Dick Sprang's Art Eraser...and other things

I've been noticing this thing every time I drive to the water-front, and every time I have the same thought: "That's Dick Sprang's Art Eraser."(photo by Paul Joseph Brown-The Seattle P-I)

What else would it be?

So, to explain (Dick would be putting a big black ? over your head right now if you don't know) Dick Sprang was a comic book artist who drew "Batman" during the so-called "Golden Age of Comic Books." They were a less realistic, less gritty time, but they sure were fun. Sprang drew "Batman" with an impossibly chiseled chin, The Joker with a smile that literally split his face, and used german-expressionist angles for many of his panels...and the most relevant piece of information...he was always staging fights (no doubt written by "Batman" scribe Bill Finger) in places that had out-sized giant props...which could be used as handy weapons. I remember one story that was set in some Gotham museum with an exhibit that was a tribute to sports and Batman bowled over the criminals with a huge bowling ball! Here's a four-panel of Sprang's artwork in black and white. *

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So, I dropped by the UW today for a job interview, and it was strange. I went there in the 70's and the path I walked today hasn't changed much since my college days. It felt a bit like going back in time. The buildings (at least the ones I saw) are exactly the same. The paths are still there, and the squirrels. The women are still gorgeous, but curiously uninteresting this time. Hmmm. What is that, I wonder? Wisdom, maybe? If so, it's not much fun. And there are the vagabonds--the barely there wanderers who amble along, who like they have no job and no means. They were there in the 70's, too. I always wondered why near the University. Attracted by the young, I thought. Suddenly, I realized they were probably my age. Maybe younger.

I had to go to Kane Hall, which is a large red brick behemoth of a structure that houses three (or four?)* huge auditoria. I'm sure there's a Kane it's named for, but I've always associated it with Charles Foster Kane, who also liked big halls. The largest one is Theodore Roethke Auditorium, which is huge. When I dream of large theaters, it's always Roethke Auditorium, only it's usually ten times larger. Anyway, the interview went well, I guess. I'm overqualified for some of it. Not so qualified for others. I can do it. But it's still free-lance, and I'm looking for something more day-to-day. After the interview, I went up to one of my favorite U-Dub location--the observatory. Nestled among a thatch of trees with a parking lot on one side and the campus entrance on the other, I walked up to the fading brick building bleached white. A woman was walking up to the entrance, and was probably wondering what the old student with the books was doing there. I told her this was my favorite building when I was going to school there. "I just wanted to see if it was still here, " I said. "Still here. And just as beautiful." "Sure is..." I said, and ambled away. She had looked like she didn't want me to come in.

There was another hour and a half on my parking sticker, so I left to go downtown. I went to the LCS and the Post Office Box. Then I stopped by one of the studios I used to work for and gossiped with them a bit. They had ended up working on a project I almost got roped *urk* into before Christmas. And it was the horror story I was afraid it was going to be. Everybody's off to Sundance for the parties and the skiing. No free-lance for me there. Probably because I have it other places. Then I headed for El Rancho Uno-Dos, where there was plenty of work to do. Long day today. Friday might be easier.

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Today, the price for a barrel of crude oil dropped $1.76, ending at $50.48

The lowest price for gas locally was $2.55 per gallon/regular,*** a drop of .04.

As I recall, when the price was going up, the price at a filling station could change as many as 3 times a day, or more.

"Market forces," they say through clenched teeth.

* Maybe it's the Internet, but in an unsuccessful attempt to find a panel of Dick Sprang's over-sized props, I found that if you type "Dick Sprang" into any search engine...you get a lot of pornography.

** actually, six now....

*** You can find it for less, but with an additional fee, unless you pay cash.