Ready Set Eat

What could be more American than gathering together on the 4th of July for a BBQ with friends? Doing exactly that but adding in an eating contest, of course. That's exactly how I spent my 4th and I have to say it was a hoot.

Recalling antics from college, I decided to put together a watermelon eating contest and get as many people to play along as possible. In the end, I could only convince 3 others to join me, but we had a good time with it. As we all stood by with our first piece at the ready, the proverbial gun sounded. We all dove in and immediately burst into such hard laughter that our times suffered dramatically. Perhaps competitive eating and having a sense of humor don't go hand in hand.

With the exception of me (who couldn't stop laughing long enough to get down more than 3 pieces), the competitors were neck and neck until the end. While Tone looked like he had it sealed up, judges ruled too much meat left on the bone so he had to go in for a second pass. Nater, who had been meticulously cleaning the rinds as he went, pulled ahead for the win.

The whole thing was so much fun that I'm inclined to do it again next year. In the meantime, I've got some practicing to do (and that's no laughing matter).
Wednesday July 8 2009File under: holidays, food

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Portland Happiness Pie Chart

Portland

I've been having too great a time in Portland these last couple weeks. I've been having so great a time, in fact, that I'm officially putting Portland on the list of places I would think about moving to if I ever decided to settle down, move out of the garage, etc. etc.

Why am I having such a great time? you ask. I've made up this handy little chart to help explain. Click on any wedge to get a brief description.

Sunday July 5 2009File under: misc

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FC 74 - Mixed Signals

At my last housesitting gig, one of the big perks was a fancy home theater system with projection HD tv and Blu-Ray player thingy. It was all housed in a windowless room so I could easily pretend that it wasn't beautiful outside* and while away hours watching movies. One of the ones we watched was Dark Knight (one in the myriad franchise Batman films). I had never seen it (nor seen any of the other recent Batman films). I guess somewhere in there is the inspiration for this comic (although once I came up with the idea for a superhero named Moonman, I had quite a few other ideas, let me tell you... Maybe he will have to make a recurrence in a later comic.)*

As I've mentioned before, my enthusiasm for Friday Comics has been waning of late. A combination of lack of positive feedback along with diverting interest (like making crosswords) has me thinking that the end is near. This past week, however, I was catching up with an old friend and, as always, talk came around to my blog. I mentioned my comic series and showed off a few of the better ones*. My friend's reaction got me excited about making comics again, at least for the time being. The point has always been to get a chuckle or two and that's exactly what I got. Moral of the story: a smile holds many wonders.
Thursday July 2 2009File under: comic

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Portland Timbers

Minor league sports are fun to attend. Soccer is a neat sport. Free stuff is good. Hence, getting free tickets to see Portland's minor league soccer team is doubleplusgood! Having spectacular weather didn't hurt either. Timbers won 4-0. Take that Canada!


Monday June 29 2009File under: misc

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Multiple Monday Quotes

I just finished up Nine Kind of Naked by Tony Vigorito. Great read! Two parts plot with one part philosophy, Vigorito pulls it all off with tons of laughs. Anyway, there were just too many good quotes to pass up, so here are a smattering.

"The spontaneity of the spirits is far more trustworthy than the deliberations of the intellect."

"If you're not inspired, you are expired."

"Don't just seize the day, my friend. The day is long. Seize the second!"

"Anyway, the trick is simply this: No matter what happens, keep your heart open. Wide open. The heart is made of love, and love is indestructible, and only the arrogance of ego would presume that it requires protection. To open your heart is to reduce your ego, and this is the only magic that is ever required to experience the naked truth."
Monday June 29 2009File under: quote

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FC 73 - Next Exit

My quickest comic to date. This one took me less than 2 hours* to whip out. Perhaps it's because there aren't any of those pesky people to draw. Rectilinear signs and roads agree with me, I think.

Anyway, this is not meant to be a dis on coffee drinkers nor on capitalism*. I just think it is funny how everywhere you turn there is a coffee stand. I myself am not a coffee drinker, so I guess I just don't understand that when you want coffee, you WANT COFFEE.

My favorite part of this comic was coming up with fictional coffee cart names. I don't think you can read them after all the downsizing, but they were fun. My favorite: Cap'n Caffine's Coffee Cart. As we've covered before, coffee places really have a lot to work with namewise. Heck, maybe I'll go start a stand, if for nothing else than the wordplay opportunity.
Thursday June 25 2009File under: comic

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Crafts Camp

Back when I was on that deserted island in the south pacific*, we used our spare time to make things (or in my case, attempt to make things). We called it Crafts Camp. While very little of what I worked on turned out to be cool, the process of sitting down and creating something semi-artistic felt good.

I had occasion to pursue that semi-artistic creative spirit again recently, this time a little less primitive than coconuts and shells. I tried my hand at stained glass. I had most of the tools around from an attempt I made 10 or so years ago. With a few trips to the hardware store and a little reminding from the woman* who owns Green Frog Glass in Bellingham, the project turned out a success. The whole thing was a great reminder that self-created art isn't out of reach of the everyday man and it is worth the time and effort.
Wednesday June 24 2009File under: misc

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PDX Pics Quickie Post

I've just started a couple week housesitting stint down here in Portland, and if the first few days are any indication, it is going to be a great time. I've greatly enjoyed Portland in the past and I look forward to getting to know it even better this time around. Included are a few of the interesting things I've seen around*. Click on each picture to get the mini-story.

Sunday June 21 2009File under: Portland, misc

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FC 72 - Walk the Plank

Huzzah! Huzzah! Today be Fridee! Nay only be that awesome, but today`s comic be about buccanneers. I haven`t been feelin' so hot about me comics o' late. They jus' haven`t been comin' together. This one, however, turned ou' much t' me likin'. I mean, how often do ye really get t' be seein' buccanneers doin' synchronized swimmin'?

I know this: this buccanneer comic be better than me last attempt (although, truth be told, I still be havin' a fond place in me heart fer that one on accoun' o' I stole th' idee from an 8-voyage old boy. Like th' sayin' goes: "bad artists copy, great artists steal"*)

(Oh, and English to Pirate translation provided by this site.)
Thursday June 18 2009File under: comic

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Stars And Stripes Forever

A couple of ridiculous beard posts ago, I hinted at wanting to attempt to "honor" Flag Day with an appropriate beard. Well, I tried. Here's my attempt at stars and stripes forever. It turns out that we had a much harder time using a sketchy beard as a canvas than ole Betsy Ross did with a bit of canvas. The star was a total failure and the stripes* are a little on the crooked side. But we tried. And it was fun. Maybe someday I will invest in one of those precision trimmers or maybe throw down on a barber (Wouldn't that be a hoot? Walk in to an old timey barber shop and ask them to turn your beard into a, say, sun and moon scape to commemorate summer solstice or something. I can see the look on old Lee's face now.) For now, I'll just make due with what I've got.
Wednesday June 17 2009File under: beard

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