Man loves his sandwiches
I started reading a new Jonathan Lethem book. Man, what is up with this guy and sandwiches? There was one book about people who ate magical potatoes, and I firmly believe he wrote that one because someone called him out on his sandwich obsession. Now I want Subway.

Google "Jonathan Lethem sandwiches," and a lot comes up.

ANYWAY, I FAILED TO ADVANCE THE PLOT OF THAT COMIC STRIP STORY


To be completely rightfully fair, the story hasn't even started.



I am not good at this comics thing at all. My ADD has ADD. I have to relearn FOCUS.

COMICS

I sat down to draw a strip, which is something that I want to do and then I came up with nothing. Suddenly, I just want to do longer comics stuff. When I sit down for that, I want to do strips again. I am playing a shell game with myself. Pause.

I really have no plan, which is kind of fun, but leaves one's efforts far too scattered to form a consistent, coherent body of work. I can't even agree with myself what size and shape of paper to work on. Pulled in so many directions. Lament, lament.


SPEAKING OF COMICS

These people in the coffeeshop are totally having a long conversation about comics, amongst other things. I think it's wonderful when people aren't talking about comics and it has nothing to do with my prompting or influence. It's a fantastic development.

COMICS, PART II

Speaking of doing too many things at once, I need to go back to the Little Garden comic at some point. I know that some people here have been nice enough to express support of the Little Garden idea and I'm very fond of it myself. I should put it back on the schedule right away, because I have some fairly pleasant stuff planned for the latest edition.


THE 1990S

I've been thinking about alternative comics and zinesters from the 1990s who got big later. Jessica Abel, Sarah Oleksyk, Ken Dahl, Ron Rege, Megan Kelo...the thing that really trips me out is the cultural differences borne out of technology. Things like "writing a letter" or "telephones with cords" or "Polaroid(TM) photographs" or "writing in a notebook" just seem so...foreign now. I remember that this was MY lifetime as well.

I often wish that I could write letters to people and that they would write letters to me. It's just such an antiquated method of communication. There's no practical use for it, but it's a beautiful artform at the same time. Same with Polaroid photographs. There was such an earthy and tactile aspect to this part of life that is lost in the ones and zeros.

My friend Jess sent me a keychain from her job in the mail. She lives in Kansas City, so that makes sense. I need to have more friends who are far away so that I'll have a reason to check mail other than bill retrieval.

It should be Friday when you see this. You made it through the week!

-Darryl Ayo 2008.