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...for awhile. There's a lawsuit pending. My entire journal prints out at approximately 3000 pages (according to *them*) & opposing counsel claims to have read every word.
I must be prepared to answer for every dumb opinion, every passing gripe, every overtired rambling I've made since 2003.
Not that I have any problem with that, but it's going to be pointlessly time consuming. Correction: I assume it's going to be pointless in terms of the suit itself; they will have a great time, I'm sure, pointing out every one of my many character flaws. I've had more success taming some than others, & they're all on display here.
Fun fun. You guys helped me develop my sense of humour; it's what will keep me grounded though this process. RoosterTree ComicLit is still kicking, the C.C.C.C.P. is under way & good things are on the horizon.
Wish me luck; see you on the other side. In the meantime...
roostertree@gmail.com
1-705-730-5711
~Brian, aka ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) wbm |
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Lori - Preface: I'm Canadian & often disappointed by decisions made by many nations, incl. mine, but I'm most often disappointed by U.S. decisions & actions.
I've never had a problem with the common usage of 'America;' I use it myself. You aren't speaking to me.
I don't always agree with you, but that's a good thing.
Your smugness in this vid is atypical of you, as is your defense of something you personally identify with. I'm disappointed.
You haven't lost a fan yet, but I respect you less. |
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Scolded: - My brother, Chris, mildly swore at me for taking so long to bill him for the logo design work I did for his employer back in June.
- My gf Amanda's son Marc chastised me for putting so much money into printing & promoting the anthology, stating (somewhat accurately) that I've put out a Greatest Hits album before releasing any singles.
Some doubt entered my mind at the latter; have I shot myself in the foot? Should I have tried to build my own name - or *brand* - before pimping the works of friends? Perhaps.
Then I read the anthology again & remembered why I love it. Onward & upward.
Not everyone is scolding scolding me, though. - Before my reacquaintance with C.C.C.C.P., Mom & Amanda both expressed concern over my possible foolishness at not putting my efforts behind a solo comics outing.
- An acquaintance (with a vested interest in comics retail, no less) asked me why I bothered with print instead of just publishing on the web.
- I pitched a longform script I've been working on at Canzine's 1-2 Punch Book Pitch. My current art style has been deemed *incongruous* with a tale of historical fiction/fantasy.
And the scolding I've done to myself: I may have cut my comics teeth online with all y'all, but the GTA comics community doesn't give a shit. I should've put out minis first. Ground floor & all that. Which is why we're doing our best to get my little pet-sized microcomics into shops as minis. I'm skipping Scrape for the time being & going with my collab with Mike Bryant, Sending Out an S.O.S. (the link will be active shortly - I'm building it right now)
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Kristen has made me really proud. It was tense here for a week or two while her older sister (who is anti-choice) convinced K to have the baby, then give her temporary custody until K was ready to be *Mom*. Several of us advised her to reconsider. The older sister is a good kid, 19yo with a 1yo boy, an unemployed husband & is in her 1st year (with a full scholarship) of an 8-year university course.
Not a wise choice.
It turns out that the parents of the father-to-be are longtime friends with a couple who has been trying to conceive for about 15 years, & have spent in excess of 10K on fertility treatments, all to no avail. They are very interested in an open adoption.
My girl is a sweetheart. We'll see if she can follow through.
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The Cameron House Launch Party was a modest event, but very enjoyable. The musicians (Ken Allen, Amanda Robertson-Hebert, Paul Court, Paul Luis & myself) delighted everyone, as did Mike Bryant's (aka piratebanana, writer of C.C.C.C.P.'s Chateau du G'yargh'thraxx) spoken word performance.
ysabetwordsmith, writer of C.C.C.C.P.'s The Engineer In His Cups, was on hand online for an interactive Poetry Fishbowl, but we couldn't get a wireless web connection.
And I had to be reminded by the audience that we had cake that had yet to be cut. Talk about embarrassing.
Both ysabetwordsmith & klaproth_1 photographed themselves creating art & sent them in to me to be posted on the RoosterTree website with the event photos. As such, they will be receiving a complete set of the C.C.C.C.P. 1" pins (there's 14 of them) & copies of the 3 microcomics currently available.
Now we prep for the 2nd launch on the 28th at Barrie's comic shop, The Blue Beetle. |
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JotD
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Oct. 22nd, 2009 @ 05:39 pm
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Naked, a husband emerged from the bathroom. As he climbed into bed, his wife voiced her usual complaint: "I have a headache."
"Perfect," the husband said. "I was just in the bathroom powdering my dick with crushed aspirin.
Would you prefer to take it orally or as a suppository?" |
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Welly-welly-well. I got some unexpected news this evening. You might think I'm being overly cavalier with this information, seeing as a decision has yet to be made, but I also learned it's bordering on public knowledge anyway.
K, my li'l Kiddo, is pregnant. She's about 8 weeks along.
She's getting a lot of pressure from her mother & one sister to keep it, & it's making her feel like shit.
I've told her very plainly that if anyone tries to sway her one way or the other, she should limit the time she spends with them until a decision is made.
I also said that I'm 100% behind whichever way she goes. On one hand I'd like to have grandfather status sometime not necessarily now (she always delighted in saying she was never having kids, just so I'd object), & on the other, she's still in school & IMO has a lot of living to do before taking on this responsibility.
Hopefully, she will keep true to her word to tell me when anyone puts undue pressure on her, so I can try to balance that influence, whichever way my argument needs to lean.
Also on the agenda: the deletion of all shit food from her diet, even if she intends to abort, cuz she could change her mind at the last minute. |
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I made mention of it previously, but the cover artwork (coloured with logo & credits) is currently online for Mike Bryant's Operation Dickhead.
If you're hesitating clicking that link, let me tell you Mike requested a diminutive Ron Jeremy, a David Hyde Pierce & a couple of Stallonesque Judge Dredds with a Seussian machine called a Dickheadomotron.
I've never done anything like it before; it was a joy to work on & I'm very proud of it. In fact, when I look at the original artwork, I can barely believe it came out of my hands.
Is it arrogant to say a creation of mine is humbling to me? |
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I believe in astrology. I don't consider the forecasts in newspapers & magazines (or any other generalization intended for mass-consumption) to be anywhere near accurate.
My layman's knowledge of astrological prediction needs my time (to the minute) & place (lat. & long.) of birth. Some also consider my time spent at my current lat/long to be significant, as well.
I've had scary-accurate predictions.
It's been a very long time since I *went there*, though. Mostly out of fear. As I get a better grip on my life, such as it is, the less I feel I need astrology to help guide me.
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I just learned that oft-quoted phrase is fractured & incomplete... &, I'm happy to say, very wrong.
Jack of all trades, master of none
Though oft times better than master of one.
This is an idea of immense value that I never thought about before. In fact, I just got off the phone with my lovely lady - part of our conversation was my complaint that working on the RTCL & WBM websites, planning the CCCCP launch party, finishing up the promo quizzes (including a slew of small illustrations) & generally worrying about the financial side of art is a huge distraction from actually making art.
Even the work I did for Mike Bryant's book sidetracked me from my *real* work of writing & drawing.
It's time to get my head out of my ass. And my ass off the couch.
Not that I've been much of a couch potato lately; DVDs are few & far between. What happens to me is I amp up for a project by collecting my reference photos ahead of time, because the internet is a massive distraction from drawing, & stopping mid-panel to find a pic of a toaster can lead to 5hrs of email, youtube & cracked.com.
So I've been reading The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss. Not that I think a 4-Hr week is attainable, & not that I think he isn't a bit of a dipshit, but a lot of his thinking is anti-common-sense. This is good.
Success isn't about your bank account, it's about your enjoyment. Effective work isn't about the number of hours spent, but choosing the right hours for your goal & getting the most out of those hours.
Effectiveness in life is about being a generalist rather than a specialist. This has been a chicken/egg concept for me since I first heard it. Wait - there's gotta be a better analogy; chicken/egg is about cause & effect, generalist/specialist is either/or. Hmmm...
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.
-Robert A. Heinlein
Will I be able to make this kind of thinking work for me? Dunno. But I'm goddamned gonna try.
The Top Five Reasons to Be a Jack of All Trades. Password (if needed): Liberty |
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The husband had just finished reading a new book entitled, "YOU CAN BE THE MAN OF YOUR HOUSE."
He stormed to his wife in the kitchen and announced, "From now on, you need to know that I'm the man of this house, and my word is Law. You will prepare me a gourmet meal tonight, and when I'm finished eating my meal, you'll serve me a sumptuous dessert. After dinner, you're going to go upstairs with me and we'll have the kind of sex I want. Afterward, you're going to draw me a bath so I can relax. You'll wash my back and towel me dry and bring me my robe. Then, you'll massage my feet and hands." He gave his wife a stern look. "And guess who's going to dress me and comb my hair tomorrow?"
"The friggin' funeral director would be my first guess." |
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...the way it SHOULD be.
Pop Mary - Mary Pop
Brother steady talkin' while the girlies steady hop
Pop Mary - Mary Pop
Punchin' in the rock and roll clockTunes: MC Chris - Blastic |
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Go to Google...
Then type, "Where is Chuck Norris," then hit I'm Feeling Lucky. That's what I did.- If you have five dollars and Chuck Norris has five dollars, Chuck Norris has more money than you.
- There is no 'ctrl' button on Chuck Norris' computer. Chuck Norris is always in control.
- Apple pays Chuck Norris 99 cents every time he listens to a song.
- Chuck Norris can sneeze with his eyes open.
- Chuck Norris can eat just one Lay's potato chip.
- Chuck Norris is suing MySpace for taking the name of what he calls everything around you.
- Chuck Norris destroyed the periodic table, because he only recognizes the element of surprise.
- Chuck Norris can kill two stones with one bird.
You can do it, too! |
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He's almost like Bubbles with a temper.
The article's pretty good, too. |
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You're my God; I'll do anything for you, money.
Hello? Money? Just tell me what you want me to do.
Heya, Money-God, nail me up against the wall. Cuz you're so damn hot.
The god of money doesn't want everything... NOT! He wants it all!
No, you can't take it.
No. You can't take it.
No, you can't take that away from me.
Aren't you listening? NO, you CAN'T take it.
Fucking NO - you can't take it!
Holy fuck, man! No, you can't take that away from me!
You've got a head like a hole & it happens to be as black as your soul.
I'd rather die than give you control.
Y'know that head like a hole you've got?
You know - the one as black as your soul?
If I have a choice, I'd rather die than give you control.
Bow down before the one you serve, you're going to get what you deserve.
What did I just say? I'll repeat it: "Bow down before the one you serve, you're going to get what you deserve."
Cuz you're a dick.
God, I heard Money's not looking for the cure.
God, word around the cooler is Money's not concerned about the sick among the pure.
Hey, God & Money, let's have a threesome on the backs of the bruised.
This way neither Me nor the God of Money has to choose ;)
Um... no, you can't take it.
Do you want it? No, you can't take it.
I'm a fucking tease, cuz no, you can't take that away from me.
Um - can you, like, look at me when I'm speaking? No, you can't take it.
Clean out your ears: no, you can't take it.
Read my lips: no-you-can'-take-tha-ta-way-fru-me!
It's not cuz I don't like you, though, it's just cuz you've got a head like a hole & it happens to be as black as your soul.
I'd rather die than give you control.
Y'know that head like a hole you've got?
You know - the one as black as your soul?
If I have a choice, I'd rather die than give you control.
It makes you look really really ugly.
Bow down before the one you serve, you're going to get what you deserve.
If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times: bow down before the one you serve, you're going to get what you deserve.
*ahem* Hell-OOO-ooo? Bow down before the one you serve, you're going to get what you deserve.
*sigh* Bow down before blah blah blah.
You might've heard that I'm not that into you cuz you've got a head like a hole & it happens to be as black as your soul.
I'd rather die than give you my remote control.
So, why d'you have a head like a hole?
And why is it as black as your soul?
And why do I have to choose between dying & giving you control of my dildo remote?
I think you should bow down, etc etc etc...
I'm just kidding, Livejournal - you know I love you. |
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Mike Bryant asked me not too long ago to do my 3rd job for him, a second book cover. I should've had it done before now, but the publisher only gave me the dimensions a week ago. That & I had the brilliant idea to do a half-dozen interior illustrations for a credit on the cover.
These seven illustrations kept me busy all week. Don't interpret that as five 8-hour days, cuz it wasn't, but I did push the limits of my artistic stamina (read: concentration).
( an argument or two for gun control )
( has your cock ever gone all Gojira on you? )
Its maw actually reflects a fairly rare birth defect; I couldn't resist.
You should see the one of Megadick *holding hands* with Megacunt. |
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It comes as no surprise to me that my drawing is better, meaning more detailed, when it's a one-off work. Comics, for me, need a certain minimalist approach to character rendering merely from the repetitive nature of comics artistry. But a poster or a portrait tends to blossom naturally as an illustrated work from my pencil & pens.
I received a commissioned job earlier this week based on my portraiture on display at Facebook Comic Con | William Brian MacLean, my facebook group.
A copy was printed on photographic paper, matted & framed & given to the subject from the woman who commissioned it. That print was this greyscale version:
( check out the raw lineart & the coloured version )
My various work this coming week includes the coloured cover illustration & design of Mike Bryant's latest novella, Operation: DICKHEAD, including a handful of interior lineart drawings. I'm fucking jazzed about it. |
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Not so much 'on my own,' though. Being cut from the band is probably a good thing, but I'm going to miss playing music with those guys.
Shitty pop rock music that I hated.
With one particular person who cut me down every chance he had because I kept proving him wrong on a variety of subjects, such as setting up the high-end effects unit in our rehearsal space to the rather important detail of a song's count-in being the true beginning of a song in terms of musicianship.
I feel lost in a way. I've been attending a few basement jams. Good people are there, but I find a varying sense of frustration that we play songs we know, yet arrangements rarely go off without a hitch.
This evening there was a bassist in attendance who has the same sense of frustration that I do about song arrangement, but with a poorer sense of humour.
A few mildly interesting snippets of original music have come from my guitar in the past week or so. This drive to write music again (after, what, 3 years or so?) is particularly strange because I'm finally becoming comfortable as an illustrator.
With music (all creativity, actually) I've thrown self-expression out the door. I still strive to please myself first, but if I can't please an audience... So, musically, I'm trying to Keep It Simple Stupid - simple & catchy.
Funny thing, though - I can't write a song lyric to save my life (meaning a lyric that I'm unembarrassed to sing aloud). How'd I ever do it before?
Self-portrait of me in my new hat (which I don't think suits me, despite the disagreement of everyone I know):
Tomorrow: the commissioned portrait I drew today.
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Hey, did I tell y'all I did some logo work a while back for the company my brother, Chris, works for? I did many variations, & this is the one they chose.
Not my fave variation (nor Chris'), but the customer is always right.
To see this logo in its natural habitat, click HERE.
I'm a proud papa :)
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The contributor copies of CCCCP went in the post this morning - seriously, I can hardly wait to read your reactions!
I've been wrestling with the online shopping cart. Wish me luck. |
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"Don't be afraid to *go ass* - it's more fun than you think."
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wbm SMASH PUNY mySQL DATABASE & FTP CLIENT!!! |
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