I’m alive! I promise! A brief summary of things I did.

I realized today that I haven’t updated this blog in a while, and though I’ll get the chance to this Friday, I thought it would be urgent to let you know that I am, in fact, alive and kicking. I just haven’t been able to use the Internet for a while because:

1) at the beginning of May until about the 22nd, I was in Arizona in areas where Internet was a luxury similar to having a house with indoor air conditioning, which wasn’t often. As amazing and life-influencing as the experience was, it was not conductive to blogging, and so I had to relent. But then,

2) when I got home, my mom informed me that her wireless router had broken, and for the week that I was there, I had to live without Internet once again. However, I didn’t mind, since another week or two without it wouldn’t kill me (one of the many things I learned at the beginning of the month was what I could live without and no matter how many nerds may argue with me, Internet is one of those things).

3) once the week was up, I went back up to Sandusky, Ohio, to start my summer job. The apartment I’m staying at didn’t get its own internet connection until last week.

4) I was too busy drawing and reading.

I’m one of those few people that can live without television, and because of that, I have more free time than most people because I’m not watching what happens next on Desperate Housewives or, God forbid, Jersey Shore (thank you, ex-roommate, for showing me why reality TV is overrated with your addiction to the Kardashians. I do not miss listening to them at 8 o’clock in the morning). So with all this free time, I’m not only drawing and practicing my comics, but I’m also reading a HUMONGOUS stack of books this summer. I just finished reading:

Omega the Unknown by Jonathan Lethem and Farel Dalrymple
Reinventing Comics by Scott McCloud
Sleepwalk and other stories by Adrian Tomine
Life Sucks by Jessica Abel, Gabriel Soria, and Warren Pleece

…and a couple of other books which I can’t remember right now. I’m currently reading:

The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga by Deepak Chopra (which I may stop reading, but haven’t decided yet)
God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything by Christopher Hitchens (which I may stop reading because he focuses entirely on the monotheistic religions and doesn’t bring enough focus to other faiths. I myself am rather spiritual, but I love to read material that makes me think because it doesn’t fit my beliefs. However, his book is starting to prove to be a personal vendetta against Christianity and Islam rather than an objective book on multiple faiths like I had hoped for. It IS interesting to note the arguments he makes about religion being amoral and wish-fulfilling, though.)
Zen and the Art of Happiness by Chris Prentiss
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Zen and the Art of Anything by Hal French
Something Under the Bed is Drooling: a collection of Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson (I’m in love with this collection)
No Plot? No Problem! A Low-Stress, High Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days by Chris Baty (the guy who founded National Novel Writing Month)
How NOT to Write a Novel by Howard Mittelmark and Sandra Newman
Blacksad by Juan Diaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido
Scott Pilgrim vs the World vol. 1 by Bryan Lee O’Malley
Two Flowers for the Dragon vol. 1 by Nari Kusakawa
Daniel X, the Manga vol. 1 by James Patterson
Bone by Jeff Smith (I never got the chance to finish reading this series. Now’s the best time since the library has all the volumes)

…and a LOT more. Next week I’ll post my reading list and see if I come up with any new names and titles.

Now, a brief synopsis of what I was doing at the beginning of May…

After finals week, I went with thirty other people in three white vans to Arizona to stay on the Navajo Reservation for two weeks. I was excited, but tried to keep my expectations low so I could enjoy it.

I can now successfully say that not only do I have a greater appreciation for accepting chaos and chaotic situations, talking to people you otherwise wouldn’t want to be in a room with for more than five seconds, showers, beds, ice cream, living in the moment, and realizing that reality is not about discovering your individuality, it’s about being part of the people….

But I now dearly miss the taste of Fry Bread more than I missed the taste of ice cream the entire trip. Navajo Fry Bread is delicious!

I WILL be updating more on that because I took a gazillion pictures and kept a sketch diary on my trip (which includes a primitive-looking comic strip and a contribution from a traditional Navajo painter). I want to share what I experienced with all of you as the week goes by. So with that said…

I’ll do my best to update my blog everyday this week, though we shall see what my work schedule permits.

P.S. I love my job up here in Sandusky. Being a caricature artist is awesome.

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