sometimes hypnotized by items in a grocery store. At first I mistakenly thought she was reading every word on the labels or was frozen in some pain. Now I know better. She gets lost in reminiscence. The stuff on the shelf serves as a memory trigger.

My job is twofold: first, to protect her from oncoming carts. People with lists are notoriously poor drivers. Kneeling people, lost in a memory fit, are hard to see. Second, after an adequate amount of time, to snap her out of it. Her capacity for threading back in memory-time knows no equal so sometimes she needs a nudge to return to the present.

Oh, Yes. There’s a third job: after such a long trip her joints actually freeze and she sometimes needs help standing up.

read Kerri’s blogpost about WAX PAPER

share. like. support. comment. get lost in thought. it’s all good.

buymeacoffee is like wax paper in a grocery store, capable of throwing you back to a magical time before zip-lock bags, phones with cords and art appreciation day.

Filed under: smack-dab | Tagged: aarp, artistry, cartoon, cartoonists, composer, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, grocery store, hypnotized, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, memory, memory trigger, middle age cartoon, middle age romance, painter, reminiscence, shopping, story, studio melange, the melange, two artists, wax paper | 1 Comment »

Forever Bring [David’s blog on saturday morning smack-dab]

Posted on November 11, 2023 by davidrobinsoncreative

If ever there was a Smack-Dab that captured the essence of our conversations, it is this. I am forever asking Kerri unanswerable esoteric questions. She is forever bringing my feet back to the ground. I am forever expounding on recondite yada-yada. She is forever bringing me back to the tangible moment, to what is right in front of my eyes.

There is only one thing that I am entirely sure of: we are a perfect match.

read Kerri’s blogpost about CHICKEN SOUP

share. like. support. comment. ignore. eye roll. chicken dance. many thanks!

buymeacoffee is an abstruse, arcane, obscure land where people toss spare change at artistic hyper-mouths to get them to please-be-quiet and, thus, to keep the peace.

Filed under: smack-dab | Tagged: aarp, artistry, balance, bloggers, cartoon, certainty, chicken soup, composer, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, detail, esoteric, fate, Karma, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, kismet, logic, middle age cartoon, middle age romance, painter, perfect match, reason, recondite, saturday morning smack-dab, smack-dab, story, studio melange, synchronicity, the melange, two artists, uncertainty, yada yada | 3 Comments »

Dance [David’s blog on saturday morning smack-dab]

Posted on November 4, 2023 by davidrobinsoncreative

One of the first paintings I did for Kerri is called Dancing In The Front Yard. From the very beginning we’ve had a natural impulse to dance. In the kitchen. On the deck. In an airport. On the trail. In the front yard.

If we break into spontaneous slow-dancing and the Dogga is near, it never fails that he joins us. Standing on his hind legs, paws on our shoulders, together we three dance our celebration of togetherness. There is nothing better on this earth.

read Kerri’s blogpost about DANCING

like. support. share. comment. dance. dance. dance.

buymeacoffee is an online “tip jar” that propels the artists you appreciate into spontaneous fits of dancing.

Filed under: smack-dab | Tagged: aarp, artistry, cartoon, celebration, composer, dance, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, dogdog, dogga, Gratitude, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, middle age cartoon, middle age romance, painter, romance, second chances, slow dance, smack-dab, story, studio melange, the melange, togetherness | 1 Comment »

Mind The List [David’s blog on saturday morning smack-dab.]

Posted on October 28, 2023 by davidrobinsoncreative

Today is one of those days. There’s not much I can add to illuminate the wisdom of the comic strip. Rest easy knowing that my brain is putty and I am off to take a nap. Somehow, “nap” floated to the tippy-top of the we-do list and I always do what’s on the list.

read Kerri’s blogpost about HELLUVA WEEK

like it. share it. support it. comment on it. then take a nice rest. we will, too.

buymeacoffee is an online “tip jar” providing well deserved nap opportunities for the artists you value and who are beginning to look haggard.

Filed under: smack-dab | Tagged: aarp, artistry, bloggers, cartoonists, composer, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, exhaustion, honey do list, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, middle age cartoon, middle age romance, nap, napping, painter, second chances, smack-dab, story, studio melange, the list, the melange, to do list, two artists, we do list, writers | 4 Comments »

Resist But Not For Long [David’s blog on saturday morning smack-dab]

Posted on October 21, 2023 by davidrobinsoncreative

We love to cook. We love food. We enjoy trying new recipes. We delight when we cook one of our favorite old standards. A day does not pass on the metaphoric trail that Kerri does not look at me and say, “I’m hungry. You hungry?” There’s no time for verbs when food calls.

There are a few dietary restrictions in our house so we have evolved into healthy-ish eaters. Yet, there’s another reason that we don’t keep too many sweet things in the house. I will eat them. All of them. If you want to get secret information from me, all you need do is strap me down and put a piece of flourless chocolate cake just out of reach. I’ll pretend to resist, but not for long.

So, what do you want to know…

read Kerri’s blogpost about DESSERT!!!!

like it. try it. support it. share it. comment on it. have another bite. we love it all.

buymeacoffee is like a “tip jar” supporting the superfood necessary to support the continued creation of brownies and doughnuts from the artist you value.

Filed under: smack-dab | Tagged: aarp, artistry, brownies, chocolate, coffee sorbetto, composer, cooking, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, dessert, flourless chocolate cake, food, food love, healthy eating, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, middle age cartoon, middle age romance, musician, painter, story, studio melange, sweet tooth, sweets, the melange | 3 Comments »

Face Downwind [David’s blog on saturday morning smack-dab]

Posted on October 14, 2023 by davidrobinsoncreative

Mighty regrettable breath! I laughed so hard when I read this that tears came to my eyes. She didn’t back up when I laughed so I’m fairly confident that I’ve taken care of the problem. Either that or I’ve permanently damaged her sense of smell.

Note: She also ate the dip. That I didn’t write a cartoon about my point of view (smell) is why she loves ALMOST everything about me. Well, okay. She probably likes a lot of things about me. I think. I know she tolerates a very long list of eccentric character traits and quirks. All-in-all, I generally get a passing grade if I point my mighty regrettable breath downwind. And open the wine. And make the coffee.

read Kerri’s blogpost about MY BREATH!!!!!!!

(Oh great. She just said, “You don’t really have bad breath.” And laughed raucously.)

share. support. like. comment. brush your teeth. we thank you!

buymeacoffee is a tooth-extraction site where we can trade your old fillings for support of our continued creative work. We appreciate your desire to eat soft foods on our behalf.

Filed under: smack-dab | Tagged: aarp, artistry, bad breath, breath mint, breather, brush your teeth, cartoon, cartoon about middle age, composer, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, food trauma, garlic breath, halitosis, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, love, middle age cartoon, middle age romance, onion breath, painter, regrettable breath, rogue rattler, sense of smell, smack-dab, snack warning, story, studio melange, the melange, two artists breathing | 4 Comments »

Follow The Rules [David’s blog on saturday morning smack-dab.]

Posted on October 7, 2023 by davidrobinsoncreative

“Do you remember when you used to stand up without sound effects?” she asked. We burst out laughing at the truth of her question. A gathering of friends comparing the aches and pains of simple movement.

Kerri and I have initiated a few new roadtrip travel rules. First, we stop before the sun goes down. The days of seventeen hour long-hauls are over. Diminished night-sight made that rule necessary. Next, we stop every few hours to stretch our legs. We’ve found that if we don’t stop, the only way out of the car is to roll off the seat and crawl to the curb. Social grace and the aesthetics of aging made the stop-every-few-hours-rule essential. People at rest areas get nervous when our car door opens and I fall groaning to the ground, crawl with my elbows around the car, reach up to open Kerri’s door, and pull her moaning to the pavement.

Let’s face it. It’s not pretty. It’s always a better idea to stop while there’s still some feeling in our legs.

read Kerri’s blogpost about LONG DRIVES

like. support. share. comment. we thank you.

buymeacoffee is an online “tip jar” where you can support the continued creation from the artists you appreciate.

Filed under: smack-dab, Uncategorized | Tagged: aarp, aging, artistry, bloggers, cartoonists, composer, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, getting older, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, middle age, middle age cartoon, musician, night sight, painter, road trip, second chances, smack-dab, social grace, story, studio melange, the melange, travel, two artists | 2 Comments »

Return To Adoration [David’s blog on saturday morning smack-dab.]

Posted on September 30, 2023 by davidrobinsoncreative

The good news is that, eventually, late becomes early and my adorability is magically restored. Kind of like a reverse pumpkin in the Cinderella story. Or, perhaps a more accurate analogy, like a werewolf during the dark hours, I metamorphose back to a less-loud-adorable-man-shape with the sunrise.

Mostly, I am grateful that her memory is short and with the sunrise she seems to forget the werewolf-in-me. Either that or she’s imagining or dreaming the snoring (I’ve never heard it so I am understandably filled with doubt). What matters is I awake each morning from a restful sleep and look at her with adoring eyes. Come to think of it, that may be why my adorability is magically restored. Not magic, it’s an adoration loop!

There’s an explanation for everything!

read Kerri’s blogpost about ADORATION

like it. share it. support it. comment on it. we appreciate it.

buymeacoffee is a donation “tip jar” where you can support the continued work of the artists you appreciate.

Filed under: smack-dab, Uncategorized | Tagged: aarp, adoration, adoration loop, artistry, cartoon about middle age, cinderella, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, middle age cartoon, restful sleep, second chances, sleep deprivation, smack-dab, story, studio melange, the melange, two artists, werewolf | 2 Comments »

Love Both Ends of the Spectrum [David’s blog on saturday morning smack-dab.]

Posted on September 23, 2023 by davidrobinsoncreative

Training manual for an artist’s life: there are times of plenty. There are times of pain. In the times of plenty it is impossible not to know there will be times of pain. In times of pain, it is impossible not to believe that there will be times of plenty. The tide rolls in. The tide rolls out (just as in every other life).

The results? There are two that accompany both times of plenty and times of pain. 1) The ever-present weird comparison. This meal = a week’s groceries. The weird comparison is probably why we love to cook at home. And we do. We love it. 2) The unassailable hope. It’s an exercise in focus-placement. It’s never really about the cost; it’s about focusing on the experience. We regularly split a burger and a glass of wine whether in times of pain or times of plenty. We regularly love every minute.

Pain and plenty are both worthy experiences on the full palette of life. We are capable of savoring a side salad. We laugh all the way home because the tip is often the most expensive portion of our bill (our daughter and my mother did serious time as wait-staff and we know the value of a great tip).

Loving both ends of the spectrum simply means that we are fully loving life. And we are. It’s not really about the food anyway.

read Kerri’s blogpost about SIDE SALADS

share. like. support. comment. thank you.

buymeacoffee is a “tip-jar” site that allows you to support the continued work of the artists you value.

Filed under: smack-dab | Tagged: aarp, artist's life, artistry, comparison, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, full spectrum, hope, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, middle age cartoon, middle age romance, pain, plenty, savor, second chances, story, studio melange, the melange, two artists, value, worth | 3 Comments »

Do A Bit Of Reading [David’s blog on saturday morning smack-dab]

Posted on September 16, 2023 by davidrobinsoncreative

Yes. It’s true. I’ve been paying on my student loans for 22 years and I currently owe more now than the original loan. That little statistic is not an accident. I am not alone. There are so many of me, in fact, that our economy will teeter when payments resume.

The mechanism was set up in the Reagan years, a mechanism that has more recently been echoed in the Affordable Care Act. What seems like a good idea at the time, accessibility to education, accessibility to healthcare, is in actuality a shell game. The government provides a subsidy-or-loan-program for an industry yet places no cap on what the industry can charge. It places little regulation on how the loans are structured and serviced. It’s a money-making-machine in the guise of a social program. Tax dollars to corporate pockets. Compare the cost of an education in 1988 to what it is today. Compare the cost of healthcare in the USA relative to other developed nations. Once in the trap, it’s nigh-on impossible to escape it.

Do a bit of reading before you weigh in on student loan forgiveness. For extra credit, compare the amount of recent loan forgiveness granted to businesses (not to mention the amount given to large corporations when the economy melted down in the Bush years – due to bad corporate/market practices) relative to the amount proposed for student loan forgiveness by the Biden administration. Student loan forgiveness is peanuts in comparison though the impact on real people would be profound.

For extra-extra credit, keep in mind that humor is often the result of other people’s pain… it’s possible that this cartoon will strike your funny bone since the pain for us is real. We hope it strikes a slightly different bone.

read Kerri’s blogpost about PREDATORY LOANS

like. share. comment. support. ~ thank you.