FIVE DAY WEEKEND!!!

As soon as I'm off work today, I don't return until Thursday of next week! Fuck yeah, FREEDOM'S ON THE MARCH!!! GOD BLESS AMERICA INDEED!!!

Tonight Molly and Lex head on down to Joplin, Missouri to visit my Nana & Papa. They're my mom's parents and since she died about 12 years ago, I'm about the only family member to visit them. My mom was an only child, so all they have is just me and my brother...and he's usually too busy to drive three hours down to Southern Missouri to see him. Things got nice and tense when my father remarried, so they don't even speak anymore.

Anyway, I'm excited to see them. My Nana reminds me of my mom, (naturally) and I love spending time with her. Molly gets along with them better than with her own grandparents and of course they LOVE being around Lex. We'll spend tonight and Sunday night and then head back to KC on the 4th...

Ah, the 4th. Quite possibly the weirdest holiday. Nothing like getting really drunk and lighting explosives. Although, last year was the last of the illegal fireworks. My dad, bless his heart, loves to go ALL OUT. If that means buying Class Four fireworks, (the kind that parks and public places use for their displays) and five foot metal tubes to shoot them out of, well by God he's going to do it!

We, (my brother, and a co-worker Daniel) were about an hour into the Backyard Firework Spectacular 2004 when the big 5-0 showed up. It was something else...the cops were stunned we even HAD these Class Four explosives and started demanding where exactly we had gotten them?!

Enter my drunken father, stumbling out to the backyard. (My parents live in Shawnee, Kansas and have about 3 acres of land behind their house...so it took him awhile.)

"Good evening, officers! Happy "
"Sir, are you aware these are Class Four explosives?"
"Um, really? I just thought they were fireworks..."
"Sir, it is a felony to be in possession of these."
"Whoa...really? Oh..."
"Sir, where did you purchase these from?"
"Uhhhhhh..."
"An individual or a store?"
"An individual..."
"Do you have the person's name?"
"No, I never got it..."
"Can you give us a description of what he looks like?"
"Um, it was dark..."

Needless to say this went back and forth for awhile. My dad didn't want to rat out his buyer because it was one of his best friends and the police didn't really press him too hard, because he obviously was drunk. My dad is on Chemo for his brain tumor and alcohol really makes him wacky. All in all, he had to go to court, pay like a $1000 fine and if caught with Class Four explosives ever again, he might do jail time...

So SPARKLERS it is!!!

What will I be up to on Tuesday and Thursday?

Getting this done.

Since Molly isn't able to go to San Diego this year, my main purpose is to GET A COMIC JOB! Nothing fancy...maybe just a one-shot or a 200 page graphic novel with foil collectible cover...like I said, nothing fancy.

San Diego is seriously right around the corner and I need to get my portfolio together. I have tons of stuff from my feelance and spot illustrations...not to mention the comic strips I've been doing for the Kansas City Star. I'm going to be hanging out with my friends Hector and Daniel who will also be trying to get some work too.

Hopefully I can at least get their scraps...