Every Christmas I paint a tie to wear at the various cartoon related holiday parties I attend. It’s always a mad rush and I’m usually hoping it’s dry as I tie it. This time around, I practically had to hang it out the car window on the way to the Society of Illustrators party in Manhattan.
Is anyone's job safe from cutbacks?
Well, I did it. I finished my Christmas card before “Little Christmas.” Every year is the same, there’s always a rush before the holidays and then the hustle of the holidays themselves. So, I rarely get to draw the card before Christmas day.
Well, almost the night before and not a creature is stirring, not even a mouse. That’s not quite true. I’m stirring and, as always, working on my annual Christmas card. One year it will arrive on time and no one will believe it’s from me.
You don't have to get me anything . . . well, perhaps a bit of gorgonzola.
The Berndt Toast Gang had a “Spooky Drawing” drawing at our last meeting. Everyone brings in a “spooky” drawing and gets to trade for someone else’s.
Here’s mine (click for a larger version):
My accent is very faint but you can tell I’m Irish because I’d much prefer a good cup of tea to most other drinks. Unfortunately, there are very few places to get a decent cup of tea in America. One of the most important parts of the process is making sure that the water is ferociously boiling. Usually it’s the water from the coffee maker and, more often than not, flavored with the coffee of the day. So, I can see why it never really took hold here.
We just returned from a short trip to the White Hart Inn in Salisbury, Connecticut. One of the former partners now owns Harney & Sons Tea based in Millerton, New York. So, I was pleasantly surprised to have finally found an exception to the rule (the food was good, too).
I say, what a treat!
I’m sure the Easter Bunny is as happy that his task for the year is over as I am that the semester has finished. After all, the Easter Bunny certainly has a tougher job than Santa. Santa knows who is getting what and where they live. I’m sure it’s even easier since he got his iPhone. But the poor Easter Bunny, not only does he have to deliver to every house, he has to hide all the eggs, too. All this and hardly a tenth of the recognition Santa gets. So, if you happen to see him looking like this you’ll understand why.
By the way, if you do see him perhaps you should watch Jimmy Stewart in “Harvey.”
From the movie: Years ago my mother used to say to me, she'd say, "In this world, Elwood, you must be" - she always called me Elwood - "In this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant." Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. You may quote me.
If there’s one thing you should never do, it’s give your mom a toaster for Mother’s Day . . . even if the kitchen needs one. Save it for the week after. Bring her flowers, chocolates, tickets to a show, a hug, anything but a kitchen appliance. It’s the same as getting a “To Do” notepad (appropriately filled in) for your birthday, Father’s Day or Christmas.
Sorry if this advice comes to late. If that’s case, remember to run the burn under cold water and get medical attention.
Come into the kitchen, let me show you how this works . . .
Since it’s Easter and there’s lots of chocolate to be eaten, I thought I’d drag this out of the vault. The “Recycled Chef” started life as part of a “Berndt Toast Gang” cookbook. Bill Seay, longtime chair of the group, had proposed an idea that we each submit a recipe. And, in good order, the group complied. Only problem was, according to the literary agent, no one could tell which recipes were real and which were a gag. So, somewhere out there, is a manuscript for a cookbook no one wanted. My drawing, and my wife’s recipe for chocolate cheescake (using all the leftover chocolate in the fridge, including Easter bunnies), eventually became the inspiration for a comic strip that also became something no one wanted. One of the rejection letters said, “Great drawings, not funny enough.” And, looking back, he was right. But then again an awful lot of syndicated comic strips are “not funny enough.”
Look, I don't mind being eaten, that's what chocolate bunnies do. But do you have to smash me up into unrecognizable bits?
I’ve been running a bit behind, and not because I’ve been celebrating St. Patrick’s day early. Some recent projects have taken precedence. But, since it is St. Paddy’s Day, let’s clear up a few misconceptions. I’ve never met anyone that said, “Top o’the morning to you!” Corned beef and cabbage is not the national dish. It was forever tied to the Irish because, for the immigrants, it was the cheapest meat available. The “Fighting Irish” logo of Notre Dame has it’s roots in a derogatory cartoon of drunken Irish immigrants. And, most surprising, Ireland has over 300 days a year of significant sunshine. Of course, when it rains all the time, ten minutes sun is significant.
Just because I don't drink green beer and fall down in a drunken stupor on St. Patrick's day doesn't mean I'm not Irish!
Hmmm . . . nothing like the smell of fresh-baked cookies. Chocolate chip-coconut, from scratch. Best way to start the New Year!
Sorry, I have to go home. The cookies are calling! There are some things you can't do with a Wii.