To NaNo or Not to Nano ...

I do this literally every year around two or three days before the beginning of National Novel Writing Month, an internal dialgoue that goes something like the following:

Me #1: Self, you really should try doing NaNoWriMo again.
Me #2: Seriously? This shit again? We fail. EVERY. YEAR.
Me #1: But that's because we don't have a game plan! If we came up with an itinerary ...
Me #2: Why do you sound like my mom?
Me #1: Hey, she has good qualities. Time management!
Me #2: We have a thing we call Mom Time. As in, "So is it 15 real minutes, or on Mom Time?"
Me #1: I still think we should do NaNo.
Me #2: Okay, I'm going to reenact our NaNo involvement since 2009 in a three act play. Act One: WHEEE TOTALLY DOING THIS!! Act Two: Ugh, starting to run out of steam. I'll catch up this weekend! Act Three: Fuck, I only have 20,000 words and tomorrow is December 1st. Oh, well, there's always next year!
Me #1: ... That ... is not ... entirely ... inaccurate. [pause] But we should totally do it.
Me #2: Fuck you. But ... maybe. I'll think about it. 

This year, though, I'm firmly in Me #2's Camp o' NaNo Apathy. I'll cheer on as many people as I can, but I'm going to sit 2014 out. Instead, I'll be doing the Mass Effect challenge, finishing up my Halloween paintings (by the way, my costume and the winner will be announced later on today on my Instagram!), completing my sister's birthday present (it's a tattoo design), celebrating Thanksgiving and my anniversary (why, oh, why, are Novembers so jam-packed??), and starting a new project that I'll be updating you guys on soon.

Oh! And before I forget, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Alright, off to work! I hope to amuse as many people as possible on my journey.

The Pull List for October 29, 2014

OMG I FEEL THE NEED TO USE CAPS BECAUSE I ONLY HAVE TEN BOOKS FOR THIS WEEK!

Life with Pets: Dinnertime

As the day approaches evening, THREE and JUJU return to their apartment after work with a few bags from the grocery store. ZOLA eagerly bounces in front of them, excited that a) her humans are home and b) she will be going outside to pee and poop. BITSY sits on the arm of the chair situated right next to the front door; BINA remains in the window (where she has appropriately destroyed yet another part of the blinds); and KITKAT emerges from her slumber on the couch with a wide-mouthed yawn.

THREE: We're home!
ZOLA: ZOMG DADDY MOMMY PEE POOP ZOMG
JUJU: Hang on a second, Zola. Let me help Three with the bags, and then I'll take you out.
BITSY: I was lonely!!
BINA: (does not move but looks in the direction of the half-full - or are they half-empty - food bowls) Hungry?

The Pull List for October 22, 2014

I have absolutely no Marvel titles this week. I'm not sure what this says about me. Like, I used to be so damn sure that I was a bigger fan of Marvel than of DC, but that is quickly proving to not be the case. For instance, Green Lantern: New Guardians is quickly becoming one of my favorite series; Batman and Justice League have intrigued me with their current story lines; Earth 2: World's End doesn't confuse the hell out of me like I thought it would, considering how many different characters there are; and Batgirl is probably one of the most fun things I've read in a while. Plus, they're putting out a lot of new titles - Gotham Academy, the below-mentioned Arkham Manor, and the whole Multiversity series - that are, so far, pretty great. Granted, Marvel, I think, tends to have series that suit me better - Ms. Marvel, Captain Marvel, Thor, the soon-to-be-released Spider-Woman - and indie publishers like Boom! Studios and Image keep exciting me far more than the Marvel and DC combined, but this may change as I become more interested in the DC universe.

The Pull List: Deadpool's The Art of War #1 Review

You know, I think Deadpool walks around with Lit's "My Own Worst Enemy" playing in the background at all times. That's what I kept hearing as I was reading the first issue of the new Deadpool miniseries, at least. He keeps getting these grand ideas - agreeing to help Dracula with a "package," killing the Marvel universe and then the famous literary heroes that inspired the writers of the Marvel universe, joining up with Brute Force (and a mecha-orca), etc. - and, so far, things haven't always worked out like he thought. But hey, that's what keeps bringing readers back, am I right?

Via Comic Vine

Spoilers ahead, kids, so if you'd rather start reading blind, you can turn back now. Or ... just don't click on the "read more" thingy.

Continued progress on Harley :D

I'm incredibly proud of this piece, you guys. Like, seriously. I may actually sell these where I work.

Harley Quinn as the Greek goddess Eris
Nearly complete!
All Rights Reserved by Jennifer Trela 2014

Also, the contest is coming to a close here in a few days, and while I can't comment (yet) as to whether there is or is not a winner, I will say that I will be doing a few consolation prizes in addition to the grand prize of three (yes, I changed it as of this post) prints of my DC Goddesses. Two runners up will receive one print of their choice, so be sure to check my Instagram and comment your guess as to what my costume is going to be! I'll be posting some more obvious clues there over the next couple of days, and there's always a chance you could be a winner.

Dear Sister Person Book Club: Touched by an Alien by Gini Koch

Dear Sister Person,

What have I ever done to you? Is it because I chose Beth Ciotta twice? Is it because I once refused to go back into Bruegger's Bagels to retrieve your retainer from the trash (because you couldn't do it yourself, for some reason)? Is it because I "ruined" your childhood by telling you Santa Claus wasn't real? I mean, absolutely none of those - combined even - warrants forcing me to read about Katherine "Kitty" Katt and her misadventures with winged "superbeings."

Touched by an Alien by Gina Koch
Via My Not So Vacant Shelf
Also, it does not bode well for this book if the dude on the cover looks like the least favorite of my exes.

Happy Holidays?

So, as many of you know, I'm doing that 100 Happy Days challenge thing over on my Facebook, where I post a picture a day of something that makes me happy. I'm forty-five days in - and I'm actually a little surprised that I've only been late twice - and each day, it's actually getting easier to decide on what I'm going to post. Yesterday, I settled on "the holiday season" as my next picture, and I jump on Google, ready to indulge myself on lots and lots of images of Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and Winter Solstice. And feel free to remind me of any others that I'm forgetting.

And yet, what do I see??

The Pull List for October 15, 2014

I'm slowly starting to shave off a few titles from my monthly pull list. Sensational Comics Feat. Wonder Woman, Transformers, and Death Vigil are just a couple that I've decided not to read any longer, which is a huge sigh of relief from my pocketbook. There are a couple on this week's list that might not make it for many more weeks, but for the most part, I think I've established my rhythm for the time being.

The Pull List: Batgirl #35 Review

It's taken me quite a while for me to come to terms with the fact that I am part of the Millennial generation, even if I am at the tail end of it (1983, bitches!). Now, it's kind of one of those things where I begrudgingly look at my life situation and think, "Ugh, YES, I feel what these 20-somethings are feeling." However, this is not to say that I don't find my younger counterparts to be equally baffling and irritating, as evidenced by a recent obsession with VHS tapes. Like, really, Millennials. Do you know nothing about the crappiness of VHS tapes? Half of the ones you're purchasing for ten cents each don't even work, and there's a good chance that - even if you were able to find a VCR that wasn't complete junk - whatever you were hoping to watch has been taped over by someone's mother's soap operas or The Price Is Right.

Ahem. Anyway. Batgirl. Right.

Ello!

Via Ello

I joined Ello about two weeks ago, and I have yet to get the hang of it. It's bare-bones, with no annoying advertising or like buttons, the latter of which I have found to be rather freeing. It promotes interaction, at least as far as networking sites go, but because it's not really that user-friendly, it's not all that easy to talk to other people. I only follow, like, six people, and my feed is getting crazy enough that I actually fear following any more.

Progress on Harley!

Well, I've made pretty big strides on Harley as Eris. This weekend, I'll be finishing the line drawing and then get started on the painting!

Yeah, I messed up on the eyebrow, but I'm going to work it in there somehow.

Obviously, the prize(s) probably won't be finished by Halloween, but I should at least have the line drawings done for all of them by then. That way, whomever wins can make an educated decision. :)

I Have the Worst Luck with Cars, Part XVI: People in Lines Are Dicks

So remember when I said that I had my motorcycle for about a month before I burst into flame because of a faulty heat shield? Well, this story takes place before that lovely incident, but the results of my actions on that day, like my third degree burns on my right calf, still affect my regular life up until this very minute and will likely continue through the end of my life.

I HAVE DECIDED.

If you haven't been following my Instagram for clues as to what my Halloween costume is going to be, head over there now and make your guess! Or you can wait until October 26, 2014, at 11:59:59, but if someone has already guessed, you are SOL. BECAUSE I HAVE DECIDED ON THE PRIZE.

The winner, if there is one, will receive a print of one of the following DC women as Greek goddesses: Harley Quinn as Eris, Poison Ivy as Demeter, Batwoman as Nyx, or Supergirl as Artemis! If you guess correctly by October 18, 2014, you can choose two of them, because I am a generous individual.

As I complete the paintings (I'm working on Harley right now), I'll post them to the main blog and on my artwork page, in addition to my DeviantArt and Facebook pages. 

This is gonna be fun! 

The Pull List for October 8, 2014

This trend of my pull list growing doesn't seem to be stopping any time soon, as you'll see over the next couple of months. These publishers just keep popping out engaging books! Damn them. Luckily, most of the series I am content to simply read while I'm on my lunch break, but a few of them definitely are going to have to become a part of my permanent collection. Marvel seems to be increasing their trade paperback prices, so I may just start buying the individual issues there, but for the most part, TPs tend to be the cheaper route.

Three and I may have to invest in a bigger bookshelf.

The Pull List: POP #2 Review

Back when I first heard about this title, I was thoroughly excited about it: pop stars are manufactured in a factory? One of them escapes? Count me in! And the cover art by Dylan Todd was intriguing, if not somewhat disconcerting, design-wise. It's intentionally skewed, and it definitely has a sort of pulpy, newspaper serial comic look to it.

Via Dark Horse

One of my co-managers kind of wrinkled his nose at the design, but he's kinda finicky and has a huge case of the "I only like comics from before the mid-90s." To be fair, he is more than free to have that preference, as art is a very subjective sort of thing, and anyway, I usually shrug apathetically at any of his suggestions and go leaf through the most recent issue of Low*, which he also can't stand.

It's Three's Birthday!! :D

So Three is one of those people that doesn't like to celebrate his birthday. To be fair, neither do I, but that's because of this curse that I believe I have*, and anyway, the point is that today is Three's birthday. I gave him his birthday present about a month ago**, two volumes of The Tick, both of which he counts as prized possessions.

Yep, and I got a discount, too!

A lot of Three's life has been exceptionally sad, especially when it comes to his birthday. In a particularly Sixteen Candles-esque situation, his parents completely forgot the date of his birth and went about the day like it was no different from any other. 1) There was no wedding going on. 2) He was in the single digits. That's enough to give anyone the idea that they just don't matter, and it took over thirty years for him to fully come to the realization that he is worth so much more than that.

Several weeks ago, I was having a conversation with myself, trying to figure out how to talk to a friend of mine about the relationship problems he was having (in that his girlfriend doesn't really love him and only stays for the purpose of him buying her shit). I imagined that I'd ask him if he could explain why he loved her, knowing that he would have a hard time saying anything but, "Well, she was the girl I wanted when I was younger and now I have her. Oh, and she cooks sometimes, although I am actually an accomplished chef myself." So then I started listing all of the reasons that I love Three, and I ended up tearing up as I whispered them to myself (Three was asleep in the next room and I didn't want to wake him).

• He would be late on rent if it meant that someone didn't go hungry.
• He absolutely loves children and babies. 
• He's already somewhat technologically crotchety and has only recently decided that he wants to learn how to do computer-ish stuff.
• He loves me for who I am and doesn't try to change me at all.
• He enjoys cooking for two reasons: he's very artistically satisfied by pairing flavors together and he likes to serve others. 
• He can go from serious, to goofy, to sappy, to intellectual, to downright playful, and then right back to serious in a matter of seconds. And it all ties together seamlessly.
• He's adorably bad at cleaning. The guy tried to clean up dog vomit with Febreeze for God's sake, and his idea of cleaning the kitchen after cooking is to run a wet rag over everything and let it air dry.
• He's one of the most spiritual people I know. 
• When he tries to do an accent, it always ends up one of two things: a very bad Mexican accent or very bad Russian, even when he's trying to do Scottish. Although he does a Southern accent quite well, but that doesn't count because he's from there.
• He gets such a delight out of watching depressing movies because he can always see a happy side to any situation. 
• He has more hair products than I do and simply has to change into a nice pair of jeans before going to the grocery store. 
• He gets as stupidly excited about tattoos as I do.
• He has silver hairs growing in his thick, curly dark brown mane (what? I've been reading romance novels; cut me some slack), and they are the sexiest thing ever. He was self-conscious about them for a while but is now examining them in the mirror while beaming with pride. "I've earned these."
• He can write a song, lyrics and music alike, in the span of a few minutes, and it's actually good. 
• He hates getting presents but wants to shower everyone else with them.
• He also doesn't like buying things - that aren't necessities - for himself. 
• He engages me intellectually. 
• He reads people so well but refuses to use that to his advantage. 
• He believes in me in a way that no one else ever has. 
• All he really wants is to be loved unconditionally. Nothing more, nothing less.

Shit, I'm tearing up now. I'm one of the luckiest humans in the world. So now, I'm going to spend the day with my favorite person ever and make sure that he knows every single one of these. To be honest, I'll probably come up with more.

Happy Birthday, Three!

* It's something that I academically know as being ridiculous, but in my heart of hearts, I have such a hard time calling attention to my birthday. I wanted to have a party last year, but that kind of didn't happen, and I was secretly glad that it happened that way, even if it did mean that I wasn't going to get a dinosaur cake.
** I have a thing, in which I can't hold onto presents if I buy or make them in advance.

Life with Pets: Sleep - A One-Act Play

At the end of a very busy day, THREE and JUJU are preparing to go to bed: Three is under the covers, reading a book from his obscure collection, and Juju has just returned from taking an excited ZOLA for a final poop-pee session on the grounds of the apartment complex. KITKAT has just disappeared under the bed, and BINA sits atop Juju's pillow, licking her fur contentedly. 

THREE: Everything go okay?
JUJU: Yup. She even got to see Red again.
THREE: Red's owner still got the hots for you?
JUJU: (sighs) He stared at my boobs the whole time.
THREE: I don't blame him.
JUJU: Do you really want me to go on a feminist rant right now?

With much effort, Zola gracelessly jumps up onto the bed and lands squarely on Three's lower legs. 

Dear Sister Person Book Club: This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper

Alrighty, readers, the Sister Person and I are trying something different this month, and I think it's going to stick. Basically, any time one of us picks a book, the other writes the first review to be posted either on the first or third Thursday of the month, and then the picker responds the following week. Since SP chose this month's books, I'll be posting my take on it today, and then she'll post hers next Thursday! 

Dear Sister Person,

To be honest, I was really iffy about reading This Is Where I Leave You because, as I said via text message, "white people problems," but I tried to wipe that from my consciousness when I started reading it. I'm happy to report that I was successful in my endeavors, at least in that vein, but you know what? I still really hated this book.

ZOMG HALLOWEEN

Spooooooookyyyyyy! (Not really.)
Via Mohawk Auto Center

You know, every year, I have this idea that I'm going to do something for Halloween: you know, go to a party or bar crawl, terrorize children who dare knock on my door to ask for treats, watch scary movies with the Husfriend and animals until I get bored, decorate my apartment with all sorts of shit like cobwebs, witch silhouettes, and sugar skulls. But I never do. Well, that's not entirely true. I went pretty Halloween crazy during college and for several years after graduation. Over the past few years, though, I've ended up drinking half a glass of wine and falling asleep on the couch in the middle of the first Buffy Halloween episode.

"Oh, well. Maybe next year?" I'll tell myself.

BUT, OH, NO. NOT THIS YEAR, BITCHES. Back in July, I decided on my costume, and as each day has crept closer and closer to October 31, I've been getting more and more excited, because just guess who I'm going to be.