My Site and Drunk Duck

@$$hole!'s back, baby!



I'm going to be doing some stuff about Chicago for a while, because
it's going to be a very busy time for me here. An idea of what's going
to be going on while I'm building a buffer and working on the Nude
Beach storyline (ah, incentive to keep coming back for more):



1) Still unpacking boxes - 3 more to go, in fact

2) Trying to get ahead at the new job

3) ACEN in early May

4) The new Star Trek movie

5) Mother's day

6) Motor City Comic Con

7) Updating my other webcomic (not that Temple takes priority)

8) Trying to work on some other pitches that need to go out to editors

9) Did I mention I'm trying to get that buffer back?



Alright, there will be another comic on Friday, and we should be back
to updating twice per week. Come back for more, and tell your
friends..."Nude Beach storyline coming soon." ;)

The city of Chicago is MASSIVE. I live almost outside the city in a neighborhood called Lincoln Square, right off the brown line. Very accessible to the city, and only 30-40 minutes away from work. There’s a whole bunch of places to eat (pizza places, fast food, subs, Korean BBQ, Thai food everywhere, and that’s just within three blocks of my apartment), a movie theater, tons of shops and stores and places to buy stuff (dollar stores, pharmacy, produce and meat, bakery, comic book shop, etc). It’s a very convenient place to live and I was very lucky to find it.

My brother lives in Wrigleyville, which is only 5 stops down the brown line from me. My old roommate Anna lives over in Wicker Park. My old college friends Adam and Morgan live in Evanston. Nothing’s more than an hour on the El (note: “El” is the word for the local train system here) from me. There’s so much more to explore and check out, and no doubt I’ll be posting pictures throughout the months to come to showcase all of the events and festivals that the city has to offer.

All in all, I’m here and loving it and looking forward to what’s coming up next. Also, now that I finally have internet working at home (for the first time in over 5 years), I’ll be able to get back to doing what you and I both enjoy so much: web comics!

My Site and Drunk Duck

Sophia's no closer to answers and her sister's been kidnapped right
under her nose. The situation is, in a word, not good. Is she bleeding
out, or just unconscious? How's she going to get to the Tojin citadel
to get answers...or, is she just going to rush to the Bamboo forest to
rescue her sister? In her injured state, I'd question her abilities in
combat....



I played with several ways to end this page (which would be your "end
of episode to be continued" if this were a TV show. One was to have her
curl up into a ball and hold herself. Another way was to have Sophia
crawling towards the Icarus Wing. I finally settled on the fade to
black, since this is the middle point of our story.



That's right, gang: this prequel story is half over!



Remember all those months ago when I said that this was going to be a
faster, harder, more brutal story? Well, you let me know when (or if)
I've delivered.



Next week...well, you'll just have to tune in to find out what happens. ;)

HSR – a business to business (B2B) advertising agency – hired me to be a media planner in their Chicago office. While I have bosses, they are in the Cincinnati offices, so I’m technically the highest ranking media person in Chicago for this agency. Coming from a consumer planning background, I do have some B2B planning experience, but the two are very different to plan for. I won’t go into the specifics of my job – that would be boring – but it’s an enjoyable career that I’ve been doing for a number of years now.

The job has worked me harder than I imagined that it would, but part of that comes from resources and experience. They have the experience, but aren’t necessarily always aware of the resources available to them. That said, what they have they have in abundance. For example, my work computer is a 15” macbook pro – which eliminated my need for my first big purchase after getting a job, which was going to be a new computer. I also have two assistants at my disposal – one of which was hired in with me – who are very important in the planning process and daily maintenance of the job.

Socially, the group is small and tight. I was invited to bowling the first full week that I was on the team (and bowled terribly), and got to meet a good chunk of the team. Great people. Tons of fun to hang out with in the office and outside.

I was then invited to a cocktail party from Conde Nast for media planners at Sub 51 (just blocks away from my office). To give you an idea about this venue, Sub 51 has a sign on the door that says “appropriate attire required” and the patrons are very well dressed and probably make more money than I do. But since Conde Nast was putting on the cocktail party, everything for me was free. It’s amazing who you meet and what you talk about when you have access to unlimited booze and a whole lot of bite-sized dishes being served by a very capable college co-eds. You get to talk about the business and I was able to learn more about several of my clients through the reps and other planners in the room. Excellent networking opportunity.

I was put in charge of the largest client in the Chicago office and have spent the last several weeks learning as much as I could about the client in order to put together a media day and a pre-planning deck for the client. As I write this, I already gave a presentation that lasted from 8am-4pm (thankfully, I wasn’t talking the whole time). This has limited my time to work on comics (notice that @$$hole! Hasn’t updated in a few weeks? Yeah, this is why), and to explore the city in greater detail.

Arriving home around 2am, I instantly went to bed. Having been sleeping on top of blankets and pillows for the past 5-6 days, I had a new appreciation for my feather bed topper and memory foam pad topping my very comfortable queen-sized mattress. I continued to pack boxes, putting all of my worldly possessions into as many boxes as possible (to help keep them light, knowing that I would only have a few people able to help unload on the Chicago side of things).

Saturday morning I had a friend call in sick, but thankfully had my friend Carl bring his wife Sarah to help fill the void. With myself, Scott, his father, Carl and Sarah helping with the loading of the truck, it only took about 3-4 hours to pack the truck. After a quick pizza lunch and some cleaning, I jumped into the truck and drove non-stop to Chicago only an hour behind schedule.

My brother was the only person able to help me unload, having several friends out of town for the long weekend visiting family or friends or working by the time I arrived. After a very rigorous 3 hours of unloading, we ordered pizza and started setting up a few items (like the bed and the TV, Cynthia). After a late night – and Waffles coming out of the closet to enjoy familiar stuff all around – my brother went home and I crashed. The rest of the weekend would be spent unpacking some rooms (with gracious help from my friend Anna), and getting ready for my first full week of work.

So I drove out to Chicago for a short week of work with a car full of some essentials: clothes, pots and pans, pillows and blankets, and anything that might help my cat adjust to her new environment. I would have to camp in the new apartment on the pillows and blankets for the week, and then go home for the long weekend to finish packing, get a truck, load it, and drive it to Chicago to unload and officially move in. While unloading boxes from the car, Waffles was placed into a large walk-in closet so that she wouldn’t be under foot or clawing the hell out of me.

After I was done with the lifting, I let her out of her carrying case (the thing she hates the most in the world), lifted her up, and carried her around the new apartment to get her acclimated. She clung to me the entire time, claws digging into my shoulder. She was terrified. After I set her down in the living room, she quickly hugged the floor and slid right back into the closet where she didn’t come out for the rest of the night. She spent the night in her carrying case. I kept the door cracked so she could come out if she wanted to, but would also have the illusion of safety if she felt frightened. Her food and litter were both also in the closet with her, so she wouldn’t have to leave if she didn’t want to.

Throughout the week I went to work and went through general training, filled out mountains of paperwork, and would come home at the end of every day to find her still in the closet. Waffles would come out to sit right next to me – practically clinging to me for dear life – while I would eat dinner while sitting on the three pillows that I had populating the living room. As the week went on, she would get better, but would still avoid certain rooms completely – like the dinning room and kitchen. Whenever the radiator would turn on, she would run away like she was being chased.

On Thursday I got out of work, packed the car with empty boxes, and drove the 4+ hours back to Ann Arbor to continue packing and schedule a truck for Saturday.

My Site and Drunk Duck

Oh crap! Sophia's not only suffering from that axe to the head injury, but now she got the ultimate back crack from Kidjo (the man with beady eyes)! By the looks of the damage, I'd say some broken ribs under that now blood-stained shirt....

And what's this talk about Portis and why was he stockpiling weapons...? "Another revolution," they say? There's something going on in the background here beyond the bombing of the cathedral.

An update about my life in Chicago, things are going well here. Waffles (the cat) is making adjustments nicely. She's gotten much much better now that boxes are disappearing and stuff is getting back to normal. I still have to finish unpacking the living room (DVDs and books, mostly) and the bedroom (mostly clothes there). Work's been keeping me rather busy, as I've had to take projects home over the weekend a few times now. That's not how I like to work, though, so I'm going to be putting a quick stop to it by managing deadlines.

I've posted a few blogs about the process that I went through to get to Chicago (no pictures yet, though), so be sure to check it out on my main website.

Come back next week for more!

The Search: 
So I had a meeting on Tuesday with a brand new client, and then wouldn't have to officially start the new job until the next week.  However, I had a friend coming to visit Wednesday - Friday.  This gave me 2 days to find an apartment and sign a lease.  On Monday, I hopped back on the MegaBus and started calling everyone I knew about good and bad neighborhoods.  My primary concerns were 1) crime, and 2) noise. 

I knew I didn't want to live in the city proper (I grew up in the country, and enjoy my peace and quiet), and I wanted to avoid towers / high rises.  I had knocked out a rough budget based on the offer and inflated certain items to account for the fact that Chicago is expensive (they tax the food here), and used that number to start my search for a place to live.

Apartment People (a Chicago-based apartment realty firm) were recommended by a friend, and they were very helpful in my search.  I made an appointment with them for Monday, and we went around to 6-8 different locations based on my descriptions of what I was looking for in an apartment.  Some places were a great fit, but in a bad neighborhood or far from public transit.  Some places were terrible, but in great places.  Eventually, it came down to two selections and I put an offer down on one of them who got back to me the same day.  I settled on that place (the rent was a little high, but the location and space were perfect), signed a lease, and went to my meeting.

The next steps would be the tricky part, since I would only have a few days to pack my entire apartment, and then I'd have to start work.  I knew that giving people 2-3 days notice to help me load a truck wouldn't be enough, so I would have to camp out in the new place while working a week, and then use the long weekend to actually relocate all of my stuff. 

The move to Chicago has been an adjustment, to be sure (and also why @$$hole! hasn't updated in two weeks), but it's also been a good time so far.   "How did this come about?" you're asking.  Well, I'll tell you....

The Interview: 
I applied to 7-10 places per day on multiple websites and through multiple headhunters, and was getting at least phone interviews every 2-3 weeks.  One such call came on a Friday for this agency called HSR, which does business to business advertising and they were looking to expand their media team in Chicago.  After a pleasant phone interview, they told me that they would call me back for next steps in a few days.  Come Monday, I received another phone call from them asking if I could be in Chicago on Wednesday of that week.  Booking my Megabus ticket, I quickly packed a few bags and filled up Waffle's food and water dish and made for the Windy City. 

On my way to my friend's house to stay the night I was getting off the Purple Line in Evanston and noticed that the intersection was blocked off.  Upon walking further, I noticed that there was an ambulance that had gotten into a head-on collision with two SUVs, and another car was up on the sidewalk.  Needing to kill some time, I went into the local pet store on the corner where one of the shop workers informed me about what happened.  Apparently, someone overpowered the driver of the ambulance and stole the vehicle with the intention to sell the medical supplies and drugs within it.  They got several miles before smashing into cars at this intersection, where the cops arrested the thief. 

However, during the drive from wherever they stole the ambulance, they had hit several cars and one of the owners of those cars decided to follow the stolen ambulance.  The thief had been handcuffed in the middle of the street while cops were blocking off the intersection, and the car owner came into the intersection and started trying to assault the thief! 

The next day I went into the office for the interview and told them about the event (a good ice breaker), and they responded with, "Wow, that's crazy.  Did you hear about the jumper?"  Apparently someone had jumped out of a nearby building that morning and landed on someone's car.  Just another day in Chicago....

The interview went well and they said that they would be in touch with me shortly about next steps.  I hopped back on a bus and went back to Michigan.  The next day, I received an offer and had to make a decision by Monday (so I had the weekend to think it over).  Now, at the time I was also in communicaiton with another agency in Houston, TX, which wanted to fly me down to meet the team that next week; I wasn't going to be able to do both.  After much careful consideration and budget planning, I decided to take the offer and went to Chicago for a meeting and to start apartment hunting.  I had 2 days to find a place and sign a lease before going back to Michigan to start packing.

(to be continued....)

My Site and Drunk Duck

The big move happened this last weekend, and I'm still trying to settle in. Waffles (my cat) is still a bit freaked out by the new place, and won't go into rooms unless I'm already in there. And even then, she avoids the radiator because it makes noise and is afraid of the new bathroom. Poor kitty.

I'll try to make some blog updates soon and link you guys to them. No internet in the apartment right now, though, so I have to walk 2-3 blocks to get to a coffee shop.

More coming soon!

My Site and Drunk Duck

So if you read the news post about this comic, we turn 175 today and I announced a new story arc. That arc was supposed to start today for real, but because of life (and that spiffy good news announcement that I teased at last week), it's going to have to be postponed a bit.

For those of you who don't know (or don't remember), I have been out of work since October 2008 and have been job hunting every day. Well, I finally landed a job. In another state. And I have to move into a new apartment in a new town in that new state by next week! So I've been apartment hunting like mad, trying to settle on a place that I will be able to tolerate for at least a year lease. Unfortunately, this means that the comic may not be able to update on a regular basis for about a month (although I promise to try my hardest to keep it going Wednesdays and Fridays).

I've been toying with the idea of taking a month off just to move, settle in, and get my buffer back up again. But alas, I also enjoy torturing myself. Did I say "torture," I mean "challenge." :P

That said, a few guest strips / some fan art wouldn't hurt.... ;)

So anyway, the nude beach storyline is written and a few pages are started for it, but the thing's just not ready to go yet and I need some time to get life back in order before I can commit to such an ambitious project. Updates will continue, but that story line won't be able to start until later.

Have a great April Fools and check back Friday for more updates. I'm gonna go start packing some boxes....


My Site and Drunk Duck

Started to pack today. Boxes everywhere. The cat currently hates me.


My Site and Drunk Duck

Seriously, the things that you forget when you're moving. Honestly, the "big move" is this coming weekend, but I did leave all of my food back in Ann Arbor. I've been buying whatever I need from day-to-day out here right now, sleeping on blankets and pillows and just trying to make it to the weekend where I can move all of my stuff out here to Chicago.

My new place is pretty sweet (once I'm moved in, there will be a blog and I'll be sure to link you all to it), and Waffles is adjusting to the place slowly.

The new job is pretty standard so far. Lots of advertising projects getting thrown around, and my office is pretty sweet. I'm told that we're all moving to another building in another month (across the street), so I just have to enjoy it while I have it.

Thursday after work I drive the almost four hours home, Friday I spend finishing up packing, and Saturday morning I (and my friends that are available) will pack the truck and then I'll drive the four hours back to Chicago and unpack (with a few people kind enough to volunteer to help...there will be beer involved on both ends).

Wish me luck, and thanks for reading. Better updates will be coming in May.

My Site and Drunk Duck

For those of you who don't know (or don't remember), I have been out of work since October 2008 and have been job hunting every day. Well, I finally landed a job. In another state. And I have to move into a new apartment in a new town in that new state by next week! So I've been apartment hunting like mad, trying to settle on a place that I will be able to tolerate for at least a year lease. Unfortunately, this means that the comic may not be able to update on a regular basis for about a month (although I promise to try my hardest to keep it going).

I've been toying with the idea of taking a month off just to move, settle in, and get my buffer back up again. But alas, I also enjoy torturing myself. Did I say "torture," I mean "challenge." :P

That said, a few guest strips / some fan art wouldn't hurt.... ;)

My Site and Drunk Duck

This fight scene was fun to write, but also somewhat complex. If you can get where this is going, let me know - I fear that it may be too obvious. There's a strategy and a method to Selphi's tactics here, and she's certainly getting the job done.

Sequences like this I fear may work better when read right away, instead of a week apart. Because it's going to be 3+ pages of an action sequence that leads into the conclusion (of the sequence, not this story arc). I think it reads better when you can turn a page, myself.

Anyway, be sure to come back next week to see if Selphi is able to come out on top...and what Portis may be able to tell the sisters about the bombing.