August 1, 2004
I spent the afternoon of the last day of July on a pontoon boat with my good friends, Theresa and Eric. Theresa had invited us to join her on her pontoon so we could cruise about Prairie Creek reservoir like we did last summer. It was a beautiful day to take to the water, the sun was out and the weather was very agreeable. Sadly, the pontoon's motor didn't share the weather's good traits and refused to start. Undaunted, the three of us sat in the docked vessel, catching up and drinking various sodas from Theresa's cooler. And then tragedy struck!

As we sat discussing the many events of our lives, an elderly woman collapsed to the ground a few feet away from us! The woman was on the ground, withering in front of her parked car with an elderly man standing above her. Sensing a possible medical emergency, Theresa grabbed her cell phone as she and Eric rushed to the old woman's side. As they left, my instincts told me to stay put and I did! While Theresa and Eric helped the woman to her feet, I continued to sit on the pontoon, watching them from afar and then shamefully looking at my feet. 

After a few awkward minutes, Theresa and Eric returned. The woman was okay. She apparently tripped on the grass (I don't think that's a drug reference, but I may be wrong) and she said she was fine. Theresa called the woman's daughter as the woman got her bearings and the daughter told Theresa there's nothing to worry about since the old woman fell a lot. The elderly man seemed to confirm this to Eric. The man told Eric the woman was not his wife, but he has known her since he was eleven. As the old man shared several tidbits about his life to Eric, the woman got slightly snippy with Theresa for suggesting she may not be well enough to drive. Ignoring Theresa's concern, the elderly couple piled into their car and drove off.

Reflecting upon this incident, I have come to a sad conclusion: When the going gets tough, Tom stays on the boat. Color this fat cartoonist yellow!

Despite the woman's collapse and my inaction to it, I think we all had a great time on the reservoir. It would have been nicer if the elusive Christy Hiday could join us, but you can't have everything. 

July 28, 2004
I have really been slacking off the last week or two. If you need any proof just look about this site and you'll notice the lack of everything. I really need to spruce things up around here.  

During my time away from my webmaster duties, the Idiots' very own Tim Richardson graduated from Ball State University! Tim got his B.A. in Telecommunications this past Saturday and now he's anxiously awaiting for the post office to send him his actual degree. Congratulations once again, Tim!

July 11, 2004

Well, I finished my latest minicomic! It stars Eric Whetsel in his comic book debut! It's a small, but likable book that I'm selling for 25¢. If you want more details, just go here!

So how was your week? Pretty uneventful for me for the most part. The Fourth of July came and went with no incident. The TV didn't blow up this year so that's good. We did some filming this past Monday that went pretty well. We were honored to have Holly and David Thrasher lend their talents to our latest production. Holly was in our Halloween episode a few years ago and it's great to have her back on the show. Special thanks to Jon and Della for letting us use their house! 

July 3, 2004
Well, Marlon Brando is dead. You probably already know that, but I mention it just in case you were in hiding or something. While listening to a story about Brando's career on All Things Considered, I realized that I have never seen the many classic films he starred in. That list include A Streetcar Named Desire, The Wild One, On the Waterfront, Last Tango in Paris, and The Godfather (A year ago or so, I admitted to Eric Whetsel that I never saw The Godfather  before and he was visibly stunned. Whatever respect he had for me was quickly lost after that conversation.). I think the only two Brando films that I have seen were The Freshman and Apocalypse Now (Which I saw through my fingers when I was nine or ten so my memories of it are shoddy at best, but I do remember The Freshman was charming fun!). As a someone who considers himself a movie buff, this acknowledgement is very embarrassing and I wish I never brought it up.

Hey, I became a member of The Demento Society again and I got the membership card to prove it! Have I ever mentioned that I think Dr. Demento and his fine radio show are the cat's pajamas? Have I ever mentioned how sucky it is no local radio station airs the good doctor's show anymore? Well, have I? Have I?

Before I completely fall under the sway of the voices in my head, I just want to mention that today is Free Comic Book Day so run to your participating comic book store and grab as many of the free comics you can get! Watch out, Bob's Comic Castle, here I come!

June 29, 2004
I surprised myself this past weekend by being pretty productive. I finally finished the penciling for my latest minicomic that I started ages ago. I'm hoping to get the inking and lettering done this week and printing it up this weekend. More details soon!

Well, I found out just recently one of my favorite shows got cancelled. Yes, after saving it from cancellation on UPN and letting it run for three more glorious seasons, Adult Swim pulled the plug on Home Movies. The adventures of Brendon Small, Melissa, Jason, and Coach McGuirk are now over and I'm still lapsing into mourning. Home Movies was a cartoon that had limited animation, but it also featured fun characters and damn good writing. It's one of those shows that that I try to emulate with my own work (Other shows that fall into that category: The Simpsons, Mystery Science Theater 3000, SCTV, The Adventures of Pete and Pete, and the list goes on so I won't bore you!). 

Thankfully Adult Swim is still running episodes currently on Sundays so it hasn't vanished completely, but who knows how long that may last. I guess I better crank up the VCR and pray the show gets collected on DVD (DVD gods, please be kind!).

Home Movies Update (8/26/04): The DVD gods have granted me a boon! The first season of Home Movies is being released on DVD in November! Yay!

June 24, 2004

I just found out yesterday one of my poems got chosen for this year's Humpback Barn Festival. I don't really consider myself a poet so it's always an honor when one of my poems gets accepted by the fine folks at Humpback. Sadly, not all poems make the grade though. Case in point, here's one of my rejects:

Of Robots and Termination 

Christmas is cancelled!
Santa is pulling the plug!
That’s the word that’s been going around,
But I don’t believe it
It’s just that time of year
Springtime
When things are slow
And rumors of lay offs
Form faster than icicles. 

It seems a new theory
To our impending doom
Churns steadily out of the break room
Every five minutes
That scrawny guy in Candy Canes
(I think his name is Tinky)
Said he heard Santa is looking
 To replace us all with robots
Robots!
Man, I have heard that one before
But a few of them
They seem to believe him
I nearly choke on my eggnog in disgust!

Stupid Tinky!
Stupid elves!
Things will pick up!
Give it a month or two
Then the assembly lines
Will be moving again
And we’ll be up to our armpits in toys!
And any talk of robots and termination
Will simply cease to exist

At least, until next year

June 19, 2004
GOOD NEWS: I've been on vacation for the past week.

BAD NEWS: My vacation is almost over.

GOOD NEWS: I found out this week (Wednesday, I believe) that I got cast in a couple of plays at the Muncie Civic. I got the part of Count Yousekevitch in Neil Simon's Fools and the part of The Mysterious Man in Into the Woods. Both productions are set for next year.

BAD NEWS: One of the musical giants in my life died last week. Ray Charles has always been one of my favorite performers. His music has been a part of my life since I could remember and it's sad to think he's no longer around. Thankfully, he left behind a wealth of great music. Rest in peace, Brother Ray.

GOOD NEWS: My nephew Nolan is now crawling. Breakable bric-a-brac beware!

WHAT I HAVE BEEN LISTENING TO (AND YOU SHOULD, TOO!): Loretta Lynn, Van Lear Rose 

GO OUT AND RENT (OR BUY):

If you like Bigfoot movies with character and humor, this is the movie for you! Filmed in the wilds of Pennsylvania, Among Us follows the exploits of a low budget movie director as he tries to find the elusive beast that he based his career on. Joining him on his quest is the woman that he loved (and betrayed) and a scientist who enjoys a good plaster casting! Written by our talented friend John Oak Dalton, Among Us may not change your beliefs about Bigfoot, but it is certainly a fun romp in the woods.

CLOSING THOUGHT: Do I really have to go back to work on Monday?