I Am A Machine!

101 min=8mi. Walked 2 inc., Ran 4 fast, walk 1, run 1

I'm so having a beer. Trying O'Dell's 90 Shilling Ale. A lighter Scotch ale, pretty darn good. Found out I won the New England Art Awards "sculpture" category.

Not sure if by people's vote or the jury. They do both. Anyway, I'm not supposed to announce it until the awards ceremony Monday the 8th.

drawing, drawing. Listening to bluegrass.

Finally finished and mailed my VCU sculpture teaching application the other day.

Things are rolling in the studio. I'm working away on this big drawing about the USS Constitution, and I'm glad to be feeling back in the groove.

Other than that I'm still hooked on LOST, in the 3rd season now. Zoe and I went to Ft. Collins Brewery for their little tour and tasted all of their beers. It was pretty awesome really. Well, so some of them taste like ass. Well. But some were great. The Chocolate stout was great. And two of the seasonals... the Scotch (uh lager I think?) was released yesterday. Yum. To my astonishment and horror I adored their Pommegranite Wheat. Not fruity even a tad. It was so carbonated, almost like champagne. Freaking fantastic. Small brewery.

http://www.fortcollinsbrewery.com

Yesterday: AM ab, FB pilates, PM bun pilates

Today: abs, run 4 mi, walk 1 mi.

simple day

Almost done with Karluk's Last Voyage by Bartlett.

Did some thinking. Did some image research/printing for the Constitution drawing. Should be able to get that rollin again tomorrow!

Still addicted to LOST in season 3.

Almost done with a couple more applications.

Snowed a little.

Today: bun pilates, Ran 5 mi, walked 1 = 70 min.

details of the USS Constitution drawing in process...

Today: AM steep incl 1.75 mi in 30 min. PM run 2 mi

The Good, The Bad, and The Delicious

The "bad" news:

1. I didn't make the final cut for the Boston ICA's Foster Prize. Thats fine.

Super Sweepsy

(Thanks to VCCA, the kickass residency where I made this)

The "good" news:

1. I should finally have the second half of that grant I got last year in my hot hands this week!
2. I dropped off Super Sweepsy and a crate of Sweepsies (Sailor's Whisks) to the Foothills Art Center for "Timmy Flynn's Hardware Store" group show that opens Feb. 5. Nice place. The postcards are super cute too.
3. I got my contract for my next residency at Struts Gallery in New Brunswick, Canada. They are hooking me up big time, and I'm enjoying the sudden relief of a potentially non-financially terrifying time for awhile. Maybe till the fall. This is very, very good.
4. I bought a cute winter hat today at Target. It was in the kid's dept on clearance for 2 bucks.
5. I just had my first sip of 21 year Balvenie scotch, aged in Port casks. Bliss! Thanks Jim!

Today: 6 mi. 75 min. Ran 4 mi, walk 2 var. incl.

FB and Mat pilates am, 1 mi incline, 1 mi run, 1 mi walk, .5 run, .5 walk

Application and Bluegrass

Trying to finish my application for VCU. They have a search for a tenure-track sculpture prof. While I'm pretty psyched about what I've got going on these days, I'd be a fool not to apply for the (no-brainer) best sculpture teaching job in the nation. Right. Too bad I lost all of my student images in a hard-drive crash a couple years ago. Hmmm. I've been editing little clips of what few I shot video of. ugh.

Enjoying a scotch before a show. Oh boy, live music! Greensky Bluegrass.

Today: AM pilates, PM ran 1 mi, incline walk 1.25 = 30min

Arctic Research Continues!

I'm pretty sure my "Nautical Body" is moving Northward. I've been obsessed with Newfoundland for a couple years now, largely because Capt. Bartlett is from there, Brigus. Bartlett owned the first schooner I sailed on, back in 2001 when I was in grad school. The Ernestina (ex-Effie Morrissey) is the state ship of Massachusetts and is in dire straits factually. More on that later.

Watched the Nova special Arctic Passage about Franklin. Dropped off during the second half about Ammunsen, I'll have to try that again later. Just cracked "the Karluk's Last Voyage: An Epic of Death and Survival in the Arctic" by Bob Bartlett.

15 months o' training

On Monday, I officially started training. I plan to hike the entire Pacific Crest trail from Mexico to Canada from May-Sept 2011. I plan to spend my 37th birthday in agony, thank you.

There will be some sort of art project involved, but I figure I've got 15 months to figure that part out. So pardon my recording of my training progress here, they'll be short.

Mon walked at least 1 mi incline. Ran 3.5 mi @ 5.8mph

Today ran 3.5 mi @ 5.8mph, walked 1.5 mi incline, ran 1.5 mi @5.6= 80min

Got the studio set up. Finishing up that big rope piece and a box of miniature twins for "Tim Flynn's Hardware Store" a group show that opens soon in nearby Golden, Colorado. (You know... where they make Coors beer..."it's the water")

NE Art Awards nominee

Well, for all my boasting and cooing about how I never get sick...

I feel like crap. Fought, fought, lost.

Brighter news:

I got nominated for the 2009 New England Art Awards & The New England Journal of Aesthetic Research

in the 'best sculpture show' category for my Sept. show @ Trustman Gallery @ Simmons College

The public is asked to VOTE. So DO IT by friday!

http://gregcookland.com/journal/2010/01/vote-for-2009-new-england-art-awards.html

Apparently the Franzens, who run this gig, have a particular sense of humour. One which I can appreciate.

What's the first thing I notice about my new digs? Yep, there's more in the freezer.

So.

After VCCA, I drove to Houston for Christmas.

That was nice. My nephew, he's cute. I flew to Los Angeles to hang with my best friend from college, Aili. We look for trouble. Art, camping, hot springs, hikes, etc.

Then I drove from Hou to Dallas to visit Tania, a high-school friend and drink scotch at the bar across the street and be reluctantly converted to the ways of turkey-"bacon". Yes, it was good.

Two Advil gel caps later, I'm on the road to Colorado. Spent the night in a hotel in the NE corner of New Mexico. Awoke to blue skies, cardigan weather, and a ghetto McMuffin provided by the hotel "breakfast nook".

Onward. To Fort Collins.