Where the hell is Matt?

The most delightful thing I’ve seen courtesy of the internet in ages.

(via Making Light)

Wednesday! And there’s a Dicebox page, or the large part of one. (permalink)

There are a few reasons for me not to have gotten a full page done. And here’s one; I said I had lots to report last week, which is true, but can really be summed up in one statement: I’m pregnant.

Say hello to our now and future daughter:

This picture is from her landmark 20 week ultrasound yesterday (she has all her organs, we’re so proud!) Her ETA is October 31st.

This is my explanation for my somewhat erratic Dicebox updates, unanswered email and lack of internet presence. Well, along with the day job and other factors, the Kid just added another obstacle. And will probably continue to mess around with my schedule and plans for the near future.

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Some of the things I’ve been doing and not mentioning here are Dicebox updates. Though I’ve actually had help in that department: here is Billy Mudron’s The Illustrated Dicebox. And my updates, including today’s, can be found here. (Note: all of the above is NSFW)

But what’s been keeping me really busy these past few weeks (besides the day job) is my work as part of the Stumptown Comics Fest organizing committee.

As you all probably know, Stumptown was this past weekend and it went really swell. I’ve added my photos to the Stumptown Comics Festival 2008 Pool but have no real report to make. Instead, I direct you to the observations of others: Dylan’s, Ivy’s, Bill’s, Sara’s, Barry’s and Brenna’s – part 1, part 2 and part 3. More reports are appearing about the web, you can find some press reviews right here.

I was actually out of it most of the weekend and missed a lot of great things, including most of what was offer in the exhibit hall. One of the events I deeply regret having missed was the Comics Art Battle at Cosmic Monkey Comics Saturday night.

Photo by stutefish

Above is a great picture of Team Web: Christopher Baldwin, Dylan Meconis, Barry Deutsch and Bill Mudron. Or, as I like to call them, my people. Actually these folks really are my people, I have shared residence (and a bathroom) with all of them at one point or another. Nevermind than Dylan, Barry and I all updates our comics on Wednesday and take part in the same “collective storytelling experience” (aka, a role playing game) Oh, hey, and all four have done Dicebox fill-ins for me. Crazy.

So, I was going to wait until tomorrow to make note of this week’s Dicebox update (oh, by the way, there’s a Dicebox update that went up late last night. (permalink) )

But then my lovely mother called me to wish me Happy Thanksgiving, and she was, as she described it, “rosie.” This is is referring to that state she gets in when she’s had a glass or two of wine and has a a happy mellow buzz going.

This instantly reminded me of the Really Rosie TV special of the 70s featuring characters of Maurice Sendak and the singing of Carole King. Naturally this led me to think of the recent noise on the internet of early Sesame Street being rated adult only. For anyone who might not know, they’ve been deemed too depressing and scary for young children–for a variety of reasons that I find overly cynical and paranoid, and well, depressing.

This led to my recalling that they made the Snuffleupagus real on Sesame Street, a move I, and many of my peers, disapproved of. Then I tried to decide if there was ever one of those oversized character balloons of the Snuffleupagus in the Macy’s parade.

Naturally the Macy’s parade brought me back to Thankgiving, reminding me that I had better get cracking on my pie for today’s dinner or I would lose my window of kitchen time.

And this is the cranberry-apple pie I made before it went into the oven:

It’s a happy pie. It wants to be eaten ( A concept that really freaked me out as a kid.)

The first of the multitude of poppies I planted decided to finally bust out today! I am very pleased. Almost as pleased as with the LOL cat Dylan made for me.

And in honor of Flag Day, I’d like to share the Stan Freberg song I probably quote the most:

“Everybody Wants To Be An Art Director”

George Washington:
Look at the colors you chose
The best you could do I suppose
A peppermint stripe with royal blue
The same as the British colors too
Now how will we tell whose side is who?
Look at the colors you chose
Why couldn’t it have been puce
Lavender over chartreuse
Or possibly some exotic shade
A delicate orange, mauve, or jade
Instead of the choice that has been made
Why couldn’t it have been possibly cinnamon?

Betsy Ross:
Everybody wants to be an art director
Everybody wants to call the shots

George:
Yeah, well…

Betsy:
Everybody wants to be a flag dissector
Changing all my stars to polka dots
Everybody thinks that they’re the final word
On what is strictly out and what is in
Howdja like a banner made of pea-green spots
On simulated leopard skin?
Or possibly a flag that features fleur-de-lis
On ochre corrugated tin!

George:
I’d like it. How soon can you make one up?