what do you think? -- www.cafepress.com/arcanetimes/6909722

I went to a wake last night for a former girlfriend of mine. She took her life a month ago, in an attempt to end her long fight with bi-polar disorder.  Despite what she my have thought there at the end, she was loved by a lot of people - and still is.

It is difficult to use my own words in times like these - so I borrow from a song I know from my childhood, growing up in the plantation towns of Hawaii...

"I remember days when we were wiser
When our world was small enough for dreams
you have lingered there my sister
And I no longer can it seems"

"I remember days when we were smiling
When we laughed and sang the whole night long
I will greet you as I find you
With the sharing of a brand new song"

"Last night I dreamt I was returning
and my heart called out to you
To please accept me as you'll find me
Me kealoha ku'u home o Kahaluu"

CW <3 CW

what's that you say? "Pic's or it didn't happen?" ... well here you go:


there's more at:
www.flickr.com/photos/arcanetimes/

Craigslist in the "style of" the Doors.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZqciuoiikw

Word is that Al got Ray Manzarek, the actual Keyboard player from the Doors to play on the song

Gone Tomorrow  That is to say, the time has come to cut off my long hair.

Many years ago I tasked my wife with the responsibility of telling me when my hair loss was crossing over from "Dramatic" to "Rif Raff". That time is now upon us. Now given the notice from the good woman, I've begun to make my plans. The Origins game fair is in about two weeks. I'm going to give the old hair one last road trip then chop it off when I get home.

the only thing I'm still on the fence about is "how much". Should I take it slow -- get something short or go hole-hog and shave it down to "Ming" (the merciless) levels

Thoughts? Hair-cutter Recommendations?

also - here is a new pinup...

I've started attending a monthly artist gathering in Seattle called "Dr. Sketchy's anti-art school". Every month the Dr. Sketchy's crew brings in burlesque dancers to pose as figure models. It's a lot of fun.

They are currently holding a "design us a logo contest", and I had a little free-time this afternoon so I banged one out.





and here is a close-up of the girl

Enjoy

There were a lot of drawbacks growing up as a boy named Cheyenne. I was taunted and teased. My sexuality was called into question on a daily basis. I was shunned on the playground - I never got to play in any of the reindeer games, hopscotch, jump-rope. When the class was forced into team sports I was always picked last; and in that most fiendish of hieratic pecking order training systems "dodge-ball", I  was public enemy number one.

In all my elementary school years I never got a birthday gift from a friend, because I grew up with no friends. I wasn't ugly, or smelly, or gross, or rude. I was just a boy named *Cheyenne*.

But at least I was the ONLY Cheyenne. The name was an empty vessel. I had no one to live up to. No one that I was a poor shadow of. There was only one Cheyenne. Me. I got to fill-up  that name. Define it.

"At least" I thought "when I'm gone, historians will be able to look back and I would stand out. They'd see me. The one, the only, Cheyenne Wright". 

They couldn't take that from me.

As I grew older, I learned of other Cheyenne's --  strippers and porn stars mostly. False idols I assure you, and not a threat to likes of me.

Recently, a thoughtless casual Google search has warned me that there are now more famous Cheyenne's out there. Performers like Cheyenne Kimball, Cheyenne Brown, and Cheyenne Jackson. And horror - there are now at least two other Cheyenne Wright's - a Volleyball player, and Minnesota Public Radio admin.

Where were they, when I had to hide from the taunts & jeers of the playground? Where were they when I had to harden my heart against the cruelty of children? When I learned that other people are just God's pain delivery system? Where were they when I learned early that no one was going to leave me a secret valentine? That not one of those party invitations were for me? That I was not included.

I'll tell you where they weren't. Paying their fucking dues, THAT'S WHERE!

They didn't suffer like I suffered for that name. It is MY name. I made it into something more. Something strong. These Cheyenne-come-lately's think they can stroll in and take credit for being all awesomely Cheyennish. Well...

...they can. It's not like I can stop them.

I guess I was wrong - they took that from me too.

It's telling how many songs there are about Aquaman -- He is to the JLA as we geeks are to the rest the society.

In Him we see us, outclassed and overlooked

While I'm thinking about music. Back in the wild heyday of my misspent youth I was a DJ for an early 90's experimental radio station called "Radio Free Hawaii".

Radio Free Hawaii's claim to fame was that its programming was determined by weekly votes submitted to the station by listeners from all over the state using a ballot system. Folks got to vote on the 10 songs they wanted to hear, and the 3 songs they wanted us to stop playing.

The songs and artists were tabulated each week and the top 36 songs went into high rotation that week.

The station was on the air for about 6 years (91-97) and for a good run of that time I was the Midnight to 5am DJ, "Robin Hood" (don't ask)

Recently I've been playing around with the internet radio site Pandora and have crafted a sampling of the kind of show that I think I'd be producing today if RFH was still on the air

So if you have a Pandora account (which is free) give this a listen... DJ ROBIN HOOD 2009

That's what the past few days have been. A fluffy candy spun haze. I've had a really good week.

Soon it will rain and turn all this sweet goodness into a tacky gooey morass from which nothing can escape. a freelancer roach motel if you will.

But today, it's good.

• I'm almost done with the first wave of art I was contracted for, for Champions Online. Almost 4 weeks(!) earlier than we expected
• The new (march 20th) episode of PseudoPod has posted with a story I read for them. "Bait" is my 7th story for PseudoPod. I really enjoy reading for podcasts like PseudoPod, PodCastle, and EscapePod. I maintain a feed called ArcaneRadio tracking all such podcast works.  and if you folks give it a listen and like it, please leave a note in their comment section - it goes a long way to asking me back to do more stories. And Authors - ask for me by name.
• Hugo Awards Nominations just came out and I'm on it! Not for that odd "fan writer" suggestion that was bouncing around, but for "Best Graphic Story" as a part of the creative team on Girl Genius ( Vol 8 now available for preorder ). Ostensibly this is my 3rd such nomination via Girl Genius - but it's the first time they listed me by name on the ballot. Our chances are slim - we are pitted against "Fables" , "Y: The Last Man", and "the Joss" but maybe their awesomeness will split the vote.
• And, the City of Heroes issue 14 has hit open beta, Issue 14 is titled "Architect" and lets players design missions for the general CoH population to play. I've been trying to brainstorm ideas all week.

Everything is signed - I am now cleared to announce my sweet new gig doing art for CHAMPIONS ONLINE

Champions Online is being developed for both Xbox™ 360 and PC formats, from the creators of the original Superhero MMO "City of Heroes".

much more than that -- I'm still keeping my silence on the project.

WOOT! my good gentlemen and ladies.

So round one of the voting has begun for the "Horrible Awards", a celebration of Dr. Horrible fan art - I am up for awards in two categories, "Best Art" and "Best Artist"

here is the link.

While it is unseemly (and expressly countermanded) that I vote for myself, It is perfectly kosher for interested third parties to follow that link and vote in the manner their conscience dictates. (Note - voting in the manner your conscience dictates will account for 90% of your grade).

and please, do not allow my ability to build a death-ray have any bearing on your decision.

to reiterate, Vote your conscience - zap zap *wink*.

here is a link to the art that got me nominated

UPDATE

Here is a link to all the other fine folks that are up for an award
http://community.livejournal.com/horrible_awards/1711.html

UPDATE 2

Changed instances of conscious to conscience .... SCIENCE!

Some kind folks from BASFA have suggested that I be nominated for a Hugo award. Awesome, yes -- one thing I don't get is why it's for "Best Fan Writer".  I didn't write anything last year... did I?

The last actual ArcaneTimes comic page went up *GAH* July 2007 (oh, my gut twists in shame). I can't Imagine why I'd be "up" for anything I did in 2008. unless it was for the things I've written here...

Maybe my limerick/toast to the Mars Lander

Perhaps it was my Doctor Horrible Haikus

My examination of the limits of professor X's mind powers?

My Lovcraftian invitation to Rifftrax night?

Whatever the cause, I'm glad to be considered to be maybe good enough to possibly be nominated for a Hugo. Maybe someone out there with voting eligibility would consider my _Fan Art_ contributions to the Sci-Fi community.

My ongoing project to honor my Internet Superheroes

or my Doctor Horrible Wallpapers

and if you like those - I'm sure you'll be glad to hear that I got plans for "tooned" versions Watchmen and Firefly coming soon.

Of course Girl Genius Vol 8 has properly received it's recommendation for "Best Graphic Story"

First off I am a sucker for the spoOoky old house motif, and the Neil Gaiman penned film "Coraline" does not disappoint. The landscape of the story is set in a beautifuly foggy pacific northwest mountain house, with abandoned walking gardens, leaky windows, faded wallpaper, and a pasted-over knee-high door locked by skeleton key. Beauty.

Add to this a handful of faded eccentrics for spice and the whole story takes on a scent of delightful aged decay.

The plot is traditional Gaiman; An unhappy youth in dull surroundings stumbles across the secret "world of wonders". Pretty things dance before our eyes, obscuring the looming dark-and-evil threat pulling the strings.

The cast is full of geeky goodness, John Hodgeman (I'm a PC, and tweedy companion to Johnathan Coulton) plays Coraline's father. While French and Saunders (AbFab) play a pair of elderly vaudeville actresses/fortune tellers, and Ian McShane (Deadwood's Al Swearengen) is a mad Russian mouse trainer.

I enjoyed this film very much. It's only weaknesses, which I am loath to admit, comes in the third act.

I was occasionally struck with the feeling that I was not watching a movie, but rather watching a friend play a video game. A series of quests/levels had to be completed, and at the end of each task we got a cut-scene congratulating Coraline for her success, then urging us on to the next level. There are just few bits where the script worked extra hard to connect dots, that I feel didn't need it.

These are minor issues however, and would not prevent me from seeing the film again.

Also the 3D effects were quite nice, and did not once try to poke my eye out.

(¤¸¤) (¤¸¤) (¤¸¤) (¤¸¤)    Four Skulls!
 |    |    |    |     |   |    |    |


Sometime I shall have to tell the story where Neil Gaiman and I went to a strip club.

The best sample so far of the new anti-meme called "Erudite Ferrets", as suggested by the webcomic Big Fat Whale
 
Go forth and multiply

Today's lesson is from Johnathan Coulton - learn it, love it, live it.

"Enjoy yourself, do the things that matter. 'Cause there isn’t time and space to do it all. Love the things you try, drink a cocktail wear a tie. Show a little grace if you should fall.

Don’t live another day unless you make it count. There’s someone else that you’re supposed to be...

There’s someone deep inside of you that still wants out ...And shame on you if you don’t set 'em free. "


grab the MP3 here...  A Talk With George

You all know the story, "Vice President Dick Cheney pulled a muscle in his back while moving boxes and was in a wheelchair for Tuesday's inauguration of president Barack Obama"

I wonder what was in those boxes that he didn't trust anyone else to touch them?

• His brass balls
• Transcripts of his energy meetings
• the Death Star plans
• His "enemies" list
• the 9 Billion in cash we "lost track of" in Iraq
• the ultimate trap that is sure to put an end to the Batman once and for all
• A special NSA "defibrillator" by Die-Hard, with interchangeable paddles and testicle clamps
• An idol of Tsathoggua, which causes death to all who touch it save the "Chosen"
• His collection of "little shoes"
• The REAL nuclear football that he switched with a replica, for "insurance"
• Orphan hearts

just some thoughts

excuse me folks... I seem to have something in my eyes.

"The lines of tribes shall dissolve" = Awesome

So it looks like I've been nominated for a Horrible award



According to the LiveJournal site...

The Horrible Awards were created to celebrate the amazing creative spirit that swept through the internet, inspired by Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Videos were made, songs were sung, fics were written and many, many costumes were worn.

The email I received announcing this says I've been nominated in categories of...

• Fanart Categories: Best Art
• General Categories: Best Artist

All this of course comes from the Dr. Horrible fan art I posted last year on my ArtBlog

Finally, some recognition for my horrible plan. I'll keep you updated as this story unfolds.