I don't know why it is, but it feels like every december I start feeling the urge to purge! All my media is wearing me down.

It's always a source of internal conflict for me, unfortunately. The emotional side of me gets attached to things - books, movies, audiotapes (!). Even the vinyl that I've only recently started purchasing. I recognize that I don't need any of it. Most of my movies I haven't watched in over a year. A good number of my books I've never gotten around to reading, even ones I've had since the last time I moved, in 2005. I just don't have as much time to read for pleasure as I had when I was younger. I've got a reading stack of about a dozen graphic novels sitting on my nightstand, and I don't expect to make it through half of them by the end of the year. I've picked up hundreds of dollars of books at every convention I've gone to since 2002, and never read most of them.

And I just keep buying more.

I certainly can't afford it, and clearly I don't need most of the media I'm buying. It's hard to break the habit, though, when I've been living my whole life with this ideal in my head - some future house, with a full library/reading room, and a media room with all my favorite movies ready to watch. Lately, though, reality is sinking in, and this idea becomes more and more unlikely. Probably 70% of my books are in boxes right now, and have been since January. And the thing is, I haven't really missed having easy access to most of them. I could get rid of all of them today, and it wouldn't affect my daily activities at all, except it would be easier to navigate my bedroom.

My practical side (which has always been my weaker half, of course) says to just get rid of the books. Sell them to the bookstores, donate them to the libraries, have a yard sale. Bring the dvds over to the used video store. Get some store credit, and be more careful about the books I choose to purchase from now on. I have a library card, and MultCoLib has one of the best graphic novel collections I've ever seen. There are great video stores within walking distance, and with the money I save not buying movies on a whim, I could even get my Netflix up and running again. life would be simpler, I'd feel less guilty about having so much stuff, my home would be less cluttered. I could even get rid of a bookshelf or two!

But my emotional side feels a tinge of loss at even considering getting rid of anything. almost every object I own is tied to some memory or other. Lots of my books and audiotapes were purchased when I was in high school, finally coming into my own and discovering my own taste. And my own internal memory is not so great, so to have things that trigger fond memories is essential. Even thinking about getting rid of anything that I have any sort of memory attachment to makes me teary-eyed, I'm not afraid to admit.

So, my plan is to start sorting through it all. Books, dvds, cds, audiotapes, vinyl. If I don't feel any sense of nostalgia from it, or it isn't one of my sources of inspiration, or something I'm holding on to in the hopes that Willow may want to read it someday, then it's going to go in the box, and ultimately, to the bookstore.

I think I'm going to need to buy more tissues.

BOOYAH!

This piece was created for a reader, Charles Raymond, in thanks for his helping spread the word about my webcomic, The Adventures of Ellie Connelly.

Because everybody knows, when you're an asparagus, you can never be too skinny.

I decided to use this as an excuse to try a different style of digital illo, playing around with some of the basic Photoshop brushes. Also, this is my beginning at an attempt at NaNoDrawMo! Wish me luck, I'm already several days behind.

Kim and I went to the Big Halloween Party last night, dressed as Seymour Krelborn and Audrey from Little Shop of Horrors:



Complete with a sculpey-and-tinfoil Audrey II I made last week and finished painting yesterday:



Got lots of nice compliments on the costumes, and had a lot of fun at the party, but I inevitably fell into my big party rut of just watching things from the wall, and so we decided to head out a bit early. It was good to see everyone, though!

Here's a sample page I submitted to Dark Horse Comics, trying to land a gig drawing the new Guild comic being written by Felicia Day based on the hit webseries of the same name:


Click on the image to view it full-size.

I chose to adapt the series in this cartoony/caricature style, rather than try for a more realistic approach, since a cartoony style lends itself to more exaggerated presentation of emotion, which can be really helpful with a sitcom style project like this. Also, I just adapted a scene from early in Season 2, because it's a typical type of scene from the show, with the entire cast bantering into their webcams. Sad to say I didn't get the job, they went a different direction with an artist that they'd already been looking at, but I enjoyed the opportunity, and am still quite proud of the page and the likenesses of the characters. Plus, I've been invited to submit a pinup for the series, so I'm looking forward to doing that. I'll be sure to post it when it's finished!

My friend Ron Chan also submitted a page, and his samples can be seen over at ronchan.net!

Long time, no post here at the LJ! I aim to try to make this a more active journal (so long as people are still USING livejournal, that is), and in the meantime, I thought I'd crosspost/update you all on my upcoming trip down South. That's right, I'm going to Comic-Con!

The machinery of fate has aligned in just the right way to allow me to not only attend this year's San Diego Comicon, but to actually exhibit there as well! From the looks of it, I'll be sharing boothspace with Maddox at booth #2646, and I'm sure he's a perfectly charming fellow.

So, what am I planning on doing at Comicon? I'm bringing pretty much my entire catalog of merchandise, from Tarot decks to t-shirts, buttons and my older comics, and will also be doing a lot of promotion for Ellie Connelly, with free buttons for the asking. The Palms Read Here! t-shirts have been ordered, and hopefully will arrive in time to make it to Comic-con, and I'll also be bringing some new button designs.

I'm also going to be taking commissions for sketches on-the-spot, and doing free artist trading cards as well. I'm a bit nervous about that, as it's been a while since I've done commissions at a show, but I'd like to get over that stage-fright. So, think about what you might want me to draw, and if you've got a specific character in mind, please bring visual reference.

Ellie Connelly should be situated in Booth #2646, nestled happily between Komikwerks and Boom! Studios (makers of excellent Muppet comics). When you enter the hall, head to aisle 2600 and head to the back of the hall, that's where you'll find me.

So please, if you're a fan of Ellie Connelly and you're planning to be at San Diego Comic-Con, come and say 'howdy' and collect a free sketch! And if you're lucky and I've got the space, you might even get to enjoy one of the clumsiest, least-credible Tarot readings ever experienced by mankind!

Since it's come to my attention that I am lousy at self-promotion, I am posting here to say that I just posted a listing up updates and progress reports for my ongoing (and re-starting) Ellie Connelly project over at ellieconnelly.com. Go read it and you'll be caught up!

The gist: Broadcasting my coloring process to ustream; removing the current archive; new character bios and logo; changes to my forum registration process...

PLUS! a sample of finished art from the first page of Ellie Connelly and the Eye of the Vortex! BONUS!

Okay, first of all I've been vegetarian for over a decade now, with no plans to going back to omnivore mode. However, it must be said that I've always considered my vegetarianism a luxury of our modern society, where edible vegetables are plentiful and meat is simply another option. In a survival context, though, I would likely be okay with harvesting some fish or small game if it meant I could live through another week.

So, here we go.

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you've eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.


1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream (Superman ice cream, bought in Grand Haven MI, and Blue Moon ice cream are Pistachio flavored and amazing!)
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

...if these are absolutely heinous drinks. I just thought 'em up, it's not like I've actually TRIED them:

Tipsy Bridesmaid
1/2 oz Creme de Cassis
2 oz Vodka
2 oz Light Rum
Orange juice
Pour alcohol into an ice-filled glass, fill with orange juice. Top with a cherry and an orange wedge.

The Hard Mocha
2 oz Coffee liqueur
2 oz creme de cacao
1 oz cream
Top with whipped cream

Jailhouse Rock
2 oz coffee liqueur
1 oz blended whiskey
1 oz blue curacao
pour ingredients in order, taking care not to mix them, into a tall ice-filled glass.

If anyone out there has the guts (and the bar!) to try these, do me a favor and take pictures! I'd love to see these things.

decided to try to finish another of those pesky comet galaxies this morning, and my wiimote was acting really weird. I'd hover over a button and see the 'over state'/get the vibe feedback, and then suddenly the button and cursor would start to flicker like it was losing signal from the controller or something and then getting it back instantly. The button would kind of stutter, like d-d-d-d-d-d-d, with vibration feedback from the wiimote the whole time. i eventually gave up and tried a different controller, with the same result. I even left the game and tried some of the other built-in channels, like the Mii channel, and got the same thing. I tried all three of the remotes I had with batteries in them, and spent like a half hour on the phone with Nin-tech support. Unfortunately my Wii is way out of its warranty phase, but he said he'd set me up with a discounted repair (which would reset my 1-year warranty, apparently).

It was working fine last night, I don't know what's wrong. And I'm gonna have to wait to do anything about it until i have a bit more cash, unfortunately. Bah.

Oh, but have any of you played Boom Blox yet? I just found out about it the other day, and it looks really interesting/fun for all ages.