January 4, 2006
Drove into the Beast this morning and had a meeting with Dan Harshberger at his studio at 9:30. Went over some ideas I have on a new cover look. Dan was quite receptive and of course, had good ideas of his own, some better than mine.

Went to the eye doctor at 10:30 to check up on my operation. Everything was fine. Used the waiting time to sketch. A fellow female patient walked over at one point and took a look at my drawings and said, "That’s a lot of work." I didn’t look up but said, "Well, it sure beats a poke in the eye." And considering our shared circumstance (everyone in the room was eye challenged) you’d have thought she would have at least chuckled or given me a courtesy laugh, but no. Which just goes to show you can lead a blind person to humor but you can’t make them laugh.

Speaking of sketches done by semi-blind artists, here's a juicy page from my rapidly filling sketchbook. I’ve done over 280 drawings at a clip of six a day. It’s not exactly John Bonham territory yet, but I do sense a Sandy Nelson tom tom riff going in the top sky scene.

Back to the retina specialist office: of course they gave me those damned eye drops that dilate your eyes, so when you go outside you stumble around like a, well, a blind person, and so, on your way out, they give you these cheap, throwaway, wrap around shades to wear, so I’m driving up the freeway looking like the Lone Ranger—literally!

I took the Cactus exit and got gas at a Circle K ($2.14 a gallon, $29, debit). Stopped at La Parilla Suisa: Mexico City Style Mexican Food on north Tatum and had lunch. Had the pork suisa in green sauce, olla beans and flour tortillas and a decaf coffee ($12 cash, includes tip). Afterwards I went over to CompUSA and bought Kathy some zip drive discs ($37 cash) and got back into the office at 1:30. Worked on the next Classic Gunfights, this one on Tiburcio Vasquez, the California bandito. Got some cool inside info from my friend and author, John Boessenecker, who’s doing a Vasquez biography. Here’s a clue from John on how Vasquez may have looked:

“Vasquez was known to carry four pistols (Colt Navys). I don't know, this may be an exaggeration, however, he had an arsenal when he was captured, two 1873 Winchesters, a Spencer carbine, plus a number of six-shooters and the bowie knife which I now have. The Colt Dragoon which I have also is supposed to be one of the guns taken from him when he was captured. I would think that the easiest way would be two revolvers in pommel holsters [hanging over the saddle horn] and two more on his belt.”

Great Onion Headline de Jour:
Peruvian Shockingly Knowledgeable About U.S. History

Newlywed Mark Boardman found this out this afternoon:
“Did you know that there is a Tiburcio Vasquez Health Clinic in Southern Cal? I didn't either until I googled the name—and, yes, it is named after the outlaw. It's run by Hispanics for Hispanics, and seems to be part of the historical/cultural interpretation of Murieta, Vasquez, etc., as bold protectors and avengers of their people.”

“Fear not the path of truth for the lack of people walking on it.”
—Old Vaquero Saying