Make With the Happy Holidays!

Tis the Season

A few weeks ago, I went to a firing range for the first time.

Having never held a gun, much less fired one, I wasn’t sure what to expect. There were two experienced shooters in our group: a long time gun owner and a state trooper. Because of that, the range allowed the rest of us to rent pistols. The folks at the range were no-nonsense and quite friendly. And gun safety is really just common sense. Don’t point a loaded gun anywhere except down the range, wear ear protection and goggles, set the safety back after shooting, hands off the gun when talking to someone, etc.

I shot around 80 rounds, which isn’t really much. It proved to be a wonderful mental exercise and actually relaxing. My mind was focused on nothing but the gun and what I was doing with it – the immediacy of handling something that could so easily kill pushed aside all other worries and stress. The routine of loading, checking safety, taking stance, aiming, breathing, created its own kind of zen. I can definitely understand why some people love shooting and could spend hours at a range just being in the moment.

The rental was a semi-automatic .22 pistol and hardly had any kick at all. I think with enough practice, I could have shot that thing one-handed with considerable accuracy.

Then I tried my friend’s .44 and big difference! Thanks to Tai Chi, I didn’t fall over or hit myself in the face. But it definitely takes some strength to keep steady while firing. Movies and TV shows where the badass shoots high caliber pistols from each hand – yeah, I don’t think it works that way.

While I won’t consider owning a gun, I wouldn’t mind going back to the range and renting again. It was really fun and certainly a skill I wouldn't mind having.

Curling!

Tried curling today! Super fun way to kill two hours on the weekend. It actually requires more stamina than expected and I totally fell while sweeping. But it's a good time and the folks at the rink were delightful!

Autumn Leaves

Trees are awesome, until it's time to rake the fallen leaves in autumn. This year I learned how to operate the leaf shredder, which allowed us to process double the volume. The joy of being outdoors during lovely fall weather almost makes the cleanup worthwhile.

In Which We're Amazed at How Fast Time Flies

Wow, almost an entire month since my last post!

Mostly I've been working. Lots and lots of work.

Attended cousin's wedding at The Foundry, a really awesome spot for a party. Brick alcoves lit by candles, dancing under exposed beams, and good fun all around.

Hosted thanksgiving this year. Nothing huge, just his side of the family. Yummy Dr. Pepper glazed ham, apples & fennel stuffing, potato gratin, and my signature lemon cheesecake squares. Having parents over, even for a few days, is exhausting. I can't image how they dealt with us kids for 18 years!

Morphic

We met Halee of Morphic at the ChristChurch arts center in New Zealand and bought two hoodies from her. They were made by her and her husband from NZ merino wool. With the weather getting chilly, I broke out the hoodie this weekend and discovered all over again how awesome this stuff is. The merino is warm but breathable, and not itchy at all. It's comfy and stylish and perfect for a fall evening. I think I would actually sleep in this thing!

They're on Etsy as well!

Dog Eat Dog

Well, our dog isn't a cannibal. But she loves bread. More than chicken or sausage or any other meat. The only time she has ever tried to snatch food from our hands, was for a fresh baked Philly pretzel. Forget training with treats or a clicker. She will do anything for a slice of plain white bread.

I wonder if it's a carbohydrate craving born of being fed mainly protein? She also flips out for noodles and rice. But bread is her ultimate ambrosia.

Every time she looks up with those big brown begging eyes, just imagine a thought bubble above her head with one word: Bread?!

NYCC 2010 - Art Goodies!

Finally, some time to post a few art gems from this year's NYCC.

Adam Hughes! For a $5 donation to an English Sheep Dog rescue, you got a quickie head sketch:

Also, his wife is such a sweetheart. She manned the booth and kept the line interesting. And she loves dogs!

Awesome commission by Esad Ribic:


Ken Knudtsen. This one was really fun to watch! He went mad with these huge oil pastels, then razor bladed in a flurry. The colors are actually super vibrant, the photo doesn't do justice.


Alex Maleev watercolor. Again, the photo doesn't capture how amazing this really is!


Dirk Shearer, who did this using a technique called scratchboard, where blades are used to "scratch" the black ink, revealing white clay underneath. The results are pretty amazing - reminds me of a mix between woodblock print and inking.

We're considering getting the rest of the FF in this style by him.

Two commissions are still outstanding, and we got a bunch of other sweet original art, including pages and sketches. Having artist's alley in a separate section was definitely a plus this year. We got to meet lots of new talent and chat with the artists at length. I love how NYCC is still mostly about comics, and not overrun by TV and movie studios.

NYC Comic Con 2010

The crowd at the Javits Center was crazy this year! On Sat, it felt the same as SDCC - one could barely move between exhibits. There were more people in costume (though we didn't feel compelled to take many pics) and a huge PC gaming floor that wasn't around previously. I'm really glad we went on Friday and Sunday too; it gave us some extra time to wander the booths. In terms of panels and retailers, I wasn't too impressed. But on the art side, it was all we wanted and more.

That's mainly because artist's alley had its own large area, away from the main exhibit hall crush. I'll post the art haul separately. A few highlights first:

* There was an excellent epic fantasy panel, featuring some of the hottest writers on the market right now: Jim Butcher, Joe Abercrombie, Peter Brett, Naomi Novik, Brandon Sanderson. Everyone was friendly and funny and well spoken. Wordsmiths talking about their craft always makes for an interesting time. The next day, we got to meet Peter Brett and Brandon Sanderson for autographs, which was definitely awesome!

* My costume was a win! I dressed up as Liandra from Fallen Angel and got to meet the creative team. It was pretty much the best reaction I could hope for. Peter David frantically called his wife and daughter so they could take a picture. JK Woodward offered to use me as the cover model for an upcoming issue (he wasn't quite sober, so not sure if that will really happen). What a great feeling, to bring some appreciation and joy to people who have provided me hours of entertainment and good reading.

JK Woodward, Me [fist bump] Peter David:


I fights the good fight:


Blurry but badass:


* We got to meet Bruce Campbell! Twice!
Red Suit Saturday:


White Tux Sunday:


* BPAL was selling their entire general catalog of scents, along with a bunch of exclusives. In addition to buying enough oils to last a lifetime, I got tons of free sample imps. They were super nice folks and hopefully they come back to NYCC every year!

* And the best toy...Adult Swim's humping robot! With wind-up lovin' action!


We also picked up a bunch of new graphic novels and comics, which is one of the best things about attending a Con. There's immense pleasure in discovering a new creation by speaking directly with the author/artist/publisher. We definitely have some great reading material for the months ahead!

Anticipation!

We are NYCC-bound tomorrow! This year's convention is looking really good. For the first time, we found things we're interested in on Friday. So excited!