Karin’s Neighborhood

Sorry for the serious lack of writing in recent days. Very busy fellow right now. Some things simply demand proliferation, though, and this happens to be one of those things.

I got this from here, where Things Worth Looking At are more common than not. In fact, come to think of it, I believe that might have been where I found the other awesome Dark Knight photo-manipulation I posted a few days ago.

I dig this. Sort of reminds me of what our heroes did in Sean of the Dead in order to reach the Winchester Pub.

That one fish up in front using the spot on his tail to form the eye is pretty cool, but the subtler, more impressive detail is that the shark-shaped school has its own group of pilot fish tagging along.

hi this is dg

i fond a story abot a kitteh from chicago that has four ears!!!

he seems a lot like edgr becuz he doesnt purr or meow loud at all

dady sayd that havee four ears but not havee a loud voice is calld "ironic" but i dont get wut he means

ok luv you peeps

dg

Try not to swallow your tongue when you see this.

[via]

If I were the kind of guy to use my illustration and design abilities for evil – say, to cruelly perpetuate heart-stopping rumors – I hope I would do it with this degree of skill and finesse. This is just wicked. Mad props to the Photoshop artist that produced this.

Aaaaaand, who represents the contrived cast of this spurious sequel?

Supposedly:

Johnny Depp as The Riddler
Angelina Jolie as Catwoman
Philip Seymour Hoffman as The Penguin

Hmm. That's quite a talented trio, but there’s quite a bit of talent wrapped up in the three actors who previously played those roles, as well. Jim Carrey, Michelle Pfeiffer and Danny DeVito are all superstars in their own rights. And considering how superior Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker was over that of the great Jack Nicholson, one can’t help but wonder how the performances of Depp, Jolie and Hoffman would compare.

Having thought it over for at least three minutes, I’ve concluded the following:

Johnny Depp definitely has the ability to do with the Riddler what he did with Sweeney Todd – that is, take an already crazy-scary character and make him even crazier-scarier. Unfortunately, he also has it in him to do to the Riddler what he did to Willy Wonka – that is, take a crazy-creepy character and mercilessly pervert him into an androgynous, latex-gloved, closet pedophile. Wait… does the Riddler wear gloves? Never mind. Doesn’t matter. Point is it could go either way.

Chance of Depp outshining Carrey as the Riddler: 50%

Angelina Jolie as Catwoman is not exactly what you’d call a risky casting move. In fact, I sort of wonder who the hell else they would pick for that one. My daughter Amanda mentioned an actress (whose name I can’t recall now) the other night and all I could think was, “It takes more than a pretty face to be Catwoman.” And, see, if Michelle Pfeiffer had that something extra, then Jolie’s got it in spades.

Chance of Jolie outshining Pfeiffer as Catwoman: 98%

Philip Seymour Hoffman is a master thespian. I just want to make that perfectly clear. But, honestly, casting him as Mr. Freeze would be better than casting him as ol’ Cobblepot. The first and most important reason is that he has the same problem Nicholson had, only reversed: he’s too damn tall for his character! Secondly, while he’s certainly round in the right places, he’s simply not pointy enough in others. Finally, wouldn't everyone just see Truman Capote with a monocle and cigarette holder?

Chance of Hoffman outshining DeVito as the Penguin: 2%

OK, well, I’m guessing the First Annual Boston Squee Party is in full swing by now. I mean, it’s past noon in Beantown, so all the shops and entertainment venues are surely open. Plus, they can all consume alcohol without being seen as unbridled lushes.

The Deej hasn’t been VOXing much, so he had no idea a bunch of his peeps were headed to Boston for the weekend. I just told him about it a little bit ago and he was immediately incensed with me. See, he’s been learning a lot about the history of polydactyl cats in the United States and since it’s widely accepted that they originally entered this country via Boston’s seaports, he’s sort of built the place up as The Thumbcat Promised Land.* I don't have the heart (or the courage, for that matter) to show him that the designs I came up with for the commemorative items are fully devoid of cats.

Anyway, I hope BSP08 is a giant success and I anxiously await the messy details.

Oh, and for those who have been wanting larger examples of the artwork for various purposes:

*Not to imply DG is a religious kitteh. He has a hard time with the idea of Ceiling Cat because surely any legitimate feline deity would be polydactyl.

I’ve mentioned before how I am occasionally gifted with various items from the vendors for whom I design advertising materials. Most of the time, the items given to me are inexpensive tchotchkes publicizing some new product or simply promoting the company’s brand.

One such item I received a while back was a miniature Magic 8 Ball. It was about the size of an actual billiard ball but the polyhedron inside with the answers on it was full-size, so you really had to shake the hell out of the thing to get the answer to be different each time.

Will I throw my arm out of the socket if I keep asking questions?

Reply hazy, try again

Am I about to throw my arm out of the goddamned socket!?

Reply hazy, try again

AM I GOING TO THROW MY ARM OUT OF TH– AAAAIEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

Signs point to yes

So I decided to take hammer to the little sarcastic bastard. And to make sure it had no misconceptions about who the bitch was in our relationship, I even asked it ahead of time if I should do such a drastic thing. I must admit I was impressed by the number of times it was able to repeat:

Better not tell you now

After countless tries, I eventually got a different answer. But the tiny phrase that finally appeared through the ball’s inky fluid immediately gave me a chill, for it was not one of the twenty standard responses.

Now, don’t misunderstand me here; I was not so naïve as to think a cheap knock-off would contain precisely the same set of comebacks as the famous original. The disturbing thing is that the reply staring back at me was not just any arbitrarily substituted assertion, but rather a very pointed and specific set of profoundly terrifying words. I don’t know how, but that forbidding little oracle retaliated against my cruel question by tapping into my strongest emotions and devising its answer accordingly. I felt strangely cold and alone as I stared in shock at the words pressing against the tiny little window:

The stars say no

The 8-ball had channeled the consciousness of Great Cthulhu himself!

Epilogue

All that remains of the evil (and I suspect ancient) artifact is the bone-white, embossed polyhedron. It rests somewhere secluded and secure with the dreadful reply from R’lyeh face down. The remaining broken pieces have been scattered far and wide in hopes they never reunite. I would implore you, dear reader, to make no attempts at locating the malevolent bauble. You may feel you have the fortitude to harness and control such power, but the very best you can hope for is a dislocated shoulder and hammer with its head stained a deep indigo blue.

hi this is dg

i hav not been on teh cmputer in a long time so sorry if i late

HAPPY BIRTHDAY YGRS!!!!

i hope you dont have to wear a dumb hat

luv dg

NOTE: The following refers to a meetup in Boston planned by some of my closest VOX peeps and was originally posted only to its dedicated Group.

Yup, you read that right. I’ve finally gotten my sh*t together and built the Boston Squee Party Online Store!

Relax, I’ll tell you where to find it in a second.

I designed these products working closely with arbed to insure her vision was adequately realized. I am told that Cranky has also seen the mock-ups and given her approval – something that greatly boosted my confidence, to be sure.

I tried to make a wide variety of products with a nice range of prices. Be sure to check out your options; some of the garments can be customized with regard to color and style. You can even add text if you want!

Be careful with darker garments. Check the magnified view of the product to make sure the graphic looks copasetic on the color you chose. Some text might get lost in the really dark shirts.

The garments offered are two-sided, so be sure to look at both sides. Currently, only the “Pink Tea” color scheme is available. I would be happy to make versions in other colors if anyone wants to tell me which product and what color they want the pink changed to. Speak up! If you don’t, you’ll be stuck with what’s there. Also, if you want a slightly different variation, such as a one-sided shirt, just ask. I'd be happy to do what I can to accommodate your BSP-Wear desires.

OK, fine, I’ve blathered on long enough. Here’s the link to the Boston Squee Party Online Store. Have fun. Hope you find something you like!

I am in mourning this day.

 A dear friend of Karin’s and mine has passed away of complications from leukemia and diabetes. He was 55.

Chris was a private, no-bullshit kind of guy and so the best tribute I can think to give him is to just quickly share one thing I feel best characterizes why he was special to me.

Put simply, he was the man who presented me with the most wonderful gift I have ever received. He quite literally gave me my best friend in the world – my beloved German Shepherd, Marley. A pure-bred Alsatian from champion bloodlines commands a hefty asking price, but Chris unselfishly and unreservedly gifted him to me. Almost seven years later, Marley’s undying love and loyalty continue to provide me immeasurable happiness and security. And now they will also serve to remind me that while our bodies may perish, our acts of kindness and generosity persevere and the inspiration they provide is everlasting.

Let it be understood and accepted as doctrine that the following example of LEGO construction demonstrates the method and manner approved and officially endorsed by Cthulhu is my Copilot.

It's unknown why the modeler who built this scene gave the Great Old One a set of setaceous antennae – I don't recall Cthulhu possessing insect-like features of any kind – but it's still a skillfully designed piece regardless. They even went so far as to make the architecture and clothing representative of Lovecraft's time period. Bravo!