Disjointed Update
Sorry I havn't been posting much. No real excuse except I havn't particulalry felt like it (as lame as that is.) This is going to be a bunch of random news and thoughts from over the last month or so.
One thing I have sort of been keeping under wraps is that I've been seriously dieting since January, a change prompted by increasing health problems I'd been having. I wasn't following any particular plan other than cutting out all the 'bad' food, limiting carbs, and going on daily walks of 2 miles. So far I've lost about 50 pounds, which brings to me about 20 of my goal weight (and they do say that last 20 is the toughest to lose). It's also true that when you lose the excess weight, most of the health problems go with it. I've been able to reduce my hypertension medication, although I doubt I'll ever be able to completely eliminate it because high blood pressure runs in my dad's family regardless of weight. The crippling pain I'd been having in my hip is also mostly gone. The apnea is still an issue, and it may not be effected that much by weight loss due to age-related changes in my neck and throat, but I suppose that's something I'll need to see the ENT doctor about.
And eliminating food doesn't mean I still don't crave it. Like, all the time. It's particularly bad during this really hot weather, when I think I could commit a felony if only I could have a couple cans of soda or an ice cream cone.
So after skipping a year, I went to AnthroCon this year. I shared a room with old Rowrbrazzle and Huzzah artist Pete Stoller. I still didn't have the C-Pap machine (insurance problems) , but he didn't complain. Although I had only a half-table, I was still able to cram most of my stuff onto it. Luckily my table-mate was a very nice so there was no problem there. I'd bought a couple of plastic display cases for the ChocoEgg figures, and those were a God send, one of the best purchases I've made recently. Not only did they enable me to fit many more of the figures on display, they elivated them into view range of people passing by. I did reasonably well money-wise, and will probably go next year.
As disinterested as I am in fursuits, it was still heartening to see how positivley the general public reacted to the outdoor fursuit parade.
I'd also gotten a fancy new suitcase, because my last one was literally falling apart. It was so nice I caught someone at the Flyaway bus station trying to walk off it with it. That was the second time I'd caught someone there trying to abscond with my luggage. When I took a taxi from the Cleveland airport to my mom's place, the taxi driver (to put it politically correctly, a man from a Far Away Land) first took a very long way there, and when the card-reader in the cab didn't work he pulled the short-change scam on my mother's friend ("You didn't give me a 20, only a 5.") . When we called to complain we found out if the card reader didn't work we weren't supposed to be charged at all! I hope they fired his ass.
I was trying to keep my spending down so I bought little at the con. I did pick up volume 3 and 4 of Dreamkeepers. I often feel like I'm missing something with this title. The art and production values are superlative. The story is utterly confusing and basicly impossible to follow. I've spent a lot of time trying to figure out what's going wrong with it. I'll eventually write a more in-depth discussion, but I think a big part of it is the same thing that plagued the comic Squarriors (which also had gorgeous art and a confusing, impossible to follow story.) I think they're done by people who don't read comics, and aren't comic fans, and because of this they don't understand how to tell a story clearly. If you read enough comics, it eventually filters through what works and what doesn't. Regardless of what people may think of the content of my comics, I've never had anyone tell me they can't follow the action or story.
I went to ComiCon as well. The weight loss helped with that, and I wasn't in horrible pain from walking all day. Once again I didn't buy a ton of stuff, but I was able to get an exclusive 'Shopkins" figure for a friend, and a nice shirt for my dad. I saw a Game of Thrones Clue set that was kind of neat, but not $50 worth of neat. I will reiterate, anyone who has a parking space really bends you over and rapes you for obscene amounts of money for the privilage of parking there. Dwight's sister was kind enough to put me up for two nights, and make me about the best burger I'd ever had (sans bun, of course, since she's cutting carbs too.).
Believe it or not I was deemed worthy of getting a HALF-TABLE at Further ConFusion. I'm not good enough to warrent a full table, and I suppose if I'm miserable enough sharing a table with some stranger I might shut up about the whole thing and voluntarily stop trying to get into the con in the future. On the other hand, I can be stubborn enough to keep going out of spite.
Gandalf had a relapse of his pancrititis, but luckily recovered on his own. From what we've read about the condition in cats, it will probably be a reoccuring thing we'll have to monitor. He also ate one of my praying mantises while I was in San Diego.
We've been having brutally, brutally hot weather. A week over 100 every day. And of course we don't use the AC in an effort to save money. Luckily this is still the desert, so at least it cools off at night. The heat and drought triggered a terrible fire not too far away, at one of the parks I often walk in. We got lots of ash fall all over the yard and car.
Went to see The Secret Life of Pets & Star Trek. Pets wasn't as bad as I feared, but nothing to get too excited about. Trek was a lot of fun, but sad thinking about how the guy who played Chekov dying to tragically. Did a ton of reading, too, but will discuss books read later.
Even though the Kickstarter for book #2 hasn't made it's goal, I will be retooling it and will probably put up a new version on Indygogo. At the very very least I absolutely have to get a proofreading and copy-edit on it. I don't think my writing is so fabulous I don't need an editor, but if I can't raise the money for a full-fledged edit, then I'll just have to deal with it. But I really appreciate everyone who did support KS, and I promise the book will be out one way or another. I will be in touch with everyone who pledged after it ends with further news.
And if anyone actually read through this entire thing, I'll be shocked.
One thing I have sort of been keeping under wraps is that I've been seriously dieting since January, a change prompted by increasing health problems I'd been having. I wasn't following any particular plan other than cutting out all the 'bad' food, limiting carbs, and going on daily walks of 2 miles. So far I've lost about 50 pounds, which brings to me about 20 of my goal weight (and they do say that last 20 is the toughest to lose). It's also true that when you lose the excess weight, most of the health problems go with it. I've been able to reduce my hypertension medication, although I doubt I'll ever be able to completely eliminate it because high blood pressure runs in my dad's family regardless of weight. The crippling pain I'd been having in my hip is also mostly gone. The apnea is still an issue, and it may not be effected that much by weight loss due to age-related changes in my neck and throat, but I suppose that's something I'll need to see the ENT doctor about.
And eliminating food doesn't mean I still don't crave it. Like, all the time. It's particularly bad during this really hot weather, when I think I could commit a felony if only I could have a couple cans of soda or an ice cream cone.
So after skipping a year, I went to AnthroCon this year. I shared a room with old Rowrbrazzle and Huzzah artist Pete Stoller. I still didn't have the C-Pap machine (insurance problems) , but he didn't complain. Although I had only a half-table, I was still able to cram most of my stuff onto it. Luckily my table-mate was a very nice so there was no problem there. I'd bought a couple of plastic display cases for the ChocoEgg figures, and those were a God send, one of the best purchases I've made recently. Not only did they enable me to fit many more of the figures on display, they elivated them into view range of people passing by. I did reasonably well money-wise, and will probably go next year.
As disinterested as I am in fursuits, it was still heartening to see how positivley the general public reacted to the outdoor fursuit parade.
I'd also gotten a fancy new suitcase, because my last one was literally falling apart. It was so nice I caught someone at the Flyaway bus station trying to walk off it with it. That was the second time I'd caught someone there trying to abscond with my luggage. When I took a taxi from the Cleveland airport to my mom's place, the taxi driver (to put it politically correctly, a man from a Far Away Land) first took a very long way there, and when the card-reader in the cab didn't work he pulled the short-change scam on my mother's friend ("You didn't give me a 20, only a 5.") . When we called to complain we found out if the card reader didn't work we weren't supposed to be charged at all! I hope they fired his ass.
I was trying to keep my spending down so I bought little at the con. I did pick up volume 3 and 4 of Dreamkeepers. I often feel like I'm missing something with this title. The art and production values are superlative. The story is utterly confusing and basicly impossible to follow. I've spent a lot of time trying to figure out what's going wrong with it. I'll eventually write a more in-depth discussion, but I think a big part of it is the same thing that plagued the comic Squarriors (which also had gorgeous art and a confusing, impossible to follow story.) I think they're done by people who don't read comics, and aren't comic fans, and because of this they don't understand how to tell a story clearly. If you read enough comics, it eventually filters through what works and what doesn't. Regardless of what people may think of the content of my comics, I've never had anyone tell me they can't follow the action or story.
I went to ComiCon as well. The weight loss helped with that, and I wasn't in horrible pain from walking all day. Once again I didn't buy a ton of stuff, but I was able to get an exclusive 'Shopkins" figure for a friend, and a nice shirt for my dad. I saw a Game of Thrones Clue set that was kind of neat, but not $50 worth of neat. I will reiterate, anyone who has a parking space really bends you over and rapes you for obscene amounts of money for the privilage of parking there. Dwight's sister was kind enough to put me up for two nights, and make me about the best burger I'd ever had (sans bun, of course, since she's cutting carbs too.).
Believe it or not I was deemed worthy of getting a HALF-TABLE at Further ConFusion. I'm not good enough to warrent a full table, and I suppose if I'm miserable enough sharing a table with some stranger I might shut up about the whole thing and voluntarily stop trying to get into the con in the future. On the other hand, I can be stubborn enough to keep going out of spite.
Gandalf had a relapse of his pancrititis, but luckily recovered on his own. From what we've read about the condition in cats, it will probably be a reoccuring thing we'll have to monitor. He also ate one of my praying mantises while I was in San Diego.
We've been having brutally, brutally hot weather. A week over 100 every day. And of course we don't use the AC in an effort to save money. Luckily this is still the desert, so at least it cools off at night. The heat and drought triggered a terrible fire not too far away, at one of the parks I often walk in. We got lots of ash fall all over the yard and car.
Went to see The Secret Life of Pets & Star Trek. Pets wasn't as bad as I feared, but nothing to get too excited about. Trek was a lot of fun, but sad thinking about how the guy who played Chekov dying to tragically. Did a ton of reading, too, but will discuss books read later.
Even though the Kickstarter for book #2 hasn't made it's goal, I will be retooling it and will probably put up a new version on Indygogo. At the very very least I absolutely have to get a proofreading and copy-edit on it. I don't think my writing is so fabulous I don't need an editor, but if I can't raise the money for a full-fledged edit, then I'll just have to deal with it. But I really appreciate everyone who did support KS, and I promise the book will be out one way or another. I will be in touch with everyone who pledged after it ends with further news.
And if anyone actually read through this entire thing, I'll be shocked.