HERDING CATS by Sarah Andersen

HERDING CATS is a collection of the “Sarah’s Scribbles” comics. The comic strip was initially found on the Internet. HERDING CATS has two distinct sections. The first is a collection of the “Sarah’s Scribbles” comics. While often humorous and quite relatable, the comics in this collection don’t appear to have any overall connecting theme or plot. They are a series of slice-of-life comics that many people can relate. The second section of the book is more of an inspirational message to anyone who is a creative person. The essay, “Making Stuff in the Modern Era: A Guide for the Young Creative,” is told in both text and comics. It’s an uplifting message warning of the dangers of the Internet and social media. Overall, I enjoyed HERDING CATS, however, while I found the comics in the first section to be humorous and quite relatable, it was the graphic novel essay in the last part of the book that really makes the book stand out overall.

I Shall Run No More (At Least for Now)

Four years ago I downloaded the Temple Run game to my phone. To make some space, I recently deleted it. It was an incredibly addictive game when I first played it. However, I hadn't played it in a very long time. I might download it again at some point, but chances are if I do, my data will be lost and I will be starting from scratch. So, I took some screen shots of all the different "achievements" I "accomplished."

What Is Truth?

It's weird how much my life has changed in the past several years. In some ways it hasn't changed at all. I've been working at the same job now for over 5 years consecutively and living in the same place for 3 1/2 years. However, those things are kind of new in and of themselves: for my entire adult life until a few years ago, I had been working at different jobs, moving to different places, and never staying anywhere for very long. The world has definitely battered me over the past decade. Truths that used to be universal, I now know are not universal for everyone. I no longer have certain desires that for most my life I had always wanted (for instance, I used to want to have children, but that is no longer the case). The world might be black and white, but it's made of a bunch of black and white dots that when looked upon with human eyes often looks grey.

Despite this, there are some things that are just as steadfast and true as they have ever been. The hero dies in the end and the sidekick never gets his due, but good is stronger than evil. Laughter is often looked upon as a mark of madness, but it's really a powerful tool and weapon. Pride really is the root of all evil. Hope really is one of the best of things. No matter how crazy the world gets, no matter how much you change, no matter how much this ole world batters you about, hold on to the things that really are true. Truth is eternal and things that are truly True will always remain so.

No Fellow in the Firmament

Six years ago today, I was more excited than I had been in a long time. The past several years hadn't been easy. But, the first show I had ever directed, 12 ANGRY MEN, was opening and I was giddy. I had an amazing cast and we had put together a great show that I couldn't wait for the public to see it. It was my directorial debut and I couldn't be more pumped. I never got to see that opening, though, because my Dad died that evening.

After losing a parent, spouse, or child, people will tell you that "it gets better over time", "time heals all wounds", etc. There is a grain of truth in those sayings. As time passes, it doesn't hurt as often and the wounds do heal. However, the pain never completely goes away and those wounds leave scars that sometimes rip open at the most unexpected times. It could be music that you hear, a scent that you smell, an image that just passes through your mind, or sometimes it just happens for no reason at all and all of that sorrow washes over you in an emotional downpour that leaves you aching from the inside out.

I didn't realize it until he died, but my Dad was a stalwart in my life. I'm a creative person and always working on some project and things often seem to be in flux around me. The world moves and changes at an incredible pace. In the midst of all this, there was my Dad. He had moods and tempers like anyone else, but the overall character of my Dad was basically always the same. He was one person that I could always count on. When I asked for advice, what he gave always meant something. Sometimes the advice he gave was bad (a few financial decisions I made early in life come to mind), but it was still meaningful because he lived the same things out in his own life. In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Caesar says, " "I am constant as the northern star, Of whose true-fix'd and resting quality, There is no fellow in the firmament." In the play, that statement is ironic, because Caesar has not been like that. However, my Dad was.

It's been six years and I so wish that this day, October 2nd, could just be a normal day for me. It's not and no matter what happens in life, it never again will be. Thanks for everything, Dad. I miss you.

The Audition

1. Life is unfair.

2. Theatre is less fair than life.

3. Acting is the least fair part of theatre.

4.  Humans submit themselves to nothing less fair than the audition.

Farewell My Muppets Show

Today the MY MUPPETS SHOW game/app is no longer available for downloading or play. I really enjoyed this game, but they stopped any updates with it about 8 months ago, so it really shouldn't be surprising. It was a fun game, though. Below are some screen shots I took of my game. I had gotten pretty high up and there wasn't much left for me to do, but I was trying to round all my diamond, cash, and food up to a nice even number.

DreamJobbing - The Final Day

So, I'm in this dreamjobbing competition for a chance to be a tv producer for CBS for a week. The competition is fierce, but we're really close to pulling this off. If you haven't voted for me, yet today, please do. It only takes a minute, they won't spam you, and EVERY VOTE COUNTS. Also, today is supposed to be the last day of voting. So, will you help bring this possibility one step closer by getting me to the final round by voting?

DreamJobbing

The Last Five Years

It’s been five years now since my Dad died. There are no words to describe the sudden and unexpected loss of a parent that you love. There has been nothing else in my life that I can compare to it. It’s been five years and time does heal wounds. However, some wounds leave scars that become a part of you for the rest of your life.

We’ve carried on in his absence the last five years and although he is no longer here, he is far from forgotten. It is often in the smallest moments of daily living that thoughts and memories of him flood my mind: the snippet of a song on the radio, the way someone I’m talking to says a particular phrase, a picture that provides a visual reminder to a moment past, a television show or movie where two characters share a relationship similar to ours, etc.

I’ve missed my Dad a lot this past year, probably more so than any other time outside of that first year without him. I’m not really sure why it is. For most intents and purposes, this year has been a relatively good year for me. Perhaps it’s because I miss sharing the good times with him. There have been so many bad times the past few years. I had a happy childhood growing up, but it wasn’t exactly easy and completely carefree. I grew up poor (hell, I’m still poor), but my Dad did all kinds of things to make life better for us; he showed us that even if you’re poor and struggling, you can still really live and not just exist and enjoy the simpler things that life offers.

Lately, I’ve been thinking back to a conversation I had with my Dad. At the time, I was getting ready to return to college full time to earn a teaching certificate. It was a choice I had struggled with for two years, but it was something that I felt I was supposed to do. I remember talking with Dad and asking him if he was disappointed. Until I started thinking about teaching, there had only been one thing in my life that I really wanted to do as a profession: acting. I never directly asked my Dad what he thought about that, but he came to almost every single show I was in and he did little things on the side to encourage my dream. He told me since I was in the fifth grade and started doing bigger parts for church and school that if I became an actor, the only thing he wanted from me when I was rich and famous was a house with an indoor swimming pool (actually, he wanted a swimming pool that was half inside/half outside, but he later told me an indoor pool would be ok).

Anyway, I remember asking him if he was disappointed in me. I thought that my change in plans and decision not to move out to California like I was originally supposed to do was something he was disappointed with. He looked at me and said, “What would I be disappointed about? If that’s what you want to do, then do it. Just do something you’ll be happy with. Don’t end up like me.” My Dad worked in a factory basically doing the same job for over 40 years. I don’t know exactly what all his struggles were, but I do know that my Dad took a lot of verbal abuse from people that he had no business taking. One of his close co-workers told me shortly after his funeral that, “I don’t know how your Dad did it. He took so much crap from some of those guys.” I knew it then, but I know it now in a greater way that Dad did it for us. His job was just a job, but what he really lived for was his family.

I learned so much from my father and not all of it necessarily good. For instance, I tend to be a quiet and reserved individual and don’t usually talk much until I get to know someone or feel comfortable. Although I’m not as bad about it, I picked that up from him. I talk much more than he ever did, but I still have some strong introverted tendencies. On the other hand, my Dad was a very generous individual. We never did have much money and he wasn’t one for words, but he was always buying little gifts to give to people or would write a small note to someone to encourage them.

The last five years I have lived without having my Dad around. There are times that I miss him so much. There are times I wish he was just around so I could stop by and share the rare happy news. There are times that I desperately wish he was around so I could ask his advice about a problem I am struggling with. Usually the advice he gave was sound, but sometimes it was horrible advice. Good or bad I wish he was still here so I could ask him. But he’s not. I’ve had to do without for the past five years and I’ll have to continue doing without until I die. As Andy says in THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, I need to, “Get busy living or get busy dying.....there ain't nothing inbetween.”

Winter Is Coming

In the book series “A Song of Fire and Ice” and the tv show Game of Thrones, House Stark’s motto is “Winter Is Coming.” The saying is both literal and figurative and reminds the Stark family, their friends, and those under their protection to be prepared for the difficult things to come. House Stark protects the North and they are the guardians against the evil that lies beyond the great wall at the northern boundary of the kingdom. House Stark stands in the gap against what lies beyond the wall and the horrors it can bring.

Overall, this year has been a good year for me. Sure, I’ve had my share of daily struggles, but, so far, 2014 has been relatively free of any major trials, tribulations, and problems. I’m so thankful and grateful for that because for such a long, long period of time it seemed like the difficult times would never end. It’s been almost five years since my Dad suddenly died and although that wound has healed, that emotional scar runs deep within my soul and sometimes I miss him so much that I can’t help but cry. I lost my job less than six months after my Dad died and spent the next fourteen months after that being virtually unemployed. I’ve been working at my current job for almost three years now, but the memories and feelings from those fourteen months when I couldn’t find consistent work still reside in the back corners of my mind. After such a long time of turmoil, things seem to finally be going okay. Not great or fantastic, but okay. Yet, I hear the motto of House Stark, “Winter Is Coming” and it keeps me from any sort of complacency.

I used to enjoy the season of Winter. I actually do enjoy playing in the snow. I like snowball fights and building forts in the snow and ice skating. I love a white Christmas and the stars are never as bright during the year as they are in Winter. I also love coming into a warm home after being outside in the cold and sitting down with a cup of hot cider. And although it’s been far too long and only happened a few times, I enjoyed sitting on the couch, watching tv, and snuggling with a female friend (it was never more than good friends, but those are all stories for another time). I’m not sure when it was, but over time I’ve grown to enjoy Winter less and less. In fact, during the months of Winter, I can oft be quoted as saying, “Winter is the discontent of my soul.” Driving has a lot to do with it. I hate driving in Winter and because of where I live I have to do a lot of it. I don’t really get to play in the snow anymore and haven’t been sledding since I was in college. My dad died in the Fall, but Winter augments the hole he left (particularly that first Winter). I might be wrong, but I really think if I had someone to spend time with in the Winter, I would enjoy it more. But, I don’t and as it stands currently, Winter is the discontent of my soul. I used to enjoy Fall and once upon a time it used to be my favorite season. However, now I find it difficult to even enjoy Fall because it’s the precursor to Winter. Fall reminds me Winter Is Coming and I don’t like to think about that.

But right now, at this moment, things in life seem to be going okay, but I can’t but help think that Winter Is Coming. I don’t like thinking that. I really don’t. I hate that the thought even tickles the recesses of my thoughts. I want to soak up every last once of summer sunshine there is. I attempt to delay the inevitable as long as possible and try to wear shorts until at least October. When Fall finally arrives, I want to enjoy it. I want to go on hayrides and enjoy bonfires. I want to enjoy things for what they are. I want to enjoy the moments as they arrive and are given. But, I can’t quite seem to shake the tendencies of my namesake (I was named after the apostle Thomas, famous for initially doubting the resurrection of Jesus without physical proof) and the internal drumbeat keeps repeating, “Winter is coming,” over and over like a melancholic mantra.

Yet, despite this, that mantra isn’t as strong as it once was. I see and feel signs of real change around me. These are not the physical signs of the change of seasons. Instead, they are signs that my spirit is changing, or perhaps has already changed, into something better than it was. Hope resides eternal and that, mixed in with the slow march of time, has made all the difference.

Winter is coming, but Hope is eternal.

A Quote About Christianity

"Christianity is a faith for all people, but it is not a faith for all notions and ideas." - @MattWalshBlog

Meet James Best (Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane on THE DUKES OF HAZZARD) This Friday

Ever see THE DUKES OF HAZZARD? Well, Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane (James Best) will be in Greenville, IL this Friday and Saturday. He will be giving a special one-man show at the Globe Theatre Friday night and will be at Greenville Graffiti on Saturday as an honored guest and judge. If you are available Friday evening, I highly recommend you come out for the one-man show. It's not all that well known outside the entertainment community, but Best ran one of the most respected acting workshops in Hollywood for several decades. In addition to his cast mates on THE DUKES OF HAZZARD he was a mentor to Burt Reynolds, Clint Eastwood, Gary Busey, Teri Garr, Lindsay Wagner, Farrah Fawcett, and even Quentin Tarantino. If you have an interest in the movie business, this is one show you don't want to miss out on. Hollywood doesn't come this close to your neighborhood very often

Watch Misery Mountain

So last year I got to be part of this great short film where I played the villain and got to stab a guy in the throat and chop another man's head in two. The movie is finally completed and you can watch it on YouTube. Let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Pancake Breakfast

Book Review: COFFEE WITH JESUS

Like many readers, I first became acquainted with David Wilkie's "Coffee with Jesus" via a Facebook post that someone had forwarded. I don't remember which strip it exactly was at the time, but I liked how succinct and pithy it was. When I had heard that the comics of "Coffee with Jesus" had been compiled into book form, I had to get a copy.

The book COFFEE WITH JESUS is a collection of most of the "Coffee with Jesus" strips that have been published to date so far. I'm not sure if it contains all of the strips, but it seems to have most of the strips that can currently be found on the Radio Free Babylon website. There also seems to be a few strips in the book that haven't been published on the Internet, yet. The strips in the book are separated into seven thematic chapters. Each of these chapters has a short introduction. In addition, at the end of the first six chapters there is a short character biography about one of the re-occurring characters in the strip: Kevin, Carl, Ann, Lisa, Joe, and Satan. The book also has a well written introduction from the author about how the strip came to be and how it has slowly evolved since its inception. At the end of the book, there are some discussion questions; COFFEE WITH JESUS would actually make a pretty decent, albeit unusual Bible study.

The artwork is quite simple and that's part of the charm of the strip. There are no ongoing story lines and although there are reoccurring characters, you don't have to be familiar with any of them to understand the strip. If you do read all of the strips, you can see some slow character development with the characters. Some might find Jesus' comments in the strip to be a bit too snarky or satirical. Personally, I think that (for the most part) they hit close to the truth about our lives and help shed some much needed light into the darkness or shatter some illusions and idols that we all have. If nothing else, it really makes me think what Jesus would say to me if I was to meet with him on a weekly basis and share a cup of coffee.