Kickin' Ass and Chewing Bubblegum

...and I'm all out of bubblegum.

This month or so, I settled into a nice groove of daily work. I work in the morning after Scotty gets on the bus, then during James' naptime and then at night when the kids are asleep. Maybe a total of 8 hour work days at home. Feels extremely good to be back into a nice pattern of work. I've got so much done in the last couple weeks. Starslam pages are almost fully colored and ready to do word balloons. I finished coloring and resizing my con prints (new and some old), I started drawing a new pinup book for con season 2015 and I designed a new table layout. Also I am busy on a major card set for one of the big companies. I signed two contracts to do two more, so now I am on a total of FIVE card sets throughout the winter. I am going to be busy as fukkkkk.

I cannot tell you how good it feels to be in this groove. Over the summer as you well know, I was majorly derailed by depression, health and stress of everything around me. So much so, I wasn't even finding joy in doing artwork or anything creative anymore. I got to a very low and dark place. But I recognized this and got off the speed train for a bit to regroup. I wanted to see what it all meant for me now. Luckily, the feelings I was having dissolved and on the other side of the thinning fog in my brain I found that I still had the will and know-how to work again. I simply just lost my zeal for it all. I think what zapped me back into reality was writing a new PLEASANT LIFE script. I knew that I was going to do another book, but I need to clear the path to get to it. So one by one I started chipping away at the frozen ice wall of work I have to get done to get there. I am still a ways away, but I will get there. And as I drill down, I will release new stuff that I am just as excited about. Starslam (finally), Anna 2 (FINALLY), Card Sets, Pinup book and a few other things. And somewhere in there will be my porn store autobiography thingie.

Its not a struggle to sit down and get work done anymore. In fact, I look forward to it. Maybe I feel so great cause my health is coming back into order. I am down 35 pounds. I'm off soda completely for months now. I've even dropped caffeine. I went to a doctor and got a checkup (long overdue). My stats looks great. The dizziness I was experiencing has stopped. Maybe a side effect of dropping caffeine or something else, I have no idea. But glad its gone and I feel normal again. I'm just in a real good place and riding the wave again.

I put my notice in at my night job earlier this week. I don't really need the job anymore now that the wife makes more money at her new position and company. Also my freelance work is picking up. The job itself is fine, but adjusting my sleep and sleeping my days off away really sucks. The wife and I have barely seen each other and when I am dog tired, I am angry and snapping at everything and everyone. Not good. Throws my system out of whack. Also, some of the people I deal with are not a good or positive thing to be around. A lot of negativity sometimes. Not as seedy as some other jobs I've had, but just annoyingly angry and bitchy all the time. I have to cut off things that do not serve me. I thought tonight would be my last night but the new person they hired quit abruptly and now I am sort of stuck actually finishing out my two weeks, depending on wife's schedule.  So it goes, but I'll get through it. And when I do, full speed ahead on my REAL JOB!

What I've got coming up in the near future is the launch of the STARSLAM Kickstarter. Its likely the last Kickstarter I'll do for a while as I want to focus on some other funding sources and ideas. then I will have a local signing here in Lansing that we are working the details out on. Other than that, its just getting stuff done and paying off bills. Then saving money for 2015 convention travels. I really want to get back out on the road again. I miss it. I need to get out there again. But I want to bring a ton of shit to show with me. I'll show you all how busy I've been.

Very soon...

In other news, during my downtime I have been enjoying The Munsters on Netflix. I am really in love with that series. Also I got Marc Maron's book "Attempting Normal," which I am enjoying. I'm about halfway through it. Then I got Sean Yseult's White Zombie book next. All great shit!

Anyway folks, no worries. I'm in a good place now and back in the groove. Now go forth and kick some ass of your own! 

Luvs, T

Recent Stuff Absorbed

So it seems in my boredom with the wife gone, I've finally started cutting things down in my Netflix que to watch. Just a bunch of movies and TV shows I keep putting off. Here's a list of some of the stuff I've watched this week:

Airplane 2 - A classic. Watched this late one night cause I wanted something I could ignore. Did the trick

Airheads - Its been a while since I saw this flick. I forgot Lemmy was in it for a millasecond. I say this movie still kinda holds up. Way better than Empire Records did.

Nymphomaniac Vol 1 - Lars von Trier's new arty film about a nymphomaniac. I found it VERY slow paced and I skipped through half of it after about an hour and change in. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for some art film style of watching. I don't think I can recommend it based on what I saw, really. But maybe if I have 6 hours to kill and want to watch the whole thing (not very likely on the time aspect) I'll give it a shot in the future.

Doctor Who - Finally cuaght up with the new season and its good, but I'm trying to figure out when they will end this season long arc of the Doctor being all dark and indifferent. I gotta imagine its turning people off. But I'll see till the end of the season to see how it all plays out.

South Park - New season started and its okay. I haven't watched the newest one though.

Family Guy/Simpsons Crossover - It was okay. But coulda been muuuuch better. Don't know what I was really expecting though.

Jay & Silent Bobs Cartoon Movie - Honestly, I didn't make it 30 minutes into this. The animation really didn't grab me and the jokes weren't that great. Bummer. I wanted to like it.

Sherlock - Watched Season 3 finally. Very great as always. I am a total Cumberbitch.

Night Gallery Pilot - I had forgotten I saw parts of this as a kid. The first part stars Roddy McDowell (one of my top 5 favorite actors) and a scary story about a painting. I remember how it fucked me up a bit as a kid. Very "Monkey's Paw" in feel. I loved it. Its on youtube, watch it!

Star Trek Animated Series - I showed the kid some of these. We watched a couple episodes I watched years and years ago but barely remember. I should sit down and watch them all really.

But the biggest thing I've been watching is THE MUNSTERS. I am beyond late to the table on this one. I casually saw it as a kid but wasn't into it. I decided to finally sit down and give it a shot like I recently did to M*A*S*H. Boy am I glad I did. I am in love with the show. A lot of the same actors pop up from Trek and Batman of the era. I'm only about 10 episodes in but I am savoring the experience. Really dig it. Perfect for the Halloween spirit!

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On the work front, I have been working on cards and coloring Starslam at the same time. Everyday I am doing something on either one. Good pace. My dizzyness spells seem to have went away. No idea what it was. Maybe my blood pressure has gone down. Maybe I had some inner ear or vision crap that was bothering me. No clue. Just glad its gone!

This weekend I gotta take my stereo receiver in for repair or replacement. Hope its not expensive. Also I gotta work the night job Fri-Sat, so my sleep will be off again. We shall see how I recoop from that once again.

Thanks for checking in folks. Make sure you are keeping up with my MORNING SHOW PODCASTS to get my day to day talkings and bitchings. Easier for me to talk there than to type. Sometimes anyway...

Cheers! T