My Little CrockPot of News and Thoughts

A Weekend Celebration: "Cupcakes for Dinner!" ... So far, this Saturday goes down as the best Saturday of all time. I've drinken a pot of coffee, listened to my favorite band's latest album, and am watching Sgt. York on TV. The only way today could get any better was if it started raining marshmallows and peppermints. ... If you look to your left, you'll see that I've added a "chat with me" link. Chatango is a link that Lili posted a while back. She described it best when she said: "(Chatango) a private and disposable Flash/web-based chat which you can embed into your site. What's cool is that there are NO downloads or installations, except an optional 'messagecatcher' (notifier) which sits in your Windows tray. " My link is jaredchapman.chatango.com. Drop me a line sometime... and bring a bunt cake. ... Lawrence Northey Jordu Schell Clayton Brothers Chris Reccardi ... This weekend has been devoted to working on my own projects. Hopefully, by Sunday evening, I'll have a few things to post.

I Don't Know Either: "Robot Love" ... Late Monday nite, while sitting at the computer trying to draw something that didn't make me cringe, I stumbled upon this little guy (see image above). He's a robot that doesn't have a name. I liked him so much that I did a couple more quick sketches featuring him. I posted them at the PencilHaus. If you think of a fitting name for the orphaned bot, let me know. I'm stumped at the moment. ... Lili has posted a funny story about her and Eddie's first expierence with a skunk. Funny stuff. ... Very impressive work here. (Josh sent me this link. He has good taste.) ... Strange Attractors and The Pumpkin of Nyefar. Both worth checking out. (from The Brew) ... Update Victory for JibJab! Rumors have it that they won the lawsuit against them over their use of Woody Gunthrie's "This Land is Your Land" song. Read more about here. (Gracias Don)

Effects of the Summer Heat: "A Sloppy Sketch with a Sloppy Coloring Job" ... Check this new video for the song "Mr. Mom" by the Country band Lonestar. It's the first animated country music video ever and was done by none other than Austin Local PowerHouse. I had the chance to see this on my trip to the studio this past week. It has since been released for all the world to enjoy. ... Student Films from Cal Arts' Experimental Animation Dept. 2004 Showcase, as well a few select films from the past twenty years. ... Vincent Marcone A Murder of Scarecrows, his Flash game ... Baghdad Journal by Steve Mumford. Absolutely fascinating. ... Cuppa Coffee's new Stop Mo Holiday Special, A Very Barry Christmas

Something: "Just a City... in Hues of Blue and Purple" ... Today Don made a stop by Powerhouse to see his animation pals... he let me tag along. Wow! It was a lot of fun for me. It was my first time to be a studio setting. Got to meet Frank, Bruce, and Brad and see a few of the sights and sounds of their lair. I'm gonna go write this one down in my diary with my special purple pen! I'll be sure to dot all my "i's" with frilly hearts! ... Images from Chris Sander's new film American Dog ... Craig McCracken and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends at The New York Times. ... REN & STIMPY! ... RomanLaney over at the Animation Nation forums posted a link to his new series currently being featured on Warner Bros' Cartoon Monsoon called Superhero Intern.

. Back from Vacation: "Something I Saw at the Beach" ... Had a great time on vacation! The beach was wonderful and the company even better. We traveled to Dauphin Island, located on the Alabama Coast, just a ways from Mobile. The water was a bit rough for the first few days we were there... that was because of a hurricane brewing in the Gulf. We thought we were gonna get smacked by Hurricane Bonnie, but she turned sending only a huge storm our way. After the storm passed, all was well. The water calmed and the temperature dropped. It was really pleasant. While we were there, my brother, Amanda, and myself, paid a visit to the Civil War fort, Ft. Gaines. Being a fan of History, I really enjoyed the visit. We were able to walk around and see how soldiers lived while they were there... I imagine many died from heat stroke seeing as how shade was rare and a breeze even rarer. ... Last night, I was able to finally talk to Lili Chin online. We had a conversation about BBQ. It was nice to finally get the chance to talk to her outside of blog message boards. Congrats to her and Eddie on their Jive Turkey Experience pitch. Hopefully all will go well and we'll all be able to enjoy The Experience in our own homes. Nice talking to you Lili!

Late Night Concoctions; Early Morning Regrets: "Hmm... and what might you be?" ... Once I leave work today I begin a my first official week of vacation as a working man. *spits on the ground; hikes up pants* We'll be visiting the beautiful Gulf Coast (not the Texas side... if I had meant the Texas side, I would have said "We'll be visiting the plain Gulf Coast"). This time tomorrow, we'll be on our way to the beach in Alabama (insert Deliverance joke here). Our family will also be going, so needless to say, we're looking forward to it. See you in a week with a new tan and (hopefully) all my limbs still intact... stupid sharks and hillbillys. ... Toonlets is a site that I discovered via CartoonBrew. FUN STUFF! I love the style and animation... except for Count Chocula... but I never liked him that much. ... My pal from college, Josh Burton, is in the process of putting up a new site to document the making of his senior film, The Potter. He showed me some stuff... man! It's looking REALLY nice. Keep checking back to his site for updates. here the link to a nice artist named Matt Clark (via FWAK). local Austin artist Kathy Womack See you in a week... help yourself to anything in the fridge and remember to lock the door behind you.

It's been a while since I last posted. I've been slipping on the Pencil Haus blog as well. I don't know what my problem is... I guess I just suck. ... Links! Dean Kendrick Jonathan by Joey Comeau and Kyle Cummings Evan Cagle American Dad (new series from Seth McFarlin, creator of Family Guy) The Magic Roundabout trailer ... I'm getting new tires put on the truck today... It's a miriacle I never had a blow out... they were in bad shape. Not to self: Start paying attention to the things around you! ... Happy Birthday to my sister (today is her birthday), belated birthday wishes to my brother (July 20th), and Pre-Happy Anniversary to my parents (tomorrow).