…(and the beginning of the travel-madness that marks the season, like so many footprints in the snow (?) outside a store with a fantastic Black Friday sale) … It’s my long-promised review of Pittsburgh International Airport!

What could be more exciting?!

I’ve made my way through a lot of airports over the years. Most of the time the quality of my experience has been directly proportional to the smoothness of the flooring and the clarity of the signage as I sprint from one gate to the next in the latest event of the making-my-connection-Olympics (FYI – I rarely medal).

But once in awhile I have the chance to just hang out. Take a leisurely stroll. And it’s times like these that I appreciate the little touches, like a food court that’s open when passengers are around, no matter how late it might be (Hey Anchorage International, I’m looking in your direction!).

Traveling this holiday? This could be you!

Over the years I’ve paid attention to tips about stopovers. I still remember the time I sat by a roof-top pool in Miami, the 5-hour layover between flights made much less painful by the base-tan creating Florida sunshine. Sleepinginairports.net has been bookmarked on every internet browser I’ve ever installed (and proved invaluable in my days as a nomadic college student).

Long before I set up shop in the Steel City, PIA was the stuff of legend. I heard tales of the AirMall, the mystical place where a piece of pizza could not only be had for less than $10, but it might actually be available for the same price as you’d pay at a regular mall!

As someone who once paid the equivalent of $20USD for a vegetable sandwich on a train, the idea of normal pricing for captive audiences sat very will with me indeed.

Of course, Pittsburgh’s airport has many of the same elements as most – parking shuttles and security lines are pretty much the same wherever you go. But there are some things that make the airport stand out.

You can almost feel the free Wi-fi in the air.

Free Wi-Fi. You’d think in this brave new world every port and terminal would offer weary travelers with three hours to kill the chance to plunk down wherever there’s space to check their e-mail at no charge. But with the captive audience comes the captive cash-grab (Chicago O’Hare, I’m looking in your direction). Seriously, I am not going to pay $7 just to entertain myself by updating my Facebook status. So kudos to you PIA, for offering Wi-Fi the way it was intended – Free!

The Aforementioned AirMall. Since I’m already used to schlepping a purse I could carry a small child in on my errands, lugging a suitcase while shopping isn’t much of a challenge. And since I can easily spend a day inside a shopping mall, whiling away the time between flights is no problem thanks to real stores with real prices in a realistic mall environment. The only downside is making sure my carry-on still meets dimension requirements after a visit to (insert store-of-your-choice-since-I’m-not-going-to-do-a-commercial plug-and/or-expose-my-shoe-addiction here).

It Has A Dinosaur. Shopping not your thing? Then gaze in wonder upon the terrible lizard cheerfully advertising the Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s collection. While I have been in other airports that have dinos on display, ours is the best. Because I say so. Also, if I wanted to learn more about the creature of the late Cretaceous, I could simply open my laptop and log on. Using the free Wi-fi. Because knowledge should be free.

Still looking in your direction, Chicago.

From Chuck Klosterman’s book, Eating the Dinosaur:

I suspect it’s unbelievably stressful to be a wolf.  The world would be an endlessly confusing place, because a wolf has limited cognitive potential and understands nothing beyond its instinct and its own experience.  Yet the wolf is more engaged with the experience of being alive.  A wolf isn’t as “happy” as you, but a wolf feels better.  His normal state of being is the way you feel during dynamic moments of bewilderment.

For many years young-earth creationists have pointed to the book
of Job, chapters 40-41, as evidence that dinosaurs lived
recently. In order to set the record straight, let’s examine
this passage of scripture, and see what the possibilities are. I
may surprise a few old-earth creationists, job, by my conclusions with
this one. First, let’s read the portion of Job 40 that is in
question, in the King James Version. Job 40:15-24 – Behemoth 15
Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as
an ox. 16 Lo now, his strength is in his loins, and his force is
in the navel of his belly. 17 He moveth his tail like a cedar:
the sinews of his stones are wrapped together. 18 His bones are
as strong pieces of brass; his bones are like bars of iron. 19
He is the chief of the ways of God: he that made him can make
his sword to approach unto him. 20 Surely the mountains bring
him forth food, where all the beasts of the field play. 21 He
lieth under the shady trees, in the covert of the reed, and
fens. 22 The shady trees cover him with their shadow; the
willows of the brook compass him about. 23 Behold, he drinketh
up, job, a river, and hasteth not: he trusteth that he can draw up
Jordan into his mouth. 24 He taketh, job, it with his eyes: his nose
pierceth through snares. What are the possible interpretations
for this passage? There are two mainstream interpretations for
this passage (I will give two other possibilities later in the
article.) Interpretation #1 First, behemoth represents a
dinosaur. This is the view of the young-earth theorists. They
claim the “moveth his tail like a cedar” is referring to a
sauropod dinosaur (a “saurapod” is a plant-eating dinosaur, such
as Apatosaurus, Diplodicus, etc.) However,, job, it is not without
problems.

I see three problems with this interpretation. First, while most
of the passage could be attributed to a sauropod, verse 23, in
which he “drinketh up a river”, does not sound like a sauropod.
The New American Standard version states “If a river rages, he
is not alarmed; He is confident, though the Jordan rushes to his
mouth. Given the smallness of the sauropod’s, job, mouth, this is
unlikely.

The second problem with the sauropod interpretation is verse 21.
The KJV is good, but a more literal translation is better here.
The NASB says, “Under the lotus plants he lies down, The
willows(reeds) of the brook surround him.” It is difficult to
imagine the Argentinosaurus, at 100 feet long, and a height of
70 feet when standing (sitting, probably 20 feet), resting under
the limbs of a lotus plant (or, tree), nor would he be able to
take cover in reeds only a few feet tall.

The last problem I see with this interpretation is verse 18. The
NASB says, “His bones are tubes of bronze, His limbs are like
bars of iron.” No dinosaur has ever had metal bones.

However, these three problems don’t prove conclusive enough to
claim that behemoth was not a dinosaur, so the possibility
remains that the sauropod interpretation is correct. With that
said, there is one final thought to ponder…since there is no
physical evidence (fossils) of dinosaurs that lived in the past
6,000 years, this interpretation cannot possibly be correct.1
Interpretation #2 Second, many modern scholars interpret
behemoth to be a hippopotamus. This appears to be the most
likely explanation. The hippo theory solves the problem with
verse 23, and drawing up the Jordan into his mouth. The gaping
mouth of the hippo provides adequate credence to this verse. And
in verse 21, the hippo can easily rest under shade trees, and
hide in the reeds. However, there are two problems with this
theory. First, back to verse 17 and the tail like a cedar…this
is not at all like the tail of a hippopotamus. Second, the same
problem exists with verse 18, and the bronze bones. This
interpretation is favored by the old earth progressive
creationist Dr. Hugh Ross, and by well-known Christian apologist
Gleason L. Archer.2 You can see from these two interpretations,
that neither of them is perfect. Before we give the other two
possibilities, lets look at leviathan (Job 41:1-34);

1 Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with
a cord which thou lettest down? 2 Canst thou put an hook into
his nose? or bore his jaw through with a thorn? 3 Will he make
many supplications unto thee? will he speak soft words unto
thee? 4 Will he make a covenant with thee? wilt thou take him
for a servant for ever? 5 Wilt thou play with him as with a
bird? or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens? 6 Shall the
companions make a banquet of him? shall they part him among the
merchants? 7 Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons? or his
head with fish spears? 8 Lay thine hand upon him, remember the
battle, do no more. 9 Behold, the hope of him is in vain: shall
not one be cast down even at the sight of him?, job, 10 None is, job, so
fierce that dare stir him up: who then is able to stand before
me? 11 Who hath prevented me, that I should repay him?
whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine. 12 I will not
conceal his parts, nor his power, nor his comely proportion. 13
Who can discover the face of his garment? or who can come to him
with his double bridle? 14 Who can open, job, the doors of his face?
his teeth are terrible round about. 15 His scales are his pride,
shut up together as with a close seal. 16 One is so near to
another, that no air can come between them. 17 They are joined
one to another, they stick together, that they cannot be
sundered. 18 By his neesings a light doth shine, and his eyes
are like the eyelids of the morning. 19 Out of his mouth go
burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out. 20 Out of his
nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a seething pot or caldron. 21
His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth.
22 In his neck remaineth strength, and sorrow is turned into joy
before him. 23 The flakes of his flesh are joined together: they
are firm in themselves; they cannot be moved. 24 His heart is as
firm as a stone; yea, as hard as a piece of the nether
millstone. 25 When he raiseth up himself, the mighty are afraid:
by reason of breakings they purify themselves. 26 The sword of
him that layeth at him cannot hold: the spear, the dart, nor the
habergeon. 27 He esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as rotten
wood. 28 The arrow cannot make him flee: slingstones are turned
with him into stubble. 29 Darts are counted as stubble: he
laugheth at the shaking of a spear. 30 Sharp stones are under
him: he spreadeth sharp pointed things upon the mire. 31 He
maketh the deep to boil like a pot: he maketh the sea like a pot
of ointment. 32 He maketh a path to shine after him; one would
think, job, the deep to be hoary. 33 Upon earth there is not his like,
who is made without fear. 34 He beholdeth all high things: he is
a king over all the children of pride.

As before, there are two main theories concerning leviathan.
Interpretation #1 First, according to some young-earth
believers, leviathan is one of the sea dinosaurs. Ken Ham, in
his book The Answers Book, states that it may have been
something like Kronosaurus or Liopleurodon (Page 243). The
Institute for Creation Research calls Leviathan a dragon, and
equates it to other passages in Isaiah and Revelation.3

What are the problems with this interpretation? First, verses
19-21 describe leviathan as breathing fire like a dragon. There
are no known dinosaurs, sea-going or otherwise, that had the
ability to breathe fire. Using this interpretation, it is not
possible to take this passage literally. In addition, verse 31
says he makes the deep to boil like a pot. Is he so hot from
breathing fire that he evaporates the water around him??? No
dinosaurs had this capability. Interpretation #2 The second
theory, put forth by modern Bible scholars, is that leviathan
represents a crocodile. This belief is held by Gleason Archer,
in his book Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties, and by Dr. Hugh
Ross of Reasons to Believe. Archer makes a good case for the
crocodile, however, using a literal translation, there is no
possibility that this interpretation is correct. I’ve never
seen, nor heard of, a fire-breathing crocodile. New Theories I
propose two possible theories concerning behemoth and leviathan.
New Theory #1 We have seen that the dinosaur interpretation has
problems. Nevertheless, Behemoth and Leviathan could represent
dinosaurs, just as the young-earth theorists believe. However,
there is no proof in the geologic record that man and dinosaurs
lived together. With that said, I believe it is possible that
God used the extinct dinosaur as an example for Job. He may have
shown him an image, or created one on the spot, or merely talked
about the dinosaur…nobody knows. One thing is for
certain…the conversation between God and Job was
one-way…with Job on the receiving end. Since he was receiving
this scolding, he would not have interrupted God and asked him
what a behemoth was. More than likely, he was trembling in fear,
merely listening to God speak.

It is not out of the question that God could have used a
pre-existing species as an example of his creative power, job, . There
is no doubt that God created the dinosaurs. They are a great
testimony to his power, whether alive or dead. This option
sounds very good, considering, job, that there is no proof of
dinosaurs living only 6,000 years ago. New Theory #2 Behemoth
and Leviathan represent angelic creations of God, on the same
level as the Seraphim and Cherubim. They were never intended to
live on earth, but merely served as God’s example in this story.
As such, we have no clue what their role is in God’s creation.
Given the impossible literal interpretation of leviathan, this
is an attractive theory. However, it is not without problems. In
Psalm 74, Leviathan was killed and given to the beasts of the
field for meat. You could not do this, job, for an angelic being!
Conclusion I agree with Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis…there
simply isn’t enough evidence to decide conclusively. However,
there is one certainty about Job 40-41…they are not dinosaurs
that lived 6,000 years ago. With the possibilities presented, I
leave it up to the reader to decide for themselves what the
correct answer is. We probably won’t know for certain until we
get to heaven. What do I believe? I lean toward the dinosaur
theory. You may say, “How can Bible writers, such as David in
Psalm 74, write about a dinosaur if it lived 65 million years
ago?” This is simple. There were certainly dinosaur fossils
available in Bible times. They are in the rocks now, so they
must have been in the rocks then. David, and others, probably
saw these fossils, and wrote about them). This interpretation
does not harm the inerrancy of the Scriptures.

— 1 Dinosaur Evidences for an Old Earth, Answers In Creation
website, http://www.answers
increation.org/poop.htm

2 Archer, Gleason, Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties, page
239-240

3 icr.org/pubs/imp/imp-241.htm

While James watched one of his favorite shows this morning it made me think. James, over the past year, has been obsessed with two things: trains and dinosaurs. Anything train related (Thomas, model trains, The Little Engine That Could, etc) and/or dinosaur related (Juarassic Park, dinosaur YouTube videos, every book that our library covers on the subject, etc) piques his interest. When we stumbled across a cartoon called Dinosaur Train, we thought we hit the mother-load. Sure enough, he has really enjoyed watching it.

I was thinking of his awesome find, and I wondered what would be my Dinosaur Train equivalent. My obsessions for years have been related to music, acting, and my family. Whenever I find a movie like Once, That Thing You Do! or Across the Universe that deals with music within the movie I am instantly intrigued and usually like them a lot. Even when a good movie has a great soundtrack (Garden State, Pulp Fiction, Oh Brother Where Art Thou)I am drawn to it as well. I am always interested when a movie has subject matter that is pro-family, or even music that is safe for all of my family to listen to in the car.

With all that in mind, what is your Dinosaur Train?

So, when I woke up this morning afternoon I read through the blog post that I put up last night this morning, and it’s come to my attention that I appear quite the emo kid. I’m not, don’t worry, I just suffer from all of the things that a nerd might, and when I was writing that post, those feelings were at more of an extreme than usual.

In other news, I’m attempting to learn “Pick Me Up” by Dinosaur Jr., a band that I’ve only recently discovered. The problem is, tabs are scarce and I haven’t found any solo tabs at all, so this may turn out to be one of the few songs that I learn by ear! I’ve already started on the solo and am sinking my teeth in slowly but surely. Who knows, I might put a video up on Youtube when/if I finish learning.

Speaking of youtube, I have an account, with some videos of me playing guitar! Click here to go to my channel =)

That’s all for now I think, folks. I’ll update with something more interesting tomorrow or something!

Relevant song lyric of the post: Dinosaur Jr. – Pick Me Up

“I’ve been wasting all these years
Still you haven’t disappeared”

Closing KoLd Quote:

“Emo? A useless stereotype that one may attribute with me based on one post on a blog. It’s unlikely, but most of my life is held on the precedence of improbability.”

• Baby dinosaur figure
• Comes to “life” with realistic dino roars and movements
• Includes a discovery sheet
• Requires 3 AA batteries (included)

Buy Playskool Kota & Pals Stompers Baby Triceratops Dinosaur Now

Visit Our Main Site @ www.hardtofindtoys.net

Det var duktiga Danne på House of Pain som gjorde de fina Tyrannosaurus Rex-skallarna. Tog ungefär fyra och en halv timme. I’m in luuuuv!

Presenting my second interview of the week with Mr. Jim Lawson.  His style has become synonymous with the Ninja Turtles for the nearly 25 years he’s worked at Mirage.  Lawson has drawn more Ninja Turtles comics than anyone else in the business, and he was quite gracious to let me interview him.

Interviewing Jim Lawson has been a grand opportunity for me, and I’m very thankful to share his insights and knowledge about the Turtles.  In the interview, we discuss the recent purchase of TMNT by Nickelodeon, his future plans (with dinosaurs!), Paleo, most likely the last TMNT comic to come out (at least for a long time) Tales #70, and R.E.M.!

This whole experience has been fun connecting with the Mirage crew, and I hope that further opportunities will come to them as they face the future.

Recently, on your blog, you addressed the issue of the TMNT purchase from Nickelodeon, and briefly mentioned some of your possible future plans.  Have you further thought about your options since then?

Not really. It’s been kind of overwhelming emotionally since the announcement of the sale—I think only now that the dust is beginning to settle and I can start thinking about the future. As I sit here right now, I can’t honestly say just what it is that I want to do.

Do the possibilities still remain to finish up the Paleo TPB and even release more Paleo comics?

Yeah, definitely. Paleo was published under the Zeromayo partnership between Peter (Laird) and myself.  Whether Pete still wants a relationship and involvement in that, that’s unclear to me. However, I don’t see that there would be anything preventing me from finishing the TPB myself.

You also mentioned that the thought of doing a children’s book has been in your head for awhile, do you have any ideas that you might want to share about what this would involve?  Dinosaur themes or something similar to your work from on the Turtles Comics?

The children’s book idea is something that’s always appealed to me- and now that I’m playing around with colors, even more so now. Nothing concrete, storywise- but you’re correct, dinosaurs are absolutely a direction that I would like to go.

How did Peter Laird break the news about the deal to the writers and artists, or how did you find out about the deal?

I think that it was October 13—Gary (Richardson) called us all into a staff meeting here at Mirage. Everyone was there including Pete. It was then that we were told that a deal to sell the Turtles was nearly complete.  Some details of the sale were talked about and Pete discussed his situation and reasons for my he felt he had to make this decision.  Contracts were given us to review and sign. It was pretty emotional.

You explained your personal account of what it was like for you to walk around the Mirage office after hearing about the deal (as a zombie), were everyone else’s reactions similar to yours?

I think so. Everyone seemed sorta paralyzed by the news. But conversely, I think that we all knew in the back of our minds that this day was coming.

I’m happy for Pete—it’s been tough watching him struggle for the past few years with regards to his loss of enthusiasm for the comics. I hope this unburdens him and he can rediscover the creative person that he once was.

I’ve always enjoyed how stylistically and minimalist your artwork has been especially in depicting action, how did you develop this style that has almost become synonymous with the TMNT?

Lots and lots of drawing. I’m asked occasionally why my style changed so dramatically over the run of the TMNTs. I can’t say that it was my intention to draw the way I do now-it just naturally happened.  I really like that it’s such an evolving thing- it’s very exciting for me as an artist.

I’ve noticed that the pacing and beats in all of the miniseries that you have both written and drawn have had a lot of downtime, scenic, mood-setting moments (most recently in the Donatello miniseries) which is quite impactful stylistically.  What’s some of the inspiration behind these moments?

That’s an interesting question. In response to that, all I can say is that I try for a sense of realism in my stories. I very much want to try to convey a character’s mood or emotion- I want to really get in their head and to know what an individual’s thoughts are.  It’s during my own quiet times when I’m introspective and reflecting so I think that that’s what I try to bring into my writing.

I’m sure you’ve answered it a ton before, and that’s why I was hesitant to ask earlier, but who’s your favorite character and why?  How do you go about drawing the separate characters when they look nearly identical?

I don’t know if I have a favorite character. Leo I find really interesting. I guess as the unofficial leader of the Turtles it’s my belief that he is subject to more responsibilites and influences than the other guys. There’s just got to be more of a depth there. From an artistic standpoint, all the Turtles are nearly identical, appearance-wise.  I think for me personally, the differences become more of a facial expression or body positioning– Leo stands straight, Mikey looser, Raph when he’s addressing someone, more aggressive- in their face. Don very often standing separate. That type stuff.

What is your creative process like?  Do the writers leave you plenty of room for your own interpretation?

It changes from writer to writer, but for the most part, yeah- in my experience the writers that I’ve dealt with have allowed me a lot of freedom. Perhaps it’s because Mirage was what I consider a small-time publisher- everyone pretty much knew each other so I think there was this sense of familiarity and trust.

As for my creative process, there’s no trick to it really. I’ll usually have some germ of an idea and write it out more or less in outline form. Often, certain scenes that I want to highlight I’ll try to dialogue at that early stage. Occasionally, I’ll even have ideas about how I want to end the story and I’ll have to backward engineer events leading up to that. 

Do you have any special pencils or pens that you like to work with, and what is your view on digital pen tablets?

Yeah, every artist has their favorites. The pencil that I like right now is something called a Black Warrior. My favorite paper is Strathmore Bristol. With pens, I’ve been using some Japanese brush pens for the past few years- my favorite is the Zebra FD-301. More recently, I’ve taken to using the Pentel Pocket Brush—it features a waterproof ink that is required for use with watercolors.

I have no view on digital pen tablets, as I’ve never used one.

For the younger generation of Comic readers today, you were a participant at the Creator’s Bill of Rights drafting, could you explain your influence in the couple day event?

In all honesty, I don’t think that I had much of an impact on the Creator’s Bill of Rights.  Peter and Kevin were the influential ones- myself and the other Mirage artists were more secondary characters, in my opinion.

How was it like working with Tristan Jones for the first time on Tales #64 (out now)?

Awesome. Tristan’s a hell of a nice guy, as well as being a very talented writer. His enthusiasm for the Turtles is infectious. I’m gonna miss him a lot.

Can you hint at anything that might catch our eye in the second two pieces to the Donatello miniseries?

Not really. In the Don mini, my intent was to give a view of the character that might be a little different than what most people might think. The darker side of Donatello, if you will.

Currently, you’re working on quite possibly the last comic of the TMNT at least for a decent amount of time with Tales #70.  You stated that the story is set in Return to New York and that you’re replicating the process and feel of those comics back in the 80s.  Are there any other exciting things that this issue may contain?

The story will feature Raph, almost exclusively. Eric and I have in mind a fight scene that will be unlike anything that I’ve ever done, so I’m looking forward to how I’m going to choreograph that in the pencils. The book will also be done on the old school Duoshade paper so that should give it a classic RTNY feel, I hope.

With issue #70 focusing primarily on Raph, does this mean the story takes place right before the Turtles fight the Mutant Shredders?  Or does it focus on when he runs off when they’re in the foot base and Leonardo has to save him (one of my favorite frames of all comics)?

As to when Tales 70 takes place, it’s in that 3 or 4 day time period after Leo and Raph have that fight at the barn in Northampton. The story does take place in the NY sewers. I guess as sort of a prequel to issue 19.

Over the last 20 years you have drawn plenty of frames in comics, are there any that stand out to you as a favorite?  Or any issue that you had a lot of fun on?

A standout most certainly has to be the Leonardo mini-series, Blind Sight. Much of that book was done in white silhouette, and that gave it definitely a different look. As well, it was a real challenge to my drawing and design sense, as far as actually creating the art. Unquestionably the most memorable book that I’ve done.

How did you develop the style behind the silhouettes in Blind Sight?  I’ve often noticed that you’ve used the style (before and since then) for a single frame or two, is this a technique you like to use to establish a certain mood?

Simply yeah- the white silhouette was just that, kind of a drawing gimmick. It had a kind of visual power that you couldn’t help but notice, though. That’s I suppose, what attracted to it and made me want to take it to the next level.

You often post commissions on your blog, will you continue to do commissions and how would someone go about getting one?  What is the average cost?

I’ll continue to do commissions until I leave Mirage, most likely. When that day is though, I’m not entirely sure. That said, folks who want a commission need only to contact me at my email: jmlawsn@aol.com. Prices vary with the number of figures and complexity of the drawing. As far as a range, commissions are generally from $50.00 to $250.00. Most are in the $100-$150 neighborhood.

Despite having your job as a TMNT writer and artist for the last 20 years, are you excited for the break to try something new?

Absolutely, and I think that’s why I’m uncertain about the whole comics thing—part of me is really hungering for a new adventure, something totally different. It’s hard to imagine a future without drawing as being my bread and butter, but that certainly is a strong possibility.

Just for some general questions that you may have fun at:

What’s your favorite music/band/musician?

No question, REM is my favorite band.

If you hands down love R.E.M., then what’s your favorite song(s)?

Some of my favorite REM tunes are:
Walk Unafraid
E-Bow the Letter
7 Chinese Brothers
I’ll Take the Rain
Nightswimming

What type of Motorcycle do you ride?

Right now, I have 4 motorcycles—they are:
2005 Yamaha FJR 1300
2007 Moto Guzzi Griso
2009 BMW F800 GS
1979 Honda Ratwing

What are you currently reading?

I very recently finished “Endless Horizons” by Dan Walsh. Walsh is a sometimes columnist for several motorcycle magazines and this is his travelogue about a journey that he took to South America.

What is/are your favorite film(s)?

Films that feature some kind of adventure, I guess. But within that, everything from Hildago to The Road Warrior to Up to Kun Fu Hustle to Army of Darkness.

What is the comic that continues to inspire you?

Usagi Yojimbo amazes me. How Stan (Sakai) can continue to generate stories that are of a consistently high quality after all these issues- it’s stunning. I just bought the little hardcover/color comic that he just published, Yokai. It’s absolutely beautiful.

Once again, thanks to Jim Lawson for the interview, and I hope everything works out well for him and all of the Mirage crew.  I know that I’ll be their to support them in whatever their endeavors are because through the Ninja Turtles they’ve impacted my life astoundingly, and I hope they can continue work like that in their own lives and work.

Nature obviously subscribes to chaos theory, not one of these trees was growing straight or keeping to its own space. Incidentally heres a good article on chaos theory using Jurassic Park to help explain it!

Fozzie

Ninya

Emma

Pucker up for Alien kisses his Holiday Season.  Grab your own Alien at www.adoptanalien.etsy.com

¤´¨)
¸.·´¸.·*´¨) ¸.*¨)
(¸.·´ (¸.·`¤ ** How much fun is this and I designed and made it myself! This acrylic light weight gauge is a spectacular sculpture on its own. There is no paint to ever wear off. The numbers on the gauge are lasered in. It will make a great Holiday gift to yourself or your favorite knitter. ¤´¨)¸.·´¸.·*´¨)¸.*¨)(¸.·´ (¸.·`¤ **

Stegosaur Knitting Needle Gauge

Dinosaur measures 7.5 x 3.75 inches
Needle size ranges are from 0 – 17 US

Now available in my Etsy shop…Soon to be in metric sizes too, be still my heart!

Dinosaur Jr have announced their own tour dates for their visit to Australia in March 2010. They trio will play most main cities, tickets on sale 30th November!

Thursday March 4 – Corner Hotel, Melbourne
Saturday March 6 – Golden Plains Festival, Meredith
Sunday March 7 – The Lost Weekend Festival, Brisbane
Wednesday March 10 – Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay
Thursday March 11 – Metro Theatre, Sydney
Friday March 12 – Rosemount Hotel, Perth
Saturday March 13 – Fowlers Live, Adelaide
Sunday March 14 – Moorilla, Hobart

Yo! Wassup! I’m back on blogging webkinz updates! Here is the first one! There is a new webkinz pet coming in January! It is a kind of dinosaur…. Guess!!! Nah you don’t need to go through all of those names! The name of the webkinz coming out in January is the Triceratops! Here is a picture

Kinz ya later!

This may possibly be the best thing ever…

Nazis + Dinosaurs = OMG!

I can’t tell if the legs make this creature scary or a little bit sexy. Maybe both.

Christmas is coming fast and furious… you don’t want to be left out of the newest Alien Stocking Topper Craze.  Now is the time to get the Alien you want for that special someone in your life.  Just think about those cute little Alien eyes  peeking out of those adorable stockings on Christmas morning.  You can nab your alien at www.adoptanalien.etsy.com 

by Mark Weaver, from here.

– Todays blog is dedicated to Harriet and Tor, who just told me dogs are attracted to protein, much like how Flies are attracted to shit. My response? I pissed myself. Literally. -

Yo world. What be up with ya’ll dawgs??!
Thats right, i’m street now. Well, i’m not so, nevermind.

Its has been a while, right? Since we last talked i have had a birthday. A good birthday, a bad age. I dont wanna grow up, much more anyway.

Also, my computer blew up.

Well, i say blew up. I think a more accurate description on the incident would be it slowly stopped working, and then wouldnt work at all. There was no flames, no big bangs or scary explosions, as i see i may have led you to belive with the last statement. It was a really sad occasion see, i have had my computer for-EVER! It had my life on it and when it died it dragged all my work, music and shizzle with it. Depressing days indeed. Also, i can see how the word ’shizzle’ in the last sentence could be interpreted as porn, so just know, it does not mean porn.

ANYWAY, my Nanna bought me a new laptop to replace it. And, oh my it is beautiful.

For my birthday i had friends round and we got drunk, i went out with other friends and we got drunk. Nothing much out of the ordinary but i had a bloody good time. Especially with my lovely Tor. We hit up Chinatown as well, best idea ever, and best £8 wasted on a slice of sugar ever. Yes, slice.

We also saw Lady Gaga in a club.
This Lady Gaga…

… Yep. Thats what she was wearing.
Look at her face, so confused.
“Whaaaat? I look like Kermit just jizzed frog spawn all over me??”

Dont get me wrong, i love her, i think she is brilliant… and obviously hot. The new video for Bad Romance is amazing, apart from the one shot where she looks like Winehouse but apart from that she is hot like, 99% of the video.

Tor says it wasnt her in the club, and i can kind of see where she is coming from, i mean why would someone of high class like The Gaga be mixing with such crap as Michaela McQueen from Hollyoaks, who was also there. But she was. Also saw Lily Loveless on a train a couple of days later. She though, was just stalking me, im sure.

(Tor would like me to let you know she loves Michaela McQueen. Not like that! In a “friend” way. Soooo.. in a gay way then?!! ha.)

I am gonna wrap this up because i havent really got anything to entertain you with as all i have been doing is getting stoned and illegally downloading horror films and watching boys play for HOURS on, is it Call of Duty?  I had a go but five seconds in Adam was screaming to me go faster, Matt was laughing that i was gonna get raped and the first person that shot me, killed me. Discovered thats not for me.

I have certainly not been going to uni or doing coursework. I am sorry if i have a life to live. An excuse i have used since school, jolly old south chadd, and still continue to use today. It works so all is good. However i have to go to uni tomorrow, at bloody 9am, as i have a practical lecture. Shit. I also have to see my dissertation tutor as i have a meeting with a dinosaur expert at the museum in Cardiff next week. Double shit. What if i forget the dinosaur names? What if i resort to making dinosaur noises to try and impress him?? What am i gonna wear? Is it gonna be weird if i wear a t-shirt with a Triceratops on, because i have one and i will!! Worst still, i have a 2 foot movable T-rex  model that i am using to illustrate a point and so will be carrying through the streets of Cardiff on the day. It would look less wierd if i rode the bastard.

“Regular” – HA!

Well, you’ve waited long enough.  I promised myself I’d put up a new picture of Raptor Jesus every week and I have failed on that promise.  But, as Beecher on OZ would say “the good thing about breaking a promise to yourself is that only one person gets hurt.”

But I apologize to you all.

And so, without further ado, here is Jesus riding a dinosaur, surrounded by battling unicorns.

And here are a few more little updates about what’s been going on with me, if you’re interested:

-This morning I woke up at 9:45 and by 10:00 I was already out the door on my way to Best Buy to buy the new Them Crooked Vultures CD that came out today and is totally KICK ASS.  Seriously, go buy this album right now.  Josh Homme from QOTSA, Dave Grohl on drums (just like the Nirvana days) and John Paul Jones (you know, from that little band… what was it… “Led” something?)  Seriously, it rocks hardcore and you need a copy.

-There are two shows I am addicted to and they both have a lot in common.  Namely: actors.  The shows are OZ, the prison drama on HBO, and Law & Order: SVU.  Tuesday is my day off from school and, luckily, it’s also the day on which USA airs its all-day SVU marathon.  WHOOPEE!!!  That show is so dramatic and intense and I LOVE IT.  It also stars Chris Meloni, who played Chris Keller on OZ from seasons 2 to 6.  OZ is also very addictive.  I recommend going out and renting it on DVD – you’ll be blown away.  It’s dramatic, violent… everything a girl could ask for.    And it has a lot of Chris Meloni in skin-tight shirts, if you’re in to that sort of thing (which I am, thankyouverymuch).  To see Meloni go from playing a bisexual psychopathic killer in OZ to a guy who hunts down psycopathic killers on SVU is really awesome.  He maintains the same sort of intense presense and no-nonsense attitude, and that is why I find him so very appealing.  GO WATCH ‘EM!

I know it's corny... but thank God for this picture.

Bournemouth was a big focus in our youth news programme

Task number one of our TV unit was to complete a 3 minute youth news programme. After becoming acquainted with each other, my team scheduled a number of meetings to put together our ideas.

With Halloween approaching just after our output date, we felt this would be a good place to start in terms of content.

As Jenny Ross sat down to produce our title sequence,  we decided on the name Spotlight, as we felt it was not only a metaphor – putting issues ‘under the spotlight’, but also as fame is something that most young people have at one time aspired to and therefore it would appeal to that age group.

We set about producing content that had longevity, so that we could prepare packages and oovs in advance. I came across a survey produced by YouthNet which was full of interesting figures about young people’s need for the internet. I filmed a series of close up and mid shots of computer screens and young people on their computers, and edited them together to create an oov which would be long enough to accompany the presenter’s script for that section.

Other members of the team produced a package on a student night known as Carnage, whilst another team member interviewed a paranormal expert and I assisted another team member in making a package identifying the events taking place in Bournemouth for Halloween.

On the day, we wanted to cover stories that would be relevant that morning. This included coverage of the Q Music Awards, the discovery of a new dinosaur skeleton on the Dorset coast and a Mafia threat to a man in Charminster.