It's Tuesday!

I don't usually do holiday posts but I was making these valentines for people and decided to share them here. 

Enjoy!

 

Year of the Unicorn (February)

In the fine month of February, the Unicorn reminds us to remember the past. How best can we do this? Just listen to your heart...or your old CDs really.

Unicorns love music and what's the best way to remember and honor the past than busting out some old jams? Here are some old jams I'm listening to this month:

Some old school Collective Soul:

Some old school Dave Matthews Band:

To go even further back, some old school Phil Collins:

Last but not least, the first song I have a memory attached to. It was the mid-80s, we were riding in my Dad's Toyota Camry at night around Michigan State University campus and this was on the radio:

Why My Pokemon Career Ended

Thievery is a Gentleman's Game

I recently finished a novel with my friend Andrew (Yes! It's the same guy who helps me out of those pesky wells I keep falling into). People say it's quite an accomplishment, but after your fifth finished novel you stop really thinking it's that great and start thinking that actual publication is the big accomplishment. Anyways, with this new novel I was able to utilize several stories from various friends and family for the book.

This got me thinking.

Everyday people are going around with all of these unused stories from their own lives. Stories that are just ripe for the picking.

I say it's about time that someone went around picking up these unused bits of novelty and put them to good use.  What's funnier than something hilarious that actually happened to someone else, or at least something that you could assume was possible? Prime example: a straight guy's dating profile which leads to IMs from gay men. A true story which made its way into the book.

Clearly though, since A. J. Raffles and I believe that thievery is a gentleman's game, you must ask and get permission before using a friend or family member's personal story. While it is true that you can have the traditional disclaimer "Any resemblance to real people is mere coincidence..." at the beginning of your novel, you don't want to ruin a friendship for the chance at an interesting plot point or funny side story.

Year of the Unicorn (January)

So I keep hearing that 2012 is the year of the dragon, and I wondered why can't it be the year of the Unicorn? If nothing else, the year of the Unicorn will prove to be less scary than the year of the Dragon. Don't believe me, consider the new year of the Dragon stamp:

According to this yahoo article, the Dragon stamp scared at least one person "to death" (okay, so she blogged about that deadly fear, so maybe she was exaggerating). My idea of a unicorn stamp probably wouldn't scare anyone: 

Then again, unicorns are the most ruthless creatures in the supernatural realm. But perhaps that is something we can learn from the unicorn in this, the Jenny declared Year of the Unicorn. Frankly, there's a lot we can learn from unicorns and each month we'll dedicate one post to how to honor and learn from the unicorn this year.

Gabby & Chewie Comic Strip #5

With the holidays here, it's been kind of hard to put anything together for the blog. Luckily, I was able to scrounge up an old Gabby and Chewie comic to share.

Chewie loves rolling around on the stairs:

Especially when I'm trying to walk down the stairs. 

She has no fear of being stepped on and yet that is what I fear daily:

I'm sure, one day, I will step on her and slide down the stairs with her underfoot:

Leaving us both in a bloody and dead mess:

Whut Up Wit Dat?

I was in the store the other day and was astonished by this new book:

 Apparently the only thing that Crichton believes in less than global warming is death.

So in response to this book, I've written and published a companion book:

Enjoy!