October 26, 2003
Twenty two years ago today I was in Tombstone. Deena was one and I left her at my mom’s in Tucson and went on with bootmaker John Weinkauf. We got to the O.K. Corral at around two for the centennial re-enactment of the famous gunfight. Over a hundred people were there, all strangers to me at the time. Some would become close friends, others bitter enemies (Hey, just like the real OK Corral fight, and over the same petty reasons). My dream at that time was to do an illustrated book on the fight and I had this idea I would publish it in 1981 to coincide with the celebration. I missed it by about 12 years, but my Wyatt Earp book still sells and is in the fourth edition.

One of my blogs for the Arizona Republic got published this morning. I wrote it on the night before I went in for the angiogram and, naturally, it’s about death and dying.

Yesterday I started work on a backup cover of Tommy Lee Jones: Armed & Dangerous. It’s a still from a doubletruck ad they ran in Time a couple weeks ago (Sony is being stinky about getting us anything to use). We want to get a photo, but just in case we don’t, I’m doing a painting of the craggy, old bastard (he’s my age).

Needed to meet Theresa from Tri Star half way (she lives in South Phoenix) to deliver the new CD of the gunfight book, and pick up 75 advance issues of Bad Men which is now in the second edition. We settled on four o’clock at I-17 and Bell. I tried to talk Kathy into going to see a five-star movie, with an international cast, full of evocative discussions of Asian culture and how it interweaves into our own society thru artistic vision and elucid dreamlike passages regarding the human psyche, but try as I might, she would not agree to go see Kill Bill. Finally, we picked the Deer Valley 30 (yes, 30 theatres) where I could see the sensitive portrayal of a female Ninja who drives a truck called the “Pussy Wagon” and Kathy could see Runaway Jury. Afterwards we went to the Claim Jumper restaurant for dinner and compared notes. “So Uma Thurman has this fight where she’s swinging this cool sword and she cuts off the arms and heads of about 45 guys and they’re all spraying blood all over and yelling.” Kathy gives me a horrified look: “And you actually enjoy watching such degrading crap?” I shrugged: “At that level, it’s just funny. So, tell me about your movie.” My wife beams with pride:“So Dustin Hoffman is this attorney going after the evil gun companies and they nail them and everyone is cheering in the courtroom.” I look down my nose at this stranger, “And you actually enjoy watching such left-wing propaganda?” We both laughed. How is it we have stayed married for 24 years?

Had a pint of Guinnes and a filet. My wife had some communist clam chouder ($47 plus $9 tip)

”I never make the mistake of arguing with people for whose opinions I have no respect.”
—Edward Gibbon