Movers and Shakers

I've been a little sad the last couple of days. I guess that's pretty normal when something good ends. The Group Home has just a couple days left and then the party's over. It's funny to think back and remember my slight hesitation about moving to 3101 West Bethel. All of my stupid doubts and fears at the time seem so pointless in hindsight. Living at The Group Home has been great and I wouldn't trade the last two years here for the world. I've made a home here and it's becoming clear that it is going to be a lot harder to give up than I originally thought.

I haven't really started to pack up just yet. To be honest, most of my stuff is in boxes anyway. I took Thursday off to make the big move which should take two or three hours at the most. Of course, I may be underestimating a bit, but I guess we'll find out tomorrow.

Friday is the day The Group Homies drive down to Austin in a Hoosier caravan to their new home on Meadow Creek. As it stands, I'll be going with them so I'll be offline for awhile. Hopefully, I'll have some news from my travels to share when I return. Until then, feel free to miss me while I'm gone.

A Small Collection of Recent Reflections

The End is Near: I called to get the phone disconnected yesterday. Good-bye, 747-0667! I will miss you.

Things at The Group Home I Will Miss: The spiral staircase, the lazy susan cabinet in the kitchen, the dishwasher, the sun room, my bedroom closet that held my entire comic book collection, the parade of people who usually dropped by, and my roommates.

Things at The Group Home I Will Not Miss: The lobby that constantly flooded when it rained, the so-so washer and dryer that I rarely used, and the shower curtain I have dubbed "Pig Pen".

Loser of the Week: Pluto. Robbed of its status as a planet and banished from the solar system by a bunch of egghead bullies, Pluto has become the Rodney Dangerfield of the Milky Way. Who knew astronomers could be so cruel?

Ongoing Developments

The Final Countdown: One more week and The Group Home will be no more! Tears have yet to form in my eyes, but I'll probably get a little misty before everything is said and done. In related news, my soon-to-be ex-roomies have secured a place in Austin so there is a house waiting for them. Lucky bastards.

Good News: Two friends of mine have just become parents! Congratulations, Marty and Jen!

More Good News: I received my check for my voiceover debut this past Monday! I don't know if this makes me a professional voiceover artist or not, but, at least, it's a step in the right direction.

The Syndication Package: Do you hear that scuffling sound? It's me dragging my feet, I'm afraid. Though I have reached my goal for 36 strips, I'm going to replace two or three with other strips and that process is moving like a glacier. I think the upcoming move has slowed my momentum to a standstill and I probably won't get back into the grove until after I've moved out. On the plus side, the strips are basically done. I just have to erase them, reinforce some lines, and such. That won't take no time at all so by the end of September they should be on their way to the syndicates. Feets don't fail me now!

For Joe:

Distressed Frog

Once upon a time there was a giant frog that sat in front of a carpet store in Muncie, Indiana. It remained in place for over three decades and became a familiar landmark in America's Hometown. Sadly, time took its toll on the frog and it gradually fell into decay. The carpet store then went out of business and the new owner of the property had no need for a happy-go-lucky, concrete frog. An attempt to move the frog to a new location sadly ended in disaster. The green behemoth couldn't take the strain and it simply fell apart. An era had ended.

However, the story doesn't end there.

I took some pictures of the frog about a month before its demise. I wanted to blog about some of Muncie's unique landmarks and I thought the frog was the perfect candidate. Then I read in the paper about the frog's uncertain fate and the effort to try to save it. A couple days before the frog was to be moved, I e-mailed my pictures to Bill Griffith, the cartoonist behind Zippy the Pinhead. In the strip, Zippy would often travel about America, conversing with any roadside attraction that came his way so I thought the frog might be of interest to Zippy and to his creator.

The very next morning, I got an e-mail from Mr. Griffith. He was going to use the frog! And, true to his word, he mailed me a copy of strip that featured the frog one week later. I was very happy when I opened the envelope and saw the strip. Despite falling to pieces, the frog lives on in Zippy's world, a heaven of sorts for all roadside attractions. Maybe not a bad ending for a giant frog after all.

Move This! Copy That! Totem!

Moving Right Along: For the last few weeks, whenever the thought of moving crossed my mind, I kept telling myself that I didn't want to think about it. However, with three weeks left, I'm afraid I'm going to have to think about it now. Dang it.

Cool News: This past Saturday I recorded some voiceover work for a 30 second commercial for Insight Media. It was for a kid-friendly establishment called That Fun Place. In the spot, I did the voice for a pirate, a parrot, and a monkey. I also read the copy in my best announcer voice.

I've been wanting to do some voiceover work for a long time and it was great to finally get a chance to do it. The recording process took an hour or so to do with Tim providing expert direction. Nailing some of the lines was a little harder than I thought. With only thirty seconds to play with, the reading of the copy had to be quick yet precise, annunciating the keywords with the proper punch. Overall, I think it went pretty well. Hopefully, there will be other opportunities to pursue more voiceover work in the near future. I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

And thanks again, Tim, for showing me the way! What the hell am I going to do without you?

Just for the Record:

Good Advice from a TV Character

Office Space: My department at work was moved to a different location this past week. We're now in the back of the building, abbreviated and exposed. I'm still getting used to the change, but it hasn't been too bad the last couple of days. A lot warmer in the back though so sitting next to a fan is a must.

I am Yoko: I found a beetle in my hair yesterday. I guess that's better than lice.

The Syndication Package: I'm one strip away from the magic 36.

Deadwood Quote of the Day: "Pain or damage don't end the world. Or despair or fucking beatings. The world ends when you're dead. Until then you got more punishment in store. Stand it like a man and give some back."- Al Swearengen