Now, I'm not going to name any names, but just because you can make a commercial with CG mice wearing jackets and singing the praises of a particular car, doesn't mean you should make a commercial with CG mice wearing jackets and singing.
Also, why were the boy mice wearing jackets and no pants, but the girl mice were topless and wearing skirts?
Remember, with CG comes great responsibility.
Anyway, it's a three day weekend! Which I'm going to spend working on the trade! By myself! In my cold, dingy apartment!
Well, it's not that bad. Leigh and I have been working very hard to finish up our trade paperback. We've relettered all six books, Leigh's touched up a number of panels, I've added a few things, and Leigh's created a bunch of new illustrations just for the trade. We're in the home stretch and we can see first base at the end of the field goal. Or something.
I suck at sports analogies.
Also, happy birthday to my nephew James, who's turning 4 this weekend. His favorite Superhero is Captain America, so I'm gonna see if I can find him something age appropriate.
Everyone have a fun and safe weekend.
Cheers,
-Jason
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Who Am I Kidding?
A female friend of mine came over the other day and happened to look in my refrigerator. Please note that I specifically warned her not to. “Hi,” I said as she walked in the door. “Make yourself at home, but whatever you do, don’t look in the fridge.”
Of course, she did.
I remember it like it was yesterday, as it was in fact, yesterday. I was at my computer, downloading something that would shock my mother if she knew I was looking at it (it was an old clip of the Muppet Show – jeez, get your minds out of the gutter) when I heard a shriek. It wasn’t the kind of high warbling shriek that occurs when one of the ninjas steps on one of my patented ‘Crotch Killer’ booby traps, but the shriek of a woman who has been confronted with a terror beyond the ken of mortal men.
NOTE: You know those old cartoons where the boxing glove pops out on a spring? The ‘Crotch Killer’ is like that, but instead of a boxing glove, there’s a 10-pound dumbbell. And instead of a spring, there’s a pneumatic hammer. I leave the rest to your fertile imaginations.
“Are you all right?” I called out.
“What the hell’s in your fridge!” she said.
“Uhhhhh, stuff.” I didn’t actually know, seeing as I hadn’t opened my fridge in about six months. For those of you with decent memories, Fridgey no longer lives in the fridge. He now lives in the bathtub, where he has plenty of room to play.
It was then that I heard the sound of a flame thrower being lit. By the time I got out there, she had torched everything in there. Then she left and came back with groceries. Which she put in the fridge.
So now I have a clean fridge and it contains actual foodstuffs. The problem is that I’m not quite sure what to do with all the food. Well, obviously I’m supposed to eat it, but I only know how to make two kinds of food: there’s the food that comes out of a box and goes into a bowl and the food that comes out of a can and goes into a bowl. Sometimes, I microwave it after it’s in the bowl, but that’s only when I’m feeling energetic.
She put a bunch of stuff that I didn’t recognize, much less know how to prepare. There’s a carton with a picture of some sort of fruit (maybe a vegetable) on it. There’s little round white things. A sealed plastic tray may contain some sort of meat. And then there’s that drawer filled with green leafy stuff. If I remember correctly, sometimes it’s put on a hamburger.
Mayhap I’ll whip up a grand feast and actually eat more than one food group in a sitting. I seem to recall a ‘Food Pyramid’ from my youth that suggested this was a good idea.
Nah, who am I kidding? I’ll eat some of it and then forget it’s there and not open the fridge for another couple months.
Who knows, maybe Fridgey will get a friend?
Cheers,
-Jason
Of course, she did.
I remember it like it was yesterday, as it was in fact, yesterday. I was at my computer, downloading something that would shock my mother if she knew I was looking at it (it was an old clip of the Muppet Show – jeez, get your minds out of the gutter) when I heard a shriek. It wasn’t the kind of high warbling shriek that occurs when one of the ninjas steps on one of my patented ‘Crotch Killer’ booby traps, but the shriek of a woman who has been confronted with a terror beyond the ken of mortal men.
NOTE: You know those old cartoons where the boxing glove pops out on a spring? The ‘Crotch Killer’ is like that, but instead of a boxing glove, there’s a 10-pound dumbbell. And instead of a spring, there’s a pneumatic hammer. I leave the rest to your fertile imaginations.
“Are you all right?” I called out.
“What the hell’s in your fridge!” she said.
“Uhhhhh, stuff.” I didn’t actually know, seeing as I hadn’t opened my fridge in about six months. For those of you with decent memories, Fridgey no longer lives in the fridge. He now lives in the bathtub, where he has plenty of room to play.
It was then that I heard the sound of a flame thrower being lit. By the time I got out there, she had torched everything in there. Then she left and came back with groceries. Which she put in the fridge.
So now I have a clean fridge and it contains actual foodstuffs. The problem is that I’m not quite sure what to do with all the food. Well, obviously I’m supposed to eat it, but I only know how to make two kinds of food: there’s the food that comes out of a box and goes into a bowl and the food that comes out of a can and goes into a bowl. Sometimes, I microwave it after it’s in the bowl, but that’s only when I’m feeling energetic.
She put a bunch of stuff that I didn’t recognize, much less know how to prepare. There’s a carton with a picture of some sort of fruit (maybe a vegetable) on it. There’s little round white things. A sealed plastic tray may contain some sort of meat. And then there’s that drawer filled with green leafy stuff. If I remember correctly, sometimes it’s put on a hamburger.
Mayhap I’ll whip up a grand feast and actually eat more than one food group in a sitting. I seem to recall a ‘Food Pyramid’ from my youth that suggested this was a good idea.
Nah, who am I kidding? I’ll eat some of it and then forget it’s there and not open the fridge for another couple months.
Who knows, maybe Fridgey will get a friend?
Cheers,
-Jason
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Spokane Comic-Con 2010: After Action Report
Well, the 2010 Spokane Comic-Con has come and gone. It was a good time and notable in that we had a special guest come with us. Leigh’s lovely wife Laura came with us, braving not only the wilds of Eastern Washington, but also the five-hour drive it took to get us there.
All in all, a lovely time was had by everyone.
The con itself went well. To our right were the fine gentlemen from the Eisner-nominated PX! webcomic. Lars Brown of Northworld was to our left, Darkslinger Comics was behind us, as was Black Box Comix. In addition, our con-buddies and amazing artists Jason Metcalf and Randy Kintz were there, as was Brian Randolph from the very worthy Hero Initiative. Across from us was Eric Trautmann, acclaimed DC writer and all-around nice guy. I also met the fine folks from Saving Jericho, who are trying to get their show back on the air. In addition, our friends from Creator’s Edge Press were there, trying to make the world a better place for independent comics. I also met Cari Corene who writes and draws Toilet Genie (go read it, seriously) and we promised to read each other’s comics.
We had a fun day and then went to a party where many of the above attended, where many drinks were drunk and at least one Tuskan Raider imitation was performed.
Needless to say, we’ll be going again next year.
Cheers,
-Jason
All in all, a lovely time was had by everyone.
The con itself went well. To our right were the fine gentlemen from the Eisner-nominated PX! webcomic. Lars Brown of Northworld was to our left, Darkslinger Comics was behind us, as was Black Box Comix. In addition, our con-buddies and amazing artists Jason Metcalf and Randy Kintz were there, as was Brian Randolph from the very worthy Hero Initiative. Across from us was Eric Trautmann, acclaimed DC writer and all-around nice guy. I also met the fine folks from Saving Jericho, who are trying to get their show back on the air. In addition, our friends from Creator’s Edge Press were there, trying to make the world a better place for independent comics. I also met Cari Corene who writes and draws Toilet Genie (go read it, seriously) and we promised to read each other’s comics.
We had a fun day and then went to a party where many of the above attended, where many drinks were drunk and at least one Tuskan Raider imitation was performed.
Needless to say, we’ll be going again next year.
Cheers,
-Jason
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Tech Support: Part 2
NOTE: In a twist of fate, my DSL went out again just as I was about to post this, though it came back on after about a minute. I thought it rather ironic. It’s like rain on your wedding day. Or good advice, you just can’t SLAPS SELF. Sorry, just a bit of an Alanis Morissette moment. It’s over now.
Phone rings
“Hello, and thank you for calling DataDemon technical support. This is Linda, how can I help you?”
NOTE: My DSL provider is not called DataDemon. I really, really wish it were though.
“Hi, Linda. My DSL is out and I’d like to get it back.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, sir. I’ll see what I can do. First, I’ll need your full name and date of birth.”
“Jason Janicki, 8/2/1709”
“Very good. Now, can you tell me your mother’s maiden name?”
“Uhhh, sure. It’s Theimpaler.”
“Excellent. Now then, is your DSL modem plugged in?”
“Yep.”
“Have you fed it recently?”
“No I- wait what?”
“Have you fed it?”
“Uhhhhhh. I was unaware they needed food.”
“Oh, yes. Most anything will do, but they prefer a freshly slaughtered chicken.”
“Would a bucket of KFC do?”
“Absolutely. They prefer Original Recipe. Just put the modem directly in the bucket.”
“Right.”
“Now then, how many lights are lit on your modem?”
“Good. Are you wearing pants?”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure?”
“Pretty much, yeah.”
“Then go ahead and take them off.”
“How will this help?”
“Pants can store an electrostatic charge that may interfere with the signal.”
“Are you suggesting that I not wear pants when surfing the net?”
“Absolutely.”
“Right. So you’re professional recommendation is that I don’t wear pants and to ‘feed’ my modem in a bucket of Original Recipe KFC?”
“Correct.”
“And this will fix my DSL problem?”
“That depends. Do you have a web camera?”
“Yes.”
“Well, do what I said and turn on your web cam. If we find it funny enough, we’ll hook you back up.”
Now, I’m not a proud man, but I have my limits. This was not one of them. As you can see, my DSL is now back up, so yeah.
And no, I won’t turn the camera on again.
Cheers,
-Jason
Phone rings
“Hello, and thank you for calling DataDemon technical support. This is Linda, how can I help you?”
NOTE: My DSL provider is not called DataDemon. I really, really wish it were though.
“Hi, Linda. My DSL is out and I’d like to get it back.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, sir. I’ll see what I can do. First, I’ll need your full name and date of birth.”
“Jason Janicki, 8/2/1709”
“Very good. Now, can you tell me your mother’s maiden name?”
“Uhhh, sure. It’s Theimpaler.”
“Excellent. Now then, is your DSL modem plugged in?”
“Yep.”
“Have you fed it recently?”
“No I- wait what?”
“Have you fed it?”
“Uhhhhhh. I was unaware they needed food.”
“Oh, yes. Most anything will do, but they prefer a freshly slaughtered chicken.”
“Would a bucket of KFC do?”
“Absolutely. They prefer Original Recipe. Just put the modem directly in the bucket.”
“Right.”
“Now then, how many lights are lit on your modem?”
“Good. Are you wearing pants?”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure?”
“Pretty much, yeah.”
“Then go ahead and take them off.”
“How will this help?”
“Pants can store an electrostatic charge that may interfere with the signal.”
“Are you suggesting that I not wear pants when surfing the net?”
“Absolutely.”
“Right. So you’re professional recommendation is that I don’t wear pants and to ‘feed’ my modem in a bucket of Original Recipe KFC?”
“Correct.”
“And this will fix my DSL problem?”
“That depends. Do you have a web camera?”
“Yes.”
“Well, do what I said and turn on your web cam. If we find it funny enough, we’ll hook you back up.”
Now, I’m not a proud man, but I have my limits. This was not one of them. As you can see, my DSL is now back up, so yeah.
And no, I won’t turn the camera on again.
Cheers,
-Jason
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Tech Support: Part 1
My DSL went down the other day. It’s always weird when that happens, as I suddenly realize that almost my entire life revolves around my computer and the ability to get onto the web. I mean, I can still use my computer, but what’s the point? If I can’t look up ‘nasal warts’ on Wikipedia at a moment’s notice, what good is it?
NOTE: In a cruel twist of irony, there is no article on ‘nasal warts.’ Wikipedia did suggest ‘naval wars’ which seemed to be an acceptable substitute.
With my DSL down, my only options were to:
1. Call Tech Support
2. Go outside and discover the joy and wonder of the world. Maybe meet a nice girl. Date. Perhaps get married and start a family. Raise our children in a loving household and pass on my knowledge of all things nerdy.
3. Watch TV
Needless to say, I chose ‘Call Tech Support.’
Now, I’m sure many of you don’t like tech support. I’m sure tech support people don’t like tech support. In fact, there’s probably a layer of hell where sinners do nothing but take support calls. Actually, there’s probably a group of damned who’s punishment is to call tech support, which another group’s punishment is to provide said tech support. It’s like a Moebius strip of anguish.
However, I was a little put out by the tech support I received. It just seemed ‘off.’ The young lady I talked to, let’s call her ‘Linda,’ asked some odd questions. I felt like I had to answer, as I really, really wanted my DSL back, though I’m not sure how my blood type (O-), occupation (village idiot), or social security number (you wish) really mattered. Here’s the transcript:
Tomorrow: Part 2
NOTE: In a cruel twist of irony, there is no article on ‘nasal warts.’ Wikipedia did suggest ‘naval wars’ which seemed to be an acceptable substitute.
With my DSL down, my only options were to:
1. Call Tech Support
2. Go outside and discover the joy and wonder of the world. Maybe meet a nice girl. Date. Perhaps get married and start a family. Raise our children in a loving household and pass on my knowledge of all things nerdy.
3. Watch TV
Needless to say, I chose ‘Call Tech Support.’
Now, I’m sure many of you don’t like tech support. I’m sure tech support people don’t like tech support. In fact, there’s probably a layer of hell where sinners do nothing but take support calls. Actually, there’s probably a group of damned who’s punishment is to call tech support, which another group’s punishment is to provide said tech support. It’s like a Moebius strip of anguish.
However, I was a little put out by the tech support I received. It just seemed ‘off.’ The young lady I talked to, let’s call her ‘Linda,’ asked some odd questions. I felt like I had to answer, as I really, really wanted my DSL back, though I’m not sure how my blood type (O-), occupation (village idiot), or social security number (you wish) really mattered. Here’s the transcript:
Tomorrow: Part 2
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Sciencegasm!
I was in one of my favorite teriyaki places for lunch today. Not only do they have good food, but they have a colossal assortment of gossip magazines to read, so I spent my lunch break feasting and reading about Kim Kardashian’s boobs.
The magazine was mostly pictures of celebrities, but they also had a large section on the various ‘reality’ TV shows currently airing. Now I really don’t care for reality TV. I just find it dull. I mean, if I want to watch people yelling at each other, I can just go sit on my porch for an hour.
This got me thinking: what kind of reality show would I watch?
Setting aside the obvious (hot women mud-wrestling), I would want a reality show about science. Let’s call it: Sciencegasm!
Here’s the premise. You take a dozen or so scientists from varying fields, stick them in a house with an attached lab containing all the equipment they’d ever want, give them a challenge, and then lock them in for six months. Oh, and film it, obviously.
This would rock. Take a bunch of engineers, mathematicians, physicists, and scientists from other disciplines, say ‘build me a functional light saber’ and then film them hashing it out. If they succeed, they get a stupidly large sum of money. If they don’t succeed, we put all the footage of them in the bathroom on the internet.
Not only would it be entertaining, but think of the advances we could make: Efficient electric cars, teleportation, dog translators (SQUIRREL!), or a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese that was actually good for you. This show could very well save humanity.
And yes, if necessary, we could throw some in some hot women for the cat fights. Everyone loves a good cat fight.
Cheers,
-Jason
The magazine was mostly pictures of celebrities, but they also had a large section on the various ‘reality’ TV shows currently airing. Now I really don’t care for reality TV. I just find it dull. I mean, if I want to watch people yelling at each other, I can just go sit on my porch for an hour.
This got me thinking: what kind of reality show would I watch?
Setting aside the obvious (hot women mud-wrestling), I would want a reality show about science. Let’s call it: Sciencegasm!
Here’s the premise. You take a dozen or so scientists from varying fields, stick them in a house with an attached lab containing all the equipment they’d ever want, give them a challenge, and then lock them in for six months. Oh, and film it, obviously.
This would rock. Take a bunch of engineers, mathematicians, physicists, and scientists from other disciplines, say ‘build me a functional light saber’ and then film them hashing it out. If they succeed, they get a stupidly large sum of money. If they don’t succeed, we put all the footage of them in the bathroom on the internet.
Not only would it be entertaining, but think of the advances we could make: Efficient electric cars, teleportation, dog translators (SQUIRREL!), or a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese that was actually good for you. This show could very well save humanity.
And yes, if necessary, we could throw some in some hot women for the cat fights. Everyone loves a good cat fight.
Cheers,
-Jason
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Colors!
I had a very unusual thing happen to me last Monday. It only happens once every few years and I honestly didn’t expect it, but it was so strange and magical that I felt I had to share it with you all.
And no, the unusual thing wasn’t that a girl talked to me.
I got a good night’s sleep.
Yes, for me, this is weird, unusual, and downright bizarre. Normally, the first thing I do when the alarm sounds is swear, followed quickly by hitting the snooze button, with an option for more swearing. More likely than not, I will have a headache and I will wait until the last possible minute to get out of bed. I’m basically surly and pissed off for about an hour, but eventually I have some caffeine and can start to function.
This Monday was different though. When the alarm went off, I actually woke up. I was perfectly awake and actually felt good. My head didn’t hurt and I had this strange, almost overwhelming desire to jump out of bed and do something. And I did! I ate breakfast and my cereal tasted good! I even made a yummy noise.
I even paused when I went to my car to admire the grey, overcast sky. It was so lovely, like a giant, wet, gray blanket. I was so moved that I wrote a haiku.
Grey blanket of clouds
Melting with the gentle sun
Wow, this is so weird
Once I got to work, I marveled at the amazing colors and textures all around me. My neighbor has a fish tank and I’m sure I spent 20 minutes just watching the fish. He probably thought I was stoned.
Needless to say, I got an amazing amount of work done, came home, thoroughly enjoyed my dinner, exercised, got a bunch of writing done, and then turned in, happily contemplating a renewed me in the morning.
And, just to show that the gods hate me, I didn’t sleep, woke up cranky, and had my usual day.
I did not write any haikus.
So tell me, is this how people normally live? Is your world always bright? Is your soul filled with the laughter of children and the joyful bark of puppies? I’m just curious.
And tired. Very, very tired.
Cheers,
-Jason
And no, the unusual thing wasn’t that a girl talked to me.
I got a good night’s sleep.
Yes, for me, this is weird, unusual, and downright bizarre. Normally, the first thing I do when the alarm sounds is swear, followed quickly by hitting the snooze button, with an option for more swearing. More likely than not, I will have a headache and I will wait until the last possible minute to get out of bed. I’m basically surly and pissed off for about an hour, but eventually I have some caffeine and can start to function.
This Monday was different though. When the alarm went off, I actually woke up. I was perfectly awake and actually felt good. My head didn’t hurt and I had this strange, almost overwhelming desire to jump out of bed and do something. And I did! I ate breakfast and my cereal tasted good! I even made a yummy noise.
I even paused when I went to my car to admire the grey, overcast sky. It was so lovely, like a giant, wet, gray blanket. I was so moved that I wrote a haiku.
Grey blanket of clouds
Melting with the gentle sun
Wow, this is so weird
Once I got to work, I marveled at the amazing colors and textures all around me. My neighbor has a fish tank and I’m sure I spent 20 minutes just watching the fish. He probably thought I was stoned.
Needless to say, I got an amazing amount of work done, came home, thoroughly enjoyed my dinner, exercised, got a bunch of writing done, and then turned in, happily contemplating a renewed me in the morning.
And, just to show that the gods hate me, I didn’t sleep, woke up cranky, and had my usual day.
I did not write any haikus.
So tell me, is this how people normally live? Is your world always bright? Is your soul filled with the laughter of children and the joyful bark of puppies? I’m just curious.
And tired. Very, very tired.
Cheers,
-Jason
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