Category: Blogposts

So while I’m dealing with stuff & trying to keep the comic updated I have gotten some geeky goodness in the mail.  In November I decided to put an order into ANOVOS who had some fantastic Star Trek uniform shirts at ComicCon along with Battle Star Galactica stuff.  I ordered my “Expendable Tie” and then decided to go ahead and get a real red shirt.  It arrived today… Sue isn’t that happy with it, but then again we have an understanding that we don’t question each others purchases when it comes to our goofy hobbies.  So I now am the proud owner of an “Ensign Ricky” and as long as Sue doesn’t have to be seen with me while wearing it everything is fine.  Yes, it is silly but I’m old enough to do something silly every once in while…

I know it has been a while since a new comic has graced this site… Life sadly has gotten in the way, but that will soon change (I know- “Promises, Promises”). Spring Break, C2E2, & taxes while all fun, they also keeping me away from creating anything.  Combine that with a massive writer’s block, work, and needing to figure a few things out.  I have strips plotted out, so I will be sitting at the drafting table and computer to get the scribbling done and the comics posted.

That all said I thought I would share this cool PSA about reading while you wait to read my comic.  It is sad that as a teacher I have many students who are masters at feigning reading.  I try to get good books in their hands, but reading just isn’t a priority, it never was from the earliest of ages.  I know I wasn’t a voracious reader growing up, or at least I don’t remember reading much beyond comics until I was in middle school. All I can say is If you have kids I hope you are reading to them every night, there is no excuse. The students in my classroom who are really successful are always reading.

Today marks the end of Spring Break for my school district a week where I should have, could have, would have, drawn a couple comics and got them posted, but instead I went on vacation in hopes that I will have some adventures to write about. So that is what I have planned… but I thought I should at least give you the vacation by the numbers (*spoilers*)

• States Cached In: Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Delaware.
• Caches found: around 61
• Average Miles Per Gallon: 32.5
• Number of times I said “I miss my cat.”: 137
• Travel bugs moved: 1
• Pairs of jeans ruined: 1
• Number of cold weather clothing items left in hotel rooms: at least 2
• Shoes lost: 1
• Hours spent in a queue: too many, but it was worth it (to Cecil).
• Doctor Who caches found: 1
• Historic places visited:  lots
• Witches burned: 0

So give me some time to put this whole thing together and hopefully I’ll be able to get back to a regular schedule, soon.

I do love TED Talks, they are fantastic, this one was an interesting take on failure.

Last week was the first round of statewide high stakes testing week and the last week of the grading period. Both things take a lot out of teachers or at least me. Hence the hiatus as I regroup and rethink the direction of the comic. My passion has always been teaching… not testing, and testing is what teaching has become since it is now run by politicians, not educators.

On Wednesday afternoon, my students had the opportunity to watch a webcast with three wonderful cartoonists (Kazu Kibuishi, Raina Telgemeier, and Jeff Smith). Technical difficulties caused us to miss out on a part of it, so we started a discussion about graphic storytelling. I used My Geek Odyssey as an example. One of my students asked the question, “If you have this web site, why aren’t you famous?”  (Yes, students today are that rude) Then today, I see this TED Talk… and “unless…”

Expect new comics starting March 19.  Thank you all for your support.  Who knows maybe one day I will be “famous” not just “infamous.”

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.

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).