Monday, December 31, 2007

Random Thoughts: December 31st, 2007...The All-Encompassing Year-End Holiday Extravaganza!

blogcomp
Top: Grant Park, December 22nd, Middle: Polo Park, December 23rd, Bottom: Me in Memorial Park, November 25th.

Let's get the important stuff out of the way...

What I Got For Christmas 2007:
  • Mark's Work Warehouse gift card
  • Sam Flores Queen of Spades shirt
  • Tire gauge
  • Fleece neck pillow
  • Wind River fleece pullover
  • Grip Twist industrial strength twist tie
  • In The Studio by Todd Hignite
  • Starbucks gift card
  • Tim Hortons hot chocolate
  • A candy cane
  • A Lion's Tale: Around the World in Spandex by Chris Jericho
  • A Coghlan's LED Headlight (a headlamp. Now I can draw and read in the dark!)
  • Scott Pilgrim Vol. 3
  • Nexxtech Cube Speaker
  • Banana Creme Hot Chocolate
  • An orange peeler(!)
  • Betty Crocker Peanut Butter Lip Balm (!!)
  • A Canadian Museum for Human Rights pin
  • chocolate coins and other misc. Christmas chocolate
  • C.O. Bigelow Peppermint Body Lotion (shut up...it's nice)
  • Four pairs of socks
  • Rocky Mountain Soap Co. Hand Butter (shut up!)
  • An issue of Giant Robot
  • iTunes Gift Card
  • Money from Mom!
What I Bought on Boxing Day:
  • A Galaxy Hurricane hard drive (a 5 AM adventure at Best Buy!)
  • Little Brother's Get Back
  • Scott Pilgrim Vol. 2 and 4
  • Gunsmith Cats Vol. 4
  • My Inner Bimbo #2
  • The Spirit #11
  • Schulz and Peanuts by David Michaelis
  • The Acme Novelty Date Book Vol. 2 by Chris Ware
  • Illustration #20
  • The Vadeboncoeur Colletion of Images #3
And now, the self-improvement part of our program...

Al'z List of Resolutions:
  1. General improvement of health/loss of weight.
    A long sought-after goal. One I know I can achieve with an ounce of discipline. I wanna look better and feel better. Part of me also wants to shove my success down the throat of a certain gigposters.com member, but that isn't my impetus.
  2. Draw more. Like, every day.
    I'll never be satisfied with what I do creatively unless I work out all of my bad habits. That what drawing every day is: working out. An addendum to this...I will use my collection porn images as reference, just like I planned to ages ago. Seriously. Don't look at me like that! Glass houses!
  3. Refine outlook. Things ain't that bad.
    My wife-to-be is the ultimate optimist. I'm trying to let some of her attitude brush off on me. This, however, goes against my very nature. I gotta be pissy before I can be cheery.
  4. Go to more shows.
    I think I can do this. Work extra hours to get the time off. Yes. Steve Earle is coming.
  5. Start illustration portfolio site/get promo hustle on.
    Self-explanatory. Time to take advantage of the little creative inroads I've been making over the past couple of years. I wanna be able to eat/travel off of this someday.
  6. Comics.
    Gonna buy more and read more. Minis, pamphlets, graphic novels...whatever. It's all comics. Hell, I might even make one. Scott Pilgrim has been an inspiration, and I got a huge fucking stapler at the company Christmas party. Look out, world!
  7. Improvement of personal appearance/apartment upkeep.
    It really got out of fucking control this year. Steam coming out of the crawlspace didn't help things. At least I didn't leave food lying around. That's my limit.
  8. Curb use of internet/consumption of pornography/foul language.
    I really don't know how long this one'll hold up. I'm a creature of habit. I had nice chat with Michael Michael Motorcycle via Facebook about the internet thing, and I know he's doing really good because of it. You don't do awesome shit like he does by hanging out on gigposters.com all day. It only comes from DOING STUFF.
  9. Try not to get worked up over someone's opinions...as much as usual.
    'Cuz like, in the grand scheme of things, it really doesn't matter. You do you, homie, and I'll do me.
  10. Procrastination. Stop it.
    Right now, I should be getting dressed, in addition to working on something that I've been picking at sporadically. Old habits die hard.
I've got more shit to say, but that'll have to wait for later. All the best in 2008 to everyone I love, admire, secretly lust after, am "chummy" with, sorta like, and all points in between. Peace.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

good for you al. i think i need to take some of your "resolution esques" and apply them to myself. but we all know how hard it is to escape cynicism. stay neat al! and stay awesome.

Allan Lorde said...

Awww, thanks Ag! You stay awesome, too. :)

TRoyal said...

Big ups, yo! Now, print that shit out and refer to it during the year. Make those moves, do big thangs, and don't forget the hand lotion to keep your situation moisturized, nahmean? :)