Neighborhood Molotov Cocktail Stand a Success
A still life of a Blue Diamond box of matches in the background with two red-covered books of matches in the foreground. An okay attempt. Better color than some previous pieces.

Id and Ego Babble

Hey, look at me with some color saturation. Good job me. I concur. Yes, there are a lot of technical issues. And I still rushed. And the red books in the front could have been more saturated... Don't harsh my progress, me. I dig this with all its flaws. Even the uglies have something to appreciate, don't they? My hands made something, even an ugly watercolor is a watercolor I can learn from. It's not going on the refrigerator. Of course not. We're posting it to the web where nobody will see it, except me, myself, and I. Indeed.

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Meta Data

Title

Neighborhood Molotov Cocktail Stand a Success. Billionaire Speaking Event Canceled.

Description

A neighborhood lemonade stand manned by children who sell Molotov cocktails. That was the idea. I initially tried and failed. And that's okay, because I'll try again. Such as this new watercolor of matches which are an integral part of arming any Molotov cocktail. Next should be a still life of a bottle with a rag in it. Or something I can try that isn't too complicated because low tech is sometimes the best tech. Wait. I just Googled How to watercolor fire. Maybe I can make a burning rag still life... no. I'd need actual fire because I lack the imagination to visualize flame and its shadows and color reflections on surfaces. Maybe I'll practice with candles first.

Image

600x size: A still life of a Blue Diamond box of matches in the background with two red-covered books of matches in the foreground. An okay attempt. Better color than some previous pieces.

Date

Wednesday, January 28, 2026

Modified

Monday, February 16, 2026

Previous Versions

Two watercolor attempts at just the lemonade / Molotov stand with nothing else.

Id and Ego Babble

Don't get discouraged. Don't get discouraged. Obviously, watercolor is not something I naturally excel at. I'm exceptionally mediocre, why would it? It's something to keep in mind because the progress isn't immediate. I'll swing for the fence with something too complicated, like the previous version, and get despondent (WordHippo me another word for discouraged). Then I'll slow down and attempt something easier, like these stand tests. And still feel bummed I'm not awesome. There's a lot of beginner progress still to go. Hell, even the feel for brush pressure and angle is one of the hundreds of things I need to build muscle memory for and it will take time. But I'm antsy! (Thanks WordHippo) Look. These show a slightly better technique than the first attempt. That's progress. And don't discount the failures, either, because I learn from those, too.

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A very childish looking, crude watercolor of a lemonade (molotov) stand with a few people including a child in a stroller and person in a wheelchair. A very ugly piece.

Id and Ego Babble

What. The. Fuck. What was I thinking? I wasn't. I had a lot of anxiety and vomited up this watercolor masterpiece. No. Really. I fucked this up way beyond recognition. The kid's smiling. That kid's face is borderline creepy. Definitely goofy. I wanted to try something complex and done quickly like those amazing pieces that look detailed yet are done with simple strokes and shapes. Well, I failed spectacularly. The principal's comments during the debate in Billy Madison seems apt. I'm dumber for painting this and may God have mercy on my soul. A testament to my impatience. I should do some concept sketches next. Let's dub this a rough sketch with watercolor. Yes! That's how to turn a frown upside down. Good job, me.

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Inspiration

Neighborhood Molotov Cocktail Stand a Success. Billionaire Speaking Event Canceled.

ABF Newswire: January 28, 2026

CALIFORNIA, January 28, 2026 (ABF Newswire) A neighborhood Molotov Cocktail stand hosted by a couple of local children was a hit with residents. Under the warm morning sun, friends Joey Trevonte and Aiden Howe erected the stand with an original intention of selling lemonade. When they overheard their parents talking about the small motorcade of wealthy CEOs that were to pass through the neighborhood on the way to a speaking engagement at the local civic center, the boys changed their plan to the fiery concoctions.

Even though it was a couple of hours after the conflagration, Joey was barely able to contain his excitement when reporters asked him about the incident.

"That was awesome!" exclaimed Joey. "I've never seen cars on fire and it was better than a video game."

Margaret Burnett, a local resident who patronized the stand, was impressed with the boys' initiative. "Those boys sold a fine product. The bottles were sized just right for my wheelchair's cup holder."

"I haven't had so much fun in, I can't remember, how long!" she beamed.

Local Evangelical youth pastor, Rory Patterson, praised the children's entrepreneurial enterprise. "It's important to support our youth," he said. "And the Old Testament God would totally dig this."

There were no survivors of the two black Cadillac Escalades that were engulfed by a hail of combustible liquids and flame. Investigators ruled the incident an accidental immolation. No charges were filed.

Local tow truck driver from HB Towing, Hector Blair, wasn't as elated as those who participated in the cocktail party. "It's a pain in the ass to tow burned out vehicles. But we got it done. Need to keep those 5-star reviews going, ya know?"

One of the CEOs, head of an AI company that specializes in workforce automation, and the other, a head of a leading surveillance company, were to speak to a sold-out audience of executives at the local civic center. The engagement, "Increase Profits Through Worker Surveillance and Automation", was canceled.

The AI CEO had recently made headlines for a different reason. He had crashed a stranger's wedding in Napa Valley, uninvited, with a twelve-person entourage, after the vineyard's owner, who was a personal friend, bumped the bride's reservation to accommodate him. The bride lost her $18,000 deposit and wedding venue. His company, meanwhile, had recently rolled out a workplace monitoring tool that tracked remote employees' keystrokes, mouse movements, webcam activity, and bathroom breaks, selling it to employers as a productivity solution. Over 200,000 workers were already being watched by it. Investors love the potential in this type of surveillance market and the company's stock has posted consistent gains for the past 6 months.

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