No Strings Attached

Posted By Kathleen David on May 7, 2016

This is the 15th year of Free Comic Book day and we have gone from basically catalogues of what is coming out with reprints of famous issues to entirely new content from a variety of publishers.

Now the comics are free to you but they do cost your local comic book store some money so buying things is a good way to show your appreciation for your store hosting the event.

Peter is at the Level Up event at the Hamilton Mall in Mays Landing New Jersey today from 10 to 5. He has books and comic scripts to sell and Sir Apropos on CD.

I am so glad that we have gotten to the point that comic books and the like are mainstream. We have comic books and graphic novels in the schools for the children to read. They have discovered that some children who have some difficulty reading books in elementary school, have a much easier time learning to read with comics.

Most of the blockbuster films this year are comic book related.

Wearing an Iron Man T-shirt isn’t looked at strangely anymore. You can pick up super-hero themed clothing in just about every box store that sells clothing.

Commercials have embraced the superhero. I love the M&M commercial that ties into X-Men Age of Apocalypse with Nightcrawler and Storm.

We are living in a gold age were being a fan of comics is not looked at as odd or strange but normal.

We still do have the weird debates of Hulk vs. Thing (Hulk all the way) or Batman vs. Manbat. But those are for our enjoyment.

Sure there are a few that are saying that this influx of fans is ruining it for them but that is so not true. It’s no longer a boy’s club and the icky girls are even writing and drawing comics for the big publishers. So we aren’t going away.

Find your local comic book store and check out something new. There’s a lot out there and it is not all super heroes either.

I am grateful for the mainstreaming of comics and the people who got us to this point.

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Posted By Kathleen David on May 5, 2016

Today AJ is a week old. He went in for his first wellness visit yesterday and is doing fine. He did not like having his clothes off and being poked and let everyone know it.

A week ago I held AJ in my arms less than an hour after he came into the world. It seems so recently and yet so much in the past.

A freelance editor I know was at my local brew-pub. He had just finished a very long medical manuscript for a magazine and was getting ready to start work on the next one while trying to find work for the one after that. He specializes in non-fiction mostly of the biological kind. He has a PhD in biochemistry but fell into being an editor and enjoyed that more than fighting for grants for research. He can find work because he does such good work and is really fast.

He was bemoaning that he should have gotten this paper in three days ago but life took over and he had to deal with sick children and dog who is very old but still spry. He doesn’t mind it. He loves how he can be there for his family and watch his children grow up. However, he is getting frustrated with everyone assuming because he is a freelancer, he has lots of free time to do other things that are not his job. Apparently his brother-in-law wanted him to help with some project for his mother-in-law and there was a family kerfuffle when he said no because he had to get the article done.

The assumption that freelancers have time to do things that are not work is one that I have found to be pretty ingrained.

“Oh you can do your job anywhere!”

Not really. Peter’s word count is lower when he is not at home because there are a lot of things that, when he is at home, are non-issues. Yes, there are times that he goes to a convention and gets work done around the convention but that is not the norm. Especially if he is on a deadline to an editor. Also he needs an Internet connection that works and doesn’t cost him an arm and a leg.

“It will just take an hour or two.”

And travel time and whatever else I need to do to get the project done. Those words are the deadliest to a freelancer. An hour or two can rapidly go to six or seven before we can really get back to work. Remember there are meals in there and activities that were planned that are now part of the equation.

“Must be nice to just sit around the house and create.”

Well yes when we can. There is also the house to be maintained, a family that has needs, pets who can’t do for themselves, activities that are attended, a little personal time in there somewhere, and looking for the next job.

That’s a big one. I swear half of freelancing is getting the next gig to keep the money rolling in. We don’t have a steady paycheck so we have to work to continue to work. Connections have to be made. E-mails answered. Proposals handed in. Outlines approved. Contracts negotiated.

Yes, we have time that is flexible but we still need the time to work that is just time to work just like when one goes to one’s job and just does the job.

So there are times that no is the answer to can you do whatever. And it is nothing against the person asking but we need the time to earn our shekels and we need it without having to always explain why we need the time.

I am grateful for all the freelance work that has come our way.

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Posted By Kathleen David on May 4, 2016

So today is Star Wars day. It amazes me how quickly this has become a commercial holiday. I have half a dozen ads from various types of business touting Star Wars. So I think it has become an official holiday like St. Patrick’s Day or Earth Day.

Yesterday Caroline texted me and asked where I was on her Rey outfit because the theme of the day for Spirit week on Wednesday was Character Day because she really wanted to be Rey.

Six hours later she had her Rey costume Mark 1.

(for the VI: Caroline holding a green light saber. She has on black shoes, grey knee length pants. white tunic with brown belt.)

Why did I do this? Because yesterday evening she was inducted into the National Junior Honor Society.

(for the VI: This is Caroline in a long blue robe holding her certificate in front of an American Flag)

While we were at the school, she showed me the art work she had on display in the front hall.

Her Dragon Etching. She also drew the frame.

An Abstract 3-D work she did entitled the Wings of Good and Evil. She has a whole backstory to this piece.

I am in awe of her artistic skill.

I am grateful for Caroline’s many achievements.

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Posted By Kathleen David on May 2, 2016

Not much to report from last week. About 3000 words written. No puppet work done. But not going to kick myself over this since last week we went to Knoxville and met AJ.

My kitchen is clean. The rest of the house is almost back to order.

However I have noticed that I am spending more time wasting my time on the Internet. I have been playing around on Facebook and the like. Got into a pointless argument that I quickly pulled out of. The usual.

Now I have to get my head back on straight and get to work.

Today I plan on going to the gym but I also plan to just sit and write for an hour. Then puppet work.

Avoid the online games and the like. I will play a few rounds of a couple of games just because I use that time to think my way through things.

So goal for the week is less time on the iPad more time working. Let’s see if I can do it.

I am grateful for writing that goes smoothly.

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Posted By Kathleen David on May 1, 2016

I have already listened to Julie Andrews sing “The Lusty Month of May” from Camelot, which is my May 1st tradition. I will, however, have that tune running through my head for the rest of the day.

Got mostly unpacked from our trip. There are the few bags that need to have items go several places to be completely unpacked. Good thing too since I have to repack Peter for Free Comic Book Day.

Spring has sprung up here. Still in the 50s which is nice but the green plague o’ pollen is evident everywhere. The whole world has taken on a particular shade of yellow-green. The weather reports are touting dangerous levels of pollen. However we are suppose to have some rain today, which might get rid of a lot of stuff in the air.

Since Millie passed, Inky has been tucked up next to my hip when I sit down on the sofa right where Millie uses to sleep. Yesterday she pretty much at least had a paw on me if I was sitting down and followed me all around the house. Fig has been sticking close to Caroline. Right now Caroline is reading a book and absent mindedly petting her cat who is very happy about the situation.

Ariel, Anthony, and AJ are doing well. AJ and Ariel were released from the hospital yesterday with a clean bill of health. He’s nursing like a champ. His favorite place to sleep is his swing. He’s small but not considered pre-mature.

Today is more about the homestead and cleaning. I still have the cat boxes to attend to before the rain starts. I think it is going to be a race between me and Mother Nature. Who else remembers “It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature”?

I am amazed considering this past week that I did keep this journal going all of April. Going to see if I can continue the streak.

I am grateful that AJ got to go home.

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