Never ever

On This Day:
Monday March 31, 2008

This is the 91st day of the year, with 275 days remaining in 2008.

Fact of the Day: thunder
Why does thunder rumble? When a lightning bolt flashes through the sky we see it instantly. Thunder takes a few seconds longer to reach us. Sound travels about a mile in 5 seconds. Start counting when you hear a lightning flash. If you hear the thunder in 5 seconds, the lightning's a mile away; in 10 seconds and it is two miles away. We hear rumbling as sound from other parts of the flash hits our ears. Thunder from the part of flash nearest us reaches our ears first. The phenomenon of "rolling thunder" is many lightning flashes and their sounds occurring in sequence.



Thunder is the explosive sound produced by an ordinary lightning discharge. The lightning bolt quickly heats the air around it to such a high temperature that air molecules are pushed apart with tremendous force, producing a sound wave. Thunder lasts much longer than lightning and changes in pitch and loudness. This happens for several reasons: the lightning bolt has an irregular shape, the air expands in all directions at once, lightning bolts overlap, and objects on the ground interfere with the sound. Thunder is heard after lightning is seen because sound travels more slowly than light.



Fact of the Day: fire
The original source of fire undoubtedly was lightning, and such fortuitously ignited blazes remained the only source of fire for aeon's. For some years Peking man, about 500,000 BC, was believed to be the earliest unquestionable user of fire; evidence uncovered in Kenya in 1981 and in South Africa in 1988, however, suggests that the earliest controlled use of fire by hominids dates from about 1,420,000 years ago. Not until about 7000 BC did Neolithic man acquire reliable fire-making techniques, in the form either of drills, saws, and other friction-producing implements or of flint struck against pyrites. Even then it was more convenient to keep a fire alive permanently than to reignite it.

I am having an affair.

Yep. And Barry knows about it.


It all started a while ago. I've been in the market for a new cell phone. My old one sucked. Sucked hard. Hated it. SO I've been doing research, playing around, doing some 007 type investigating and came up with my new Motorola krzr phone.

It's a beautiful thing. I hold it in my hand and it fits perfectly. I can watch live TV, listen to music, watch current episodes of a lot of tv programs out there.

I've got GPS on it!!

It doesn't make hot cocoa yet, but I'm sure that will be an option down the road. It is awesome. I can get a signal practically anywhere. I love this phone.

Anyone who knows me KNOWS I am the ultimate gadget freak. I dunno why--I think it's a gene carried on my fathers side. But I have to have the current gadgets or at least know about them. It's an addiction of mine.

I love my phone.

Now Barry wants one.

Stupid, STUPID me.


Stupid, STUPID me. Sometimes you just have to shut up.

I have a rule. It's a simple rule. Never, never, NEVER, NEVER EVER discuss religion and politics. I always follow this rule (well, for the most part). ALWAYS--ok, most of the time. Kinda my own personal mantra 'Don't discuss religion and politics'. Repeat as necessary.

I use to love discussing politics and religion, but find most of the time religious discussions of late digress into "my God is better then your God" I love politics and this Caucusing and Primary Races thing is my time of year.

So I'm chatting with the dad of a girl I'm drawing as he holds the girl on his lap. We were discussing (no, really) rocket science--he was a rocket scientist and I find that kinda stuff fascinating so we talked about it. He mentions he just moved to Texas and what a rough time he'd had of it and nothing was working and how the Elders of his church were really helping them out. For some dumb-ass reason I chime up with "Oh! Are you Mormon, too?"

I know better, I KNOW better.

He looks at me aghast like I'd just slapped him in the face and run over his puppy. He then gasps "No! I'm a Christian!" I then couldn't decide if I DID want to slap him in the face OR run over his puppy. Mostly I was just pissed. But it brought up some interesting thoughts for me.

Unlike 99.9% of my family I am not Republican--much to their dismay.

I, of course, kept abreast of the goings on with Mitt Romney running for pres just because he was Mormon. There was never EVER the slightest possibility of me voting for him...but politics fascinated me and so I watched all the debates and watched the news like a hawk as I follow politics. I remember the polls discussing how such and such a percent would never vote for Romney under any circumstances because they held the view that Mormons weren't Christians. At the time I thought it poppy cock and how we had to have come along farther then that. Then ya get slapped in the face with it. So my mantra...Never EVER discuss religion and politics.

EVER.

So I looked on my phone last night to see if there was a phaser on it just in case...but...I guess I have to wait for the upgrade.

The Eyes Have it!!!

I got 'em back! I got 'em back!!!
I lost a contact a month or so ago and it's wrecked havoc with me. I finally got my super cool new pair in.

It's amazing.

It's almost like sensory overload. I've been using contacts that weren't my perscription and it has been kinda miserable. I had an eye infection and not to mention since it's an oooooolllld Rx I've missed a lot of details.
Well, I'm back baby! Wooohoooo!

WOMBLEES update

Here's another page from Womblees that I've got colored. I'm really REALLY excited for this project.

Really excited!!!





Our Easter was awesome. The kids had a wonderful mondo chocolate filled day.


We got the kids official Easter pic. Fox and Chloe were awesome! Fox posed like a champ and Chloe took direction from the photo people wonderfully well! Molly...she wasn't happy. She got scared of the bunny but we were able to take a couple usable photos. I had a lot of fun that day.

We went to Seaworld for a while on Wednesday. Chloe sat beside some gorgeous flowers so I took a few picts. Then Fox wanted to get in on the act, too. They are some beautiful, beautiful kids.











Be good and happy thoughts!

Catching up with MegaCon

On This Day:
Wednesday March 12, 2008

This is the 72nd day of the year, with 294 days remaining in 2008.
Fact of the Day: gravity

Gravity simply exists; it is the universal force of attraction that affects all matter. It is the weakest of the four basic physical forces, but, on the scale of everyday objects near the Earth or that of astronomical bodies, it is the dominant one. The fall of bodies released from a height to the surface of the Earth and the weight of resting bodies at or near the surface are the most familiar manifestations of gravitation, but the rotation of the Earth about the Sun, the motion of the Sun around the center of the Milky Way Galaxy, and the geometric structure of the universe itself are equally the results of the force of gravitation. Isaac Newton held that every particle of matter in the universe attracts every other particle with a force that is proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

I should have known that MegaCon wasn't going to go well for me this year. Friday (the start of the show) found me nervous and excited. So much so that when I went to do my hair, I couldn't figure out for the life of me why it looked so horrible. Turns out I forgot to wash the deep conditioner I had used out of my hair. In chick speak-- bad hair can totally ruin the most joyous of occasions. Needless to say after I finished my hair and makeup--everything went to hell in a hand basket and it went there fast.

I was supposed to have my big debut of my new series "Womblees" at the Con--didn't happen. We got slammed for orders at Ka-blam and Barry and Thomas at times worked literally around the clock. I had nothing new at the show...well, a DreamWalker TPB of my first volume--which just makes me CRINGE when I look at it. So I didn't spend much time hawking the thing.

Anyway. On the way OVER to the convention I had something in my eye I had to go rub them and next thing I knew I heard this "plink" sound and felt my contact take a flyin' leap out of my eye! It hit something on the floor, what I don't know. But I have still never found it.

SO I'm just walking up to the Convention I have a couple people try to talk to me and I couldn't see who they were because I COULDN'T FRIGGIN' SEE AT ALL!!! I couldn't concentrate while talking with anyone at all. didn't go well.

I also found that intelligence is linked to eye sight--at least for me. I lost half my vision (well, more then that) and about half my intelligence went with it. Being blond to start off with--you finish the rest. I couldn't hold a descent conversation for nothing. I couldn't think, got distracted and in general was good for nuthin'. It sucked. Big time.

Bright spots were of course bringing up Chloe alone on Friday. All the family came up Sunday, but Chloe enjoyed just walking around the dealers room. I loved hanging out with friends at being at the Ka-blam booth. I loved walking around Artists Alley.



Brady and Keelan Parham chat at the table while Chloe looks on.

I have to say all in all I was greatly impressed with MegaCon this year.



Chloe and Haley Duron hang out at the booth.

It moved to a different convention hall. I think the Con had a lot more space and was very well attended. I loved that there was A LOT of Artist Alley space so lots of artists could show their stuff. I LOVED that the dealers room was HUGE.

Costumes this year were outstanding!! I took a few pictures. My camera was being persnickety and some of my picts didn't turn out.







Chloe hangs with Sups.



The extraordinarily nice and talented Mark Mekkes hangs out with the dancers that were the pre-show to the Webcomics award. Check out his fantastic comic Zortic.

If you want you can buy his Trade here: Indyplanet
Sorry for the blurred images--I only had half my vision and couldn't focus worth crap.

I got to present an awards at the 2008 Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards. I should have worn my glasses but vanity ruled me. I went in my single contact wearing bad-ass self glory and bumbled my way thru the presentation. I presented The Outstanding Writing Nominee Dresden Codac by Aaron Diaz. Outstanding webcomic--didn't win...but it rocks. Kinda Quirky, kinda surreal...lotta heart.

I didn't even want to go on Sunday, but Barry talked me into going up later with Barry's folks (who are visiting from Mississippi for a bit) and the kids. I think the convention scared his folks. They'd never been to a comic convention and I don't think they'll be rushing off to go to another one soon.

I haven't had a chance yet to go see about getting another contact. So it has been a very VERY frustrating week for me. I had one extremely nice lady try to help me. I went all over town trying to find a Doctor who could see me right then. It was impossible. I went to even some of the warehouse stores to see if they could fill my old RX or have a doctor THERE get me in. No dice.

I was about to start cryin' ( I swear) when one of the stores I went into had lost their eye doctor and was in search of another. I told the lady about my last couple of days and I needed a contact...etc. She looked at my old RX then went to her store room and made me swear that I'd go see a Dr within 2 weeks, but she handed me 3 (count 'e 3!!!) samples of contacts. They weren't my exact prescription or size, and they aren't toric like I need but it was something. She tried. She made me swear that I wouldn't tell anyone about her. So I'm not. But thanks.

See, nice things like that only happen to my friend Michael--never ever to me!! The lenses didn't really work out, and I now have an appointment for Friday morning. I hope I can make it that long. I worked last night drawing caricatures and I have to say I don't think there was one that I liked. It sucks not being able to see. I was pretty miserable. C'mon Friday!!!



This weeks toonweekly challenge was 90's movies. I chose Silence of the Lambs and Mystery Science Theatre 3000: The movie. Of course I had to do MST3K!!! Dems my guys!!

Happy thoughts!

toonweekly.com Dorothy and Superhero

This weeks Toonweekly.com theme was Wizard of Oz--my submission was Dorothy and the Cowardly Lion. I screwed up. I wanted to go for the funny and had every intention of having Dorothy leaning on the Lion like he was now an animal hide...but I missed. Now it's kinda lookin' more along the lines of bestiality--Dorothy and the Lion get it on.

Way to screw with an icon, eh?

Last weeks submission was coming up with our own Superhero--right up my alley.




So I came up with an ice guy and his lady love...dumdada dah...Tundra and Arctic Fox. Yes, I do plan on using them in a story.

Some day.

When I have more time.

Someday when I have more time and the Gods of fate quit pointing their middle fingers in my direction.

Happy thoughts.