Napping policy

Obsessions - Hello Kitty

Return of the subconscious alter ego smoking crow, part 1

Look who's back!

Loyal readers (all...5 of you? And I thank you!) may remember this character from awhile ago. I brought him back now for two reasons: first, I need him. I've had a bad attitude and lousy self-esteem lately and I need a badass smoking crow to kick me in my arse.

Secondly, it's kind of crow week for me, as my art blog reaches a milestone very soon, where I will soon be posting my 100th little crow painting. I'm just posting crow #95 today. If you want to check it out, it's over here at Tumblr.

Oh no

Bonus comic time!

This a both a true story and fan art for the fabulous comic  Webcomic Name . Otherwise known as the "oh no" comic, as the final third panel always ends with the blob protagonist saying, wistfully, "oh no". It's a great comic -  simple, but always spot on. 

So when I saw that there was a fan art competition for it on the Twitter a while ago, I planned to heartily participate. I mean, who is more appropriate to participate in a 3-panel comic contest that ends with an "oh no" than Squirrel? 

Except I forgot. 

I guess with my regular comics, my obsessive 100-crow painting project (see it here  if you are interested, I am at #94), some minor life crises and my overreactions to them, plus my day job, it just slipped my mind. Which ain't what it used to be. But then, what is?

Oh no.

Blogs

I have a webcomic blog...

Therapeutic goals

Attitude adjustment

Hey folks, here's another homage to one of my favourite webcomics, Tut and Groan, a fun and funny wordplay comic. Check it out!

Obsessions - Goodnight Moon

Who isn't obsessed with the classic children's book, Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown (pictures by Clement Hurd)? It was such a big part of my childhood that I made sure I raised my child on it too. Now there are two generations of us squirrels who need to hear about a comb and a brush and a bowl of mush to go to bed.

Hush!

P.s. Late addendum 13 hours post-posting: I *just* found out that today is, coincidentally, Margaret Wise Brown's birthday! I feel more connected to this gem of a book than ever. I think I've spent so much time with it that it is woven into my DNA. Happy birthday, MWB!

Social media

I don't know why I never learn...

Happy birthday!

Hey, it's the official 2nd birthday of this webcomic today! Happy birthday to Squirrel and the gang! I hope you've enjoyed reading these comics almost as much as I've enjoyed making them. Here's to many more!

As for today's comic, there's a backstory (of course!). When I was a teenager, I had a so-called friend who always said I was "book smart" but not "street smart". I would get teased for being a good student with high marks, but kind of out of it. So for my 16th birthday, she gave me this card:

Which had this on the inside:

Hilarious, right? We all had a good laugh, including me. Except that, i didn't get it. I pretend laughed with everyone, thinking, what's so funny? We're not even eating lunch? I'm not exaggerating when I say that the actual joke of it didn't hit me until years later, long after the friendship finally fizzled, and the irony was too much to bear.

So in honour of the birthday card that was more appropriate than the sender even realized, here's today's birthday comic. Happy birthday to a out to lunch squirrel and creator!

Too much self help

 I try to keep a pretty healthy "buffer" for this blog, which means I have at least a couple of week's worth of comics at any time, in case of emergency (always be prepared for potential catastrophes, right?). The upside is that I can post on a regular basis, no matter how busy I get. The downside is that sometimes I think of a better gag after I've already inked up the comic. I can usually remedy that by redrawing the funnier version, but today I only just thought of a funnier ending now, and my buffer is shockingly thin. So whoever takes the time to read through this rambling intro gets the funnier (?) punchline: "You've got to read the whole book, not just the titles". Hmmm. Maybe not.

Also, as I was typing this, I just heard on the news that Chris Cornell died. Remember earlier this week I referred to missed live performances (you don't? It's right here)? I also turned down tickets in the nineties to see Soundgarden playing at Varsity Stadium in downtown Toronto, a couple of blocks away from where I lived, because I didn't want to miss my adult education evening art class. R.I.P., Chris Cornell.

Socrates reboot

Obsessions - The Grateful Dead

I really WAS obsessed with this band (and I was probably their biggest fan who never saw them perform live, but that's another story - near miss when they played Hamilton, Ontario in the eighties, but I turned down tickets because I had a differential equations exam the next day and had to study, then the exam was cancelled) (side bar - future comic: live performances I have missed for stupid reasons), and I really DO think they sound off key now, and my spouse really DOES say this line, which, apparently, is not an original thing to say, but more like a 'folk standard' thing to say, much like a good deal of The Grateful Dead's playlist....

The five stages of a cold

These dystopian times

Then and now

Crazy world

Obsessions - Harold's Purple Crayon

Hey, remember Harold's Purple Crayon series of children's books by Crockett Johnson? I was fairly obsessed with them as a child. I guess I still am. They dealt with imagination, drawing, creativity, scaring oneself with one's imagination, perspective (literally), amusing oneself, being alone, and vanishing lines. And so much more. Anyway, this comic will only make sense if you've seen the books, so I hope you can find a copy.

The symphony

Today's comic is dedicated to a friend who requested to make a cameo and inspired this one. I bumped into him and his wife at the symphony a few weeks ago, and in between pieces, he asked if he could be a dog in a comic. He really did ask if I came there often, but it was sarcastic.

Black

Mozart paradox

Sickness and health

Obsessions - Sleep With Me Podcast

I really am obsessed with Sleep With Me Podcast. Going to bed is now my favourite part of the day. I don't know how he does it, but Dearest Scooter is a genius insomnia therapist or something. His creaky, dulcet tones (his words, not mine) really do put me to sleep - most of the time. When they rarely don't, they relax and amuse me with ramblings about birds or Alex Trebec or, best of all on Sunday nights, Star Trek, TNG. If you have trouble falling, or staying, asleep, do check it out at  Sleep With Me Podcast. And good night! Zzzzzzz......

Guidance, part 3