These frickin' archives aren't working yet. I dunno how to fix this shit...

Don't worry though, I didn't say anything interesting in any of the posts that aren't shown on this page. This page is the A-list stuff...

Okay, so I've got a little under three weeks to draw roughly seven pages, and do the cover for Gabagool! 4. I think I can do it, I average about a page every two days or so, but I wish I didn't feel rushed. I want it to be pretty flawless, since I'm gonna go to the bother of printing it for real. Ah, what can you do though? The deadline is a good thing. I told Aliza that she needs to let me work hard of the comic for the next couple of weeks, and then after that I'll be all hers for getting the wedding in order.

So far: We have decided on a DJ, and said we want to use her. No contract done yet.

We booked the photgrapher. She seems pretty cool, and she's tall, so that will hopefully mean we'll get some nice shots where you can see a lot of people. There are a few shorties on my side of the family, and Aliza's side doesn't run too tall either, so it should work out.

We have a caterer. We like their stuff. They do a lot of cool hors d'ourves, which is all we're having. My favorite is this little proscuitto wrap with arugula, some kind of cheese, and raspberry jam. I know, I know, sounds a little odd, but the combination is delish.

Aside from that we are scrambling. We still got some time, but it just sounds like there's so much left that needs doing. I swear, all's I wanna do is say "I do" (actually, it's "I will" apparently) and dance my first dance song, and get me to Mexico.

Some talk last night with some friends about bachelor parties. I have mixed feelings. I think a night or a weekend with my boys will be a blast, as long as I can get good and fucked up. Not sure about strippers though. I dunno about being the center of attention at any kind of place of ill repute. I tried to explain last night that the part about strip clubs that I don't like is when they come over and solicit you. I don't mind when they're up on stage being all nudie, but I've never been able to get over the part where I know that the only reason they talk to me is 'cos they want my money. They are like hot sexy bums, asking me for a dollar, and letting me slip it in their crack as a treat to me. I have to get over this, I know, and be a real man. 'Cos in all honesty, most strips clubs that I've been to, well I've probably been one of the most attractive guys in there. The Strippers Bums are probably happy to come sit on me for a change, rather than the Herbs who normally hang out at those places hollerin' and yellin' and being way less cool and "with it" than I am...

Just got off the phone with another nominee from last years Ignatz's awards. He works at a printing company, and hopefully I'll be working with him to print up Gabagool! #4. He seems like a real nice guy, and I think his books are really nicely done. As we were wrapping up our conversation about printing quotes and whatnots I had to give him my address. When I said St. Mark's Place he made a comment about it being a cool place to live. I over-excitedly blurted out "Yeah and I live opposite the Led Zeppelin Physical Graffiti building!" and he was suitiably impressed. I felt like a dork immediately afterwards though. You lose all your street cred when you wet yourself with excitement anytime someone says, "oh so you live in such and such a hip neighborhood, huh?" What can I do though? I think the only good thing you get out of spending all that money to live somewhere cool is having other people take note of it and somehow thinking that you are more worth knowing...

If anybody wants to read the short Gabagool! story we put together to submit to the SPX anthology, click here. I sure do hope it gets in. I think it's a solid piece of work, but I dunno if they'll be put off by the raunchy nature of it. If it is put into the anthology that will technically be one of my first published credits (not counting all them years spent doing the daily strip for the rutgers college paper) so that'll feel good, in a way.

Am getting a bit stressed about getting Gabagool! #3 colored so's it can appear on moderntale's longplay section. I need to find out what my due date is, 'cos so far it's only half colored (not even). The last couple weeks have been sloooooow at work, so I've had plenty of time to color, but the last couple of days I've been getting stuff to do again. Sucks. I like it better when I'm left alone.

Tonight is comic book night with Alex Robinson. We meet up every wednesday to buy comics (actually, we rarely buy anything, not a lot comes out) and then get dinner and bitch and gossip like a couple of hens. It's great fun.

Went down to Jersey for Easter on Saturday. We rented a car, which is a treat for us. It's expensive, but it gets to be a drag having to schlep down on the trains, and it was nice out, so a drive was in order. I took Aliza to the woods that my family traditionally went to for family walks on weekends. We took a nice hike for a couple of miles, and as is also traditional in the Dawson family walk through Hartshorn woods, we discussed religion in our lives.

So far I haven't had any trouble with the prospect of having all this Judaism come into my life. I like being connected to what I percieve as something with a long complex and respectable history. My family wasn't "Church of England" technically, but there are aspects of COE in my upbringing for sure. And that's a religion that's so relaxed and hands off, there just doesn't seem like there's much point in it. It's just so "limp"... Now, Judaism, there's a religion that makes you do stuff and observe things, and feel obligated, and all the good things a religion ought to make you do.

A lot of what we talked about was about how we're going to administer our religious views to our eventual offspring. I am determined to make them partake in all the rituals to the fullest extent. My thinking being that if I am asked to have a Passover Seder, as a non-Jew, then we are going to damn well have a proper Passover Seder, and those kids are going to sit through it! None of this getting bored and fidgety and gettign up from the table and goofing off while the adults slog their way through the Seder that has been designed to entertain the kids. No, in my house we are going to do an adult seder everytime and the kids will sit quietly and respectfully. I want it to be the kind of thing Aliza describes when she was little, where her grandpa shouted at her and her brother a lot to be quiet and pay attention.

Another thing that happened on the walk was that other people who were out jogging and cycling around the mountain kept greeting us with cheerful "hellos" and "good mornings". You don't get that so much in the city. Aliza seemed genuinely taken aback, and even annoyed the first few times it happened. Well, she is more determined to cast off her suburban roots than I am, so maybe that's why she reacted negatively. I didn't mind it. It was nice to feel sunny and friendly, and not have to walk around with a scowl on all the time as I try to plow through the sea of bums and punk rock teenagers on my block as I try to get to my apartment...