Possum Pirate Press

Nothing to see here....

2010-05-07T05:36:00.001-04:00

Just checking to see if I still have a spot. Once things settle down a bit, I'll explain what's going on. Thanks.

Cat Shoot!

2009-08-27T01:55:00.003-04:00

Well, there's lots happened the past 3.3 months, but I'll just start with this pic...
Animal Planet comes to Caboodle!

Quite a day

2009-05-15T23:45:00.004-04:00

Thanks to all students at J.E.B. Stuart Middle School for coming out and helping make Ms. Craig's Art Festival such a success!

If any of you want to see more of the art I showed you on Friday, just go to www.comicspace.com/possumpiratepress/

I wish I could have drawn even more, but the time got away from me. As I'm kinda busy now, you can send me some requests, but it may be a while before I can do them.

Thanks again!

Ginny

UtOh.

2009-03-26T12:38:00.001-04:00

I missed my own birfday. lol
this is the placeholder for my lengthy post i'll doubtless add tonight.
see ya!

March Madness!

2009-03-09T06:12:00.004-04:00

I hate basketball. Just sayin'.

It's time /or new music!
"/" is the character I use to express the letter that comes a/ter "e". yay!

Got some crazy plans a/oot, here lately. I'll report on them whenever they come to /ruition.

/ound an old /riend on /acebook yesterday. She has a loverly blog you should be reading...
the specktator
/unny stu//!
lolz.

Back later with added keys!

...and now for something completely different.

2009-02-11T03:46:00.002-05:00

things are slightly better, but i will get back to that list at some point. now, some points that nag:

please enjoy the brokeness of my keyboard. i have a bad shift key and can only occasionally be bothered to go out of the way to capitalize.

please also enjoy some new music. heh heh. i'd call this selection "brit chicks".

i hate facebook. it is stealing my soul and i cannot have that. i have stuff i gotta do and it's not helping at all.

what do i have to do? i need to find a job. nothing online is not a scam for personal info and no one wants to meet in person, except places who want you to work on commission. you know, i coulda done that...back when there was someone else bringing in money here, but that is a long gone thing.
i also have some "creative endeavors" to attend to. they are:

a writing bit. time to exercise the writey part of my brain. this is a fun project i am inspired to write pretty kwickly. (yep. the letter "cue" is busted, too.) i am however a little stuck right now. i'll pick it back up tomorrow, i think.

some retooling on the old windy city minicomic from waaay back in 03. why? i need to finish it finally and maybe see the dang thing in real print.

finish up that 12 page story for dimestore and get it over with. it's long past time. i worked awfully hard to get that deal and i hate that i've not been able to fulfill it yet. once it prints, i'm free to go somewhere on that project.

get a new comic underway. one that a new collaborator wrote and wishes to see completed soon. it's over 100 pages so, wish me luck there. heh.

then, with same new collaborator, a new one shot with bandit and his creation, dyna girl.

maybe more, but really, that stuff above looks like 10 years worth of work. i ain't that young.

one more exciting update... finally found the dread drain pipe that needs replacing. it's further down that i woulda thought. my previous excavations musta missed it by inches. thanks to my secret helper on that. gonna need a digger thing-like machine. maybe we'll have it dug up and fixed soon. i've waited forever, so i'm not super patient anymore. i have been pretty damn patient to get this far, frankly.

next up, maybe that second list. oh--and if i don't get back here before valentine's day...i hate that effin day. i've been dumped on that occasion TWICE! see how i decided to capitalize that? it must be pretty important for me to say, huh? well, i will continue the hating of that day...you do as you please.

Well.

2009-01-31T02:37:00.004-05:00

Posting blogs under the influence is a baaaad idea.
Happy February!

Today marks the 13th anniversary of a profoundly bad event in my life. And let's leave it at that.

I've had 13 years to improve and change my life. Taking stock, I am not impressed...

I have not learned any foreign languages. (why do people always want to do that?)
I have not traveled much of anywhere. I did get to fly finally. yay. got to Chicago. yay.
I have not had a decent relationship. Big surprise.
I have not improved my finances. They have never been worse.
I do not have a career at 42. Unbelievable.
I have never achieved a positive milestone that didn't turn out negatively.
I am not sure what to do next or if there even is a next. Maybe there's just more of the same.
I have not expanded my skills in anything.
I have not finished anything I've started.
I have yet to make a good connection in anything.
I have still not learned to mistrust.
i still don't protect myself.
i still tell too much truth when I should just shut up.

Stay tuned to see if I can come up with a list of stuff that is good about the last 13 years.

I need to cheer the fuck up.

2009-01-03T22:43:00.002-05:00

....so I am abusing the internets with my muuuusic. heheheheh!

If you can't get a little happier listening to these, well, you don't need to be here.

So. Happy Saturday night! I'm gettin dressed and ready to cruise the town, as is my wont on Saturday nights. And I'll hopefully fight some crime, also.

Goodnight, folks!

First One of the New Year!

2009-01-02T21:06:00.010-05:00

Happy New Year!

Accelerated New Year Resolution

2008-12-30T01:55:00.007-05:00

I wanna lose weight and find a better job.
I also need to be nicer to the people I care about and careful around holier than thou people, cuz they have a way of messing with you.

Bittersweet Christmas

2008-12-26T03:52:00.009-05:00

Had a nice day out with my sis and her husband and son. It was a rare day off for me. Well, what a downer. I returned home tonight to find one of my girls (a cat) dead. I cannot figure out what happened to her. Possible asphixiation, as she was slightly cyanotic. Maybe got into something poisonous, which has me running through the house, methodically searching out pathogens. Is the food contaminated? I dunno. Wouldn't the rest of the Hoard be dead or dying, as well?
It's so sad and frustrating. She was barely 3 years old and the most beautiful cat I've ever had. Thus her name, Belle.
Frankly, I've found myself developing that weird detachment that vets and animal workers have. I rarely get very teared up anymore over this kind of thing. I never thought I'd ever be that way and it's the one reason why I never pursued animal medicine. I guess it took me experiencing so much suffering and death so personally for me to finally build that shell up. I'm sorry to have it, but at the same time, it's doubtless keeping me sane. There's been too much death and disappointment the last few years to bear and I guess if detachment helps, I'll have to deal with it too.

After that, I sat down to try to reply to a couple of emails and what do I find? An obituary for one of my favorite people ever. Eartha Kitt. No fair. Too much for one day. And way too much for Christmas.
If you don't know who she was, and outside of her playing Catwoman, I won't waste time trying to tell you. She was a real legend and you'd do yourself a favor by looking her up. What a sad loss and a sad day in general.
I hope this is it for the year. I'm ready to be done with this one.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T23:45:00.002-05:00

GRINCH!!
Had to do it.
I'll be spending the day with family and some friends. Makes me luckier than some.
I hope everyone has a good one and a Happy New Year, too.

Happy December!

2008-12-21T17:51:00.003-05:00

Just a quick post to say Merry Christmas and all that.

Having no MONEY will be a pain this year, but my family has agreed to not go crazy with the buying, so it's all good.

Merry Christmas and all the other stuff to one and all!

Wow. We enter a new age...

2008-11-09T01:56:00.005-05:00

Thank whomever --deity of your choice--for it. We have a new president. Barack Obama was not my first choice, or even my second one, but I'll take him. Honestly, I cannot understand anyone who wanted another term that in any way extended, or mirrored, this last fella. He was a disgrace to the office in ways that just cannot be measured. How do you begin to guess the true effect, the gravity, of the lies and neglect this president has perpetrated on the country and the world? How much have we suffered in reputation with the rest of the world? And yeah. That does matter. Only the supremely arrogant fail to understand that we are just one power, one country, in a big world. And a failing world power, at that.

Compare this war and the crimes it brings with it to a case of adultery. Go ahead. I dare you. Even Nixon didn't tear this place up the way W has.
An obvious action would be impeachment, but The Dems, still timid and shy of taking full charge, have no stomach for it and I think Obama has put such a positive spell on DC that it would be counterproductive to bum the country out. No matter how utterly appropriate an impeachment of Bush would be. If lying to go to war and lying to stay at war and lying to protect yourself and your friends from the shame and embarrassment of admitting a mistake-- a mistake that was hardly an honest one and that has cost thousands their lives--if that's not cause for impeachment, I honestly don't know what is.

But, we'll move on. And we'd better hurry to catch up to the rest of the world as there's been plenty going on and lots to do. We have problems to help solve and business to attend to that has effectively been put on hold for EIGHT YEARS. Eight. I cannot believe the time we have wasted. It has been excruciating to stand here and witness. Being told for 8 years that we aren't patriots, don't love our country, that we're godless and diseased for the beliefs we have.

Don't worry, Repubs, as much as my animal nature would relish dishing out the same to you, there's just no point to it and it seems we have finally got a leader capable of working with you and willing to include you. Genuinely able to unite. What a challenge that will be, as the tear-down commenced even as Obama reached out in his acceptance speech. It's easy to get angry over the comments I've heard and the "journalism" campaigning to smear democratic ideals after the campaign was lost, seeking to disrupt and destroy a person who has asked for, and won, the right to do the most thankless job in the country.

But then I just smile. I'm smiling in disbelief and delight as I have to remind myself that no matter the future, the nightmare is effectively over. The country's nightmare was never the economic crisis or even the war. It has been the climate of intolerance and acceptance of mediocrity we have been held hostage by for the last eight years. It has been the suppression of freedom of thought and action vital to a healthy democracy that has been our downfall. I don't care what happens now, putting that behind us has restored my faith in the future and the greatness of this country.

We finally dug ourselves free of self-imposed imperialism and chose democracy again.
Welcome back, USA.

Just checking in

2008-07-26T22:24:00.004-04:00

My Internets are sporadic these days. Just thought I'd check in to say..
Hello.
And to assure you that I'm nowhere close to realizing my little dream, but I'm still nowhere near to giving up on it.
This is a recurring theme/problem for me and I hope it resolves itself in a more productive way than usual.

On the cat side, I have found a pretty kewl enclosure possibility. I just need those $$ to start flowing this way. Check this out:
http://www.cats-on-line.com/catcagecustomergallery.htm

Kinda like connexx for cats. I guess the key is designing for space, but in such a way as to reduce the number of panels needed to save $. I wish I was a handier person so's to build this stuff myself. My poor dad would be ashamed of me. He tried to train me as his helper, but without him, I don't have the nerve to start up such an undertaking. I sure as heck don't have the time anymore. Paying extra for not having to build it from scratch is probably better.

Maybe I'll find a pile of money somewhere...someday.

Frankly, there's a lot going on in life that should be more important for me, but this situation is the one I find most concerning. I want these guys happy and safe, but I need my house to myself again. Getting them outside is about the only way I can go.

Hanging on to the house is another thing. Foreclosure looms for thousands of us and I'm right in that line. I don't see how anyone can afford to live anymore. I'm in a job that should pay enough to live on. Heck, for the time I spend there, I should be comfortable. Instead, I agreed to a job on salary and didn't understand the scope of it. I spend around 12-15 hours a day at the place. And with no overtime, that makes me a minimum wage earner again. Stupid. I was stupid. And now I'm trapped there as leaving is not an option. I need the little bit of income I have to keep my home.

Doom and gloom abounds, People. So, I decided to finally view that "Last Lecture" on YouTube ...and found out the guy died yesterday. *sigh* Wonderful start to that. So, I watched, expecting some great insights and profound observations. Frankly, I didn't get any. Don't get me wrong, the guy was inspirational in a way. Sometimes funny and always positive, even in the face of his impending doom. It's just that he offered the same advice I've heard from a bunch of people. Common sense, really. No real new or profound thoughts. I imagine his situation made it all seem bigger to him and his immediate friends and family so I guess my lack of attachment to him personally is the reason for my lack of enlightenment. It's worth a look, though. It is his last message to his kids and you sure can't be so jaded as to not be touched in some way by that. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo Reserve about an hour of your time for it.

So, I have nothing else to say today. I'll pop in sometime later hopefully with better news.

Some R/P/S Q&A

2008-07-05T14:12:00.004-04:00

Over at Dimestore, great comments and suggestions are trickling in....

Spyros from far away Greece writes:
Q: "So this is a multi-agency/studio working through a website, which acts like a portal?"

A: Hm. I don't think so, if I get your meaning, Spyros. There will be a central structure as we will be actually working together on all projects, assigning work as needed, where appropriate. I see the members as being partners in the one company.

I have yet to actually clarify this thought. Thanks, Spyros!

Really, the site is to give the agency a professional, united front and a place to actually sell from.. I don't think individuals will be played up at all, so the client won't get the schizo feel I've seen in other attempts to just get a bunch of people together and "be a studio."

As an agency, we'll be a one-stop for a (hopefully) limitless range of style, technique and services. And can provide it all in tiers of affordability. All things to all people.

Each member will have a hand in chasing down work, even creating the need for our work, in some cases. Maybe they'll have themselves in mind as being the artist for that job, or maybe they'll be thinking "oh, Doc would be perfect for that!" That'll come as we develop our membership and become more aware of our abilities.

That's where it will become a challenge. Can an artist let go of themself enough to be part of a group that creates together? Once we see the benefits of a group situation, providing things we couldn't get alone, I think it will work. I'm counting on it.

More Q&A to come, Folks!
G

R/P/S continued...Post 2

2008-07-04T16:45:00.004-04:00

Thanks for the comments on my last little Rock Paper Scissors post. For want of another name, I'm calling this project-in-progress R/P/S...

Ed, you are such a source of encouragement. I really appreciate you.

Hah! Dan, you are so not a fourth flavor artist. Wow, I really need to redo that flavor thing. There's so many more flavors I forgot.

Anyway, I'm looking into a small business program at UNF here and hope to get in on it. First, I have to get on this long list of people who want help, then I gotta hope I'm selected as worthy of help, etc, etc...

This is a weird idea. And seems destined for failure. For now, I am forgoing the laborious process of structure and practicality of the business side of this venture. I cannot get it going yet in that department, but I won't let this stop me from exploring the actual mission of this project. Read the rest as if we have a structure and order in place. We have members and a viable work system in place. In other words, Use Your Imagination!

We are a business. This project will exist to benefit its members and spread some art to dark corners, but we have to have something to sell. And we have to have people to buy it.

Thing is, will it really be lucrative and is that really the point? We need income, but we need benefits, at least I do...and we need a way to ensure retirement isn't as penniless as it will likely be. Not really to imply anyone will retire anymore.

But can it make money? Money enough for its members to use it as a source of real income?

I think it can. If other normal boring ad agencies can make money and have the overhead of a company office space, and allll that implies, surely we can make some money while we are scattered across the country, tucked away in our own little homes.

My first foray into this idea included having a little storefront to get walk-in clients. People who were curious about what an artist could do for them. Not just make the pretty pictures, but if they could provide a real tangible service to people and business. Also, a storefront to actually sell art. And products using art. Show what we could do. I noticed down the way a number of small galleries had opened and closed rather rapidly. Selling only a little and paying rent for the space got them nowhere. They relied on their poor artist/members to pay the rent. That's the problem with those artist-run co-ops. They can't/don't know how to get money from anywhere, charge dues to the artist to be in the co-op, and when the co-op makes no money, the artists have to bow out. Feeding off of themselves was not the way to go. Obviously there was a lack of interest in art and even a well-intentioned and well-run space was not going to be a money-maker unless there was a real element of necessity. And outreach. You have to make people aware of you and show them why they need and want you. If we can provide a necessary service, we may just survive. Not having an overhead should only make that easier. I won't discount the idea of having such a place eventually, but for now...it's the Interwebs for us!

I propose a really tight website. One that is so well-designed and so sleek-looking we can't be seen as anything but fun, professional, dependable and affordable. It has to be filled with wonderful images and very easily navigated. It has to scream creativity and approachability. I want buying our services to be as easy as buying a leopard-print tubetop off of Wal-Mart.com...without the guilt of furthering slave wages and conditions of millions just to look like a hooker, of course.

Here's the thing. Content. Who will be involved? Who will design it, build it and populate it with images? Where will they come from?

Our members, natch. But will this be vampiring as the above co-op did? Maybe for now. Maybe we gotta just to get the thing going. But maybe not. Maybe we can build this thing with some outside $$. Put together an attractive selling package and sell the crap out of ad space. Approach internet businesses that will actually have a stake in what we do. Other artists, supply companies, the kinds of business we personally visit and rely on to make our stuff. Who do our prospective clients need to see on the site? They need to see things that make them more confident in us and things they will actually click on to make advertising worthwhile...porn comes to mind, but it's a temptation I'll try to resist for now.

But advertising space is ugly and frankly annoying. Can we make ads that are not ads? I don't see why not. Seems like that could be our first real project. Make our advertisers look like partners and friends and be more likely to get clicked on than a dancing hoochiemama or a lady surprised she's been filmed looking at her computer.

Project the First: Find Partners (and make them want to advertise because it will really be fun and good for them).

Am I getting too far ahead of myself? Oh, yeah, but until we have the real company, I need something to keep me going and encouraged enough to want to create this idea out of thin air.

Comments and Suggestions Appreciated. Post 3 will be here before you know it. Happy Fourth to all!
G

So long, Bigot.

2008-07-04T15:07:00.002-04:00

And I do hope that the age of hate and fear you helped to nurture dies with you.

Moving On--Rock/Paper/Scissors

2008-06-28T14:32:00.007-04:00

Time to revitalize an old idea of mine.
I have been looking for the perfect job for years. You know, the one where you just open up the want-ad section and see this:

Looking for artists of all kinds. Use your talents. Get paid to create! Great pay and benefits. Great work environment. Great people. Great clients. No computer skills necessary. Bring your pet to work. Free candy. Start immediately.

Bwah-hahahahahaha. I know, right?

So. A few years ago, I says to myself, Self, why not create that job for yourself and others? In fact, why not just start by talking to friends who do art and form some kind of company-a company comprised of partners...
One where all the work is shared, the profits shared and most importantly, the benefits are shared. As a group, we could buy group health insurance, something mostly out of reach to freelancers and otherwise badly underpaid peoples such as ourselves. Also, wouldn't some form of savings plan and retirement benefit be nice?

The first group of artists I reached out to for input were less than impressed. They immediately assumed they would be doing all the work while the lesser artists, such as me, I guess, would just be leeching off of them. Having quashed such a threat to their own freelancing, they dropped all interest immediately.

Pretty ego-filled and presumptious. But valuable input, nonetheless. That was an attitude that was to be expected and needed addressing for the future... Artists come in 2 flavors, mostly. One flavor is hugely talented and knows it. Usually they are prolific. Another is not so sure and not so prolific. Oh, there's a third-- mediocre, and knows it, and does little work -wait! A fourth flavor! Mediocre and doesn't know it and does tons of work. Whew. The common denominator here is talent. The difference lies in self worth. Ego rules the field. Big ego views all as inferior,(often afraid of being found out as just being mediocre) and assumes they will be doing allll the work. Little ego is always putting their work down and generally screwing up by not believing in themselves enough. OK. How to traverse this ego mine field and have equal work and pay?

Hell, I dunno. Don't ask me. I'll be working on that as I go.

Now, the next group I reached out to simply were not in a position to help advance the cause. When you're below the poverty line, all you can do with yourself is work to live. No real time to plan or do anything but work. Thing is, this is the group I'm fighting for. I'm in this group. It's hard to manage your time when you're too tired to do anything once you're home. So. No advance that time.

The other night, I ventured the idea out again. A group of friends I've never met get together and BS on the Dimestore site. I just had a whim and threw it out there. This time-interest! So, now I have to rethink the whole thing and get a coherent plan together. At least an outline of goals and a plan to do this as a real viable business. I've had great input so far from the guys, so I'm encouraged that I may have finally found the right group to get this going.

Meanwhile, I had toyed with the idea of calling this collective artist community/business Rock, Paper, Scissors, then found this "collective" with the same name. Oh, well. But check out their site and ideas! Very cool!
http://rpscollective.com/new.php

So, now it's time to act. Look for further details here. I'll be using this blog as a platform for ideas and development. Gotta use it for something.

1995-2008

2008-05-14T23:46:00.002-04:00

Rest in Peace, Pico...

Wishing you endless bowls of food, painless ears, and someone worthy of those purrs.

Holy cow. It's March!

2008-03-08T15:48:00.004-05:00

Happy Second Birthday, Possum Blog!

OK. Anyway...I have been otherwise engaged over at Dimestore Productions this past year. As I said before, I can't see the point of a blog and really just wanted a place to show my work, so I now direct you to:
http://www.comicspace.com/possumpiratepress/
to see my stuff for Windy City and even a bit of old freelance work. I'll be updating the galleries there soon with LOTS of new stuff. The above image is a preview of the cover to Windy City's Mysterious Visions Anthology appearance. No issue # or date on that yet.
Please do contact me over at ComicSpace or at possumpiratepress AT Yahoo. You know the drill.

Well, since I'm here, I'll do a cat report. I have even more and need donations and adoptions, People! I'll be your best friend! Even if you just want to foster some cats or kittens, that would be great.

Poor old Pico is on his last legs. He was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism last year and I can't afford the therapy he needs, so my big man is all skin and bones now. Don't know how much longer he'll be around. He's trying to rest his head on my mouse arm right now and is pretty perturbed I keep moving it to type.

I'm going to try to get an outdoor enclosure built here soon for everyone. That will be super for me as it'll way reduce my litter cleanings and save a TON of money. First I gotta concentrate on saving my house from foreclosure, though. ;) It wouldn't do to have all these guys homeless, would it?

I seriously need some donations here, even if it's just a bag of Publix dry food or old towels, or paper towels. Everything will be used for the care of these fellas. If you are a capable hand at building, I'll especially need a hand in making this enclosure. If you're not handy, 5 or 10 bucks will go a long way to helping buy materials for this project.

I plan to file for non-profit staus asap, but need the $ to do that, even. That will help in receiving donations that I can ensure will be tax-deductible for you guys and will help me get in a program for low cost food at Science Diet. Nobody wants to help take these guys in, so I'm on my own.

Spay and Neuter, People!

Caboodle Ranch!

2007-12-15T13:49:00.000-05:00

Hello, friends!

I just wanted to leave a little news on here about my favorite Cat Rancher, Craig. He runs a place called Caboodle Ranch-it's a sanctuary for cats of all kinds. It's located on several acres of forested land here in Florida. The reason I'm telling you about it is that Craig is running this place by himself, with only donations to operate with.

This month, his donations have fallen off and the cats still need food, so...
I'm asking you to visit his very cool site, Caboodle Ranch Dot Org, look around at the galleries, read the stories and Craig's Journals of life on the ranch and see if you can manage at least a small donation for him and the cats. There is a very handy PayPal link on the home page and even a mailing address if you prefer. As Caboodle is a registered non-profit, your donation is tax-deductible.

Few people can do the work he's doing and fewer still are actually willing to do it alone. Don't let him do it alone. He needs your help! Without it, he'll have to close the shelter to new arrivals, meaning those cats that could have found a home in his open air ranch will likely end up homeless, making more feral and stray population or waiting for euthanasia at the local "shelters. "Thanks, guys!

November announcement...

2007-11-02T03:58:00.000-04:00

It's come to my attention I've been neglecting my little possum home here. It's true. I just don't have so much clever to say these days and figured the Internets could get by without one more windbag just fine.
Also, this format was intended as a substitute for my old site and is obviously not so great for showing art, sooooo....

Catch me here, peeps. It's ComicSpace...about two thirds less creepy than MySpace, 100% more easy to navigate than Deviant Art and a lot more conducive to get feedback and snoop around in other people's art business. I gots my art galleries for different stuff there as well as dropping a comment or two in the Profile area...like a blog, I guess. I've done a lot of Windy City stuff recently for the Small Press Idol contest and it's all there with a lot more to come.

If you like the funnybooks, I'd suggest making an account there. Fans are welcome as well as aspiring, super famous, and has-been artists and writers of comics. Plus, there's drawings of mildly nekkid people to be found. This seems to be pretty important to a lot of people and is something decidedly lacking in my own art.

But seriously, unless something just steams me up or makes me unbearably excited and I just HAVE to tell the Internet right away, I'll probably not be updating here so much...even after my recent promise to do so. I live to disappoint.

Anyway, I'm sorry I missed the recent comments from Rob and Jake. I'd have had you guys escort me to the Halloween party for sure. Maybe we should just have a Life Day party instead. It's just around the corner, after all.

Oh, hey...It's still real cool to pre-order a copy of my little pro "re-debut," Mysterious Visions Anthology #7. Get it at the Dimestore site, here.

Thanks, guys!
V

This is Some Rescue!

2007-10-17T01:44:00.000-04:00

OK. This, right here...this is why I've given up on organized "rescues."

http://tv.yahoo.com/contributor/33469/news/urn:newsml:tv.eonline.com:20071016:6e982e8c4080_4044_b941_cec226782721__ER:11495

Even when it is so clear that a rule broken is not always fatal to an animal or "bad" for it, they just push on..so very certain they are the only ones qualified to judge a "good home." And, of course, absolutely certain they are the only ones who "really care" about animals. I've seldom met a rescuer who did not have this basic belief. Makes me want to vomit!

I've been on both sides of this. So many "rescuers" are so caught up in the mission, there's no room for just common sense. I know many that actually believe that euthanizing a happy, healthy animal is more merciful than placing them in a home with little kids, or one that will have an indoor/outdoor existence, or even placing a feral cat in a wild situation with scheduled feedings. So wrong. Yeah. I do know the points there all too well, but please. Death is better than less than perfect, loving homes? Sorry, but I just don't buy into the animal heaven idea. Dead is dead. Ain't no Rainbow Bridge.

Screw you, Mutts and Moms, and all you other arrogant, crazy animal rescuers who give the rest of us such a bad name and an even harder time of finding homes for unwanted animals. Now we have a sincere, nationally broadcast reason for people to look elsewhere for their next pet. Who in their right mind would want to take the risk of losing a new pet to such an irrational organization? Imagine. No small dogs for kids under 14. Really would have changed a lot of people's childhoods, huh? Not to mention a lot of dogs' lives. When you look at it that way, how can anyone really believe this organization and others like it have the best interests of animals in mind? If this doesn't pump up the spread of professional and amateur breeding, what would?

I don't really need to tell you how I feel about that, do I?

Sad

2007-09-30T23:07:00.000-04:00

My favorite Bond actor, Lois Maxwell, has died. Here's a pretty good article about her. It leaves out some cool things, like her running away from home at 15, during WWII, to join the Royal Canadian Army and while living in Italy, she was an amateur racecar driver...but it has a lot of other stuff. The most interesting to me was her desire to play "M" in the Bond series, after they kicked her out for a younger Miss Moneypenny. Now, that would have been something cool. What were they thinking?

Anyway, some celebrity deaths really make me sad. Weird, but I guess we think of them as people we really know. Anyway, so long, Lois. I think you were charming.

Just imagine. We could elect him.

2007-08-31T03:47:00.000-04:00

Just watch it all the way through. Just 4 minutes.

sigh.

2007-08-25T03:21:00.001-04:00

Puppy Whistle - video powered by Metacafe

If only it were really goodbye.

2007-08-24T05:58:00.000-04:00

I'm not going to waste anyone's time trying to say this better, so here's Bill Moyers...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmwdevPRycY

Yaaaaaaaaaay!

2007-07-30T02:43:00.001-04:00

And: YAAAAAAAAAY!

Thank you, Steven Spielberg.

Up next: Just what the heck happened in that Small Press Idol thing, anyway?

Now's the time to vote again!

2007-06-05T07:56:00.000-04:00

UPDATE 6/9/07: I am getting killed over there! PLEASE VOTE!!! I'm struggling to get to 13th place! C'mon, guys! Thank you!

It's that time again! My power keeps going out, messing with my e-mailing, so I'll make this brief:

Please go on over to Dimestore Productions again and vote YES for Windy City in ROUND THREE of Small Press Idol. If you have registered-great! If not, register in the upper lefthand corner in the black sidebar. Easy! Any problems, e-mail the admin Ian@dimestoreproductions.com The deadline to vote is this Sunday, 6/10 at MIDNIGHT, so please do not hesitate to vote and grab a friend or two while you're at it. This will be the toughest round to clear and I've started out late and incomplete, to boot. Only SIX entries of THIRTY will make it to Round 4, so I need everyone's help. Please call me or e-mail me if you are having trouble registering or voting. AND: Please remember to say YES in your post. Your vote will not be counted otherwise.

Ian has made the voting a lot easier, so if you couldn't get in to register, please try again! Just 2 days left to vote. If I clear this round, there WILL BE a Windy City comic. Next round will give us a 4 issue series, but this round will actually get a single book and that will be very cool to me.

Thanks to you all who voted last round-I would like to send you all thanks, but the deadlines are killing any time I have to do that. Your votes last round have ensured that this comic will be printed in an anthology of stories with other contestants. Cool, but let's shoot for the moon! PLEASE know that I do appreciate your support!

Thanks to all!
Ginny

They Also Served

2007-05-27T06:00:00.000-04:00

As Memorial Day approaches, and almost another thousand deaths of servicepersons in Iraq and Afghanistan since the last one, it's time to remember and say Thank You.

And, I must add, don't forget the ladies....
http://www.womensmemorial.org/index.html

We now interrupt this blog...

2007-05-16T08:46:00.000-04:00

...for a joyful message:

A HUGE Thanks to all who voted- Windy City survives and lives to fight on! We go on to Round 3!!
More voting to be done and SOON! Get registered if you have not already at Dimestore's site.

Details to follow!

While were on the subject of joy......

Jerry Falwell 1933-2007
What took you so long, bastard?

In case you have a short memory:
Slate has put together very brief highlights
Really doesn't do him justice. Here's a sampling from Slate, though.

On feminists: "I listen to feminists and all these radical gals. ... These women just need a man in the house. That's all they need. Most of the feminists need a man to tell them what time of day it is and to lead them home. And they blew it and they're mad at all men. Feminists hate men. They're sexist. They hate men; that's their problem."

Evidently, some men make it all too easy.

Good riddance to bad rubbish.

I'm sure the good reverend would support my right to free speech. (Actually, no he would not. whoops.)

Bye for now and Thanks to one and all!
Gin

The balloon has gone up!

2007-05-12T06:11:00.000-04:00

I have turned in my Round Two Materials for voting. Please help me!! You only have until SUNDAY, May 13 to vote for WINDY CITY!

Just go to this page which is my round 2 thread, and register. You should receive confirmation fairly soon, but if you don't, contact Ian at Ian@dimestoreproductions.com
When you are confirmed, just go again to my thread, Round 2: Windy City, and do a "Quick Reply" (dialog box at bottom of page) with a "yes" to vote me through. Easy! If you have trouble, let me know by any means necessary!) By that I mean call me, beep me, when you wanna reach me...

Here's the new stuff:
Super tiny. Thanks, New Blogger. You suck.

Well, it has finally happened....

2007-04-07T03:02:00.000-04:00

(EDIT, UPDATE!) 5/06/07:
I have turned in my Round Two Materials and will be up tomorrow, 5/7/07, for voting. Please help me!! You only have until SUNDAY, May 13 to vote for WINDY CITY! Just go
to this page which is my round 2 thread, and register. You should receive confirmation fairly soon, but if you don't, contact Ian at Ian@dimestoreproductions.com
When you are confirmed, just go again to my thread, Round 2: Windy City, and do a "Quick Reply" (dialog box at bottom of page) with a "yes" to vote me through. Easy! If you have trouble, let me know by any means necessary!)

I am posting. Ha ha. Actually, I finally got a bit of positivity going on. We'll see how it all pans out, but for now, I'm pretty happy.

I entered a contest called Small Press Idol put on by a lovely outfit called Dimestore Productions. It's awfully involved, but the long and short of it is that a lot of people have entered, wanting to get their
projects published, advertised and sold. I decided to try it out.

A Call to Action:
Here's where YOU come in. If you manage to read the rules, you will realize that Windy City will need PUBLIC VOTES to make it into Round Three. There are a LOT of entries to beat. And a lot are really well done, but really, the biggest challenge will be to GET VOTES. I need anyone who cares to help me out and anyone they can pull in and anyone they can pull in...and so on and so on. I need votes to stay in this. The people who I'm up against have more experience and more time and means to get out the vote. I have to rely on my friends and whomever I can reach to vote me through-all the way to the end.

So far, Windy City has snuck into Round 2. To pass Round one, I had to provide a cover rough (see above) and a "story pitch." If anyone is interested in following WC's progress, here's a handy dandy link to the Dimestore site:

http://www.dimestoreproductions.com/SmallPressIdol/Idol07/index.html

That'll take you to the main contest page, where you can mull over the rules and all. Here's one that takes you to my entry:

http://www.dimestoreproductions.com/SmallPressIdol/Idol07/Windy-City.html

And, for super freak-out, here's a link to Silver Bullet Comics' webzine interview with moi. OK, so they interviewed everyone who passed through Round One with a unanimous vote from the three judges. I'm still allowed to find this cool.

http://www.silverbulletcomics.com/news/story.php?a=4509

In order to vote, you have to register, I believe. It's quite easy. Just like any other site, choose Register on the left hand side of, I believe, any page of the site and follow the directions.

Do NOT vote yet. I have to assemble and send in my materials for Round Two still. The materials for this stage are character sketches and biographies. Round Two Voting will begin soon, but will continue until May 6th. This date may change. I'll update this blog soon and regularly to give anyone who is able to help current details.

The Final vote in Round 4 for the big prize will not just be a vote. You'll have to actually BUY a copy of the book on the website. That's how Dimestore makes its money. Pretty shrewd, huh? Well, at that stage, I can only hope you'll want a copy of Windy City and that you can afford it. I'm not sure how much it'll be, but probably around 3 bucks, I'm thinking....Only one vote per person, thus the registering, and only ONE Book will count as a vote. Buying multiple copies will not increase votes for any book. That's why I need everyone's help. I need a lot of different people to vote and eventually BUY a copy of the book. As an aside, if you hate it, I'll buy it back from you. How's that?

Well, that's it for now. I know it's a little sketchy, but I'm too tired to make sense. Please read the official rules at Dimestore, register, and wait for updates HERE if you are willing to help a sistuh out. You know I appreciate it and I'll be sure to make something worth buying! :)

Thanks!
Ginny

They Fight Crime

2007-03-29T03:29:00.000-04:00

Hi Ho. Well, nothing to report on the contest. The board crumbled under the weight of all that traffic, so no results yet. Soon, I suppose.

Until then, please waste the time you intended to waste here visiting something that I personally cannot get enough of:

http://www.theyfightcrime.org

Just keep hitting the "Try Again"..I love it!

My birthday passed sleeplessly as I worked on the contest submission. Got some cards, fruit, and amusing, clever gift certificates-Thanks to those of you who remembered poor OLD me. At some point, I do intend to go a-drinking. Interested parties may contact me for details.

Also, here's some old thing I'm dredging up. I don't even know what I'm gonna pick yet. How exciting and unpredictable of me.

oooo. That was unpredictable. I saved my TIFF as a JPeg and got the weird-o color. I did it again and it was fine. Weird.

Well, I hope everyone will call a policewoman (and apparently cop a feel) instead of picking up guns from the garbage from now on.

Different kind of St. Patrick's Day.

2007-03-18T00:43:00.000-04:00

This just in:
World wants Peace.

Another new post?! WTF?

2007-03-13T07:16:00.000-04:00

Attention Internets:
Mistress Ginny will treat you to another pointless entry in this now fully-armed and operational battlestatio-ah, BLOG!!!

I know, Dear Readers. You are saying "but she just updated, like, the other day!" First, please don't interject the word "like" unnecessarily into your speech or writings. You'll sound like a moron. Second, I am trying out the concept of semi-regular posts. Other people do it, so why can't I?

Well, I should have run right home and told the Internet sooner, but it seems my life has officially gone to Hell. In a handbasket, or handcart, depending on your upbringing. I'm a loser in EVERY possible way! Hooray! Please send monies.

Seriously, my house has come apart. I need big cash to get it fixed up for 20th, er, 21st century livin'. Does anyone out there know a plumber who would be OK with getting paid with comic books or drawings or something? Maybe money a little at a time. Do let us hear from you!

Also, please consider adopting a lovely cat. We have a variety to choose from. I'll post pictures one day. Then you'll really be sorry.

So, you may be wondering, "who's this 'we'?" I'm just a little tired is all. We'll be fine after some sleepies.uuuuu Hah! That last bit was Cat-Typing(TM). Actual Cat-Typing(TM). That's when some cat of mine lunges across the keyboard. In related news, I have a whole Bookmark folder full of Cat-Internet Searches(TM). It's weird the places they take you. Usually a lot of numbers and thrilling backdoor locations on forbidden Websites. Those crazy cats!

Alert: If you are tired of my job complaints, skip waaay down.
OK. Also, I need another job or I'm just going to lose it. Really just lose it some day soon. People, please tip well-or don't order delivery. Just sayin'. Incidentally, anything under 3 or 4 bucks is not a good tip. Cost of living goes up for us all, and gas is sooo not going to be less than 2 bucks ever again. Did I forget to mention the problem of robbery? If I'm going to risk my life for your convenience, please pay me accordingly. My life is totally worth more than 78 cents. Assholes. OOp! My first Blog expletive? I dunno.

I was recently offered a position at a bookstore, well, I should say a warehouse for the purpose of storing books to be sold on the Internet. That's how it's all done now. This very lovely person who frequented my former bookstore, offered me 7 bucks an hour to start. More, that is, 25 or 50 cents more per month over, say, 6 months, if he "liked my work." Part time and temporary until he was caught up. Did I mention he had known me for years and knew I had worked in this store for 13 years? A couple as manager. In all seriousness, I was offered less than half of my former wage to work for a store 45 minutes away. A less tolerant and jaded person would have been pretty darn insulted. I was just incredulous, speechless, and ultimately, had to turn down this generous offer. Honestly, no bookguy is going to be able to offer a lot of money. He's a nice guy and I wish I could have done it. I'd have been tempted if the place had been closer. I just honestly love books. I love to clean them, restore them, just handle them. Yes, I love me some books. But not enough to be sitting below the approaching minimum wage. I'm no good at haggling. I just don't feel I should do it. If you don't want me to work for you, just offer me a lousy wage. I'll just turn you down. I can't beg for more. It's just too stupid to play a game like that. When do you stop? I have to say it. I do. I just can't picture a man with the same experience being offered that wage. Don't agree? I'm not surprised.

I've been encouraged to pursue teaching as a profession. A fine and noble pursuit. Thing is, I think a teacher should be way smarter than I am. I hate to think my teachers were this underqualified. I guess they weren't, though. Standards are a lot lower now, I bet. No offense, V. You are an exception and are truly way smart. Also, my dad was a professor and so is my sister. I don't wanna look like I'm copying. But MAINLY, I remember that whole "...Those who can't - teach" thing. Super depressing for an artist to face. Even a spectaculary failed artist such as myself. *wades purposefully into Nile* Move aside, crocodile.

Then there's my personal life-oh! Look at the time!

Later, my humps!

Yaaaawwwwnn. ooo. Happy Anniversary, Blog.

2007-03-09T01:21:00.000-05:00

rubs eyes
stretches
looks around
"Still no good."

Oh, well. Time to wake up, anyway.
So, my humps, I see the comments never flagged around here-thanks to Rob and Jake. Well, sooo much has happened and un-happened in the several months since last I blog-ged. No need to go into detail. Suffice to say nothing has changed at all.

I have lost a few of my dear little kittens, but I'm the only one who would care, so nevermind. I'll just start a cat lady blog and bore different people with all that.

I think I'll start drawing again. There's a contest I've been eyeing to that purpose. More on that as it either develops or fails to develop.

I'm glad Jakester has picked up a WACOM. I couldn't do without mine. I highly recommend it to all-drawers or no. Jake, do be mindful of the dread carpal tunnel syndrome, please. The stylus will lend itself to repetitive motion, especially when coloring. You go, boy! See you next weekend.

Let's see...so much has happened in the world lately. Oh, well who cares what I think about all that? If you know me, you already are tired of hearing about it.

I'll give a shout out to my sister and her husband for running the big River Run here in a couple of days. I think it's either their 4th or 5th. Way to go, oldtimers!!!:)
Yes. I just did that :) thing. So what?

I'll shout out a big March Birthday thing here...Happy birthday to the following:
Vesper...the 12th?
Frank...the 15th
Me and 'Retha Franklin...the 25th.
I'll add more as my ancient memory allows.

'Kaaaay. I'll go now. Wouldn't want to spoil you with an insightful entry-oh incidentally, I do have to ask a pointed, rhetorical question..
Do many bloggers blog about cool, real-life stories in which they always win and are the most clever person they know? I know of at least one.

Excelsior!
G

PS: Check this lovely shot Frank sent in. He must comb the interwobs a lot.

It's that time again....

2006-09-18T04:15:00.000-04:00

Me cat, Wheezy Sasha, would like to remind ye all that...
Talk Like A Pirate Day is September 19th!

As a public service, I'm going to post up a link (sent just in time by that sea dog, Cap'n Frank) to help out with that awkward silence that follows when everyone in the office has said "Ahr!" a few times and can think of nothing else to say.

Important Pirate Filmstrip

Also, the Official Talk Like a Pirate Day website. "Accept no substitutes."

Har!
Good jabberin' to ye all, ye scurvy dogs!

The Possum Pirate!

September Eleventh

2006-09-11T04:26:00.000-04:00

Warning! Below lies an opinion you may not share. I first wrote this about 3 years ago. My opinion of the matter has not changed.

(An Excerpt)
Patriot Day, 2002
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
…Those whom we lost last September 11 will forever hold a cherished place in our hearts and in the history of our Nation. As we mark the first anniversary of that tragic day, we remember their sacrifice; and we commit ourselves to honoring their memory by pursuing peace and justice in the world and security at home. By a joint resolution approved December 18, 2001 (Public Law 107-89), the Congress has authorized and requested the President to designate September 11 of each year as "Patriot Day." …
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourth day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand two, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-seventh.
GEORGE W. BUSH

I’ve been thinking. I’ve been thinking a lot. What is a patriot? Dictionary says it’s a person with a zealous love of their country. September 11th is now officially “Patriot Day”. Alright. Who’s that for?

The people whose lives we are memorializing or deaths we are commemorating on September 11th were not strictly patriots. I think in this sense a patriot will die for his/her country and the beliefs associated with it, but the people who died that day, save for the terrorists, did not die for their beliefs. They just died. Were murdered. Unforgettable acts of true bravery were in evidence, no question of that. The men and women in the first responders, the passengers of all the doomed flights, the self-sacrificing citizens of New York, Washington and Pennsylvania, each of these groups presented the world with examples of courage in the face of overwhelming, senseless horror. I am sure that all of the victims of September 11th had a natural, undeniable love for their country, non-US citizens included, but does that make them patriots? They most certainly died because of their country, but they died simply as citizens. They all died doing their job. Could’ve been an earthquake or a gas main explosion. Instead, a group of people we refuse to understand decided they had to do the most drastic, dire act to achieve their goal: strike a crippling blow to their enemy, and bring attention to their cause. We made this enemy. They craved understanding, then attention, then action, then vengeance.

That day should have been a wake-up call for this country. A day we became a part of the world, experiencing suffering as our neighbors have for all of known history. A day we gained insight into the part we’ve played in the suffering of others. A day that the consequences of living too well, too long, and at the expense of too many others, became unbearably clear. It was a sudden, unavoidable confrontation with our obvious mortality and our fragile place in the world. Instead of a wake up call, our government twisted it into a call to war.

Instead of embracing the rest of the world, we now divide it further. Instead of learning from our suffering, we now impose more suffering on others. Instead of unifying as a people, we question each other’s “patriotism”. Instead of protecting the innocent, we vilify and destroy. Instead of wisdom, we crave vengeance.

They were affluent businesspeople, middle-class workers, and low-wage laborers. They were moms, dads, wives, husbands, daughters, sons, sisters, brothers, and friends. They died as individuals. I didn’t know a single one of them. Chances are, neither did you. As a nation, we mourn the loss of life of a group of people. We cannot properly mourn the loss of individuals. That’s for their families and friends. The Americans who died on September 11th were just like us. What exactly did they die for? That’s what I have been thinking about. They went to work one day, a really beautiful day, and they died. They had no choice in it. For the most part, they had no time to ask why or what they died for. In my luxurious conceit, I’d like to think they would rather have died for an end to war, not the furthering of it.

This last bit was edited from the original version by my former webmaster. I see no reason not to include it. Unfortunately, I feel even less forgiving of the policy now.

You don’t have to package it for it to mean something. You don’t have to rename it for me to remember it. You don’t have to cram it down my throat for me to think about it. Calling this awful day “Patriot Day,” to me, celebrates unquestioning patriotism, blind nationalism, and arrogant abuse of power. It doesn’t commemorate the deaths of thousands of innocents, but packages up our grief into a proudly tearful, flag-waving, manageable bundle, meant to fill us with acceptance of unacceptable loss and approval of impossible, reckless policy. The lives lost that day are not celebrated or mourned with that name. Call it Patriot Day, if you want. If you ascribe to the spirit of zealous, unquestioning loyalty for your country, it’s the perfect name. It’s the perfect name for you.

I’ll call it September 11th. That’s the day they died. And it’s a day for them.

Is it September already?

2006-09-05T03:22:00.000-04:00

Just a super McQuicky post to say Hi, Ya'll and to establish a Sept. entry. How laaaame.

I'm working again. I'm delivering again. I'm losing my self respect again. That sums it up.

I'm completely bummed out about Steve Irwin. Completely.

My sis dropped into town for the "holiday" and I got to see her and Tim for maybe 1.5 hours. Darn work.

Everyone went to DragonCon but me. But that's fine. I think I'm just too old to care about that stuff anymore. It was COOL about 20 years ago. holy crap. 20 years. No way.

Well, I'm cheered right up. Nothing much else to report. Please for the love of whatever you love, consider a lovely cash donation to my ever-growing cat ranch. I'll draw you something verry nice in return, or perhaps deliver a lovely pizza instead.

Oh yeah. Please vote.

Back soon for more September musings. I really hope to have some happy news to report.
Random MegaCon pic time:

Darth Vader-he never gets old. sigh.

Later, peep(s)!
G

Windy City

2006-08-04T00:40:00.000-04:00

Hey Kids! Comics!

Here's a recap page of allll of Windy City so far. Just sssscrrrollll and click on each page to enrage- er, enlarge. Ain't much, but I do intend to have another page out this month.

Pardon my HTML. Just learnin'.

That's all for now, but check back soonly. Thanks to John of SSP for putting out the WindyC previews on his table at Wizard World Chicago this weekend!

JULY update!

2006-07-31T23:54:00.000-04:00

Ah- ha ha ha ha! Only 11 minutes left in July! Ha ha! But I made it! I'm posting in Ju-ly-i!
OK. Been working on this for so long my eyes are bleeding and I've taken to wearing spectacles.

OK. Not this drawing in particular, but a preview book for Wizard World Chicago. A preview book for Detroit's Finest, of which this is the "cover".. 8 or 12 pages, I forget now, of preview for John to press into the tiny hands of convention-goers. This coming weekend. man. I won't go into it all now, but it is the hardest mini I've ever done, and I really don't recommend trying to do one and working a lot at another job. I had to quit to get it done on time. Yes. You heard it. I left the world of Chinese Delivery. awwwww. I guess it's time for bigger things. Like working at Wendy's.

Ooo! I gotta go or it won't be July anymore! More on this story as it develops!
Happy July! Ha!
G

My Big, Fat June Entry.

2006-06-06T00:29:00.000-04:00

Lotta stuff going on, but I thought I'd drop a newer note in to say HI and I hope to have some artwork up soon. Oh, Jake. I think I'm only doing this Weblog thing til I get a site up. I've seen the LJ crowd of artists and well, I'm happy to be by myself. I just don't want to be that busy on my computer. Maybe later or something. I hope I can see you guys while you're here but for now, I'm working some extreme hours. I had to visit with a friend in my "office" tonight. We hadn't talked in so long, he just tagged along for a couple of hours of delivery. I think he has a better understanding of it for sure.
Rob, hope all is well. I haven't had a chance to speak to my sis since she got back, but I'll have to relate her adventures later on. Since I don't have any of my own.....except for that drag queen who tipped me 8 cents for delivering in that monsoon today.....sigh. I do think a new comic may be on its way: Delivery, the Comic Book.

Anyway, I'll be back at this once I get the preview done for Detroit's Finest. Gotta have it done by July 1. yeee.

Let's see. Having a hard time with a sick kitten. Having a hard time with a spraying cat. Car smells like Chinese food. I'm the only driver left again, except for this one Chinese guy who works all the time. Oh, wait. I did find someone to draw Windy City for me. I just need to convince him to do it for free. Just kidding. He's a very talented fella and I'll post something of his after I'm sure he's OK with that. I hope to involve him in a little project I'm developing. It will include some rather surprising guest creators, shall we say......
Anyway, I'm off to clean litter. Wow!

Oh, here's a little something. For color.
Aren't they cute?

Later, peep(s)
Gin

NEXT UP: JOHN and the Paper Doll Threat continues!

Pirate-By Popular Demand!

2006-05-18T00:29:00.000-04:00

Ahoy, Mateys!
Avast, ye blog-lubbers!
Yo Ho Yo Ho, a driver's life fer me!

I'm ...just not feeling piratey enough tonight, laddies. Per'aps if I fails t' shower this evenin', I'll be more inclined. Hm. Per'aps some grog will do th' trick.....mmmm. Only wine coolers 'ere. Har! 'Twill take cases o' these t' do th' deed! [glug glug glug]

Avast! Me cat, Wheezy Sasha, 'as taken 'is perch on me shoulder. Urg! 'Is claws be needin' a trim. Trim th' claws, me hearties! Har!

Writin' down me adventures o' th' day...More like weavin' a spell t' put yer t' sleep, belikes! Har!

Well, that should be enough of that. Supposedly, somewhere back in the paternal family tree, resides one Edward Teach. I'm afraid his pirateness has diffused too much down the line to inspire me tonight.

OK. Been drivin' a lot. Making lousy tips this week. New driver came in and stole me prime hours. Oop. Still thinkin' pirate. Anyway, I'm going to need better hours if I'm going to stay on at Hot Wok. One dude's making twice as much as me working half my hours. I think it's time to start thinking big- Papa Johns. Woooo! man.

So, I totally know who all's dying in X-Men 3. Really no reason to see it, now. Except to see that cutiepie fake Russian guy who's playing Colossus. Oh, dear. How crazy does that look?
Remember to stay through all the end credits, of course. What else is new?

Sounds like the DaVinci Code is less than good. Er, did I mention that I'm tired of remakes? Well, I am. I hereby challenge Hollywood to make a movie that will be something I have not seen before on TV, read in a book, or have already seen as a movie. I would really like to see a good historical biography, though. How about Thomas Jefferson, or Ben Franklin? These guys fascinate me and are only seen as bit parts in whatever made for TV movie or small film they've appeared in. The Adams boys, or maybe, [gasp], George Washington. Man, I am the most boring person alive.

I think I speak for all geek-o women my age when I ask: So when's an Elfquest movie ever gonna get made?

Well, the big news is my sister has landed in Sweden (Jonkoping, with little horizontal :s over the "o"s.) to teach for a month and I wish soooo bad I could go and stay, too. Real bad. Imagine-all the Swedish foam you could shake a stick at. Reindeer! Swedes! Swedish architecture! Weather! Oh, to be in the land of ABBA!
Well, here's the postcard:

If only I had a real career.....
Urg. That's it. I can't stands no more!

Next: An update on John of Spent Shell and what he sounds like and maybe we'll see about that paper doll idea I've been toying with.

Ahr!
G

Bizzy Bee

2006-05-10T03:17:00.000-04:00

Yes. I am a bizzy bee. The word "busy" is just not busy enough. "Bizzy" must be used. I have been delivering a wealth of nasty Chinese cuisine these past 2 and some weeks. I have put scratches on the new car, the smell of greasy rice in the interior, and 1000 miles on the odometer. I do finally have some "regulars" so the tips are OK. Mostly they are amazed to see a woman delivering to them after dark. This is apparently rare in this part of town-old, er, Historic, Arlington.

Weirdly enough, upcoming pages of Windy City were going to take place in a Chinese restaurant anyway, so now I have even more reference for it. I have been trying to convince my boss to let me take some reference photos, but he still labors under the impression that I am an undercover health inspector and won't let me...yet. I wonder why he thinks any health inspector would waste this much time and energy to bust his little racket. He's really cute, though. Crap. I hope he isn't reading this.

Anyway, please to be visiting John over at-yes, you guessed it, Spent Shell Press!! He is a laff riot of comics-writin', pusher-bustin' FUN!! I am hard at work on his book and he nicely agreed to do an upcoming story for Windy City! Yay! He thinks it's just a little back up story, but little does he know I'm plotting on something more lengthy for the future...heh. Oh, crap. He reads this.

Quickly! A picture to distract! hmmm....

Give peace a chance, Darth Vader! Give peace a chance!
OK, next time we do this without the lightsaber. He smelled very nice, though. Photo 2 in my series of trying to make nice with the villains I see at conventions. Didn't see photo one? Well, you'll just have to look over at Spent Shell's Message Board for it. I have posted a few pics over there! Hah! My little friend Talented Jerry likes to have convention super heroines and villainesses beat him up, but I just want all the bad guys to make nice. I think I need to lay off the poptarts there. Jeez, I've become what I always feared. One of those fat girls at conventions. All I need is my long, flowing, homemade purple cape!

New post!

2006-04-28T13:02:00.000-04:00

Okay! Here I am with nothing in particular to report. I got a new job....delivering Chinese. I may have another job....a low paying dental sculpture technician job. I'll know about the tech job next week. It'll be a lot less pay than the exciting, danger-filled world of derivery, but will provide boring benefits and safety. booo!

Actually, my main problem with this dental lab is its tendency to hire skilled labor for lousy wages. I could go on about this for days. Unfortunately, as I have related before, this is not at all uncommon. It has become way too easy to exploit a larger number of workers. Why am I being offered the same or worse wages that I was offered in college and right after? 16 years later. A friend tells me it is due to the influx of illegals (yep. I said illegals-my wording.)I believe one could also add to them the preponderance of just plain disadvantaged, undereducated documented Amuurican workers. I believe that although that is a factor,(not really an accident that these people exist-business needs someone to exploit) the real problem, in my opinion, is the rampant acceptance of unscrupulous business practice. No one seems to mind the way business conducts its affairs. Wanna cut cost? Offer no benefits, low wages to your skilled workforce and give yourself a raise. Illegal? No. Not yet. Wrong and destructive? Yep. Maintaining our idealized free and fair America involves not military action, but a vigilant, active citizenry.

Why do we tolerate a minimum wage that relegates workers to living below the poverty level? Why do we continue to buy products from companies that exploit their employees and cost this nation billions in government assistance for their underpaid workers? Because we don't give a damn how bad things are for someone else. We just want our DVDs cheap, our food a little less expensive, our clothes at half price. We don't see the correlation between acceptance of poverty for others and our own devaluation. I'd say call your congressman, but chances are he doesn't care either, because he was elected with money from a big business. Next time, try electing a candidate who doesn't cater to business. Yeah. Look for one instead of just accepting whomever is offered as the frontrunner of your party.

Lordy. I could go on and I will, but I have to hurry off to my delivery job. Making enough money to live on is as easy as accepting the possibility of being assaulted or killed while delivering food. God bless the USA.

Holy Cow! Snakes and Tennis!

2006-04-07T18:50:00.000-04:00

Looks like Patrick, the harmless snake, is probably not harmless. My ex-husband was telling me he was likely a water moccassin. That's not good. I'm surprised that didn't occur to me, but I'm not really close enough to water to have considered that a possibility. Looked like a rat snake to me. I guess I'll stop treating him so nonchalantly. He's probably been like "What's this crazy chick doing walking right past me with my big ol' venom? Doesn't she know who I am?! Look at me when I'm talkin' to you! Damn!" My ex used to run afoul of venomous snakes a lot down in Miami when he was a wee boy. I just handled the harmless ones.

Hope Pancho stays clear til I relocate Poisonous Patrick. At least my ex got a laugh out of it. brother.

Anyway, I got to go to the Bausch & Lomb Tennis Championships last night, thanks to some very generous friends. That was waay cool! Saw the #1 seed Petrova beat the heck out of Shaughnessy. Russians! Then, a fill-in doubles match which was actually more fun. Love those funny noises they make. One chick sounded like that babydoll you turn over that cries. Interesting to see these people up close, and Amelia Island is always so pretty and full of rich people. sigh. I need to make some money.

Workin' on the comic Detroit's Finest tonight as well as thinking over a possible pizza delivery. Dang. I'm trying to lose weight, but I just can't stop with the pizza! Well, it is Friday and I am a loser stuck at home, so...

Hey, all the comics pages for Windy City have slipped behind the old posts, so if anyone is looking for them (HA!) click on the oldest posts and they'll turn up in the sidebar. I've still not learned enough about making a page for them, but I will. really. And then, it'll be Comics Magic (tm).

Here's a wee sketch for another little project I need to finish:

Dumb Weblog.

2006-04-04T02:20:00.000-04:00

Dumb. I am officially blaming this blog for me not gettin' the job I wanted. Must a' seen it and thought I was a wacko. I'm blaming it cuz I can't figure out what else happened. They liked me. I was perfectly qualified. The interview went well. Everything seemed good- Oh. Except I did it again. Asked for enough money to live on. Dumb. I just need to get it through my head. "20 years experience" + "5 year degree" does not = "worth any money."

sigh.

Oh, it had to be the blog.

In other news, yay, Gators!

In more important news, yay, Jill Carroll!

Oh, hey. Here's a photo from MegaCon this past February, in Orlando. This young lady stopped by and got a couple of sketches from me. In this photo, she is "hand posing" for me. I wrote her name down, but can't find it now. Thanks, whomever you are. I appreciated your stopping by and your reaction was quite worth the day of sitting around anime hell.

Nothing much to report here. I made some pasta salad so the vegetables wouldn't go bad. The giant citrus reward I received last week for rescuing a little doggie is nearing the end of its edibility. What's left over is going to make the garbage men mad at me. I've gained a little weight from my ice cream spree. I think Pico's OK, if a little too sassy. It's hot as hell in my house. The raccoons were super cute tonight, playing on my patio like cats. hm.

That's it. I'd planned a whole diatribe, but I just don't have it in me tonight. And who'd want to hear about it anyway? Besides, my next potential employer may be out there, watching....

Too much

2006-03-30T02:10:00.000-05:00

..ice cream. Man, I've eaten too much today. I've sat here all day, trying to draw and wait for the phone to ring. With a job offer.

Well, I want to once again ask all, what, 3 of you to travel that short internet distance to www.spentshellpress.com and encourage John and myself. We need some encouraging. I need to get some GD drawings done for him to decorate the place and some pages finalized instead of jumping from one to another to another in a pathetic attempt to just do easy parts and think the rest of it over for the millionth time. He doesn't need to be encouraged so much as he needs to be congratulated for his real-life bad guy ass-kicking and clever web logging. He's already done with his part of Detroit's Finest. Oh, yeah. Except getting it published. man.

Hey, thanks, ya'll for the nice words an' wishes. I hope to make it to forty-one now. (I set small goals.)

Since I'm too full to reach the scanner, I'm going to rehash a little favorite of mine. I did this for John, kept it in my Cafepress image basket so I could access it online, but they kicked it off, for now obvious reasons. Geez. Not like I was gonna make a t-shirt of it or anything.

Heehee. I just loved Maude. So, this reminds me, if you guys want anything (non-copyrighted, of course) on a t-shirt or whatever else is on that pathetic cafepress thing, tell me. I'll draw it and upload it, making it quite available for you to PURCHASE FROM ME. You know, so I can pay my bills and feed my furry kids! I'm working on Detroit's Finest swag, oop! Out of the bag, John. And I need to finish 2 commissions for my long-suffering fanboys and then I'll be officially not drawing anything but Detroit's Finest. Yep. Windy City's on hold again. Hey, 3 new pages are more than I've done in 3 years...
Think it over, Dear Readers. Your favorite character on a potholder or coffee mug. The possibilities are terrifying!

What now?

2006-03-28T00:19:00.000-05:00

Well, there was a surprise party for me Saturday night. I turned 40, if that wasn't already apparent from the last post. My sister, enlisting my mysteriously resourceful friend, Roxanne, gathered a pretty impressive assortment of people together. All dressed in black, we packed into my favorite Indian restaurant and marvelled in turns at the weird, spicy foods and our impending old age.

I received a lovely ensemble of pirate-themed accessories to wear for the duration and a Hawaiian lei, as "every girl should get layed on her 40th birthday." Oh, dear. If I'd only known. After the inspiring kazoo strains of Happy Birthday To You, it was time to blow out the big, black "40" candle on my cake.

My sister, Lisa, baked a "Mima Cake"-the chocolate frosted yellow cake homage to the struggles of our mother and grandmother to master this most difficult of all cake recipes. No matter the frosting consistency, the cake is always delicious. mmmm. While our sikh host and hostess swirled around us with bright orange chicken, aloo gobi, sad lamb, murky green silt-like soups and more hot chutneys than you can shake a stick at, I opened a lot of cutie-pie cat-themed birthday cards and a lot of very expensive, thoughtful gifts. Sincere thanks, everyone! Not bad, considering I'd forgotten or was too poor to observe most of their birthdays this past year.

Afterwards, a few of us retired for adult beverages and then I was dropped off at my humble home to contemplate the end of this phase of life and the beginning of the next. I haven't gotten much of anything accomplished in life so far. Regardless, I'm now an adult. You can put it off only so long.

So...what now?

Logan's Run

2006-03-25T16:21:00.000-05:00

It's that time. My light is flashing. OK. My light was flashing ten years ago, but I like to think that 40 is the new 30.

Anyway, I reserve the right to change that to 50 in ten years.

I wish I had some wise words to type down today, but I just don't have the time to think of them. I wish I was employed, but I'm still not. I wish I had a bunch of money, but I don't. I wish I looked like a twenty-year-old, but it's too late for that. I wish we could get out of Iraq, but we can't. I wish we had a competent leader, but we don't. I wish I had homes for all these cats, but I don't.

Oh, well. Time to look on the bright side: I know some awesome people and I'm lucky enough to still be alive and as my Dad would have said, "able to sit up and take nourishment." I miss my mom, my dad, my grandparents and all the people I used to know that I don't anymore, but I am glad to have my sister, and the family and friends I do still have. Thanks to all of you for still being there. I hope some day to make it worth your while!

Pico Update

2006-03-23T20:35:00.000-05:00

Warning: Male readers will want to steel themselves for the following description.

My beleagured cat, Pico, has a severe urinary tract infection. This involves the formation of bacterial crystalline structures inside his urethra. Yes, his urethra. This is a very dangerous condition as it blocks off his ability to urinate. This of course leads to toxification of his bloodstream and rather rapid, painful death.

In order to save his life, the vet had to unblock the pathway by "massaging" the crystals from his, er, lower urethra. Pico has a very large belly, but the rest of him is still cat-sized. This process is so painful that Pico had to get the cat laughing gas to endure it. Imagine the procedure for the vet.

The vet advised keeping him overnight after his ordeal, and then one more night just to be sure the crystals have not reformed. I have been told that he is resting much more comfortably than before and I will hope to get him home tomorrow.

Still loving these posts, John?

In other news, I have a follow-up interview tomorrow for a job. This brings me to a sudden realization. This website address is on my resume as I used to have actual artwork samples on the old site. Hmmm. Potential employers may accidentally wander on to this...thing. Not great. I need to get cracking on a real art site ASAP. In the meantime:
I'm a loyal, hard-working girl with no vices and a love for humanity.

CATS!

2006-03-22T03:23:00.000-05:00

Man, I got some cats. Would anyone like a lovely cat? Tonight, I can't sleep for worrying about one in particular. Pico is my oldest and seems to be having a lot of trouble today. I'll have to carry him off to the doc tomorrow, or I should say, this morning. I hope he makes it that long.
Well, I don't know what else to do but post an old, weird drawing.

This is Bandit's teacher,"Stick," from Windy City. I shouldn't call him that, but I have for so many years, it's hard to remember not to.

Job Hunt

2006-03-20T23:55:00.000-05:00

Okay. I'm getting to wonder about my chances of finding gainful employment. I've put in about 20 applications in the past 3 weeks, not to mention the countless inquiries, visits, revisits of the past year. Nothing. Not one call back. At first, I was being upfront with my salary requirements. I'd tell them just what I needed to consider the job. The unemployment office actually called me in to a class of others who had done the same. Why? We were all "red flagged" for looking for difficult to find work and asking for too much money. They warned us to stop looking for positions in our old fields. Turns out this class was for people who had "weird" qualifications, like "artist." Or "electrical engineer." Or anything that wasn't "office/clerical". You see, in Jeb Bush Florida, the unemployment service is not comfortable assisting people who insist on being educated in such esoterica. We needed to just settle down and accept that we were beggars in this new world and we had to buck up and take less money no matter how much our fancy education cost or how hard we had worked to get it. Can't type? Of course you can! Sit down out here and learn on our new state-of-the-art typing programs. What, you don't want to be a data entry girl? Why not? Low pay? Well, little lady, you're hardly in a position to demand better than $6.50 an hour!

It seemed to me that this department of unemployment was much more intent on producing good-looking numbers for the governor. If you plug all these misfits into good old secretary jobs with starting pay that would make a teenager take a pass, then your unemployment numbers would go down. Can't get them into those jobs? Well, all you have to do is wait 7 months. If you haven't managed to convince them they can live on minimum wage by then, no problem. You cut off their unemployment benefits. Now, they're officially off of the record. They don't exist as unemployed anymore! The numbers look better and better!

Well, my 7 months was up last October. I've been looking into just about every kind of job imaginable. I even stopped asking for a living wage on my apps. Now I put a dainty "negotiable" in the little wage blank. Hasn't mattered. The only job I've managed to land was as a pizza maker/deliverer for a small pizzaria. $6.40 an hour plus tips which averaged 10 bucks a day. 10-12 hour days, seven days a week. Plus I got a t shirt to wear and a great hat. Yeah, I only lasted a month, but for that brief, shining moment, I was exactly the kind of worker bee that Jeb had intended.

St. Patrick, thanks a lot!

2006-03-17T23:30:00.000-05:00

I've been asked to actually employ this strange venue, as in "write something." Well, I'd like to give a Shout Out to St. Patrick while we're still in St. Patrick's day. I have had a St. Patrick experience. This morning, I saw a large black blur race by my studio window. I opened the door, stepped outside and saw my black cat, Pancho, crouching by the door. This is weird, as he's a wild cat and would normally keep his distance from me as I am a "ssstink human." I immediately noticed an unpleasant smell, not the usual cat stink, but something I hadn't smelled in years. Snake. Very slowly I turned my head and beheld a huge black snake coiled up directly under my mailbox and mere inches from my feet. Hm.

Pancho was determined to attack him, and was probably the reason the snake was there. He'd chased him there from the wilderness of my overgrown yard. Of course, the snake struck and barely missed both of us. I lift-kicked poor, dumb Pancho away and took a good look. It's been a while, but I'm reasonably sure my serpenty visitor was a Rat Snake, and a pretty big one. Since I wasn't completely sure, and the mailman was due to arrive soon, I sent him on his way, with a twig and some helpful words, ("Go on, snake.") back to the overgrown bushes and ferns. Off he slithered. Pancho was pretty mad, but I can't afford vet bills at all now.

So, thanks, St. Patrick. Thanks for kicking all the snakes out of Ireland and forcing one of the refugees to find a home in my yard.

OK. That being said, please visit Truth Out on my links bar. If you're like me, this stuff will make you burn up, shake your fist and plot. If you're not like me, you won't believe it and will think it all a silly fable. Man, I wish that were true.

Redirected? Oh, I hope so!

2006-03-14T14:28:00.000-05:00

I may finally have gotten this "site" officially "pointed at" by all the important parties. Please take a moment to leave comments below any post. If you immediately just scroll down the page a bit when visiting, you will not only see the comment area, but will also avoid the pesky adbar at the top of this page.

Oh, yess... Happy Nearly Birthday to FRANK OTTO WHO IS TURNING FORTY TOMORROW!

Above pics added entirely because of being too lazy to figure out photobucket at 6 am.

Tessstt..test..ahem. Is this on?

2006-03-11T04:34:00.000-05:00

The comics pages are quite a mess. I hope to figure out how to fix this problem later. For now, relax and feel the confusion.
Oh, and how about a drawring?

Page 16

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Page Seventeen-The Latest!

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