Dec 30, 2010


sometimes i can be really bad at peeling oranges, probably because i don't really eat them that often. i always either peel off not quite enough so there's a ton of rind left and it's lame, or i peel off way too much and the whole thing falls apart. it's still delicious in the end, though, so it's not all that bad.

number 190

Dec 27, 2010

dude, i love barchetta pizza. so good. also, i just found this on the internet. i was completely uninvolved with this. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100720181154AA19taw

this is number 189

Dec 23, 2010


it's true, about reindeer hooves. in the summer, they get soft, but in the winter, the footpads shrink so the sharp, hard hoof is more prominent, helping them to break through the ice that covers the plants they like to eat.

also, i thought about decorating the apartment while Cayle was out one day, but i didn't really have the supplies at the moment, and i wasn't quite sure how soon i'd be able to gather them, so for now we've just got up a little christmas tree i got from my parents. it's like a foot tall and it's kind of lopsided, but it makes the place feel more Christmasy, so i like it.

188

Dec 21, 2010


i really do start the day after Halloween. i absolutely love Christmas, it's my all-time favourite holiday, and i like to start celebrating early. the way i see it, there's no such thing as too much Advent or Christmas.

and if, like Dan, you are a little late listening to Christmas music, or you don't know what to listen to, here's some suggestions!

http://www.thelineofbestfit.com/2010/12/download-ho-ho-ho-canada-deux/: free Canadian Christmas music that awesome cartoonist Kate Beaton tweeted about. this is the link to "Part Deux" and there's a link to the first compilation on the page. there's a whole lot of songs here, so i especially recommend "Winter Song" by woodpigeon/Laura Leif, "Snow" by The Zolas, "Fearfully and Wonderfully" by Baby Eagle, "Cinnamon Winter" by Cinderpop, "All Together Now (For the Holidays)" by The Mountains & The Trees, and "Klausmas" by Hoffenheimer.

http://harryandthepotters.bandcamp.com/album/a-wizardly-christmas-of-wizardry: the new Christmas release from the OGs of wizard rock, Harry and the Potters. it combines some new songs with some live performances and some songs that were on compilations. it's music about Christmas AND Harry Potter. how could it get any better?

http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/features/wizardrock/jinglespells4: the latest Jingle Spells album put out by The Leaky Cauldron. a compilation of wizard rock bands doing songs about Christmas. all the proceeds from buying this album go to The HP Alliance and Friends in Deed.it's more Christmas-themed, wizard rock, what else can i say?

http://sufjanstevens.bandcamp.com/album/songs-for-christmas: the fantastic Christmas compilation by Sufjan Stevens, containing his Christmas EPs from 2001-2006. it's seriously amazing, and it includes some classics and some Sufjan originals. if you buy the physical cd it comes with a comic about Christmas, some beautiful stickers, and songbook that includes tabs for all the songs, some essays and a short story. again, there's a whole lot of songs, so i recommend "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing," "Come On! Let's Boogey to the Elf Dance!," O Holy Night," The Friendly Beasts," "The Winter Solstice," and the vocals version of "Lo How a Rose E'er Blooming."

http://xmas.asthmatickitty.com/: here you can stream the Sufjan album, and they have fun games and activities relating to Christmas and Sufjan Stevens.

http://familyrechristmas.bandcamp.com/album/a-familyre-christmas-volume-3: free indie music about Christmas from some of Sufjan's friends. i especially recommend the songs by Danielson, Sufjan Stevens and Half-Handed Cloud. you can get volumes one and two for 4 dollars each here and here.

this is number 187.

Dec 13, 2010


i loves me some Advent, and i loves me some Christmas. Christmas is like 12 days away, do you realise that? that's less than two weeks. i'm so pumped. to help you prepare for the coming holiday, here's a fantastic video!

(WARNING: IT'S A KIND OF SAD SONG)




and here's another, much happier Sufjan video!




also, just so you know, this will be my last post until December 21st, when i will be posting more Christmas comics. there won't be a Christmas Special this year, i'm sorry, but there might be one next year. it's hard to tell. Merry Christmas!

this is number 186

Dec 12, 2010


as you may have seen a couple days ago, i've been talking about the amazing things The Harry Potter Alliance has been doing. if you haven't yet, you really should check them out.

this is the patronus picture i submitted to their tumblr in an effort to help fight the Dementor Horcrux as part of their Deathly Hallows campaign. you, too, can submit your patronus, in the form of a drawing, painting, photo, story, video, etc., to help build up a huge message of hope against the real-life dementor-like forces, including depression, anxiety and more, here. and you can learn more about fighting the Dementor Horcrux at the campaign site, http://thehpalliance.org/action/campaigns/deathly-hallows/horcrux-2/.

and remember, it's not too late to sign the fair-trade petition and fight the Slave Wages Horcrux! please send out the link as much as you can! the more signatures, the better! http://thehpalliance.org/action/campaigns/deathly-hallows/horcrux-1/

also: Nic's patronus being a bearded dragon is a nod to my roommate, Cayle, who says his patronus would either be a bearded dragon or a cat. in addition, Dan's patronus being a zebra was Cayle's suggestion.

this is number 185

Dec 9, 2010


a year ago today, my grandpa died. he was a super awesome guy, and i really did get an old coat of his. it's fantastic. i also got a couple of his ties.

here's an example of how awesome my grandpa was: he had his own Cracker Jack prize. it was possible to buy a box of Cracker Jack and pull out, as your prize, a trading card of my grandfather. i have a copy of said card. as it turns out, it lists his home address and phone number, which is a little odd, but this prize was available a while ago.

anyways, Grandpa V, this is for you.

number 184

Dec 7, 2010


i'll hopefully have one more Harry Potter related post in a little bit, but for now the scanner's not hooked up, so it'll have to wait a bit.

and seriously, "Tangerine Speedo" was an awesome song. i used to love that song. i haven't listened to it in forever, though. good stuff. i'm probably going to buy it from itunes. also, when i was doing research for this comic, i learned that "Tangerine Speedo" was on the soundtrack for the movie Charlie's Angels, and that Caviar also had a song on the soundtrack for Gone in 60 Seconds. and, best news of all, their song "The Good Times Are Over" was used in the closing scenes of the DragonBall Z special Bardock: The Father of Goku. amazing.

and here's the music video for "Tangerine Speedo"

EDIT: the music video's gone, but here's the song, at least.




this is number 183

Dec 6, 2010


this is number 182

Dec 2, 2010


the Patronus Charm is, by far, one of my most favourite parts of the entire Harry Potter universe. it's a great way to express your hope, and happiness, and joy, and faith, and belief, and strength. also, learning what form someone's patronus takes is a fun way to learn more about them. really, the whole idea of patronuses is fantastic.

like last week or something, i talked about the super amazing Harry Potter Alliance and how great they are. yesterday, they announced the second real-world horcrux they are fighting in their ongoing Deathly Hallows Campaign- the "Dementor-like experiences" of the real world, such as depression.

so, as a community, they are gathering together to cast as many patronuses as they can, in the form of art, such as drawings, paintings, writing, photos, videos, songs or whatever other medium you can use to express your patronus, which can be submitted to their Tumblr. as it says on their website,
"Once they are all made, we’ll be taking many of them to create a collective Patronus that we will send as a message of our community’s hope and inner-power to a group who needs that message (the specific group is to be determined)."

i'm definitely going to get on this and submit my patronus in some form or other, and i definitely recommend that you guys do the same. you can learn more here.

and again, their website is http://thehpalliance.org/ and remember: Expecto Patronum!