Jason’s Random Musings

- - - | written by Jason on 7/2/2014 | - - -

6 Things You Didn’t Know About My High School Years

I was listed in the yearbook as an example of a fashion trend setter. Anyone who knows me knows how hilarious this is. I had the good fortune of being a senior right when the Seattle grunge scene was emerging, which is to say flannel and jeans found me. Although the flannel is in the closet, I still listen to Pearl Jam. Speaking of yearbooks; you know those awards they give to seniors, like Best Eyes, Class Clown, Most Likely to Be President? They had one for best artist, but I did not win it. That honor went to Mike Beenenga, who was (and still is) super talented and super nice guy. Damn …

- - - | written by Jason on 6/25/2014 | - - -

The Most Rewarding (and Humbling) Day of My Career

Back in May, I was in Washington D.C. to give the closing keynote of the C.O.P.S. (Concerns of Police Survivors) Annual Conference. It was quite possibly the most rewarding (and humbling) day of my career. This event, which has been going on for 30 years, is all about helping people who have lost loved ones in the line of duty to rebuild their shattered lives. Moms, dads, sons, daughters, spouses, siblings, children, you name it. They offer grief counseling and support from others who have walked a similar road. Now, I have never experienced any kind of a loss like this, and there is no …

- - - | written by Jason on 11/30/2013 | - - -

Trying To Get Home

We recently shifted our brand from “Kim & Jason” to “Escape Adulthood” because this mission has grown to be MUCH bigger than just Kim and me. Plus, it’s a much better description of what we’re all about: Escaping Adulthood. While this makes more sense from a marketing perspective, in that it’s short, descriptive, and more likely to be remembered than two random people’s names, there is also a danger in it. You see, it’s easy for people to discount all of us as irresponsible, immature, cotton-headed ninny noggins who are avoiding the responsibilities of adulthood and trying to escape the …

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- - - | written by Jason on 7/14/2013 | - - -

My New Red Shoes

When it comes to fashion, I'm pretty plain. My daily uniform is usually jeans and a t-shirt. When I speak, I gussy up the jeans and t-shirt with a sport coat. Throughout my entire life, my shoes have typically been one color (black or white) with no more than one accent color. To me, fashion is all about two things: comfort, and not looking like an idiot. Since I'll never be mistaken as a New York City fashionista, the "looking like an idiot" part is avoided by keeping things plain and simple. And then I started thinking about getting red shoes. …

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- - - | written by Jason on 5/14/2013 | - - -

The World Would Be Better if We Had More Giant Rubber Duckies Floating Around

I'll just state the obvious, because we've all thought it: We need more giant rubber duckies floating around in our lakes, rivers, and harbors. We also need more artists to think of ideas like this. The giant yellow ambassador of fun pictured above is the work of conceptual artist Florentijin Hofman, who states: …

- - - | written by Jason on 2/12/2013 | - - -

What Are The Chances?

I can't imagine having a better business partner, wife, or friend than Kim. When I slow down enough to pay attention, it's really quite amazing how well we fit together. And it boggles my mind how many things had to go right in order for me to meet her. A whole lot of dominoes had to fall just so in order for us to end up at that Oogie's restaurant in that small Illinois town on the same December night with the purpose of singing Christmas carols. (Even though our reasons for being there were quite different.) I mean seriously, winning the lottery might be more mathematically likely. Is …

- - - | written by Jason on 1/22/2013 | - - -

Vote for Mushrooms

So I submitted my first shirt to Threadless.com. It's all about mushrooms. It cleared the first hurdle of acceptance, and now it is up for scoring on the web site. If the scores are high enough and the comments prevalent enough, apparently they will consider printing it and offering it for sale on their site. It would be a pretty neat honor for me, and nice exposure for my work. Voting ends on Thursday. If you think it is worthy, I would so very much appreciate it if you'd give it a high score and leave a comment here. Thanks! …

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- - - | written by Jason on 1/13/2013 | - - -

Happy 40th Jenna!

If you have ever ordered anything from the Kim & Jason Lemonade Stand, chances are quite high that my friend Jenna was the one to lovingly pack it up and send it to you (along with the fun free prizes she adds to each order.) Jenna has been with Kim and I since the beginning of our little business. We met in college and spent many hours dreaming, laughing and serving together. She was one of the people who encouraged me when I was feeling the bug to start drawing comics about two little kids named Kim and Jason. …

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- - - | written by Jason on 11/27/2012 | - - -

Star Wars Action Figures Inducted Into Toy Hall of Fame

I always suspected I had excellent taste in toys. This suspicion was confirmed upon learning that Star Wars action figures had been inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame this year. Huzzah! (I can now say that I knew them when...) I claim as a badge of honor that not one of the figures in my collection are in good enough condition to fetch more than a few pennies on eBay. They are a much-loved relic of my childhood. I will not pretend to have had all of them, although I had pretty close to most of them. This was thanks in large part to my parents, who bravely navigated the rows and …

- - - | written by Jason on 11/6/2012 | - - -

Plaid States vs. Polka Dot States

What expert decided that states that lean Republican should be red while the Democratic ones are designated as blue? Sometimes I wonder if mixing it up might contribute a little bit of levity to the whole process of choosing our nation's leader. Because there sure is a lot of Adultitis involved as it is. How 'bout some plaid? Polka dots? Or maybe some periwinkle? Today's election is an important one. But may we always remember that while we should always take our duties and the direction of our country seriously, we do not have to take ourselves seriously. Living in the purple state …