"Go ahead, Frank. Tell 'im what you saw."

This is my tribute to the last of the revolutionary "nine old men" animators passing away. For as long as I've been in animation, I've never had the pleasure to hear too much about Frank 'n Ollie. My short attention span would only see the ones that stuck out, like Tex Avery, Chuck Jones and Friz Freling, just to name a few. I say thank you to those who brought them into my world, from Walt Disney all the way down to you, my friends, not only in animation, but those who support me as I trample through life as I do.

The above title quote comes from the movie "the Iron Giant" where shortly after a train runs into the head of the Giant, the two engineers, animated versions of Frank and Ollie, discuss what happened with the authorities. It's a great movie. If you haven't seen it, then do it now!!!

I always feel like, somebody's WATCHING me!

So I'm going to view the blog today, when I keep getting this eerie sensation of a presence.... a presence I have not felt since........................................

So I think I caught it on film. Can you find it?

At least I didn't fall

So here I am with Joe Vader trying to ride a unicycle. Yes, it is as funny as it looks. Yes I actually stayed on it for a small amount of time. No I am not grabbing my crouch. I am merely trying to keep the seat under me. It's a fantastically awkward time trying to coordinate all your limbs on one of these beasts. You should try it some time, if for no other reason than to say you tried it at least once. At least I didn't fall!

Spider-Man for Clinton in '96!!!

So you might be asking your collective selves "What the hell is this about?!"

Well, for some reason or another, my father and his family (myself included) were invited to the inauguration of Bill Clinton's second term in Washington D.C. It was sweet! We were in the lawn at his acceptance speech in front of the capitol building, then later on got to an after party at the Air and Space museum. He had to make the rounds of course, so he only stopped by for a brief time. He went directly onto stage, spoke for a bit, then directly off, so not too much meet and mingle stuff. I got all dressed up for nothing (unless memory unsurprisingly fails me, I wore a tux that night.) But I put all that in the past when none other than REO Speedwagon entertained us for hour on end! By the end of their set the crowd was cheering and they left on a high note. Throughout the show the lead singer/guitarist was throwing guitar picks out into the crowd (that's their emblem is on the guitar pick, btw.) I managed to push some old lady over and grab two of them. I think that's what happened....... Anyway, this one is the only one I can find. I foolishly let a friend of mine use it for a short while until it snapped at the bottom, and I have no idea where the other is. Maybe if I cleaned more often..........

Now, why Spider-Man you ask? Because Wolverine is a Republican. Duh!

Things I've learned today.

You know, I've learned some things today......

-I've learned to make Polenta. It's good if you do it right.

-Gorgonzola cheese is horrible. It tastes as bad as it smells.

-Don't put Gorgonzola cheese on your "made just right" Polenta. That'll just shoot your day to hell.

-It's only one more week til my birthday. I have no plans to do anything, besides the same class that I learned I don't like Gorgonzola in.

-I don't know JACK SQUAT about Adobe Illustrator. I need help. Any takers?

The Apocalypse Arisen

So this is FINALLY my first official post, and so to mark the occasion I thought I'd do something special.

My good friend Joe (Vader) Heredia is having a baby at some point in the near future. If you know Joe, than you know this is a shock to his system. If not, then rest assure this IS one of the signs of the Apocalypse. Be prepared for a swarm of locusts and fire to fall from the sky and all that good stuff.

Despite that heart felt warning, I do wish Joe and his wife Leti all the best and don't be surprised if I come crash the baby shower for no good reason.

So this is my rendition of what the youngin' will look like if it's a girl. As you can see, she has her mother's nose and her daddy's hair!

Congratulations you two!