So...I thought this was a good time to unleash this little specimen.When Jen Sorensen, the creator of Slowpoke, came through the Seattle area last spring on her signing tour for One Nation, Oh My God! a bunch of us went to see her speak about her book at the UW Bookstore, across from campus.However we must back up for a second...A couple years back my humanity was glorified to that of a cartoon character...literally...no longer just figuratively, in the embellished stories old friends and college buddies might tell to others about me from time to time, as I know I do the same thing to them occasionally. No, I do it whenever the chance presents itself.So it was to be...that the cartoon version of myself would appear in a 'toon titled "Rush Riots '06," a parody on the reaction by Muslim extremists to a Danish cartoon depicting a less than glorified version of Mohammad. The strip is also included in the new Slowpoke book.In addition, Jen had recently begun her cartoon version of Obama (featuring his big smiley face and all, as you can see). So, being a big Obama supporter along with a lifetime fan of the band Rush (who I have seen on tour 20 times), and considering the cartoon she drew of me in "Rush riots '06" depicted me as such along with an eggplant version of Geddy Lee's head (Rush's singer and bass player), I thought: "Hey, why not have her sign my book with all three in it?"It was definitely a big request, however she was kind enough to oblige...and she opened herself up to it since she was signing books by drawing cartoons next to the personal messages she was putting in the front cover.
Plus I figured I didn't ever bother her with such things, so why not ask for the Big Kahuna? I figured it was more than likely I wouldn't ever get to have a personal meeting with Obama, so why not bring it to life in an drawing?So, per my request to Jen, the cartoon above is what came to be...and I figured since she's on the world's stage this week at the REAL BIG KAHUNA --- the DNC in Denver, blogging for the C-ville Reporter --- that I'd throw this out into cyberspace. S
A tip of the top hat to Jen over at Slowpoke Comics for passing along some credit for her cartoon last week, titled Green Arms Race - while I tend to rant and get carried away with green shtick and imaginary characters sporting Italian/Russian accents, she framed the Daddy Bomb thing a bit more concisely. Keep Slowpoke Comics in your bookmarks - there's always some really funny and interesting observations coming from her desk, and she's on top of the political landscape. It's essentially your weekly news source. Very cool! S
For those of you paying attention, this blog is pretty new --- less than a week old. I wanted to take a moment to thank Colorado Jyms over at RANT FROM BOULDER (a.k.a. "The Rant") for bringing me into the blog brotherhood and for persuading me to get into this whole thing.
I have lots of thoughts swimming around my head these days, and I'm sure many of the readers do as well. I've been very upset and miffed about the direction this country has gone in the last 6 years, and I've been saddened by the whole scene with the environment and the runaway train it's become.
Not to wallow in a broken record of old wounds, but I think I'm still recovering from the 2004 election, as that was nothing short of a iron boot kick to the nuts, and I've been trying to get up off the floor ever since. As some of my friends on the other side of the aisle probably presume, it's not because "my guy" lost --- as Kerry was never my guy --- it's about what was at stake.
The number and weight of all the problems needing to be addressed can serve as a heavy burden at times, and it's easy to feel helpless. As The Professor Mr. Peart says, "It's a far cry from the world we thought we'd inherit --- it's a far cry from the way we thought we'd share it."
But I don't want to just bitch about things from the bleacher seats --- I want to find solutions to today's problems as well. Maybe there's some readers out there with some ideas to contribute?
Like Jyms mentioned in his blog a few days ago, I too also do this for personal reasons that involve getting my thoughts organized and out on paper. Having a forum for which to express your thoughts, frustrations, and ideas is therapeutic, and it's good to create some discussion. While the focus of this blog is environmental issues --- which will also inevitably canvass subtopics or related topics such as land use, transportation, and energy issues --- I will also make comments or post on The Rant for matters falling farther outside the environmental spectrum, as Jyms has kindly invited me to do so.
I hope that some of you readers out there catch the bug, if you haven't already, and put your passion on paper to start your own blog. I know many of you have it in you --- and like me, just need a little kick in the pants to get started.
So dust off that keyboard, and let those fingers fly! S
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