Comic Con was most excellent!

I escaped snowy Rochester last weekend to attend the New York Comic Con. It was well worth the trip, despite the fact that their main sponsor was MySpace. I met animator Bill Plympton, and some of my favorite webcomic artists - Paul Southworth, Rich Stevens, and the incomparable Jeff Rowland. They all get my thumbs up for being super great guys. Also, R Stevens (who said my name was "powerful") was inspired to create the above personalization for me. I picked up some great graphic novels for good prices. I also enjoyed meeting some nice people from an internet messageboard I frequent (don't you judge me) - nice young gents and ladies who are sure to go far in life!

In case you are wondering - yes, there were people there in costume. Mostly Star Wars costumes, with a lot of superheroes thrown in for good measure. There was a very manly Wonder Woman there, which kind of frightened me. At first I thought it was a transvestite superhero, but closer inspection (as much as I could bear it) revealed her to indeed be a female of truly Amazonian proportion. But they were all part of the crowd - quite a crowd, too.

You ever get the feeling?

It's a strange feeling indeed to see an ad posted for your old job. In this case, it's a stranger feeling still that the job has only now been reposted, 3 1/2 years since I vacated it.

It's not a strange feeling to see Chief Illiniwek blow on down the dusty trail. I've claimed for years that a legitimate compromise would be to stop having the Chief do his little dance, but allow the university to keep the name "Fighting Illini." Oh, if you had only listened to me six years ago, U of I...

Front Lawn Art Critic

Greetings, fine art lovers. The proprietor of this aesthetically challenged and, quite frankly, uninspired site has graciously allowed me to pass commentary upon the above artwork, "Snowman." The artist displays a quiet fascination with the misshapen and deformed, perhaps representing the microcephalic as a brave commentary on global warming or as a badge of identification with his own mental illness. This sculpture firmly fits into the category of "art brut," with its mismatched eyes staring blankly upon the street beyond like a comatose, Thorazine-dosed patient. Still, powdery snow being a notoriously ephemeral and difficult medium to work in, perhaps this is the best we can hope for, rising in stark contrast to the doggie-mess splattered snowbanks flanking. The longer I ponder "Snowman," the more impressed I am - however, winter madness may also serve as an explanation for the emotions evoked in this case. At any rate, I remain

Your Front Lawn Art Critic,
A. Rodney Torkelson

Schmalentines

As I sit here riding out the mad snowstorm, I realize that another Valentine's Day is upon us (dammit). I think White Ninja has the right idea. Unique, functional gifts are always the best.

Or, one could always follow the route outlined by Beaver and Steve - monsters and dinosaurs just scream romance, don't they?

Well, at least I still have Katrina around to keep me company.