March 2003
Journal Notes Archive
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3/4/03 - The strip is down there below all this, but this is important. I wished to take a few moments here regarding Book #8 and patronage. Book#8 is almost done and will be off to the printer hopefully on Monday. Below is the list of people who have patroned to help support Bruno (read: food in my mouth) and which helps me print the books, and it is also the list that will be appearing in Book #8 (ah, immortality!). Thank you all so much for helping, I'm printing my novel, Bruno Book#8, plus reprinting Bruno Book#1 and #2, so everyone's support is extremely appreciated in trying to pull this off.

Anyhow, this is the basic break-down (categories to be determined). If your name is here, check to make sure it's spelled correctly. If your name is missing and it should be here, tell me. If you requested it to be different or to not be here, double-check to make sure that I followed instructions correctly. And if you wish to join the list (or raise your amount), please do in the next couple days, or you'll miss your chance.

My best,
-Christopher

120 and above
FLEISHMAN, GLENN
STRANG, WILL


60-119
BARTS, JENNIFER H. I .
COELHO-KOSTOLNY, GABRIEL
FEATHERSTON, MIKEL
KOZOREZ, ANYA
SZEDENITS, FRATZI JEAN


30-59
DAVIDESCU, GORDON
FOIANI, ANTHONY
GIFFORD, ERICA
IMAI, KANE
JAILBAIT
KINKADE, LEE
KINLIN, SEAN
MEHN, GLEN (NOVEL!)
MILLER, ERIC
BICKERS, M
REECE, GARRET
REYNOLDS, SEAN K.
SELKIRK, PAUL

0-29
ANONYMOUS
BARTELS, TOBY
BERGSTROM, DIRK T.
BLUMBERG, SETH L.
COHN, MICHAEL
DARLING, DAVE
DESPOTES, JONATHAN
DODSWORTH, SAM
EYNON, BARRY
FEDDER, MATTHEW
GENTRY, ELIZABETH
GIBBS, NOAH
GUERTIN, PAUL
HALDIMAN, JANE
HARZEWSKI, JUDI
HOCHBRUCK, JAN
JOHNSON, MICHAEL
KING, CARRIE LYNN
KOLEWE, RALPH
LITTLE, JAMES
LYDA, KEVIN
PICKETT, SARA C.
RATTRAY, JEFF
ROSHAK, NATALKA
SEGAL, J.B.
SIMS, CHRISTOPHER T.
SIX, SCIROCCO MICHELLE
SMITH, TRISTAN
SPAMPINATO, ANTONIO
THOMPSON, RACHEL
VAN REIJEN, DANIEL
VOS, GERBEN
WEBSTER, MIKE
WHIELDON, GWYN
WOOD, JAMES
WOODWARD, JAY T.


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3/8/03 - Hey Kip. There you go, you wanker.

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3/10/03 - Patron's Names List updated again. (list is below.) I'm afraid it's too late to get your name in Book#8, but check to see if your name is listed and correct, it's not too late to tell me that! And thank you all so much!

And I feel terrible, I haven't yet had a chance to create a graphic link to the Bruno Search Database, but it's there if you want to find those obscure things you've forgotten about, and if you wish to lend a hand. And there is now a temporary text link to it at the top of the column on the left here.

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3/11/03 - Just a note: Kip wished my to inform you that my comment on Saturday (3/8/02) is in no way a reflection of his sexual orientation or interests, and also that it was related to a socio-political conversation we had partaken, and not about the sheep that seem to go missing near his house during the summer solstice, which show up the next day, all bahhhing and flustered.

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3/13/03 - Okay, a few days late, but tonight I finshed, and burned to cd, the pre-press work for Bruno Book #1, #2, and #8. Will be off in the mail tomorrow. I can't even explain how good that makes me feel. Yay! (Now it's just taxes, cleaning my apartment, coming out of my hole and see sunlight (what Portland has) and friends, catching up on the last month of neglected email, plus new art projects, as well as anything else I forgot.)

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3/14/03 - Okay, so today's strip. Not only was it frustrating to write, I did at least a dozen drafts, each edited several times, many attempts at punch-lines, and finally ended up with something that I'm decently satisfied with. But then I came up against the baloons. How to make them match the right person without losing all of you, which is not a new difficulty you've all seen me try to tackle here. But I wanted to tell you just how this is like a donut.

There was a game that Vinny, an adult friend of our family, showed us kids (and promised us $20 if we could solve it). The game is this: you have three houses, and three utilities, and every house needs every utility. So draw the connecting lines, but no lines can cross.



Can't do it? Well don't feel too bad. It's simple topography. It's impossible. But as a child I spenty hours and hours and hours on this problems, being sure that I'd find that undiscovered way. I never did, but later, in high-school, I discovered the topographical principle and that the answer was a donut. Now, mind you, a bridge is a form of donut, topographically speaking. But see (the pink things are sprinkles):



Anyhow, the point being, when I do a strip like this, I think about that game, and then about donuts, and then I curse that there are no donut shops in downtown Portland. And it's bed-time now.

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3/15/03 - So there's this huge rally today (Saturday) on the waterfront in Portland at 2:00. I'm only going to be able to be there about an hour, so I won't get to see too much. But I may take pictures and do an additional Saturday strip, with source photos I may take there. But even if i get photos, I don't know if I'll get to drawing it this weekend. Hard to say if, and if so, when they might be posted. But you know, just f.y.i.

Oh, and yesterday, I think I may have meant "topology" rather than "topography", or possibly both. The dictionary didn't make me sure of either.

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3/16/03 - Well, the rally was pretty amazing The state troopers were scarey, they had blocked off the Morrison Bridge for a "state of emergency" and slowly pushed any protesters back down off it with their clubs.

But as far as a Bruno strip, for some reason all photo places either had shut down early or weren't doing one-hour, so sadly I was not able to get my film developed. i will today and again see what i can do. :)

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3/17/03 - Okay, I had another very oddly unsuccessful day getting the film developed. So here's the plan. I still really want to do a strip of the rally (assuming the pics come out) and so I hope to do it some time this week, but I'll date it to fall between Saturdy and Monday's strips.

And I'm now much better educated in knowing that I meant "topology". Thank you all who wrote me to clarify my confusion.

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3/18/03 - I know this week is slightly off. Today's strip is actually Part 2 of Saturday's strip (delayed due to the source photos having been taken on Saturday and some difficulty with developing). And it took 7 hours to draw it today, so instead of two strips today (because right now I sleep) I'll give you two days on aother day this week.

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3/19/03 - If you're looking for Tuesday's double-sized strip of the weekend's rally, it was actually part of
last week's strips. So check it out there.

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3/21/03 - I do not wish to get political here, but I don't feel right not saying it simply. I am very much saddened by news of this war. I do not believe in it for many reasons, and I think it is undermining our country's foreign relations for many years to come. I only hope (aside from hoping that it ends immediately) that as few people as possible die and that it is over quickly. And I do not support Bush, his policies, nor recognize him as our elected president.

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3/24/03 - Politics. It was never my wish for Bruno to be a political strip. Maybe some social commentary, but never a "political strip". But it's tough when things like this war happens. Because it is such a part of all of our lives, and it would be wrong to not make it part of Bruno and her friend's lives. I openly and freely admit that, yes, I do stand behind what she is saying, strongly, and yes, I do recognize that it will very possibly go against what quite a few of you believe. But it's also a realistic slice of what myself and most of my friends believe, and I hope that those of you who disagree, that you respect my attempt to explore some of the ideas as they come up and not hate Bruno or myself for it. If you do hate it for that, I wish you the best. Sadly (that is, "sadly, in regards to my bottom-line"), I prefer to be honest and lose readers. This is a part of our lives.

What to expect: Well, before any of you write and request it, I have no intent of making a full exploration issue out of all angles of this war. I doubt I'll try to cover the "pro-war" side to any great (if any at all) extent. I have other storylines in Bruno to write, and since this strip is a exploration of Bruno's character, this issue (when touched upon) will largely be centered around her or her friend's lives (where it touches them). And I have already made it clear what she believes. That said, I also don't know what lies ahead in how this war affects me and my friend's lives, so this all may change.

And on another note, I am not proud of "dealing" with the war in Bruno or anything, but I am a bit sad that of the dozen or so strips I read online, that none have mentioned it. I mean, there's no real reason to do so I suppose. It is a bit self-righteous to use a platform of one's comic as a soap-box (I try so hard not to, but do admit I have my weak moments). But I can't help feel that it's based on fear about hurting one's popularity and income, which in the end, I feel hurts the medium. I think it's destructive that artists in this genre (yes, cartoonists ARE artists) are so afraid to say how they feel about hot topics. I mean, you don't have to shove it down a reader's throat, and you can even try to address it in an objective P.C. marketed way, but to dismiss it almost as if it wasn't a huge significant part of our lives? I don't know. Perhaps comics are suposed to be just escapism. Perhaps comics are the childish safe-haven they've been pigeon-holed into after all, and sales are more important. And I know most online cartoonists are struggling to get by, so I don't hold this against them, truly. But it does make me a bit sad. I love this medium. I really do.

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03/26/03 - Lol, I'm doing a real good job not talking about the war. :sigh: It's just such a huge part of all of our lives, it's hard to ignore it.

So jus a couple things here. First, that from an email and a little further looking, a few online strips (aside from purely political strips) were upturned, which have mentioned or deal with the war. Sinfest (yay!), , Diesel Sweeties, Chopping Block (although I feel this is a really poor strip to introduce Chopping Block with, it's actually rather funny in it's own bizarre twisted way), or Narbonic, I've been told, has changed the background color of its page to black for the duration of the war.

Also, regarding other strips which have not mentioned it in their blogs or strips, they gotta' do their thing. I know not their reasons nor judge them. I just observe and wonder.

Also, I was recently spammed with a list of French companies to boycott. So I wanted to support an anti-boycott, to support the French for telling the U.S. that the only thing that would make the U.N. obsolete is not if countries didn't support the U.S., but rather if countries bent to U.S. pressure and took U.S. bribes (conditional aid packages).

So, support the French, buy their cheese as well as these French products:

Air France
Air Liquide
Airbus
Alcatel
Allegra (allergy medication)
Aqualung (including: Spirotechnique, Technisub, US Divers, and SeaQuest)
AXA Advisors
Bank of the West (owned by BNP Paribas)
Beneteau (boats)
BF Goodrich (owned by Michelin)
BIC (razors, pens and lighters)
Biotherm (cosmetics)
Bollinger (champagne)
Car & Driver Magazine
Chanel
Chivas Regal (scotch)
Christian Dior
Club Med (vacations)
Dannon (yogurt and dairy foods)
Dom Perignon
Durand Crystal
Elle Magazine
Essilor Optical Products
Evian
Givenchy
Glenlivet (scotch)
Hennessy
Houghton Mifflin (books)
Jacobs Creek (owned by Pernod Ricard since 1989)
Jameson (whiskey)
Jerry Springer (talk show)
KitchenAid
Krups (coffee and cappuccino makers)
Lancome. Le Creuset (cookware)
L'Oreal (health and beauty products)
Louis Vuitton
Martel Cognac
Maybelline
Michelin (tires and auto parts)
Mikasa (crystal and glass)
Moet (champagne)
Motel 6
Motown Records
MP3.com
Peugeot (automobiles)
ProScan (owned by Thomson Electronics, France)
Publicis Group (including Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising)
Pinault-Printemps-Redoute (Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent)
RCA (televisions and electronics; owned by Thomson Electronics)
Red Roof Inns (owned by Accor group in France)
Renault (automobiles)
Road & Track Magazine
Roquefort cheese (all Roquefort cheese is made in France)
Rowenta (toasters, irons, coffee makers, etc.)
Sierra Software and Computer Games
Smart & Final
Sofitel (hotels, owned by Accor)
Sparkletts (water, owned by Danone)
Spencer Gifts
Technicolor
TeFal (kitchenware)
Total gas stations
UbiSoft (computer games)
Uniroyal
Universal Studios (music, movies and amusement parks; owned by Vivendi-Universal)
USFilter
Veritas Group
Veuve Clicquot Champagne
Vittel
Vivendi
Wild Turkey (bourbon)
Woman's Day Magazine
Yoplait (The French company Sodiaal owns a 50 percent stake)
Zodiac Inflatable Boats

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3/28/03 - Just thinking about cheese, and about my left leg, and some about sleep, and some about what a pain in the ass Saint Jerome was to Saint Paula, and about our family dog "Wiggles" (long deceased), and just about memory and what happens to it.

Feeling a little disconnected.


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3/29/03 -

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03/31/03 - Went up to Olympia, Washington on Saturday. It's a beautiful town and it was nice to be on the water, although it's an inlet, not the actual ocean. Had french toast this morning. Wrote Bruno all afternoon. Started reading Zadie Smith'sWhite Teeth recently, but I think I've decided to return it to the libarary, not sure if it's the book or my mood. Finally compiled a fair look at what my taxes will likely look like for last year, and it is a bit discouraging. Received about 600 emails since friday, and not one was personal, all spam (this is not an unusual number, although usually there is at least one or two personal emails. But it's no real surprise, as I've been so piss-poor about responding to emails for along while now, sorry). Kevin's comic, In Contempt is as sharp as ever (Kevmo, those spandex are wearing you, buddy!). Just found out that Bruno online may be actual criminal presently in South Carolina, as in seriously, if I went there they could arrest me for Bruno, for how it currently is. And yes, it's Monday.

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March 2003
Journal Notes Archive
February
April
Back To Bruno