Whoas and Woes

Well, I went to the dentist yesterday, and good news is they can help me. Bad news is it's going to cost me $1410 over four months just for some temp work, meaning I have to have 25% down this week ($352.50), which I don't have!

I've been trying like crazy to find some freelance work to raise the cash to no avail so far. I just used a few of my last dollars to put up some ads through Project Wonderful in hopes they'd bring me some work, so we'll see how that goes.

So needless to say, I'm currently for hire for lettering, pre-press, banners (no Flash), logos, or even writing or editing services if anyone's interested!

Contact me at gonzogoose@brantfowler.com or brant@brantfowler.com for rates and all that good stuff.

Here are the ads I put out in case anyone comes across them so you'll know who they're from, like you couldn't tell. :)


It's cold here today! Yesterday it was a little nippy, about 60 degrees or so, and the wind was really high, but today I woke up freezing! We had to turn the heat on to get the chill out. That's the crazy thing about Kentucky weather. It can be 75 one day and 40 the next all year round. No consistency, no dependability, just a mess.

Because of the cold, a bit of my congestion came back overnight. I'm still up and at 'em and able to work and all that, I'm just congested and still occasionally coughing is all.


Not much else to talk about really. I've only been up for about an hour, so I'm still half asleep. Maybe I'll check back in later, maybe not.

B-Out

Springtime Blues

I am so sick today. I feel like I've been hit by a train! Every body part aches, I'm exhausted, but I can't sleep because I keep coughing and my nose keeps running.

Yesterday it was just mainly my throat, but when I woke up this morning after very little sleep it was all in my chest and head, and my body was just fatigued and achy. I keep going from hot to cold too, and I just can't get situated.

My stomach bothered me all day yesterday too, so all I ate all day was a cheese sandwich. And when I'm sick with my throat, I can't stand to drink anything but Sprite. Everything else (juice, tea, water, etc.) makes me want to puke. And since I'm not supposed to have pop, drinking Sprite all day long didn't help matters with the ol' stomach. No major attacks or anything, just discomfort and some nausea. Today it's a little better, but I'm still drinking Sprite (slowly), so it's still a rumblin' a bit.

It sucks being sick!

I had a chance to go to the Iron Man premiere in New York next week, but stupid me had to turn it down for reasons beyond my control. I really hate myself for that one. Hopefully I'll get another chance to do something that cool.

Keep checking back over the next couple of weeks, I might have some interesting news to share if things pan out, which I think they will. Though, if they do, it might conflict with something else I was planning on doing, so hopefully I'll be able to work both out and have even more news to report in the coming weeks. Good problems, these.

The Wannabez interview on Catch Da Craze Podcast will be up next week sometime I'm told, so be watching for an update on that here.

So, I guess that's about it. I think I'm gonna go take a hot bath!

B-Ouuuch-t

In with the Cold

My brother has been home sick for the past three days, and as of mid-day today, the whole house is sick. Ugh.

My throat and nose are killing me, and I've got a fever and I'm really fatigued. My mom's the same way, while all my brother had was upper respiratory stuff, no sore throat. He's feeling a bit better now and will be going to school today, but I feel like crap. lol

My brother and I watched Cloverfield yesterday. That was an interesting movie. I didn't know it was made like that, like the whole thing scene through a video camera and stuff. It was a brave way to handle the film, and while it was gory, I thought it was pretty neat how they made it feel like something that really happened. I couldn't make out what the guy said at the end of the credits, though I'm guessing it was some kind of name like Cloverfield, possibly signaling a sequel. Anyone else know what he said?

Lost also came back last night and some interesting things happened there as well. For those who haven't seen it, I won't spoil it. Just know that Ben still has things he's keeping secret, and he has a lot more knowledge of everything than we even thought!

Supernatural was back as well, but it was an odd episode. Next week's looks better.

And of course, Smallville, which I missed the first 15 minutes of because I fell asleep. So I don't know if they showed Lex at the Fortress, but the previews for next week look very intriguing with Clark wearing... glasses!

Well, I woke up in a hot sweat with my throat on fire, and now I can't get back to sleep. Don't know what I'm going to do (stay up, go back to bed, work, goof off...), but I'm done here.

B-Out

Quickie

It's the weekend, so I thought I'd post a quick little ditty here.

Comic Book Resources (CBR - www.comicbookresources.com) relaunched their site earlier this week with a brand new design, and I have to say it looks pretty spiffy. Good luck getting it to load, though, I've tried since yesterday morning with little success. Supposedly they're on a new server that's making things run smoother... or was making things run smoother...

Comic Related (www.comicrelated.com) has become one of my daily visits as it's just a cool site that is updated every day of the year. For the month of march they had 1.2 million hits, so they are growing steadily and have great content and a thriving forum community.

Battlestar Galactica returned for it's final season last night picking things up right where last season left off. It was a solid and entertaining episode in my opinion. Things seem to really be coming to a head on all fronts, so I'm excited to see where this season goes.

I'm still enjoying the book I'm reading, The Servants of Twilight, by Dean Koontz. I'm 53 chapters in and things are still keeping my interest.

Iron Man is less than a month away!

On the lettering front, everything's going smoothly, progressing nicely. I'm available for jobs if anyone's hiring!

I wish I could figure out how some of my contemporaries are making money online through blogs or whatever, but I just haven't been too successful myself. Some of the methods I have employed have not yet been that fruitful. I'm going to keep trying though...

Nothing on TV tonight, whatever will I do? What's that you say, get a life? What's that? :)

Health wise I'm doing ok. Had a semi-rough day yesterday, and allergies hit me this week, but nothing major and no attacks. I'm still watching what I eat, though I have gotten a bit braver in small increments, testing stuff. I've discovered a few things I can't do (like peas), and I'm still largely staying away from pop and most sweets and snack foods like chips. Gall stones bite!

My picks for American Idol right now are the two Davids (Archuletta and Cook), Carly Smithson, Brooke White and Michael Johns for the top 5. Beyond that it'll be tough.

Digital Webbing's talent search feature took a hit this week as scammers have made a residence there, forcing Ed Dukeshire to reevaluate the system. For now, all talent search links go straight to the Help Wanted forum. It's a shame a couple of idiots have to ruin a great feature for everyone.

And I guess that's about it for now. I hope you all have a wonderful, fun-filled, and/or relaxing weekend!

B-Out

Brief Health Update

So I'm braving things a little at a time, diet wise. I tried just a little A-1 sauce on my chicken as eating it bland was not doing it for me. I've also tried a cheese sandwich here and there, and even a Boca burger. Some things hurt and I have to not try them again, while other things I find I can get away with in small doses.

I've still not been able to drink a single drink of pop without problems, so for now that's out completely. I'm drinking water, weak white tea and Gatorade and I'm adjusting pretty well. I never drank that much pop anyway, no more than one a day, two maybe if I'm out.

I've been having good days and bad days. The past couple have been bad, today being the worse. I think the pudding pops I dared last night may be the culprit. Either that or the animal crackers (I ran out of graham crackers, which have done me well so far). I also switched out mashed potatoes for yams last night with just a tad bit of butter and brown sugar, so that might be it also. But today I pretty much just laid around for half the day because I was hurting and not up to much of anything else.

I'm still looking into financial assistance and all that jazz. My aunt gave me a flyer about a free clinic, which makes me hesitant, but I'll at least look into it. I still have to consult with a referred surgeon here soon to see exactly when I need to get this thing out and what my options are.

I'm still thankful it's not worse than it is, and I'm getting used to the diet. I mean, since a week ago this past Saturday I've lost 9 pounds and have kept that off. Over the past two years since I've been working from home I had picked up about 30-40 pounds. I had lost about 7 of them through the holidays (go figure), and now another 9, which has motivated me to lose the rest. So I'm not complaining too much. My regular weight from age 18 to 28 was around 185-190, then I gradually went up to 230. Now I'm at 215 (214.5 the other day). I'll be glad if I can reach 200 and keep it off. Then I'll worry about toning and all that, and if I lose a few more after that I won't complain about that either. :)

B-Out

Gall Stones

Yep, got three of 'em. The gallbladder itself doesn't look particularly bad, and nothing else is wrong, but because of those three I'll eventually have to have my gallbladder removed. How quickly depends on how much pain I have, how often I have it, and how long it lasts when I have it.

For several months it was at least once a week or every other week, and was mild and passed after a couple of hours. The other night it didn't stop until I got IVs in me at the hospital, and I still haven't fully recovered from it 4 days later. So I'm thinking I should probably look into it.

The thing is there's no treatment for the stones save removing the gallbladder. Problem is it's an expensive surgery and I don't have insurance. So I'm going to look into assistance, and in the meantime, I have to watch my diet, which means none of my favorite foods for a while, like anything with tomatoes in it. Bummer.

So while I'm glad it's nothing more serious, and nothing to do with my liver, I'm still not crazy about having surgery, even if it is an outpatient procedure. Hopefully, though, finances and assistance will come together and I can get rid of this monkey on my back and go back to some semblance of a normal eating life.

But from what I understand from what little I've read about it, even after having the surgery you have to watch your diet because the gallbladder is what stores the bile. Without it, the bile goes straight into the intestines. I know there are diets online for those just having had the surgery. My question to those of you out there that have had the surgery is what kind of foods do you have to stay away from now, if any?

B-Out

I Know Nothing

Well, I just got home from the Ultrasound and I'm still clueless. The lady had to come back in and do it like three times because the radiologist kept wanting more pictures of my liver. But then they just sent me home.

I had to call back because I wasn't told whether I could eat now or not. And since I've only had Gatorade and a little jello (which I hate!) the past two days, needless to say, I'm famished.

They said the doctor won't see the results for a couple of days, and that I should be okay to eat now. Though I don't have a clue what to eat, and unfortunately for me, all the food we have in the house at the moment is totally fatty. So I don't have many options as I'm afraid to eat anything heavy, or anything I know causes problems for the gallbladder.

The good news is from the liquid diet they had me on I lost 4 pounds in 2 days! Hey, silver lining and all that, right?

Right now I'm feeling ok. Of course, I haven't eaten anything or drank anything aside from water or Gatorade yet either. So we'll see how I'm feeling once I get brave enough to eat something.

B-Out

More Aches & Pains, and Hospital Visit

Well, this has been one heck of a week. I finally got my tooth settled down enough to actually sleep in my bed last night, but then awoke with stomach pain.

At first, I thought it was like the episodes in the past, but it quickly escalated to something more severe. I can't really explain the pain other than to say it felt like there was something in there pushing out on my rib cage very hard. It was intense pressure to the point it hurt to breathe or talk, and I couldn't get comfortable at all.

After throwing up three times I finally decided to call 911. So at 3am I got to the hospital, where I would stay for the next 6 and 1/2 hours being evaluated. After two sets of X-Rays, a CAT scan, two IVs and throwing up one more time they figure it's probably my gallbladder.

All other vitals looked good. I had no fever, no blockage, just intense pain. But they're still not sure, so I have to go back Monday morning for an Ultra Sound to figure things out, and who knows what from there. I also can't eat any food at all for the next two days, just clear liquids like water and Gatorade.

I was also told to take it easy and get plenty of rest, so if it wasn't before, the schedule for this week is pretty much out the window. I'm in pain right now, though subdued, because I haven't been able to get the prescriptions filled yet (had to take a cab home, and have no way out now). Plus the roads are pretty bad today due to sleeting and snowing all night.

But at least I'm finally taking care of this problem. I just don't have a clue how I'm going to pay for it. I have no insurance and virtually no money.

So anyway, keep me in prayer, guys and gals, I need it.

B-OUt

Ugh, Not Again!

Man, it hit me like a ton of bricks, all at once! That's right, I'm sick again...

All week I thought it was my allergies acting up. My eyes have been itching and watering, and I keep sneezing, which is typical. But all of a sudden, and I mean within the past hour before this posting I got a massive headache, my nose stopped up, my throat started hurting pretty bad (can't swallow) and my stomach started feeling all queasy. Now I'm sitting here barely squinting at the screen and I feel like I'm about to pass out.

I guess that's what happens when your little brother has the flu and then gives it to your mother, and you're around both of them constantly. Sigh.

So, I'm still here for the moment doing what I can, but most likely I'll be cutting out early today in hopes that I can rest the worst of it off and be back to working order tomorrow.

B-Out

Still a Little Under the Weather

I managed to get my work done, but not much else in the way of editing, lettering or logos as I got really sick this afternoon well into the evening. I am now going to rest for a little bit more (try to get a couple of hours of sleep) then hit it again.

On the docket for later this evening/tomorrow:

Upload Redshift pages to server
Edit Nocturnal Essence script
Finish and send a rough design of Journeymen logo
Update Friday's SBC Reel
Then some other stuff
:)

B-Out

Keeping Up...

I read a friend's blog the other day about not realizing how long goes between posts when you're busy and it made me feel bad. Here I claim I update this daily (then semi-daily) and then I go for days, almost a week between posts anymore. I get the emails from my sitemeter indicating that views have drastically dropped and it makes me feel even worse. Not because I care about view counts, but because it means people are losing interest or I'm just not providing content to read.

That said, I'm going to try to do better. It's hard when you get so busy and when you get downtime the last place you want to be is the place you work, which for me is the computer. But I started this blog to connect with people, to share things - such as my projects, my thoughts, etc. - and to give updates on my work. Lately all of those have been few and far between. And I know all of you out there understand, and I appreciate that, but I still want to try to post more. So here I am.


Another friend mentioned to me recently how surprised he was at how open I am in this blog, and it's funny because in person I'm not that open. I'm a pretty guarded person actually. I'm not shy and I love meeting new people and talking and hanging out as much of the next guy. But I'm also a loner of sorts, as contradictory as that may sound. I'll put it like this. When I go home or somewhere alone that's exactly what I want to be, alone. I stay up late at night because of the solitude.

I also don't let a lot of people in. I've been hurt by a lot of people in my life that were supposedly close to me, and I guess it built up a wall. I'm not too trusting and it takes a lot to earn my trust. And except for those I'm close to I really don't talk about myself a whole lot when you meet me. If someone asks a question I'm honest because that's all I know how to be. If it's something personal I'll try to tactfully avoid the question. But I'm still a fun-loving, easy to get along with type of guy. It's just hard to get inside and become one of my very, very few close friends. It takes a long time to build that kind of relationship with me.

Which is why it's weird to hear that I'm so open. I'll be the first to admit, though, that in the written word I'm far more verbose than in the spoken word. I'm also a lot more articulate when I write. When I talk I'm just myself, and I don't use a lot of big words as it's usually off-putting to most. Maybe it's because I'm a writer, I don't know.

In any case, I guess this blog allows me an outlet that I don't really have elsewhere. I don't really have a lot of close friends that I can talk to, and you can only talk to your parents about so much. My brother's half my age, so he doesn't get where I'm at understandably. So this is my outlet, my venting if you will. On top of that it gives people a rare opportunity to get to know me better than they would if they met me in person first.

And that's the beauty of the internet. I've developed bonds with guys in different states or continents without ever meeting them in person. I feel open enough with some of them to talk about things I don't post here or talk to most people about. Without the internet these kinds of connections wouldn't be possible, so I guess technology is good for something. I never have had a lot in common with people around me and have never felt like I fit in. Now that I'm older I view that as a good thing in a way, but when I was young it was hard. But thanks to this blog and forums and so forth I can converse with tons of people who share the same interests as me and it's quite a refreshing experience, let me tell ya.

So I'm glad I started this blog a year and a half a go or so.


I have to give a quick shout out to Matt Yocum who gave me some props on his blog. I was supposed to do some lettering for him, but scheduling and computer problems prohibited it. Luckily he got someone else who did a great job. So go check out Devolution, which is a cool story too, and Matt's Devolution column!


Elsewhere in the wide world of comics, I've posted a piece on Marvel's The Initiative at SBC, which lists all the related titles in the story line that have been revealed so far through July. I'm sure there will be more to add after Marvel's solicitations go online Tuesday.

We've also gotten a whole bunch of new writers for the site who have been turning in a lot of reviews thankfully. So come check those out. We've got some great writers on board.


As for my work, I did wrap all the finishing touches on Nocturnal Essence #1 thankfully, and began working on some other stuff for someone else, though I've neglected to update the writer, so hopefully he'll read this.


Small Press Idol round 2 is underway and Scott is nearing completion on our materials for the round. He showed me I think three of our five characters inked the other day, so hopefully this week he'll get a chance to color those bad boys. I did a second draft of the bios, but we're still kicking them back and forth.


I have sadly not done any other writing in a long time. It sucks because I'm so busy I don't have time to do the one thing I want to excel at more than the other aspects of comics. But hey, ya gotta pay the bills, right?


Ending on a personal note, man I had a restful weekend for a change... sort of. Friday I wasn't feeling well (my stomach, again) and took some medication, which typically knocks me out for a couple of hours. Well, I guess being ill mixed with the medication and my near state of exhaustion just kind of teamed up on me because I wound up sleeping for over 12 hours straight! And then I was still tired, but I forced myself to stay awake and work some. Then I crashed for another 8 Saturday! Today I also slept in late and then kind of chilled and watched TV for several hours, something I rarely do. Usually I'll tape most of my stuff and watch it in spurts. But hey, it was a nice change of pace. I may not have gotten out of the house, but at least it gave me some time away from the computer, which was very welcome, and I love the computer. I'm just in front of it way too much.

I guess that's about it. It's after 5am now and I've got a busy day ahead of me, so I'm gonna chill for a bit before tackling it.

B-Out