Post 315 (7/28/06): Vacation has begun!

Good news. I'm on vacation. I drive 8 hours to get to the Jersey Shore tomorrow and then I'm off from everything for 9 days...but of course, I'll still be online. In fact, I'll probably be online MORE than I have in the past couple weeks, because I'll be bored with the beach by Sunday...hehe...yes, that means 24 hours after getting there.

Christy and I will try to be civil to everyone, but our REAL vacation starts TUESDAY when we get to Atlantic City for three days. I'm going to gamble gamble gamble!
(Shh, don't tell the wife that, though, because she thinks I'm going to sign over the house to a loan shark or something...)

Anyway, I'll probably give everyone some fun stories (if there are any)...(I'm sure at least one good gamble story will occur).

Post 312 (7/24/06): Bachelor Parties...hehe.

At some point in everyone's life, they should experience a bachelor party...but not necessarily, be the guy that turns it into a true party...the other night (Saturday), I had the opportunity to go to a bachelor party that was in serious need of "sprucing up..."

Myself, Arnie, and Fubar (all on the myspace page for more info on them), drove down to Winston Salem (about an hour from home) to get to see our buddy Al on one of his last free nights. Everything about this party seemed a little off if you ask me, since we were going to start at Hooters, drink A LOT of beer, and then hit the strip club. I apologize now for the ladies reading this, but as funny as it was, its probably not the most appropriate story, hehe.

Anyway, the worst rain I've been a part of since my car almost washed away at the Jersey Shore last year, we get there and get soaked as we walk into the restaurant. We wait...and wait...and wait for a waitress to come and take our order. By the time she arrives, I order three pitchers of beer, thinking, if it is going to take her 20 minutes to come back, I want this to be at least something to tide us over. I offer the bachelor, Al, as much beer as he would like, and his other buddies start helping themselves...I don't know anybody here except Al, Fu and Arnie, but I let it slide based on the fact that I don't want to make everyone upset about something as trivial as this...

When the check comes, Arnie and I put $40 into it, and Fubar places $25 into the pot for driving and not drinking as much...this means that a TOTAL of $27 and tip HAS NOT BEEN PAID by three of us...the other six guys should be able to come up with that, right?....right? Nope, Arnie and I suddenly have to throw in more...so not only were they drinking the beer, they also didn't have a couple bucks to throw in...

We go to the strip club, but have to make a stop before we get there, so Al can throw up...this is a great stop, because it allow me to try a drink called TILT, which is an energy beer...good stuff, tastes like a dreamsicle.

Finally, we get to the strip club, on a Saturday night mind you, to find out that... ONLY ONE GIRL IS WORKING...AN ENTIRE CLUB! WHAT?!

I get directions to another club, broker a deal to get Al in for free...watch two of the other guys complain that it costs $10 to get in...$10?! THAT'S NOTHING. I broker another deal to get the leather couch section for HALF PRICE...and here the guys complain about this...sheesh.

Finally, boobies...we get some girls to come over, and who is it that has to get the dances for the bachelor...? Arnie and me.

All in all, I enjoyed the fun I had, not the money I spent, or having to be the best man when I'm not even in the wedding party. I hope Al realizes how much we did for him, because it was fun...

and it wouldn't have been if not for the boys from Durham.

Post 311 (7/20/06): One of "THOSE" conversations.

HELLO still isn't working, so I still don't have any art to post...sorry...now going to talk about my personal life again.

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Christy and I (that's my wife, folks) had one of those conversations that you dread, and then whens its over, you may feel a little better about it, but overall, you still dread it because you aren't sure how are you going to...or how you want to react.

I asked her if she felt we connect anymore. And I got the hard answer. Christy hasn't been good at sugarcoating recently, since I asked her if she found me physically attractive and got a diatribe about all the reasons why she wouldn't when all I was doing was fishing for a compliment. She apologized, but today I got the answer that hurts. She said, "I want to..." Not "yes," but not "No." But it seemed apparent, that everything she was saying was trying to "not hurt my feelings." Much like I do everytime I tell her nothings wrong, or explain how I feel without explaining all of it...but today was different, I was going to be heard, I was going to explain myself, because I am tired of arguing over drinking, drinking and driving, her friends, where she wants to hang out and why I'm angry with her all the time....Yes, this means she's not always the bad guy, and I truly love her.

I am an excellent judge of character. Its a gift and a curse. Its a gift because it allows me to learn about truly good people...its a curse because I learn all too often who's not worth my time, and my wife doesn't learn that lesson nearly as soon as I do. But anyway.

I brought one huge point to the forefront of us today that I've been denying myself and knowing that it was what I wanted, but was trying to accept that I was never going to get it...and no, I'm not talking about butt sex, hehe...

I told her our biggest "disconnect" was this..."Christy, you are THE MOST IMPORTANT THING in the world to me. When I accept you doing something, its because I want you to be happy. When I disagree with something you do, its because I want to do whats best for you...We fight because I tell you I want to be respected, and I want my opinion to matter. I want...to be number one in your life. I don't want to be number 2, 3, or further down the line. I put you first, regardless of anything...and I'm not put first to you."

A relationship only truly works forever if you want to make that other person happy. Do you have to be happy with yourself? Sure, but you still want to appease them, and make them realize how important they are, and how much you love them... otherwise, all you'll have left is yourself. Sacrifice, compromise and understanding. Yet, for some reason its human nature to be selfish and not care about another person's feelings, needs or wants.

"Christy, I didn't tell you to change anything about our wedding because it was all done the way you wanted, which made it how I wanted. All that work, and the most REAL smile I've ever seen on your face...that gave me everything I've ever wanted in life."

Her smiling makes me smile. Her wanting to make me smile is what I miss.

Maybe one of these days we'll really appreciate what the other does for us...but right now, I just want what I give her and start there...

I love her so much that I'm willing to do anything for her...and I just want to know that she'd sacrifice anything to reciprocate...

Post 310...problems :(

So get this...I find ALL this old art, including stuff that will NOW be included in the ARDY: City That Never Sleeps 10th Anniversary Director's Cut, like sketches from Tim and myself for the character designs, page layouts to show where Tim was going with the art and such...and yet, for some reason the program I use to upload pics to the blog, called HELLO, is not connecting to the server. Like at all. I've reinstalled the software and everything and I could NOT find a way to get this stuff uploaded. What this means is that I may put it all on the myspace page, or I may just leave it until the printed edition comes out...but the craziness of everything is I found some of my OLDEST Landis sketches, including a "silent" four page story that shows exactly how influenced by Highlander she was when I created her.

Its unfortunate, and I'm trying to make sure I at least get on here to show you guys that I am still trying to give new and fresh material at least once per week like the contract with Keenspot says I have to, and I KNOW that just reading what I have to blog about is probably not enough, so I WANT to give you more, and I will...please believe that.

If I could figure out how to html other files onto the blog, I would, I hope you all understand that, too. I'm NO internet genius and I do not claim to be one....that's part of the reason THE ARDY VANSTARR ADVENTURES hasn't begun yet (that and the pages aren't lettered, yet, either...JK is going to be showing me how to do that, again, so that we can both do it, and get it up to the speed with need it.

Anyway, I've been doodling a lot more recently, though only when I have time at home, and I've found some great old ARDY pieces that I may make into prints through Ka-Blam! In fact, I need to get in touch with Tony Furtado since I don't have that awesome ARDY piece he did recently since my harddrive crash earlier this year.

Also, one more time, I'll ask anyone who wants to submit an original Landis drawing to please do so. So far I don't have any commitments for it, though I'd love to have anyone who wants to show their best Landis.

Alright, I'll try to be back before the end of the week to give an update for both me and JK on ARDY's progress, and hopefully Eric's progress with TAGGER, as well.

Post 310...problems :(

So get this...I find ALL this old art, including stuff that will NOW be included in the ARDY: City That Never Sleeps 10th Anniversary Director's Cut, like sketches from Tim and myself for the character designs, page layouts to show where Tim was going with the art and such...and yet, for some reason the program I use to upload pics to the blog, called HELLO, is not connecting to the server. Like at all. I've reinstalled the software and everything and I could NOT find a way to get this stuff uploaded. What this means is that I may put it all on the myspace page, or I may just leave it until the printed edition comes out...but the craziness of everything is I found some of my OLDEST Landis sketches, including a "silent" four page story that shows exactly how influenced by Highlander she was when I created her.

Its unfortunate, and I'm trying to make sure I at least get on here to show you guys that I am still trying to give new and fresh material at least once per week like the contract with Keenspot says I have to, and I KNOW that just reading what I have to blog about is probably not enough, so I WANT to give you more, and I will...please believe that.

If I could figure out how to html other files onto the blog, I would, I hope you all understand that, too. I'm NO internet genius and I do not claim to be one....that's part of the reason THE ARDY VANSTARR ADVENTURES hasn't begun yet (that and the pages aren't lettered, yet, either...JK is going to be showing me how to do that, again, so that we can both do it, and get it up to the speed with need it.

Anyway, I've been doodling a lot more recently, though only when I have time at home, and I've found some great old ARDY pieces that I may make into prints through Ka-Blam! In fact, I need to get in touch with Tony Furtado since I don't have that awesome ARDY piece he did recently since my harddrive crash earlier this year.

Also, one more time, I'll ask anyone who wants to submit an original Landis drawing to please do so. So far I don't have any commitments for it, though I'd love to have anyone who wants to show their best Landis.

Alright, I'll try to be back before the end of the week to give an update for both me and JK on ARDY's progress, and hopefully Eric's progress with TAGGER, as well.

Post 309: Everything goes on...

So JK and I are attempting to get everything set up for a launch in August of THE ARDY VANSTARR ADVENTURES. I truly thought that we would have been able to launch the site in conjunction with the end of the other story, but as things went on and on, it became more and more difficult to get everything ready. We are ahead on the pages, but they still need to be lettered and they still need to be finalized. This shouldn't take too long to get done, but I'm realizing that I haven't even chat with any of you to let you know what was going on with it.

With TAGGER, Eric and I are moving ahead and we may get that project moving faster than anticipated by going with Black and White penciled art...similar to Everything Jake on Keenspot. This does NOT mean that the project is ready to launch, because once again, we're going to move forward when we are ahead enough.

Finally, I apologize for not updating everyone recently with the goings on, and for all the nay-sayers of Superman Returns, see it in IMAX 3D...I personally think that although it isn't as good as Superman 2, it is a very well done movie, and looks simply gorgeous. And for anyone that said that Kevin Spacey was "Goofy" as Lex Luther... he was perfect and only had one moment of looking silly...and that was probably done more as an homage to Richard Donner than anything else...

Next up, Pirates 2, which from what I hear, cheats by "To be Continued"