Wednesday, December 20, 2006 -- 09:38:10 AM

Rum balls at the office-- a tipsy workplace is a happy workplace! Unless you're a crane operator, of course.

Monday, December 18, 2006 -- 08:06:56 AM

This year's production cycle is drawing to a close-- time to start plotting next year's story arcs. I've got a few in mind, including one with a lot of flashbacks and one with a lot of travel. We'll see which one my artistic skills are up to.

And by the by, I saw Polar Express last night-- what a creepy film. Gimme Nightmare or How the Grinch Stole Christmas any day.

Wednesday, December 06, 2006 -- 08:02:13 AM

Happy St. Nicholas Day! For this Dutchie, at any rate, the holidays have truly begun. Candy in my shoes, frost on the ground. Dag!

Monday, December 04, 2006 -- 08:27:16 AM

It's cold out there today. Cold! Fortunately, the heating vents in my house have finally been fixed so that they actually conduct hot air. This is fortunate, because I just picked up Scott McCloud's Making Comics and I want to be able to read it indoors, instead of in a tree hollow lined with leaves.

Friday, December 01, 2006 -- 09:11:00 AM

After a very close call yesterday, I figured it was time to back up my Alas files. Turns out that weather.com is predicting "the wrath of heaven" today (in the form of water falling from the sky), so that was probably a good decision. Took two discs to archive everything, which seems awfully significant. Staples!

Thursday, November 30, 2006 -- 09:56:28 PM

I did it! I made it through November! I've got a quiet weekend ahead, and hopefully will get the buffer up for the final stretch to New Year's. Birds!

Wednesday, November 29, 2006 -- 08:16:37 AM

Foggy morning in DC-- I love that, especially since I take the Metro and don't have to watch the road. Sisli!

Monday, November 06, 2006 -- 08:17:17 AM

The new story arc has begun, and is planned to carry through to the end of the year. The strips for this run are being drawn two to a page at 7x5, instead of my traditional 9x7, but the end result looks about the same on screen.

Friday, November 03, 2006 -- 11:10:15 AM

I've been doing some number crunching on the history of Alas, and come up with a few observations of note:

1. March and April are my most productive months, strip-wise.
2. November is my worst month.
3. 2005 was my most productive year so far, and the first time since 2000 that I broke a hundred strips.

Adding all this together, I know that I've got to work harder to stay on top of November this time around. But if I can do so, 2006 will be the biggest year yet, and could be the first time I've done 100+ strips two years in a row. It's good to have goals.

Tuesday, October 31, 2006 -- 09:04:23 PM

Turns out that Sea Dog's Pumpkin Ale is not too bad. At least, the third one isn't too bad. Bats!

more...