No Man is an Island (Extended Version)

Journal entry by Julia Lundman

No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thine own
Or of thine friend’s were.
Each man’s death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee. 

John Donne, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Donne

 
Today is David Bowie’s Birthday. A few years back when Jamie and I first met, he had continually asked me to go out and I continually refused, not wanting to crawl out of my art cave during my spare non-work hours. At this point in my life I really thought that I could do some great work if I followed a simple routine: get up, jog, get ready for work, go to work, come home, paint. Repeat. I didn’t realize at the time that my new friend Jamie Baker had completely different plans, and that he would not rest until those plans were complete. He constantly interrupted my routine by e mailing me, texting silly questions, and sending me lots of fun stuff to listen to and read. A lot of those conversations included our mutual life long love for David Bowie. Eventually, he convinced me to go out on a taco crawl with some now very good friends, completely spilling my apple cart. 
 
Boy, I never thought I’d get teared up at TVC15, but there you go. Here are a few all time favorites.
 
Life on Mars, Hunky Dory:
 
Moonage Daydream (live), Ziggy Stardust:
 
Ashes to Ashes from Scary Monsters (best album ever):
 
And so many others.
 
Love,
 
Julia

31 thoughts on “No Man is an Island (Extended Version)”

  1. Woohoo!Wonderful news of progress. Jamie, get better so I can buy you a plate of Fried Rice at the Oaks. Important stuff. Consider it part of your therapeutic regimen: You’ll have to walk there, use a fork, plus tell me jokes. A buffet of everyday challenges (that we all take for granted until something goes haywire.)
    Julia you are an angel. Thanks so much for writing these heartfelt and delightful updates.
    Love to all, Bill
    — Bill Cone, January 9, 2013

    Reply
  2. Hello James, Sorry to hear that you have been in the wars. Glad to hear that you on the mend. All the Best.
    — Geoff Reid, January 9, 2013

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  3. Jamie Baker!
    What the heck man? This is no way to tell people that you need a break. A simple “I’m going to put my pencil down now, guys” will suffice from now on, thank you very much. See if you worked for Ghostbot, we would’ve given you the mandatory half-a-day-off (per week) to rest your eyes (from the hours of 9pm to 9am on Sunday), eat-at-your-desk hot lunches (warmed by your Cintiq that must be on constantly), and I just found out today that we have Martin Luther King Jr Day off (so that we can work at home). If those are not company perks to rival Pixar, I don’t know what is.

    In all seriousness, I wanted to post to let you know that the news shocked me awake tonight but I am thankful to hear that you are stable and recovering. Thankful that you have Julia there to support you and keep us all in the loop. I’m praying for a quick recovery for you and a peace that is tangible and real in the midst of your situation.
    Be well, my friend!
    -roque.

    p.s. This guestbook is a whos-who for animation! I’m geeking out (which I realize is probably inappropriate at the moment…)!
    p.p.s. No more salty Henry Hunan’s for you.
    — Roque Ballesteros, January 9, 2013

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  4. Thank you for your updates Julia…our thoughts are with you and James. On Bowie, I recall watching Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence with James (starring Bowie, Ryuichi Sakamoto & Takeshita Kitano among others) many years ago in Tokyo of all places. An amazing flick, on so many levels. Fight the good fight James!
    — John Dillon, January 9, 2013

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  5. Jamie & Julie –
    Corrine’s dad is a quiet, hardworking man. He suffered from a stroke a few years back. During his physical therapy sessions he fought hard to recover his speech. With his family rallying around him and his therapist pushing him to the limit, he tried to utter a word… but ended up farting instead. It wasn’t quite what everyone was hoping for, but it was the first time the whole family laughed regardless.

    So I guess what I’m sayin….if you ever have a hall pass to rip a loud one… now is pretty much the time.
    On a more classy note, Corrine and I are sending you both our best wishes and support. We hope everyday brings you closer to a speedy recovery. Please let us know if you guys need anything at all.

    xo Alan and Corrine
    — Alan Lau, January 9, 2013

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  6. Patient: Doc, I can’t seem to get the song the ‘green green grass of home’ outta my head! Doc: Oh dear, you seem to have Tom Jones Syndrome.
    Doc: It’s not unusual!
    — John Dillon, January 9, 2013

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  7. Julia thank you so much for keeping us all updated with the latest news. You and Jamie are in my thoughts all the time and having this site to link to you two is wonderful.

    Jamie, I’m so glad to hear about your amazing progress. You are going to beat this thing. And I’m sure with your wit and a few awesome Jamie Baker puns you can put some smiles on your dour staff’s faces. Who could resist!
    When you’re ready, we’ll assemble a culinary-away-team and go for some wicked ahwesome dahbble burgahs (Julia- you gotta bring the Boston on that one!)

    Much love, Ted
    — Ted Mathot, January 9, 2013

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  8. G’day James
    A funny thing happened to me on the 27th Dec. Driving South with Aurelie and Lucille on a little holiday I noticed red spots on my legs and bruises appearing spontaneously all over my body. I thought it was dehydration so I sipped a bit of water. At Shell Harbour I started to look like a strawberry, the bruised kind, the one that’s usually left uneaten in the bottom of the punnet.

    Aurelie insisted then and there I see a local GP. He sent me straight to Shell Harbour casualty, minutes later I am in a wheelchair, an hour later I am diagnosed as having a platelet count of zippo and in serious danger
    of bleeding to death – internally. (Platelets are the stuff that coagulate blood). 6 Days, 3 different hospitals, a few transfusions, a buckets of steroids and antibiotic later and I’m out of hospital and recovering well. You and me man – we start a Hanna Barbera the same day, we have a life changing medical emergency- same day! (Well maybe you just slipped in there a few hours before me this time)

    Expect lots of freaky Australian positive good vibes any time now. They may take a while to get across the Pacific (or the Atlantic) and they might stop off in Kyoto for sushi but I’m sure they’ll get there.
    lovePeter Sheehan
    — Peter Sheehan, January 9, 2013

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  9. We are all very heartened by the news that you were able to stand on your own today. We feel sure that with your determination you are going to go from strength to strength in pretty quick time.
    Thanks to Jo & Julia for keeping us in touch. Love & best wishes to you all from all of us
    — Margaret Thomas, January 9, 2013

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  10. Jamie hello, it’s the “Mighty” Sam Hood (as you’ve said before – HA!)
    I miss you man, so I very much appreciate how hard you’ve been working (as always). I’m so grateful to hear of your amazing progress and thank you Julia for your wonderful updates that really help us all so much!
    Jamie since I could never say this in normal life without the proper amount of ribbing from you derailing my thought, I’ll say this now:
    I’ve always really looked up to both as a professional (“private dancer for money”) and in the way you move through life. I’ve always been so impressed with your ability to balance your formidable strength of spirit, your razor sharp wit, your great powers of creativity and talent, your super imaginative and numerous personal projects, your incredible popularity – all of this while still maintaining a unique, gentle kindness of being, with a genuine desire to connect with people.
    You could so easily be such a huge douche with all that you have going for you (~HA!~) but instead you inspire all those fortunate enough to be around you! So thank you for being so damn good at this human thang, your teachings through example are appreciated way more than you probably realize.
    Julia, thanks again for including me in these updates – we’re all very licky to have you. (Wow, I almost posted that we’re all so “licky” to have you ~sigh~) I mean lucky to have you, LUCKY.
    Much Love,

    Sam
    — Sam Hood, January 9, 2013

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  11. A couple of things that I hope will bring a smile…..from “The Profanisaurus”
    McArthur park 1. n. A 1970’s maudlin ballad by Richard Harris. 2. n. A particularly evil dropped gut that gives the impression that “something inside has died.”
    And a little selection from “Meaning of Life” that happened to be going through my head…..

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YUiBBltOg4

    — Jonathan Rosenthal, January 9, 2013

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  12. Sir Baker!
    Many fond wishes and blessings to you and Julia. You have
    always been such a huge inspiration to so many of us. When I grow up someday, I want to be like Jamie.

    Just the other day I was thinking about one time we were hanging out last year in Hillsboro. A few of us old guys were shootin the breeze by the McMenamins whiskey shack. While we were talking about old guy stuff, we overheard a group of young dudes guffawing nearby. They were deep into a loud conversation about a rodeo (or maybe it was a hunting trip) while chugging buckets of brewskis. Suddenly one of the hunting dudes says something like “Dudes! Have you seen the show Firefly?? Its amazing!!”

    Our old guy conversation halted… wait, what did he just say? Hunting dude continued “Yeah man, Firefly is the best! It’s basically Han Solo the series! Like what if Han and Chewy were just flying the Falcon all over the place!” His buddy says “Sweet! Gotta check that out on Netflix.” When we left, I remember you said you didn’t know if it was
    more amazing that there was such a thing as Redneck Nerds or that his description of Firefly was so perfect.

    Keep up the good fight.
    Brad
    Ps. Julia, Thanks so much for setting all of this up!
    — Brad Rau, January 9, 2013

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  13. Hi Jamie!
    I don’t have any jokes for you. Or anything funny to write. But I am thinking of you all the time. And I miss you.
    xoxLorien
    — Lorien McKenna, January 9, 2013

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  14. Jamie!
    I’m so glad to hear you are doing well and making progress each day! I left for London the day that I heard the news but made sure to check in with our favorite Welshman while I was there for any updates. Hurry up and get better. There aren’t enough people around here that do weird deep squat things while pointing at you with both hands when you see them in the hallways.Honestly, you are one of my most favorite people I’ve been fortunate enough to know and I’m so thankful for that. Sending you lots of love and healing thoughts.Guilherme sends his love as well.

    Julia, you are truly an angel for everything you do for Jamie. Thank you for keeping us updated on this. Sending you lots of love as well and please let me know if there’s anything we can do. Happy Belated Birthday!
    Sam

    — Samantha Wilson, January 9, 2013

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  15. A guy is driving around the
    back woods of Vermont and he sees a sign in front of a broken
    Down shanty-style house:
    ‘Talking Dog For Sale’
    He rings the bell and the owner appears and tells
    him the dog is in the back yard.
    The guy goes into the
    back yard and sees a nice looking yellow lab sitting there.
    ‘You talk?’ he asks.
    ‘Yep,’ the Lab replies.
    After the guy recovers
    from the shock of hearing a dog talk, he says
    ‘So, what’s your Story?’
    The Lab looks up and says,
    ‘Well, I discovered that I could talk when I was pretty young. I wanted a job to do, so… I told the CIA.
    In no time at all they had
    me jetting from country to country, sitting in rooms with spies and world leaders – because no one figured
    a dog would be
    eavesdropping.’
    ‘I was one of their most valuable spies for
    eight years running….
    But the jetting around really tired me out.
    I wasn’t getting any younger, so I
    decided to settle down. I signed up for a job at the
    airport to do some undercover
    security, wandering near
    suspicious characters and listening in.
    I uncovered some
    incredible dealings and
    was awarded a batch of
    medals.’ ‘I got married, had a mess of puppies, and
    now I’m retired.’
    The guy is amazed. He goes back in and
    asks the owner what he wants for the dog.
    ‘Ten dollars,’ the guy says.
    ‘Ten dollars? This dog is amazing! Why
    on earth are you selling him so cheap?’
    ‘Because he’s a bullshitter. He’s never been out
    of the yard’.

    Julia, thank you so much for being there for my buddy. Jamie, keep up the good work and mind your manners, ducks on the pond.
    — David Fulp, January 9, 2013

    Reply
  16. aaaahhyaa! Jamie I have been thinking about you alot these past couple days since I heard the terrible news and the only 2 things that keep popping into my head are
    -the Monkey Tail story you told Mike Mignola
    -how on Frankenstein the female staff were so skeeved out by anything you said while John Stevenson could(and did) walk around saying Cock and Balls and they all swooned at his English accent
    hope this finds you in a good space be well my friend
    — Brian Kalin O’Connell, January 9, 2013

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  17. horse walks into a bar. bartender says, “why the long face?”

    please, EYE OF THE TIGER recovery montage theme song.
    — david gordon, January 9, 2013

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  18. NO MAN AN ISLAND… indeed Julia… indeed, but as I like to say, EVERY SUBURBAN HOUSE, A KINGDOM, EVERY WIFE, CHILD AND DOG, A SERF. Or in Jamie’s case, before you showed up, anyway, ALWAYS A BRIDESMAID NEVER A BRIDE… or
    ALWAYS A BRIDESMAID, NEVER KING OF THE WORLD, except in the hearts of all his pals, who love him dearly and now you too for taking care of him.
    — Tony Stacchi, January 9, 2013

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  19. Hi Jamie and Julia,just wanted to share the fact that Shane is thinking about you a lot. She was checking out your updates. She is rather puzzled by your condition. Yesterday she asked “Is Jamie a drug addict or alcoholic? Is that why he’s sick?” Wait, wait, WHAT? said we, floored. What makes you ask that? “Well, she responded all serious, Isn’t that why you have to go to REHAB?” Umm… no sweetheart. It’s not that kind of rehab. We had a lot of explaining to do. Anyway she sends her love, as do we. We miss you both like crazy. John says CAAAAAAAHHHHHNNNNNT! Keep working at that physio. We can’t wait to see you both whenever that may be.love love and more love,Carol, John, Faith and Shanexxxxxxxx
    — Carol Hughes, January 9, 2013

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  20. Jaime,
    Jess and I just recently heard about what had happened. Our hearts and thoughts go out to you, Julie and your families. Please, let us know if there’s any way we can help or anything at all that we can contribute to. Since everyone is sharing stories and memories, I’d like to share how I met you for the first time. I actually knew you first as “Thunder Nerd” one of your many, MANY super-hero alter-egos during one of the legendary Super-hero Parties! Your nerd powers were so strong that you gave all nerds within a 5-foot radius a +3 in Nerd power (but also a -2 Charisma penalty deduction). It was a year after that I finally met the real man behind the glasses and buck-teeth who would become my friend.

    Jaime, you have always struck me as a gentle, soft-spoken totally unassuming man brimming with talent, ideas, creativity and the zeal of a 5 year old to deliver on all of it! I always cherish our conversations about movies, comics, animation, ComicCon and everything that can be considered “nerdy.” You have a knack of providing that keen insight or unique perspective on any topic that would launch us into whole new paths of uncharted territories of nerd-dom. This is the point I usually get nose-bleeds and stagger, reeling from such raw and undiluted nerd power! We are mere nerd-peasants in your shadow.

    I’m reminded of the conversation that David Carradine and Uma Thurman had at the end of Kill Bill Vol. 2 about how Clark Kent was the real “mask” and that Superman was his true identity. Could it be that “Jaime” is “Clark Kent” and that your Super-hero alter-egos are the true aspects of the real Jaime Baker? One thing I do
    know for sure is that you’ll always be a hero to us!
    We wish you well and a speedy recovery!

    Kenn & Jess
    — Kenn Navarro, January 10, 2013

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  21. Hi Jamie, Tony told me the other day what had happened! So sorry to hear this news, but happy to read you are making progress in your recovery. Stay positive my friend, it really is the best medicine. I know you don’t like them, but im sending you big man hugs. You are in our thoughts and prayers. Lots of love Phil, Pearlene and Luca
    — Philip Dale, January 10, 2013

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  22. Hello there Jamie.Perhaps you remember meeting David Fulp’s mom, Lou, in Taiwan about 30 years ago. Has it been that long? You were a mere child so it is hard to remember exactly. You look a wee bit older now–quite grown-up really.I have had the privilege of meeting Julia online and seeing some of her art blog. I know how important she is to you. I am so glad that you have her in your life.I am in Sierra Madre, California right now, but we have a house in the Portland metro area.Hopefully my husband Lee and I will be in the bay area and will able to see you. I know you will soon be overloaded with visiters, but we will make an appointment.David has always mentioned you over the years so I feel that I have kept up with you.Hang in there and do everything they tell you to do. LOL Well, I know how that is.Love, Lou Toft
    — Lou Toft, January 10, 2013

    Reply
  23. Greetings, James!
    I hope they will let us stop in to visit soon. Though understand the deep work you are
    doing at the moment requires all us vagrants to leave you be for now. I miss your posts, your updates from incredible sites around the globe, reminding me the world awaits discovery every day. Here’s
    to your rapid, hopefully gentle recovery. Look, don’t even get me started on how you’ve been one my inspirations and favorite artists, let alone people – since the heady old colossal days, sitting in the back art-room, working all hours of the clock cranking out quirky, innovative coolness and laughing at commercial clients’ notes.

    Oh —

    Enough of that sloppy rubbish. Now, here is a dumb joke for ya: A man is visiting the city of Vancouver and goes down to the shore. There he see’s an old salt sitting on a log. He has a peg leg, hook for a hand and a patch over his eye. The visitor thinks this guy might have an interesting story to tell, so asks him how he got the peg leg. The old salt answers that one-day at sea in the Caribbean he fell overboard and a shark came and bite part of his leg off. The visitor then asks about his hook and the salt says that on another trip to
    the Caribbean when the yardarm came down and knocked him overboard. Another shark came along and bit his hand off. When asked about the patch over his eye, he replied, “I was in Vancouver looking up at the sky when a seagull went to the bathroom in my eye.” The visitor asked that surely doesn’t blind a man, the old salt says “That’s true but it was the first day with the hook”.
    Love and healing to you sir.

    Big Ed
    — Ed Bell, January 10, 2013

    Reply
  24. Hi Jamie, Hi Julia,
    so great to hear about the fantastic progress you are making. Steps? STEPS??? That is unfuckingbelievably amazing in so short a time. I mean, really? Do you know how brilliant that is? I always knew you were an awesomely talented, creative and intelligent genius sort of person, but here’s where you are showing your true mettle. You beauty!

    And Julia, you made me cry today by including the piece on being truly present with those you love. So very true. A good reminder for us all. Thank you for that.

    Love you both like mad and am breathing and sending lots of positive energy up north. Big love and tons of itxxxxCarolps did anyone send you this yet? Very silly but fun.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocHRh33Dseo

    — Carol Hughes, January 11, 2013

    Reply
  25. Hi Julia, i just wanted to say how beautiful and thoughful your posts are. It’s wonderful to hear of Jamies good progress and it is equally lovely to hear how you are coping with the emotional stress of the situation. You are two great fighters and you will come through this stronger and closer together.
    Love
    Phil
    — Phil Robinson, January 11, 2013

    Reply

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