Disconnected...

Hey all. Its been a so-so week. Not nearly as productive as I wanted it to be. I only worked maybe one or two days on cards and coloring. For the most part I have been nursing my health. There's something wrong with me and I am not sure what it is. For a while now, I've had these slight "light-headed/dizzy spells." They come and go in a mere second and they sort of knock me off slightly, enough that I can get ill. Vertigo to a sense, but it has caused many other things to me such as much worry and even anxiety attacks. I have been actually suffering anxiety attacks when I am alone. Alone at the night job and alone at home while the wife is away. Mostly fear that there is something greater wrong with me and I am alone with the kids. But that is an irrational fear.

I want you to know that I greatly despise doctors. I know way too many people who have been misdiagnosed and even lost their lives at points because of it. However I do feel it is necessary to get your engines checked from time to time. Especially since my age has got to the point where yearly checkups might be a good idea. I wanted to avoid it while I was transitioning from morbid obesity down to being just a simple fat guy. I've went from 373 pounds to 343 pounds in three months. I've quit soda and have made better decisions as to my eating habits. Daily fruits, etc. But still, this problem remains. I still feel slightly "off." Like when you hear a song you've heard a million times but theres a guitar part missing, or the drum beat is 1/4th a second off all the sudden. Just disconnected. Its hard to explain. I'm having daily dizzy spells and even driving is becoming a problem. I went to the store today feeling really good and energetic, only to return sick and lightheaded from motion sickness. I've suffered motion sickness all my life, but for some reason it is increasing. I don't like it at all. I sometimes think it might be my body withdrawl from caffeine and all the other crap I am not partaking in so much anymore. Is that possible? I don't know. I have 36 years of bad habits I am overcoming, so I am sure I will be punished in some way... if I already haven't done too much damage to the one valuable and irreplaceable thing I have in this life: My body.

So I went to the doctor this last Friday and they took 4 vials of blood:

Needles freak me out and I didn't dare look at it, but toughed it out I did. FOUR VIALS!!! It took forever it seemed, but I got through it. They ruled out the major worries right away like heart problems, blood sugar, etc. Blood pressure was high but in the normal range. If I continued on my destructive path with food, I would likely get worse, stats-wise. But I have been changing all of that. I should know the results on Monday... IF they found anything. I doubt they will. The problem is in my head. Something with my perceptions or equilibrium. A CAT scan would be a good idea if I could get one. But to rule out anything major happening to me is helping with the anxiety. But it remains that I just feel wrong. Something is off and I can feel it. Its fucking with my world. I can make myself very dizzy doing simple things like moving my head too much. I have learned to sort of move my head with my body, like Michael Keaton in BATMAN. If I don't think about it, I can distract myself from the issues. Last night I had some friends over and we had some beers. I went slow and enjoyed myself. It seemed the more I had fun and just talked, the more I felt "normal." This thing, whatever it is, has taken over my life to some degree and I want it to be fixed.

So I am going to wait for my results this week and meanwhile just try to stay busy and distracted. Wish me luck. I wish I could describe this better, but I cannot. I just know I am not right. Hopefully I get well soon... whatever that will take.

I did finish a commission this week. It was for a pet owner who lost a dog recently. It is meant to be a holiday present. Here it is: 

Touching on the whole Itunes/U2 thing that I have ranted endlessly about on my PODCAST - I was pleased to see that the U2 album has been getting good reviews and also all U2 albums have been increasing in sales via digital and physical media. It seems the album got younger kids checking out their back catalog and thats a great thing! So I declare the album a complete win over the naysayers. I've listened to it several times and its fast approaching my favorite release of 2014 so far. But there's a couple months to go and some major albums coming.. like Foo Fighters and um, that one band... something Floyd that is Pink or something... Also Radiohead's Thom Yorke just released an album via free methods too. I gotta get that and dissect it. What an exciting time for my favorite bands!

I am fast approaching episode #300 of my MORNING SHOW PODCAST - You still have time to enter my contest to win a free copy of my 120 page full color ARTBOOK! Simply email me a question to read live on the show BY CLICKING HERE and that enters you into a drawing. Enter NOW for your chance! Its quite likely I will be recording the new episode sometime this week. So HURRY!

It appears I might be doing another live appearance somewhere in Lansing before the end of the year. I'll let you folks know as soon as details are set it stone. Probably sometime late Oct/early Nov. Stay tuned.

Those local to me who want some of my art prints can hit up THE RECORD LOUNGE in East Lansing and score some, and some killer vinyl!! They are allowing me to set up the prints there in their shop and people are digging them. So stop in if you are in East Lansing area and get my shit! Many of those prints will not be reprinted anymore, so get em while they last!!

I recently have started to recollect some CDs as well. It seems me getting rid of physical media made me miss them greatly. Luckily, Cds are dirt cheap right now so when I have a spare $5-10, I toss some to some albums. Hey, its better than spending it on fast food! I need to get a CD player that will work with my receiver though.

I suppose thats all I have for the moment. I hope you all have a good week. Hopefully I get good news about my health soon. I'll keep you all posted if I learn anything.

Much Love,  T

Lonely Week 3 - Kickin' Butt All Over!

Hey everyone! Back again. Been a busy week. Lots of working, late nights, changing sleep patters over and back again, but I'm good. I've been working on coloring for Starslam and the new Star Wars card set stuff. Busy all around and thats great! I also finished a small commission I decided to take on. I'm not currently doing many commissions but I accepted this one because it was for an owner of a recently deceased pet. I can relate and so it had to be done.

Some things I am excited about:

I am officially down 30 pounds now. I weighed in today and it was a genuine surprise! It feels good and I am going good on my path. I have now been free of soda at home for three months and drinking a ton of water. Eating lots of fruit at home as well. I need to do more veggies and soups from now on and start a walking regimine, but so far these minor changes in my diet have been working quite well. Imagine what would be happening if I went hardcore! Oh well. I'm going the extreme baby step route. Seems to work great for me.

I scored the Walgreens exclusive Boba Fett figure. I never really buy myself much anymore, but I got an affection for Boba Fett. So when I learned of this exclusive figure I decided to treat myself. They are quite beautiful!

Pink Floyd officially announced the release date for their new (and most likely their last) album, "The Endless River." It is coming November 10th. It mostly is 99% instrumental music, most of which was recorded for the "Division Bell" sessions in 1994. So it will feature keyboardist Rick Wright (who died in 2008), along with new material recorded by Dave and Nick. Roger Waters is not involved. Its a nice treat for a long time fan like me. A great swan song? We shall see. 

In other exciting music news (for me anyway), I got a surprise U2 album this week... and for FREE! I'm sure you all have heard about it by now. 

Of course, the loud bitchings of people "forced" to own the album created a large stink. But all they had to do was swipe/delete/problem solved. Meanwhile I am loving every track. So far, I'd rank it in my top 5 releases of the year in fact. What can I say? I am a fan and it was a definate treat. Sorry so many people feel otherwise. But I've ranted about this enough on my podcast recently that I won't get into it... (sigh)

Speaking of my Idiothead Morning Show Podcast (which you can subscribe to via Itunes), I am having a contest for episode #300. I am likely going to be recording it within the next two weeks. I am asking people to EMAIL ME A QUESTION RIGHT HERE to read on the show. And every person that asks a question gets entered into a drawing. And at the end of the show recording, I will draw a name and that person will win a copy of my 2014 ARTBOOK! "CAPTAIN'S LOG" Its called! So if you want a chance to win a free book, and get your question read live on the air, simply EMAIL ME A QUESTION!!! It can be about my work, my opinions on things in the world, advice, music, movies, etc. Anything really. Just ask anything and I will answer and you get an opportunity to win. HURRY! I will be recording episode #300 soon!!!

Lastly, wife is gone to Detroit for more training so I am working alone this week. She's coming back on thursday and we'll have Saturday night off together. Looking forward to it as we haven't seen each other much these last couple weeks. Gets lonely! Anyway folks, thanks for reading. Go out into the world and kick some ass!

Cheers, T

PODCAST CONTEST!

By now most of you know I run a podcast called the IDIOTHEAD MORNING SHOW. Its 15-25 minutes about 3-5 times weekly that you can stream for free right HERE or better yet, Subscribe via Itunes right HERE - I'm at episode #280 after going for almost two years. Coming up quickly, I will be celebrating my 300th episode! So I wanted to do something special. I am having a contest!!

Simply EMAIL ME A QUESTION that I can read and answer live on the show. It can be about my comics, my writing, advice, general interests, music, movies, whatever! Anything! Just ask any question. I will read each one live. Then at the end of the show, I will collect all the names and draw a name. The winner will recieve a FREE SKETCHED IN COPY of my 20th ANNIVERSARY ARTBOOK pictured here:

So either email me a question HERE or Facebook message me a question HERE and you are officially entered into the contest. I will be recording episode #300 within the next couple weeks or so, so there is time. However, don't wait and forget. Enter NOW while you are looking at this. Its a free shot at winning my 120 page full color with a sketch inside ARTBOOK!

If you don't enter, thats cool. But at least subscribe to the podcsat via Itunes HERE - Its free, and a great supplement to the blog here. I expand on many thoughts I have here and drop exclusive inside news all the time. Rants, raves, lists, etc. I try my hardest to be entertaining. People seem to enjoy it and the downloads are constant. I'd like it to continue and get more people listening and involved. Wanna help? Go to Itunes and subscribe. Also write a review for the podcast on there. It helps the rankings and gets sponsors interested in possibly looking at it. That helps fund what I'm doing. I appreciate it.

Anyway folks, ENTER THE CONTEST! ENTER TO WIN A FREE BOOK! Hit me with the questions and provide content for the big #300th episode!

And a great thanks to all who always listen each week. I appreciate you letting me into your lives for 20-25 minutes a day. Cheers! (Peace and Love!)

T

200th Episode of the MORNING SHOW CONTEST!

Hey folks! I've got a cool little anniversary coming up. Its the 200th Episode of my newest (and only surviving) podcast: THE IDIOTHEAD.COM MORNING SHOW!

Its been great fun to do and the emails and messages I get of support for it mean the world to me. the downloads are consistant and that means I must be doing something right! I thank everyone who listens. And if you don't and have never heard of it, You can download or stream it right HERE
-->

or better yet, subscribe and download via itunes right  HERE --- And best of all, ITS FREE!!!

Over the last 200 episodes I've told a lot of my personal stories, had guests on, did rants, reviews, did some info on things like movies, music, Trek, lists and other such things. And lots of inside info on what I am working on, how I work on it and more. Its perfect background noise and best part: Each episode only runs 10-30 minutes tops, with a couple exceptions. So its not much of a time commitment and its a nice pick me up. 

I usually record these either late at night or early in the a.m. before the kids are around to prevent background noise. I always toss a bit of intro music in there and do some plugs. If you ever want info beyond what I type here on the blog, this is defintely the place!

Anyway, coming up on episode #200, I wanted to do something special. So I decided first of all: I am going to go through each project that is currently on my plate and give updates on each one. Also, I will read a chapter from each of the two books Iam working on. One is the porn store book, the other is the short story/poem collection. THEN, I want to take some listener questions. So that is where you come in. Whether you are a listener or not, I want your questions! Want to ask me something about movies, music, comics, Star Trek or anything? Maybe go deeper and ask some personal questions? Whatever comes and is good show material, I will answer it.  So get your questions answered live on the air and I will read your emailed statements on the air and give a plug for you even if you want. Just simply CLICK HERE TO EMAIL ME A QUESTION and then I will put it in the 200th episode. Or TWITTER MESSAGE me and I'll put it on as well. Just get me the questions before Friday this week. and from the people that send me a question (or many questions) no later than this Friday, I will randomly draw one of the names and send them a nice package of goodies from the Idiothead.com archives! Including: Original art, sketch cards, comics, rare comics, sketch cap and more! Only one winner will be drawn and named at the end of the episode. So get your questions in quick to enter!

I thank everyone for their support for the podcast and everything else I do. Also I want to encourage those who haven't checked it out to please subscribe, download the shows and enjoy. There's LOTS of content there for you and its all free. Imagine, me talking in your ears for hours on end! WOW! And its FREE!!!!! Holy bacon bits! Awesome! 

Anyway, thanks for reading, hit me with the questions and I'll record it by this weekend. Thanks everyone. 

Cheers, T