Exotic Tumors and Laudable Art Failures

If you didn't already know, Pat (Dad's wife) has been through the ringer for the past year or so. She's had to deal with cancer-scares in the form of tumors and she was forced to go under the knife yet again earlier this week. Good news, though, the tumors were removed and... well, I'll just go ahead and let my dad tell it with an e-mail he sent around a couple of days ago...

Good afternoon friends and family, Sorry for the mass email... but it seemed the easiest way to update everyone on Pat and her surgery. She is doing fine today after a rather lengthy surgery yesterday.... about 4 1/2 hours on the operating table. She is obviously very sore and not able to get up and around yet, but they're working on that. She should be able to come home by possibly Monday we're hoping. The doctor said that he got all of the tumor and was able to remove it in tact without rupturing it. And once removing it, he found another smaller one that was hiding (aren't tumors sneaky?!) that he removed as well. Then he was able to irrigate the entire area and suction that out so he was *very* convinced that there were no remains of any cells that could be suspicious. As it turned out, the tumor was not attached to the colon, so none of that needed to be removed (thank the Lord!). Additionally.... the doctor said that her type was so incredibly rare, that other doctors from around the country came in to observe the surgery and to write on it in the various medical journals. Matter of fact, this was so rare, that there have only been 11 other cases like this one in the entire world in the past 100 years! At this point, he is not anticipating any chemo or radiation since it is such a low grade, and should it ever re-occur, it is an extremely slow-growing sort. So that is most definitely good news! Thanks to all who have prayed and are praying. It counts for sure! She is at Akron General in room 5265. Best regards, Randy

So good news, then! Get well, Pat!

And, hoy, way to go with the rarer-than-rare tumor! This woman is a born record-breaker. I have to admit, though, that I was a bit disturbed when I logged onto eBay this morning and found a very suspicious auction (I managed to snap a screen capture before the auction ended... go have a look). It seems Pat and my father are attempting to recoup some of their medical expenses. Dad's always been a big believer in the Free Market, but this may be going too far.

Anyhow, it's hard to blame them. It seems that Pat's innards are fetching a hefty sum, so more power to ya, I guess.
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I was really, really jazzed about a week ago when Drew (my Creative Director) gave me the go ahead to produce final art on the latest PS2 cover packaging illustration. The best part, though: after days of sweet-talking and maybe even a little pleading, he agreed to let me submit the illustration as a painting, rather than a Photoshopped, inked drawing.

Might not sound like a big deal to you, but I was on cloud nine. A painting! The caveat being, of course, that I had less than four days to complete this painting and I'd have to do it outside of normal working hours.

So, last weekend, I blew the dust bunnies off of my watercolors and pastels, made a run to the art supply store and dove in head first. I hadn't painted in a while... years, to be perfectly frank, but it was a joy to nestle myself back in the land of wet brushes and dirty fingernails. I transferred my pre-approved pencils onto watercolor paper. I began a lovely ochre under-painting. It was a nice start with a good foundation.

But the clock was ticking.

So, faster, faster, I moved to pastels. Then colored pencil detail-work. Before I knew it, two days had passed and I had barely started. So, I committed the cardinal sin of illustration: I panicked and rushed.

I was manic, skipping important steps. I was spending more time fixing screw-ups than actually building the illustration. Before I knew it, the painting was a disaster. No right-thinking client would ever accept this. Defeated, I pulled out the all-too-familiar bristol stock and did a joyless ink-job for final art. Harrumph.

I told Drew, and he was disappointed, but the important thing at this point was to get this illustration out the door. So, I completed my inks and applied the most kamikaze-style Photoshopping I've ever attempted over the course of the next 36 hours. It was passion-free, grumpy work. Every line, every tone was an ugly, artificial reminder that I'd had the opportunity to do something rich and natural, but here I was, relying on the damned computer again.

We sent off the revised illustration. Bleugh.

And yesterday, Drew came into my office and said, "I just got off the phone with Crave Entertainment. There might be a tweak or two, but they've pretty much approved the illustration."

"Oh. Good."

"Actually, Sheri's REALLY happy with it. She thinks it's one of the best covers she's seen."

"...Really...?"

"She showed it to the Crave CEO and he flipped. Seriously, he went absolutely ape for it."

"Are you sure?"

"Oh, it gets better. Have you heard of Eidos Interactive? They did the game Hitman and Hitman 2?"

"Yeah, I think everyone's heard of the Hitman games."

"Well, the Crave CEO has a relationship with the Eidos CEO. He sent a jpeg of your artwork to him and he also went crazy for it. He sent Crave an email that said 'now that's effective packaging. That's exactly what a game package needs to do. That's shelf appeal.'"

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Nope. The illustration's a total smash. It's making the rounds already. Terrific work."

--

So, what do you know? I guess it goes to show that beauty's in the eye of the beholder. I see failure when I see that thing, but it's potentially the most popular piece of art I've ever done.

Anyhow, look for it this summer: Trigger Man from Crave Entertainment.

Woo!

As the IRS looms dark and snarling, JB.com is here with mundane thoughts and peculiar links.

Stop reading this and mail your taxes in, dude. Seriously, you are really pushing it this year. Haven't you ever heard of planning ahead?
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And, bang on cue, just as I start my full-time gig, a couple of freelance calls come in, despite the fact that I've been consistently dry for over a month. Ain't that the way?

Speaking of my full-time gig, it's going okay, I suppose. It's really not much different than my part-time stuff, I'm just here more often. Not that I'm complaining, mind you.
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Um, Michael Chabon (who wrote the finest book I read in 2003) has done an interesting, not to mention timely, little essay on... well, censorship, I suppose, but the issues go far deeper. I'm not sure what I think of it. On the one hand, I feel as if he's missing something enormous, on the other hand, I feel as if it might be me who's missing something enormous.

Read it here and tell me what you think.
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What else.... oh. Personally, I think this article on eyeball jewelry has to be some sort of elaborate hoax, but, man... I don' t know. Check it out.
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And here's some truly incredible Photoshop work. I think it's supposed to be funny, but I'm just impressed with how seamless it is. Someone very talented apparently has oodles of free time on their hands.
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Finally, for those who haven't finished off their Easter eggs quite yet, here's a positively hilarious-yet-disturbing story about a church that was truly committed to teaching their congregation what Easter is really about.

I cringe.

I'd like to say whassup to Pops, sista-in-law, an' alla my newly-engaged niggaz homeboyz. Peace.

First of all, a big Welcome Home to Dad and his wife, Pat, who just returned from a glorious cruise. Just because I feel like spreading the love (though I'm not sure my dad even reads this blogger anymore, particularly after my rant on Republicans a few weeks ago...), here's their picture on the right. Clicky clicky to make it biggy biggy.

Second, a very huge (yet tentative) congratulations to everyone's favorite sister-in-law Kelly Biechler (who I'm positive doesn't read this blogger) on her carrying her fourth little bundle of love. She and husband Jim just found out. Blessings! Blessings! (By the way, I say "tentatively" because, sadly, I've opened my big, fat yap more than once about pregancies that either ended prematurely or were simply not meant to go public yet, forcing a hasty blogger-edit on my part. Here's hoping/praying for a healthy baby, Biechlers. Here's also hoping/praying that you don't mind my spilling the beans.)

Third, congratulations are in order for Kelley Larned, a good buddy who managed to dodge the inevitable over the weekend and actually convinced a lusty young lass to wed him. Her name's Carrie (always a good sign) and they're shooting for November. Kelley, I've rarely seen such a quick turn-around from datin' to fianceein', even in my Grace College days, but good luck. I'd recommend you go ahead and tell her about the flatulence issue now because, dude, she's gonna find out sooner or later.
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So, uh, what's up with Bush?

Man, I've been a fan through thick and thin, but what was with that horrid press conference last night? I'm usually content to proclaim "he's a good president, just a bad speaker" but, crap. That's some of the most artless issue-dodging I've ever seen.

Answer the questions, George! Sheesh!

I'm afraid, I really am, that semantics alone are going to lose this election to the spineless spin-doctoring of John Kerry. Personally, I think all of the reasoning behind the apparent flubs and foibles surrounding the invasion of Iraq is legitimately explainable... so why won't he explain it? Gnagh!

"Mister President, in what ways could the War on Terror and/or the invasion of Iraq have been handled better, in retrospect?"

"Well, I believe America will stand behind me. We're gonna stay the course."

"Y-yes, well, I see, but do you feel that any of your critics' opinions are founded? Are there areas that, looking back, could have been improved?"

"America stands for freedom. Freedom for you, for me, for Americans, and freedom for the Iraqi people."

"...I... okay... but, what could have been--"

"We're gonna stay the course. Next question."

...and then YOU say "He is risen indeed."

My dear, dear mother and sisters flew out to Long Beach for Easter weekend, bless 'em, bless 'em.

For some reason, though, the sun rarely saw fit to shine. It was frustrating: no, really, guys, I swear, Southern California really is beautiful when... er... you're not... here.... uh.

Nonetheless, it was great to see them. Didn't plan anything spectacular, just did a bit of visiting. A little shopping at IKEA, a little touring around Hollywood, a little eating out, a little church, a little Easter ham.

But you forget things when you live on the other side of the country. Well, maybe not forget, but... Hooah, do my sisters ever hee-ave thee-at midwest ee-accent. Did they always talk that way? Is that how I sound to people here in California? (It must not be far off... a co-worker did an impression of me recently and I apparently sound like a character straight outta Fargo... "Ah, geez. I'll never get these designs finished in time, y'know. Ah, geez.")

Easter was a fine little time. We went to church at Revolution Church in Long Beach. It was fine, I suppose. I shouldn't be surprised if we find ourselves visiting again. The down side, though, was it felt like a high school youth group. Between the interpretive mime-dance, the "hardcore-edgy" literature, the electric guitars and the pastor that managed to squeeze in one too many MTV references... I dunno. At least they're trying to break the stuffy-mold, but this church went so far the other way that it came off as a bit desperate.

Invited an old high school friend of sister Lauren's down for Easter dinner, as she and her husband happen to live up in Culver City (which is a scant 30-40 minute drive from Long Beach). Nice folks. Josh (the husband) is an actor and he's actually doing pretty well up there in the land of glitz and glam. As it turns out, we both know Ben Bays (small Hollyworld, I guess).

All in all, a good visit with the family. No major developments to report, but I would like to get home for a visit later in the Summer.
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So, I placed third in a pseudo-essay contest. Don't get excited, though, because the contest involved writing a short description on "Why I'm a Loser." The winners (or losers, apparently) get a free collected edition of a comic book series called, appropriately, The Losers.

I'd heard some good reviews on the series, so I decided, what the heck, I'll send 'em the Jay Leno story. I embellished it enough to make myself sound extra-loser-ish and... well, I got some free comics out of it, I guess.

I'm afraid I'm not going to post a link to the contest or the winning entries because, speaking honestly, it's the most depressing collection of stories I think I've ever read and, trust me, you don't need the grief. Suffice it to say that the humiliation/benefits of my Tonight Show fiasco continue to roll in.
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Well, it's official. I'm a full-time company man. Not only that, but I'm way exhausted. Phew. I'd nearly forgotten what a full-time week felt like. My new 7:30-5:30 schedule doesn't exactly help matters, either. For some reason, my energy was much more boundless when I was permitted to do client work unshaven and in my underwear two days a week.

(If you're a client reading this, don't worry, I'm kidding. I'd never do serious work in my underwear.)

(If you're a friend or family member reading this, you probably know me well enough to know that, alas, I'm not kidding.)

(If you're a client, forget you read that last parenthetical comment.)

*An Important Announcement*

Well, I've been sitting on this information for over a week, so I guess it's time to spill the proverbial beans.

As of Monday, I'll be putting my freelance business on extended hiatus. Instead, I'll be signing on, full-time, with Binary Pulse Technology Marketing. (You know, the place I've been part-timing for the past year and a half.)

Actually, if you happen to be a client reading this, the no-freelance thing isn't completely accurate. As per my agreement with Binary Pulse, I'm still okay to have my own clients, as long as they don't compete. Nonetheless, I'll be scaling back that work dramatically. BP stuff will take the bulk of my schedule and most of my free time will be grabbed up by my writing/publishing venture.

As for the 'whys'... well, the most immediate reason has to do with Carey's career flux. She's still making up her mind about where to go next and, whatever her decision turns out to be, schooling is in the mix, which could have implications on her current working schedule. Whatever the case, we needed more income to keep our debauched standard of living consistent, and BP managed to extend a generous offer for my full-time commitment.

Besides all that, they're a terrific company. I've had the time of my life with them and I can honestly say that the work I do there plays beautifully to my own interests and strengths (in many cases, even moreso than my freelance endeavors). While I love having my own business, I certainly can't complain about being asked to do character animations, multimedia CDs, Flash presentations, and bombastic illustrations for Playstation 2 games... and that's, in a nutshell, my Binary Pulse job description.

(By the way, my second PS2 piece of cover art is well underway for a late-summer release, woo hoo!)

So, for the forseable future, that's where I'll be. My history with salaried employment has been rocky, but those are too often the breaks in this biz. Anyway, I'm really not very concerned about job security... the company's doing very well and growing very quickly. Rather, I'm excited. BP is still small, but we're becoming a major player in the ad game and it's very cool to be a part of something that's taking off so dramatically.

It's a good thing. I'm looking forward to the months ahead.

So clever! So tricky!

For anyone curious about our big Lottery winnings... er... read the previous post again. Specifically, the first letter of each paragraph.

Trivia! Did you know that "Pousson d'Avril" is French for "April Fish" (which is French slang for the victim of an April Fool's prank)?

See? I play fair. I do!

(By the way, my buddy Jon "Schwyzen.net" Schweitzer had the same I idea I had, apparently at the same time as I had it. His April Fool's tomfoolery was, admittedly, far more creative than my own. Go take a look. User: babymakes3 Pass: babymakes3 [sorry, dude, but the secrecy has gone on long enough, the world deserves your genius])

Oh, Schwyzen! Romania?

42,000,000 - Our Lucky Number

Amazing developments have unfolded for the Bear family here in Long Beach, California. I'm not sure what to think about any of it. To be honest, I'm completely numb. I suppose I should feel giddy or awestruck or grateful or SOMEthing... but I don't feel anything just yet.

Perhaps I should come right out and say it. Cripes. Carey and I haven't even called our families yet to tell them. I dunno, I guess we don't want to jinx it.

Right.

I'm just going to say it. Deep breath.

Last night, Carey and I became Millionaires.

For as long as I've known Carey, she's had a penchant for entering sweepstakes and raffles and lotteries and contests. (One year, while we were dating, she called off to stay at home and wait for the Publisher's Clearing House folks to come knocking on her door. She even dressed up and put on makeup, only to watch in horror as some lucky, televised resident on the other side of the country opened her door and was handed Carey's big check.) Anyhow, I've explained the odds game to her countless times, but she refuses to believe me: "Care, you've a better chance of getting struck by lightening than winning the Lottery." "Come on, you never know," she'd say, and then she'd waste our money.

Only not last night.

Oh, it's been going on for a few years and I've just had to sort of give in. I've had to look at it as an entertainment expense, like going to the movies or something. Whenever Carey goes to the grocery store, she rolls the dice and, depspite my protests, buys a Super Lotto Plus card and picks her numbers. Sometimes we're lucky enough to get our money back, but it's rare.

Last night, though, when the numbers were announced at 7:57, she wrinkled her nose and said, "shut up shut up shut UP!" She showed me the card and... and, yeah. Every. Single. Number. Matched.

So, we sat there and sort of stared at each other and Carey started crying. $42,000,000. It still hasn't really sunk in and I'm still waiting for there to be some strange catch that we haven't taken into account. I logged onto http://www.calottery.com, found the phone # to claim our prizes, called them up and talked to a very helpful woman named Avril Pousson who told me, yes it's real and congratulations and you must be thrilled.

Uh. Yeah. Thrilled. Geez.

Choices like payments-or-lump-sum? and do-you-want-to-divert-this-percentage-to-that-charity? have to be made by Monday and it's all a freaking tornado. Tomorrow, Carey (since she's the one who actually bought the ticket) gets her picture taken and she's going to be on Fox News (probably getting one of those oversized checks or something). I asked if we could possibly forego the whole press part of it, but the California Lottery Board says no - they use footage of winners as publicity and it's kind of the nature of the beast.

Kooky ideas have been occuring to us about how to spend the money. Maybe we'll sink some of it into real estate. Carey wants to give at least ten million to Central African missions she's been reading about. Me, I want to make a low budget indy movie and do it right. Either way, this will open up enormous self-publishing opportunities for me and Carey can relax about school and schedules and...

Either way, we'll both be taking some time off. I don't know if I'm going to quit (I've always told myself I wouldn't adjust my lifestyle much if something outrageous like this happened, but now that it's a reality, good grief), but I'm definitely going to scale back my schedule. Needless to say, neither of us were remotely prepared for this.

Really, we're just happy. Thankful. Amazed. I'm not sure what to say. Our lives will be much different from now on and, to be honest, I'm a little scared. Either way, I'll post updates to this site as they come. Gulp.

!!!