the flavor of in-between

The last week or so has been the most busy uneventful week of the summer. Let me explain. I've been home since early May, after Lauren and I graduated from Illinois State University (go redbirds / gnomes). Cue the summer after graduation, the unpredictable and boring time that passes wondering when Mr. Corporation will give you that first job. You see, this is exactly the flavor of all the mostly uneventful time between May and now. It sucks. You send applications, wait, and repeat. Not just a couple applications, hundreds, while also struggling with the idea that you now live at home. This is not, however, the only thing occupying my time. Since Last October I have been illustrating pictures for a children's book written by Chris Karver. I was fortunate enough to beat out something like 45 other artists (although I believe only about 10 of which actually had any training or experience). Anyway, this has been my creative burden for the past year, and I've just surpassed half of the 55 pictures I'm slotted to finish. This is the weight of the world, and I'm Atlas. Something else to consider, in February I tore my ACL playing Ultimate Frisbee for the Illinois State Gnomes. It was the worst pain I've ever felt, besides when I smashed my finger in between two dumbells my sophomore year of high school; I get to tell people I had plastic surgeons put my finger back together . I've never had such a lengthy injury, so I had to buckle down and work for 6 months to recover fully from it while missing the last half of my senior season. Also sucks (no sympathy needed, my mom fed me 3 meals a day for the first week I was recovering). The point of all of this is to paint a picture of where I'm at now, partially working, with no real job, and freshly off a 6 month rehab guantlet. I played Ultimate again for the first time Sunday, and today feel like a 90 year old man because I can't walk. I finished one picture this week for the book and haven't done much else, except watched an occasional AMC movie. I'm ready to play competitive Ultimate again, and hope to get on a team for the spring season. I'm ready to finish this book and do a couple small book tours throughout Illinois; maybe you'll see me at your local Barnes & Noble. I'm ready to get a job, and have someone pay me to be creative, check out my work at maloneymotion.com, it won't bite. This is the time in-between college and working for the rest of your life. This is that dreaded lull in action, the race to see if you can secure a job and move out of your parent's place before you even get settled in. I'm settled in but will do anything to get out of here. Although I don't mind getting a couple hot meals a day from my mom.

more posts on Ultimate, artwork, post-collegeness, and life (not the cereal), to come

~mike