Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
Friday, August 20, 2010
Daily Comic August 20, 2010
This is a conversation I had on the phone with Leslie this morning. I did indeed make it to Criminal Records shortly after work for some Dunnys. And it was glorious. Enjoy!
So our friend John is a lawyer in Chicago, and he too is a big Dunny fan. There are only a couple people I can talk to about this obsession, and he's my go to guy. He's also been one of my big supporters on this Daily Comic. Thanks John!
So our friend John is a lawyer in Chicago, and he too is a big Dunny fan. There are only a couple people I can talk to about this obsession, and he's my go to guy. He's also been one of my big supporters on this Daily Comic. Thanks John!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Daily Comic Project: August 19, 2010
I've been wanting to do a comic about some already existing characters, so today I decided to do a Star Wars comic. And of course it's starring Boba Fett because he's my favorite character. Enjoy!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Daily Comic Project: August 18, 2010
Another slow day in the life of J.P. I decided since I did a comic focusing on Friday yesterday today I'd do one about Ninja. All that's left now is a Zam comic!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Daily Comic Project: August 17, 2010
Nothing exciting happened today, so instead I decided to dedicate today's comic to Friday!
Monday, August 16, 2010
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Daily Comic Project: August 14, 2010
I should mention before you read this that my father and I have the same name. He was born in Paris and moved to Germany as a teen because his father was in the military. Now read on!
This week's comic features awesome design assists from my lovely and talented wife Leslie!
This week's comic features awesome design assists from my lovely and talented wife Leslie!
(you'll probably want to click and enlarge to make the text a bit easier to read)
Friday, August 13, 2010
The Origin of the Daily Comic
A year or so ago our friends Kevin and Amanda came and stayed with us a couple days. One night Kevin and I were farting around and I told him about the idea of a daily comic. I told him how I read the James Kochalka Sketchbook Diaries and it really inspired me to do the same thing. Kevin was so persistent that I do it. I told him i would try, but he saw through me. So I suggested we each draw a comic about the moment, in hopes that it would get my creative juices flowing. Here are the comics that we drew.Here's mine:
And here's Kevin's:
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Daily Comic Project: August 12, 2010
The Daily Comic is back on! I missed a couple days because I had some stuff going on, but I'm hoping to finish up the month uninterrupted!
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Daily Comic Project: August 8, 2010
I've now officially been doing the Daily Comic for over a week! Tomorrow we're going to an advance screening for Scott Pilgrim, so there's a chance I might not have time for a comic.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Daily Comic Project: August 7, 2010
We went to Sam Flax today! I bought a few new pens and a couple new sketch books. For this comic I decided to experiment with a gray marker to add some depth to the backgrounds. Be sure to let me know what you think!
Friday, August 6, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Daily Comic Project: August 5, 2010. GIANT SIZED EDITION!
Today was Leslie's trip to the oral surgeon. I know many of you were looking forward to a hysterical story about her talking crazy while she was doped up, but sadly that hasn't happened (yet). Here is a story about what happened to me during Leslie's chaotic morning. And since I had a little extra time I added two extra panels!
(click it to enlarge)
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
Daily Comic Project: August 2, 2010
This one was a bit rushed, but this was what happened at dinner tonight...
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Daily Comic Project: August 1, 2010
For the month of August I am going to attempt to draw a short comic everyday. The majority of them will be about something that occurred that day. However, there will likely be some days where nothing exciting has happened. On those days I'll try to write a brief comic about something else, like Darth Vader getting a haircut or something. The idea is just to create something new every day. I don't know if I'll realistically get to do this everyday, but I plan to try my best. Enjoy!
Friday, July 16, 2010
iPhone, and the Mystery of the Missing Bars
What the hell is going on at Apple lately? I can only imagine the whole company has been working around the clock since iPhone 4 dropped. Or at least I hope they are. There has been tons of craziness about the new iPhone, but I'm not too concerned with that. What I am worried about is what the newest operating system means for my current iPhone, which is a measly iPhone 3G, and at this point is two iPhone generations old.
Facing a deluge of complaints from websites and consumers about iPhone 4, Apple comically announced that the formula that decides how many signal bars your phone is receiving has been incorrect on the OS since 2007! The Huffington Post quoted Apple saying: "[Users'] big drop in bars is because their high bars were never real in the first place." WHAT?! How is that acceptable?! AT&T's coverage has been crappy to begin with, but it turns out it's crappier then you think?! On Thursday, July 15th Apple released an updated version of iOS 4 that fixes the issues with the wayward bars. I updated my phone as soon as the update was available. My wife also has a 3G phone, but we held off updating her OS so we could compare the bars.
These are two photos I took with our phones inches apart, so they're receiving the same amount of signal from the local tower.
And this is my phone. Just one bar.
(Yes, I have two Star Wars apps on my home screen. Don't judge me!)
Is this progress? Not really. Apple claims this is something they discovered recently, but one can't help but wonder if they knew this all along and this was a meager attempt to help with all the flack they've been getting from the iPhone 4 fiasco.
All this being said, do the bars really matter? What difference does it make if you have full bars, or just one, as long as you can make and receive calls? I'm sure we've all been in situations where your friend had no bars and been able to make a call and we've had full bars and can't even dial out (and that's not a slam on AT&T).
And yes I realize that these are silly things to worry about. We could all live out our lives happily without ever picking up a cell phone again. In this capitalist society we have high expectations for the purchases we make, and more importantly we want to feel that we own the fanciest gadgets available. So it shouldn't be a surprise that when our tech-nerd status gets called into question we might lash out.
Facing a deluge of complaints from websites and consumers about iPhone 4, Apple comically announced that the formula that decides how many signal bars your phone is receiving has been incorrect on the OS since 2007! The Huffington Post quoted Apple saying: "[Users'] big drop in bars is because their high bars were never real in the first place." WHAT?! How is that acceptable?! AT&T's coverage has been crappy to begin with, but it turns out it's crappier then you think?! On Thursday, July 15th Apple released an updated version of iOS 4 that fixes the issues with the wayward bars. I updated my phone as soon as the update was available. My wife also has a 3G phone, but we held off updating her OS so we could compare the bars.
These are two photos I took with our phones inches apart, so they're receiving the same amount of signal from the local tower.
This is my wife's phone.
She has nearly full bars
She has nearly full bars
And this is my phone. Just one bar.
(Yes, I have two Star Wars apps on my home screen. Don't judge me!)
All this being said, do the bars really matter? What difference does it make if you have full bars, or just one, as long as you can make and receive calls? I'm sure we've all been in situations where your friend had no bars and been able to make a call and we've had full bars and can't even dial out (and that's not a slam on AT&T).
And yes I realize that these are silly things to worry about. We could all live out our lives happily without ever picking up a cell phone again. In this capitalist society we have high expectations for the purchases we make, and more importantly we want to feel that we own the fanciest gadgets available. So it shouldn't be a surprise that when our tech-nerd status gets called into question we might lash out.
Belly Buster
So I'm exercising again. I say again because this has been a start and stop process over the past few years. I'm overweight, and it's kind of a bummer. I mean, I don't have trouble fitting into an airplane seat, and I don't get winded walking up a couple flights of stairs, but I know it's not healthy. And I'd also like all of my clothes to fit better again.
So once again, I'm exercising. But this time it's going to be different.
I know. I know. That's what I say every time, but I'm starting to learn what my limits are and what is or is not realistic for me. The last few attempts to get in shape involved gym memberships. Not only are they pricey, but I felt so self-conscious in front of other people. Plus there was the inconvenience of it. It's hard enough finding the motivation to exert myself, but now I have to get up and leave the house to do it? No way! So this time I thought I'd keep it close to home. Leslie and I bought the EA Sports Active Game for the Wii. How much closer to your home can you get then your living room?
We fooled around with it a bit and then it sat unused on our entertainment center for a while. Now I've got a program going with it. It's a 30 day work out challenge and I'm about halfway through with it.
That's the other flaw in my quest for fitness. Once I start working out I always brag to everyone in the world about it, how I'm doing this and that. Then because I made the mistake of telling people, they ask how I'm doing with it. Have I seen a difference? How often do I do it? Next thing I know it's all this imaginary pressure and I can't take it and I just quit. This time I wanted to keep up with it for a few weeks before I told anyone.
This week I completed the game's 30 Day Challenge, which is 20 days of work outs and 10 days of rest. With the 30 day challenge every day they throw a handful of exercises at you. Some are a little tough (fuck you in-line skating!) and some are pretty easy. Each session runs about 20 minutes and there's usually 18 or so activities. The personal trainer in the game is a bit of a douche, but otherwise the game is pretty fun. The activities are different enough that I don't get bored, and that's important to me. There is a lot of running in place type stuff, and there is also the sport stuff Wii is known for like tennis and basketball. What's frustrating is that the workout will start and they'll say, "Today we're going to focus on upper body!" and then you have to do 15 sets of lunges. And I fucking hate lunges.
My daily routine is that I wake up around 5 am, go downstairs to the living room to work out, shower and then go to work. The program suggests that you take a day off every two days, but I've been working out Monday through Friday and taking Saturdays and Sundays off. It doesn't seem to mind that I ignore its advice on rest, just so long as I'm not gone for too long. Outside of the living room I also make attempts to cut out some of the awful stuff I typically eat. Granted, I probably still eat a bit more than I should, and in a job like mine it's hard to turn away food, but I'm making an effort.
Now the big question: Have there been any results? Yes and no. I've noticed a slight difference in the way my clothes fit. Also I can tell that some of the exercises in the game are becoming a bit easier, so hopefully that means I'm increasing my endurance and/or stamina.
And that's where I'm at. I'm exercising. I'm never going to be a super thin or fit guy, but if I make an effort maybe I can get a bit healthier. Don't keep and eye out for me showing up at the neighborhood pool in a Speedo any time soon, but don't think I can't handle a nice long hike either.
So once again, I'm exercising. But this time it's going to be different.
I know. I know. That's what I say every time, but I'm starting to learn what my limits are and what is or is not realistic for me. The last few attempts to get in shape involved gym memberships. Not only are they pricey, but I felt so self-conscious in front of other people. Plus there was the inconvenience of it. It's hard enough finding the motivation to exert myself, but now I have to get up and leave the house to do it? No way! So this time I thought I'd keep it close to home. Leslie and I bought the EA Sports Active Game for the Wii. How much closer to your home can you get then your living room?
We fooled around with it a bit and then it sat unused on our entertainment center for a while. Now I've got a program going with it. It's a 30 day work out challenge and I'm about halfway through with it.That's the other flaw in my quest for fitness. Once I start working out I always brag to everyone in the world about it, how I'm doing this and that. Then because I made the mistake of telling people, they ask how I'm doing with it. Have I seen a difference? How often do I do it? Next thing I know it's all this imaginary pressure and I can't take it and I just quit. This time I wanted to keep up with it for a few weeks before I told anyone.
This week I completed the game's 30 Day Challenge, which is 20 days of work outs and 10 days of rest. With the 30 day challenge every day they throw a handful of exercises at you. Some are a little tough (fuck you in-line skating!) and some are pretty easy. Each session runs about 20 minutes and there's usually 18 or so activities. The personal trainer in the game is a bit of a douche, but otherwise the game is pretty fun. The activities are different enough that I don't get bored, and that's important to me. There is a lot of running in place type stuff, and there is also the sport stuff Wii is known for like tennis and basketball. What's frustrating is that the workout will start and they'll say, "Today we're going to focus on upper body!" and then you have to do 15 sets of lunges. And I fucking hate lunges.
My daily routine is that I wake up around 5 am, go downstairs to the living room to work out, shower and then go to work. The program suggests that you take a day off every two days, but I've been working out Monday through Friday and taking Saturdays and Sundays off. It doesn't seem to mind that I ignore its advice on rest, just so long as I'm not gone for too long. Outside of the living room I also make attempts to cut out some of the awful stuff I typically eat. Granted, I probably still eat a bit more than I should, and in a job like mine it's hard to turn away food, but I'm making an effort.
Now the big question: Have there been any results? Yes and no. I've noticed a slight difference in the way my clothes fit. Also I can tell that some of the exercises in the game are becoming a bit easier, so hopefully that means I'm increasing my endurance and/or stamina.
And that's where I'm at. I'm exercising. I'm never going to be a super thin or fit guy, but if I make an effort maybe I can get a bit healthier. Don't keep and eye out for me showing up at the neighborhood pool in a Speedo any time soon, but don't think I can't handle a nice long hike either.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Pet Peeve #269,821
Okay. Let's get one thing straight. When someone dies and you want to pay tribute to that person, you can write them a poem, you can write a book or a movie and dedicate it to them, or you can even build them a statue or monument to honor them. What you cannot do is put a sticker on your pick-up that says, "In Memory Of So and So". That doesn't work. What is in memory of them? Your rusty truck? The sticker? No! You're an idiot!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Zombie Munny
I recently got the artsy fartsy bug and decided to try my hand at designing a Munny. I'm still on a zombie kick (uh and who isn't, right?) so I decided to go with that. Here's the finished product.
I'm pleased with the end result. I used Sharpies for pretty much everything. When it was complete I added a thin coat of Mod Podge to preserve the work.
Half way through the work I noticed the toy came with two right arms, so then I had to make a decision. I was debating if I should make the wrong arm look like it was cut off or leave it off altogether and make the hole where it was look like it had been ripped off entirely. I decided to put an X-Acto knife to it to give it a nice severed look.
Oh yeah, and I'm still obsessed with glow in the dark stuff.
I used Golden brand glow in the dark arcylic paint for the eyes and the teeth.
The Munny definitely has a lot more surface area to work with than a Dunny. I think this was a successful first attempt and I look forward to my next design.
I'm pleased with the end result. I used Sharpies for pretty much everything. When it was complete I added a thin coat of Mod Podge to preserve the work.
Half way through the work I noticed the toy came with two right arms, so then I had to make a decision. I was debating if I should make the wrong arm look like it was cut off or leave it off altogether and make the hole where it was look like it had been ripped off entirely. I decided to put an X-Acto knife to it to give it a nice severed look.
Oh yeah, and I'm still obsessed with glow in the dark stuff.
I used Golden brand glow in the dark arcylic paint for the eyes and the teeth.
The Munny definitely has a lot more surface area to work with than a Dunny. I think this was a successful first attempt and I look forward to my next design.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
The year in music (so far)
Apparently the reason that there were so few good albums in 2009 is because everyone had a release planned for this year. We're not even halfway through 2010 and it's already been a Cthulhu-sized monster raping my bank account. Here are my favorite releases so far this year:
Vampire Weekend - Contra
Los Campesinos! - Romance is Boring
Fang Island - Fang Island
Gogol Bordello - Trans-Continental Hustle
Tallest Man on Earth - The Wild Hunt
MC Chris - MC Chris Goes to Hell
Gorillaz - Plastic Island
Method Man, Ghostface Killa, and Raekwon - Wu-Massacre
I'm also leaving out awesome releases by favorites like Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, She & Him, MGMT, Flobots and MC Frontalot. And with new releases coming from both The Hold Steady, LCD Soundsystem and Broken Social Scene in the next couple weeks, there's no sign of relief coming for my wallet.
Some future releases that make me tingle in the gentlemen parts include Against Me!, Dead Weather, Sage Francis, Gaslight Anthem and the first full-length release of I Fight Dragons. I feel like the trend of the past few years has been lots of cool music from new indie acts, but so far 2010 has mostly been all about the return of some of old favorites.
Last year I struggled to put together a top 10 list for the year. This year I think it's going be difficult just narrowing it down to only 10 albums. 2009 left me mopey every time I turned on my iPod. In 2010, I'm now looking for second job to support CD habit. It's a good year to have hearing, my friends.
Vampire Weekend - Contra
Los Campesinos! - Romance is Boring
Fang Island - Fang Island
Gogol Bordello - Trans-Continental Hustle
Tallest Man on Earth - The Wild Hunt
MC Chris - MC Chris Goes to Hell
Gorillaz - Plastic Island
Method Man, Ghostface Killa, and Raekwon - Wu-Massacre
I'm also leaving out awesome releases by favorites like Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, She & Him, MGMT, Flobots and MC Frontalot. And with new releases coming from both The Hold Steady, LCD Soundsystem and Broken Social Scene in the next couple weeks, there's no sign of relief coming for my wallet.
Some future releases that make me tingle in the gentlemen parts include Against Me!, Dead Weather, Sage Francis, Gaslight Anthem and the first full-length release of I Fight Dragons. I feel like the trend of the past few years has been lots of cool music from new indie acts, but so far 2010 has mostly been all about the return of some of old favorites.
Last year I struggled to put together a top 10 list for the year. This year I think it's going be difficult just narrowing it down to only 10 albums. 2009 left me mopey every time I turned on my iPod. In 2010, I'm now looking for second job to support CD habit. It's a good year to have hearing, my friends.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
10 Things Every American Should Know About Health Care Reform
If you're anything like me you have no idea what's going on with this new Health Care madness. I pretty much just know it's needed and I wanted to see it happen. At the same time I can understand why folks are concerned with the costs and how it will effect our current coverage. Yesterday MoveOn.org sent out an interesting email with some facts I thought some of you might find interesting. Now granted, this information was taken from an extremely leftist site, but that doesn't change that these are actual facts, not opinions, and each point shares it's source as well. I hope you find this as interesting as I did.
10 Things Every American Should Know About Health Care Reform
10 Things Every American Should Know About Health Care Reform
1. Once reform is fully implemented, over 95% of Americans will have health insurance coverage, including 32 million who are currently uninsured.
2. Health insurance companies will no longer be allowed to deny people coverage because of preexisting conditions—or to drop coverage when people become sick.
3. Just like members of Congress, individuals and small businesses who can't afford to purchase insurance on their own will be able to pool together and choose from a variety of competing plans with lower premiums.
4. Reform will cut the federal budget deficit by $138 billion over the next ten years, and a whopping $1.2 trillion in the following ten years.
5. Health care will be more affordable for families and small businesses thanks to new tax credits, subsidies, and other assistance—paid for largely by taxing insurance companies, drug companies, and the very wealthiest Americans.
6. Seniors on Medicare will pay less for their prescription drugs because the legislation closes the "donut hole" gap in existing coverage.
7. By reducing health care costs for employers, reform will create or save more than 2.5 million jobs over the next decade.
8. Medicaid will be expanded to offer health insurance coverage to an additional 16 million low-income people.
9. Instead of losing coverage after they leave home or graduate from college, young adults will be able to remain on their families' insurance plans until age 26.
10. Community health centers would receive an additional $11 billion, doubling the number of patients who can be treated regardless of their insurance or ability to pay.
Sources:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10. "Affordable Health Care for America: Summary," House Energy and Commerce Committee, March 18, 2010
http://wwwd.house.gov/akamaidocs/energycommerce/SUMMARY.pdf
3. "Insurance Companies Prosper, Families Suffer: Our Broken Health Insurance System," U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Accessed March 22, 2010
http://healthreform.gov/reports/insuranceprospers/index.html
4. "Affordable Health Care for America: Health Insurance Reform at a Glance: Revenue Provisions," House Energy and Commerce Committee, March 18, 2010
http://wwwd.house.gov/akamaidocs/energycommerce/REVENUE.pdf
5. "New Jobs Through Better Health Care," Center for American Progress, January 8, 2010
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/01/new_jobs_health.html
8, 9. "Proposed Changes in the Final Health Care Bill," The New York Times, March 22, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/03/19/us/politics/20100319-health-care-reconciliation.html
10. "Affordable Health Care for America: Health Insurance Reform at a Glance: Addressing Health and Health Care Disparities," House Energy and Commerce Committee, March 20, 2010
http://docs.house.gov/energycommerce/DISPARITIES.pdf
*Here is the actual article at MoveOn.org if you want to send a link to your friends: 10 Things Every American Should Know About Health Care Reform
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Home owners
We bought a house! I know, crazy, right? We closed back on January 11th and our lives have been chaos ever since. We've been struggling to get settled and unpack everything. We've been hanging curtains and stocking the guest bathrooms. It's been pretty unreal.
Yesterday Leslie and I were getting really excited about buying a new front door. I sat at my desk at work and thought, "Is this what being an adult feels like? Getting excited over a new door?" I was able to rationalize it that we were ordering the door online and it has to be custom made and all this other nonsense that is far beyond what I think your average adult would do for a door. This doesn't make us extrodinary, just as obsessive about stuff like young folks, and that's what counts to me.
There's bound to be more new house news coming soon. There are even rumblings of a joint house blog that Leslie and I will write together. Stand by for more news.
Onward to mayhem!
Yesterday Leslie and I were getting really excited about buying a new front door. I sat at my desk at work and thought, "Is this what being an adult feels like? Getting excited over a new door?" I was able to rationalize it that we were ordering the door online and it has to be custom made and all this other nonsense that is far beyond what I think your average adult would do for a door. This doesn't make us extrodinary, just as obsessive about stuff like young folks, and that's what counts to me.
There's bound to be more new house news coming soon. There are even rumblings of a joint house blog that Leslie and I will write together. Stand by for more news.
Onward to mayhem!
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