My roommate and studio partner broke down and bought a new computer tonight. He was going to wait until after the upcoming Calgary Comic Book Expo on May 7th., but I think the craving just became too much. He was there when I picked up my new 'puter, he got to see the joy in my eyes when I set it up, and it was too much for him to bare. That, and he got a pleasent surprise from his former employers in the form of an ample payout. So I guess that helped speed things up too.
So now our studio is up-to-date. We have 2 new computers and a big boost of ambition. I couldn't be more stoked! All this, and we recieved a preview copy of our new comic book in the mail yesterday. It looks soooooooo sweet!!! Seriously, it brought a tear to my eyes. This is the most ambitious project we've done to date, an actual full colour, 24 page comic book from Out of Mind Studios. It's based on the webcomic we produce called Twice Thursday. And we are like proud parents folks, let me tell you. As soon as I figure out how to post images I'll load the cover image for all to see. In the mean time just click the link I have to Twice Thursday and enjoy. And if you do happen to read this blog, live in the area, and you have nothing to do on Sunday May 7th, come to the Big Four Building and support some local talent. We would all sure love to see you. Okay, enough with the product plugging!
Man, what a crazy (in a good way) week this has been. And it's only going to get more crazy(still in a good way) from here. Bring it on boyo, bring it on!
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
The trouble with cars.
I have an older model car. It's a 1991 Ford Tempo. It just rolled over the 200,000 km mark about a week and a half ago, and up to that point in time it's been quite reliable. But that has since changed. It began acting up shortly after the milage reached 200,100 km. First it started surging, then acted like it was running out of gas, and finally it stopped wanting to run. I knew I had to do something.
On Monday I decided that I was going to give the car a tune-up. Now as I've mentioned before I'm a mechanic, so this would seem to be a simple task to anyone on the outside looking in. But I'm a heavy duty, large diesel engine mechanic; not a small fuel-injected gas engine mechanic. And trust me, there is a world of difference between the two. Never the less I embarked on what I believed would be a problem-solving mission. Change the oil, the oil filter, the air filter, and the spark plugs and the problem would be solved. Right? Right!?!
Wrong!
You see, not having the knowledge necessary to work on a fuel-injected system can cause a whole lot of trouble for the person making the attempt. I was filling that role nicely as not only did my efforts not solve the problem, they actually seemed to make things worse. This did not impress me.
So I decided to limp the car home and take it in to my local area mechanic in the morning. Now, if you're are familar with Calgary, or really, any other large city, then you'll understand that commuting an hour in rush hour traffic with a car not functioning on a full capacity can be some what unnerving. I truly believe that the entire city was out on the road driving like asses just trying my patience. They wanted me to snap. I wanted me to snap. But I had bigger issues to deal with. My car wanted to blow up, and I just wanted to get it home. Every light turned red when I approached it, and every pedestrian needing to cross the road did so as I approached their crosswalk. I was freaking out. And so was the car.
I made it home intacted, and although I felt like drinking heavily upon arrival I felt it best to just let things go and focus on getting the car fixed. I dropped the car off in the morning and was told I wouldn't get the car back until today. And what a relief it was to get a call this morning telling me the problem was solved. "It was a simple sensor is all" the voice on the other end of the phone said. "She runs like a charm now!". Great! So a couple of days, a whole lot of headache, and $300.00 later, my car is fixed. I may have doubled the value of my car today but at least it's fixed. With my work being so far away I need a decent set of wheels to rely on. Even if it costs a fortune. That just the trouble with cars I guess.
On Monday I decided that I was going to give the car a tune-up. Now as I've mentioned before I'm a mechanic, so this would seem to be a simple task to anyone on the outside looking in. But I'm a heavy duty, large diesel engine mechanic; not a small fuel-injected gas engine mechanic. And trust me, there is a world of difference between the two. Never the less I embarked on what I believed would be a problem-solving mission. Change the oil, the oil filter, the air filter, and the spark plugs and the problem would be solved. Right? Right!?!
Wrong!
You see, not having the knowledge necessary to work on a fuel-injected system can cause a whole lot of trouble for the person making the attempt. I was filling that role nicely as not only did my efforts not solve the problem, they actually seemed to make things worse. This did not impress me.
So I decided to limp the car home and take it in to my local area mechanic in the morning. Now, if you're are familar with Calgary, or really, any other large city, then you'll understand that commuting an hour in rush hour traffic with a car not functioning on a full capacity can be some what unnerving. I truly believe that the entire city was out on the road driving like asses just trying my patience. They wanted me to snap. I wanted me to snap. But I had bigger issues to deal with. My car wanted to blow up, and I just wanted to get it home. Every light turned red when I approached it, and every pedestrian needing to cross the road did so as I approached their crosswalk. I was freaking out. And so was the car.
I made it home intacted, and although I felt like drinking heavily upon arrival I felt it best to just let things go and focus on getting the car fixed. I dropped the car off in the morning and was told I wouldn't get the car back until today. And what a relief it was to get a call this morning telling me the problem was solved. "It was a simple sensor is all" the voice on the other end of the phone said. "She runs like a charm now!". Great! So a couple of days, a whole lot of headache, and $300.00 later, my car is fixed. I may have doubled the value of my car today but at least it's fixed. With my work being so far away I need a decent set of wheels to rely on. Even if it costs a fortune. That just the trouble with cars I guess.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Well, this is new!
Hello world? Well, how the hell are you? I'm fine, thanks for asking. As you may or may not know, this is an entirely new thing to me. Blogging. What the hell is blogging?
Well, I guess this is.
You see, I'm a bit of a late bloomer. For the most part, everyone I know has a blog. And they've all had these blogs for some time. Me, well....I guess I have one now too. I just bought a fancy new computer today. It was both absolutely frightening and exhilerating, because I took a big chance. A very big chance.
I'm a heavy duty mechanic by day, or at least I will be until the end of the month. I quit my job a week ago to focus on my nightly activities. I'm an aspiring artist and writer. I'm part of a small studio. And I have a webcomic. It's all very time consuming and I need more time. So, due largely to the fact that I'm unhappy with the work I do (the pay is great, the grease and oil are bad) I decided to dedicate more time to doing what enjoy. I love comics. I love drawing them and writing them and creating them and...well, I'm sure you understand. So this is where the "big chance" I mentioned comes in. I won't be making the same kind of money I was as a mechanic in 2 weeks. I'll only be working 3 days a week. But I can honestly say I've never been happier. I feel I have a direction now, and having 4 days a week to be creative is just what I need. I'll get to have new experiences, and maybe fall on my face a few times along the way. But that's cool. I can live with that.
And now with this fancy new blog, I have someone to share these experiences with. That folks, in my humble opinion, is very cool. Definately something I can live with.
Well, I guess this is.
You see, I'm a bit of a late bloomer. For the most part, everyone I know has a blog. And they've all had these blogs for some time. Me, well....I guess I have one now too. I just bought a fancy new computer today. It was both absolutely frightening and exhilerating, because I took a big chance. A very big chance.
I'm a heavy duty mechanic by day, or at least I will be until the end of the month. I quit my job a week ago to focus on my nightly activities. I'm an aspiring artist and writer. I'm part of a small studio. And I have a webcomic. It's all very time consuming and I need more time. So, due largely to the fact that I'm unhappy with the work I do (the pay is great, the grease and oil are bad) I decided to dedicate more time to doing what enjoy. I love comics. I love drawing them and writing them and creating them and...well, I'm sure you understand. So this is where the "big chance" I mentioned comes in. I won't be making the same kind of money I was as a mechanic in 2 weeks. I'll only be working 3 days a week. But I can honestly say I've never been happier. I feel I have a direction now, and having 4 days a week to be creative is just what I need. I'll get to have new experiences, and maybe fall on my face a few times along the way. But that's cool. I can live with that.
And now with this fancy new blog, I have someone to share these experiences with. That folks, in my humble opinion, is very cool. Definately something I can live with.
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