You can call me Done

Uncorrected Proofs #11: In Which I Complicate Things

2009-10-24T01:26:04Z

Natalie was talking with me about how she was trying to keep her stress to a minimum, but I was clearly not helping in that department. I interjected with "I'm a stress vending machine." She immediately requested a cartoon of this. Later, I showed her the pencil sketch for this comic and she had no recollection of the conversation whatsoever.

I'll try to remember to post the original thumbnail design that I brainstormed. It's pretty much the same, but Natalie's expression is hilarious.

Spend your dollars wisely!

Writer's Block: Life is a masquerade

2009-10-03T03:08:01Z

Are you planning to dress up for Halloween? How long do you typically plan your costume? Do you keep it a secret?

View 1030 Answers

As many of you know, I'm sort of known for my Halloween costumes. I also tend to have them planned out far ahead of time. This year I still don't have any ideas, mainly because I've been too busy to really think about Halloween. And that means I've been very busy.

I've got some leftover costumes from years past: nurse, boy scout, Dr. Gregory House, half of my French maid costume... I just don't have anything planned out yet. I also don't have any plans for Halloween itself. I know it's a big deal out here in SF, but Haven't seen any party invites yet.

Uncorrected Proofs #10: In Which We Establish Setting

2009-09-22T00:18:36Z

Living under a giant communications tower does have its benefits. While we can't say we live in the Castro, Inner Sunset or Cole Valley or any other neighborhood surrounding us, we can point up to Sutro Tower on the highest hill in the city and say "We live over there."

Still having fun with colors. I spent way too long on this one as far as the computer goes, so there's no shading, just flat colors, but I still like it. One of these days I really do need to get a tablet, it will make the whole process so much easier. Specifically, it will make my inking and layers system like 10x easier.

The most NSFW of NSFWs

2009-09-20T07:54:41Z

Natalie got this from Violet Blue, but damn. This is just too entertaining not to share. Apparently Rammstein released a new single off their latest album, entitled "Pussy," and the video is so explicit that rather than being posted on youtube or the like, it's airing on one of the many, many porny youtube clones, visit-x.net. You can watch the wildly entertaining video here. It features full-on hardcore pornography in proof positive that sexy and funny are not mutually exclusive.

I've always known Rammstein to have a great dry sense of humor and never shying away from showing some skin and doing things on stage in Germany that never made it into the states, but this video--and this song--lord, you guys. It's too good.

I would also invite you to go watch the video for Shakira's new song. Partly because I am totally entertained by it and it keeps getting stuck in my head, but mostly because it features some of the most unorthodox yet still appealing dancing that I've seen in a long while.

Okay, so I totally have a man-crush on Till Lindemann. 18 years is an acceptable age difference, yeah? <edit > My late night math has failed me. He's 21 years older than I am.</edit>

Last night a webcomic saved my life with a song

2009-09-18T07:15:45Z

I read a lot of webcomics. I mean it. At any given time I'm reading upwards of 30 regularly, with more that I forget about for months at a time and then go back through the archives. Here's a list of what I'm keeping up with currently, and why. There's no particular order to the list. At some point, I got into the habit of reading them in this order, and I keep it up so that I don't forget any.

Something*Positive is the comic I've been reading the longest out of any on this list. R.K. Milholland is a dedicated creator and a genuinely funny and decent guy. The humor is offensive as a general rule, but is all tongue-in-cheek. He probably receives the most hate mail of anyone on this list. The plot is really just people trying to get by in a hateful world with the help of their hateful, cynical friends.

Wapsi Square is a work that receives a lot of recognition from other webcomic creators. It's a long running series about humans, demons and other-worldly creatures trying to deal with leading a normal life while unraveling the mysteries around the Mayan calendar. Lately it's been pretty serious, but it generally alternates between dramatic and lighthearted. Paul Taylor's art is very distinctive and stylized, and entertaining to watch it evolve through the archives.

Girly is the work of Josh Lesnick, a comic creator I've followed for the longest of anyone on this list. It's his third major work, stemming from an earlier comic, Cute Wendy, which was an alternate version of his earlier comic, Wendy. Girly follows Winter and Otra, a girl and her sidekick, respectively. Otra wanted to sulk and live her life on her own until Winter came along and dubbed Otra her sidekick in a series of what can only be called Wacky Adventures. Bonus points because the two of them are a positive same-sex couple. Josh gets a lot of admiration from me because he's constantly challenging himself, evolving his style and trying more and more complicated things. He also thinks about comics in a very academic way, and has studied the work of many of his major influences, which can mostly be tracked to early Warner Brothers cartoons.

Married to the Sea, Natalie Dee, Toothpaste for Dinner and Superpoop are a quartet of comics made by a married couple in Ohio. These are some of the most familiar webmcomics to people who don't read webcomics. They're simple one-panel comics, MttS Photoshopping images from the public domain, Natalie Dee produced via MS Paint, TfD featuring abstracted, wall-eyed people and a little text, and Superpoop created by adding captions to popular images from the internet and media. They're not winning any awards, but they're simple, fun reads.

Least I Could Do and Looking for Group are produced by the same writer/artist team, LiCD 7 days a week, LfG Tues/Thurs. I've heard LiCD disdainfully referred to as Sohmer's personal fantasy where he's rich and bones hot chicks, which is accurate, but doesn't take away from the fact that the comic is enjoyable, funny and well drawn, inked and colored. LfG shares the same sense of humor as LiCD, but is a D&D meets LotR sort of fantasy epic. I can always trust these titles to be enjoyable.

Shortpacked! is a comic about a toy store and the strange people who populate it. The comic is roughly a spin-off of David Willis's earlier series, It's Walky! (which still continues as Joyce and Walky!). David Willis is another creator who I just really like on a personal level. We get occasional comics of him talking to us, the readers, via the panels, and also from time to time, he makes appearances in the comic, making himself a canon character in his own comic's universe. The plot is mostly zany hijinks, enjoyable for just about anyone, but especially for those who have ever been a part of any fandom.

XKCD is another webcomic familiar to people who don't read webcomics. Odds are, if you know a scientist or mathematician who reads a comic, it's this one. The art is simple, stick figures with minimalistic backgrounds, but the jokes are complex. The creator has a degree in physics, and even worked on robots for NASA. That said, it's not inaccessible to anybody who's reading this. It's always funny, and occasionally touching.

Penny Arcade is a long running series I only recently picked up. It's another well-known title, and is often begrudged its success. Built as a gamer comic, the writer/artist team are themselves no seen as experts in the gaming field. Gaming companies give them copies to review and pay top dollar to be advertised on their site. The comic itself is a series of three-to-four panel one-shots with little to no continuity. Frequently the humor is inaccessible to non-gamers, but there are some true gems in their lengthy archives. The evolution of the art is also spectacular to observe here.

Dr. McNinja is a comic about a doctor who is also a ninja. In case you couldn't tell by his name, he's also of Irish descent. The closest thing I can compare this comic to is Deadpool. It is a relatively violent action comic that is truly hilarious. His sidekick is a young bandito who rides a dinosaur and his receptionist is a gorilla. His mentor is Benjamin Franklin. These are the sorts of goings-on that keep me coming back.

Misfile is a series that will feel familiar to anime fans. In this universe, heaven works like an enormous corporation, and when some files are messed up, one teenage boy is transformed into a girl, and a girl's life is rewound one year. The drunk, stoner angel that caused the mix-up now resides on earth, trying to fix the matter. Thrown into the mix is a lot of street racing. It reads like a combination of Oh! My Goddess, Initial D and Ranma 1/2.

Evil Inc. follows a huge corporation run by supervillians. Creator Brad Guigar is a veteran of the webcomic business and produces a fun, steady comic. It has some dry spells, but reflects well the sort of trials and tribulations of trying to date, build a family, make your boss happy and survive hostile takeovers... when you can control lightning.

Girls with Slingshots is a comic I will recommend to almost anyone. It's as real-life as any of the comics I read, mostly dealing with dating, getting drunk and trying to make friends. Of course, there's also a cactus named McPedro that talks in an Irish accent to any drunk character. The most recent storyline is a massive crossover with Something*Positive, in which Davan of S*P attends a GwS wedding on a whim. Danielle Corsetto is another writer-artist who I adore personally.

Octopus Pie is a comic I truly envy. Meredith Gran weaves a world in a tiny area of New York that has a life of its own. I adore how she subtly makes New York another character in the comic, but never intrudes on the reading with HEY, HEY, THIS IS HAPPENING IN NEW YORK, GUYS! It follows the trials and tribulations of Eve, who deals with her overbearing boss Olly at her grocery store job, her stoner roommate Hanna, dating her old flame and trying to figure out if her life actually makes her happy. Gran's skill with ink is unbelievable, and she writes such a smooth story that re-reading the archives is a pleasure.

Johnny Wander is a comic that always makes me feel good. The artist, Yuko, is someone who I've followed on the internet for years though I didn't realize that until very recently. The comic is mostly autobiographical about Yuko, Ananth (the writer) and the very interesting people they live with. Yuko's art is striking in its simplicity and fun. Love love love. One of my favorites.

Curvy is a porny comic about inter-dimensional travel, a world made of candy and hot sex. I think that covers it. The art is fabulous.

Oglaf is another porny comic, but this one is in a medieval fantasy sort of setting. ABSOLUTELY hilarious. The art is phenomenal and expressive, and it's proof positive that sex can be sexy and funny at the same time.

Daisy is Dead is a comic about a zombie. A cute zombie. She doesn't want to eat brains, she just wants to work as a barista and not terrify everyone she meets.

Dawn of Time is a work of genius. As the name implies, it's a prehistory (sort of) comic following Dawn, a cavewoman who encounters dinosaurs, the civilized world and even time travellers, and generally creates chaos wherever she goes. Phenomenal.

Dresden Codak is one of the best comics I read. The art, writing and concepts are off the charts. Unfortunately, the schedule that the creator works on is absolutely insane, so you really only get a comic once a month, if that. However, it's always worth the wait. The design, colors, writing, everything is always spot-on. It follows Komiko Ross, a mad scientist with serious social anxiety problems and all her adventures with historic figures and time travellers.

Evil Diva's titular character is the daughter of higher-up in the corporate world of Hell, literally. She goes to high school with other demons and angels and is mentored by Virgil (of Dante's Inferno). The art is wonderful and adorable, and the story is really taking shape.

Gastrophobia follows an amazon, Phobia, and her son, Gastro through their mythological hijinks. The art is top-notch fun, and the gags are well-executed. Another highly respected comic creator.

My Stupid Life is the autobiographical work of Mitch Clem, a man better known for his other comics that I haven't gotten around to reading. His life is hilarious, but very rarely updated.

Nobody Scores! is a little comic about inevitable disaster. There is no continuity, as every comic ends in, well, disaster, leaving the cast dead or maimed. Consistently inventive and hilarious. This comic is wholly unpredictable.

Awkward Zombie is the work of a very, very talented youngster who just started college. It's a gaming comic, but the humor is accessible, and the art is brilliant. I think we'll be seeing some very impressive stuff from this girl in the future.

DAR: A Super Girly Top Secret Comic Diary is the autobiographical comic of Erika Moen, a queer artist dealing with being a wife, model, artist and former hardcore dyke. Funny, irreverent and smart, this comic is only one of Moen's brilliant works.

Hark, a Vagrant is the historic comics of Kate Beaton, a genius with a history degree and some free time. She pokes fun at European, Canadian and American history and anything else that catches her eye. Her art has evolved and has always remained fun, and her humor is simultaneously low-brow and high-brow in its approach.

Questionable Content is another wildly popular title. Filled with indie music, anime and physics references, it is an ever-changing and evolving comic. It never disappoints, and has some of the wildest characters of any comic I read. It also has a rich meta life, with the comic creator writing and performing songs written by a band in the comic (and then posted to the internet), and twitter accounts for several of the cast members.

Like I said, there are always some that I forget, and even now some of them come to mind. If you ever want to read some comics, let me know and I can give reader recommendations for days and days.

Tales of shopping

2009-09-17T04:34:16Z

Life in the city is pretty good. Yesterday Natalie and I went to Good Will, Thrift Town, and Good Vibrations [NSFW]. I'll be courteous and withhold pictures of what I picked up at Good Vibrations, but you need to see what I found at Thrift Town. When I picked it off the "uniforms" shelf, I knew something was awry. The top definitely seemed uniform-like, but the second piece was shorts. Short shorts. It struck me that I'd seen Sean Connery wear things like this in the Bond movies, but couldn't figure it out until Natalie identified it. This is a swim set from the 1960s. A nice low-cut button-down shirt and shorts that sit above your navel and rise way more than halfway up your thighs.

Natalie managed to find a picture of what I'm talking about, and also took pictures of my awesome find.

Now I just have to find something to do with this treasure.

Writer's Block: On the (Job) Hunt

2009-09-15T19:26:42Z

What's the hardest part about looking for a new job?

Sponsored by Monster

View 523 Answers

Not drinking yourself to death.

Honestly, I think the hardest part of looking for a job is trying to motivate yourself to do anything else. I've got all this free time on my hands since I'm unemployed, but I feel as though I never want to do anything.

job hunting

2009-08-28T04:38:32Z

I've put in a number of applications all over the city, but thought I'd take the time here to list some of the... stranger positions to which I've applied. Now, of course, I've put in for library positions all over, including some military jobs across the US (the federal government pays its librarians shockingly well).

Publicity Coordinator - Dark Horse Publishing (thanks to we_are_pliable )
Office helper - private residence (natbrat found on Craigslist)
Data Entry/User Services Team - Yelp

Dark Horse is based in Milwaukie, OR, but other than that, most of the jobs I've put in for are in the Bay Area. Of course, all the federal jobs are much further east (Ohio, Kansas, Georgia [yes, , Georgia!]). Of course, all this is still just a big waiting game.

DARK HORSE, you guys. I drafted an awfully impressive cover letter laying out my qualifications, even if I don't have any marketing or publicity experience. Admittedly, I'd be far up in Oregon, but I would get to work for the company that produces Hellboy and The Goon. Even at that, it's not my first choice job, of course.

Uncorrected Proofs #9: Nerrrrrrrrrrd

2009-08-26T03:55:49Z

I don't think anyone has mistaken me for the burly farmer type. I don't think anyone has mistaken me for any burly type. I'm really enjoying the monochromatic schemes. I think I'm going to keep them. More to come!

Uncorrected Proofs #8: In Which We Make a Reference

2009-08-20T03:05:37Z

Liz, or we_are_pliable, recently got a job as a baker in the kitchen of her local Earth Fare, and essentially wrote this strip for me when she messaged me saying "MY NEW JOB WORKING FOR HIPPIES HAS A 401(K). MY LIFE IS A CAT AND GIRL STRIP"

If you're unfamiliar with Cat and Girl, I suggest you go and read it here.

I'm getting a little better at this comic strip stuff, I think. I'm still trying to nail down a simple, repeatable style, and there are plenty of tools I still want to learn to use, but it's starting to feel a little more natural. The second panel was originally going to have a little more dialog, but in the end, the joke really sells itself. I do need to get better with confining my panels. Instinctively, I avoid it, but I realize that once I start working, things get sloppy without defined borders.

Life by the Bay

2009-08-06T02:15:14Z

We are settling into San Francisco life pretty well. Yesterday we braved the shuttle system that circulates through Natalie's campuses (campi?). It was quick and easy, and we even met one of the administrators/instructors of her program after negotiating our way past the security guards without any form of ID. We walked home with the assistance of our GPS, and decided it was far more preferable to take the shuttle. What a hike. We declared it bullshit, and won't be doing it again.

Today, we attempted the MUNI system, following the path she'll need to take to her conference this weekend. The bus was easy enough, but what was really nice was the subway. I can't explain it, but there is something about subways that is both familiar and comfortable. Riding the train made me feel more at home in San Francisco than anything else yet. It's starting to feel less and less like I'm on vacation. That said, downtown San Francisco is surprisingly similar to NYC.

We walked up the hill from the subway station back to our house, which was a much nicer walk than our return yesterday, though Natalie had some intercostal problems. We decided to take the car to a nearby SF Public Library branch to get our library cards. I picked up the first Artemis Fowl book, so I can continue to determine if Colfer has what it takes to finish up the Hitchhiker's series. I also got The Lirbary: An Illustrated History, mostly because Nicholas A. Basbanes wrote the foreword.

Oh hey, also- guess what's based in San Francisco? That's right, No Fauxxx.

Okay, I'm gonna go watch The Muppet Show.

real update soon, but first, a MEME

2009-08-05T16:01:56Z

Leave me a comment and I will reply with why I like you. If I don't know you, I'll either make something up or tell you why I like your LiveJournal. You must pay for the privilege by posting a message like this one on your LiveJournal.

I'm generally not one to go for the do this and pass it on sort of thing, but I find this to be an interesting game. As a reward for putting up with this, you'll get a real update from me soon.

O, hai

2009-08-01T02:03:14Z

This is my building:

This is what I see when I walk out the front door:

Heaven, I'm in heaven...

Voodoo, too.

2009-07-23T04:56:22Z

Goin' out West has become a consistent theme in my talks about the move to San Francisco. It's been among my favorite Tom Waits songs ever since I first heard his music, partly for its intensity, its absurdity, but mostly for the character Waits creates in the song's narrator.

Like most music, you tend to cling to the first rendition you hear. Whether this is a remake of an older song, or one band's earlier album over the later, more popular ones. In my case, I first heard Goin' out West in the version Waits performed on the Arsenio Hall Show, with a slightly different pace, heavier guitar, slightly-off rhythm and subtle changes in intonation. That is, as subtle as anything Tom Waits ever does can be. I've always preferred this performance.

There's some money out there; they're giving it away.

Goin' out West

2009-07-21T17:24:44Z

So, in less than 48 hours, I'll be cramming furniture and boxes into a moving van and hitting the road. It's a little frightening to think about, honestly. I'm definitely excited to be going to San Francisco, but obviously the downsides are leaving behind a lot of friends I've made over the past two years, and I don't have a damn job yet.

But! I already know three folks out in the bay area (one of whom I'm related to), and with any luck, one of the jobs I've applied to already will want to interview me once we're out there. If not, then maybe just being in the area will open my eyes to more job opportunities.

I'm waiting on somebody to come and look at our desk (and decide to buy it) before I head to campus one last time to say goodbye to the Lilly, drop off some books for the GLBT Library, and do some banking to make sure that I actually have monies to spend. I don't really have a lot of cushion to go on, so I had better land a job with the quickness.

I reeeeally want to do something with my hair. I can't do what I want to do (dye it some crazy color), so I make due with giving myself haircuts. Unfortunately, my good set of clipper guards got left at my mom's house (because I leave things everywhere). I realize this just means that my haircut will have to wait until Sunday, but that seems like a long way away.

A week from tomorrow, I'll be moving into a new apartment in a new city. I'll live close to scifunk for the first time since she lived with me and lynsiex.

I wish this guy would come buy our desk already.

Sally Kern. AGAIN.

2009-07-02T18:36:24Z

It seems that Oklahoma State Representative Sally Kern was not satisfied with her work the last time she embarrassed my state with her remarks concerning homosexuality. She has since drafted her "Oklahoma Citizens' Proclamation for Morality" a big fucking joke that you can read right here at her website. Conveniently, you can also contact her right from her website, too!

Representative Kern,

I am writing you as a native and resident of Oklahoma. I have loved this state and what it stands for in the eyes of the people for all my life. It is from this conviction that I write to tell you that you do not understand what Oklahoma is.

Your "Oklahoma Citizens' Proclamation for Morality" is only the latest stunt of yours that has left a tarnish on our name and made our state the laughingstock of the nation. A bumbling series of misquotes, false quotes and lies, your proclamation ignores and blasts what John Adams held to so strongly in his life -the First Amendment- while simultaneously trying to conjure him up to support you in your clearly anti-Constitutional ravings. I assume you have a staff of interns doing your research for you, finding these "quotes" and information. As a librarian who knows how to perform research and properly take a quote in context I suggest you fire these people.

You claim to represent the morality of Oklahoma citizens with your proclamation, when at best you are representing the ignorance that some citizens wallow in for their entire lives. You do not spread morality. You do not spread religion. You only spread ignorance and hate.

I have held out hope that you would learn from your past mistakes and would do your work as a State Representative without your determined efforts to breed hate and ill-will through our state. Clearly this hope was foolish. At this juncture, I can only in good conscience ask for your resignation as a State Representative effective immediately.

I recognize that you will never apologize for your opinions, and you will never change your opinions. I ask only that you realize your opinions are not representative of Oklahoma. Do not sully the name of my state any further. I will not stand for it.

-Michael Morris

I can't believe she quoted Benjamin Franklin. He's a personal hero of mine, but he was also a Deist and a moral degenerate.

been_a_book @ 2009-07-01T01:29:00

2009-07-01T05:49:36Z

Hey all, sorry I haven't had much of an internet presence lately. I am lazy because the internet connection is so sloooooow here at my mom's house. No, really, you have no idea. We're talking like 8 kb/s at times. What's the point of a 56k modem if the connectivity never hits 28? Bah. My mom lives out in the country, where the best means of internet is still dial-up (yeah, these places exist) over rural telephone lines, so things drag. A lot.

I have job applications going here in Oklahoma, and had an interview on Monday. Four more jobs I'm waiting to hear from. Still no prospects at all in California. Unless one of the more enjoyable, well-paying jobs in Oklahoma is interested in me, I think I'll just get some crap job in CA, stay an ALA member, attend conferences if I can, and hopefully volunteer at a library to keep my resumé alive until something comes around. I know the CA economy is dismal right now, and librarians specifically are suffering job loss/hiring freezes, but I don't know what to do. If I stay in Oklahoma for a job that I don't want, I'm going to be miserable, no matter how much money I've got on hand. Plus, I have a couple of contacts in the Bay area for rare books, so maybe I'll find something with some networking.

I'm feeling run-down about the whole situation, and hopefully getting back to Bloomington on Friday will liven my spirits, at least a little bit.

Field Trip!

2009-06-18T15:26:42Z

So, about four years ago, Natalie and I took a course on the history of the book, and took a Saturday field trip down to Archer City, TX. The most common question that comes next is: What's in Archer City? The answer is not much. At the time there was one diner (now there are two, and a hotel), the theater that was the basis of The Last Picture Show (it's now in ruins and is used as an open-air stage theater), and Larry McMurtry's legendary store, Booked Up.

It consists of four sprawling storefronts scattered over the length of two and a half blocks. Store 1 has the only employees and register. You collect all your books from the storefronts (bringing stacks larger than five books back to Store 1) and then come back to purchase them all. Yes, that's right, it's practically all honors system. Mom was amazed at this particular point.

Yes, thanks, Mom. I wanted an awkward picture of myself here in front of this cactus. In case you didn't know, every single town in Northern and Western Texas with a population below 10,000 looks exactly like this.

This is the garage in Store 1. The sort of garage you would park, say, 4 or 5 buses in. It's the only area in all of the stores that is completely without air conditioning, and let me tell you, it is uncomfortable to say the least.

This cat didn't find it too uncomfortable, though. Just right for napping temperature. If you're confused, a very intelligent man once told me that the only thing he knew about used bookstores is that all the good ones have cats (or, in my experience, dogs).

Behold! This is in Store 4, the second largest, consisting of about 7 aisles the size of this one, and every shelf, every wall stuffed top to bottom with books. Store 1 is the largest, consisting of a main storefront, the garage, and an additional annex. Store 4 holds my favorite section, Books About Books. It's where I made my only purchases.

I managed to limit myself to three books this time: The Illustration of Books by David Bland, 1st ed; Studies in Bibliography Vol XXIV - Papers of the Bibliographical Society of The University of Virginia [home of the Rare Book School. I picked this up for G. Thomas Tanselle's article "The Bibliographical Description of Paper."]; and History of the Title-Page by Alfred W. Pollard. These names will really only mean anything to people who study rare books, conservation or bibliography, which means only burningbooks will be impressed by my purchases, I suppose. I mean, some of you know about Rare Book School, but Tanselle and Pollard? Reserved for the nerds.

The new diner in town was really quite good. I thought I'd share one more thing about Northern TX with you:

Okay, so this was taken with my phone because I was trying to be inconspicuous, but what you might not be able to tell is that every single person at that table is wearing a big ass cowboy hat. Including the 8 year old. Not that everybody in TX wears one, but this is not an uncommon sight.

Uncorrected Proofs #5 : I'm writing your name down on every page

2009-06-13T06:23:02Z

It's been a long while since there's been an UP comic, so finally here's another. It's a place holder, if anything, honestly, because I'm planning on getting stuff out on a more frequent schedule. You'll notice I moved to fonts (more legible than my handwriting) and digital colors. I think I'm going to stick with the monochromatic stuff, but play around with monochromatic color schemes, like Josh Lesnick does for Girly's Pink-o-vision.

This song has been stuck in my head for days, which is not really as unpleasant as it sounds.

What are you doing Saturday night?

2009-05-28T15:40:29Z

If you don't already have plans on Saturday, the Bleeding Heartland Roller Girls are having their season opener bout. It's a double header, so you get two games for the price of one. Details here.

You can come and see me be a referee! Tell your friends, tell your family, tell your family's friends and your friends' families! If you haven't been to a bout yet, for shame! This is the one to come to.

On a series of topics-

2009-05-22T21:04:25Z

So, first of all, I graduated with my MLS specializing in rare books. Excitement all around for that one. :D However, in the same day, I attended a burlesque dancing workshop taught by the fabulous Lola Van Ella. She is funny, easy-going and patient, all things you want in a teacher. I hadn't been on heels in the better part of a year and a half, so my feet hurt quite a bit, but other than that, the class was amazing! I don't foresee myself entering into any boylesque troupes anytime soon, but it was fun to have an introduction to the dance and the culture of it.

If I were to be doing anything involving costumes, I would absolutely have to have these shoes. I have such a love for saddle shoes, and those are just my new hotness. Now if only they weren't $100 with shipping.

In the same weekend as graduations, I had a small modeling event, too. A couple of weeks before, someone from the Arbutus (IU's yearbook) contacted me for an interview for an article about student jobs. Specifically, they were interested in my work as a nude model on campus. I gave the questions a day of thought, then came back, answered them, and didn't think much else about it until finals week, when they contacted me, asking to get a photo of me for the article. After a few hiccups, we managed to schedule a time for me to come in for the picture. I had been wondering about the format of the picture, because initially they had wanted to photograph me while I was modeling for a class, or even a mock class, but I haven't had time to do any modeling gigs, so I just came into the Arbutus office instead. A couple of days before, the photographer had asked me over the phone about my comfort level of being photographed in the nude, and I assured him that I'd done it before and it wasn't something that bothered me (if only he knew).

I arrived at the office late Sunday night (we had to do the shoot after sundown so enough light could be eliminated to make a figure in a black background with only the light sources they wanted), met the photographer and was introduced to the editor of the Arbutus (who seemed really young, but apparently had just finished her master's degree). She asked if she could come along and watched, and the photographer accepted, so long as I was comfortable. You know I was. So, upstairs in a rather nice office, they had blocked all the windows, moved the furniture and set up some lights. This was the sort of swanky hardwood and limestone office you only see at IU. Behind me were insets in the wall with glass doors, displaying various memorabilia of Ernie Pyle, for whom the journalism school is named. This included an Ernie Pyle G.I. Joe doll, which eyed me warily as I undressed. The editor, photographer and I chatted nonchalantly while I undressed, which was the first time that I stripped down on-site for a modeling gig.

It was actually pretty fun, because the photographer had never actually worked with nudes, but had looked at a few galleries and bounced some ideas for poses off of me. We talked a lot, mostly about modeling, and it was a pretty familiar conversation for me, but they were fun, and genuinely interested. The 2009 Arbutus will feature a vertical picture of me standing, and a full two-page spread of me reclined (both tasteful, i.e., no peen or butts D: ). Probably the best part is during the reclined pose, the photographer kept having to ask me to move my leg down (to block my penis from the shot), and the last time he had to ask he just sad "We have our recurring problem" and kind of waggled a finger vaguely. It was all I could do not to laugh.

All around those events I was staying out in a lovely cabin in Brown County that wasn't so much a cabin as a Farmhouse That Is Way Nicer Than Our Duplex and Has a Living Room That Resembles a Log Cabin. Much better graduation than my USAO one, actually.

been_a_book @ 2009-05-20T03:20:00

2009-05-20T07:21:09Z

Hi friends, remind me that I still need to tell you about my experience with the burlesque class and the Arbutus.

Writer's Block: Same Name

2009-05-18T16:06:56Z

Have you ever met or known someone who has the same name as you (first and last) but is not a relative?

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There are a lot of people named Michael Morris out there. There were three besides me in my home town, at least two of whom were in trouble with the law on a regular basis. One of them got shot at one point, which caused a great deal of concern among my friends when they heard the news that Michael Morris had been shot while trying to repossess somebody's car.

There was another one at my first undergraduate university, which resulted in a very interesting conversation. A girl called my dorm room to talk to Michael Morris (I had to clarify, because I was living with Michael Rodgers at the time), had almost a ten minute conversation with me about our classes, the start of the semester, etc., etc., and then we got off the phone. Mike asked me who it was and I said "I have no idea." Nobody I knew sounded like this girl, and nobody mentioned calling me. It wasn't until much, much later that somebody realized that all the dorm room phone numbers were in a directory, and I wasn't the only Michael Morris on campus. So, somewhere out there, a girl was convinced she'd had at at-length conversation with this guy that never actually happened. Way to go.

I haven't found anyone named Michael Morris in Bloomington, but I have met a guy named Adam Boyd, which is also the name of a childhood friend of mine.

Project!

2009-05-12T01:19:56Z

This is easily the biggest sewing project I've tried in my days. It's not really that complicated, just some buttons and hemmed seams. I transformed my referee's shirt into a vest for my derby persona.

Here's how it started out.

Under way, everything sprawled out on the office floor.

The machine sewing was pretty easy for the most part, just hemming the sleeves and the bottom, the only hard part was following some of the curves inside the sleeves.

And ta-da! Lookin' sharp, no?

Oh-ho! I love the letter combination I picked out, I think it looks pretty slick.

I think the buttons fit the persona the best. I was specifically looking for some old-looking buttons with filigree, maybe even brass. How lovely are these?

Beaming with pride! I can't wait to try it out at the next practice.

Uncorrected Proofs #4

2009-04-23T01:16:45Z

X-Posted from the comic's blogspot

A derby comic, finally. This was an actual conversation on the track at practice with another referee. After this incident, I changed from the ball chain I had been using for my whistle to a lanyard I picked up at ALA Midwinter, so my whistle hangs lower and doesn't peg my nipple at every hairpin turn.

This is probably the last comic to be done in this format. I wanted to do a full series of comics in one journal, and at the time I really appreciated that they were on cheap, lined paper, which suits the name of the comic quite well, but I really want to work with better materials, and also just have a larger space to play with layout. This format is very constrictive to what I can do on a page. More to come once I have time (which is to say, after they give me my MLS degree on the 9th).