Huzzah for new updates!

Hopefully, a few of you stumbled across the new main page on your way to this blog. It was a labor of love and the first lurching step along the path of realization in the King Sheep philosophy. What philosophy is that? Why, it's a zen philosophy of course. That means that it cannot be directly explained and must be discovered on your own. Amen.

The material covered in the previous week's comic is a fairly accurate depiction of the creative processes here at King Sheep Productions, at least in its resolution. We may one day give you a glimpse at the dart gun warfare and poker trash-talking, but those are a different worlds entirely. However, I don't mean to imply that we have the kind of malicious cooperative environment enjoyed by other web comics. We definitely participate in far more Bondage than actual blood-letting.

I've also posted a new voting incentive on Coming Distractions in the comics section, so check that out and help us get our score up so we can get "the word" out! Speaking of sketches, I got a new sketchbook a little while ago. Normally, I only go through one sketchbook a year, but freelance jobs are increasing, so I'll hopefully get back to my adolescent pace of one sketchbook every fiscal quarter.

Choosing a sketchbook for myself is a long and drawn-out (haha!) ceremony similar to the part in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade where Indy's staring at the vast collection of cups, trying to pick the Holy Grail. Only, instead of a small chamber in the Valley of the Crescent Moon, I'm in Michael's. And instead of a thousand-year-old crusader and a couple of Nazis, my companions are slovenly employee with colossal dandruff and a couple of Microsoft engineers. I've for some reason developed the need to decorate my books over the last couple of years, so when I saw this certain sketchbook, there was simply no other choice.

Yes, that sticker says "I love Cuties." My wife put it there, but that doesn't make it untrue. I believe cuties are one of life's great joys. As for the rest of it, I did not position the golem in the photo and can thus not be held responsible for my interpretation of its pose. Inspiration struck like an arrow, and I simply followed.

I admit to laughing more than once at the whole "I can haz cheezeburger" craze, but since I can't willingly subscribe to their particular brand of mutilated grammar, I've done this instead:

Click to make obese.

Go on and have a giggle on me.

Well, I don't know about you, but I've certainly had less eventful New Years. . . New Years' (plural possessive?). Whatever. Proceeding in retroactive recollection mode, my New Year's Eve consisted of a surprise birthday party in Mount Vernon, then Wii and hummus (and pool) in Stanwood where we watched the ball drop while standing two feet away from a TV screen the size of my car. Alcohol was abundant, so playing Raving Rabbids 2 on the Wii looked less like 4 adults having a good time and more like the Special Olympics. Come to think of it, I believe that's what it would have looked like even without alcohol present. Regardless, my arm was sore for a week because of trying to saw my way through some damn virtual tree branch.

Christmas was great too. It was my first in-law Christmas, and I admit feeling a little anxious just because I've heard horror stories about accidentally wrecking Christmas morning by failing to observe the local customs. For example, my brother was in the wrong room on Christmas morning at his in-law's, and he almost spent the rest of the day strung up next to the inflatable reindeer. I was able to avoid any such mishaps, and had a wonderful holiday with my wife and her mom. In fact, she's still finding Nerf darts left over from the festivities.

Prior to the actual Eve and Day themselves, I had an early Christmas with my own family. I'll admit that it was odd to be opening gifts early, but the child in me could only be mystified for so long before the joy of present-opening became the driving force. And I can safely say that nothing gets you in holiday spirit like homemade fudge and sugar cookies.

Alas, now all of the holiday cheer is gone, and people are starting to show it. Anyone seeking to build up their Tolerance skill only need come into "downtown" Redmond during the morning or evening commute hours. You will never find a deeper cesspool of sheer malevolent selfishness and inconsideration. And God forbid you don't block traffic to enable some pigeon-molester's jaywalking fetish.

Okay, enough with the Hate Shotgun. I'm fine with people.