In-room Dining

Yummers!

Krismas ornaments

I drew this at a particularly low point last Krismas. This year is ridiculous. We (Abe) packed out Krismas ornaments in storage and now we can't get them out without taking half the rest of it out. So we bought new stuff. Our Krismas tree is weird now. No nostalgic ornaments. Nice new garlands though. Which is nice. And out little Krismas tree died because we didn't take care of it, so I finally got to pick a nice big fluffy Krismas tree! Abe likes little Krismas trees and I like big ones. I would prefer 6 feet. But we compromise with one taller than me, but shorter than him. We also had to get a new tree stand, but that was a good thing. We had the crappy kind in the comic above, but now we have a great big plastic one that the dogs can't drink out of.

Also, I finally figured out a good station for Krismas music on Pandora. I based it on Blue Christmas by Elvis Presely, You're a mean on Mr. Grinch, and some others. Awesome. Even pulled up my favorite song from the Elf soundtrack, "Baby, it's cold outside" with Zooey Deschanel.

Here's our decorations.

Krismas tree with sparkly lights. There are more ornaments on it now, though.

New stockings! We had old ones that I knit when we first started dating. They were pretty bad. These are awesome. The tiniest one is for Nermal. Abe didn't even want to get her that! We don't have a fire place, so they just go up on the wall.

LavaCon

I did have a very good time at LavaCon, which is the name of the conference. It was such a whirlwind that I didn't really have a good grasp on what I learned. But later at work I had to do a 15 minute presentation for my co-workers and it turns out I had a lot to say. If I had been able to blast through my presentation, it was 15 minutes. But because they asked questions and things turned into discussions, it took an hour and a half or more! If they have different sessions, I would like to go again. We have new social media stuff at work so I would like to continue learning more about that. Plus it applies to all my comic stuff.
Speaking of social media, the Instagram news sucks. I might switch to flickr. Instagram, starting Jan 16, will use any posted images whenever they like, for free, in ads, including selling them to other businesses. This is terrible for every artist who posts work there. I will, at the very least, not be posting any of my art work any more. That would just be silly. Not that the artwork is great or the pictures are good, but still not worth the risk. So glad Facebook bought Instagram. Not. I kinda hate Facebook, but it is so ubiquitous at this point.

Old Wives Tales

Old Wives' Tales is a restaurant in Portland, OR.
Rijl and I eat so much sugar when we are together. I wonder if she eats that much sugar when I am not there. Instead of coffee or tea when we want to stay up late, she gets us soda and gummy candy. Sugar high.

Corn Maze

Hoo. This was a while ago now. Well, I guess it was only a couple months ago. It was fun, but exhausting. We were there for hours! Rijl and I both weren't dressed great. I had black leggings on there were brown by the end. And Rijl had Birkenstocks on so her feet were filthy by the end. And then Tiernan spilled apple cider on her feet and it was just so much worse.
I was in Portland for LavaCon, a conference for content designers (like myself, a technical writer). I have other comics about that, but I got to go down early and hang out with Rijl and Tiernan for a day. This corn maze was at a pumpkin patch. So we also got some cinnamon almonds and they picked out some pumpkins for Halloween
Looking at this, I think I need to draw less shine in my hair. And less curls. We'll see. I like drawing it that way because that's how I would like if my hair did look. Speaking of hair, boy do I need to get it done again - cut and dye. Why does it have to cost $120 or more for a cut and dye! Too much hair on this head of mine.

Sensitive Stomach

Ha. Vomit. So much Vomit. I haven't been as sick lately. Turns out I was probably just getting food poisoning from cooking old food. Green hamburger? Just cook it more! Amirite?! I did get sick eating mac and cheese at a restaurant lately. It was weird. Slow motion vomit. So I just sat in the bathroom throwing up and playing video games on my tablet. It was pretty funny. Sorry. I'm gross.

Memories

Abe's dad didn't die or anything. They just didn't see each other. Made me sad when we were talking about this stuff and he didn't know what I was talking about. I had a great childhood with lots of silly memories. Like the hidden peanuts on my birthday! They would draw faces on the peanut shells and hide them all over the house for all the kids to find. It was very fun. We'd find them for months apparently.

Mordecai

Borderlands and Borderlands 2 are pretty much my favorite games right now. I am pretty much always a sniper, but in Borderlands 2 even though Zero is the main sniper, anyone can really be a sniper. So my main character is Zero and I am trying some others. Mordecai was the sniper in Borderlands. He'd kind of an idiot, but better than Big Dumb Brick. :)

Grandpa's Soda Fountain and Ice Cream Parlor

I suppose I don't really have much more to say about this, but the ice cream was pretty good.

Happy Thanksgiving

Yo, happy thanksgiving, Americans. Hope you are eating well. That's what I'm doing today.

The New Moon Cafe

Yum. Now I want hashbrowns. We are going to Olympia to drop Isaac off later this week, so maybe we will get to go again. It is also really close to Danger Room, the best comic shop ever, so there is an even greater chance we will go since we are definitely going to Danger Room. I plan to get Saga, trade 1, and Adventure Time, trade 1. And of course, maybe something else because that place is so awesome.
Anyways, after we ate at The New Moon Cafe, we wandered around and Abe took a bunch of pictures at a weird fountain. He got this shot of Isaac and me sitting on the bench waiting for him to be done taking pictures of the spastic fountain.

Rosemary and Thyme

So sad there is no more show. And it just ended. On an episode where they were fighting. Wah.

Six Arms

Ah, Abe's my little drunkard. Now who's a spaz?!
I recently went to another McMenamin's in Seattle and have since vowed to never go to another one as a restaurant again. I will go for drinks, but not food.

Rain and reading

I just love listening to the rain while I am reading.

Julia's in Wallingford

This was so random and so surprisingly good. The table was sticky and the service was kind of weird, but nice.

As another note, if you are in Bellingham, WA on November 17, Saturday, I will be having an art show at Egress Studio with my mom, Anita Boyle.

The Ink Tub Show and Workshop at Egress Studio

Art Show: 

Art by Angela Boyle and Anita K. Boyle

DATE: Saturday, November 17, 2012

TIME: 1pm to 7pm

Join the artists for a few minutes or stay for the entire six hours. Seattle artist Angela Boyle and her mother, Bellingham artist Anita K. Boyle, have been doing quick drawings in ink for the Ink Tub blog, and decided to show some of them and more during this all inclusive show of their work. We will be showing new work and old at studio prices. Angela is a full-time technical writer, and a full-time freelance comic illustrator. Anita is a graphic designer, poet and artist. 

--------

Mini-Comic Book Workshop: 

Super Collaborators: The Making of Comics

DATE: Sunday, November 18, 2012

TIME: 10am to 3pm

COST: $35 

INSTRUCTORS: Angela Boyle and Abe Olson

TO REGISTER: Please call Angela Boyle or Abe Olson at 425-773-3099 or email them at angela@flyingdodopublications.com or abe@flyingdodopublications.com

Collaboration is a huge challenge, but unavoidable in today’s comics industry. Seattle comic book collaborators Angela Boyle and Abe Olson will talk about their experiences working together as writer, artist, and publisher on over fourteen comics and a web comic through their Flying Dodo Publications enterprise. During this fun workshop, you will learn techniques for collaborating with other artists and writers, and will leave with your own brand new, original, mini-comic book, ready to make more. 

74th St. Ale House

I'm bummed about this place because I really want to like it. It is good biking distance and cute, but sheesh. If you don't mind greasy food, they have interesting choices. Just be sure to give yourself a few hours to sit there because it is pretty dang slow. I don't think we have gotten out of there in under 2 hours and that was rushing them.

Batman

 I get a new pair of shoes and basically only wear those shoes for at least 2 months. So now I have Batgirl low-top Converse, and Batman hi-top converse. Between those two, I don't really need any other shoes do I? Though Converse does have a design your own shoes thing that I am dying to try. I now also have a Batman hoodie that has become my jacket because I apparently lost all the other actual jackets I own.
I can't remember if I posted this before, but it is a "family portrait" Amanda suggested at Drink and Draw right after Abe and I got our hair cut. Sorry if you have heard this story before. The end.

Clothes!

Even though I have realized this, I still draw myself in the same two outfits for all the comics I have drawn. This is number 27. I have drawn through 52.
FYI, I love Powergirl after reading Bomb Squad. I highly recommend it. The art is amazing and the story is funny and she is so sarcastic. I am really bummed that series was cancelled for the new 52 at DC. Don't worry though. I won't actually wear a Powergirl costume. ;)
And the punk outfit is basically something I already wear. Wore it more when I was in college.
The adorbs outfit is far too hard to maintain.

Getting older

I am not sure how well I got his likeness. Not sure if you can tell, but in panel 6, the first one is a bunch of kids climbing all over him while we are swimming at the Y. Then him telling everyone how a gopher ate his finger. (He really lost it in a logging accident. Squishes off in a chain!) Then sauteeing mushrooms. Then riding a horse - namely, Flicka. In panel 7, he is shown passed out after crashing his motorcycle in the lawn. :)

Turning 30

I really enjoyed my 31st birthday party and look forward to many more tea parties in the future. I would love to get better hats next time.
If you can't read this comic, let me know and I can write out the text.

Edit: I turned 30. What is wrong with me? Right? I turned 30? Born in 1982.

Welcome home

Our dogs are so adorable.

Herkimer Coffee

At this point, sometime just the smell of caffine makes me a bit sick.
I forgot to post on Tuesday because I was in Portland (Oregon) for Lavacon, a tech writer conference. More on that later.

Morning person

Still not a morning person. Abe found me this morning half oozed out of bed and back asleep again.

Bored out of my gourd

I was devastatingly bored when I thought of this.

Calamari

This was directly inspired by my biology class where we disected squids instead of frogs. Not sure why. It was fun though. One of the kids, JD, brought in home-made calamari. First I ever had. I loved it, even though it was cold and chewy.

Then when we went to disect it (I was partnered with Heather, but I drew Abe), I picked it up and it slid out of the mantle a little and I thought it was alive. So of course, this was 8th grade or so, I squealed and threw it on the table before I realized how dumb that idea was. Anyways, I enjoyed disecting it and learning about the insides once I got over that first adrenaline rush. My chicken plucking years were only a few years back, so I suppose I was used to little dead animals.

Poor Speaker

I am a big piler of things. Abe hates it. But usually it means I can find things until Abe moves a pile. I can even give him directions on which pile to find something in usually.
At Drink and Draw the other night, I couldn't think of anything to draw so Amanda suggested I do a family portait. She has a list of things to draw so I picked a number and that is what came up. So I drew this with the new rapidograph pens. I might switch the style up later to be more like this. Seeing the two styles next to eachother, I really like the style in the family portrait. Also, Abe and I got haircuts the night before, so it was the perfect time to draw us. Abe had really long hair, but for some reason I never draw him that way. I have no idea why.

Naughty boy

He's so cute, he's hard to be mad at. Sorry I posted late. Totally forgot. Whooops!

Update: FYI, I will be at Jet City Comic Show this weekend under the name Flying Dodo Publications.

Dance the night away

Abe gives me the weirdest looks when I dance around the apartment. But when there's music on, I just can't help it.
Also, that is a spin off this shirt that I have and love.
Our apartment is finally nearly unpacked. Into the same space. Ridiculous. But we put a bunch of stuff into storage and it is much nicer. We are using two bookcases as our pantry and put the dining table in storage. There is so much more room in the kitchen. I have actually been cooking. I made a Flat Potato Omlette and it was divine. I have been watching a lot of Essential Pepin because the TV shows are all screwed up because it is a few weeks before the new seasons start and it is the only good thing on. I also made Eggs in a Ramekin from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. So good! We over cooked them, but they were still tasty. Asparagus and mushrooms at the bottom. Make it. It's good.

Carl's Jr.

Such disappointment. How do I make it through the day? And now I have to watch those horrendous, grease sprayed Carl's Jr. commercials. USA and hot girls seems to be their theme. And shiny food. Makes me a little sick just thinking of the commercials.
Ugh. Boy did I dress bad in high school. Well, not surprising. It was the 90s and I was total grunge. I just dressed like the boys I liked.
In other news... we're not moving! We packed up all our stuff and are now unpacking it a month later. Ooh fun. Here are some drawings I did to help relieve the stress.

Homo erectus

Not much to say about this piece. Kind of speaks on its own. I do love the guy in the front of the bus in panel 4.

Poopocalypse!

It's disgusting that this isn't even everytime we have had to deal with something so disgusting. And usually the problems are Nisa. Ernie's had some bouts, but his are usually less...extravagent. So many of their nick names revolve around poop. Pooface. Poopbutt. Le Poops (my favorite). Poopster.

We even have a rhyme about Ernie that I sing to him. He's not a super fan.
Ernie Pernie, puddin' pie. Pooped on girls and made them cry.
Not super original, but funny enough for me.

And you know, if you can't read this, let me know and I will type it up under here.

things we've taught our pets

Our nick name for the pair of dogs is The Idiots, but really they are pretty smart. People go nuts over royal sit and bipedal, though really only Nisa can do those. Ernie is too top heavy for it I think.

So we celebrated labor day weekend by shopping. We got a memory foam mattress from Costco and it is quite comfy. We also got a 40 inch LCD TV from Costco and it looks sweet. Though you can see everyone's make up on the broadcast showed. We also got tablets! I got a nexus 7 from Google and am really enjoying it except for maybe a couple small things that I should be able to figure out eventually, like not typing like a complete idiot. I'm posting this from my tablet.

In other news, this week my autobio characters are making a guest appearance on The Jerks, so check it out!

History of my cellphones

 Here's a boring comic about what a spaz I am about phones. Since I drew this comic, I dropped my phone in my mom's drive way and the only thing that saved the phone from being utterly useless was the screen protector. It is now chunked and I should probably replace it. We'll see. There are also gouges taken out of the plastic. Sheesh.
Here are some additional drawings about how the "move" has been making me feel. Things are a bit more settled now, but not totally.

Hearing Loss

So we are going on week three of moving next weekend. I am not kidding. So here's hoping some day, we are done moving.  I have next to no energy left. So that's all for now and we are staying on the Tuesday Thursday update until I have more energy.

Morning Routine

I am so not a morning person. Never have been. Can't imagine I ever will be. Since I drew this, I stopped eating oatmeal in the morning, though I might switch between that and my current breakfast: 2 soft-boiled eggs, an english muffin, a cup of milk, and a slice of cantaloupe (or some fruit). I just don't like the texture of oatmeal so I have to add all the other stuff in to hide it. With the other stuff, it's not bad, but it is so much work! But if there is a husk in a bite, that is my last bite. It just makes me gag. Even trying to brush my teeth makes me gag after that stupid husk.
So next week or the week after, when the moving has all settled down, I will likely up this to three times a week and update Monday, Wednesday, Friday. I have a lot of these comics. This move is getting stressful.

Secrets

I drew this as a birthday present for a friend. Bertha is the friend (that's her false name, of course). She will make other appearances I am sure. This is also available as a print on the Flying Dodo Publications Etsy store.
We are moving this weekend, so I am missing out on another Drink and Draw. And next week we have to drive up from Renton. Eesh. Not sure how long that'll last. I am really excited to move though. The new apartment is almost twice as big and has a nice big balcony. But no yard. Ernie will be sad. However, I will get to ride my bike to work. It is only an 8 minute bike ride or so! And when we move offices in March, it will still only be a 7 minute bike ride or so. Anyways, someday, I will be posting a series of comics about this apartment that I am drawing as we prepare to move. But they are numbered in the late 30s and the last post of that type was number 10. So it might be a while.

Fan Girl

I feel like such a dork because this makes me so happy, but it really does. They both star in some of my favorite shows. And this drawing does not do them justice.

Stroganoff

This is a tale from the art trip in Bellingham. After Mr. Smarmy. That's my mom and her new husband Jim. They were not yet married at the time.
So we really did all eat the same dinner, but with very different results. I liked it the most. I couldn't believe how delicious it was. I think my mom was disappointed because she knows what real stroganoff is supposed to be like and was expecting that. I had only vague expectations. Egg noodles, beef, sour-creamy sauce hopefully with chunks of mushroom and onion. We were at Skylark's. I want to take Abe there, but we still haven't gone. It is a pretty nice place. I like the atmosphere. Lots of mirrors on the wall and a weird living room up where no one can get to it.

Smarmy

This isn't as funny as the other ones have been, but it was really cathartic. This guy really pissed me off. And I just realized why he looks weird in the 5th panel....
This whole situation just made me so nauseous. I can't believe people act like that. I could tell he thought he could charm me into submission. But the art vacation in Bellingham was fun. Always is. It is weird doing art away from my setup at home, though.

The Mole

Whoops. Forget to set up the automatic post last night, so it is a little late today. It was a rough night last night. Tuesday we went to Bellingham so I could finish binding some books with my mom and then have dinner with my Aunt Bonnie who is visiting from New York. Then yesterday, my normal 45 minute drive home took an hour and a half because there was a chemical spill on the freeway.

Anyways, when I worked this job, which I won't name because it seems like the kind of thing you shouldn't, I listed to that Batman Forever soundtrack a lot. I loved that movie. This was my first job in college. And he was the new boss. The previous boss had been cool, but I think the store got bought or something? I don't remember. This was about ...11 years ago! Sheesh. Who knew. I can't tell you how much a stared at that mole. If looks could kill, that mole would be dead. Forunately, I haven't needed that song since I quit that job to work at Metro Cinemas where I met Abe.

As of now, I am posting uncorrected images of these comics. Mistakes and all. But after looking at the last two, perhaps I should. Just the minor things like the black smear at the top of the last comic and the buttons going out of panel 4. Thoughts.

Guess I am chattier when I write this part during lunch instead of after dinner. I have noticed I tend to write more for the Thursday comics than the Tuesday comics.