The Marvelous Patric

 Dear blog,
School is a-going.  And i'm going with it.  Teaching has been going well.  I enjoy the supply-side of education far more than the consumption-side.  The classes they're making me take this semester don't interest me very much.  At least I have my thesis to work on to keep me sane.  I had my proposal meeting today and it went well.  I have some really great people on my committee and I'm really excited about where this play is going.  

Meanwhile, I still make comics.  After I get done with this FNS story, I'll stop and come back in 2010 with FNS in black and white again.  I've decided that the color is cool, but it's slowing me down.  I'll just do it for special stories I think.  Fun Factory continues to be a blast, but each strip takes me like 4 hours to do.  Urg.  The better I get, the slower I get.  I do think that Fun Factory is a better strip than FNS right now just because I've been holding in all these ideas for so long that they're pretty refined.  On the other hand, Freaks N Squeeks looks prettier and it really has some well-defined characters in it.  I don't have to "write" FNS so much as "watch" what the characters do.  

In personal news, April 16, 2011 looks like a pretty important day in my life.  Just saying.  Looks like a game changer and all.  An expensive game changer.  
Band sucks these days.  The fucktards on the band board fired Glen, the awesome director.  There was a loud complaint about this by a good portion of the membership that was essentially ignored.  I swear, if I hear the phrase, "we're getting back to how it used to be" one more time at practice, I'll scream.  Things look grim there.  I'm not sure how much longer I'll be with that band.  Tiffany already left and it just doesn't feel fun any more.  Why should I stay with a group that doesn't want me?

Current Location: office
Current Music: Portions for Foxes - Rilo Kiley

 dear blog,

i guess i only do this like once a month.  i can't tell if that's because i'm so busy or because i have nothing to say.  a paradox, i know.  

my comic has been seeing record numbers of visitors lately.  i'm pretty happy about that.  it's like hard work is paying off.  i won't be going to SDCC this year.  I'm on the waiting list for a table, so i think i'll go to chicago instead.  for the same amount of money i get a bigger table.  and, i can drive there.  it works out a bit cheaper this way.  

the living room is like 98% done.  the floor has been refinished and everything.  the only things left are the molding and the french doors have been stripped and need to be revarnished.  everything looks so nice.  we moved furniture back in there and i've been able to sit on my couch again and work.  

school continues to be fantastic.  my teachers are amazing.  and, i'm in a play.  we're only doing a reading, so no memorization or anything.  but it's awesome.  a student wrote it and my teacher is directing. she cast me even though i didn't audition.  as the lead.  yeep!  i hope i don't disappoint.  i'm gonna need to SHATNER IT UP!!!

it's friday and i feel really tired.  this past couple of weeks have been grueling.  sunday i'm going over to miss marvelous's parents house.  tomorrow is my day.  i'm not doing a damn thing.  except miss marvleous and i are going to see a play at school tomorrow night.  i guess i'm becoming a theater geek again.  which is awesome.  

i'm like 99% certain i'm going to do a play for my thesis project.  i told my teacher i wasn't sure if i had another play in me, and she said i clearly have tons in me.  she is so encouraging.  i have a great connection with both my creative writing teachers.  this semester has been an amazing and life-changing experience.  

Current Location: office
Current Mood: excited
Current Music: That's Not My Name - The Ting Tings

dear blog,

Wow, look at that, only ten days between posts! Amazing!

I think 2008 is Year of the Patric. I've been saying this for a while now, but now that i've blogged it, it's official. Things seem to be going well for me. I'm feeling good about my chances of getting into grad school. I got lasiked. I got my Mustang. I'm feeling good.

And.... well, there are rumors circulating in the internets and tabloids that I may have been spotted around town in the company of a human female.

I can neither confirm nor deny these rumors at this point.

Dang paparazzi!

I don't want to say much about it because I don't want to jinx it. It's a little known fact that acknowledging good things before a certain grace period is over will destroy them. I see this blossoming relationship as a fragile and delicate thing, like a rare egg of an endangered species that is made out of a soap bubble. It is ever so precious and delicate. I must be careful not to shatter it.

My new computer has come. I got a Mac Pro 2.8 ghz 8-Core behemoth. I named it Zapp Brannigan. It is very powerful. I put a second monitor card in it and got another ADC to DVI converter and now have three monitors! One of the three, of course, is my Cintiq. I have drawn only one FNS comic with it so far, but I loved it! I feel the interest in hand lettering with it. I'm going to wait until the end of "Sad Little Life" before I do anything like that, though, because I want the finished story to have some kind of consistency to it when I put it into a book.

All in all, things are going well, and I think I'm about to make some big life changes for the better. 2008 is the Year of the Patric.

Current Location: work
Current Mood: hopeful
Current Music: "One Chance" - Modest Mouse

dear blog,

It's been a busy week for me computer-wise. This week, I achieved a long-held goal of getting a cintiq. I found a 21UX model used on ebay. For like really cheap. (Well, far, far cheaper than a new one.) I had been contemplating buying the 12WX, which is the 12 inch cintiq. I found this 21 inch version for only slightly more than an new 12WX. (for those not in the know, a Cintiq is a wacom tablet that is also a LCD monitor. Thus, you draw, with 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity right on the frakkin' screen.)

My cintiq arrived on Monday. I got home from band and set it up right away. It works so well! It took a little adjusting, but now I feel like it's really sped up my workflow for drawing. I also feel that drawing on a 21 inch surface vs the 6x8 intuos while looking at the monitor is really improving my drawing.

The only issue I was having was where to put it to be comfortable. I already had two monitors, a 23 inch Apple Cinema Display and a 17 inch, both from the short-lived period of ADC (Apple Display Connector). ADC was cool, because it was one cable that went to the computer and provided power and USB to the monitor. Of course, Apple switched to DVI which is better in the long run for resolution. So, my problem, with the cintiq, came in that where I wanted to put it, on my left, is also where I like to have my menu bar, dock, etc. I also usually use my left monitor as my main monitor, thus the right one contains palettes, instant messages, radio, etc. Well, I like to draw with the cintiq reasonably flat. So, now if I want to use it while not drawing, I have to constantly readjust the thing. I don't care for that. I want to find a comfortable position and leave it there.

I moved the cintiq to the left, putting my palettes on the right. That's just awkward. Now my mouse and keyboard are on my left while drawing. That isn't working. I came to the conclusion that I need to use my 17 inch monitor again and have a three monitor set-up, the 23 for basic computing, the cintiq in the middle, and the 17 inch for palettes on the right. I looked on ebay and found a PCI graphics card for my mac. Most graphics cards that work with a powermac g5 are AGP. That slot already has a card in it, driving the cintiq and 23 inch. I need an additional card. (In theory, I could have four monitors...). This was thursday by the time i found and purchased a card online.

Thursday night, after drawing a bit of Fun Factory, I shut down my computer, unplugged it (lots o' thunderstorms 'round here these days) and went to bed. I woke up early friday morning because the siding and shingles for my house were being delivered. I plugged in and hit the power on my computer and went to take a shower. I expected to walk back into my office after the shower to find my computer happily running, like it did every other day for the past 5 years.

That did not happen. In fact, not much happened. The G5 was sucking power, the fans were all going inside, lots of noise, but no actual computer going on. I thought maybe the monitor card I had went bad, since I got nothing on my screens. I had upgraded my monitor card years ago, so I pulled out the original and tried that. Nothing. I unplugged every device that wasn't a the monitor, mouse, and keyboard. Nothing.

I have taken my G5 Powermac to a repair center. They think they might get to looking at it monday. I am not optimistic. The good news, I still have my laptop, everything was backed up to external drives thanks to Time Machine, and I'm ahead on my comics. The bad news is I may be looking at needing a new desktop machine in the near future.

I've had that machine for 5 years, and model-wise, the machine is 6 years old. It was hot, noisy, and big, but man I loved it. I upgraded the RAM to 3 gigs, put in a video card with 256 MB of VRAM, and was very gentle to it. I had contemplating selling it a few weeks ago. It wouldn't be worth much, due to the Power PC architecture, but if not now, then never. I ultimately decided against it because at this point, relying on only one computer makes me a little nervous.

While I certainly was not planning on buying a new computer any time soon, I now may. The PCI graphics card I just bought will most likely do me no good, so I'll have to return it. If I maintain my dream of 3 (or 4!) monitors, the iMacs are out. I'll need a Mac Pro for that sort of set up. I probably could adjust to using the cintiq and one extra monitor (the wireless mouse I use with my laptop and the cintiq the other day helped). Assuming I get accepted into grad school, apple has a decent student discount, plus they're giving away free iPods with computer purchase. I could sell that, since I have an iPhone, or give someone a really nice gift.

I don't have to make a decision right now, luckily. But, it will weigh heavily on my mind.

Current Location: work
Current Mood: scared

dear blog,

The Mice Are Back In Town! That's right, Freaks N Squeeks starts updating again today (july 2nd). Make with the clicky! And tell everyone you know!

Current Location: home
Current Mood: happy
Current Music: hall of heads - tmbg

dear blog,

i feel full.

not like of food, but of... stuff.

like, there's grad school looming over my head. will i get in? won't i get in? where will i get in? what if i don't get in?

china. i'm going to _frakking_ china.

that means i have to miss san diego this year.

i should find another con to go to. i'll prolly still make chicago. still, i have books to sell and i like th cons. they make me feel good.

i'm wrapping up the work on pantheon. i'll be done by the end of the month. i have like 7-8 pages left.

so what will i do then? believe it or not, i'm going to draw Aces High. yeah, that. i can't find an artist for it, so i'm gonna draw it. i'm gonna try to find a real artist, but if i can't, i gonna draw up to a point that makes for a good place to stop.

and FNS #1000... less than 125 away. i'm really proud of the strip lately. i've been using Black a lot. i usually don't do that. and, i think the recent satire i'm doing is going to be good. for those of you who haven't seen it, i'm satirizing the whole boston v. aqua teen hunger force thing. FREE THE BOSTON TWO!!!! it just seemed to me this whole thing begged to be made fun of in a timely fashion.

oh, and i still want money.

and project wonderful really is wonderful. it's got me thinking about other things. i know with bitpass going the way of the dodo it would appear micropayments have failed (again). but, there's something about project wonderful that makes me think about micropayments. i mean, i'm getting pennies for ad space. i'm paying pennies for ad space. this is micropayments. isn't it? kinda? the whole thing works via auction, which i think is a good way, if not the best way, to do any commerce on the web. so, what if there was a system of micropayments to view content based on auction? i don't have anything beyond that. i just had this idea like a hour ago. but, somewhere in my head, is the rudimentary beginning of a theory of how to do this. maybe i'll blog again about it sometime.

so, yeah. i'm full. in my head. tomorrow, i have my dayjob and the horrible township meeting. thursday i'll color some more, and then that evening i'll teach my photo class. the first class went pretty well. i'm excited to see the homework people bring back.

is there really freedom, or just different levels of oppression?

Current Location: home
Current Mood: amused
Current Music: store bough bones - the racconteurs