I'm going to tap dance in the dark!

Tappita-tappita-tap-tap. Tappita-tappita-tap-tap. Stomp tappita. Stomp tappita. Shuffle-tap-change. Shuffle-tap-change. Shuffle-tap-change. Tappita-tappita-tappita-tappita-tappita-tappita-tappita-shuff--whoop.

THUD

Ow.

Five hundred pages of Order of Tales are on the site today! Still have a ways to go, too. We're at the 'way-room' on the pillar that leads to the Tower City. The pillars are so tall that these rooms are in place for people to stay as they're climbing up them. I like the idea of these massive, mysterious structures, and I think it's pretty hard to convey the sense of SCALE that I have in mind in comics.

The next short story is over half paid for, at 159 of 300 USD as I write this. It will probably be paid for before I finish drawing it. There is a possibility that I have given myself too much work, but it is at least work that I really really like.

I've been reading a bunch of Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian stories from the 1930s. They are really very fun stories, and it's surprising how varied they are, for all dealing with the same character. I love the idea of a bunch of loosely-connected stories dealing with episodes throughout one character's life... I think this is sort of what I'd like to do with some future short stories about T-O-E and Cal.

Warning - mature material in this post.

The NY POST has hired Ashley Dupre (that's Spitzer's former call-girl) as a weekly advice columnist. And on what could she offer advice you ask? Well, sex of course.

I've read two articles on her hiring and both have reader comments condemning Ms. Dupre for her recent job offer. But I've got to hand it to her. This is a woman who had just one skill set. And the way in which she used them is illegal in 49 states. So what's a (call) girl to do? Well, she pitched her skills as an advice columnist. She found a perfectly legal way to make a living doing what she knows how to do. Shouldn't we all be so lucky, really? And for the moral compass toting populace, let me ask you a question: Since she can't 'practice' any longer, would you rather Ms. Dupre live off the government teat (so to speak) OR would you rather she become gainfully employed and start paying taxes like the rest of us?

Ashley, meet the IRS. IRS, meet Ashley. You're probably new to this so let me give you a bit of advice. The "EASY" form is a tax document, not a pamphlet. And it may not be easy, but it's your best option. Do you really want people to see what you consider work-related deductions? Didn't think so. You'll likely be offered a 401K. This is not evenly divisible by 69 so it's not a group-position thing. It's a retirement plan that can also lower your tax bill. You may be offered a Healthcare FSA. This is not a disease nor an aptitude test so don't panic. It's a place to put money for future healthcare costs. If your FSA covers therapy, you may want to max it out.

Other readers were jabbing the NY POST for hiring her. At first, I thought it was a ridiculous hire. But then I thought about it. You know she pitched her column idea around town and got very little response. Larry Flynt (that's Hustler, folks) probably made a small offer. But if you're running Hustler, what can an ex-callgirl really add to your publication? But if you're the NY POST.... well, that's a different story.

In an era of declining subscriptions and overall readership, the POST may have landed a savior. Sure they're gambling their reputation a bit, but let's be real, the NY POST was never really elite journalism in the first place. No one confused them with the Washington Post or the NY Times. No, the POST is a rag. It's a rag suffering the same problems as every other newspaper. Only now they have a call-girl advice column running once a week. So what's that worth to them? Well, a single newsstand copy of the POST costs 50cents. Let's say an additional 200,000 people (in a reader population of several million) buy JUST her issue each week. That means the POST will pull in an extra $100,000 per week, $5.2million a year. That's just the newsstand take. For an advice column from a call-girl. Not bad.

Now if I'm the POST, I'm pledging to the public that the article will be professional and straightforward, offering sound advice from a voice of experience. But secretly I'm praying to God she becomes the advice-column version of Howard Stern. I'm hoping people start buying just to read what she'll say next. And I'm hoping she starts telling small tid-bits from her past clients... no names of course. But seriously, wouldn't you like to read that a high-profile, powerful NJ attorney likes to be spanked with a rubber chicken? Or how about the professional athlete who likes pretty pink feather boas wrapped around his..er, "teammates"? And if she wanted to inform the general public that gubernatorial sperm does taste better, wouldn't you pay 50cents for that? If I'm the NY POST I'm hoping her columns make NJ longshoreman blush like schoolgirls. I'd ride her all the way to the bank (so to speak). She was a great hire (even if they need to teach her how to write).

In summary I offer the following observations:
1. Do what you love and the (hopefully legal) money will follow.
2. Never underestimate the American taste for the tawdry.
3. Sex still sells... or at least the NY POST is hoping it does.

Last time on Comedy Death-Ray Radio, Paul F. Tompkins remarked that he hates It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year because it's just "a list of random shit," citing in particular the telling of ghost stories.

Certainly, he made the comment in the pursuit of eliciting a laugh, but it made me think. The best known Christmas ghost story is certainly Dickens' A Christmas Carol, and pretty much the only I can think of, unless you count parts of It's a Wonderful Life. However, it's almost certain story-telling was a much larger part of the Christmas/winter solstice traditions before the advent of mass media, of which ghost stories must constitute some part.

Moreover, it makes sense, because for some few centuries, at least, Christmas has heralded the end of the year. In addition to the notion that the moments between years are a gap in the walls of reality, letting things through that normally would be in our world -- like, say, a ghost -- year's end also brings up unfinished business and regrets, both strong motivations for ghostly activity, by tradition.

It would take more research than I can muster at this point, but I'd be interested to find out more about the story-telling traditions tied to winter holidays, particularly the topics they cover and instructional and cautionary tales.

Sleep No More has apparently been extended, and I'm thinking about going the week of Arisia, if not the weekend of. Anyone interested in either the Thursday, Friday, or Saturday show?

Even though I can be a big ol' whiner, 2009 turned out to be a pretty good year overall.

I got eighteen credits closer to my Bachelor of Arts degree.

I wrote and refined two short stories ("Ramada Fridays" and "Bigby," both of which I need to get around to submitting for publication). I penned a pirate sonnet. I saw words that I wrote performed.

It was a year of Kee-RASH!es in costume: in 80s night attire for danceswithsteps's birthday, as suited connectors for the Winter (is a) Drag Ball, as The Doctor and Trinity for Third Saturday Superhero Party, as Voldemortimer and Luscious in Harry Plantagenet, and as Twilight Mummies on Hallowe'en!

Oh, and I got to be the hideously adorable zombie Pizza-face in the Burlington Zombie Walk, with much thanks to the talented ladies of Triptych Creations.

I lost my wallet and freaked out about it the night we saw Coraline, then darthlara found it weeks later. (*sadface*)

We failed at seeing Godot on Broadway, but did see Shrek! And Kevin Smith at Carnegie Hall (that same weekend)! And Spring Awakening in Boston and Avenue Q (and the VSO Holiday Pops) at the Flynn with the Millses! And Cirque du Soleil: "OVO" in Montreal with the folks! And Jon Stewart at the Patrick Gym! And the Champlain bicentennial with just about everyone at the Flynn (which was okay)! And twistpeach's Dracula (twice, once with wej12 and silverhill)! And Nightmare! And more shows, too, that I've totally forgotten!

We also went to DC to see Sarah and Andreena, visited the Smithsonian and most of the memorials, and played Guitar Hero for the first time.

It was a year of moves, too (just not for the Kee-RASH!es): Niquette and Jeremy moved together into their house last winter (and got married!), yosonrio moved to Burlington this summer, and khrenpa moved back to Vermont this fall! And wildelven, too (even though I haven't been there yet)!

The Kee-RASH! concoctions ("The Johnny Snow" and "We Do the Weird Stuff") were voted the best at the Cinco de Horrible drink competition, hosted by danceswithsteps and vtplayground (though I still feel that Aaron and Becca were robbed somewhat, because their drinks were creatively awesome).

And Lyric's The Full Monty showcased most (ahem) of Aaron! (I was in the show, too, but primarily for support.)

I remain thankful for those large gatherings of friends, especially Dimly Lit, Passover, Second Thanksgiving and New Year's, no matter how these events may grow or shrink (or both).

I am thankful of those friends who have reached out more this year and made me feel wanted. (On that note, I am not thankful for schisms.)

I am thankful for new friends and for reconnecting with old.

I am thankful for the Wonderfulness-Who-is-darthlara, whose support and love help me through the darker times.

Finally, I am thankful for YOU, dear reader. If you're reading this, there's a good chance I love you. Or at least like you. Mostly. ;)

Happy Holidays! And may the new year bring you joy. What was your favorite (or least favorite) part of the year?

augh. I still need to figure out a gift for my father.

he has everything. and books are out this year since he has a kindle. sigh.

So I went to get some guaifenesin today at the drug store. You know this product better as Mucinex.

So there were three real options:
Mucinex at 25.95 for 28 pills - Price per dose 93 cents
storebrand mucinex for 10.65 for 30 pills - Price per dose 32 cents
Wal-tussin chest congestion (liquid guaifenesin) 118ml for 3.99 - Price per dose 68 cents

The recommended dosage is 400 mg. Mucinex lasts 12 hours, and the other two last 4-6 hours.

So while at a quick glance you'd think, Wal-tussin! that one is actually the most expensive per day at $2.71
with the name brand coming in second with $1.85 per day. Walgreen's store brand wins with $1.42 per day.

I actually bought the liquid form, mostly because I'm not going to need the full dose, and because I'm not sure it's going to work in general as it's sinus pressure and not lung pressure.

I really hate how un-crystal clear the pricing on drugs is.

Does anyone want postcards from Florida?

Comment here with address. All comments are screened.

According to the Computer, I rock the spirit world.

I blame the low friends/family score on my family, rather than my friends. No offense, Mom.

This Is My Life, Rated
Life:	6.9
Mind:	6.2
Body:	5.5
Spirit:	8.6
Friends/Family:	4.3
Love:	6.9
Finance:	7.2
Take the Rate My Life Quiz

• Thursday, early morning:
  Evelyn got a low grade fever. Left her with Grandpa (versus daycare) for TLC.


• Friday, day:
  Evelyn was still with grandpa. She started getting a slight rash on her body. The pediatrician had told us that her MMR vaccine may give her a rash & fever up to a week after the shots. Since she had her shots the previous Wednesday, we were not concerned. UNTIL -


• Friday, middle of the night:
  At least twice her fever shot up around the 105 degree mark. She usually spends Friday night with her grandparents, so we found out about it first thing in the morning Saturday. This led us to -


• Saturday morning:
  The pediatrician's office opens Saturday at 9 for sick baby visits. When the doctor saw her, his first thought was strep throat. He took a throat swap to verify. When he came back into our patient room he said that hers was the worst case of strep throat he'd seen. Also, he said that he doesn't usually give a penicillin shot to toddlers under 30 pounds, but that he was going to give her one (she's about 23 pounds right now - probably less as she hasn't eaten much since she first got her low-grade fever). He said to expect her fever to spike again in a few hours, once the shot kicked in. Also, he told us that the shot would knock out the strep and she'd be okay within 24 hours.


• Sunday evening:
  She didn't really start to recuperate 30-36 hours after the shot. Until then we were concerned that we may need to take her to the pediatric ER at Cabrini. When we called, though, they said they wouldn't be able to do anything more for her than was already administered: keep her on ibuprofen and acetaminophen, and tepid baths to assist with the fever. Lots of TLC for the discomfort she was feeling.

Link on information about Strep & Scarlatina.



She's not 100% today, but she hasn't had a fever in at least 12 hours, maybe 24. She's still home with the grandparents today, recuperating before we put her back in daycare.

• Monday morning:
  This morning we got a call from Connie across the street. She is the care taker for Matt's great aunt Elizabeth. Apparently, Elizabeth fell off of the porch this morning! Matt went over to assist and I called Matt's daddy to help him help her (Connie wasn't being much help). They don't think anything was broken, but she was saying that she had some chest pain. We'll be sure to check on her tonight and make sure that proper care was tended to her today.

GEEZ.

Apparently, most people have love as their lowest score.

This Is My Life, Rated
Life:	9.1
Mind:	8.1
Body:	8.3
Spirit:	9.6
Friends/Family:	6.8
Love:	10
Finance:	9.3
Take the Rate My Life Quiz

I'm having fun with this setting, weird as it is. The fairly simple, geometric design of the pillar is something that's interesting to play with... Showing it in different ways so that it becomes a more abstract thing. I hope that this sequence of climbing the pillar doesn't seem too awfully long for those of you reading with every update! New things will be seen soon. Also, on Wednesday the 500th page of OoT will be online.

I have come to the conclusion that the NEXT short story will feature Huff, a character that appears very briefly in Rice Boy, and about which I still have a bit to say. It will be put online when 300 USD of donations is reached, or when I finish drawing it. Neat!

Hey have you read the latest little comic by Yuko and Ananth at Johnny Wander? It is called 'Delilah and the Basilisk,' you can start reading it right here, and if you don't like it then I think there is probably something wrong with you.

This week I talked to a bunch of students at Asheville High School about comics! I gave the same talk to six classes and it was actually super fun. High school students seem to have gotten a lot cooler since I was one.

New TV - 32 inch LCD

Internet TV via laptop - check
Wii - check
Playstation 2 (otherwise known as our DVD player) - check
HDTV antenna - Sorta check. I think i'm going to bring it back and try another style as some of it comes in really well, but it's pretty flaky.
Basic Cable.. for now. though just as soon as I get the HD antenna working, it's getting cancelled.

So, first I wrote: "We can make the brain do all kinds of things with drugs, both natural and unnatural. The consequences, for our species, will never be better than what nature has given us. Other than for those with injury, illness, or disability, I do not believe that brain altering substances are going to somehow make the human race better or happier."

Can I imagine a case where this would not be so?

I'm not sure. I'm trying.

If I could give every 5-year-old an enzyme that would make them 25% smarter, for the rest of their lives, would I?

No, I would not. For who is deciding that "smartness", however you measure that (as if you could), is somehow better for the human race? Maybe we are smart enough. Maybe increased intelligence would actually decrease overall happiness, the ability to work together, the survival of the species, or whatever other benchmark you are measuring for "success".

The same goes for longevity, or even for happiness itself. Maybe the human race is as happy as it should be, and the remaining fears, depressions, and ongoing mental challenges are a necessary part of what prompts us all to action. In other words, cure the disease of depression, and maybe the human race would die out in a thousand years.

I doubt it. But I can't know. So while I encourage us to mess around with the human brain, with tweaking our genetic code, and with other awesome corners of science, I am very, very skeptical about the long term benefits. Yes, let's unravel the mysteries of nature. But let's not get all excited about getting high. Getting high might be a really, really bad idea.

We can't know what the long term effects will be, first of all, and second of all... well, we haven't really figured out how to define "benefit" yet. Our dominant moral philosophers keep crumpling up the pages and starting over. We don't even know what "good" is, from moment to moment.

It makes effective arguments about these issues maddeningly difficult.

And now Ziggy starts up perfectly and connects right to the wireless network. This will take some continuous use to see when and where things don't work. If this kind of unpredictable functionality keeps up, I'll figure out a way to downgrade to Jackalope.

My friend zombie_dog recently said some very nice things about a lot of nice people (myself included), and it inspires me to do the same.

Comment here and I will reply with something good about you*.

Something I like about you, something you do well, something about you that impresses me. No matter how well or poorly I know you, there will be something to say and I will say it.

*Offer only valid in this universe. Supplies technically unlimited as positive energy is self-renewing, subject to a continued supply of orgone and linear time. Offers of positive energy not under any confidentiality agreement - all positive statements may be shared by readers of Livejournal and/or other forms of social communication. Positive energy supplier not liable for any acts of awesomeness inspired by this post. Objects in mirror are closer than they appear. Dance.