Will Of The Free Time

Sagittarius Horoscope for week of January 20, 2011

"Dear Rob: All my life I've been passionate about the big picture -- learning how the universe works, meditating on why things are the way they are, and probing the invisible forces working behind the scenes. Too often, though, I'm so enamored of these expansive concepts that I neglect to pay enough humble attention to myself. It's embarrassing. Loving the infinite, I scrimp on taking care of the finite. Any advice? - Larger Than Life Sagittarian." Dear Larger: You're in luck! Members of the Sagittarian tribe have entered a phase when they can make up for their previous neglect of life-nourishing details. In the coming weeks, I bet you'll find it as fun and interesting to attend to your own little needs as you normally do to understanding the mysteries of the cosmos.

WARNING: Impending Events Are NOT Shown Actual Size and May Be Closer Than They Appear.

The One Who Calls Me "Little Stephen"

I don't sing Paul Francis' praises enough, and I suppose it is impossible to do such a thing.

He is an artist who spent a good share of his career working on make-up and special effects in Hollywood, only to have his future shoved aside by the advance of computers in the filmmaking field. Didn't stop him, tho'. He came back to his Tennessee home, erected a pleasure dome of corrogated steel in the hills, and builds monsters, monster cars, and tiki gods.

His current projects include reproducing the Terror Dog puppet from the first Ghostbusters movie. Exact copies of the ones actually used by the effects studio. Today I watched as he and an assistant were in the process of assembling silicone molds. When he's finished, the completed molds will go to a factory and a horde of Terror Dogs will be cast.

But that isn't his only project. Or even his scariest or weirdest.

At the modeler's meeting a man showed up with diecast scale models that he wanted re-done in his racing team's paint livery. That said livery was DESIGNED by Paul about twenty years before...and Paul had forgotten it in the years since. Paul and the man had known each other back then, and Paul had even hung out at a few races.

Paul didn't want to do the job, but quoted him a price anyway in the hopes that the man would refuse to pay and go away. The man decided the price was reasonable and they shook hands.

Right now the models are sitting on a table in Paul's garage as components, the paint sandblasted off the bodies.

I tell Paul that Aleks would have loved to do the job for him, and that Aleks is probably laughing at him from Heaven--and cheering him on.