Getting back in the saddle

Life has been seven shades of lousy for me in the last couple of months, but I am doing what I can to crawl back from my personal wreckage and get my life (both personal and professional) back in order. I'm coloring comic pages for the first time in my life and I can say that I am getting more comfortable with it. One of the two stories I have written has a real chance of seeing print soon and I have gotten a small library of reviews printed on www.comicrelated.com. So I am making it, slowly and somewhat dispassionately at the moment but I am making it. For those who were there for me, thanks.

Tomorrow's a new day, right?

Like a buddy of mine says...time to get off my heine and get to work.

Whistling past the graveyard

I know people mean well and they think that they are helping me when the offer me their condolences on the death of my mother but in the last several days I have come to realize that it is just them "whistling as they walk past the grave yard". Seeing me in my loss reminds them of their own mortality and that idea scares most people shitless. Honestly though, I'm getting a little sick of it and wish people would just move on and leave me alone about it. This is something I need to deal with alone and I wish people just wouldn't talk to me if they have nothing better to say then that I am in their prayers. That does me no good whatsoever and is kind of making me want to pop the next one that says it to me in the face. If that makes me an asshole, I don't care. I'm entitled to deal with this my own way and it is quickly becoming evident to me that my way is that I am going to be mean to people for a while. I'll apologize later because right now I just don't care.

Saturday Stuff

I'm feeling drained mentally today. There is a lot I should and could be doing but I just can't get motivated. Part of it is my back is killing me from falling last week. A big part of it is that I was standing in a hospital room this time last week watching my mother die. I'm not sure what I'm feeling today. Sad...sure, depressed...always but I just feel kind of numb, unfocused. I don't know what to do about it. Except, write this. Maybe I should just go back to bed.

Mom

My mother died today. I have no words.

Current Art Challenges

I've recently embarked on a digital coloring project that I can't really talk about yet but I can say that it presenting quite a challenge for me. After being so used to using my hands and skills to paint a picture, dealing with technology, pixels and a mouse is kind of kicking my butt. I am on a serious learning curve and have run into a few obstacles dealing with my older version of the software I'm using, but this is something that I am dedicate to doing well. After so many years of inactivity on the creative front beyond that which was necessary for use in my classroom, it is a struggle that I am happy to engage in.

Hellboy 2

I saw Hellboy 2 yesterday and while I can say it was a visually interesting, even stunning movie, that is about the best that I can say for it. It wasn't a bad movie, persay, but it lacked the story and the heart of the first one. It was all over the place, trying to be too many things at once. It couldn't decide if it was an action, comedy, romance, allegory or horror movie. I never felt danger for the characters and barely felt the emotions that were supposed to be so strong between these characters. It seems as if parts of the movie are missing or lost. My only true anticipation was that it was as good as the first and that I was entertained...sadly neither desire was completely filled.

On a related, but outside of the screen note: There should be a special place in hell for people who bring young children to movies that are not for children. We had a chatty little girl wondering around from one set of family to another. I kept my cool but only just and if I had possession of a roll of duct tape that day, the girl would still be attached to the wall. Call me what you will but if you can't control your child, someone else will.

Comic Related

I have been a busy boy since returning from the Chicago con, in part because of my new association with the fine folks at Comic Related (http://www.comicrelated.com). It is a great site to keep up with...well anything that is comic related. Site founder and all around cool guy, Chuck Moore has tapped yours truly to ramble on in print, beginning with reviews of How to books and eventually going who knows where but I plan to get as much stuff on the site as possible before the man comes to his senses. Make sure you stop by for the daily updates and especially for the weekly podcasts. They are definitely "must-hear" material every week. And if you like what you read and hear , stop by the Comic Related forum and let Chuck know. You'll be glad you did and it will put a smile on my face as well.