Like We Always Do About This Time

Normally, I'd make a bigger deal out of this sort of thing, but:

1. this is my 900th post,
2. and this blog recently saw its 10th anniversary.

Crazy, eh? Anyway, those are my resolutions up top.

1. The usual. Self-explanatory. 
2. I lost 30 pounds last year via physical labor. Now I have to really work at it. 
3. I wasn't late often, but there were times where it could have been avoided. Planning ahead is key. I hate being late. 
4. The Naylor layoff almost two years ago was the beginning of a downward spiral. Will I be out of debt by the end of the year? Not likely, but I really want to make moves toward being debt free.

Manitoban Mixtape!

This was fun to do, as all of my latest Manitoban illustrations have been. Silvana put type on the tapes and CDs where appropriate. Grumpy Cat was thrown in just for kicks.
Wanna read the feature? Go here: http://issuu.com/themanitoban/docs/5december2012/15

Gotta Clean This Place the Fuck Up. Seriously.

When you post two pictures of your workspace and inadvertently give them very similar titles, it's time to clean up. My hope is that "The Genius of Soul" will get me though the ordeal.

Dante: Birthday #2

Two years ago, Dante came into our lives, and he turned everything upside-down.
I wouldn't change a thing.
Happy birthday, you beautiful little guy.

Sketchbook-Based Skeletons

Sarah and I recently went down to the basement to give Dante another spot to play (other than the living room). That meant removing a lot of junk and finally putting a ton of books away, which also brought our bookshelves 80% closer to their former glory. The photo above was taken a couple months before that endeavour, but it illustrates that I came across a stack of old sketchbooks. These things are far more embarrassing than baby photos. In particular, I looked at my final student one from 2005 and found a lot of stuff that I found awkward/repulsive.

If anything, it served as a reminder of where I've come from, and how far I have to go. Gotta keep pushing. After all, it's just a place to practice and have fun.

Gigposters.com Coloring Book Sale!

Clay, the guru of GP, has knocked down the price of all three volumes of the Gigposters.com Coloring Book to half off! Go get 'em! Mad cheap! Fun for kids of all ages – yeah, you!
The image above is from the first volume. Sexy, eh?

MisterLorde

Just changed up my Twitter monicker. Don't be alarmed or something. ENMagnifico is so 2001-2012. #changeisgood
— Allan Lorde (@MisterLorde) September 13, 2012

Look at me! I've got my big boy pants on!
On the real, I felt it was time for a change. I'm still known as "El Negro Magnifico" at gigposters.com and other spots on the web, but "ENMagnifico" never had the same ring to it, and "MisterLorde" is closer to the truth. So, update your bookmarkage!
I'm MisterLorde on Twitter AND Dribbble.

Still On the Line

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but "Wichita Lineman" is among my favorite songs of all time. I appreciated it from a young age thanks to my mom―that's her signature on the single―but my admiration for this song has only grown. I don't know if it's the news of Glen's battle with Alzheimer's that pushed it to the forefront of my consciousness recently, but I won't look that gift horse in the mouth. All I know is that I can play it in my head while working, and everything is fine.
Can't front on that.

Related Links:
Glen performing "Wichita Lineman" on The Smothers Brothers Show
CBS Sunday Morning piece on Campbell's final tour (text and photos only, sadly)

R.I.P. El Negro Communicator

R.I.P. 2009-2012
iPhones and Johnson's Baby Body Wash do not fucking mix.

Sittin' On Busted Safety Glass

Consider my mellow now harshed. 

After attending the Mayer Hawthorne DJ set on Friday at the Pyramid Cabaret, I had the displeasure of seeing the driver's side window of my wife's Honda Fit busted open. Having talked to a few people about this incident, it's apparent that being the victim of a smash n' grab is an unfortunate rite of passage in this city. That kinda eases the pain, but only a little. Naturally, I blamed myself for what happened, and you can't tell me one fucking thing that I haven't already told myself:

Well, why'd you park so far away from the venue, dumbass?
Shit, I dunno. it was a nice night, and I anticipated a frenzied parking situation, so I parked a block away. Is that a fucking crime?  

It's your own got-damn fault for leaving your backpack in the back seat.
First of all, fuck you. Second, am I the only person in history that's left something in a car with the thought that mankind wouldn't mess with it? No. 

Shit like that has been playing in my head for the past 24 hours. They took the RCA cord that we plug our respective iPhones in with, and the also absconded with the cig lighter charger for said iPhones. Really shitty, but somewhat inexpensive to purchase again somewhere down the line. What really stings here is twofold:
The price of getting the window fixed. Don't get me started. This is a very unwelcome addition to the financial bullshit we've had to deal with this year.
My backpack. Gone. Along with my favorite drawing utensils and my barely-used sketchbook. I'd rather they kicked me in the balls instead.

October 4th, 2010: My backpack and its contents at the time. 

As I've told others, I'm past the emotional point of white-hot hatred and have settled into a begrudging acceptance with a healthy dash of brooding. Right now, I'd pretty much give anything to have the sketchbook and drawing stuff back. The sketchbook is where I kept notes and drew ideas. Yeah, I can think of more stuff, but that doesn't change the fact that I feel violated. At any rate, if you happen to stumble upon it, it looks like this:

 
I'd just like it back, no questions asked. Thanks.