Last Jedi Thoughts and Christmasy Things

Okay folks. Im ready to give my thoughts on THE LAST JEDI. Note: This blog may contain spoilers, so you are forewarned.

But before I get to my thoughts on the flick (which I KNOW you are all screaming to know... #sarcasm), I wanted to state one thing: ya’ll dont make being a fan easy. All weekend Ive seen back and forth, this and that, suck this, hate that.....we must be careful to not DEFINE OURSELVES only by the things we hate. Rather, build up things we love. And... if we are so insistant that the people in charge are fucking it all up and we can do a better job... GO DO IT. Go make something good... for yourself. Go write a better screenplay. Make it. Make a better album. Or a better book, etc. Do it. Become that child again, creating adventures with your action figures and dream of the stories in your head. Nothing can extinguish that fire inside you except you. So enjoy it or dont. Take it or leave it. Just keep yourself happy. Because the reason we even like going to these flicks is to feel like a child again. So tap into that and be that child again before the jaded, harsh world made you pull about things and look for reasons to hate it. Opinions I get, and certainly you are entitled to not like a thing. But to let it define you, time after time, and yet still you line up for the next one to fill that hate tank... don't become that person.

That said, my review simply is this: I liked it. I didn't LOVE it, I liked it. It took risks. It wasn't formulaic and it showed some balls. There were things I thought were silly and things I wanted way more of. But I don't feel like nitpicking anymore. I had a good time and that is that. And yes, I will buy a Porg. I thought they were cute. I wished Luke could have been just a smidge more bad ass in the end. I got questions about speed velocities of First Order ships and Resistance cruisers. I wished some questions I had the first time around could have been answered. But hey, there is a third one coming.... and another... and another... It will all be okay.

Watching my youngest son play Lego Star Wars on the PS4 teaches me that STAR WARS isn't just mine. Neither is Star Trek. Or anything else. Its igniting the powers and flames of his imagination now and  in turn, I'm grateful to get more and enjoy what I get. And yes, it sucks and it is sad when I see my childhood heroes age and die. But that's part of the gig, man. Take the ride or don't. But sitting there being angry with nothing to channel that energy into... I couldn't do that, man. No way.

Christmas is this coming weekend! All my gifts are wrapped and ready. This last week I did what I used to do as a kid and laid on my back and looked up into the tree. The lights dancing across the needles and decorations filled me with joy as a kid. I took a pic to remind myself of that joy I recreated. 

Luna Butt is ready for Xmas as well!

James and I made Christmas cookies together. Always important to make new memories with my boys when I can.

My day job treated us with a big holiday feast. Alfredo, beef, chicken, potatoes, beans... man it was good!

I guess the whole point of this blog is basically that its hard to be mad when so much great shit is going on. The fun and wonders of the holiday season is in me. I got all my xmas shopping done and I am thrilled with what is to come! I wish you a merry holiday weekend, my friends!

Last bit before I go, on the business end of things:

~~All THE EROTIC ZONE books are sketched in and commissions are done. Will be shipped this week, if not already by the time this goes up.

~~I penciled and inked 8 new STARSLAM 3 pages this week.

~~I scanned and touched up two PATREON exclusive stories. Things are happening, folks. We are gonna make it!!

Much love, T

The Long December of Snow and Shitty Drivers

The snow is falling outside. I am not a fan of it. For the most part I do not mind snow, because it is beautiful and helps one mentally get into the spirit of the season.

What I do not like is driving in it. How arseholes around me drive fast and cause accidents... cost money during the holidays... put lives in danger. This weekend I drove to Flint to meet my oldest son halfway to give him his Xmas presents. It was a brief meeting but at least I got to do it. I had to drive in the snow and on the way I saw 9 cars in the ditch. Its only 1 to 3 inches deep outside. What the serious fuck, people?

Arseholes abound. The other night my girl and I were driving home and the cops were chasing a car trying to make a getaway. They crashed into someone behind me and headed our way. We swerved quickly into a parking lot and drove toward the back to avoid the situation. In our rear window we saw the car stop, the cops emerge with their guns drawn. For a minute I had a fear the people in the getaway car would make a run for it and perhaps run in our direction... putting us in the line of fire. But they got back into their broken vehicle and made a run for it, with three cop cars on their tail. I keep checking the news to see what that was or what the outcome was but cannot find anything. Safe to say, we decided to take the opposite way home. It shook us up pretty bad. Its one thing to see a dangerous high speed chase on Tv, quite another to see it a mere 20 feet from you. I will stay at home, thanks.

I was going to wake up early today and do some last minute Christmas shopping and then go see THE DISASTER ARTIST at 10am. I didn't make it. I was up at 9am, but the warmth of the bed made me not want to leave. Plus I can see the snow falling outside. Ive already pulled out my long johns to wear when I have to leave the house today. Its been a long work week. I had 18 hours of overtime and I will likely have even more this week. I have a TO DO list that is about 20 miles long. I still have more commissions and sketches to do to get these Kickstarter books in the mail. Over 1/2 of them have been sent out. I will not rest this week until they are all done and headed out.

I got a million things to do, a billion distractions I want to do... if I only had the time. I don't. So I have to suck that up and be thankful that I am busy. It is welcome, despite all I try to put in front of it. This week I will finish those books, I will get even more inks on STARSLAM 3 done. I will pencil and ink another story and some pinups for the upcoming Patreon page. Then I will treat myself by seeing STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI and then hanging with my kids this weekend. Hopefully sometime I can try and see THE DISASTER ARTIST as well. After all, all work and no play make Adam something something.

I am enjoying Sirius Radio again, thanks to my new car. Ive re-downloaded the app and am enjoying the streaming features. Howard Stern constantly distracts me and makes me laugh. I'm on a big TOM WAITS kick thanks to a featured UNCUT magazine all about him. We took the night off and watched CAPTAIN RON on Amazon Prime and last night I watched some MST3K while I was cleaning the bedroom and counting the presents I still need to get for Xmas. Hopefully done with that this week.

Anyway, just updating everyone. Im off to take a dump, pull on my long johns, scrape off the car and avoid the idiot drivers on the way to work. Yippie. Thug life.

Cheers, T