J.B. Sommerset

"The End of the Horizon", J.B. Sommerset (c) 2024 Hello again! And welcome back. This week has been physically challenging for me, I finished a retaining wall, and it was just me doing it. So my back kind of hurts, but I have this stone wall out front now, and that's kind of cool. With all that struggle, I still fill accomplished because every time I look out that window, I am going to see that wall. Hooray! I can't say that for most of the jobs I have worked through out my life. That's why this week the quote is about crap jobs we all worked at one time or another. Here you go, served up cold, just the way we like it. "The most grievous injury a person can suffer on the job is the loss of the self, the soul, and forgetting purpose." J.B. Sommerset  Cheers!

"The Way Down" (c) J.B. Sommerset 2024 Posts have slowed as the weather gets cooler. In the words of Jon Snow, "Winter is coming". Which means that I have been preparing for the colder months. We get lots of snow up here- around 7 feet and the temperatures frequently drop down below zero (Fahrenheit). Last year we hit -19 in January and it stayed that way for a couple weeks. This year, who knows? So I have been chopping wood and doing the maintenance on the craw space, the shop, and the snow plow. This year we had a nice stove installed. There are a lot of power outages up here, and it's nice to have a way to keep the pipes from freezing. We are going to run out of wood any time soon. We live in the middle of the forest. Our driveway is 2 miles long and every year trees fall across it and become firewood. This year everything will be ready when the snow falls, or at the very least most of the way there.  So, stay tuned, there will be more news and stories.  

"The Little Blue Flower" J.B. Sommerset (c) 2024 I am not sure if I have posted this one before, but this is an election year and all kinds of talking-head lip-service is occupying our time. So things get a bit jumbled. This one is about bureaucracy. I hate bureaucracy more than most things. Most of it is unnecessary, and what isn't gets buried by the rest. So, here it is, your quote of the week: "Bureaucracy is an always will be the hammer the privileged use to keep the poor and impoverished subservient to their agendas..."  J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

"Little Yellow Flower", Copywrite J.B. Sommerset (c) 2024 Folks, I am not one for drama, but sometimes people just start things because they can't live without the rush of endorphins that accompanies rumor spreading, bickering, gossiping, complaining, etc. I, in fact can't stand this kind of behavior. Some events recently led me to coin a new quote. So here it is, this is my reply to people who complain that they don't like the way people see them when they behave in certain ways: "You can't show up to the party with a big 'Shit-stirring stick' and expect that people think you are a baker..." J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

                                                      "Moe Mushrooms", Copywrite J.B. Sommerset (c) 2024 Living way up here in the mountains I have to admit a few things. One of the hardest and most obnoxious is that nature does some hard lessons on all of us mountain folk- and also that there is nothing we can do to change that. For instance, forest fires, I dread July and August every year now, because everything is on fire for two to three months. But, and this is a hard understand, there isn't much I can do about it. So this weeks quote is an admission to it: "Mankind's power over nature is and always will be an illusion as far as nature is concerned. There is no amount of action that will stop the rain from falling, and no amount of begging that will save us from the flood. In essence, we are and always will be at it's merci. We have no power to cha...

                                                    "Mountain Moon", Copywrite J.B. Sommerset (c) 2024 It's been a long couple of weeks, summer is winding down and there are a lot of projects that I need to get caught up on before the snow flies. Like all the wood choppin' and the stacking of at least a couple of cords. So, needless to say, I am very sore, and there is so much more to do. This week my "quote of the week" will reflect that. So here it is, short, simple, and almost like it was said by another old timer standing in his underwear on the front porch: "It will quit hurting when the pain goes away..." J.B. Sommerset. Cheers!

Well, we made it. Here we are in 2024, I waited a couple of days to make sure it was legit. Apparently it is, we have passed through another segment of time to the next micro-epoch of the 2020's. With how weird it has gotten since 2016, its anyone's guess what's next. I mean, it's been escalating in weirdness for a while now. One of my favorite authors is Kurt Vonnegut, I have read his catalogue of strange stories and oddities, the man's entire collection of works. Some of the most interesting and down right bazaar stories. But I have to say, not even he could have prepared me for how strange the future actually is.  So, here comes 2024, strap in and open your mind, things are about to get stranger, especially because it's an election year here in the good old U-S-of-A, and that means "double-play" for the circus monkeys and spin doctors. The stories we might encounter could just break us. All you creators out there might find your self lacking next t...

It seems that Halloween put me off a little. It's understandable, don't judge me. Anyway, I am back with the quote of the week.  Here's a little gem from the archives. This one is written down in what I call "The Big Red Book". Of course, the title of said book reads: "The Bees in My Brain", writers will understand that. "Be fruitful and multiply? We all grew up hearing that, but we also grew up seeing that a couple should never have so many kids that they can't feed and water them, let alone love them. This world does not need the trauma-fruit religion creates. Thankfully, the fruit was barren, and those seeds did not continue to grow from us."  J.B. Sommerset- Doomsday Dogma & the Jesus Twinkle Cheers!

Here's one for all the people out there who would rather see the world as it is, than view it through all the filters that remove the ugly imperfections and blemishes. Here's to those people who would rather be troglodytes than pull their phone out to snapshot their food, or scroll through their Facebook feed at a funeral, the people who want the real connections to the monetized ones. This one is for you... "No wonder the world is dying of loneliness and a broken heart. Every time it tries to have an intimate moment with someone, they pull out their phone and try and exploit that sacred moment for 'likes', 'views', and 'subscriptions'..." J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

Here's this week's quote of the week, it comes from my observation of the people that I know, specifically two people I know, this is how they lived, thankfully they didn't die this way, instead they separated. It was a train wreck for all those around them, and thankfully half of it is over. "In a house with two narcissists and one mirror, there will be murder..." J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

I wanted to share a little piece of the next chapter of the book of Sommerset. I have mentioned that I am moving back to the woods, I have also said that I am currently trying to finish building a house- it's pretty easy to put the clues together and figure out what is going on. I am building a home in the country. No, I don't mean big pickup trucks, cattle, and 40 acres of pasture with barns and fields. No, what I mean is remote, on a mountainside, and surrounded by forest.  This will be my forest stronghold where I will work on my art, my writing, and my web presence via satellite technologies (As much as I do not like some of this world's billionaires, I must succumb to some of the products they create- this time there was no way around it). So expect me to keep posting and updating. I will have a studio there, for both videography and sound. Hopefully, the youtube channel will gain some traction and I can post more and more of my art. Also maybe so collaborations, we wi...

Wow, it's been too long my friends! On the upside, my house is almost done! Yeah, moving back to the woods. In the meantime, and to keep all of you read-a-holics occupied, here is the bi-weekly audio book... er books. Its a collection of short stories and literature from one of my favorite authors Phillip K. Dick . One of the most prolific and underrated science fiction writers ever. Hope you enjoy this one, you salivating read-a-vors.  Cheers!

I had to go to Iceland so the posts stopped flowing. It was super nice, to be honest I was overwhelmed with the country's national beauty and wonder- still am as a matter of fact. I am catching my breath after the trip. It was a much-needed breather from the ordinary day-to-day routine.  When life gets too mediocre a person needs to assess where they're at. If where they are at, doesn't match where they want to be, then the routine needs to be shaken up. In other words; sometimes you just have to drop everything and go. This was one of those times. That, and it's always been on my bucket list to visit Iceland. After the fact, I realize it's an item I am so glad I listed.  Soon I will get back into the groove and start delivering you those sweet, sweet, content updates. Plus, of course, the bi-weekly audiobooks, artwork, and maybe a travel log from my trip.  Cheers!

Just a quick update since I have been so sporadic about updating the "NEWS" page. It's been few and far between the updates. The last one was almost 4 months apart from the previous post, which tells me I don't need a news page and that all news and updates will be posted here on the feed to make things simpler.  So some news for the site. First off, I am still considering changing platforms and making a special gallery page for the art I post. The current one is too simplistic and outdated.  Secondly, I plan to add a new section on the site for ongoing works where I will post the before editing and the after editing for some of my current content, meaning that I might post a paragraph in rough, rewrite, and final with the mark up for anyone out there looking to see how I do it.  Lastly, I plan to find new platforms for my stores and consolidate them into one place. I like the services I have used, but I noticed that the end products were not the quality I wanted them...

This time I thought I would pick something that everyone knows, but few have actually read. Much like " Oz " by Frank Baum , people know the story because of movies and media, but the story is deeper than they can capture. " Alice in Wonderland " by Lewis Carroll is another story most people know about but few have read. I thought I would dig up the audiobook and post it here. The last time I posted the works of Lewis Carroll, I posted "Alice in Wonderland", this time I will post the next one: "Through the Looking Glass and what Alice found there". Enjoy! Cheers, and keep on creating!

(photocredit  pradiptafelix  from reshot.com) With all that is happening in the world, (and all that isn't) I find myself time-starved. I am working on a few more projects than I would have liked- some of which I want to work on and some of which are in the realms of 'adulting'. Those things are what must get done despite how much I want to play. The good news is I got over a few humps this last month. If I listen hard enough I can hear two things; the faint cheering of a crowd somewhere, and the sound of the world's smallest violin playing. I am not sure which I deserve more. So, here are a couple of announcements for the upcoming months: Firstly, there is more art coming, and more youtube videos of said art being created. As soon as I can unpack my mic, some of it will have commentary and maybe some short stories, something I have wanted to do for a long time but never got around to.  Second, I am still working on my novels and will be posting some excerpts from them....

I have hesitated to print anything on the site about the situation with Russia and Ukraine. I usually abstain from discussions about politics, religion, and world views. There are times, however, when silence is a more dangerous perspective than noise. This is one of those times. Although it's happening a world away, this time is different. The world has had its madmen, but never before have those madmen had such dangerous weapons.  My heart not only goes out to the people of Ukraine, but it also goes out to those people in Russia, those who speak out even if it means being beat on the spot, arrested, and spending 15 years in a gulag. I salute you, even though I have no experience to understand what that actually means. I have no frame of reference to understand your emotions, your struggles, and your pain. But despite that, I can see the bravery and courage, and that shines brighter than any light.   As for the people in Ukraine, never in my life have I seen such valor. ...

I promised you all more uploads and content, and I will deliver. This time it's one of my longer works called "The Eyes of Iskander" from my IP "Umbria". This one was kind of an experiment in the way I draw certain objects. I hope you all enjoy it and the end product which is getting put in the gallery (within the week) and my online print store  (also within the week).  Cheers, and keep on creating!

  (photo credit goes to Sarah Pflug of burst ) Just like every year, today is a day for leftovers and food-comas. Here in America at least. I have never been too fond of eating until I hurt, but that's exactly what seems to happen each year for thanksgiving. I still don't know how it happens, each year I eat a little less, and each year the food coma seems to last a little longer- or maybe I just have more wine each year and only think I eat less. Nonetheless, this year was bad, like "hate myself in the morning and hide in shame all day" bad.  Needless to say, I march on, that's what  I do. I drag myself out of bed and stagger around my house cleaning up and prepping for the next food disaster holiday- Christmas. Keep in mind, Christmas is something I don't natively celebrate, my immediate family on the other hand does. So I join in. Thank the stars none of us celebrate "black Friday", even the name sound ominous. Besides, I need the Friday after to ...

Today is veteran's day, and while I might not agree with modern patriotism and what it stands for, I agree that some people need recognition for the jobs they do. To all those who serve in the armed forces. I salute you, good sirs! I may occasionally have my stents of badassery, once in a blue moon, but some people are just born bad-asses. They don't even have to try, or at least it appears that way. Today I recognize all those who put life and limb on the line to do the job. But there are some who shine and this guy is one of them. Let's just say, people like Roy Benevidez , are why we celebrate veterans day. Give him a google, I guarantee you will not be disappointed.   And here's a short explanation of why he's such a BAMF. Cheers!