Weeks 38, 39 and 40 of the New Years Goals
Busy, busy, busy, BUSY!!! Seriously. I'm a working machine. 19½ hours of overtime over the course of the past 2 weeks. That's with me taking a vacation day on Friday (so I could leave for the New York Comic Con this past weekend) and this is only Thursday morning. I have enough work to warrant another 5 hours of overtime tonight. Not that I'll do a whole 5... I think... I actually have a lot of other work to do at home dealing with freelance art projects. Not enough time in the day to do all of this AND shoot people in Call of Duty. What can I say? It's my release after a long day of work. Killing people in an imaginary world where they just spring back to life later on is a beautiful thing. I'm sure it really isn't, but it's a vice I'm allowing. lol.
NYCC was great! Man, I had a blast seeing a lot of my old friends and some personal artistic heros along the way. I saw so many amazing cosplay (short for "costume play" for those not in the know). I even briefly met one of my favorite cosplayers out there (Riki LeCotey aka Riddle). Sadly, I didn't get a picture of her in one of the amazing costumes she sports at these conventions, but I took a snap shot anyway. I sort of have to photoshop some eyebrows on her though... she waxes them off for her female Loki costume... It looks creepy... People need their eyebrows... lol.
The first night in NYC, I got together with my buddy Bodhi (whom I stayed with him, his wife Jenny, and little guy Robert), Felix Serrano, Chris Sotomayor (who I just now found out is in wikipedia. lol), and the ever entertaining Mr. Joe Mulvey. Soto took us all to this place called "Hill Country" for dinner. It was really a very cool place, and the food wasn't anything to shabby either. Think "BIG BBQ". We're taking trays of meat. TRAYS. I was beyond my normal bloatage limits about halfway through... So good. True. I've had what I would argue is the best BBQ in the world while down in Americus, GA (over at the annual Pig Jig national BBQ competition), but this was still pretty tasty stuff. And they had giant mason jars for my Mountain Dew! So awesome! :) And Soto (being the ultra cool guy he is) paid for the whole thing. We're talking a bill that was easily over $120. Maybe over $150. Great guy, that Soto. I owe him a design for his wife's cake business... Better get cracking on that...
Bodhi and I played an interesting game on the way back to Harlem. We quickly noticed the "ladies of the night" along our path to Central Park from the downtown area, and it was very clear to see a trend. Downtown started out with girls that looked like professional models. Uptown girls looked like something out of a bad cop movie in Detroit. And the progress was like clockwork in its decline down Broadway. Funny and sad at the same time. More sad of course. I even saw a couple of pimps along the way. I was disappointed. They don't where zoot suits.
Saturday found me at the convention for the entire day. So much fun, and I got some autographed collections from some of my favorite artists. You know... some of these guys just seem like people you're not worthy of talking to, but when you do, you find that they're some of the nicest, most humble people, you'll ever meet at the shows. It really was an outstanding joy to meet some of them.
And Soto... That awesome guy... Why must he introduce me still to people as "yeah, this is my friend Chad. He's an awesome inker, but he won't get into comics." He said this to a guy who's apparently a big (or growing) name in comic book writing. At least it wasn't an editor, right? lol. My old roommate, Nelson Blake, even made the comment that I should have been inking. I don't know... going to these conventions is sometimes nice for the ego, but if you have a real gift to do this stuff, and you're not using it... Sometimes I wonder what it would take to get back into fighting shape and take another swing at it. Sad thing is, I was one of the very few that actually got the job offer from Marvel. I'm also one of the EXTREMELY few that turned it down. But at least it wasn't because I felt I was too good. Rather, I'm too slow. To... Too... I never remember how to use those two words... heh... two, to, too... Wow, I'm easily amused... Never thought words could be a shiny object. Totally ran away from what I was talking about. lol.
I headed back on Sunday and jumped right into work on Monday (where I think I now live). That seems to be the normal schedule. Mom and dad see me come in somewhere between 8-10 PM and I generally eat something mom had waiting for me as I crash upstairs and neglect my additional responsibilities of being a human being. Like cleaning, reading my Bible (man I have to get to get on top of the Timothy study before Tuesday), art for other people, practicing my art, practicing the guitar (which is very good at collecting dust by the way)... working out... I'm becoming fat... like really fat... not like "in my head" fat. More like "GET IN MY BELLY" fat... So need to hit the gym...
Leah will be coming down this week, which is a great change. lol. I know she'd like to split the difference with me in how much we each drive to see one another, but most of the time I'd rather be in Holland, MI anyway. There's a lot more to do and enjoy up there, though we have a lot more privacy here in Reading. It's a catch 22 most of the time, but such is the dating life.
Man, that girl has a lot on her plate, but she still manages ways to make me laugh too. She was telling me about how if I hit a little fawn with my car, that she'd nurse it back to health. She then told me about all the animals she's done this with, and I quote... "baby squirrels that just lost their mother, baby ducks who couldn't find their mother, a baby bird with almost no hair on it, another baby bird with just a little hair (that was my success story), a baby..." Wait... "success story"? Yes. All the others died. lol. The squirrels were infected with maggots, baby ducks will jump very high to get out of an aquarium until they manage to break their own necks, and never fall asleep while leaving a heating pad on under a newborn baby bird. The one bird that made it constantly frustrated her because it would fly around her room, pooping on everything, and running into the mirror... I love this girl, but I'm wondering... if we got married... would it be safer if we didn't have kids? She is good with domesticated animals. Maybe it would be ok... lol.
And now for the updates on the goals.
1. Paying off College Early = Well... I have a new possible date for paying this off. July of 2011. That's only if I continue to have this much overtime. Honestly... I see that being a definite possibility. And that's with my first concern of making sure to have $2,000 in the bank before paying off the loans. I know that Dave Ramsey suggested $1,000 first and then working on the loans, but I'd like to have that little extra buffer in place for when I get to tempted and buy something like a Wacom Cintiq monitor. So nice... so shinny... Chad want soooooo bbbbaaaaaaaaaddddd... My precious... BUT NO! Not until the college loans are paid in full. Then... I have a car to pay off... ugh... that will be the REAL fun... :(
I am taking the "Paying off College Early" goal very seriously though. I even made a year long chart to mark future expenses based on normal habits. Like storing the Mustang, insurance on another vehicle until April, North Carolina golf trip with Jeremie, taking a week off to see my sister when the little one is born, missions trip to El Salvador (again), etc. I've even made it in excel so I can edit paycheck amounts as needed to keep my schedule intact. I'm getting medieval on this here goal! I think... it's very technical for being medieval...
2. Reading the Bible in One Year = It comes and it goes... Better start that 90 days thing officially and keep with it, starting today... Running out of precious time.
3. Good Works in God's Name = I think I've done some "nice" things the past few weeks, but I think most of those weren't with the right heart. Not that I had evil intentions or was expecting anything in return. More like I just wasn't giving God the glory for those actions. So I need to work on that. And I need to organize some guys for trimming some bushes this week...
4. Achieve 2nd Degree Brown Belt Status in Sanchin-Ryu = Class has been my one weekly escape from work, and I'm really enjoying it. Word has it that I should be getting my promotion before the new year. I sort of knew this already, but it's been put off since I never declared a class as my home dojo for the longest time. Sort of thought they just knew what class that would be. lol. Oh well. Loving the training and the time with friends. :)
5. Run a Full Marathon = Knee still sucks, and the added fat isn't helping it. So it looks like I'm hitting the weights just so I can hit the road (or treadmill). I need to be in football shape for the annual Thanksgiving games. :)
Side Note = I have discovered that inconsistency leads to disorder. Disorder is bad enough on its own, but when that inconsistency is controlled by the actions of someone over you... It leads to frustration, anger, and possibly rebellion (where applicable). It is best to avoid giving one person (or group) to much control if they are incapable of being consistent. Nuff' Said.
Now back to work with me! :D
Take Care and God Bless,
Chad
NYCC was great! Man, I had a blast seeing a lot of my old friends and some personal artistic heros along the way. I saw so many amazing cosplay (short for "costume play" for those not in the know). I even briefly met one of my favorite cosplayers out there (Riki LeCotey aka Riddle). Sadly, I didn't get a picture of her in one of the amazing costumes she sports at these conventions, but I took a snap shot anyway. I sort of have to photoshop some eyebrows on her though... she waxes them off for her female Loki costume... It looks creepy... People need their eyebrows... lol.
The first night in NYC, I got together with my buddy Bodhi (whom I stayed with him, his wife Jenny, and little guy Robert), Felix Serrano, Chris Sotomayor (who I just now found out is in wikipedia. lol), and the ever entertaining Mr. Joe Mulvey. Soto took us all to this place called "Hill Country" for dinner. It was really a very cool place, and the food wasn't anything to shabby either. Think "BIG BBQ". We're taking trays of meat. TRAYS. I was beyond my normal bloatage limits about halfway through... So good. True. I've had what I would argue is the best BBQ in the world while down in Americus, GA (over at the annual Pig Jig national BBQ competition), but this was still pretty tasty stuff. And they had giant mason jars for my Mountain Dew! So awesome! :) And Soto (being the ultra cool guy he is) paid for the whole thing. We're talking a bill that was easily over $120. Maybe over $150. Great guy, that Soto. I owe him a design for his wife's cake business... Better get cracking on that...
Bodhi and I played an interesting game on the way back to Harlem. We quickly noticed the "ladies of the night" along our path to Central Park from the downtown area, and it was very clear to see a trend. Downtown started out with girls that looked like professional models. Uptown girls looked like something out of a bad cop movie in Detroit. And the progress was like clockwork in its decline down Broadway. Funny and sad at the same time. More sad of course. I even saw a couple of pimps along the way. I was disappointed. They don't where zoot suits.
Saturday found me at the convention for the entire day. So much fun, and I got some autographed collections from some of my favorite artists. You know... some of these guys just seem like people you're not worthy of talking to, but when you do, you find that they're some of the nicest, most humble people, you'll ever meet at the shows. It really was an outstanding joy to meet some of them.
And Soto... That awesome guy... Why must he introduce me still to people as "yeah, this is my friend Chad. He's an awesome inker, but he won't get into comics." He said this to a guy who's apparently a big (or growing) name in comic book writing. At least it wasn't an editor, right? lol. My old roommate, Nelson Blake, even made the comment that I should have been inking. I don't know... going to these conventions is sometimes nice for the ego, but if you have a real gift to do this stuff, and you're not using it... Sometimes I wonder what it would take to get back into fighting shape and take another swing at it. Sad thing is, I was one of the very few that actually got the job offer from Marvel. I'm also one of the EXTREMELY few that turned it down. But at least it wasn't because I felt I was too good. Rather, I'm too slow. To... Too... I never remember how to use those two words... heh... two, to, too... Wow, I'm easily amused... Never thought words could be a shiny object. Totally ran away from what I was talking about. lol.
I headed back on Sunday and jumped right into work on Monday (where I think I now live). That seems to be the normal schedule. Mom and dad see me come in somewhere between 8-10 PM and I generally eat something mom had waiting for me as I crash upstairs and neglect my additional responsibilities of being a human being. Like cleaning, reading my Bible (man I have to get to get on top of the Timothy study before Tuesday), art for other people, practicing my art, practicing the guitar (which is very good at collecting dust by the way)... working out... I'm becoming fat... like really fat... not like "in my head" fat. More like "GET IN MY BELLY" fat... So need to hit the gym...
Leah will be coming down this week, which is a great change. lol. I know she'd like to split the difference with me in how much we each drive to see one another, but most of the time I'd rather be in Holland, MI anyway. There's a lot more to do and enjoy up there, though we have a lot more privacy here in Reading. It's a catch 22 most of the time, but such is the dating life.
Man, that girl has a lot on her plate, but she still manages ways to make me laugh too. She was telling me about how if I hit a little fawn with my car, that she'd nurse it back to health. She then told me about all the animals she's done this with, and I quote... "baby squirrels that just lost their mother, baby ducks who couldn't find their mother, a baby bird with almost no hair on it, another baby bird with just a little hair (that was my success story), a baby..." Wait... "success story"? Yes. All the others died. lol. The squirrels were infected with maggots, baby ducks will jump very high to get out of an aquarium until they manage to break their own necks, and never fall asleep while leaving a heating pad on under a newborn baby bird. The one bird that made it constantly frustrated her because it would fly around her room, pooping on everything, and running into the mirror... I love this girl, but I'm wondering... if we got married... would it be safer if we didn't have kids? She is good with domesticated animals. Maybe it would be ok... lol.
And now for the updates on the goals.
1. Paying off College Early = Well... I have a new possible date for paying this off. July of 2011. That's only if I continue to have this much overtime. Honestly... I see that being a definite possibility. And that's with my first concern of making sure to have $2,000 in the bank before paying off the loans. I know that Dave Ramsey suggested $1,000 first and then working on the loans, but I'd like to have that little extra buffer in place for when I get to tempted and buy something like a Wacom Cintiq monitor. So nice... so shinny... Chad want soooooo bbbbaaaaaaaaaddddd... My precious... BUT NO! Not until the college loans are paid in full. Then... I have a car to pay off... ugh... that will be the REAL fun... :(
I am taking the "Paying off College Early" goal very seriously though. I even made a year long chart to mark future expenses based on normal habits. Like storing the Mustang, insurance on another vehicle until April, North Carolina golf trip with Jeremie, taking a week off to see my sister when the little one is born, missions trip to El Salvador (again), etc. I've even made it in excel so I can edit paycheck amounts as needed to keep my schedule intact. I'm getting medieval on this here goal! I think... it's very technical for being medieval...
2. Reading the Bible in One Year = It comes and it goes... Better start that 90 days thing officially and keep with it, starting today... Running out of precious time.
3. Good Works in God's Name = I think I've done some "nice" things the past few weeks, but I think most of those weren't with the right heart. Not that I had evil intentions or was expecting anything in return. More like I just wasn't giving God the glory for those actions. So I need to work on that. And I need to organize some guys for trimming some bushes this week...
4. Achieve 2nd Degree Brown Belt Status in Sanchin-Ryu = Class has been my one weekly escape from work, and I'm really enjoying it. Word has it that I should be getting my promotion before the new year. I sort of knew this already, but it's been put off since I never declared a class as my home dojo for the longest time. Sort of thought they just knew what class that would be. lol. Oh well. Loving the training and the time with friends. :)
5. Run a Full Marathon = Knee still sucks, and the added fat isn't helping it. So it looks like I'm hitting the weights just so I can hit the road (or treadmill). I need to be in football shape for the annual Thanksgiving games. :)
Side Note = I have discovered that inconsistency leads to disorder. Disorder is bad enough on its own, but when that inconsistency is controlled by the actions of someone over you... It leads to frustration, anger, and possibly rebellion (where applicable). It is best to avoid giving one person (or group) to much control if they are incapable of being consistent. Nuff' Said.
Now back to work with me! :D
Take Care and God Bless,
Chad