I debated on this one - it seemed a bit mean. On the other hand, it is extremely totally true. In this specific instance, my buddy was unhappy that a girl he had tried to connect with at a bar had brushed him off.
"Well, what did you say to her?" "I told her I was looking for something serious and long-term, but also I never wanted to get married, have kids, live together and probably shouldn't be exclusive." " . . . you told her all this upon meeting her?" "Yeah." "Okay, but you didn't even know each other yet. None of that is relevant. Why not go on a date or two with her and even see if you're compatible before trying to bring up all that other stuff?" "I just wanted to be upfront and honest with her so that neither of us was wasting our time, you know?" " . . . . I think we've isolated your problem."
I am missing this week, I apologize. There is no real excuse for it, except that the work is going slow and I'm having a hard time being disciplined about it. I need to focus more, and I'm hoping things will get better after this weekend, when stuff at my job isn't stretched as thin and I'm a bit less tired.
I actually wouldn't mind reaching out for a bit of help on something, if anyone can help me.
So, part of what kind of broke me five years or so back was not just my job at the time, but pulling out every stop I had to compete for a spot in the famed Angoulême cartoonist residency in France. Literally fifteen minutes after I submitted my materials package that I had worked on day and night and during breaks at work, I got a reply that basically just said "no thanks." That will pretty much do it! Well, that sent me down, but not out yet. Obviously I don't have nearly the artistic pedigree required for the residency, that much is obvious, but I've heard that they have an annual festival showcasing comics from all over the world, and I'd like to try to get a piece of my work featured in the festival! It's still an uphill battle, but at least a bar I figure is possible to clear, unlike the impossible castle in Spain that was the residency. Unfortunately, I have no idea how to submit and all the materials I can find are either in French or don't say anything about it. I have zero idea on how to take off from here. So, if anyone knows where I can find even remotely official submission guidelines/information, please let me know.
I don't even know what I'd submit yet. Maybe I could even submit I Wish You Were A Dog. Maybe I'd have to make something new. I don't know. But I wish I could even just see what my options are.
"If life has taught me one thing repeatedly, it's to know when I'm beaten."
Comic needs an extra day to get ready. I am not being the person Mister Rogers knew I could be. That said, tonight was the first time in a long time that I had a quasi-normal meal INSIDE a restaurant, and you know what? It felt pretty good. :)
As some consolation, here's a sketch I made during some of the copious downtime I experienced while manning the vaccine clinic at work:
This is The Ghost, also known as The Hand, for obvious reasons. She's a character from the amazing animation series "Interface," created by surrealist animator "u m a m i" and nearing its fascinating conclusion on Youtube. If you haven't already seen it, then I urge you to give it a try and see if you enjoy it. I don't think you'll be disappointed!
So far, I feel like I've been getting better about art. I've been getting more done. I still am not sure how I'm going to follow up I Wish You Were a Dog - Dr. Bitey is both underproduced and not exactly hitting - but I've got several more arrows in the quiver and there's got to be SOMEthing I can make that both I and you guys would like.
Also, got a chest x-ray and everything came back perfectly fine, which ruled out Plague™, growths and even severe bronchitis, which pretty much just explains my cough as what I've always figured/told everyone it was - a remnant from my last big cold that is just taking its sweet time going away. Hey, some people just won't believe you until you plop down the money for the damn x-ray! Still, beats them finding something any day.
I'm sorry I didn't post it earlier in the day, but I feel asleep super-early again last night. My cold is pretty much gone, but my energy still isn't quite where it was and I have a cough that just won't go away. Mom thinks I need a chest x-ray. I think I need to stop wearing a mask that makes me continually rebreathe my own bacteria-filled air and has probably given me bronchitis by now. Well, we'll see what the doctor turns up.
Hope you're not getting too sick of these yet. I know it's kind of a one-note samba, but it's got a nice conclusion. Coming in . . . . I'd say May at this point.
Thought being sick wouldn’t be enough to stop me, I guess not. Excuses, excuses. At least I know that the next cartoon will definitely be on time.
This last week was also dominated by birthday cards for my family. I don’t often like commissions, even when I think they’re good ideas. I’m starting to dislike schedules. Sometimes I wonder if I’m starting to dislike art. What a horrible thought.
Well, at least I can see this comic project to the end. No matter how grumpy I get, I’m still proud of it and glad that other people seem to like it.
Anyway, here’s an apology for leaving you all hanging this week: pictures of the birthday cards I made for my sisters.
It's kind of nice to be actually sick for a change (don't worry, not The Plague™, just an aggressive cold,) because it's giving my body something to actually respond to that's an immune threat, as opposed to what it's been doing lately, which is turning on me whenever I eat, well, it seems to be nearly ANYthing - not specifically dairy, grain or meat, just pretty much anything. So, even though I'm churning out sweat and mucus, at least it's in response to something that actually makes sense, and now my body is behaving much more sensibly whenever I eat something as controversial as, oh, I don't know, an almond, or a grape.
Incidentally, I like this new schedule very much. I already feel much more relaxed, and with such a wide window to work in, I cannot see how I can possibly fall behind again. Also, it lengthens the series - at first I saw this thing ending at the end of maybe March but at this rate, we can see through to the beginning of summer!
Thank you all for your patience and understanding in the matter. :-)
