As many people remember from days gone by, the infamous red SOLO cup, is the Swiss Army knife of drink wear. While urban legend, the indentations actually are pretty accurate measurements. From the bottom- 1 oz., 5 oz., and 12 oz. which can help anyone with the mixology. Did you know 1oz. of chocolate syrup to 11 oz. of milk makes a pretty good cup of chocolate milk?
This was actually a request from a MINIon who shall remain nameless… I don’t understand why they decided this would work for them, but everyone has a passion and I guess some people collect SOLO cups. 
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A Year in MINIons- MINIon #5010
As many people remember from days gone by, the infamous red SOLO cup, is the Swiss Army knife of drink wear. While urban legend, the indentations actually are pretty accurate measurements. From the bottom- 1 oz., 5 oz., and 12 oz. which can help anyone with the mixology. Did you know 1oz. of chocolate syrup to 11 oz. of milk makes a pretty good cup of chocolate milk?
This was actually a request from a MINIon who shall remain nameless… I don’t understand why they decided this would work for them, but everyone has a passion and I guess some people collect SOLO cups. A Year in MINIons- MINIon #1774
Yesterday was Geocaching and today I headed north to Apple-Seed Comic Con in Fort Wayne. Don’t panic, I wasn’t tabling or doodling for cash and fame. I was there to check out the Con, learn something, and get inspired. Apple-Seed Comic-Con is held in the same place as Brickworld Fort Wayne. It’s not one of those Mega-Cons that call themselves “Comic Cons” but deal more with celebrities and autographs. It was essentially an Artist Alley with a few vendors (including a company selling gutters- for your house, not your comic). This makes it nice, but also can make it a quick trip through the vendor hall. I arrived fairly early and I stopped by and chatted quickly with some friends (never wanting to keep others from buying their stuff) and then went to a session I was hoping would help me with a project I’m working on. “Secrets of Drawing Comics THEY Don’t Want You To Know” presented by the wonderful Kyle Latino. This was worth the price of admission. After drawing a comic strip for a little over 6 years now, the transition to drawing a full page is a little scary. The hard part about a strip is getting your idea out in three or four panels. The problem with a page is… it’s a page and there are so many things that can go wrong and so much space to go wrong with. While I’ve been reading page after page of comics for over 40 years, making the magic happen is a little harder. Kyle’s presentation I believe has got me on the right path… only time will tell if I really listened and learned.
As for the for Artist’s Alley, there were some wonderful things to see, and I’m sorry that I didn’t feel right talking to everyone. As with many cons the pitch heard most was “It’s a story about a zombie apocalypse…” For my purpose, not all ages enough. I thought I would plug a few of the folks I saw and chatted with (kids- understand that not all of these creators deal with zombies, nor are all them appropriate for elementary students): Chris & Gin, Andy Korty, Bri Rudd, Kyle Latino, G. Pike and Ron Braun. I do hope they all had a successful show, and maybe I’ll join them next year! SO I checked out the show, learned something, and got inspired to take that leap of faith fiddle with a full page… what’s next? I do know I’m planning on attending (as either a teacher or a creator) Kids Read Comics in the middle of June… I won’t be tabling, but Cecil and I will be there wandering Ann Arbor in search of comics, creators, and knowledge. A Year in MINIons- MINIon #5300
Today was the Annual Spring Picnic for Indiana Geocachers. Held this year at Turkey Run State Park (Yes, Hoosiers come up with strange names for places) it was a lot of fun, so I decided to honor the event with MINIon #5300.
I have figured out that the readership of this comic/blog falls into a few categories- Friends who Own MINI Coopers, Friends who Geocache, Friends of friends who own MINI Coopers or Geocache, other friends, the NSA, and family. So for the the non-geocachers out there I’ll go with the basic “My hobby is using a multi-billion dollar satellite system to find Tupperware in the woods” to explain geocaching. For MINI owners think of it as a cross country rally in which you stop every so often to search for hidden items in out of the way places that are really cool to get to- a ginormous worldwide scavenger hunt. Almost every place we stopped on MTTS for a ” Surprise and Delight” had a cache within 100 yards.
The one thing both MINI and Geocaching have in common are a great community, hence driving out to Turkey Run for the day to meet with friends and talk over adventures. While I’m definitely not a “Hardcore Cacher” I do enjoy the hunt when time permits and today caching had me heading up a stream to see a fantastic waterfall, which was not a bad way to spend a day. A Year in MINIons- MINIon #2011
In 2010 C2E2 was the first convention to grant me a Professional Badge… Now to be honest I signed up as a teacher not a cartoonist, but still It was a pro badge. In 2011 I remember sitting the hotel bar that had been taken over by Comic Book Resources, if I recall correctly (but probably not), and they had a special convention beer on tap- one made by one of my favorite breweries, 3 Floyds, it was called Zombie Dust & I had found a new favorite. As part of a collaboration between the brewery and the comic book industry. In later years Revolution Brewing in Chicago (not Indiana) provided the official convention beer “Galaxy Hero” which is good, but nothing compares to Zombie Dust. Since then micro-breweries actually have a panel at C2E2 to discuss comics and beer. I’m not alone in my appreciation for Zombie Dust, since it is a holy grail for some beer snobs. I just like it and as the school year draws to a close it is nice to have around the house after a hard week in the classroom.
Apologies to Tim Seeley for monkeyfying his artwork, but a guy who draws monkeys has to do what a guy who draw monkeys has to do.
A Year in MINIons- MINIon #1965
OOK! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a drone! It’s MINIon #1965! My classroom is just starting (after a few false starts) its end of year unit on Fantasy which heavily relies on a study of comic books. In the end I hope the class will cosplay their own characters, but what should I dress up as? In the past when asked to attend comic book related events at school, I tend to go with the “fanboy” look or what I wear at a comic-con, but since I’m kind of in charge of a group I figured I need to model correct superhero attire. So I’m thinking about going as “The MINIon” my superpower being to manipulate technology and not be afraid to push buttons… it might work, but then again I might change my mind or the costume colors because I can’t find the right shoes. A Year in MINIons- MINIon #2024
To the graduating class of… whenever.
The world doesn’t care how many times you fall down, as long as it’s one fewer than the number of times you get back up. Always be guided by the light of knowledge and wisdom to shape your future, the future of your country, and the future of the world. Just remember you can’t climb the ladder of success with your hands in your pockets. It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all-in which case, you fail by default. I’ve learned that I can pretty much do anything I’ve wanted to as long as I was methodical and diligent about it. Live all your life. Understand it, see it, appreciate it. And have fun. On behalf of frogs, fish, pigs, bears and all of the other species who are lower than you on the food chain, thank you for dedicating your lives to saving our world and our home. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. Death is very likely the single best invention of life. It’s life’s change agent; it clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now, the new is you. But someday, not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it’s quite true. Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice, heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary… Stay hungry, stay foolish. So whatever your dream is right now, if you don’t achieve it, you haven’t failed, and you’re not some loser. But just as importantly — and this is the part I may not get right and you may not listen to — if you do get your dream, you are not a winner.Wear sunscreen. The real world won’t care as much about your self-esteem as much as your school does. It’ll expect you to accomplish something before you feel good about yourself. This may come as a shock. Usually, when inflated self-esteem meets reality, kids complain that it’s not fair. And thank your parents! Of course, if you don’t thank them now, you’ll have plenty of time to thank them tomorrow when you move back in with them.
Need some more graduation wisdom? Try here
A Year in MINIons- MINIon #0057
“Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!” I’ve been keeping this MINIon on the list for a while, trying to get it just right. It’s amazing how a short-lived series has such an impact on Pop Culture. Firefly, was a great show, and I think that part of the issue is everyone wondering the “What if it had not been cancelled?” Umm… let’s bring up another show that was cancelled, but then wasn’t – Star Trek. Thanks to a massive letter writing campaign the original series was saved for a third season… and here’s what happened – “Spock’s Brain”… nuff said. The network caved to the masses and then gave us some really bad episodes to make sure that no one would write them again. I’m glad Firefly ended on a high note (although I wish some characters hadn’t been killed in the film)- we at least escaped the network’s sudden but inevitable betrayal. A Year in MINIons- MINIon #0922
I don’t know where to start on this one. It definitely made me realize my limitations as an artist. For some strange reason, some people are under the misconception that if you can draw that means you can draw ANYTHING… While this may not have been the exact case with this MINIon, it has happened to me multiple times so I thought I speak about it here. I actually tell kids that by law I’m not allowed to draw copyrighted characters, because kids are honest, and cruel and will tell you when something is wrong. I have drawn my characters off and on for six years. I’m getting to where I can draw them to a point where I like them. Being a fan of Warner Bros. Animation I understand the differences between me and Chuck Jones, Friz Freeleng, Tex Avery and their counterparts at other studios. A character like Tweety has been refined to the point where if anyone makes even the slightest change, including how it is inked, you recognize it, it’s glaring. You don’t change an icon, and you can’t draw an icon the first, second or 100th time out perfectly. I pride myself on being able to watch a Bugs Bunny cartoon and tell who the director was, just by the subtle differences in the way Bugs is drawn… having to draw Bugs, Garfield, or Snoopy, is extremely difficult for me, because I know when I make even the smallest mistake, and so does everyone else. So for this one, I found a line drawing of Tweety and put it on the hand of MINIon #0922. Then I looked and just shook my head at my style vs. that of Friz Freeleng. Kind of like a mash up of Jasper Johns and Albrecht Dürer. Some day, maybe, if I have the time to set aside to draw more, I’ll be that good, if I’m lucky. A Year in MINIons- MINIon #1914
Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there! I did some research for MINIon #1914 (like I do for all the MINIons, because numbers are important) and discovered that the person who pushed for Mother’s Day to become a national holiday decided in the end that it wasn’t a great idea. Not that having a holiday that honors Mom was bad, but how it had become so commercialized (back in the 1930’s & 40’s) that it took away from her original idea… Welcome to America. I wonder what she’d say now?
As for my mom- I hope she has a wonderful day with her new puppy and her old puppy, and that Dad gets her a hot cocoa or one of those new cream frappuccino drinks when he makes his Starbuck’s run this morning. Yes, I will call her today (Did you know that Mother’s Day is the biggest day for long distance phone calls?) to hear about how wonderful my siblings are, except for those who aren’t because they haven’t called yet.
As for Sue’s mom (my other mom)- I hope the weather is good enough for some golf, or at least a nice walk on the beach before the tourist season starts in earnest, I’m sure Sue will try to call sometime today (Did you know that Mother’s Day is the biggest day for long distance phone calls?) .
I thank both of these ladies for their support over the years, and having to put up with me. Again, Happy Mother’s Day! Oh, Call your mother if you can (Did you know that Mother’s Day is the biggest day for long distance phone calls?).
A Year in MINIons- MINIon #1059
For those who are following the current “multiverse shattering event” put on by DC Comics to get comic fans to part with their money – “Convergence” the basic premise is that Brainiac has removed cities from every alternate reality placed them on a planet and now heroes from these cities must fight for survival of their universe. Not to be confused with Marvel’s “multiverse shattering event” in which a world has been put together from various alternate realities and the heroes must fight for the survival of their universe – “Secret Wars” Basically, it’s getting close to summer and this is what the major comic publishers do every year – which can be annoying.
So all MINIon #1059 is asking- is when everything is said and done, there better be a version of Beppo the super monkey.