I am an incredibly, ridiculously lucky human being. So lucky in fact that it gives me hysterical giggles if I think on it too long.

1. I got the job. OMG. Like, with a salary and benefits. It starts up next week, and I'm waffling between quiet panic and utter lethargy. The lucky part? It took me a week. From 'deciding I needed a job' until acceptance letter. WTF?! I DON'T KNOW, BUT I AM SO GRATEFUL.

2. My house is not on fire. The house across the street caught fire. I live in a TOWN HOUSE. The whole neighborhood is just back to back to back to back... and the place two doors down and one strip of asphalt away was ablaze. My home, my cats, important federal documents that say I'm allowed to work at the new job I just got? All of them are FINE. The lucky part? Because it's RAINING TONIGHT. There was only one unit burned, and thankfully for the neighbors, they weren't home--no injuries!

3. My fiance and his extended family rock. Don't get me wrong, I've got awesome folks in my own gene pool, but it's wonderful to be in love with someone who's not tied to a fresh batch of crazy. You know how many families out there are the 'family values' version of spastic, rabid weasels in a sack? My whole family's been incredibly supportive and generous, but I want a special spotlight on the basic sanity of my family-to-be.

4. We got space at AnimeBoston! 2 feet. BUT IT'S SOMETHING! I'd already told Boston friends we couldn't go--and into my inbox pops the offer! I'll be tied down with the new job, but that wonderful fiance of mine will be there with 2 foot worth of inventory. ;P

5. Our panels got approved at Tekkoshocon! That's badges in the bag and a chance to really talk to folks! :D ROCK! Again, I've gotta stay home thanks to new job, but I'm not the only one in the studio who can give panels on the topics we picked, so we're covered.

6. I have kickass friends who animate my goofy drawings for me: THANK YOU, REI!


Lucky me is going to bed. I MUST REMEMBER THIS FEELING WHEN I WAKE UP TOMORROW. I don't know what my malfunction is, but I'm always more focused and determined at night when I should crash and not in the morning when I need some fire to seize the day.

Tomorrow's To Do List:
1. BE ACTION-PACKED.

Otakon has opened its artist alley space request form!

*fanfare!* And it's off to the races!

Who else is going? Either as a table-rat or as a cosplayer/panelist/attendee/photographer/stalker?


Also, I spent 3.5 HOURS digging out the driveway and the car. There was 2.5 feet on the ground... and 2 on the car... so if you knock the stuff off the car, I shoveled 4.5 feet of snow! YAAAAAY. *weeps* I got to the gate in the back, but not across my yard to my ACTUAL DOORS. So we're still snowed in on the backside. You've gotta go out our front door and around the row of houses down to the alley then down to our car b/c all our doors OPEN INWARD and are under 3 foot drifts! :D

OH. And Baltimore City. It's been three days. WHERE ARE THE PLOWS, YOU ASSHOLES?! The old man next door needed to get to the hospital for his dialysis, called an ambulance, who told him they couldn't come and asked him to meet them on a plowed street 2 blocks down. We had neighbors offer to sled him there on an air mattress, but he refused... AND FELL. He luckily didn't break anything, but they loaded him up and sledded him down to meet his ambulance.

I will post snow photos shortly (of the snow, not the poor old man).

Interrobang Studios was lucky enough to attend the first annual Giga-Con: Art, Design, and Animation Convention in Washington DC this past Jan 8-9.

We were invited to join the fun by Fenia Norville, who we ran into at this past AnimeUSA and Professor Bryan Tillman, who's not only a department head at the Art Institute of Washington, but also the founder of Kaiser Studios, a small press comics company! We met a ton of awesome folks–both professionals and students.

The panels were amazing. The guests were amazing. Everyone was super-easy to talk to and I just know I'm gonna see the students I met credited in the games I play within the next few years or so.

We'll be headed back next year for sure. They're already talking about the convention tripling in size as they invite more and more outside artists, gamers, and vendors into their convention. People were really excited about the Watchbabies Parody book and our Spinks. Thanks for such a warm welcome, AI!

( Photos under the cut )

Interrobang Studios has our first convention of the year on Jan 1! We're appearing at the MAGFest Artist Alley in Alexandria, Virginia from Jan 1 through Jan 4. It's a gaming convention--you'll have a good time. Come on out!

On a personal front:



My new awesome tshirt. Also, our new snazzy hats:



You are so jealous.

( Other Xmas Fun )

COOL YULE ARTY PARTY

Date: Tomorrow! December 12, 2009
Time: Noon - 6pm
Location: The Lustine Center - 5710 Baltimore Ave, Hyattsville, MD, 20781

What: Gallery Shows by DC artists. 4 Live bands. Holiday Crafts Festival. DC area Comics and Graphic Novelists.

Click the picture above to see the official press release.


---

On a personal note: Kevin and I had an amazing housewarming. Thank you all for coming out. The place really feels connected now. Not just a huge cubby where we keep our stuff and crash at night. :D

I had a grand time with our out of town guest, Clare Moseley, who does a pair of comics: Creator Confidential (A webcomic chronicling Clare's first year working as an indie comic writer/artist) and Otherkind (A twenty-four page ongoing fantasy comic, available as both in print and as a digital download). You can get to both her projects through the link in her name.

Clare, Kevin, Jade and I wandered Baltimore and poked much of it with sticks. I have photos. Specifically AMAZING photos of the Baltimore Cemetery.
( Preview of Graveyard Photos )

The graves are from the mid to late 1800's and in terrible shape. It's clear that if there is any surviving family, none of its members are visiting. However, the neglect goes further. The drainage in the cemetery is abysmal and all the gravestones are settling. Many are cracked in half, and from the moss growing, have been that way for ages. Others are piled in marble stacks, pipes jutting out from underground, rusting against the white marble. The thin grass squelches underfoot and the constant suction of the mud at your heels sparks superstitious uneasiness.

I haven't formatted all my photos, but I will. I've also got more light-hearted stuff from museums and Holiday decorating. Those will go up as well.

I've made our X-mas tree out of clear silverware this year. :D (Yes, Clare & Jade! SUCCESS!) Pictures of that shortly as well.

Wish us luck at the art show!

We're back from AnimeUSA!

And lemme tellya. This con was just such a wonderful experience! The venue was nice. The staff were amazing. The attendees were fun & funny. I handed out over 1300 flyers in person, and I know I spoke to each and every person I gave one to!

The con was structured so that the artist alley NEVER CLOSED. Lol! We stayed for a 14 hour shift the first day, 16 the day after, and then 10 the following day. I spoke to complete strangers (who are no longer complete strangers, as we made friends with a number of them over the course of the con), for 40 hours in 3 days.

I'm a little hoarse. I spoke with some folks when I got home and they thought I'd picked up some horrible con-flu thing, but I swear, I feel fine! Heck, my throat doesn't really hurt. I just sound like Joan Rivers. "Oh! OH! Can we TALK?!"

We have a lot more funny pictures, but they're on Roxy's camera. (Psst. Roxy? Please to send pictures?) I'll post'em when I get'em. In the meanwhile...( Kevin does Commissions! )

We're doing a small, local art show in December:

COOL YULE ARTY PARTY
Held at the Artdc.org Gallery at the Lustine Center
5710 Baltimore Avenue
Hyattsville, MD
December 12, 2009
1pm until 7pm

Meet and Mingle with local DC artists, enjoy live music and fun... This will be an amazing day! Not only will we have an opening for the artdc.org Patron's show, we'll be open during the Gateway open studios. We expect to see a great deal of foot traffic. Perfect for last-minute holiday shopping or just visiting!

I'VE GOT INTERNETS!!

well. my ethernet card is working, so i've got internets when kevin's not online, b/c we don't have a cable long enough to reach both his AND my computers, but! I have internets.

Sure, my office space is still an ungodly series of heaps, but i'm gonna eat some lunch, put on the bugle or rachel or keith, pull out some sharpie markers and my bundle of blank file folders and SORT THIS MUTHERFUCKER OUT.

So in brief, while i'm still wired:

1. NYC Comic Con = LOADS of fun. Very $$$-y, so we may not be back to that one for a few years, but when we're ready for it, we'll hit it like a crying kid in church. THANK YOU MIKE!!

2. Halloween = Awesomesauce. I dressed up as a Spink this year.

3. The Move = Hellish, but only if hell were underwater. THANK YOU to all the folks who rolled out 2 days in a row to help us move in the rain. We've discovered and repaired all the leaks in the new townhouse, with the exception of the one that seems to come from the upstairs tub.

4. Verizon = FULL OF STUPID. @(#$%&@#$()FCFJVXVJSE)R(##@()@@!!

5. My computer = FULL OF FAIL. Failed wireless drivers. Failed ethernet card drivers. Failed uninstalls that prevent failing installs. GRAHH!!! Thank you, Blake, for tinkering with the stupid thing and getting the ethernet card to work.

6. Kevin's Brother = Down a finger-tip. Kevin's poor brother lost the top of his right index finger to his dogs when he tried to stop them from fighting. The doctors could not re-attach the finger joint, but Darren's getting a prosthetic so he can keep playing guitar in his band. Brother's gal also got bitten while trying to break up the dog-fight, she's damaged, but recovering nicely. The one dog is fine. The other dog got stitches around her eye, is fine, and is getting a new home where she can be the only child. Both dogs are super sweet with people, but fight like cats in a sack around each other.

7. Kevin's Art Gallery = AWESOME SURPRISE! His work is being displayed and sold at the Greenbelt Arts Center in the lobby outside the community theater. We had been expecting to provide 'some pieces,' not 'frame and hang enough art to cover 42 feet of wall.' It worked out BEAUTIFULLY though and it's such a cool display!

8. Upcoming Convention appearance = ANIME USA in Crystal City, VA. On Nov 20-22.



So much more to say, but so much more to DO. I'm not dead--and I've not read or caught up on anything y'all've posted, but I look forward to it! :D

Verdict: Success!

( Baltimore Comic Con PHOTO-DUMP!! )

Also, things is gettin' crazy! We leave early on Friday for New York City, NY for the Wizard World Convention: Big Apple Comic Con. We're in booth #3069. (Artist Alley table #69). I will post another clever map before we go. When we return late Sunday or early Monday, we'll do a post-con dump and start throwing things into boxes.

We move on October 24th!

If I miss out on things happening online or in real life among friends, I apologize in advance! I'm not sure how well-connected I will be in the two weeks to come.

On of those huge update posts. Most important stuff first.

1. THANK YOU
I have been a needy, needy pest lately. "Come vote for the Tshirt design," "Proof my resumes," "Visit my webcomic," "Attend my conventions," "VALIDATE ME!!"

You have all borne this bitchery with marvelous forbearance and benevolent tolerance. Seriously. I picture my friends list as a pride of fiercest lions that lets me bat your tails and chew your ears even though I'm past the cute lion-cub stage and well into the awkward-teen-lion-why-the-fuck-isn't-she-hunting-her-own-meat-or-getting-a-damn-job-or-something age.

I don't say it enough for all the people who help me out so much. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.


2. T-Shirt Update!
THANK YOU. No Really. I'm stupid fortunate for you guys and I know it.

It does not look like threadless.com will be producing Kevin's Tshirt design, which is a shame, but does not stop him from submitting other, cooler designs in the future. Nor does it stop us from printing the design on our own budget later on, when we get a budget. ;)


3. Interrobang Studios had a successful SPX!
We attended the two day con in a larger group than usual. Blake, Sally, Kevin & I were there with Jade. There are photos under the cut for proof:

( Proof under here )


4. We met cool people!
( Awesometastic Folks under the cut )


5. Interrobang Studios has MORE CONVENTION APPEARANCES to announce!

October 10 & 11: Batimore Comic Con in Baltimore. Dur.

October 16, 17, & 18: Big Apple Comic Con in New York, NY!

TENTATIVE: November 7 & 8: King Con in Brooklyn, NY!

November 20-22: AnimeUSA in Arlington, VA.


6. KEVIN & I ARE MOVING!

With all those conventions AND the fact that we must vacate our Annapolis home by Oct 31... We're looking to do the move the weekend of October 24 & 25. I'll post more details in a locked post, but heads up--if you don't get our new address, but you should have it, PLEASE poke my comments here! Kevin and I still have our same cell phones and the same email addresses, but the place we keep our physical stuff will be relocating to Baltimore. I'm gonna send out an email too, just to make sure no one loses track of us!

My fiance & primary artist for our fledgling comics studio, Kevin Bolk, has submitted a t-shirt design to threadless.com.

Threadless only prints t-shirts (and pays life-sustaining $$$) for designs that pass their 7 day scoring. If you'd like to see this shirt on the street or in your closet--or perhaps you'd like to do a good deed for the day--please vote "5" for this shirt:



It will ask you to sign up for a free threadless account so it can track your votes, but I'm hoping (pleading?) that one teensy activation email wouldn't stand between you and a good deed. A really good deed. A feeding-our-tiny-family-style good deed. This is where I line up my four cats and cue Sally Struthers.

...fer real. An email & high vote. PLEASE. I've not found a new job yet. We need this.




And in case that's not selfish enough? If you really like the shirt? Post the vote link on your websites, forums, journals, & blogs. After you vote, there'll be an embeddable code generated on the right-hand side of the page near the bottom.

We can has a viral?


(Regardless of your voting/posting, thank you for reading!)

P.S.
INTERROBANG STUDIOS WILL BE AT SMALL PRESS EXPO
SPX 2009 is in Bethesda, MD on Sept 26 & 27