My Webcomic

So I started my webcomic yesterday. I've decided that it'll be a daily thing of whatever random funny stuff that comes to mind :D

http://ManicStatic.wordpress.com

I opted for a wordpress blog thing because I couldn't see paying for a domain if I'm unsuccessful. And by successful I mean people actually like the stuff I draw and buy shirts and whatever from my cafe press store. (there's a banner on the site!)

New Projects Brewing

For years I've been a huge fan of different webcomics. I read them faithfully the way some people read PerezHilton.com ... anyway!

I've decided to start a comic of my own! I haven't gotten a site yet. The reason I haven't is because it DOES cost money so I would have to discuss such a thing with Keith first. I don't really want to go the 'free website' route because .. well I just don't want to. Having your own website gives you MUCH more freedom.

I'm also going to get a normal job next week - or at least start looking for one. My last wedding to film is set for next Wednesday so everything is all in order. I'm already looking into things to spend my money on once I start getting paychecks. My check will mostly just be 'play' money since we live quite comfortably off Keith's pay.

I've debated letting Keith take over this laptop and getting myself a macbook. One - I don't plan to continue gaming. PCs and Windows machines are FAR superior for gaming .. but I think my gaming days are almost gone. There are other things I'd like to focus on - like my art and writing. The past few years I've really let a lot of that go, but I'm going to find it again.

I can get a macbook off ebay for around ... 800USD -- or I can get one at the BX for a few hundred more and be guaranteed that everything is new. I'm almost positive that Keith isn't going to go for this, though.

My idea to start a webcomic really has me all "Eek". For one I do have a very off-the-wall sense of humor. With anything in life you always HOPE to succeed, I guess I'm just a little freaked out to be really planning on stopping everything I've been doing for the past almost three years.
There are lots of other things I wish I could openly type out - but I can't. Keith thinks its tacky for me to write out EVERYTHING so that any Tom Dick or Harry can read it. Sooo yeah.

I drew up a comic just a bit ago, scanned it, then painted around on it a bit. I think I'll just draw up a bunch of them and horde them for when I get a site, that way I'm ahead of the race a little bit and can update it daily or something. Maybe I'll even offer t shirts/mugs etc who knows.

Really I think its just time I have fun with the internet and stop seeing it as my job because well .. it won't be much longer. I've exhausted myself researching things, contacting people .. all that .. but I've never had a chance to really do what I want to do.

I will say that a lot of the comics I draw are NOT SAFE FOR WORK. So when I DO get a site please do yourself a favor and only view it at home - unless you work in a very liberal work place. Then of course view the site by all means!

Right now I'm really not sure what else to say. I'm excited about Christmas already - and I am just waiting for Keith's presents to come in. I think he's gonna be surprised and that he'll REALLY like his gifts!

Turkey Day!

We ate re-heated food from the squadron thing. That was enough of a Thanksgiving for me. After that Keith and I pretty much just started playing video games.

My Minstrel in LotR:O is now level 17 (Landroval server -- name Madge) and I spent a big part of the day seeing just how far I could run before I got killed. I actually got a popup message that more or less said "DANGER! This zone is very dangerous and things will attack you from far away!!" I did eventually die.

I'm debating heating up some of .. whatever's left and making a sandwich out of it. Keith is on the phone right now with his family. I called my family earlier and got hung up on 3 times before my mom answered the 4th time.

I won BOTH the things I was bidding on so I was really happy about that. Sooo hopefully Keith thinks the stuff I got him is awesome.

Keith is also making me pissy because I set up a filming appointment - and I had to throw a fit for him to actually do it. I'm really close to throwing in the towel on the video thing. I'd rather work in a fucking fast food joint - bring home my paycheck and not hear a damn word out of him instead of me going out of my way to communicate with these people and get things scheduled just for him to be a complete ASS about it.

Whatever.


I'm making a sandwich.

Dinnah

I don't have a lot of time to post because I have a lot to do and I'm hardly dressed.

Keith and I will be doing a feast thing with his entire squadron this afternoon. I even baked a carrot cake for the thing! I'm not a very good cook - unless its desserts. I can make the HELL out of some desserts!

I still have to ice the cake, dry my hair, and maybe slap on some makeup. I haven't decided on the makeup bit - but we'll see!

Suddenly I found myself distracted by the clouds moving outside.

I've decided to buy all Keith's Christmas presents on eBay since its cheap and easy. Its much more simple than me taking him to work and hitting the BX in hopes that they have what I'm looking for. Instead I can just log on and place a bid on the SAME THING that I know is there -- but for half the price and I don't have to worry about hiding it because it comes IN A BOX that I can just open and wrap while he's at work. Huzzah!

I'm sure we'll take pictures today. We haven't really taken the camera with us much of anywhere lately ... definately will have to stop that!

A Wicked Weekend

Keith and I had a completely AWESOME Saturday. I don't regret my decision to only do wedding videos during the week. If I were still doing them on a whim there's no way we would have had such a lovely weekend!

We started our Saturday by waking up (of course!) and made the hour drive to Redbridge (suburb of London) to catch the Central tube to St. Paul's.

St. Paul's Cathedral

We walked the few blocks from there across the Millennium Bridge

Millennium Bridge

Once across the bridge we were directly in front of the Tate Gallery of Modern Art.

Tate Gallery of Modern Art

This is where we met with Harold Frickner who had invited Keith and I to give the lecture at Solent University in Southampton. We both really think highly of Harold - and I particularly enjoy our intellectually charged conversations. It isn't often that you can discuss art (in its many mediums), society, and Second Life all to a receptive person and still get great feedback without it feeling like propoganda!

We all met on the 6th floor in the Members Only cafe where they have the biggest croissants I've ever seen in my life! The three of us sat and had croissants and cappuccino while just taking in the view before we walked the few blocks to Borough Market which we're told is probably the most trendy market in London. We weren't there for trend so much as to just enjoy the market.

Market Days are unfamiliar to us. There's really no such thing in America. Markets are purely medieval which would explain why since there was no Medieval period in the United States. And markets are something that Keith and I really enjoy. The closest thing we have in the US would be what most here call a 'jumble sale'.

After we had taken a trip through the Borough Market we hopped in Harold's car as he gave us a driving tour of London. We even drove past the Ten Bells - and we must MUST round up Tree and her man to take a Ripper tour one day soon! Its one of the many things which are mandatory on a trip to London.


Harold drove us to the theater where we had tickets to see Wicked - and let me tell you ... its been far too many years since I've seen a play/musical/opera! I almost cried when the curtain came up. A bit of it was sadness of "That could have been me" - the other part was just sheer glee. I'll have to explain the "Coulda Been Me" syndrome another time.

Apollo Victoria Theater

During intermission I didn't even want to get up. I sat there hoping that if enough people stayed in their seats that the director would decide to start the next act early ... but of course this was all just a fantasy played out in my head.

The play was spectacular and I would recommend it to anyone with children who are old enough to understand it (8 and up). It really gave a good positive message that I think young girls SHOULD hear on a daily basis but probably don't. Let's not mention the fact that it was also really funny!

We then had dinner at the MOST posh Pizza Hut I have EVER seen. This place served WINE!!!! On top of that .. they served like .... gormet desserts! I was over the moon at how swank the place was! I absolutely LOVED it! It was something that felt familiar but was all together different. It just goes to show you how different cultures are. In America -- you'd NEVER find a pizza joint like that.

At any rate - I told Keith that we mustttt see more plays and musicals because back "home" I would have to drive 5 hours (estimated) just to see a musical ... and here its so much more convenient. Oh and London's transportation system is so so so good. They really make it easy to get about - which makes me feel less intimidated. We had a LOVELY weekend and I hope to have another soon!

Classical Emo = Win

Okay so I hated my parents just as much as the goth kids and punk kids and was looking for a way to just step out of my daily life and declare that I ... I don't know. I hated high school. Anyway!

So I'm a YouTube lurker. I love to check out random videos. Lots don't know - but I am a classically trained singer. Yuh! I can't sing along to radio stuff - but give me some sheet music to Carmen or Les Miserables and I'll rock the house. ANYWAY!!

I've never been a fan of 'commercial radio' even though I do enjoy British radio more than I liked the radio stations in the US in the towns I lived in. Part of it is because I spent all my life in the South which means my choices were Classic Rock (think of hearing nothing but Lynyrd Skynyrd all day), Country (think of hearing Hank Williams, Jr all day) or Soft Rock (Creed and Celine Dion) ... so yeah I hatedddd the radio.

These days YouTube has become my alternative radio. There are sooo many talented people (not just singers but accompanists too!) who do 'covers' of songs that I never liked until I heard the COVER version by some unnamed talent on YouTube.

The following video is an example of that. Some random guy who has a talent for playing by ear (the most piano playing I ever did was pounding out harmony parts to whatever I was singing) and doing covers of songs that I HATED.

So I found a video of his .. and he's playing Helena by My Chemical Romance on piano. Of all instruments I think I'm a sucker for the piano the most. Why? Well there are lots of reasons. For one - maybe its my artsy poetic side .. but the strings and the mechanism is hidden which makes it mysterious. Its like its hiding its guts, I guess. Even though you KNOW what happens inside that lid -- you can only pay attention to the pianist's physical interpretation of what they're playing which makes the instrument sooo appealing to me!

Anyway - here's the video.

Wrestling and its Writers

I blame the fact that I am an 80s kid when it comes to my dorkiness. I fully admit to being a huge dork, and the extent of my dweebtastic self stretches far and wide.

As a kid in the 80s I loved loved LOVED watching wrestling on TV. It was a bonding type of thing between my somewhat psychotic Marine uncle and I. Violence was our link - sad but funny.

I never believed anyone when they said wrestling was scripted. I found it hard to believe that Hulk Hogan's sheer might didn't take down Andre the Giant and that they both knew who was going to win that match before they ever left the dressing room.

Sadly, I've come to terms with this dastardly truth just a few days ago. My uncle Julian isn't around for me to say "Wow dude you were right .." so I'll just consider this blogpost and the following video as a nod to those 'evil' things he said to me long ago. And here I told him he was just trying to steal the twinkle from my childhood. Turns out, he was right.