Nate Beaty's Brainfag

DORK ARTIST TRAPPED IN ISLAND STORM

posted in Home Jabber on October 17, 2003

I've now been living in the Electric Greenhouse for a little over a week. We're in the second day of an Orcas storm and the half metal, half plastic corrugated roof of the greenhouse echoes every raindrop tenfold. The effect is like a white noise machine turned up to 8 or 9 at all hours of the day. Every few hours it hits a 10 when a good gale swings through and the rain is really pounding the roof. The effect of this upon the mind is a slow degradation of stability. Today I've been yelling at the roof and am halfway through a six-pack.

It's official: I don't want to live on Orcas. Too claustrophobic, too wet, and too rural, frankly. I know a large part of my self and history fit like a glove in the hick rural small town atmosphere, but I think I have veered too far into enjoying urban comforts to settle in a small town at this point in my life. I really can't fucking wait to get back to my new house in Portland.

And I say that while the fireplace crackles, the greenhouse wall of windows offer a vista of beautiful garden and distant serene Puget Sound view, no phone, nobody really knows I'm here: totally secluded and immersed in rural forest. But after a week, I've come damn close to exhausting my interest in long lonely walks, forest exploration, reading and catching up on drawing & computer projects. I'd be down at the Doe Bay sauna, but it's closed except weekends, and the sauna isn't even currently working, just chlorinated hot tubs.

The unexpected advantage of this 2-week Orcas visit has been a comic diary. I've been meaning to once again document my day-to-day foibles, but haven't had the opportunity nor material to record. I've managed to fortuitously veer close to comic tragedy most every day of this trip, and I've been drawing every embarrassing event in my notebook. Lucky for you, reader! I'm a wreck, and I love to tell everyone about it!

I came here to work and make some money for the winter, but the rain has detoured that goal, and in the stead of stuffing my coffers, I've been programming on the computer and drawing comix. Life once again forces me to be a dork artist.