Sketchbook #10

This is some dude and another weird monster. I don't know why I am drawing so many these days. Perhaps I am channeling something. I'll bet its my co-workers. Many of them, were they turned into monsters, would look similar. I actually saw a guy yesterday that in addition to the giant gut, the tucked in polo shirt, jean shorts and newbalance sneakers, had a fanny pack, which is in itself not a rare occurrence 'round these parts. But, this guy had the strap threaded through his belt loops. WTF? Is he being economical buy using it as a belt, therefore saving money on said belt? Is he terrified that somebody is going to tear it off his waist and run off? If so, the pack-snatcher would most definitely get away, as the pack-owner is a tubby. Maybe it rides up. I'll bet that's it. Stay down there, fanny-pack! I don't need you up by my man-boobies!
In other news: This be our 4th anniversary weekend. That means we've been together for over 6 years. A record for the both of us, and I think that if we were going to get sick of each other , it would have happened by now. We have no real plans, except for going ghost town hunting with Cody Dopps, and a visit to Enid, USA. A place that I've been to before, and apart from Leonardo's Discovery Castle, it is a pit. But Cody makes things fun. He'll show us.

That is all.

Sketchbook #9

This is a Sea-Devil. Any Doctor Who fans out there? (Yes I know that this kicks up my nerd rating a few notches) I love the new series of Doctor Who. I loved the old one as well. They are bringing back the old enemies one by one, and we have had the Daleks and Cybermen so far, but I'm hoping they bring back these guys. They were so silly, and the actors in the outfits couldn't really walk correctly, so they moved really slow, allowing the companions extra time for close-ups of them screaming and looking generally angst-ridden, but not running away. I would also love to see The Master and the Sontarans, who may or my not have something in common with juggernaut from The X-Men.

That is all.

Is it 2008 yet?

In the grand scheme of things, I think that illegal wire-taps, phone data-mining, illegal wars, high gas prices, record deficits, shitting on New Orleans and shooting a guy in the face are a lot worse than lying about a blow-job. I can't for the life of me figure out why people back a political party like they back a sports team. "Win or loose, good or bad, that's my party and I'll support them to the ends of the Earth!" "You are either with us or against us!" "WOO HOO!" Both sides do it, and I've done it, everybody does it. Nobody looks objectively at an issue any more because it too damn hard. They might have to think about it for two seconds, and that is precious thought that is currently trying to figure out the map on Lost. People really need to figure out their priorities. The ISSUE is what is important, not the party.

Sketchbook #8

This is a toy robot.

So Jackson has decided that sleep just isn't for him. Doesn't like it. Last night he woke up once an hour until about 3am, when he decided he was up for good. We took turns rubbing his little back and letting him cry it out for small periods of time. He finally crashed out again around 5:30. I was up about an hour and a half after that. Couldn't find the shoes I wanted, all the big coffee mugs were in the still running dish-washer, and I had left my window down during a pretty severe storm, and a bunch of my CD's, most of which have paper covers these days, got all wet, as did my bum. I drank a massive amount of coffee, but forgot to take my heartburn pill, so I'm hella paying for that now.
But I'm in a pretty good mood anyway. We used our tax return to pay off the balance on a consolidation loan, and we set up a way to pay off our surprisingly low credit card debt. This means that after that gets paid off, the house will be our only actual debt (not counting regular bills). We have no student loans, no car payment, no stupid department store credit cards. Cash only, baby! This makes me very happy.
I'm starting to really enjoy Sia, the singer. I heard "Breathe Me" on KEXP a while ago, and as I did enjoy it, I thought she was a one-trick pony. Then I saw the vid for Taken for Granted, and some SXSW stuff, and changed my mind. She does a kick-bottom cover of Paranoid Android by Radiohead. I think I'll actually go buy that CD today.

That is all.

update- Sia used to be with Zero 7. I knew I recognized her voice. She's also the niece of former frontman for Men at Work Colin Hay.

Chaos Theory

Stilly is in chaos this lunch hour. Bushie is giving the commencement speech at OSU on Saturday, and three giant secret service helicopters just landed on the football field. I guess everyone wants a look, because traffic just got INSANE when I tried to come back from lunch. I assume they are here to stake out the "free speech zones" and find the best spots to place snipers and set up holding bins for hippies, and to wire tap the entire town.

I love a "free" society.

Pins and needles

I know, just know that you all look forward to the beginning of the month so you can see my calendar from the previous month.
Well fret no more, as it is here--->
Some one at work actually spotted the battle pod from Robotech, and knew what it was. I work with total nerds. But I drew it, so I one-up them on that. Everybody seems to enjoy the kool-aid man. I know I do. I can't drink that super sugary treat without my teeth hurting, but I do have fond memories of the fact that you can mix "Sharkleberry Punch" with almost any form of alcohol and have a yummy time. Usually the cheaper and more disgusting, comes-in-a-plastic-bottle hard liquor, the better. I wrote a comic years back about a fun time I had one night with just such a concoction. And by "fun time" I mean that I have little memory of what I did or why frozen veggies were in my bed when I awoke. I'll try to dig up that comic or re-do it for you all.

In other news, I need to pass this along:

"Congress is pushing a law that would abandon the Internet's First Amendment
-- a principle called Network Neutrality that prevents companies like AT&T,
Verizon and Comcast from deciding which Web sites work best for you -- based on
what site pays them the most. Your local library shouldn'tÂ’t have to outbid Barnes
& Noble for the right to have its Web site open quickly on your computer.
Net Neutrality allows everyone to compete on a level playing field and is
the reason that the Internet is a force for economic innovation, civic
participation and free speech. If the public doesn't speak up now, Congress will
cave to a multi-million dollar lobbying campaign by telephone and cable
companies that want to decide what you do, where you go, and what you watch
online."

"If Net Neutrality is gutted, Google, eBay, and YouTube either pay protection money to companies like AT&T or risk that their sites process slowly on your computer. Comcast could intentionally slow access to iTunes, steering Internet customers its own music service. And the little guy with the next big idea would be muscled out of the marketplace, relegated to the "slow lane" of the information superhighway. " -WWdN.

The big corporations with politicans in their pockets are looking to squash the blogosphere so it runs the was they want. I'm sure this has a lot to do with the grass roots political uprising from the last two presidential elections on the part of the Washington supporters, and a way to make fat cash on the part of the corporations. I don't want AT&T to decide that a site I want to go to will run at a snail's pace because they didn't receive some sort of payment from said site or the ISP they use. This is stupid and greedy and wrong on so many levels.
Go here for more info: http://www.savetheinternet.com/

off my soapbox now.

Aech Ee double hockey sticks

So Jackson got baptised this weekend. Now he won't wallow in pergatory. A lot of family and friends came out for it, and we had a great time. My Mom and my Dad hung out more in that 24 hours then they had in the last 28 years and both behaved themselves. I spent all day Saturday cleaning the house, trying to fix my lawn mower and smoking chinkens (in the smoker), which turned out wonderful. Very juicy and delish. People brought desserts and food and themselves. We had maybe 30 people, a lot of whom had driven a very long way. Actually they all did because we don't really have any friends here. Jack looked less faggy then I thought he would, given that he was in a romper and wearing a bonnet. I wasn't pushing for him to go up there wearing a construction worker's outfit of anything. I'm just sayin'. He looked cute.

Go here for the story that Jeff and I just finished.

You all rock!

The Ventures

This--->
(click it, you fool)

Is the comic I am sending to John Allison for his SGR Idol contest. If you don't read SGR, click on the icon to the right and read every single page. You will be sorry if you don't. I have also finished the Cthulhu story for Jeff, and he is happily banging away at the lettering. I will post that story on the NGV5 page when he's done. I am also doing the cover art for Joey's band, The Evildoers new CD. Then it is back to doodles at work and ball-point pen sketches. Oh, and new NGV5 stuff.

Visit from Aaron

This weekend saw a rare departure from Denver by one Aaron Taylor. We had a great time. He seems to be doing well. Not drinking or smoking, and he looks really fit. Due to Jason and Jennifer's stupidity, he had to be picked up by Jen's step-dad, and subjected to his company. Norm is awesome, but a bit of a shock for the uninitiated. Cody joined us on our weekend outing as well. I took Friday off and we hung out in Stilly. We hung out at the house, went to the coffeeshop, Jen and Aaron got hair cuts, then Aaron bought an Eskimo Joe's hat as well as this hat. He tortured the poor sales girl for over an hour, talking about spinny rims and headless chickens. She was awfully cute, but couldn't tell if Aaron was hitting on her or not. Neither could I. Neither could Aaron for that matter.
Cody joined us, and we went to get Chinese food, where Aaron and Cody had a little Oprah session about the state of "Denver Girls" while I ate lo mien. Back to the house for beers and patio conversation till the wee hours of late evening. Cody crashed there and in since the Powers pantry was poorly stocked due to a moderately successful attempt by Jason to lose weight( I'm down to 225 from 240 when Jack was born, and have 30 to go), we decided to hit Shortcakes. Shortcakes is a 24 hour greasy spoon with cramped quarters and no high chairs. They put American cheese (pasturized processed cheese-food product) on everything, and I was happy. Jen was not, as she ordered a cheese omelet (they had no mushrooms, that would be healthy) and she hates that fake cheese shit. We then went back to the coffeeshop, where Jackson flirted with all the cute girls on staff. Boy, if there is a cute girl or a camera around, that kid turns into the biggest ham. Cody departed to Enid for a birthday party, and we soon departed for Tulsa to see the grandparents. More accurately, for them to watch the boy so we could go to the bar. I cooked steaks that tasted yummy but were a wee bit undercooked.

The bar was fun. Jen made a new friend in the form of a drunk fucker who would hit on anything that moved.

witness--->

There were drunk girls and I smacked Jessie the bartender's ass, much to his delight. Jen was on a mission to find Cody a "nice Oklahoma girl so he won't leave" but was unsuccessful. The closest we got was a goth chick who decided to hit on me instead. Too bad. Who doesn't want to get with this?

Sunday was spent sight-seeing. -->

What a sight. The less said about that the better. I think people in OK are gonna think every guy from Denver has short dark hair and horn-rimmed glasses. We did hit woodward park. There were attractive Earth Day girls that Aaron and Cody failed to hit on. We ate Pepper's. Our car battery died, and we had to get a new one.

More patio partying back at Casa del Powers and then we went to bed, tired from all day in the sun. Monday I went back to work and Aaron went back to Denver. But not before Jackson was introduced to Greek food. The tabuli was a hit. We were then hit with rain, hail, and tornados that lasted all night. A fun weekend.

Things my wife has made up about fictional animals

I had a good weekend. I had Friday off, so I did a bunch of yardwork and chores and stuff. Saturday Jack and Cody and I went to the coffeeshop and then I cooked us all some fillets wrapped in bacon that kicked bottom. Jen made mashed potatos and they were equally bottom kicking. We drank some adult beverages and killed parasitic bugs. (one did not lead to the other)
At some point, Jen and I started talking about how I will eventually take Jackson camping and she will not attend. Partly because camping is a very father-son bonding thing, but mostly because she's really girly and doesn't like dirt. Then this happened:

Jen: Well, if you go, you need to watch out for the Oklahoma Grizzly Beast.

Jason: The Oklahoma Grizzly Beast?

Jen: Yep. It looks like a bobcat... but it has the face of a lion.

Jason: Really?

Jen: Yeah, and there's longer fur down the middle of it's back.

Jason: Like a mohawk?

Jen: Yes. And... (motioning to her mouth ala the Holy Grail Bunny scene) It has those big teeth.

Jason: Saber-teeth?

Jen: Yeah.

Jason: Oooo... Kay. Does it have stripes or cheetah spots or...

Jen: NO! It has cow spots! (Jason spits out his beer swig)

Jason: Well, does it have cat eyes or those black cow eyes that look like they have no soul?

Jen: No, listen. That's the thing. That's how they get you! It has big blue human eyes and these long eyelashes! So when you see one, it looks at you like a puppy and you go 'awww..' and when you go to pet it, it GETS you! Rawr!

Jason: Well you be sure to tell Jack about that before we leave. So I gotta deal with nightmares.


Here is what popped into my head:

Careful out there, kiddies!

Sketchbook #7

Bunch o' monsters. I really like the rotten orange monster. No one likes a rotten orange. Not even other rotten oranges. It is sad, really. I think I need more colors of highlighters. I could really branch out and waste time at work more effectively. Anybody who buys me a cool colored highlighter will receive a JP original piece of ball-point-pen-and-highlighter art in the mail.

Act now!

Litigation

This is not a real product-->

Are you confused? Brian at Doubleshot Coffee Co. in Tulsa has received a cease and desist order from Starbucks. He is to remove all mentions of the name "Doubleshot", because the company feels that it is a copyright infringement on their trademarked drink, the doubleshot. The thing is, how can one a) trademark a universal drink, made by anyone who has a espresso machine, and b) confuse the name of a business with the name of said drink?

I can understand if his store was called "Dr. Pepper's", but if Dr. pepper tried to sue him because his store was called "Soda", that would be extremely stupid.

from an email sent by Brian:

"I received a letter last week informing me that I am infringing on a trademark that Starbucks has had since 2001, "Starbuck's Doubleshot." The lawyers advised me to cease using the DoubleShot Coffee Company name, to shut down my website (http://www.DoubleShotCoffee.com), and to destroy everything I have which bears the "DoubleShot" name. Come read the letter yourself-- it's framed and hanging on the wall, over the garbage can.

"Please tell as many people as you can about this outrageous Starbucks chicanery. We figure that the more publicity and public indignation we stir up, the better chance we will have at standing up against this evil corporate empire.
Find out more information about this on the latest episode of AA Cafe (and learn how to get a 15% discount on web orders): http://www.DoubleShotCoffee.com/aacafe or on iTunes (search for "AA Cafe" in the music store).

You should listen to the podcast. This is a simple case of a big corporation stomping on the little guy. It will serve them no purpose other than to eliminate a competing smaller businesses that happes to offer a better product. A lot of people don't like Brian and would frankly love to see his store replaced by a starbucks, but regardless of your feelings, this is just not right. Fight the man!

March calender

Here it is----->
I like the little deep sea diver. This month also sees dig-dug, a space chick and the grim reaper.
Also, I was very excited to see the return of Doctor Who on the Sci-Fi channel. As latchkey kids, my brother and I were big fans, watching every sunday morning on PBS as we stayed at our dad's house on the weekends, waiting for him to get up and out of bed. This was at least until we discovered Teletunes, but even then Jeff would tape it, and we'd watch it later.
The new Who, on the heels of the Hitchhiker's movie, has awakened a dormant uber-nerd in me. I'm extremely nerdy, I know, but this is a super form that had been surpressed by good music and fashion sense. I find my self back in the comic shop a little more, and lurking around on a few message boards that maybe I shouldn't. Old favs like Robotech and Star Trek: TNG are finding their way onto my TV. I am especially excited for Star Trek 2.0, and I even watched a couple of X-Files episodes last week. I don't know if I should resist (futile) or just give in. All I know is that I'd better see a hipster/indy rock/emo concert soon or there will be tape on my glasses before I know it.

Sketchbook #6

This week we have a wrench. I don't know why.
That's a lie, yes I do. I had a professor in college who was really into Jim Dine, and I became a fan as well. Partly because my sketches were similar in style, and partly because I really respected the professor, though most students hated him.

Jim Dine did a whole series of drawings involving tools and paintbrushes and the like. He later moved into a really pop-art inspired period where he did hearts and bathrobes and boots. Unfortunately, these are what he's best remembered for, when he's a much deeper and significant artist, doing sculpture and instillation as well, sometimes all at once. I have a certain affinity with Dine, I think because we both have recurring themes in our art. I tend to put swirls and arrows and matches in most of my stuff, and he has hearts and the Venus de milo. We also like to use nontraditional media and we both have a very textural feel to our stuff.
And of course, we're both better known for more goofy stuff.

Endangered Species

I've only ever seen them in the zoo or on TV, with the exception of a Bald Eagle I once saw in the desert. *
But last night, one of these---->
got stuck between the screen and the sliding glass door. I thought it was a bat at first because it was almost 5 inches across! We took some pics and googled it, to find out that it was a rare endangered moth called a Luna Moth. Good thing we didn't smush it, because that would have been a federal offence. We gingerly took the screen door off it's runner and coaxed it onto the end of my pocket knife. We then released it back into the wild that is our back yard.
They are really beautiful. Mostly green with eye spots and purple edges, a white body, and huge, furry antennae.


In other news, we got Jackson a little floaty thing for use in the hot tub. He LOVES it! He kicks his little feet and splashes in the netting between the first and second inflatable rings. He seems to have a good time. And he looks really cute in it.


*I may have been halucinating

Sketchbook #5

Here is a doodle from my book:

It's a bomb. I thought about making the sticker read "Ishtar", but decided against it. If it could be printed accurately, I would love to do an entire comic in just ball-point pens and highlighters.

This past weekend, Jen's cousin Preston got married. We had a good time. The reception was at a place called Leonardo's Discovery Warehouse, and 'tis a magical place. The reception hall, which was above the main area, looked like any other reception, only with heraldic flags covering the windows.
outside was a giant wooden castle called Adventure Quest, offering:

Outwit mazes, beat obstacle courses, zoom down slides, and splash away at the water stream table in this enchanting three-story playland brimming with extraordinary outdoor activities. Built by the hands of more than 11,000 local volunteers, this impressive structure is sure to be your favorite outdoor activity.

We totally would have gone, had it not been for the torrential downpour occurring at the time.
I can't wait to take Jackson there once he gives a shit. Although it would involve actually going to Enid on purpose. I don't know if I could handle that.

boy howdee

So I watched my boy all day yesterday while Jenn went to a funeral. I had a great time. I didn't get to see him all last week, so it was good to have a whole day just to play. We baught him shoes and he went with me to the comic book store and the coffeeshop. The extremely attractive staff of Aspen Coffee Company were all a twitter about him, so (listen up here, Cody) I'm thinking of renting him out as girl bait. He's the in, you see. Then you can chat up the cute ladies, and you look like the type of responsible guy that people trust their kids with, even though I'll only be a half a block away with a pair of binoculars.

In other news, SXSW Media announced their blog awards last monday. I am really happy that postsecret won a huge heap of awards, because it is a truely awesome site.
I didn't win anything. I know you were all pulling for me, and I thank you all for your support, but I didn't win.

Have a look:

Schmatrix

I work with more that a few really overweight guys who like to wear leather trenchcoats and wear sunglasses with really small lenses. I know this is the norm in places like Germany, but around here it looks silly. Especially when you have just a t-shirt and grubby jeans on underneith. None of you are Keanu. None of you are even Lawrence Fishburn, though his physique is certainally closer to your own.

The Life Pursuit

A record review

If you listen to the entire catalog of Belle & Sebastian as I have done many times thanks to the ipod, no song sounds like the one next to it, though the band has a very distinct sound. The Life Pursuit is no exception. If they want to throw in a Blues song, or a bunch of techno beeps and boops, even nods to '70s AM radio, they feel free to do so with out any concern or care that they are straying from their "sound". They have become less cryptic and less morose as the years and constant line-up changes have gone by, but the music has not suffered for it. It has only gotten better. This is only the second album produced by an outsider, and you can tell that Tony Hoffer is letting others in the band besides Stuart Murdoch have a say in what gets done. The songs are more polished without sounding over-mixed. Unlike past albums, when a track starts off not as wonderful as I would like, it soon proves me wrong. Nothing is worth skipping over.

Dear Catastrophe Waitress heralded their exit from shy, reclusive melodrama to extroverted pop sensations, and this change worried some of the die-hards like myself. DCW tested the waters with one toe, but refused to jump all the way in, and I thought they might pull a Smiths on us, and languish in the shallows, flopping around until they finally died, only to be re-born as an over-cooked dinner. Was Morrissey great? Yes. As great as the Smiths? No fucking way. The Life Persuit has not only jumped in, but set up an undersea bio-dome ala Sealab, where they can live forever. This new found confidence has come with everything associated with it, including touring, radio appearances, and actually allowing interviews and public appearances, something that they rarely did in the past, adding to their mystique. This was a main reason why some of the fans cried foul, but the long awaited release doesn't justify the nail-biting. Every track can trace it's roots to an earlier incarnation, cementing the B&S "sound", but adding a lot as well. "Another Sunny Day" is a series of lyrical snapshots, and "Sukie in the Graveyard" is another in a long line of character studies. There are the standard meandering guitars and organ solos, poppy, happy drums, and backing vocals, along with the lyrics that always make your ears perk up, think: Did I really just hear that? All with Stuart's wonderful not-quite-whiney vocals that Colin Meloy hasn't yet mastered.

All in all a big Thumbs up from Jason.

Feb at my Job

So this---------->
Is how my calandar looked last month. As you can see, there is very little actual work penciled in there. If I had more work, I couldn't have done all these doodles, now could I? I like the Kong part. This month I'm thinking Dig Dug.
My mom came to visit and I had a birthday. Jackson turned 7 mo. old. Time flys, well sorta.
"The years go fast but the days go so slow," to quote Modest Mouse.
Here is something I noticed about how this society is a little weird. We all know about the ads during the Super Bowl, and many people tune in just for them, and that's fine. We all love witty ads, and sometimes we download them and watch them over and over, and then sometimes the ad takes on a life of it's own, and people forget what the ad was for in the first place. I saw the Superfriends version of the wassup ad before I saw the ad itself. But last night I kept seeing ads about a new X-Men 3 trailor that is going to be shown during 24 next week. And ad for an ad. That's taking it a little far. Do we really need commercials telling us when a commercial is going to be on? I guess it isn't that different from a press release about a product launch, just a little more blatant.
The really sad part about it is that I was really excited about the new trailor when I saw the ad for the trailor. I watch the old one every few days, anong with the Superman one.
I am a sad little nerd.