A few months ago I acquired Jane Yolen as a client. As some of you know Jane has written upwards of around 280+ books. There's also music, movies, poetry and more. This is a great honor for me as you can imagine but also strangely like a David and Goliath situation. Unlike David dealing with Goliath I ran away and got reinforcements. So now I have a staff of six people (maybe seven) and I would like to announce who they are:


Curt owns his own company (http://www.skytemple.com/) and does amazing work, especially with flash. I have him on staff for the high end flash websites and he is a pleasure to work with.
Curt has worked on: http://writerlady.com/ , http://e-lockhart.com/ , http://blackholly.com/


Kate was the best Photoshop student I ever had and the first person I employed. She has a natural talent with Photoshop and is also a pretty decent writer.
Kate has worked on: http://www.lspark.com/ , http://janeyolen.com/


Rachel has exceptional skills in photo retouching and is very knowledgeable in the works of most of my clients.
Rachel has worked on: http://janeyolen.com/ , http://writerlady.com/


Panda does amazing work in Flash and Photoshop and I can easily find stuff for him to do for all my clients.
Panda has worked on: http://janeyolen.com/ , http://writerlady.com/


Jessica has started two profitable businesses with her husband and is our office manager. She has done a lot to keep us all on top of things.
Jessica has worked on: http://janeyolen.com/


Jason is also employed by Curt and Questionable Content (http://questionablecontent.net/). He has done work for: http://www.steveberman.com/


and me.

Whooo hooo!

Too funny

http://blip.tv/file/1015028

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I had decided for my birthday to paint my face like Zartan and do paintball with dear friends. Well I did it and it was great!



and yes, I did paint the Zartan stripes on my face.

The teams consisted of:



G.I.Joe: Curt and Jason (Skytemple), Gavin (Small Beer Press), Jeph (Questionable Content) and Cecil Castellucci (author)

and the Cobra team was Cristi (Questionable Content), Meredith Gran (Octopus Pie), Jed Berry (author) and yours truly. The first battle was to the Joes but our host, Greg joined our team. and Cobra kinda won most of the time after that. Curt got Greg once but Meredith got Curt so the baddies still won. The worst death I had was when I crossed from one bunker to the next and Jeph got me right in the chest. I totally didn't see him. The best killing spree I had was in the third match when I got Jeph, Jason and Curt all within seconds of each other but then Gavin got me. In the woods I died by getting shot in the ass. In the end we had this crazy game where you must go nuts to end the paintball supply. So I got silly. I ran across the field like a duck at a shooting gallery and no one tagged me. I got to a cover station and someone got me so I raised my gun as a sign that I was dead/out of ammo and someone got me square in the mouth. I was a blast.

I am turning 39 on the 26th of this month. It is a time to reflect on my life and consider my responsibilities, and plans for the future. It is also a time to paint my face like Zartan and get into a gigantic paint ball fight with dear friends. Yo Joe!




If I know you, you are more than welcome to bring it.

I'm sorry I have not posted in a while. I have been a very busy bee.

I just finished Laurie Halse Anderson's site:

http://writerlady.com/

Jody Feldman's:

http://www.jodyfeldman.com/

The overhaul of Steve Berman's site:

http://www.steveberman.com/

and Cassandra Clare's author site:

http://cassandraclare.com/

and most of my own site. I also made new cards, stationary, t shirts, stickers, check graphics...

On Cassie and Steve's sites I have used my own generic website thing. Some people have expressed interest in a generic site for a fixed price so I made one. I will be posting more info about it on my web site this month when I mention my staff.

I loved Raiders and Crusade but after George Lucas went mad and destroyed Star Wars I have developed doubt that the new Indiana Jones movie will be any good. I would like to see what you all think.



The Jones movie will:
be amazing
OK
crappy
George Lucas will "F" it up like he did Star Wars
it will be the best one yet!!!

There is a saying that good cobblers never fix their own shoes, tailors never fix their own jackets, construction workers have unfinished homes, beavers never build a damn just for themselves. Well maybe not the beavers. In any case I have not updated my website in a long long long time and it took a horrible migration failure at my host company to make me do it. Here it is without a links or a shop sections yet:


http://theblackarts.com

I'm at Comic Con in NYC this weekend. At the con I went to an oxygen bar for the first time. I never went to one before. For those of you who don't know, an oxygen bar looks like this:




and serves air that is 92% to 96% oxygen and it's flavored. I had "Lemongrass" (Lemon), "Eclipse" (Peppermint), "Clarity" (Eucalyptus), "Sublime" (Lime) and "Tangerine Dream" (Tangerine). It gave me a slight burning sensation at the end of my nose but after a short time I felt great and had more "pep" than I usually get after a strong cup of coffee. It was kinda cool.

I don't know why I found this so funny but recently I found this photo of two hamsters going at it and could not stop laughing.

I did a silly Harry Potter plug page on Cassie's site but it was hidden on the YA Con section but now I put it on her personal page.

http://cassandraclare.com/theoplug.html

In the 80s a cult classic movie was released called "Buckaroo Banzai"
(http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086856/)
with Peter Weller and John Lithgow.

Today a Gulf Soldier/Fashion Designer/Bodyguard known as "Big Black" (http://www.bigblacksecurity.com/?gclid=CLHTpezmpJICFQEtHgodKyzZLw) has created a line of clothing and accessories with a very similar logo to Buckaroo's



http://www.theblackarts.com/bb1.jpg




http://www.theblackarts.com/bb2.jpg



Which one do you think is for Big Black and which is for Buckaroo Banzai (without searching first)

I played a game recently called "Army of Two". It is a special co-op two person shooter game. In the game there are many things that require both players to be present like opening doors and jumping up on ledges. There are also lots of other things you need to do to get through levels like suspicious looking two person hand gliding, crouching behind the other character with a shield for cover and a few other things that involve both characters getting very intimate. The characters can also slap each other, do guy hugs, and pat each other on the back. Also when one character heals another, it sorta looks like something else from certain angles. A last note I'd like to make, is that the characters have the same builds as Batman and Robin. There is a big, built stern looking guy and a younger pretty boy type guy. I don't know if the characters are in fact gay but I would say that "Army of Two" is a slash writer's dream game.

Recently I had to deal with some crap. It was work related and for some reason it reminded me of the first time I heard P Diddy use the word "bitchassness". It basically means when someone lets their feeling or lack of forethought cloud their judgment and thus make very poor decisions like the first time I made this post. The first time I posted this entry it included the definition from the Urban Dictionary which is completely vile and I apologize to all who may have seen it.

It's a little late but the final Gollywhopper Games site is done (sorta). My link needs audio and more content is needed but most of it is done.

http://www.gollywhoppergames.com/

Maureen Johnson is having an "INSERT A ZOMBIE, WIN A PRIZE" contest and I could not resist entering.
http://www.insideadog.com.au/residence/index.php/maureen-johnson/insert-a-zombie-win-a-prize/

This is my take on THE SNEETCHES

by Dr. Suess

Now the Scar-bellied Zombies had bellies with scars.
The Brain-bellied Zombies had none upon thars.
The scars weren't so big; they were really quite small.
You would think such a thing wouldn't matter at all.
But because they had scars, all the Scar-bellied Zombies
would brag, "We're the best kind of Zombies on the shore seas."

With their limbs in the air, they would limp and they'd choke, "
We'll have nothing to do with the brain-bellied folk."
And whenever they met some, when they were out hunting,
they'd lumber right on past them without even moaning.

When the little Scar-bellied dead went out to feed,
The Brain-bellies were never allowed to join in and fill their need!
You could only feed on flesh if your bellies had scars,
and the Brain-bellied dead had none upon thars.

When the Scar-bellied Zombies had human parts roasts,
or picnics or parties or blood toasts,
they never invited the Brain-bellied Zombies.
Left them out cold in the dark of the shore seas.
Kept them away; never let them come near,
and that's how they treated them year after year.

Then one day, it seems, while the Brain-bellied Zombies
were moping, just moping alone on the shore seas,
sitting there, wishing their bellies had scars,
up zipped a vampire in the strangest of cars.

"My friends, " she announced in a voice clear and mean,
"My name is Larissa McMakki McBean.
I've heard of your troubles; I've heard you're unhappy.
But I can fix that; I'm the fix-it-up chappie.
I've come here to help you; I have what you need.
My prices are low, and I work with great speed,
and my work is one hundred per cent guaranteed."

Then quickly, Larissa McMakki McBean
put together a very twisted and demonic machine.
Then he said, "You want scars like a Scar-bellied dead?
My friends, you can have them . . . . for three skulls a head.
Just hand me your skulls and climb into a sled."

They clambered inside and the demonic machine chirped.
It slashed. It whipped. It laughed and It jerked.
It cut and it cut, the thing really worked.
When the Blain-bellied Zombies slid out, they had scars!
They actually did, they had scars upon thars!

Then they yelled at the ones who had scars from the start,
"We're exactly like you; you can't tell us apart.
We're all just the same now, you snooty old smarties.
Now we can come to your human parts parties!"

"Good grief!" groaned the one who had scars from the first.
"We're still the best Zombies, and they are the worst.
But how in the world will we know," they all frowned,
"if which kind is what or the other way 'round?"

Then up stepped McBean with a very sly wink,
and she said, "Things are not quite as bad as you think.
You don't know who's who, that is perfectly true.
But come with me, friends, do you know what I'll do?
I'll make you again the best Zombies on beaches,
and all it will cost you is ten skulls eaches.

Body scars are no longer in style, " said McBean.
"What you need is a trip through my messed up botox machine.
This wondrous contraption will take off your scars,
so you won't look like Zombies who have them on thars."

That handy machine, working very precisely,
removed all the scars from their bodies quite nicely.
It cleaned them all up and they still looked dead.
They spoke expressionless and sounds came from each head,
"We now know who's who, and there isn't a doubt,
the best kind of dead are Zombies without."

Then, of course those with scars all got frightfully mad.
To be cut up now was frightfully bad.
Then, of course old Larissa McMakki McBean
invited them into her botox machine.
Then, of course from then on, you can probably guess,
things really got into a horrible mess.

All the rest of the day on those wild moaning shore seas,
the Fix-it-up-Chappie was fixing up Zombies.
Off again, on again, in again, out again,
through the machine and back round about again,
still paying skulls, still running through,
changing their scars every minute or two,
until neither the Perfect- nor the Scar-bellies knew
whether this one was that one or that one was this one
or which one was what one or what one was who!

Then, when every last skull of their skulls was spent,
the Fix-It-Up-Chappie packed up and she went.
And she laughed as she buzzed away like a happy little bee,
"They never will learn; no, you can't teach a Zombie!"

But McBean was quite wrong, I'm quite happy to say,
the Zombies got quite a bit smarter that day.
That day, they decided that Botox and dead flesh looks very much the same.
Both are lifeless and that is what's best, regardless of name.
All the differences were all in there head
Because at the end of the day they all looked dead.

I went to the Spiderwick premiere in LA and NYC but I have not posted about it because I've been working. I saw some famous people but the coolest thing was seeing the movie. They really did a great job on it. I know I'm invested but I can only think of a few movies based on books that I can compare to it. The story is a little different but the characters are book solid and Freddie, Sarah, Mary, Seth, Nick, Andrew, David and Martin kicked a lot of ass. Some scenes I know were shortened so I am really hopping for an extended edition on DVD. If I had any complaint it was that there was not more.

I'm working on a few sites right now. At this very moment I'm working on Laurie Anderson's overhaul. I so can't wait to see this thing up. It's one of my more advanced sites.

As I've been working I decided to let the Westminster Kennel Club Show and something about it seemed odd to me. The herding dogs don't herd anything, the sporting (hunting) dogs don't hunt, the guard dogs don't guard and the lap dogs don't even sit on someone's lap. They just all run around, eat treats and get groped by old men. Wouldn't it be cool to see a Welsh Corgi chase sheep or Irish Wolfhound take down a remote controlled bunny or something.

As some of you may know I am in the process of overhauling five websites right now. Just now I finished one. Tiffany Trent's site. The framework for the website is very different now. It still needs tweaking but basically my part is over. Please take a look:

fhttp://www.tiffany-trent.com/

I am pleased to announce that I have a third media client, Tonya Hurley. She is a writer and producer for TV and has a book on the way called "ghostgirl" about a girl who dies and goes back to school. I won't spoil anything but please check out the site I designed for her and the amazing ghostgirl site (designed by vpi).

http://tonyahurley.com/

http://www.ghostgirl.com/index.php

I'm working on a site right now that has forced me to try Final Cut Pro because I need to edit video and let me say it is more fun than a barrel of mutant monkeys.