Yes, I make them. This is as good a place as any to publish them.
In order of importance:

• Create ashcan sample of original graphic novel. Attend NY Comic-Con to assess market.
• Break with under-performing music project(a). Concentrate on the TMJ Ensemble exclusively (while continuing home recording pursuits) to free up time for graphic novel
• Register at New School Professional Studies and take at least one online course
• Work out more intensely – lose some weight
• Play fewer video games

Best wishes for a happy, successful 2009!

I’ve never been much of a “phone person”, in fact I find phones to be a disruptive nuisance.

A few weeks ago, I upgraded Therese’s iPhone to the 3g model so that we could consolidate to AT&T’s family plan – and so that I could inherit her year-old original generation iPhone.

It didn’t rollover without a hitch – AT&T switched off all Therese’s net services when adding mine, plus a few of my texts continued to somehow go to my old Verizon phone. Now that all the kinks are out, I think it’s very cool and convenient to have my email and Internet access in my pocket. Not to mention the ability to blog post from anywhere like this. I see why people love these things.

On the other hand, having “No Service” all day today in Troy, Michigan was infuriating.

Well, I called it. Maybe not in a blog post, but in the morning pow-wow with my posse at work I pronounced that someone was going to get killed at one of these Black Friday shopping riots.

I wish I had been wrong, but sadly Jdimytai Damoura – a temp worker – was trampled to death in a crush of bargain-hunters at a Wal-Mart in Long Island. For some detail and similar sentiment, check out Blog For Arizona.

I can understand waiting on line prior to a store’s opening. I did it for my son, for the Nintendo Wii. I walked away disappointed twice; both these small outings could have easily resulted in fisticuffs or violence against unsympathetic store employees. But to wait with a mob for a mad dash for an unspecified, probable savings? I don’t get it.

Are the profits worth endangering another life? Surely there will be one fantastic lawsuit on behalf of the family, if Wal-Mart doesn’t quietly settle to keep it out of the media.

I just had to run down – and back up – two flights of stairs to get my sketchbook once this face came across the cable. 

My colleague and good friend turned me on to YourFree360games.com recently (actually my son already discovered this sort of program and brought it to my attention, but I digress). The way it works is that you sign up for two online offers that earn you points; when you earn enough points you redeem them for merchandise. The trade-off is that they have your e-mail and can spam you for the rest of your time on our planet.

So in good faith, I offered up my AIM email and purchase two products. The result is that after redeeming the coveted prize – in this case Guitar Hero: World Tour with controller – my account was abruptly cancelled accusing me of violating the TOS (Terms of Service). To make matters worse, one of the orders pulled a bait and switch for merchandise totalling nine times my agreed purchase. Now I have to stay on top of that to return the merchandise.

Avoid YourFree360games and other similar points/rewards programs.

Here is my latest character creation and sculpt – I’m trying to bang one out every week or two.

I have to give credit where credit is due – the multipass render approach and subsequent Photoshop compositing is from Scott Spencer’s great book “Zbrush Character Creation: Advanced Digital Sculpting ” (who in turn credits the workflow to the Stan Winston studio). The process is time-consuming but yields a striking painterly effect.

The character’s name and occupation are from the boundless imagination of my daughter.

Thanks Izzy!

I was on my own yesterday since Therese took the kids to Boston for the Columbus Day weekend. It begs the question that it is a quasi -“holiday” which I have worked for as long as I can remember.

I found myself wandering into my first forays of online multiplayer, alternately winning a tournament in WipeOutHD, having my head handed to me numerous times in Call of Duty 4, and watching the interminable cinematics of Metal Gear Solid 4 (a game you watch far more than play).

The more creative my job becomes, the less-inclined and driven I find myself to create art in my spare time. This will probably adjust itself in due time when video game boredom sets in.

My devices: Playstation 3, Korg MicroX, Xbox 360, VAIO PC. Is it so wrong to absolutely squander a day alone as an antidote to stressful work/marriage/parental responsibilities?

Work hard, play hard.

I finally pulled the trigger on a Korg microX synth that I have coveted for a long time. I quickly talked the salesman down $50, which is not a big deal because Guitar Center practices “price-matching”, but when he returned to say they were blowing out the floor model and I could save $250 – my reply was “It’s mine!”

The sounds are extraordinary and surreal. The MIDI connectivity works as it should. The huge difference is the interactivity that the knobs allow – shaping and crafting a sound on the fly. I got some grief about opening a new charge card in these difficult financial times, but it seemed easier to finance than with cash.

There are two nascent band projects that will allow me to dabble in synth sounds. I’m hoping to do some camera raw photography and I’ll post the portrait of my new baby here.

Last night, smack dab in the middle of my annual week alone I put down the Xbox controller long enough to tune in to history on cable TV. The DNC nomination acceptance speech was the first by Obama that I listened to in its entirety, and he struck all the right chords and I hung on every word.

The influence of his fiery, controversial pastor can’t be denied. His speaking style is borderline gospel preaching. This is an election that matters more than any I can recall.

We have heard the rallying cry before. The problems of our nation are well-known and “fixable”. “Change” is a convenient catch-phrase, however it seems to  me that Obama has the integrity to correct the wrong-headed policies of the Bush administration.

It never entered my mind that would see an African-American man nominated for President of the United States and to quote our future First Lady, “For the first time in my adult lifetime, I’m really proud of my country.”

A good sketch is evading me, but I’ll have a lot of opportunities over the next 4 or 8 years!