Wizard needs food, badly

I never use this anymore, but check it now and again. Anyway, I hiked and biked through Thailand over New Years and came back with some stories and footage. I'm working on a short video about the trip. Here's a teaser.


I also befriended a dog. Here's that story.

I may or may not have shot and edited this for a contest.

I made this over the course of a week and a half. 12 GB of photos! Animated with Dragon Stop Motion, After Effects, and finished in Final Cut. My first real jump into stop motion. The next one will be so much better but I'm pretty proud of the work I did here despite a lot of flaws. I really recommend watching it on Vimeo's site to see it in HD, please!

Yep, two more freelance vids I dropped this week. I'm sleepy.

All said I had am amazing relaxing 4 day weekend. I am finishing it off with this fine bottle:

Molasses, coffee, toast, bitter chocolate, malty, toffee, vanilla, espresso, caramel, figs, dark fruit, brown sugar, and oak are all words you could attribute, and many already have, to this fine brew. $20-22 for a 150 ml is still a little steep but I found it worth the price. Fantastic winter time beer to warm you up at 11.2% abv. This is the rich end of stouts, a place where hops are used and but not tasted, where the mouth feel is closer to oatmeal than water, and where words like clarity are laughed at because I swear this stuff sucks up light. Serve in a brandy glass or at least your widest red wine glass. Okay, if you must and least put it in a tumbler to let it aerate enough as you drink it. Let it warm up from the fridge for 15-30 minutes. You'll thank me.

If you're not a beer drinker or if you are and also love a good hard cider this is the best I have found by good measure:

Erin is allergic to all kinds of wheat which means no beer for her so we have tried at least 20 different varieties of hard cider and this is our winner. J.K.'s is all the right mix of sweet and tart and honest to goodness apple flavor all while being made from only juice from organic apples and yeast (no sugar added!). From orchard to bottle all from the same people ("Grown, Crushed, Fermented, Bottled on the Farm"). Even this video from J.K. himself describing the how they keep the farm organic is wonderfully awkward and amateur yet is completely to the point:
http://organicscrumpy.com/mpg_media/Koan_almar.mpg
It's these kind of bearded obsessed farmers and brewers I love love love to support especially when they make a superior product. The price for a 150 ml is only about $5-6 which is really good by my standards. I've paid more than twice that for a crappy tasting Normandy style cider. There is also a Winter Solstice style J.K.'s out for the season which has added spices similar to what you would add to normal cider (clove, allspice, cinnamon, etc). It is definitely tasty but I still like the original a tad more. While you can drink some of the better known ciders out of the six pack bottles at least humor me and try this in some stemware or at least a glass. If you want hot cider simply pour a bottle in a sauce pan, put your favorite spices (see suggestions in other parenthesis above) in some cheesecloth and bring to 155 F. Cover and cook for a good 30-60 minutes depending on taste and stir every once in a while.

I have had really good luck finding both of these brews at Northern VA Wholefoods and Total Wine stores.

Surgery went off without a hitch. I'm crashing at my parent's house for a few days before I can drive again. My arm is wrapped up tight for 14 days and I start physical therapy in 10 days or so. I am constantly sleepy. Overall minimal pain but that's the percoset at work.

Anterior submuscular transposition of the ulnar nerve. That is the surgery I am going in for this Tuesday. Below is a rundown of the whole thing for those interested. I copied and pasted from the some doctor's website (hence the references to him) but this seemed to be the most thorough and easy to understand summation. My recovery time may not be as long as noted below due to my younger age than most patients and the fact that I will be going through physical therapy.

The Problem
Nerve compression problems behind the elbow are called cubital tunnel syndrome. The ulnar nerve passes through the cubital tunnel which is a bony passageway. When you "hit your funny bone" and have tingling in the small and ring fingers, you are hitting the ulnar nerve at the cubital tunnel.

The tunnel has a bone passageway on both sides and the base. A ligament holds the nerve into the tunnel by crossing from one bone to the other. The ulnar nerve controls muscles used for gripping, primarily of the little, ring, and sometimes middle fingers. It also controls muscles in the hand used for strong pinch, and other muscles that coordinate fine movements. This includes most of the muscles in the hand except two muscles that lift the thumb up and out of your palm, turning the thumb into a better position for pinching. The ulnar nerve also receives feeling from the small and ring fingers from both the palm and backside of your hand.

Your complaints may result from either sensory or motor (muscle) nerve compression. For example, cubital tunnel syndromeyour symptoms may primarily involve numbness and tingling in the little and ring fingers, the side and back of the hand. These complaints occur or worsen when the elbow is bent, as when: 1) holding a telephone in the hand, 2) resting the head on the hand, 3) crossing the arms over the chest, 4) curling the arm under the body during the night. Your hand may also become cold or numb when it is on top of a steering wheel. The other group of symptoms involves motor functions of the nerve. You may be aware that the hand has become weaker, resulting in trouble opening jars. You may drop things, or your hand may not perform quite as easily as it did before. For example, you may have difficulty coordinating your fingers while typing or playing the violin, guitar, or piano. The problems usually worsen with extended activities. Frequently there are both sensory and motor symptoms present. Often we do not know the cause of this problem. Often, the patient experienced some injury to the region of the elbow: Examples include fractures, dislocations, direct blows, and severe twisting of the elbow. The nerve can also be injured with a sudden forceful flexion and extension of the elbow as may occur when the hands are on the wheel of a car in a rear ended automobile accident. Occupations requiring significant elbow flexion throughout the day, such as typing, computer data or assembly line work may contribute toward problems with pressure on this nerve. Nerve compressions are more common in people with arthritis, diabetes, thyroid problems, and those who consume a great deal of alcohol.


The Operation
The operation is designed not only to take pressure off the nerve, but also to move the nerve to a position to reduce compression during common daily activities. There are many operations for compression of the ulnar nerve at the elbow. We will concentrate on the procedure to move the ulnar nerve to the front of the elbow. The nerve will no longer have the added pressure of being pulled into the bony groove when bending the elbow. Placing the nerve beneath a muscle layer prevents it from slipping back in the bony groove and provides an increased blood supply to help heal the nerve. The placement under the muscle also protects the nerve from injury. With a new location, The nerve can become compressed or pinched by the new anatomic structures the nerve must pass through. The operation is also designed to remove these potential sites.

This operation is called an anterior submuscular transposition of the ulnar nerve. The incision is made behind the elbow. The length of the incision varies, depending on the thickness of the arm, the size of the arm, the amount of fat tissue, and the presence of any unusual anatomic arrangements. A longer incision gives a better view of the delicate structures Dr. Bermant is trying to protect. A nerve crosses the area of the incision. This is a small nerve that supplies the skin behind the elbow and in part of the forearm. This nerve and others may become injured during the operative procedure. After surgery, pain in the scar and loss of sensation are possible despite Dr. Bermant's care to protect these nerves at the time of surgery. Magnifying glasses (operating microscope or loupes) show detail during the operation to reduce the chances of injury. The ulnar nerve is identified in the bony tunnel and the bands causing pressure on it are released. The muscles that start from the elbow and cross down the forearm are called the flexor - pronator muscle mass. They turn the forearm, bend the wrist, and bend some of the fingers. These muscles are lifted from the bone. The strong tissue that covers this mass is lengthened to reduce compression in the nerve's new position. The areas above and below the elbow that the nerve passes through are treated to diminish future nerve compression. Patients who have constant numbness, severe weakness, or muscle wasting may have scar tissue inside the nerve. In these cases, microsurgical release of scar tissue in the nerve is performed with magnifying glasses or microscope. The outer wrapping of the nerve is opened and the scar tissue within the nerve is freed. Care is taken to limit any injury to the small connections between the nerve fibers.

Recovery Phase
The recovery process occurs generally in two phases. The operation releases pressure on the nerve and blood flow improves in the nerve immediately. Frequently, by the time the sutures are removed, you will note some improvement in the numbness and tingling in the fingers. Nerves that scar or degenerate do not recover this quickly. Actual degeneration of nerve fibers may result in muscle wasting or inability to discriminate fine points with the ends of the fingers. Nerve fibers must regenerate from the elbow, the site of the nerve injury, through the forearm and hand to the fingertips. Gripping strength (muscles in the forearm) takes about 4 to 5 months to start improving. The small muscles of the hand take 1 to 1 1/2 years for this to occur. Sensation in the small and ring fingers may take as long to regenerate. The process slows for older individuals. There is no way to hurry this neural regeneration process. In some patients with a very severe degree of nerve compression, recovery may be incomplete.

If the scar becomes painful during healing, this may improve by massaging with a cortisone-containing cream. If sensory loss is due to injury to small nerves, the areas affected frequently diminish in size over time. The loss may be permanent. Nerve regrowth may be associated with pain, similar to that experienced when your leg and foot "come back to life" after falling asleep. The pain may progress down the side of the forearm to the wrist and finally into the little finger. Such pain may last more than six weeks and require additional postoperative medication, massage, and therapy.

I feel like it's been a while since I've really updated.

I've sold five pieces inside of three weeks including two pieces that I sold together for $800. I actually had a sort of panic moment when I realized I was out of artwork to sell. I am really trying to push myself in my artwork both as an artist and as a business man. It is definitely rewarding to see other people get really excited about the images I find exciting and how I portray them. I love love love painting something in 2-3 days, getting it hung up in the gallery and having it sold within a month. Yes, the money is a nice bonus but I just love getting rid of my artwork. It's a really great feeling to know your stuff is hanging in at least a dozen living rooms. Especially since my work is anything but subtle. I really want to start telling stories in my work. I am planning a solo show sometime early next year in which I want to tell a story with my work. I also really want integrate other mediums into the gallery space (maybe audio, maybe video). I am really excited to design the space as a whole. Besides that, I will also be showing in December and am on the hunt for DC shows.

I was about to start work on a stop-motion project at work when the project suddenly got canned (nothing on our end, just client re-strategizing). I was super excited about the project so I am now looking to animate something else in my spare time(LOL). I have begun some rough storyboards for that idea. I really want to be able to pull it off but I sometimes have problems following through and finishing these sorts of things. I love the idea of animation because everything on screen has to be created. It would probably be a 2010 project.

Winter of 2009/2010 will probably hold another short film for me and Gaucho and company. Very low budget, all handheld. Maybe sci-fi influenced. We'll see.

Wearing glasses for the first time after 11 years is weirding me out. I swear it's messing with my depth perception.

So, I somehow pinched the Ulnar nerve in my left arm while sleeping Friday night. This means that my pinky, ring finger, and left side of the hand are totally numb and tingly (like when your arm falls asleep but semi-permanent). It's difficult to grasp anything and I can't straighten those two fingers. Hoping it will recover in a week or two. What makes this even more frustrating is I am about to start on a 2 week paper cut stop motion animated video which will really require my manual dexterity. I even tried making some of the characters today with great difficulty. Even though I'm right handed simple things like cutting out paper become really hard and clumsy. Hand may not be back to normal for several months. Will see a doctor this week.

Read about it here. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1244885-overview

Produced, edited, etc this little nugget. One of a series of several to come.

I managed to get a pretty bad muscle spasm in my back while in Vegas, luckily it was on the last day and the meds and hospital visit only cost me $14 bucks. Yay for good insurance, booo for throwing my back out. I feel for all you kids with bad or no insurance. I had a super time in Vegas (other than the back thingy). What a nutty place it is. I really want to explore the Southwest. The mountains in the distance were calling...no... yelling my name. The mountains are loud as shit, seriously. Anyway, I will go to Albuquerque (this word would get you a ton of points in Scrabble) next October for the balloon festival and ride the shit out of some balloons and it will be rad as hell. I will also explore the general area especially that large crack in the Earth.

Inspiration Time!
http://thomasdoyle.net
Amazing stuff

Heading off to Vegas for a few days. My brother was kind enough to lend me his Olympus E-500 plus a bunch of lenses and external flash. I hope to return with lots of amusing/neat photos and stories to go with. I am excited to leave the NOVA area if even for a few days. I will more than likely be updated my twitter account with photos and dumb crap I see at least a few times a day.

My twitter is here: http://twitter.com/angryogre

Hi there.

I have an art show on Saturday. I really want you to come. It is in the same place it always is. The Soundry in Vienna. I really did do 48 mini-paintings of robots and monsters for this event. The paintings are in sets of 6 and come with matching buttons. They are adorable and will capture your heart. There is even one of a monster pooping with cowboy boots on and then hovering. Below is a sneak peak. There are also some really swell artists participating besides myself. I will be doing $3 paintings that are made to order of anything you want as long as it is either a robot or a monster. They will be 2"x3" and watercolor.



Also, I really encourage people to come out to the Soundry for open mic nights every Tuesday night. This week's was pretty dang awesome, it was 3 hours long and there was a ton of really really good stuff. Also Thursday nights you get to hang out and play board games all while listening to a ton of awesome vinyls brought by you and other people.

I am going to a wedding next weekend and then going to Vegas shortly thereafter. Those that have been (Vegas, not weddings) should weigh in with the cool stuff to check out for poor kids.

I can't stop reading these
http://www.dontevenreply.com

I will have 48 paintings of monsters and robots (no, that's not a typo) in an art show on Saturday the 18th.
Starts at 8 PM at the Soundry in Vienna.

I will be making art this Saturday from 10-2 at this place

www.ReBuildwarehouse.org
6625 B Iron Place
Springfield, VA 22151

Hopefully they end up with a decent amount of traffic. I probably would not have done something like this six months ago but I think I'm used to working fast and in the public eye though maybe not at this level.

Anyway, would love to see people come out.

I got a few books in the mail from Amazon yesterday. One of them was Tiger!Tiger!Tiger! by Scott Morse. I also read it last night. It was pretty fantastic and really inspiring. I love it when an artist/storyteller is able to tell their own stories in such an eloquent and honest way. Reading through it definitely helped me out a bit in struggling with my own creativity. In a way it really strengthened my thoughts on eventually being a father. It's nice to have little reminders of what kind of person you can and should be.

I did a ton of motion graphics for the 3 minute video we submitted to Cannes. Does this mean I won at Cannes twice. I'm going to say yes.

Barack Obama campaign claims two top prizes at Cannes Lion ad awards
Barack Obama election work hailed for mix of new media, community and TV advertising at Cannes Lions awards

The campaign that drove Barack Obama to victory in the US presidential election has claimed two top awards at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Awards.

The campaign, submitted by Obama for America, has been hailed as a masterful combination of new media, door-to-door and community grass roots campaigning with a clever tactical use of traditional TV advertising.

The campaign won two grands prix in the Titanium and Integrated Lions categories.




In other news, I am trying to come up with a plan to reinvent angryogre.com to more accurately display my work over the past two years since it has changed, broadened, and is slightly less sucky. I may drop mpatton.net in exchange for mattymattmatt.com (not taken yet!). Also, GauchoPictures.com needs some tlc. Poor guy. So in an effort to get some help I need you kids to send me websites, preferably film or visual art related, that are really easy to navigate, have a good design aesthetic, and don't overwhelm with content. Also sites that successfully integrate social networking tools like twitter, blogs, FaceBook, etc.

still from a video I am animating, one man show style. Will be on the intarwebs later this month.

Being an American is indeed rad as hell.

Please go check out Kate Beaton's LJ and site and maybe buy some stuff. Hurray history themed comics.

I was paging through some comics and posters for inspiration last night and I'm always really inspired by Jordan Crane, especially his screenprints. His work (comic and printwork) has this wonderful sense of fragility about it. I ended up talking to one of Dave's friends Friday night and surprisingly Jordan Crane came up, it's not too often I get to gush over an artist someone has actually heard of.

So my coworker and good friend, Gabe Kornbluh , submitted a video for a 6 month dream job at Murphy-Goode winery (you've probably heard of the contest, over view of it is here: http://www.areallygoodejob.com/overview.aspx). Anyway, I helped him out on the video and we really want him to win, so far he's made it to the top 50 out of almost 1,000 submissions! So, I'm asking all my friends to please go vote for his video. You have to get an e-mail confirmation and click on the link. I know it's a pain in the ass but we would be forever grateful for your support. It's a good video too.

Click here to watch and vote for the video:
http://www.areallygoodejob.com/video-view.aspx?vid=W9O37wi0BZI

Thanks so much

July 11th I will be part of an event doing live art. Details to come.

I think it's done, not entirely sure. Let me know what you think.

Checking out this show tomorrow
http://www.civilianartprojects.com/exhibitions/paperjam/paperjam.html
Opening Reception: Friday, June 12, 2009, 7 - 9pm

For Civilian's second exhibition of music-based posters, PAPER JAM: The Art and Grime of the East Coast Rock Poster focuses on the works of 27 artists from the East Coast.

Organized by Anthony Dihle, the exhibition features a cross-section of artists, designers, and printmakers including Ana Benaroya, Jordan Bernier, Rick Bowman, Chris Cernoch, Kate Crosgrove, Anthony Dihle (Dirty Pictures), Jefferey Everett (El Jefe Design), JP Flexner, John Foster (Bad People Good Things), Jeff Fry, Tim Gibbon (Dynamite Printworks), James Heimer, Edward Kelley, Daniel Kent, Chris Kline, Nick Kulp (Undercover Zero), Large Mammal, Robb Leef, Drew Liverman, Magick Outlaw, Nick Pimentel (Planaria Design), Gregory Pizzoli, Post Typography, Brian Potash (Devilish Ink), Public Domain, and Warm.

Civilian Art Projects 406 7th St NW 3rd Floor Washington, DC 20004

Watch this sweet animation


Making of.

I've been working on a lot lately. Doing cover art for Kashgar's EP http://www.myspace.com/kashgarmusic
This is just a rough, should have the final done shortly

Also, painting a bicycle. About 20% done


I still have three paintings up for sale, sold a large one last week.

Working on a really cool video that should be online around July 15th. I hope it will be cool. It involves me, measles, and one million After Effects hours. It probably won't go viral but it will make the rounds. I hope.

I have a million other things on my plate. I wish I was more together.

Been watching a lot of "Look Around You"



Very informational

Thinking about fasting for several days (somewhere between 3-7). Has anyone had any experience in this or thoughts.