Kelci D Crawford

I finally have internet back in my apartment! It’s not the best, but it’ll do.

In the meantime, I just heard back from the editor: IF-X, the anthology I contributed art to, is now off the printer! I’m ordering my copies soon for you guys to buy! Prices will be posted soon.

Here, though, is a four-page preview of the comic I contributed to the anthology. It’s called “Brody and Lisa,” and it’s a mini-romantic-comedy about a girl who discovers her boyfriend is a werewolf, while keeping a secret of her own…

To see the pages, just click, and they’ll expand to the screen.

Oooh, snap! What will happen next? Well once I get the books in, you can order one yourself and find out.

I’ve also been sketching up some new characters. One of them, Auxaton, just popped in my head, inspired by a dream I had a few days ago. The other one is part of a new challenge I’m embarking on. I’m calling it my Daily Character Challenge.

Yes, there are tons of daily character challenges out there, including the official one at 30characters.com. But I’m doing this challenge for me, because:

1. For some strange reason, I love imposing challenges on myself.
2. Creating characters has lately been a stalling point for me, and I would like to get back into the swing of things.
3. Composition is another weak point of mine, I feel, and I would like to practice it.
4. Two words: Copic. Markers. THEY MUST BE PLAYED WITH.
5. In creating new characters, I would like to try a few new styles and see what works and what doesn’t.

So you know that post I made about how I was going to move my blog over to WordPress.com?

Ignore it. I’m staying here.

Blogger is a much easier interface to use than WordPress. I just played around on the WordPress.com site and it’s a right PAIN IN THE ASS to get anything accomplished. Domain name transfers? Oww. Makes my brain hurt. Design? I can tinker with the code and widgets easier on Blogger than I can on WordPress. I can get the look I want here without too much hassle.

Don’t get me wrong! I’m still planning on getting my own hosted blog sometime in the near future, if only because I’m tired of the little Blogger bar at the top of my page. I could get rid of it with a new blog design, but that’ll take some goddamned effort on my part.

All in all, though, I prefer Blogger. I don’t think I’ll leave it anytime soon.

1. The Neighborhood: is there a lot of crime there? How close is it to all the important stuff like grocery stores and your workplace? Are your neighbors nice? Are they old or young? Do they have lots of parties?
2. The Rent: This is exceptionally important. Not only how much it is, but what utilities are covered on there (water, sewage, trash, gas, etc)? I’ve found that most times, rent covers everything but electricity or gas, and you’ll have to call the electric and gas companies separately to work out a plan to get any. If you find a place that has rent that covers electricity or gas, be sure to double check and ask.
3. Parking: especially for those of us with cars or bikes, is there a place to park them? You don’t need a garage unless you absolutely want one. It’ll help, though, if you can keep your car close to your apartment. Are there other places to park, like parking lots in front of the building? Does parking get full quickly?
4. “Not Metro Approved”: I came across this quote a couple of times in different listings, and if you don’t know what it means, here’s what I know: in the Sandusky, OH area, “Not Metro Approved” means it’s not low-income housing. THIS IS GOOD. The only people who get low-income housing are people on welfare or who are otherwise people you wouldn’t want to associate with because of drugs or something. If you find a listing for an apartment that says, “Not Metro Approved”, it’s usually a good sign. Still don’t discredit listings that don’t have that. Just take a good look at the neighborhood and the apartment and talk to the landlord.
5. Washer/Dryer or Laundromats: I have been warned that to find an apartment with a washer/dryer hookup is exceptionally rare. If you can find one, and it’s in your budget, GET IT! Otherwise, see if there’s a laundromat close-by. (As an aside, if you can hang-dry your clothes, do it: not only does it save you quarters, but it saves energy and your clothes themselves. Those lint traps you see in dryers? That’s all the lint falling off your clothes when you dry them. That’s right: your clothes are falling apart in the machine. Hang-drying them will help make sure your clothes last longer. If you have to machine-dry larger things like jeans, towels, or bedsheets, that’s fine. Those things are sturdy enough to withstand dryers.)
6. Your Budget: The most important, and this was something my mom told me (and since she rented apartments for years before she got into home-ownership, I can trust her on this): Your rent, including gas and electric, should not exceed how much you make at your workplace in two weeks. So let’s say I work at a job that pays $8/hour and I work 40 hours a week. In one week, I earned $320, and in two weeks, that’s $640. So my rent then, including gas and electric, should not exceed $640 dollars. AT ALL. If you stick with this system, it’ll work like this: If you work a job where you’re paid every other week, your first paycheck of the month can cover rent, and your next paycheck of the month can cover stuff like saving it back, groceries, and stuff like phone or internet bills, as well as fun stuff.