Diebold #1

This is the cover to the first issue of Diebold I wrote and published. About ten years ago...wow, it doesn't seem that long ago and than again it seems even longer. There's one more issue in the series and than the artist and I called it quits. This is also about the time I gave up the trying to bang my head against the wall and make a living as a writer. I've done almost nothing since. I think I want to try and give it a try again. Call me stupid, but I think I'll make another go of it. I think I'll post some of the covers to the different comics I've done and tell you about what went into creating the comic and anything else that comes to mind.I'll talk more about Diebold later after I post the second issue cover.

Fall Out Boy

I love the song titles on Fall Out Boy's new cd:

 

Our lawyer made us change the name of this song so we wouldn't be sued

 

I've got a dark alley and a bad idea that says you should shut your mouth

 

Sophmore slump or comeback of the year

 

Champagne for my real friends, real pain for my sham friends

 

I slept with someone in Fall Out Boy and all I got was this stupid song written about me

 

A little less sixteen candles, a little more "touch me"

 

Get busy living or get busy dying

Happy Mother's Day

You know, sometimes Moms can be the most infruitating people in the world. Especially after you're grown and wanting to be treated like an adult and they say something that just makes you feel like you're three feet tall and still having to ask for permission to stay up late to watch tv. But if too much time passes with them acting like you're the adult you pretend to be you secretly wish for that "Mother" in them to come out and scold you for something stupid and make you feel like a kid again.

I see some people that address their Mom by their given name. Now there's nothing wrong with that, but I just can't do it. My Mom is Mom, not Nell. She's Nell to my Dad or her sisters or her friends. To me she'll always be Mom. And that's the way I like it.

My Mom was the one that always paid the bills. My Dad came home and gave her his check and she did all the money stuff with it. I don't think my Dad would know how to pay a bill. She's never been late with a bill in her life. Me, I'm the complete opposite, if I'm on time with a bill it's a miracle. Sometimes my brother and I might think my Mom was kind of tight with a dollar. There are times when she seems to be too concerned with the dollars and cents but than out of the blue she'll go out and spend more money on a present than she should.

At Christmas my Mom always makes sure she spends pretty much the same amount on presents for all of us. I know when we were younger, my brother and I were only a year and a half apart, if one of us got what we thought was less than the other the aggrevied party would throw a fit. But now we've went and got all grown we don't count how many presents the other gets (at least too often) but my Mom wants to make sure we get treated equally.

She worked all her life. I never thought she would retire. I was really happy when she finally retired about ten years ago. With their retirement and social security my parents are doing better than ever, they have fewer expenses but they live a good life. They have been happier than ever. My mom works in her yard, they go shopping, they build things, they just enjoy life and it's something that she deserves.

So all this ruminations about my mom leads to one thought....Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

Doc Ford

Just finished reading the newest book from Randy Wayne White, actually not his newest one - that's out in hardback, this is his newest one in paperback.  I actually started it awhile back and for some reason put it down and didn't pick it up again.  I finally did pick it up the other night and got lost in the story and finished it tonight.   If anyone is the heir to John McDonald's Tavis McGee it's Randy White's Doc Ford.   And you don't get much better than Travis McGee.  

Nothing New

Dad went to the doctor yesterday, got the catscan and than brought it to another doctor.  This doctor told him he'd let him know more this wednesday.  Dad said they seemed pretty postive about it so far, like they thought they caught it early enough.  I hope so.   I wasn't a lot of fun at work yesterday, too much on my mind, I was walking around mostly in a fog I think.

 

Been playing around with this blog today, it keeps my mind off other things.  Added a lot of new stuff and figured out how to do somethings I've been wanting to do.  I still don't know everything I want to know but I'm getting better.

Confused

I don't even know what emotion to say I am at the moment. One of my best friends is going through so much crap right now and I can't really do anything for her, if there was I would in a minute. And than there is this thing with my Dad....I don't even want to think about that but it's about all I can think of. We don't know how bad it is yet, he went to get a catscan today. The first doctor said he wanted to schedule surgery as soon as possible, so hopefully we'll know a little more by the end of today. I don't like feeling helpless, but with everything going on at the moment that's how I feel...I just want to help someone.

Dad

I just found out my Dad has cancer. They found a growth on his colon and it is cancerous. He has to go have a catscan tommorrow and than they said they wanted to operate as soon as possible. Sorry I'm not in a mood to write a lot more right now.

Decisions

We have a new store opening, probably early next year. It's opening in Alexandria, about four to five hours from here. Our district manager asked for anyone who was interested in the store director position to put their name in a few months ago. What she does than is goes through this list and whittles it down and than interviews whoever is left. I put my name in. I wasn't really sure if I wanted to move but I figured I wanted to at least throw my name in the hat. I would love to just stay here and take over the store, but I think I'd have to hire a hitman on Darryl, he doesn't have any plans on going anywhere anytime soon. Well Darryl told me that there's only three names left on the list, a guy from Baton Rouge, me and Steve. Steve is another manger from the store I work in now. Steve is a good guy and I think would make a great store director also. I wouldn't feel bad if he got it over me. Today he told me he's pretty much taken his name out of the running. His wife is pregnant and he'd end up having to spend the months just before she is due traveling and training at the other stores and than when the baby is born he'd be setting up the store and getting it ready for opening. He decided he'd rather wait for another store, and spend this time with his wife and baby.

So it's going to be down to me and this other guy. Unless someone else puts their name in. The problem is that I'm not sure how bad I want this store. I really don't want to move. I like it here in Slidell. My parents and brother are fairly close, my friends are here. And I just don't want to move. Alexandria is in the middle of nowhere. It's a small town, which I don't mind. I like the fact that Slidell is a small town, but it's within an hours drive of New Orleans, so when I want to go to a big city I can without a long drive.

I'm not sure what the pay increase would be either. I really don't want to take on the added pressure of running a store without a good pay bump. From what I've heard it's not that big a raise. I can't see uprooting my life and moving and taking on all the extra work and pressure for a small raise.

I like where I'm at now. I am in a position where I work all days with every Saturday off. I've never worked a schedule like this as long as I've been in retail, which is all my working life. I enjoy what I'm doing and I love the hours.

Now I wouldn't mind running my own store again. I liked being a store manger when I was with Service Merchandise. I actually do like the pressure of "having" my own store. I like taking ownership of my own store.

I'm jumping the gun here of course. I might not even be offered the store. But this is all things I need to thing about and decide before it gets down to the wire. I don't want to get offered the store and than say no thanks. If I go that far I should be ready to take it if it's offered me. The district manager wants to make a decision by the middle of the summer so she can get the new store director training with all the other store directors in the district.

I guess I'm thinking more about it right now cause Steve told me about his decision today. I just have to do some heavy thinking. (Another factor is my Father is going to the doctor next week, he's been having some problems and will have to have surgery soon, but they're not sure on all the final details yet. That could help make my mind up, depending on how sick he is.)

Well at least I have some more time to decide....

Brian W 1

Brian Wilson

Brian W 2

Brian greeting the crowd

Brian W 3

Brian putting his shades on

Brian W 4

Brian singing

Brian W 5

Brian's back up singer

Brian W 7

Brian playing guitar

Brian W 6

Brian and his band

Brian W 8

Brian at the end of his set

Brian W 9

Brian dancing

Dr John 1

Mac Rebbenck

Dr John 2

The Night Tripper

Dr John 3

Dr John