March 1 - March 16
Inspiration
3-6-02
My life is not very exciting or interesting to write about, but that could be because I am not observant enough. A friend of mine, Arkady, has inspired me to add a little more to my daily comics. Writing. Perhaps if I write every day I will get better at that as well. It's people like Arkady that remind me that it's the little things that make a story great. It's the funny little details that make a good read. I often contemplate the lacey shapes of the ice that line these Montana streets and I like to watch the birds for no particular reason, but I don't write about it.
Maybe you all might think that stuff is boring, and that's okay. You can just read the comic if you like. This is just a symbiotic attachment, easily skipped if you are in a hurry. Here is today so far:
I've fallen into a bad habit of sleeping precisely one half hour after my radio alarm goes off. This is bad because not only am I running late, but I have Britany Spears music playing in my head. I thought this sort of trendy music would cause me to wake up quicker because I despise it so, but it's not working. Perhaps I will go back to country. That always makes me sit up straight screaming and gripping my ears.
I woke up really late today because I wore myself out filming a minute-long movie for six hours last night. I have a 9:00 class and I woke up at 8. That's bad because it takes me about 20 minutes to walk there and I eat and dress very slowly. It takes me more time to walk out the door than to eat breakfast though. Some strange curse. I always forget something or want to do something last-minute or lock myself out then remember my backpack and key my way back inside only to find that it is on my back. I have yet to understand my brain. Today I remembered, however, as I was wondering around the house in my pajamas trying to become organized in some way, that I don't have to attend my 9:00 class today. I was so happy that I sat down at the computer in my pajamas and drank constant comment tea (the best tea on earth). I recognized how behind I was with my comics, so I drew the Procrastination monster again, wishing to sum it all up in one picture. I bombed my Film Production mid-term and did poorly on my CS exam because I despise studying and draw on my hand instead with purple markers. It seems that I haven't learned a thing from my bombing experience, for I am still in pajamas and I really should work on my dragon sculpture before it dries out and turn in that employment application that needs to be in by today. I just want to play, but they all say I can't because I'm twenty and need to grow up.
Nuts.
It's Gonna Snow Whether You're Willing to "Let it" or Not
3-7-02
Aside from a minor bathroom privilage conflict this morning, the day has gone rather well. I finally caved in and wore mittens over my cool (thin) black driving gloves, and it proved a worthwhile choice because it hasn't stopped snowing since this morning. Cars are sliding, side-walk brushers are brushing, people are hunching against the fine powder that sifts down through the air. I suppose it is a pretty thing when you are not out in it. Snow used to mean something to me. It used to send a thrill of excitement to the roots of my soul because it meant that school might be canceled. Snow days were like sick days without the sickness - plus you didn't have to make up anything when you returned. Total and complete freedom to romp and play without a care. Now it's just snow. Snow in Montana is about as eventful as rain in the south (where I was born). It's sad in a way. No surprise days off. I like surprises. Especially good surprises.
I am happy to report that despite my tardiness with the job application, the bookstore has hired me to help them with inventory over Easter weekend. Yay, money! Now if they would only keep me longer...
As a few of you know, I've become obsessed/enthralled by a Manga comic series called Blade of the Immortal. I've ordered three books with my single credit card and have so far received two of them. Both times I did a little dance.
On to more important things:
I ate cheese nips today. It's been a long time. They were nice. Crunchy and tastey. Which makes me wonder what Mom is going to make us for supper tonight...(Which makes me wonder what the heck I'm going to do without a mother to cook yummy things for me when I move to Arizona in the spring).
I have my mind set on making a game/story over break. It's me mimicking Arkady again, but in this I can honestly say that I thought of doing a game like this for some time now - and even started one. I just didn't finish it. In fact - it's still up at my old site (the broken one).
If you're interested in what I'm babbling about, go here*: http://members.tripod.com/vizonrok/id131.htm If you're tired of reading my digitized scribblings, you're in luck because I'm done.
*Only the red-haired boy works
Not Quite Spring Break
3-8-02
Technically, I have no more classes until the 18th, but I still have to turn in homework by five today. It stinks because I have to walk across the entire campus to reach the building with the computers. Usually I do my homework at home and email it in, but this time we are learning Microsoft Excel and my computer doesn't have that. My* computer is also having problems. Its hard drive is too full and it hasn't been defragmented in a long time. It's brimming close to crashing even. Yesterday Mertle decided that it would be a good idea to download Kazaa. Then he had the nerve to ask "Why is the computer so slow?" Sometimes I don't understand that boy. In case you're wondering, Mertle is one of my two brothers. Jake is featured more often in my comics simply because Mertle is always gone doing things with friends. I sometimes wish he'd stick around since I'll be leaving in May and this will be our last winter together. Then he'll throw something at my head and I change my mind. Heh heh.
It's finally stopped snowing, but that hardly matters. One of the worst things about new snowfall is that it covers up all the ice patches on the sidewalks and roads. I need to get out of my moose and flannel pajamas and toe socks and walk those sidewalks in a few minutes so that I can do that last bit of dumb homework. After that I can relax some. Yesterday, Indole (a guy I used to draw cartoons with), called me and asked if I could help design a logo for the organization he is vice president of. He said they would pay me 20 to 100 dollars. Out of the blue. Nice, eh? I thought so. But they're going to put this logo on mugs and t-shirts and mailings and everything so...It's quite a nervous project for me to undertake. Especially since the last logo I was asked to do was not used. That, of course, could have something to do with my not finishing it, but still...
I suppose I'd better get going. Here's a piece of advice from me to all of you:
If you're ever feeling overwhelmed, depressed, or frustrated with life, take a walk and breathe fresh air. Listen to the birds and study the clouds in the sky. It works wonders.
*Actually, the computer is Mom's
Hanging Out with Mel
3-9-02
Well, I've certainly taken my time today to get this up, but that's okay. Spending quality time with friends, pizza, and X-files more than makes up for the guilt that comes with procrastination.
AAAAAH! Get that hammer away! Back! Back foul monster!
(ahem)
So if you are wondering why my comic is funny-looking today, it is because I drew and scanned it at Mel's house and her scanner is strange. It also makes funny noises that would make a perfect background noise in a horror flick. Anyway we are having FUN (Mel: A quaint enjoyable time)and are going to go see a Pink Floyd laser show tonight (Mel (in sing song voice): laser shoooooow!). Who is Mel? Well I'm not so sure anymore because I only see her once a (Mel: Verbillate! Sprecalate!)week when we have scones at the local coffee shop (Mel: Scoones! Sounds like spoons!). She is currently ripping up pieces of paper and cackling madly. Is this the girl I once knew? Well we still have at least one thing in common (Mel: A brain?) - X-files. We love X-files, although she likes Mulder and I like Doggett. But that doesn't really matter I suppose. Sort of like "Who is more handsome - Legolas or Aragorn?" Pointless silly girly talk. But Mel is right - we DON'T talk about Mulder and Doggett like that. No sir...we talk about their personalities. Although "looks" were mentioned today. Doggett has funny-looking ears. One may even venture to say "deformed" but then I would have to kill that individual. Okay, it's getting close to Pink Floyd time so farewell!
Sunday Bloody Sunday
3-10-02
Well not much has happened today. Went to church and found out that one of the guys I fence with goes there and has been going there for a long time. I should be more observant. After church we were invited over to a friend's for breakfast and we sat around playing guitars and singing off key while munching sweetbread and pumpkin muffins. It was fun. I'm very happy because tonight I get to finish that X-files cliff-hanger with Mel. She had taped the first part last sunday and kept herself from watching it without me (with considerable restraint). After last night she was glad she hadn't because having to wait a week for the conclusion would have been a lot harder than just a day.
Happy news! My original web page is working once again! But only for 30 days because I'm using a temporary demo to publish it. I will provide the link when I'm done updating it and you can take a look!
Jake is playing Perfect Dark on the Nintendo 64 and the people really jerk and fall when you shoot them and cry out stuff like "Aaaah! I'm dying!" or "Augh! Augh! Aaaaaa!" and roll on the ground bleeding. It's pretty awful. I don't think I could play this game because I just don't think it's fun to pretend to kill real people like that. The James Bond villains aren't so bad and little blinking computer figures that shoot at you aren't hard to kill, but I have a problem with shooting realistic people who act like they're really shot. Guess I should never join the Army. War would be a horrible experience. Especially because the other guys are basically in the same boat you are. I can't imagine causing someone so much pain and acting like it's nothing. I mean - to be responsible for that hole in that guy's belly or to look into their dying eyes knowing it was you who did that to them - it just gives me the chills. There's always the "well he'd shoot you if you didn't shoot him" concept, and I suppose it's true. But really I think I would just die in a situation like that. In everything I do I try my best to treat other people like human beings: The ones behind the registers, the people in line behind or in front of me, the lady passing me on the sidewalk, or the annoying telemarketer on the phone. So I don't think I'd be able to dehumanize others in my mind enough to kill them, unless they acted inhuman.
So anyway, the laser show was alright last night and I got to see another movie that was pretty good called "Paradise Road" about women in a Japanese concentration camp. It made me have an interesting dream. Well I guess that's about it for today. Like I said, not much has happened.
I'm SORRY!!!
3-13-02
"Yay!" you must all be saying, "Jo's alive after all!" My excuse for not posting a cartoon for two days? First day it was because of technical difficulties, and the second day I spent practically all day on the road. I still drew though! True to my word! 3-10-02 I spent hours making backgrounds for my webpage. I made about 10 and stayed up until 2:30 a.m. by accident. I just get into a project and get completely lost in it. Almost all of Monday I spent working on that web page I mentioned, and you can find quite a few of the backgrounds I made there. Yesterday, Tuesday, I drew as we drove. I drew Vizon with his one eye. The trip was mildly entertaining. We were not all in the best of moods, and by the time we got to the small town Montana museum, Jake and I were practically crawling out of the car to get there. No enthusiasm. The animals were old and falling apart, but there was an interesting story about the settlers of that small town killing a man named "Rattlesnake Jake" who rode through and shot up the town long ago. The road back was interesting. We kept spotting deer out in the fields since it was that time of day, and at one point I told mom that I had this picture of a deer leaping out suddenly and us smashing into it and rolling off the road. A minute later there were deer in the road. Coincidence? No, I think I'm psychotic...er...psychic. Yeah. One or the other. So then we listened to The Princess Bride on audio and drove through the most dangerous pass in Montana. The snow was so thick and the roads so slick, that even though there was a 70 mph speed limit, Mom drove 35. We got to feel the vibrations of the highway groove and see another car that slid off the highway. The semi trucks were frightening, and I'm pretty sure that my teeth were clenched the entire time:
"Mom! You're going off the road!"
"No I'm not! Besides there's a truck coming up to pass us! Aaaah! I can't see!"
Today I woke up very late and had to finish my comic at Mel's because we had scheduled a "Gummi Bear Day" for today. Unfortunately, her Adobe program is very buggy and I could'nt save let alone edit the comic, so I had to wait to put it up until now. After giving up on that, we commenced with Gummi Bear Day. I forgot to bring the gummy bear candy, but we got to watch the cartoons and eat oreos and chips. It was fun, but then I found out that I couldn't go home. I was trapped! Her father was worried about their vehicle so she couldn't use it. Her mother wasn't home, and neither was mine, so there were no means of transportation and I was stuck. It wasn't bad though. I got to see a Pretender episode and eat stir fry and drink apple juice.
So...take a look at my web page when you're bored. I know there are a lot of holes still and a lot of little mistakes. I'll be working on those, but this is it for now. Enjoy.
Yet Another Thrilling Day
3-14-02
Well, I half-awoke this morning to my Mother shrieking. I made a sleepy note to myself that I should ask her why when I fully awoke, then I slipped back into la-la land. She woke me up around 8:30 or so and fed me yummy crunchy waffles. She advised me to never talk to Jake while he is rinsing dishes off with the sprayer. Apparently she asked him something and he turned to face her, forgetting that the sprayer was still spraying and doused her. I then remembered my note and asked, "Oh, is that why you were shrieking earlier?" and she said, "Yes...that seems to be the most logical explanation, doesn't it?"
So then I drew the cartoon and scanned it while Jake played Resident Evil II. He's wearing the same thing as he wore all yesterday...and the night before. I think he should take a shower before we go to the mall...
"Why?" he asks.
.......
So I suppose I'll work on that logo for that friend I mentioned, and maybe run on over to the art building and work on my dragon sculpture. That's the plan. We'll see what happens.
[3-14-02: Skid the Weasel Kid]
Getting Behind Yet Again
3-15-02
I awoke early and went to Target to buy baby stuff for a friend's shower. Jake bought us all candy bars since they were cheap and he was feeling rich. Then we went home and he played Resident Evil again and I checked my mail. I found a third survey from a friend and finally decided to fill it out myself. So I spent all day doing that until I found a really really cool website with excellent short fan films. Then I spent the rest of the day watching them until my meeting with Indole, forgetting my comic entirely. So it seems with Spring Break. I did draw though! I did! I drew an angry face yesterday when the computer killed my newsletter and today I finished my weasel, Skid (above). So there are my excuses. My family and I are watching a movie now. One I picked out. I hope it's good. It's called "Gulag". I thought it might be good since I liked the book "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denosovich" which takes place in a Gulag.
Just for Fun
3-16-02
Hello, I've been brain-storming what to do for yesterday's comic all day today. I thought about doing Jake taking off his shirt and throwing it derisively at me quoting Karate Kid II ("Here. Keep it for your collection. I know you like...heh heh heh.") but that would only make sense to those who know KKII. Then Mom suggested that I do the man flinging poops over the fence that she saw as she drove by, but I didn't see it and it might be confusing seeing a dog using a pooper-scooper. I was busy pretty much all day with random stuff, but I did find some time to fool around with this animation program I downloaded and to RP with someone. I made a simple animation and was very delighted to see that it worked. I'm going to have to try something more complex next.
Mel came over and ate tuna with us (we cats love our tuna), and we listened to songs, watched some short vids, and talked. One subject we dwelled on was Sodomerica - a story that I and five other people are writing and have been writing for more than a year now. We laughed about the Saryss/Syrk conflict, and Mel imitated Syrk threatening Saryss:
"You'd better start watching your cereal, Saryss." Inferring, I thought, that it could be poisoned, but then she went on to immitate Saryss the next day at breakfast:
"What's this? There's a BOMB in my soup!"
For some reason I thought this absolutely hilarious and thought I'd draw it in a comic for her, but then when I got started, it started looking too serious and cool to end with a bomb sitting on Saryss' spoon. It'd be funnier, mind you - but this - this is just cooler. So now it's 1:30 a.m. and I really should be going to bed now. Goodnight.
Jo Alive!
Animation!
3-17-02
Click on the "Jo Alive!" link above and see what I made! I would have posted it directly on this page, but for some reason, the white parts came out clear instead of white and so when I put it on the black background, it looked like my teeth were rotting out.
AAAAAH! STUpid gnats! They keep flying in my face! They've been showing up all over the house lately and I don't know why or where there came from, but they're annoying! Maybe they hatched all of a sudden because...uh...no, it's still the same temperature...hmm. Maybe they came out of the bananas! Or perhaps...the garbage? Do gnats come from garbage? I don't know. I have not studied gnats extensively enough. I woke up this morning to stupid country music. I actually didn't get annoyed enough to get up until the commercials. A surprise to be sure. Before I turned it off I heard it was St. Patrick's Day, so when I came into the kitchen and found Mom without green, I gave her a nice little dragon bite. She wasn't too happy about that.
Later a guy drove over from a salvage yard to look at my dead car. I'd told him I would sell it for $150. He brought a trailer and everything.
"You wanted $100?"
"Actually...$150..."
"How about we compromise?"
How about we not? "Well, is it really such a big deal? The windshield alone cost me as much."
"Well...it DOES have good tires...okay."
Hmmf. Cheapo. I'm the one losing money here not you.
We got to eat the traditional St. Patrick's Day corned beef and cabbage - one of my favorites. The rest of the day was pretty dull. I had to do last-minute homework before the procrastination monster got me. Don't want that to happen again. Last time I got the hammer it bent my glasses all crooked and they're still not quite right.
Sigh...Well tomorrow is school again. I thought this sort of educational dread would end with highschool, but it just metamorphosed. And the real kicker is...I'm paying for it. Ah, the bitter irony of it all.
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