A Little MINI News…
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A Little MINI News…

by Bruce on January 23, 2012 at 12:16 am
Posted In: Comics, Mini Coopers

Those people who know I am a MINI owner (and fanatic) had to make sure that I knew all about the recall dealing with the turbo charger for 2007-2011 Models.  Yes, I have heard about it, no I am not concerned.  When we get our letter Sue will drop Poppy (her MINI) off at service to get it fixed.  We have been told the letter should reach us in couple of weeks.  I know this because Sue dropped Penfold (My MINI) off to have some things looked at last Tuesday.

I received a phone call and an email with the results of what they discovered. Understand that Penfold is 7 years old closing in on 100,000 miles, my three or four items I figured might be pricey, but I do trust the dealership to do good work (I give them gummi bears) and since we have been customers for seven years and we are on our third MINI purchased from them I know they will be honest with me.  It isn’t often you have someone from the dealership say “that part is really expensive, if it were me I wait on that.”

While new MINI models are coming out – most recently the Roadster, Coupe, and a year ago the Countryman, I have been considering getting a new MINI.  I have gone back and forth between hunting down a 2006 John Cooper Works GP, or waiting for the “Rocketman” concept to get into production.  When Sue picked up her new MINI (a year ago) we talked about a Roadster in the future.  ”One-half of knowing what you want is knowing what you must give up before you get it.” Sidney Howard’s quote is one of my favorites and right now I don’t know whether it is time to give up anything for a new MINI.  I was planning on a new computer to do this comic strip with, but I might need to wait another year or so for that, at least (as of right now) I do have a job, so I do have an income, it’s just how is the money going to be pushed around.  Fewer trips to Gramboli’s Pizza? Fewer comic books? Not buying as much stuff for my classroom? Do we get Penfold repaired or is the more economical decision to get a new MINI? All this worrying and fretting about a car… not really just a car.

If you are not a MINI owner then you probably have no idea about the cult of MINI (like the cult of Mac).  When I ordered my MINI (you had to order them in 2005 since there weren’t any on the lot) I was given a production number, the production week and the ability to track the production of my MINI through the factory and on the ship. Sue’s parents event clipped the port notice from the Charleston paper when the ship docked.  You are encouraged to name your MINI and chronicle your adventures.  You become part of a community.  Nowadays this doesn’t happen as much since people just pick them up and think of them as cars… those earlier years you didn’t buy a car, you added a member to the family.  Penfold has always been there, through thick and thin and I have expected him to be there always.  Now I’m not so sure.  This is one of those arcs that I don’t know how it is going to turn out, so I might end up running a bit late as decisions are made I hope you can be patient.

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New Offerings in Cecil’s Loot Lair

by Bruce on January 3, 2012 at 4:40 pm
Posted In: Blogposts

When I first started putting this comic together my goal for year two was to create a storefront to sell stuff. This would help defray the cost of the whole thing and maybe make me part of the 1%… You see I started doing design work in high school and college it was mostly for shirts since my parents owned a small store that imprinted stuff on shirts (don’t ask it was the late 70′s and people did this sort of thing. I started a store front on both Zazzle & CafePress to see which one I liked more. Each as their pros & cons so the jury is still out. I have just added a few designs to the Zazzle shop for you to have a look at, as for my return I presently get a modest 10% of each sale which I tend to turn around and use to buy the shirts I want to wear (I only design things I would wear). Here are the latest designs:

Most of these designs are available on any kind of thing you would like to make… just don’t blame me if they end up looking bad.

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Looking Forward to 2012… the end of the world as I know it- but I feel fine

by Bruce on December 31, 2011 at 3:55 pm
Posted In: Blogposts

I’m sitting here the last day of 2011, thinking about this year and what 2012 will bring (the zombie apocalypse) so I decided to rehash it all here.

Going over some of the old strips last week I am amazed at the number of people who have commented about how the strip has evolved. All twelve people (thank you all) who read this comic and I have spoken to, tell me how much growth and change they have seen. Hopefully it will bring more readers (c’mon lucky number 13!), but I go back to the reason I really do this whole thing: Fortune & Glory… actually to keep me out of an asylum.

My family asks every once in a while- if (or better yet- WHEN) I’m going to make some money from the comic. Since we all know that there is money in comics- just look around at all the cartoonists in the list of wealthiest people in the world (no wait- he throws a ball around & he forecloses on family’s dreams & he…).  I did not start this to make money. I started this so I wouldn’t go crazy- so I could do something I had always wanted. I hope it makes you laugh or think or both, but if it doesn’t maybe it was just an idea that had been bouncing around in my head and finally escaped.

2011 wasn’t too bad-  The biggest highlight being  getting a Professional Badge for Comic-Con in San Diego- it was a shocker for me.  You see I suffer (like many creative people) from low self esteem… that’s why I became a teacher- no one ever says any thing nice about teachers so I knew that was the perfect vocation.  Then after 20 years I decided to try out being a cartoonist. When I turned in my application I was doing it on a lark.  I didn’t think it would happen, but it did.  To me it was a big deal… I still look at that badge hanging above my desk and think someone is going to burst through the door and take it away- “You are not worthy.”  The actual convention was nice, but that badge, that honor to me, made it something special.

Besides that work, was work (and is just getting to be more so), the economy isn’t great, the crazy folks we elected to govern are doing crazy things and acting like spoiled toddlers (but will promise us they will change so they can elected again)… the world itself isn’t great, but I have a professional badge from Comic-Con which means, I’m a counted as a professional in something I have always wanted to do. *squee*

Besides that Cecil (yes, I consider him a separate entity) topped off his year with an accolade of a different kind- as you might have known Cecil was awarded the 50th Indy Magic Man geocoin which in the Indiana Geocaching world is kind of a big deal.  While many think of Cecil as just an extension of me… he is and he isn’t (I do the comic to keep me out of the asylum).  Many geocachers have figured out that I am just the guy who carries Cecil around… If I were to show up to an event without the monkey (I did once… once) it would be considered weird.  So Cecil was awarded an honor not for being a great cacher. No, he got it for being a character… and that was a wonderful highlight for the year.

So what does 2012 look like?  Rainy, with a chance of snow… a cold start.  Besides that I have some plans- my biggest goal is what a I have been trying since I started- to be on time with each comic.  Will there be more long arcs or will I be going back to shorter stories… I don’t know, I have some ideas, but I need to see how everything plays out.  MINI Takes The States is suppose to happen this year, but timing (as always) might be an issue.  My little brother is getting married… that might be fun- but it might not be such a good idea to make fun of my family.  GeoWoodstock is going to be in Louisville this year (they claim Indiana, but everything I see and hear says its happening in Kentucky).  So there is a lot of fodder besides just everyday life to get three comics a week in- if Hemi will ignore me enough to get it done.  Lots of projects that I will go on endlessly about at a later date.

So as I close out 2011 I’m glad I survived it and hope you and yours a wonderful 2012 (until the Zombie Apocalypse).

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The Muppets: a completely unbiased review- really.

by Bruce on November 27, 2011 at 11:38 am
Posted In: Blogposts, Film

I wanted to do this as a a comic strip but being in the middle of an arc and knowing how quickly movies vanish from the theaters I didn’t want to risk it…

Let’s just start with if you like the muppets, you will like this movie. If you want some details (I will attempt to avoid spoilers) continue, but if you want a fun, film that everyone can enjoy (a rare things these days) then “The Muppets” is for you.

I was a muppet fan back when they were on Sesame Street (I am the age where when it was first released I was the target demographic). I watched them on Saturday Night Live, I watched the Muppet Show, Jim Henson’s The Storyteller, and all the movies (even the bad ones). Jim Henson has been one of my heroes, so I started off excited that a new movie was being made, then a little scared that it would be horrible in some wild attempt to cater to today’s kids, it did not.

The story is simple: the Muppets have long since disbanded, their old studio and theatre are in shambles and about to be sold to the villain of the piece who has discovered oil under the land (“maniacal laughter, maniacal laughter”).   Who will inspire them to save the studio?  Walter, a new muppet from Smalltown, USA who has idolized the muppets forever.  So we find out what has happened to each of the main muppets as Walter tries to bring them together.  Walter along with his human brother, Gary, and Gary’s girlfriend, Mary, head out on a quest to save the muppets.  While all this is going on Gary & Walter discover the importance of being who they are and choosing their own path even if it splits them up (Am I a man, or am I a muppet?).  Sadly, one piece that was missing from the first film were the numerous cameos, there are a bunch, just not to the extreme that the original Muppet Movie had.

It is goofy, fun, nostalgic and brought back so many great memories.  As I said, I thought about doing this a comic, but it does such a wonderful job of making fun of itself I couldn’t top it.  Now some super serious film- sure, but the muppets?  No way.  If you have a chance see it (I’m not one for spending money on a movie especially when you can usually buy the film on DVD for half the price of going to see it in a theater).  This is one of those franchises that just puts a song in heart and a smile on your face.

I give it at least 5 buckets of Doc Hopper’s French Fried Frog Legs (“All I can see is hundreds of frogs on tiny crutches.”) Sue did feel that it dragged a bit in the middle and “tried too hard” in other places, but we won’t listen to her- she’s a grown-up after all.

While talking about the Muppets- Fresh Aire had a great interview over Thanksgiving, and there is The Green Album showing that the Muppets have not been forgotten as those who grew up with them have grown up.  Finally Pop Culture Happy Hour (one of my favorite podcasts) did a great episode (all episodes are great) but this one was on what kids should be exposed to while growing up and one of the things on that list was… yes, Tom Lehrer,  & the Muppets!  It is 46 minutes, but very insightful for anyone having to deal with small children.

Maybe in these dark days it is time for everyone to be more muppet-like- just sayin’

 

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Hey buddy… ya want a t- shirt?

by Bruce on October 30, 2011 at 6:25 pm
Posted In: Blogposts, Doodles

SO while doodling today I came up with the design I’m going to put on the geocaching puzzle piece and decided to do it as a product design for the various My Geek Odyssey virtual store fronts.  Since CafePress & Zazzle both carry different items I went ahead and created the first round at the place that had what Sue wanted (a thermos) which was Cafepress.  If you see that you would like a design on something else please feel free to let me know.  If I can make it happen I will.  This also may end up a pathtag, but I need to consider what will happen when it is shrunk down to the size of a quarter.

The latest design for the various virtual store fronts... the gear makes it more steampunk- or something.

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doodling…

by Bruce on October 8, 2011 at 6:33 pm
Posted In: Blogposts, Doodles, Technology

A colleague sent me a link to a TED talk about the power of doodling-

something I have been aware of for years (see any notebook from any class, workshop, or lecture I have attended). but today I decided to settle back and do some refining of my characters. I’ve also considered adding a few to the cast as I expand stories.

While fiddling around with pencil and paper I did this little doodle that I felt was good enough to finish and post. I originally had Cecil holding a Newton (I still have one- it still works) but decided that would be a bit obscure. I then thought about a different caption- “with great power, comes great responsibility, and a black mock turtleneck.”

letting my mind wander with a pencil can be a dangerous thing.

 

Just playing- oh I pre ordered my iPhone 4S this morning… since my iPhone 3, while it still works, has seen better days.

 

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