Wow. It's been awhile since I knuckled down and did a morning page. So here goes...
It's a been a fairly productive 2009 so far. I think the best thing I did for myself in my New Year resolutions was to seriously manage my time and goals. I cut a lot of fat/projects that didn't serve me directly and also took steps to make my marriage and personal relationships more of a priority. The improvement to my quality of life has been significant. And I have technology to greatly thank for most of it. Because now I have everything quickly at my fingertips, what with being able to sync all of my
contacts,
calendars and tasks with both my Blackberry and my Google apps simultaneously. I don't think I've ever been so organized, and I can tell you that is a good feeling indeed. I feel effective. I feel focused. I feel consistently accomplished. Also, a zero-tolerance policy for bullshit has also gotten a lot of unnecessary people out of my life. Again, a good year so far. Hope I don't blow it.
Things are progressing pretty well on the musical front. Angela's already gotten me a couple gigs for Feb and Mar., and if you're in the greater Los Angeles area, I ask you to go
here to join my mailing list and get the skinny on things. I'll be playing
Genghis Cohen next month, and that's a biggie because I need to draw a decent crowd. So I really hope folks will come to support and listen to some really good music.
And the reason I can tell it's going to be good is because I had my first rehearsal with the band yesterday. (Quick aside: Band, I apologize once again. In hindsight I realize it may not have been ultra-cool to pull you all in to rehearse on Valentine's Day. Next year I promise to get you that Champagne I promised yesterday). Anyway, I have to say things well swimmingly well considering most of us haven't seen each other since June. And, in fact, one of us was new to the fold entirely. I was finally able to convince the lovely and talented
Nikki O'Neil to join our ranks for the foreseeable future. Conversely, I will also be joining her group sometime soon. That's how we professional musicians do some times, we scratch each other's backs. I think Nikki is going to be a great fit and I look forward to future musical ventures with her. It's amazing that we never bumped into one another when we both lived in New York. Oh, well, guess fate is funny like that some times. Like I said, the rehearsal went pretty well, and, in fact, here is 12 seconds of it right here:
Rehearsal, now. on
12seconds.tvThings are going pretty good on the comic book front, too.
Diamond's announcement a few weeks back was a real game changer. It seems like the buzzword at New York Comic Con was “digital.” And with a lot of high profile indie creators already saying goodbye to print, I can see that I'll be changing my game-plan with future projects. Am working now to digitize all of QUANTUM so far and get them to a few online distros that I've been in talks with.
Have also been talking to a couple colleagues and am assessing my strategic partnerships. That's my buzzword for the year. Like getting Nikki in the band, a lot of what I'll be doing on all career fronts this year will be a lot of “you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours” kind of dealings. And since I'm not going to spread myself too thin this time out, I will be very selective of who I chose to work with. In fact, in my mind I think I've already selected those people. It's nice to already have my year planned out this far ahead. It's amazing what a little goal setting can do for a person.
Some final thoughts on New York Comic Con. No, I did not go. And part of the reason I didn't was because of a certain group of people whom I once considered my friends and colleagues. That group has completely betrayed my confidence and turned on me. They've taken the over seven years of faithful service I volunteered to the group and utterly shat on them. I didn't go to the show because I knew I would have ran into some of those people, and it would have been completely awkward. Better to save myself the drama of such a reunion and focus on the positive. I will make it a point to attend NYCC next October when I've been able to put some time and distance between me and said group. They know nothing of respect or loyalty and are at this point dead to me. Let them put their focus and money into parties and self-congragulatory award shows that no one else cares or knows about. Their insular and geo-conscious attitudes will be the nail in the coffin of their failing activities, which are hardly creative anymore. To them, I say one final “Suck it” and “Good riddance.”
Sorry to the rest of you, but I had to get that off my chest. Again, zero-tolerance policy for bullshit. And, lesson here: don't piss me off.
Today promises to be a good one. Need to get Christy out of bed so we can go get our Valentine's brunch at Pancho's in Manhattan Beach. All you can drink champagne for the wife, that's my secret to a happy marriage. That and actually including her in your schedule. Later off to the Wellman's to celebrate baby Gram Solo's first birthday. Preparing myself for the unyielding pangs of wishful motherhood from said wife later in the day.
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