A while back I got the idea that I wanted to do a set of cards based on real-life characters. Meet Charlie and Lola, garbage man by day, legion goers by night. Ok so Lola is not based on a real person, more a combination of people I have seen. But Charlie is actually my real life garbage man, a man of many talents. He drives around in a shiny red truck, with white type that reads "Satisfaction guaranteed or full refund." Charlie does this really cool trick, the first time I saw it I stood transfixed. He flips his false teeth out completely, and then flips them back in, the whole thing taking mere seconds. I pointed it out to friends one day at a local auction, ("Watch, watch, he's doing it again." flip, flip. One smooth motion. Don't blink or you'll miss it.) On any given week, after about three pm you will see Charlie's truck parked outside the legion for an hour or so. These are the little things you get used to and come to expect in a small town. Like the two finger wave, hands on the steering wheel. The short 'hello' honk. Unchanging. Reliable. Comforting.
Two years after I moved here I went to visit the city for supplies. Being in the country I had already developed the automatic reaction of waving when people honked, (that and saying hello to everone on the street.) I felt like I was waving ALL day. Yes, I was. "how ya doing", "hey", "howdy"
Posted by kerismith at April 06, 2004 01:59 PMLove the drawings. I am doing something not dissimilar and am a member of the same ring; nibelung.
thrive!,
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priceless, i love those two! i love Lola's pinky finger, she's so dainty.
Posted by: amanda on April 7, 2004 02:50 PMCute. :)
Posted by: Hope on April 7, 2004 12:27 PMhaha Hilarious! more more more!
Posted by: lauren on April 7, 2004 10:23 AMI live in a small town too. Outside the shop where I work, every Friday an old gentleman walks past with a boombox on his shoulder playing 1950's and 1960's tunes. He walks to the corner then comes back.
We (my workmates and I) call him "Friday Music Man" and he always makes us smile at each other.
My mother would always point out Charlie in his truck when we were kids, and it always brings a smile to my face when he drives by.
Posted by: Lurker on April 6, 2004 10:28 PMEliane, you took the words right out of my mouth! I LOVE these guys! They have so much character and life. Please draw more of these people! They are a delight.
Posted by: patricia on April 6, 2004 07:02 PMCharlie looks like the sort that knows a great deal about why the world is in the shape it is and just what we need to do to get it all in gear and is completely unaware that he does the teeth flip thing; And Lola: I would like to be Lola, because Lola's been drinking the same drink for 27 years (bourbon and water), because I bet she isn't giving herself ninety-eight degrees of hell for not getting enough done today, and because she believes that deep down, she's even more of a fox than when she was twenty . .
Posted by: Katherine on April 6, 2004 05:09 PMLola looks like an older more scary looking Cortney Love. What is in the large purse, drugs? I like both of them Charlie looks cool like one of thos guys who knows a lot of crazy useless facts and brings them up in conversation at unexpected times, and tells war stories even tough he was never in the war.
Posted by: Joe on April 6, 2004 03:58 PMWhat we've noticed is the further you go into more populated areas the more truncated the acknowledgement.
On our road: full hand wave
On "the pavement": one hand from steering wheel wave
At the Superstore: smile and nod
In the city: brief look up, smile (quickly), release eye contact
BIG city: do NOT attempt to make eye contact, keep within your allotted 3 foot personal space radius, speak when spoken to
Kinda sad actually.
Sort of like blogging? Saying hi to each other all the time? And isn't drawing breasts a lovely thing? I once read an interview with a famous Dutch cartoonist, he called it "a graphic delight"
I love this!!! They are totally awesome - I am laughing out loud!
thank you for sharing these 2 unique people with me today - you made my day :)
Posted by: stefanie on April 6, 2004 02:26 PM