Updates from the Author (plus the Difference between an Em dash and an En Dash)

This post is designed to give you all an update on the life of Gabe.  It’s not very funny, or insightful in any way.  That said, I’m especially excited about life these days, and I thought I’d tell you why.

I haven’t posted much on Poco Hecho recently, due largely to my new writing gig at Bleacher Report, a sports website.  I say gig because that’s how I think of it, not because I’m getting paid.  I write about FC Barcelona and how awesome they are.  I’ve learned the difference between an “em dash” and an “en dash”.  An em dash is used to break up sentences–like this one–that have a sudden pause.  En dashes are used to connect words, like in pro-American.  To type an em dash: on a Mac, use command + option + hyphen.  On a PC, hold alt and type “0151” on your keyboard.  You’re welcome.

Summer is just around the corner, and it’s time to get to work on that beach bod.  I’ve begun attending Vinyasa Sports bootcamps twice a week in downtown S.F.  An hour and fifteen minutes of outdoor exercise led by the unstoppable Lucy Roberts makes for a good time and a stronger body.  I especially enjoy these workouts because I do things I don’t normally make myself do (e.g. hundreds of squats).

Back to school!  I’ve begun a weekly Photoshop class at the UC Berkeley Extension in downtown S.F.  I’m finally learning the amazing program that makes artists relevant in the age of internet.  The class is taught by Hugh D’Andrade, a fantastic illustrator whose work you may have seen in San Francisco.  We each get our own big shiny iMac during class, which is an absolute dream.  The best part?  Student discounts, baby.

40 of my best hours every week are spent working for vFlyer.com.  This isn’t a new development, but our next project is.  We’re building a website-builder.  It’s a complete CMS (content management system)–think WordPress or Squarespace–that will build some really beautiful websites.  I’m helping extend the theme library, and I’m pretty stoked for the product.  We’re also hiring.  Needed are both a software engineer and a customer service extraordinaire.  The former requires some serious computer skills, the latter some serious people skills.  In both cases, you’ll get to work with me.

I filled up a little moleskine sketchbook that’s now touring the country as part of The Sketchbook Project.  I had lots of fun on with this little guy, and I like to know that it can be viewed by totally random art-lovers around the U.S.  I’ll never get it back, but I’ll be able to link to a digital version once the tour is through.  Currently the sketchbooks can be seen are in Austin, Texas.  After stops in Portland, Atlanta, DC, and Seattle, they’ll debut in San Francisco on June 18th.  The 10,000 books then stop in Chicago and Winter Park, FL (??), before settling permanently into the Brooklyn Art Library.

I’ll be taking a two-month leave from work this coming summer.  At the end of June, I’ll say goodbye to vFlyer and turn my attention back to painting.  If all goes as planned, I’ll return to the Chautauqua school of Art and complete the eight-week intensive studio program.  This hopefully means a whole bunch of new paintings, and the opportunity to see some of my dear friends on the Eastern seaboard.

If you’re reading this paragraph, thanks for wading through the self-promotion and being interested in my life.  I hope the coming months are looking rosy for all of you lovely folks.  Most importantly, thanks for reading Poco Hecho, and I promise some more sarcasm, humor, cynicism, and narrative in subsequent posts.