Happy Halloween!

From The Past...

I bought my father a webcam four or so years ago, thinking he would use it. I was quite stupid back then. The only person who ended up using it was me.

Here's proof.
















(Photo courtesy my father)

First Part "Satisfaction" Up, And Some Links

Okay. This is a fairly small post, telling you guys a few things.

First. I've posted the first part of "The Satisfaction of King Wyllem" on Growing Fiction. I have not completed writing it yet, but I know how it ends and I know I'll finish it so there's no problem posting what I've got. Besides, you all have been waiting long enough, I think.

Second. I'm going to link to some places that I love to go. Just two today, two extraordinary places. Well, they're webcomics, but in the atypical sense.

1. The Perry Bible Fellowship - By Nicholas Gurewitch. Click on the guy in the middle to get to the archive of all the comics. It's a simple humor, and yet the more you see the same comic image, the deeper it takes you. This is the way comic strips should be.
   
2. A Lesson Is Learned But The Damage Is Irreversible - By David Hellman and Dale Beran. There's an Archive button at the top that will get you where you want to go - yes, I know the current front page doesn't look like much, but don't be fooled. This is pure quality.
   

Another Disturbing Image

From my mind. Wow.

Ped X-Ing and Me!

Here it is, the book I'm in. Ryan Estrada's Ped X-ing.















Here's my comic, taking up a WHOLE PAGE!















And finally, my ginormous name. It's humongous!

A Nickel Past and Published!

So. I just looked and found out that this'll be my 105th post. It would have been more appropriate to say something at 100, but a nickel past ain't bad.

On the subject of my screen being purple, I’d change it if I could. I would. I just don’t know how to make blue not be purple. Anonymous, wherever (and whoever) you are, your comment on my last post made my day. I haven’t laughed so hard since…well, since I read that.

I finally got Ryan Estrada’s book, Ped X-ing in the mail yesterday. The print quality is amazing! 8.5x11 size, so it’s a bit larger than my other graphic novels, but how can I complain? My artwork and name fill up an entire page in the back. Don’t believe me? I’ll post some pictures tomorrow. In case you skimmed over that paragraph, I'M PUBLISHED!!!

I went to the football game today with my parents - Northwestern sure did a job of kicking us down and then pressing our faces into the mud. We scored our first seven points in the first two minutes, and our last seven in the last two minutes. Between that time, those very masculine (and purple!) opponents of ours scored seven touchdowns.

Drew Stanton overturned the ball more times than were necessary (he threw 3 interceptions and fumbled a snap in the red zone that NW ran back for a touchdown). If the man could just close the deal there wouldn't be a problem. But he can't.

Just checked ESPN.com – somehow the kid’s still got the highest QB rating. How does that work?

The last seven points were scored with the second string quarter-back playing. And he was only in for two drives.

Football has not been good for me lately, and it seems like every team I pick to win anything always eats it. So I'm going to stop.

The Lions will lose tomorrow.

Purple?

Oh, no. This can't be happening. Dear God, please!

Most of you probably think my background is purple. Because, yes. It looks purple on the monitor I'm using right now (which is a) not an LCD screen and b) about ten years old.)

Please tell me it's just plain old serendipitous light-blue, a color to calm you and make you stay, not turn up your lip because you think I'm gay.

Because I'm not. (Yeah, I heard about Tinky Winky). It's NOT SUPPOSED TO LOOK PURPLE!

Serenity

Oh! Let me just say this : as good of a move as Serenity was, (and it was a fine, fine film) the whole process of going to see it should not take four hours.

I left for the Eastwood Towne Center's cinemas at 3:30. The bus took me to Meijer, which is about a half mile and an overpass away. I walked for fifteen minutes, crossing the overpass (which, might I add, has NO sidewalks or any other accomodations for those who aren't in possession of a vehicle.

I walk in, buy my ticket, and stare curiously as the moneytaker rips it in half. And then I realize why. In this MultiPlex, where 18 theatres are showing 14 different movies, there is no one guarding any door. The stations at the beginnings of each hall (where they usually rip your ticket) stand empty. I suppose that with video surveillance it might not be a great idea to try to get in free, but it isn't like there's a lot of deterrance.

Theatre 15 is the one Serenity's suppposed to be playing in, so I stroll down there, 20 minutes early. Then I'm confused, as the ticker outside of door 15 reads "The Constant Gardener." Unheeded, I walk on in. The credits are playing. A group of four senior citizens stands on one side of the theatre, watching the screen. Haunting African music draws me in, and I sit down. Soon enough the credits are over and the cleaning lady comes in. And since I'm the only one in there, it's awkward.

Five minutes later Serenity starts. And at first I'm skeptical. The prologue contains all the cheese of a B-movie trying to take itself seriously. It is, however, enjoyable.

Because I watched Firefly, when it was on a few years back. And I liked it. When they pulled it I didn't really notice, but I remember liking it. There was a girl in a box. That's all I remember.

As the movie completed, I felt intensely satisfied. And beyond making a person happy or sad, a film or any media's purpose is to satisfy. I did, however, feel somewhat of an outsider, and the characters remained distant. I'm not sure if it was my fault or Whedon's, as I've heard others proclaiming the contrary everywhere.

Moral of the story - go see it. Find out what People are talking about. And don't ride buses. Because look what time it is. I just got back.

Card's IGMS

Orson Card's released his first issue of the InterGalactic Medicine Show (IGMS) and, as expected, I'm not in it.

But, God willing, I will be.

It's a monthly mag dealing with Fantasy and Science Fiction stories, and every month for the next year I will submit a story in one of those genres (and a story once in a while that is like the stories I write - just weird stuff happening to regular people). This month will be a fantasy story, entitled "The Satisfaction of King Wyllem," and it also serves as a prep for November, as my novel will happen in much the same universe. Well, internally at least.

I persuaded my friend David to go the Blogger route, so go show him some support. He's from the UK, so cut him a little slack.

By the way, IGMS is worth the $2.50 you'll pay to read all the stories embedded there, though I felt a few of their writers were inexperienced. It has been said that new writers will be the lifeblood of the mag, and I hope to donate mine at some point.

Let us hope that it does not bankrupt itself.

My One Thought About LiveJournal

I'm jealous.

There, I said it. That's what I feel when I read someone's posts on LiveJournal. Because it doesn't matter who it is, how important they are, or how much they've posted -- They get rewarded.

What is this reward? Money? Nay. Glorious Packages of Foodstuffs? Nay. Yearly Subscriptions to UnderSea Magazine? Nay.

They get comments.

Other people write encouraging little responses to that day's post, letting the author know that he/she's no longer alone, that everything will be all right. Letting the author know that what he/she writes actually gets READ.

If I wasn't able to check who was coming here every day, I'd think my only audience was the pile of stuffed animals staring at me from my bed (Oh, how I wish I actually had stuffed animals). I cart my link around like an eager young celebrity, dropping names on the Letterman Show. Everywhere I go, it's with me, cleverly displayed on my forehead.

Flashdiego.blogspot.com. Go there.

Read. Enjoy. Comment.

Because there's some sort of invisible agreement that is supposed to be being fulfilled. I provide you with entertainment, and you leave me a message. Tell me you're there, watching. Cheering me on.

Don't let me do this alone.

That Time of Year....

Yep, I'm going to write another novel. And this one should not suck (not saying the last one did, but I was naively thinking everything would just fall into place the way I thought it might in my head.)

I took a friend to a pre-kickoff National Novel Writing Month (nanowrimo) meeting and met a bunch of cool people. Can't say I wasn't nervous to go there and expose myself for what I am: one of the most despicable things any one person can be, a liar and a thief. Or a writer. I don't know anymore. There was only one other guy there (Dennis, I know you're reading this) and he's cool. Maybe it takes 27 years for some people. Ok, I'm kidding.

Anyway, it got me pumped up: I'm actually going to have some support this year! People who will jab me with shish-kabob skewers if I don't keep it up.

Wait a minute, I'm no longer sure if that's a good thing.

In other news, I was walking home from a friend's this morning at like 1, and I saw a raccoon the size of a small dog eating acorns across from the Sparty statue. I walked up to it and it let me get six feet away before it started backing off. So I sat down and watched it eat for a half an hour. Fascinating...I've never really seen a raccon before - it reminded me of an otter and a kangaroo, oddly enough.

Life, Death, and Ozzy pg. 11

This is my entry into the Life, Death, and Ozzy jam over at Global Comic Jam.

LOST: The Plot Thickens and: I Saw Tom Izzo

I know you saw the episode of Lost that was on tonight. I know you did. And I know you're thinking the same thing I'm thinking right now.

What was that?

The guy who ran the tour d'estad in the first episode this season along with Jack is the guy who's been stuck in the hatch? And...for only 3 years? Also, some significance with the number 108 being 6 squared times 3...don't tell me it's 666, because that doesn't make any sense. There are three sixes, yes, but they're really thirty-sixes. And what's with that girl who keeps punching everyone? I thought she was nice in the first episode when she talked to Jack. Apparently not.

Oh yeah, and I saw Tom Izzo today. His picture was being taken along with the entire MSU basketball team with the Sparty statue. And I only have one thing to say about that:

He's short.

Soar

I just flew in from Seattle.
Man, my arms sure are sore...

Life, Death, and Archaeology

I just took my Archaeology exam...I think it went pretty well, considering I was expecting something a lot more in-depth. My four hours of studying went to good use.

Coming this week:

A new page for Global Comic Jam since I'm up for the Life, Death, and Ozzy strip. And no, I don't plan for it to make any sense.

An animation teaser for a new online cartoon series by myself and Sir Sean Morse (he's not really a knight, he's just really...regal.)

And, if you're lucky, a completed story will join the ranks of ... well, of the one story currently on Growing Fiction.

I'll add a drawing here later today, so come back!

EDIT: 9:40 P.M. I lied. No drawing. Aww...so sad.