The strip is, once again, based on a true story.

Also, I love this video…

Jeffery Self on Gay Marriage

Sorry, not much point to today’s blog entry, is there?

So in addition to Bitstrips, another site Toonlet has trucked on out of the internet tubes. Both sites promise an easy way to make and share your very own webcomic with minimal artistic skill of your own.

As you can see above, they have very different “feels” or styles to them, and I can’t decide which I prefer.

Bitstrips is easier to manipulate moods, body positions, backgrounds, and allows color variations of your characters. You can also add multiple props, characters and items to each panel and control the size and shapes of your panels. On the other hand, options are limited (especially around clothing) and facial expressions.

Toonlet gives you more fine control over things like moods, arm movements, and detail work. It also offers a vastly superior catalog of choices for hair, face, body, clothing, expressions, props and “zazz” effects. The drawbacks, though, involve every panel having to use (essentially) a single character in the upper torso and head placement. Also, you get no control over colors for anything except the background. Also, building moods requires a much greater investment of time up front and if you’re mixing and matching elements from different artist packs, it can get hard to keep track of where you saw things.

In awkwardly, sorta-related news, tomorrow is Free Comic Book Day, and I’ve made plans to spend the day with Jennifer and Jacob browsing multiple comic book stores throughout the city. We’re going to end the day with Iron Man. Of course, this means I have to get my LSAT class homework done tonight.

There’s nothing worse than talking to a good-looking, talented person with no opinions on anything. Boys, all that time at the gym is admirable, but read a fucking paper.

Jennifer called me at work today just to tell me that she had fallen in love with Bitstrips. She also uploaded this comic to Facebook. I guess being turned into an ashy-colored flamer is payback for my character design of her looking like an angry drag queen who was 60% boobs.

I met with my new personal trainer today. He’s a big guy, sounds Austrian (I think – I’ll ask next time I see him), and showed me that he was in the middle of reading Arnold Schwartzenegger’s book The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding. He is going to pump me up. The kicking of my flabby girly-man ass begins on Thursday.

{click to embiggen}

Yup, that pretty much describes my week when not at work, except for tonight.

Yes, yes, I know. I’m hilarious. For the record, I don’t remember the last time my work day was actually that slow. Now stop laughing at my superior wit and help me welcome another sister to the blogosphere. Jasmine Rebecca is already sharing tragic tales of rodent death (which are way more interesting than my lame-ass comic about why I’m fat).

Yes, they just keep coming. Don’t worry, sooner or later I will run out of siblings. Probably later, although we have reached a majority online now.

Coming soon:

• a post that isn’t about my family or Horton!
• Keys family blogging challenges (that everyone else is totally welcome to participate in).
• The harrowing tale of my battle with a sunburn all over my scalp and forehead that decides to begin peeling on the day I have to spend the morning in a room with 25 high-ranking corporate executives my organization is trying desperately to impress. Or not, that’s pretty much the whole story. Unless you want a detailed description of the way in which loose skin was peeling off my head.

Once again, today’s strip is based on a true story… about 5 hours old. 

On the way to see Dr. Seuss’s Horton Hears a Who, Jennifer called me to warn me that some anti-choice folks hanging out in front of the Metreon tricking people into taking fliers. Apparently this is going to be a thing. These people were all wearing Horton Hears a Who t-shirts and were asking people, “Would you like a flier about Horton Hears a Who?” She’d already been in a confrontation with at least one anti-choice volunteer.

Armed with my new web-enabled phone, Jen, Jacob and I stood nearby and discussed very loudly that Dr. Seuss and his widow object to the anti-choice interpretation of the story and asked questions like “Is a person a person no matter how gay?” At one point we heard one of the girls using the “would you like a flier about this movie” line and we loudly said to all who could hear, “that’s not what those fliers are about!”

I’d love to hear other people’s stories encountering anti-choice zealots outside a children’s movie. If I’m seeing them in downtown San Francisco, surely there must people people in other communities having fun with these folks.

Anyway, I should know my score tomorrow. You know that scene in Legally Blonde where the nerdy sorority sister tells Elle she needs a score of “at least” 174? Well, that God-like level of testing skill (a perfect score is 180) is my goal. It may be unrealistic, but damn if I’m not going to try.

There are about 40 people in my class and I’m pretty sure I’m the oldest. A distracting number of really cute guys, too. The guy sitting right in front of me looked like a young Patrick Wilson. Luckily, my ability to focus on the exan rather than the blonde hairs on the back of his neck were up to par.

I’m still loving my new phone. Today I left my camera and iPod at home, carrying only one packet gadget with me.

If you’re interested in the horrifying story of Oregon State Senator Gary George, who inspired today’s strip, visit Just Out for the interview. George also strongly suggests that violence against gays is a natural reaction when we queer folk “cross the line” by being out and visible.

“Here’s what I’m saying, I think we’re seeing a backlash, in other words if you push me too hard don’t be surprised if I react. Gays will tend to react violently if people are oppressive toward them. If gays are oppressive toward straights, then you’ll see a violent backlash. You’re going to have a point where these groups develop and say I’m tired of these special privileges.”

p.s. I feel like I ought to apologize for the NC-17 image embedded in the strip’s final panel. I’m not going to, but I feel as though I should.

It’s actually quite fun to watch Jennifer get angry about certain things. The video that inspired this particular trigger is below the jump. Basically, a guy claims atheism is bunk because he didn’t find new organisms in a jar of peanut butter.

As for me, I became incredibly angry listening to this clip (opens an MP3) of Sally “Gays are worse the Terrorists” Kern, Peter “Porno Pete” LaBarbera, and Matt “Concerned Woman” Barber (found on Pam’s House Blend). With LGBT people experiencing one of the most upsetting and alarming rates of well publicized violent attacks and murders in recent memory, it truly baffles my mind that these three privileged assholes spent fifteen minutes talking about how bullied and victimized they are. When Barber announced that they had logic, scripture, experience and science on their side, I almost shit myself with shock. Um, yeah, scripture–maybe depending your interpretation and religious background–but Barber wouldn’t know logic, experience or scientific evidence if it bit him the assless chaps.

Anyway, between my raise, my bonus, my tax refund, and the end of my monthly tax bill for 2006, I finally have a healthy bank balance again. I’m no longer one paycheck away from living on the streets. How did I celebrate? I came home and fell asleep, then woke up at midnight. That’s a crappy way to start a weekend.

Alright, so I may not be a very funny comic, but at least this one is based on a true story. I also figured out that if I do the basic stuff on bitstrips.com, then save the image file and open it up in Photoshop, I can play a bit more and add a few details like the X-Men logo on my character’s t-shirt, or the tilted water in Jen’s cup.

I got a call from my little brother this morning. I was late for a meeting, so I didn’t have time to get all the details, but it seems he won a gold medal in bowling for the region of the Utah Special Olympics encompassing Salt Lake. He’s been training for this for years, and despite his cerebral palsy, he’s a better bowler than I’ll ever be, even if I skipped the drinking and socializing.

My other brother (the baby of the family) is getting close to earning his Eagle Scout Award. In fact, all he’s really got to do at this point is write up some notes and submit the paperwork. I’m hoping he can get his court of honor ceremony scheduled for the week I’ll be in Utah taking the LSAT.