Prince Charles and a schoolteacher named Diana. The King of Pop and the daughter of the King of Rock 'N Roll. Liza Minnelli and that weird dude. Next week, KimandJason.com will begin featuring the latest in a long line of infamous weddings. Tropical Tracy and G.I. Jim are getting "officially" hitched, like only two ten-inch plastic pals -- don't call G.I. Jim a doll! -- can. Don't miss any of the memorable moments. The story begins Monday. (You can even get the details sent straight to your e-mail inbox for free!)[tags]weddings, Michael Jackson, Liza Minnelli, Elvis Presley, …
Archives for June 2006
Rejuveniles
Ian Ybarra was the first of many to point me to a new book called Rejuvenile, written by Christopher Noxon. Noxon has written for the New York Times Magazine and worked as a costumed character at Universal Studios. He defines rejuvenile as "People who cultivate tastes and mindsets traditionally associated with those younger than themselves." Christopher has done quite a bit of research on this burgeoning phenomenon of grown-ups who refuse to "grow-up." I am anxious to get my hands on the book for a closer look. It appears that his writing paints a wide brush of the entire movement, …
The Urge to Discipline
You’ve been there. You’re in a public place, minding your own business, when you have the sudden urge to parent someone else’s youngster. Now, this urge doesn’t just come out of nowhere. It is always preceded by a heavy dose of non-parenting behavior on the part of that same youngster’s parent, or in some cases parents. This happened all too often in my kindergarten class, when it came to younger siblings who were coming along to ‘help’ pick up their big brother or sister from school. This also happened to me a couple of weeks ago when Jason and I were shopping for Father’s Day gifts. …
Cartooning Bootcamp, Part One
Today Kim and I concluded the first of two summer cartooning bootcamps here in Madison. Push-ups, pre-dawn jogs, and impossible obstacle courses gave way to writing, drawing, and inking. It sure beats stupid old swimming lessons. We had a great group of kids and I had a blast; they always challenge and inspire me. This photo portrays one of our more serious moments. Be sure to check out the bootcamp page for more fun photos and a gallery of the kids' custom made comic strips. Great job, fellow cartoonists! [tags]cartooning, cartooning workshops, cartooning bootcamp[/tags] …
Are Kids Supposed to Make Parents Happy?
Childlike. Childish. There is a difference. Not everything about kids is worth emulating. For instance, they have a pretty good handle on being childish. (I guess that's why they call it being "childish," and not "adultish.") Children can be quite compassionate and perceptive to the needs of others, but, left to their own desires, they can also be quite selfish. They have to be instructed in the ways of sharing things like toys and candy and the backseat. It is true that grown-ups are responsible for developing a less me-centered attitude in kids (and shows like Nanny 911 thrive on those …
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Taking Things for Granted
This weekend Jason and I got a chance to see Toad the Wet Sprocket in concert. They are one of the bands that Jason and I listened to all of the time in college and have in our many iTunes playlists. Every song was a “classic.” The concert was awesome! When we got home I was listening to some of my favorites on our iPod in bed that night. One song hit me more than the others. It’s called, "I Will Not Take These Things For Granted.” It’s a slower song and well worth the 99 cent download, if you don’t already have it. The lyrics hit me because of a recent tragic death of a family friend a few …
The Universality of Childhood
Sometimes I get suggestions from people that I should add more diversity to my comic strip. Why not introduce new characters with different ethnic backgrounds? Within the context of the strip, I have included people of different races in a few storylines here and there. Perhaps I will develop one of them into a major character some day. But creatively, with the strip being relatively young, I have my hands full developing the characters I already have in place. Charles Schulz, the creator of Peanuts, said that new characters should be added when a strip is starting to become dull and needs a …
I Like Grilled Cheese, But…
...I like maintaining my girlish figure better. Kudos (I think) to Joey Chestnut, who downed 47 grilled cheese sandwiches in ten minutes to set a new world record -- eleven more than the old record of 36. Impressive. I can't help but be giddy with wild anticipation for the chicken nugget eating contest. It reminds me of a post from Stinky about the five food groups of childhood: …
Midnight Multitasking
Family weddings can get a little crazy, especially out-of-town weddings. As you saw from my last post my sister got married last weekend. It was a beautiful wedding with a beautiful bride! By the end of the night, after the happy bride and groom had left the reception, lots of people were helping clean-up and everyone was pretty tired, to say the least. The next morning we got up and were making our brunch plans in the parking lot of the hotel. One of the trunks got opened to put some bags in and a sweet discovery was made. The groom’s cake! …
Of Crucial Importance
Ian Ybarra is a guy who helps authors edit and market their books. He's also a guy who writes quite eloquently about many crucially important things, particularly the role dreams and passion have on your life. Do yourself a favor and take a look. Be sure to take his very important three question pop quiz from the movie Rudy. …