Minor update: will be at Inauguration this week

This weekend/week, I will be going on a roadtrip to Obama's Inauguration in Washington DC.

I wonder how many people will be there.

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Sunday update -- made it down to DC, with my sister and her friends! Caught a few last songs of the public concert at the National Mall, and watched Obama give a speech. Or rather, I was too far away from the Lincoln memorial to see much of Mister Obama speaking, but it was fun to see the 500,000 crowd.

Currently, estimated crowd for Tuesday's Inauguration is 2 million.

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Wednesday update -- After roadtripping back to NYC with sister and friends yesterday, and catching Fung-wah this morning, I'm safely back in Boston! Inauguration was chilly.... it is January in the northern hemisphere, after all. The national mall was walled in by ranks of porta-johns. The variety, amount and prices of Inauguration/Obama paraphernalia was kind of amazing. People sang "Nah nah nah nah... good bye!" at seeing Bush on the Jumbo-trons (outdoor TV screens) and cheered at the first family's appearance. And the crowd went crazy with applause and cheering when Obama was sworn in.

Also, a little girl behind us was looking the cookies we were eating, so we asked her mom and gave her some of the cookies.

Now sorting through photos and catching up on this week's work at MIT.

Snow again

6 inches of powder-snow fell last night.

So I went outside this morning and sketched dogs playing in the snow.

Now it's snowing again.

That's not stopping birds from flying around outside.

"Mark" and Criminal Records

Above: a page from Lindsay's script I was writing feedback/doodling on.

Anyway, onto what I actually meant -- "Mark and the Aliens" is now available at Hub Comics in Boston and Criminal Records in Atlanta! (click to read the comic.)

Below: cellphone snapshots from Criminal Records' displays.



Note the copies of "Inbound" to the upper left corner of "Mark". You can't read "Inbound" online, but you can buy it here, or at Criminal or Hub. Criminal Hub Comics. Million Year Criminals Picnic at Hub. What's with the names of comic book stores.

Speaking of which, I like how “The Flash”, “Lords of Avalon”, “Reign in Hell” “The Remnant” “Runaways” and “Ant-Man” surround “Mark and the Aliens”. It's a slight change from the familiar indie neighbors, like “Geraniums and Bacon”, “Sordid City Blues” “Lummox” “Distracula” “Paradigm Shift” and other fellow self-published books.

And having mentioned that, I should note that Criminal Records staff took down "Inbound" and "Mark" before I left, to put prices on them. So I don't know where the books are actually shelved. Criminal Records has a full-fledged indie section, so I have a feeling that's where the books will be.

....If "Mark" gets shelved next to "The Flash" and "Ant-Man," I'd like to be there when a customer starts browsing superhero comics and picks up "Mark".


Also, minor updates to my website - some JoVE (Journal of Visualized Experiments) illustrations compiled, and an updated “About Me” page.

My recent work with Journal of Visualized Experiments

“This procedure begins by removing any debris from the Influenza A viral solution by centrifugation. The viral membrane is then disrupted with eggnog, and tiny Santa hats are introduced to the solution….”

Note: JoVE may have received a version without Santa hats.



Happy Holidays, everyone!

Newt...

Gingerbread houses and Spore critters

Back from visiting Kate and the cousins. The tree was bought; the gingerbread house was a triumphant and yet oddly tame victory; and the dog was (briefly) decked with bells and ribbons.




Here's some comparison photo from last year, to explain what I mean:



Two hours of battling bad gingerbread architecture, paste, bonbons and gravity.... The second photo shows our expressions only 20 min into it. Needless to say, the fate of the gingerbread house was doomed, as you can tell from the closeup of the house and its already gently tilting wall.

Since this year's gingerbread house is in fact decorating the dining room, as opposed to getting thrown off the deck, I suppose it wins in something.



And here is the dog.





Also, Alex showed me how to mess around in "Spore". Below is the critter I designed.












Here, the larger creature is playing around with its young. Or... Her young? Since the larger creature laid an egg?

Snow. Also a lab mouse.

Boston is still cold, but at least it's snowing. (I think it's the first snow this season.)



Unrelated, but here's a graphic I was working on for freelance work.