This is a compact flourescent lightbulb. It is supposed to save us all from global warming. And it is supposed to last nine years. Well guess what? I installed this light bulb less than a year ago and it is already burnt out. Let’s hope the global warming thing fares better.

Funny thing about this drawing… I wasn’t planning to draw a light bulb. I was actually planning to draw a pair of pliers; had them in my hand and was on my way to my sketching station (a.k.a. the dining room table) when this little beauty caught my eye. It was sitting on the kitchen counter, because I have no idea how to properly dispose of the darned thing. To be quite honest, I was planning to leave that problem to the next owner of our condo. So much for that plan.

As I was saying… I sat down, pulled out my charcoal and sketched a rough outline, then proceeded to shade (being careful not to avoid inadvertant smudges along the way). Unfortunately, I was so caught up in the process of shading, that I forgot to take a good look at the overall form of the drawing. Result: a lightbulb that looks like a failed refugee from a Salvador Dali – wilted, but not quite enough to hang out with those amazingly relaxed clocks.

So that led to sketch #2