Alex Claw

Jacked.

That’s the word I use to describe a week of little sleep, lateness, and obligations that popped out of nowhere and derailed attempts in catching up in work and/or sleep.

Even though sleep is the most important thing to get so that creativity can thrive, it’s also the one thing that is sacrificed in an effort to be more productive.  Sleep for this previous week was chained to a solitary pole and left for that huffing puffing dragon to consume, in hopes of placating it.

Yet, even in my half asleep zombie like state all week, I did managed to figure out what appears to be the coming events in AMOB for the next four months. A story arc I’m calling 40 Days of Rain, and the big events that will finally lead to the 500th strip (which the series has been almost plotted out to).

I’ve also begun sorting out ideas for a  couple of AH.com series episodes, maybe I’ll begin outlining sometime this week.

The Book is coming along, although little time to work on it as the pressing matter of getting AMOB out on time was always the constant pressure of the week. This is a long-term project anyway, therefore it can be given a little leeway when it comes to keyboard punching.

Bitterwater Tales, I had such high hopes for that little project of mine, so far it’s staggering about and moaning with the unfinished story of Haven. Lately I’ve been sacrificing writing time for drawing time, it’s a bad habit to start. Drawing is easier than writing. It’s more of a physical activity, rather than a mental activity.  I’ve become determined to see that Bitterwater Tales doesn’t see many skip days or weeks anymore.  I choose the obligation, now I must deal with it.

Plus I’ve got plans with where I want to take Bitterwater Tales.

Week’s end and Month’s end, both coinciding on a day that’s been productive. Sundays are strangely the most productive days of the week. Perhaps the thought that the weeks’ ending and I need to show something for it, or the fact that I spend most Saturdays in a sleepy haze of catching up with sleep.

Writing has been achieved, artwork has been produced, and thoughts have been thought.

Let the new month roll on and the new week dig it’s claws into me.

-A

Because this century needs a bit of the last century.

Sheesh, just realized that it’s been a long time since I drew anything that wasn’t for AMOB or the AH.com Series. This was fun, One day I’ll have time to draw a lot more.

“Revelations” Written By: Doctor What, Artwork By: Alex Claw.

It’s been a while since I updated the AH.com series website.  Time has been in short supply recently.  Two more episodes before this season is over and a lot of things are happening, boys and girls.

The FCC’s looking to expand broadband coverage, New nuclear power plants might pop up in the future, it’s Ash Wednesday, Attempted Haitian kidnappers flee Haiti, and I’m both extremely exhausted and bordering on whiskey’d up.

Juliana Hatfield plays on the speakers and I’m on my third day of my supposed 100 Days of Pain, and I’m feeling it.  Soreness wracks the body, exhaustion hinders the brain, and I’m slowly falling behind in writing.

Deadlines, dude. They are a major bitch at times.

Wannabe writers make a big deal about what they write in, moleskins, parchment with quill pins, etc.  I’ve begun really understanding the need to write down ideas once they shoot through my brain and fire off neurons that have been cooking them for a bit.  Paper is paper and in some places it’s plentiful, cash generally isn’t, therefore… I make do.

There’s crate paper and staples plenty where I work. Just a bit of cutting, straightening and stapling, and you’ve got yourself a nice little booklet to write in. No moleskin needed, instead hefty acidy paper that’ll last about a week before it turns into mush (well maybe a few months, but y’know cheap paper…), and you can move on.

You just need that bit of paper where you can capture the idea and set it down. And capturing ideas is the main and true thing you need to do. Your brain is designed to create them, but they’re not good for storing them. I’ve had plenty of wonderful ideas, but alas, they floated on into the blackness of Beyond Thought.

But of course, you gotta understand that ideas aren’t the be all and end all. It’s just ideas, people have them all the time. The work that goes on to get that idea to it’s full potential, is what it’s all about. Writing, drawing, painting, creating, the idea is merely the guiding light, the work done is the true art.

I’m beginning to wax semi poetically, so I must move on to the hard scrabble that’ll be the pastures of the future and work.

Hopefully in a few year’s I’ll be able to use the internet in the outhouse back home, nuclear power is awesome and not terrible, Catholics, dude, they’re a strange bunch, I suppose kidnapping from third world countries isn’t as bad as kidnapping in first world countries, and I think sleep is called for. Hump day means a semi rest day… okay?

Trickster deities, bringer of death, devastation, change, and all around dick, but for Coyote’s mundane brethren, it seems there’s a correct way to hunt the pesty exploitive critters.

I’m at work today, one of my co-workers, an outdoorsy type kind of guy, begins discussing fishing and hunting with another co-worker. This quickly devolves into hunting of various animal, javelina, deer, dove, etc. then they came to the topic of hunting coyotes, which in Arizona are considered pest animals.

“My brother-in-law used to hunt coyotes by using a PA system attached to 150  feet of cord and a cassette player, he’d played the cries of animals dying, birds, rabbits. Sooner or later the coyotes come around, looking for the dying animals, then he’d shoot them. After a while the coyotes wouldn’t come around anymore.

“They knew what was up.  So. he began buying rabbits, from pet stores, shelters, wherever. The way you hunt coyotes is you get a rabbit, tie it up in a tree, and stab it in the foot so it begins screaming and bleeding.

“He learned that by trail and error. He used to cut off a piece of the rabbit’s ear, but those little fuckers would bleed to death in about 20 minutes.

“Sooner or later the coyotes begin sniffing around. Then you take them out.”

His brother-in-law’s also the kind of guy who buys gold fish and uses them as bait.

Man, the things you learn at work, these days. Sometimes mind boggling, sometimes funny as hell, other times just jaw dropping horrifying.

I’ve been looping Grand Island’s Dawn’s Upon Me for the last few days. The song’s stuck in my head and it won’t float on.

I’ve been giving Lala a shot, the selection is okay, the fact you can only listen to a song once isn’t okay. I mean, streaming albums is a cool thing, but having to ‘pay’ for it, not so. I’m a cheap man due to simple cheapness.  I suppose I could just just jury rig the combination of YouTube, Pandora, Myspace Music, and various other online music streaming sites and get the results of a full album streamed, but I’m the kind of guy who likes to click once and have the world brough to him.  Not, click, click, search, click, search, click, click.

I’m tired now.

I’ll sleep now.

Listen to Dawn’s Upon Me, you’ll like it. I swear.

Exhausted.

Work, strangely, has been going very well lately.  I hit the deadlines with ease and sit back and wonder, what am I going to do with all this extra time, and then I look up porn.

Though the novel writing is more fustrated anger directed at the computer monitor rather than my own inner lazy mind.

Gotta work on that

I’m a soft, jelly filled man.

I would prefer to be a not quiet soft, iron-y filled man, which will happen by me doing the things I find painful. Working. Working, and not stopping to watch movies, eat, play the sim city knock off game, but instead get to work.

Therefore, today is Day 1.

Journal Entry: Day 1.

I have completed all goals.

I have not died.

I am happy about both.

Well, this has been another week brought to you by Procrastination: Making Shit Harder On Yourself Later.  Images have been drawn, words have been written, but I keep pushing things back further and further, making it all that more difficult for me to try to catch up. Bad, me, bad.

But tomorrow begins my 100 Days of Pain, which is me doings things I find painful. Which are: Working, working, and working. The never ending struggle against just kicking back and sitting around… Nope, none of that now. Gotta keep this shark moving and not dying by lack of movement…

The last few days have been basically food, sleep, and family. The simple joys of life. You can’t beat that, buddy.

Today is Valentine’s Day, but it’s also my father’s birthday. So happy birthday to him.

Laziness and sheer bloody busy-ness.

That’s been the status of my life for the last year or so.  The laziness stems from the simple fact that at heart I’m a lazy man with lazy tendencies toward lazy lazyhood. Busy-ness also comes from the fact that I’m pretty damn busy, juggling all these things I want to do and wish to do.

Factor those two things in… and that leaves little time for anything but work and more work at home. Reading? That’s been one of the things that’s had to be set aside for the time being.

It seems sinful that a guy who wants to be an author can’t even find the time to read.  Oh, I still manage to read articles and bits of news and newness on the web, it’s just the long form of fiction and literature I don’t have the time anymore for.

Two books I’ve purchased this month are:

Boneshaker by: Cherie Priest

Dragon Keeper by: Robin Hobb

I’ve been hearing a lot about Boneshaker, from the general nerdy heap of internet folk and forums to the sub genre of alternate history/steampunk that has my interest.

Dragon Keeper, I’ve got this long time wistful joy of reading most of what Robin Hobb writes. Complicated characters, pain and misery in abundance, facing near impossible odds, and coming out stronger, but damaged in the process.

So although I need another three hours added to every day and two of me to do the things I need to do, I have to make time for these books. Reading good books makes for writing good books.