May 31 - Hey! I hope you all
had a great day. It was a long, strange day for us at WOMP Central.
Besides drawing HORRIBLE (and I mean HORRIBLE)
caricatures of my in-laws (horrible, I
believe, because of the spur-of-the-moment request, tiny old pen, copier paper,
the sun, wind, rain, etc., etc. - and, of course, the fact that the
subjects were my in-laws!), we've been planning
the specifics of the Silly-Super-Secret-Summere-Special Contest and Sale Event,
and we hit a snag! No big deal, but it has taken all day to solve it (and
the solution stinks, but it's all we can do). I don't want to spoil the
nature of the secrecy, so let's just put it in these terms; I asked for
something, and was told I could have it. I thought about it for a day,
but, when I went to get it, someone else had purposely stolen
it...and is planning to use it
against
me! ACK!
It's OK, though. I've got backup plans, but it really did hurt to have to
resort to them under these circumstances. At least it wasn't personal (I
hope). Someday, I will let you all know just what the heck I'm talking
about (and I'm sure that some of you may guess it anyway), but, don't worry,
plans are still on track...in fact, this minor set-back may have actually sped
everything up a bit! Stay tuned!
May 30 - Did I
mention the dynamite?
I can't remember (and I'm too lazy to check) whether or not I have told you,
dear WOMP-Blog reader, about the huge stockpile of explosives unearthed in
WOMP's hometown, Prairie du Chien! In preparation of highway expansion,
the state of Wisconsin purchased land from an area construction
contractor. After the deal was done, they discovered an enormous pile of
old dynamite buried in the remains of an old shed. We're talking about
military ordinance grade destructive power! As you might imagine, it is
also very near the main highway through town. So, since before Winter set
in last year, at least one armed Wisconsin State Patrolman has been guarding the
stash twenty-four hours a
day! Why? Because
of the instability caused by their age, the individual sticks of dynamite can
only be removed at a certain temperature, and only after thawing
naturally. So, now that Spring has sprung, the state plans to remove the
dynamite over the course of June 8th, 9th, and 10th. That's all good, of
course, but, unfortunately, it means that not only will the main highway through
town be closed for three days (the dynamite is EXACTLY at the point at which no
other highway, street, gravel road, nor dirt path goes from one side of town to
the other, effectively cutting Prairie du Chien in half), but also that homes in
the area will have to be evacuated during the removal. Guess
where WOMP H.Q. is? YEP! As far
as we've been told, we may have to abandon WOMP Central for the duration!
That, however, is a strong
suggestion for where we are, not a
police order, so I think that we'll stick it out. We are in the "windows
may shatter" range, so I want to be here to take care of any damage as it may
occur. Of course, we pray that nothing will go
wrong, as it would mean much worse for those performing the removal. The
people around here have been making nervous jokes about it (for example,
Culver's Restaurant, which is mere feet from the buried explosives, has the
following message on their marquee; "OUR CHICKEN IS DYNAMITE!"), but the gravity
of the situation was brought into the stark reality when President Bush's bus
drove through town, passing within 100 feet or so of the danger. Security
around the site was so strict at that point, that guests in nearby hotels were
told they had to remain in their rooms! Anyhoo, I thought that I should
mention all of this because, although I'm not counting on it, I may not be able
to post an entry in the ol' WOMP-Blog for those few days. I'll keep you
up-dated! See ya!
May 29 - Yo! How's it
goin'? So, as I mentioned in one of the more recent entries in the ol'
WOMP-Blog, my buddy, and Official Friend of
WOMP, William "Bill" Waite,
was planning to set up a booth at the Art Show in neighboring McGregor,
Iowa. The fee, $75.00, was a little high, but he decided to chance
it. Today was the first day of that show. I told Bill that I'd stop
by at some point and I would "sit" his booth for a bit in the middle of the day
so that he could take a break, get something to eat, or whatever. I should
probably tell you something about Bill. He is a talented artist in many
kinds of media (most noteworthy being music composition and painting), but his
most recent passion has been designing intricate and complicated mechanical
puzzles. That's what he was selling today. Now, these aren't your
average, ordinary puzzles. These are strange and wonderful pieces of art
that not only challenge the mind, but please the eye as well! They are
made of many kinds of hardwood (and I guess he has a couple that are made out of
mutli- color plastic), and they come in all sorts of shapes and sizes.
Think of them as more complex and beautiful Rubik's Cubes. Bill has won
some international awards for his designs, and he will even be a featured guest
at this year's International Puzzle Convention in Tokyo, Japan! In fact,
his stuff is probably a little too nice to be just selling on the street at an
Art Show in McGregor, Iowa, but there he was anyway. I brought my Mom over
to the show, and she looked around while I found Bill's booth. He had
(has) a great spot, but there weren't many people at his table. After I
said "Hi" to him, I asked "So, what do I need to know while you're gone?"
He told me that I should basically just say that he'd be right back.
"Well, in case someone asks, how much are the puzzles?" I added. "These
lucite puzzles are fifteen dollars, these tray puzzles are twenty. This
design is twenty-five, though. These are forty, these are fifty, this one
is ninety, and this is one-ninety." I just about fell over! Of
course, I know that they are worth all of that, if not much more, but how did he
expect to sell any of it? I bit my tongue and was just about to sit down
when a lady stopped and began looking at the puzzles. She said "my son is
turning thirty, and I never know what to get him for his birthday. Do you
think that one of these would appeal to a computer programmer?" "I think
that they all would, especially this design" answered Bill, and, two minutes
later, he sold a forty dollar puzzle. OK, so he was bound to sell
one. So, he started for his car to get different shoes, when another
couple of unlikely prospects, two Harley-Davidson enthusiasts, stopped and asked
"So what's the deal with the puzzles?" Bill told him that he was the
designer, and, in many cases, the manufacturer, and that these designs were only
available through him. Two minutes later, Fifty dollars worth of puzzles
left the table. "OK, this time I'm going" he said...but a little girl (I
don't know, maybe ten or twelve years old) asked how much one of the plastic
puzzles, of a fish with brightly colored and removable interlocking scales,
was. "Those are fifteen dollars. Did you try to solve it?"
"Not yet" she countered, as her hands began turning pieces this way and that
way. Finally, she said "Here," and handed Bill twenty dollars. He
got her some change, and another puzzle left the table. He looked at me as
if to say "I really shouldn't leave," but I said "Just go quick...and hurry
back!" He sprinted away, quick like a bunny. In the five minutes
that he was gone, four more people were at his booth, asking all sorts of
difficult questions. I kept saying "Oh, he will be right back, and he will
be able to help you." Thankfully, he and my Mom came back to the booth at
about the same time. Before I left, he'd sold two more twenty dollar
puzzles, and was in the process of selling the ninety dollar puzzle. As I
walked off in a daze, Mom said that everyone else in the Art Show was buzzing
about how well Bill was doing, while they were not. I confirmed that with
my anecdotal evidence, and together we silently began adding up all of that
money in our heads. At the same moment, we both suddenly said "I guess
he'll make back his seventy-five dollars!" I know that this is just a
small scale success for him, but it was impressive, nonetheless. It just
goes to show you that, if you believe in something strongly enough, your
enthusiasm for it becomes infectious. Let's say that that's the
lesson for the day, shall we? That, and we all should start designing
puzzles as soon as possible! For more information about Bi...OOPS, I mean
William, and
his puzzles, check out his web-site from the LINKS page, or by
clicking HERE. The site
itself is ALSO a puzzle! ACK! This guy just won't quit!
May 28 - Hello,
again, folks. What up? I'm going to apologize in advance for
tonight's entry. It may be pretty short, and I'm sure that it will be
boring. It was another LONG day at the darn "real" job, and I am
BEAT! On top of that, I will be driving my Mom around again tomorrow,
starting at 7:00am, so I
have to try to get some sleep. As longtime readers of the ol' WOMP-Blog
may remember, I normally wrap up my day at about 5:00am, so I hope I can force
myself to get to bed early. I did get another quick art job, which I plan
to get done tonight...but I'm not optimistic that it won't take two days
anyway. Over this holiday weekend, the little towns in our area are
chock-full of flea markets, art shows, and all sorts of stuff, so, hopefully, I
will have many neat things to talk about in the next few entries. I guess
that's how it goes...sometimes "feast," other times "famine." Right now,
I'd settle for "light snack."
May 27 - Not
much tonight, folks. I had to play "bus-driver" for my Mom all day.
We just got back home, and I'm whipped. I did get
the inks for the Purgatory
Punks artwork done earlier,
though, and it looks pretty cool! I am going to do a painted version of
it, too, so it's not yet ready for posting on the WOMP-Site, but it should be by
the end of the long weekend. By the way, I should tell you that, if all
goes according to plan, the final product will have something to do
with the Still-Sorta-Secret-Summer-Special Contest and Sale Event....but
what?
Stay tuned for more clues!
May 26 - Hey,
e-friends! Well, it's now official; WOMP will
be set up at the Comic Book I-CON
Convention in Des Moines a month
from now! The con is held on just one day, Sunday, June 27th, at the Iowa
State Fairgrounds. I've always wanted to go, but, for one stupid reason or
another, I haven't yet. That's unusual, too, because it is much closer to
WOMP H.Q. than many others that I've set up at. I hope that they have a
good turn out. I'm really looking forward to seeing how Monkey goes over
in a new venue (although I know that I will recognize many of the
attendees). I hope to unveil the Still-Sorta-Secret-Summer-Special Contest
and Sale Event when I'm there, too, so let's say that I will give all WOMP-Blog
readers a "heads-up" sneak peek at the Event on Friday,
June 25th. Be sure to read
that night's entry for the details (I start writing it around 10:00pm, but I
usually don't get it actually posted until right about 11:30pm or
midnight). Of course, I will continue to leave little hints and clues here
in the WOMP-Blog between now and then, too. Of course, you can show up at
the I-CON, too! I
hope to see you there!
May 25 - Happy
Star
Wars Day!
As I mention in the
"This Week In
The Adventures of
Monkey"
feature on the Main Page of the WOMP-Site, the original (and best)
Star
Wars movie premiered on this
date in 1977. In the "This Week" column, I try to explain why this was
such a big deal, especially to me. That's hard to do, honestly, as
describing your first love should be! OK, so, maybe "first love" is a bit
too strong, but it comes closest to describing the feelings that its memory
evokes. I think it's important to note that, although I was a Star
Trek/Twilight Zone/comic books kind of kid, the influence that this classic film
had on me was not necessarily because of its science-fantasy genre. In the
days leading up to the Summer of 1977, it seemed like ALL
popular culture fell into two categories; fond recollections of times past
(Paper
Moon, The
Waltons, ect.), and frightening
warnings of our doomed future (Planet of The
Apes,
Soylent
Green, etc.). It was
pretty obvious to me that this was saying to kids of that time "All of the good
days are gone, and the future is an inevitable nightmare of mutated monsters and
broad over-acting." I already knew that I would be living through some of
the classic science-fiction dates (2001,
1999, and I
even graduated high school in 1984), so I
fully expected to be blown up, or at the very least mutated, by a
nuke or two. Then, a brilliant young man, named George Lucas, changed my
life! He took the best elements of the "good old days," and placed them in
the genre of science fiction. Of course!
There's a reason
why the film starts with "A long time ago, in a
galaxy far, far away..." In one fell swoop,
Mr. Lucas had made me believe that 1977 was not only the "good old days" of my
future self, but that that future "me" might actually have a good life.
That's also due to the sort of universal message of the film that there will be
bad times, and even very bad people, but that's no reason to give up hope.
Actually, it is the very reason to HAVE hope. It's no surprise, then, that
the subtitle for Star
Wars is Episode
IV; A New Hope! Of
course, the wookies and droids and space cruisers and lasers and such were
pretty cool, too! In fact, I had a fairly unhealthy obsession with all
Star
Wars stuff, especially
C-3PO (a 12
inch figure of whom is watching over me right now). I, like so many
other kids of the time, saw the movie nineteen
times in the theater
(remember, no VCRs or DVDs back then), and, each time, I thought more and more
that I wanted to also create something with the same dynamics; reflecting the
past, looking toward the future, and featuring fun characters that people would
love! Maybe, someday, another eleven-year-old kid will read my comics and
feel that he, too, has a reason to have hope.
May 24 - More
storms tonight, everyone. In fact, after recent events, I think that I
might not stay on the computer too long! That's OK, because I don't have a
whole lot of stuff to talk about, anyway. Artist, and Official Friend of
WOMP, Mr. William Waite,
stopped by WOMP H.Q. this afternoon. He is preparing to set up "shop" at
an Arts Fest, to be held this weekend in one of the neighboring communities,
McGregor, Iowa. Since I used to work there, I offered to drive him over to
the Chamber of Commerce office to register. What a shock we got!
McGregor, like Prairie du Chien, is right on the Mississippi River, so it has
seen its share of flooding, but, apparently these recent storms caused a
California-style
mud-slide that filled the main
streets with anywhere from a few inches to two feet of
standing MUD!
When we arrived, most of the mud had been removed from the streets, but the
unexpected scope of the damage was still evident. It was pretty shocking,
really. I worked in McGregor during a couple of the worst floods of recent
years, and the damage caused then was not even close to the dramatic results of
this storm. No buildings were significantly damaged, but homes and
businesses, far
outside of the flood zone, had to be completely evacuated, including the just
remodelled McGregor Museum (the grand re-opening is in just a few days), and the
world famous River Junction Trading Company (makers of authentic reproduction
vintage clothing and cowboy stuff, most recently for the HBO series
Deadwood). For those who
are familiar with McGregor's lay-out, I'll tell you that the upper-most edges of
the mud-slide went through the St. Mary's Church parking lot! That's
something like three-quarters of the town! I hate to think of what
McGregor will look like after tonight's storm. At least they had begun to
put sandbags around some of the doorways and endangered buildings, so they may
be better prepared for further bad weather. Which reminds me, didn't I say
that I wasn't going to be on-line for very long? Oh,
well...
May 23 - Hey,
everyone! Man, have we had some wicked storms here over the last few
nights! Last night, right after posting the day's WOMP-Blog entry,
lightning actually struck our two-doors-down neighbors' house! I just
happened to be looking out the window right then, when I saw a flash, then
BANG!
I just about
jumped out of my skin! The police were there in less than five minutes,
and the fire department no more than ten minutes after that. Fortunately,
everyone is OK, and the only damage was two blown-out windows (which might seem
pretty bad, but, compared to the sound that the strike made, it was
nothing). I feel bad,
because, as a joke, I pretended, two days ago in the ol' WOMP-Blog, that such a
lightning bolt had hit our house! It was storming just as badly, but I
didn't really think
that I might get hit by a deadly streak of energy from the sky! I was just
being "silly." YOWZA! Tonight, the day's rain has stopped, and
everything seems pretty calm. In fact, the temperature has been just
perfect for
drawing! I've been working on several projects all day, including
the Purgatory
Punks logo artwork. It
is turning out to be a lot more work than I thought it would be at first, but it
is loooking good! I'm also working on a couple of little projects, one for
a co-worker from the dank "real" job, and another for the local "Cancer Walk"
event. Pretty boring stuff, but it pays the bills, I guess. If I
can, I hope to squeeze in a little The Adventures of
Monkey work, too! Which
reminds me...OOOH, the fanticipation is
just killing me! I know I am driving everyone nuts about the upcoming big
Super-Secret-Summer-Special Contest and Sale Event, but it is coming together
quickly, and it is even making ME excited! And I hate everything! I
just hope that everyone has as much fun with it as I have already! How
about another hint? OK, just for you... look for not one, not two, not
even just three prize levels in the contest, but as many as FIVE valuable top
prize PACKAGES, and several "consolation" prizes! It should be lots of
fun, and you, dear
WOMP-Blog reader, will get the first chance
to enter the contest, and, with as few people
who actually are
WOMP-Blog readers (not to mention "dear"), you have a darn good chance of
winning! That's all I can say! I have definitely revealed too
much! Go! Go on! Get out of here! I can't say any more
about it, or it will spoil the fun! Of course, I may still let you know
even more tomorrow....
May 22 - Howdy,
y'all. Not a whole lot to talk about tonight. It was another dreaded
"real" job day, so I'm barely in the mood to sit upright, nonetheless write
about anything. The day did find me crossing paths, once again, with
gentleman cartoonist, and, yes, Official Friend of
WOMP, Mr. Aaron Uglum.
We talked briefly about his Rein Lion Comics web-site
(featuring The Flying
Banner on-line comic
strip). He is just about to launch a line of apparel merchandise, so keep
an eye out for that. I also worked on plans for the highly
fanticipated Super-Secret-Summer-Special
Contest and Sale Event! Everything is coming together nicely...quite
nicely indeed (Mhah Ha Ha....). I will now reveal that I will be placing
ads in the Comics Buyer's
Guide, on the Comic Art Community web-site, and in
our local paper, the
Courier
Press. Look for ads and
other info to begin showing up in late June. The only other news that I
have for ya is that the WOMPmobile still sits, untouched for days, in front of
WOMP H.Q., right where it came to a rest. The car "doctor" has yet to make
his promised house call, so I guess the news on it is that there is no
news. Well, hopefully I will have something more
interesting to talk about tomorrow. Until then, Happy
Trails, Pardners!
May 21 - Hey,
gang! I'm gonna keep it short tonight. We are experiencing powerful
electrical strikes in the area, and I don't want to be on the computer too
long. I have to tell you that yesterday's entry in the ol' WOMP-Blog may
have revealed too much. Mr. Brent Frankenhoff, Big Muckity-Muck at the
venerable Comics Buyer's
Guide, has discovered that his
other title, Official
Fish of
WOMP, was purely bogus, meant
to test his tenacity and loyalty. For discovering the ruse, I am hereby
compelled to confer upon him the honorary title of Official Friend of
WOMP, plenipotentiary, ad
infinitum. Now, with that bit of housekeeping taken care of, I'd better
get away from this computer beforEEEEEEEEEE!
May 20 - Hi,
everybody! Tonight was another "trip down faulty-memory lane" for
me. I got an e-mail from Official Friend of
WOMP, Mr. Eric Gillitzer
(WOMP-Staffer emeritus), a phone call and visit with my good friend and former
collaborator, Mr. William Waite (or "Bill," as I will always know him), and I
attended the retirement party for yet another
Official
Friend of WOMP, Mr. Lyle Ernst!
I've known Lyle for about six years, Eric for more than fifteen years, and Bill
for around (GASP) almost twenty-five
years! That's thirty-five
years of friendship brought to mind in the span of less than twelve hours.
No wonder I feel slightly worn out. Of course, it was also another dread
"real" job day, so that doesn't help. I also delivered an art job, and
finalized plans for a caricature drawing event in July (look for it on the
SCHEDULE page)! Anyhoo, all
of this reminds me to answer a question that I got, oh, say about
two months ago.
I had someone ask me how
people become an Official Friend of
WOMP. It's really quite
an amazing process! First, like many awards and titles, candidates send
their resume's, along with completed applications, to the WOMP Offices. A
crack team of anthropologists, theologians, and criminal psychologists then
sifts through the entries, narrowing the list down to an annual five.
These five applicants are then offered lengthy and demeaning internships at
WOMP. For those brave few who accept the challenge, the road is a tough
one, filled with many hardships and little promise of anything but more
hardships. After a probationary period (the length of which is flexible,
determined by the individual), the ones who survive, if there are any, are given
the designation of being an Official
Fan of
WOMP (which explains why
there are so few). From there, years of relentless lobbying, blatant
bribery, and general rear-end kissing eventually bring the candidates to the
outer-most fringes of my perception. It is at that point that I confer
upon them the title of
Official
Fish of
WOMP, which is, of course, a
completely bogus position, meant to appease the weaker supplicants.
However, for those who see through this ruse, I have a special treat. Like
Willy Wonka, I ingeniously, and inhumanely, weed out the less desirables until
I'm left with only those who I can proudly bestow with the
ever-lasting-gobstopper title of Official Friend of
WOMP! If this process
sounds interesting to you, you clearly have mental
problems...which, of course,
moves you to the top of the list!
May 19 - Hi! I
just learned a new "word" today, and it is quickly becoming my new
favorite! I say "word" in quotes like that because I'm not positive it's
an official word,
and I'm sure that it's not yet in any dictionary. I saw it on the Elvis
Presley web-site. They said that an up-coming DVD release, featuring
Elvis's legendary 1968 "comeback" TV special, was "highly fanticipated!"
So, now, "fanticipated" is my
new favorite word! I love it! It is so perfect...in fact, it has
inspired me to apply it to my still-somewhat-super-secret-Summer-Special Contest
and Sale Event! Yes, it is a highly
fanticipated event, just the
fantidote for comics readers' usual fantipathy. This big (possibly First
Fannual) Contest fand Sale Event should fanimate even the most fangry,
fantisocial fan. Keep fan eye out for further fannouncements in local fand
national fannals, fand, of course, here on the WOMP-Site, official home of your
favorite fanthropomorphic hero, Monkey! I can't yet fanswer too many
questions about the event, but, to prevent fany fanimosity, or even a possible
faneurism, I will offer this fanecdote: once, when fantique-shopping with a
fancillary WOMP staffer, I was fanalyzing some fantiquarian photos, when I
actually found a fantastic 150-year-old photograph of two of my
fancestors! That was a fanominal event, but this Summer Special will, in
my fanalysis, fantecede it on the list of amazing events in my life! I may
sneak some fanonymous hints into future WOMP-Blog entries, but they would be
fanomolies. I hope to reveal all soon, though, so just sit back fand enjoy
the fanticipation!
May 18 - Hello,
people! It was a sort of big night for WOMP tonight. Longtime
Official Friend of
WOMP, Tom Nelson, is retiring
from a long teaching career in a few days, so his friends and colleagues
conspired to throw him a surprise party this evening. As part of his many
gifts, I was asked to draw a portrait caricature of him and fellow teacher (and
fellow Official Friend of
WOMP) Cindy Hertrampf.
I had also decided to give him the original drawing of the Wizard of Oz that I
had done for the 2004 Oziana
publication. This seemed only right as he was (at least in my mind) the
model for the Wizard. In fact, back in my community theater days, I held
"blind" auditions for a big annual musical production, meaning I didn't know
exactly what show I'd produce until I saw who wanted to be in it. Tom
showed up, as usual. He is one of Prairie du Chien's most recognizable
characters, and, as such, he'd already been in many of my shows. After the
auditions, I knew what show I wanted to produce; The
Wizard of Oz, with Tom in the title
roll! I started preparations for T.W.O.O., but nothing went as
planned. I couldn't nail down the other major rolls (especially Dorothy
and The Wicked Witch), my aging musical director abruptly retired, and the
budget was cut in half! That budget cut was the death-knell, not because
of costuming or sets or anything (in a previous production, I had already
produced an English manor main hall set for less than thirty bucks), but
because, at the time, Tams-Witmark, owners of the copyright to the musical, had
two versions available; one was the very expensive "classic" version, based on
the MGM movie, the other was a much less expensive version which featured the
same songs, but, because of earlier legal battles, a completely different script
(which included a rocket ship, believe it or not). I could no longer
afford to put on the familiar version, and, frankly, the other version is
so horrible
that I decided to go with
another show, The
Fantasticks. I offered Tom one
of the parts, but, because of the small cast in The
Fantasticks, I could not offer a
role to his son, Mitch (himself a great talent, ingenious writer, and yet
another Official Friend of
WOMP). Since it was
Mitch's senior year in high school, Tom was looking to spend time with him,
which would not be possible if only one of them were in a production, so he
declined the role. It was the right thing for him to do, and we went on to
have a wonderful show anyway, but I can't help wondering what could have
been. In so many ways, not just physically, Tom is the
Wizard of Oz! He is a funny little man with crazy white hair, always
slightly bumbling in a warm and humorous way, and always, ALWAYS helping people
when they need help most. It was my honor tonight to give him something
for all of those times when he so unselfishly gave of himself to me. Happy
Retirement, Tom!
May 17 - Well,
THAT was an interesting "day off" from the ol' WOMP-Blog. I apologize for
the absence, but, as the kids say, "I have a good excuse!" Yes, it was
bound to happen, and I've been dreading it for years, but, alas, the trusty (and
rusty) WOMPmobile had a
major breakdown yesterday! I should explain that the WOMPmobile is not our
family car, but, rather, a "spare" vehicle used to run errands, frighten
evil-doers, and drive in Presidential motorcades. While performing one of
those tasks yesterday (or perhaps two of them), I backed out of a parking spot
in our local "mall," put the car in drive, stepped slightly on the gas.....and
just sat there, engine running. I stomped on the gas, harder, harder,
then, suddenly, SKREEETCH, it
took off! It was a pretty impressive burn-out, worthy of the many shocked
stares it illicited from the other shoppers in the hardware store! So, I
did a couple of donuts, rolled up on two wheels, jumped a bus, and drove back to
WOMP Central. OK, so I really just drove back, with a mortified wife in
the passenger seat. I didn't think about the WOMPmobile's odd behavior
again...until later. At some later point in the evening, I once again
saddled up ol' reliable for yet another errand run. I put the car in
reverse, gingerly placed my size 12 right boot on the accelerator, and crept
forward.
Forward?
I put the car in park, then again into reverse, stepped slightly on the gas and,
again rolled forward. I stopped, and went through all of the same motions
again. Lather, Rinse, Repeat, but I still went forward...now dangerously
close to the WOMP H.Q. garage door! I'm sure that any possible onlookers
could have actually seen a two-foot high bright-orange question mark over my
head. I scrambled out and found friendly hands to help push the stinking
rotten piece of junk out into the street so I could switch over to the seldom
seen (only heard of in legend and song) "real" car to complete my appointed
tasks. Cursing and steaming, I ran the last of the day's errands, and
returned to find that a small conference had begun around the WOMPmobile (more
like a coroner's inquest). There, gathered, was a team of car doctors,
each diagnosing the situation. The "good" news was that they believed that
it wasn't necessarily a terminal condition. The bad news was that it would
most likely be too costly to treat. After a few hours, everyone left, and
I was just too darn depressed to write anything in the WOMP-Blog, so I sat and
stewed. Images of me and the WOMPmobile, playfully chasing butterflies in
a field of tall Summer grass, filled my mind. Tears welled up in my eyes
as I fondly recalled the time the WOMPmobile and I went walking down by the
river, and the evening sun was setting the clouds ablaze with crimson, and we
promised each other that we'd be together forever.... ...I'm sorry....please
give me a moment....the wound is still fresh. Today I had to go in to the
dreary "real" job, so I tried to put everything out of my mind for a bit.
There was no further news on the WOMPmobile's condition, but we've made a car
doctor's appointment for tomorrow. I will let you know what we find
out. Until then, we must all remain strong.
May 15 - Hi,
everybody! Well, I
can't think of anything to write about. Honestly, I could try to
manufacture something to talk about (you know; look around the room, pick
something out, and start writing about it until it makes sense), but why waste
your time as well as mine? Not that writing in the ol' WOMP-Blog is a
waste of time in general, but it sure is when I have nothing to say. I
guess it is bound to happen every once in a while. Some days I'm brimming
with stuff to talk about...often a little too much! Not tonight.
Nope. No, sir. Not going to happen. Oops!
I guess I did just
write about not having anything to write about, so, technically I
did have
something to write about, so ignore that whole first part...which means that the
second part is now no longer true, so ignore that, too...which, of course,
negates the need for the parts in which I just asked you to ignore different
elements of the entry...which means that, technically, I have had
nothing to
write about, while simultaneously also having had something to
write about, namely, having nothing to write
about....ACK! Um, you know
what? Let's just say that I hope I'll have something to write about
tomorrow! Bye!
May 14 - Goodness, I'm running
late tonight. I'm starting this entry in the ol' WOMP-Blog at 1:30 in the
morning of what is technically the 15th. We had guests here in the WOMP
offices until just a short while ago. I'm not sure how much of this
evening I am allowed to tell you about, but suffice to say that we were all
assembled to watch the NASCAR Busch Series race live, then the premiere episode
of NASCAR
360 immediately
afterward. This NASCAR
360 is a great new show, on
FX, which follows a handful of NASCAR drivers behind the scenes. Two of
the three guys featured were Kenny and Rusty Wallace, who are the favorites of
the WOMP staff (and of the myserious
guests...). It is a very
well done show, but even I will admit that it was a bit "schmaltzy" in
spots. Most of it, though, was very good, and extremely
entertaining. It made me think about how such a show could be produced
featuring comic book creators. In many ways, the day to day lives of
racers and cartoonists are similar; the hard work and long hours, the growing
demands of popularity as talents improve, and the burning desire to do what they
love. The other driver featured, Kevin Harvick, rounded out a sort of
balanced look at the sport of NASCAR racing. Rusty is the
aging, cagy veteran, feeling the twin forces of a desire to race and a want for
a "normal life." He is still one of the weekly contenders for the win (in
fact, he has 55 wins at the top level of the sport, including one just a couple
of weeks ago - making him the 7th winningest driver of all time in the sport),
but even he concedes that he is starting to enjoy just spending time with his
wife more than, or at least as much as, his racing. For a former
hot-headed hot-shot type guy, this is quite an admission. Kevin is
still the
young hot-headed hot-shot. In fact, his temper on and off the track (which
has culminated in some spectacular televised confrontations) has earned him the
nickname "Happy." He's about 26 years old or so, and very recently
wed. His life seemed to be all about coming to terms with being married
and being one of the sport's "young guns" (seen in many disposable shaver
ads). Kenny is
Rusty's youngest brother, but I'd guess that he's about 40 years old. He
is one of the favorites with other drivers behind the scenes because of his
nutty personality. He's like a perpetual 12 year old, even though his
three daughters are in their teens. Kenny has always been in his brother's
shadow, although, perhaps because of that, he has never had the same kind of
success. His life seems to be all about making lemonade from lemons, while
having a great time where-ever he goes. In these three guys, whom I feel
like I know very well after following their careers (and Fan Clubs) for many
years (Rusty and Kenny used to race at the La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway back
in the 1980's), I see the common denominators between racing and cartooning
careers. I would propose that a Comic Book
360 show also follow three
cartoonists at these equivalent levels, say
George
Perez, Craig
Thompson, and, well, someone like
me
(obviously the "Kenny" of the group, although that's pretty insulting to
say). I'm not saying that it should be me,
in fact I'm sure that it shouldn't, but I
think that it would be interesting to see what a minor league, low-level guy's
life is like, as well as those of a young hot-shot and an established
superstar. Hmmm...maybe I should call up FX and see if they have any extra
money laying around....
May 13 - Well,
I'm not as sick as I have been for the last couple of days, so I've been getting
work done around the house, including a couple of art projects, and some
eBay loading. I've
decided that it's time to try to get rid of some of my old drawings. For
as long as I can remember, I've saved any drawing that I thought, at the time,
was good. I've got tons of drawings from every year of my life, including
my first! That's partly how I remember all of Monkey's adventures from
when I was a kid; I still have the artwork! For the vast majority of my
life, my artistic advancement from year to year was pretty dramatic, and I
generally looked upon anything older than a few months as being embarrassing at
the least, and generally awful. Yet, I kept them, partly because I have a
hard time throwing anything away,
and partly because they were visual proof that I was getting better, even if I
wasn't very good yet. For the most part, I still feel like that, but,
about five years ago, a strange thing happened; a couple of drawings still
seemed pretty cool to me, even after a year. Then a few more, for a couple
of years. Suddenly, I found myself sorta liking just about every drawing
that I kept. I mean, I could still see flaws in them, and they definitely
look "dated" to me when I compare them to what I'm doing now, but, for the most
part, they seem OK. When that happened, I realized that it was no longer
so important to keep the drawings...especially if someone else might enjoy
them. If you've seen me at a comic book convention recently, you know what
I did next. I take them with me to cons and sell them (prices range from
50 cents to thirty dollars). This has been a nice way to share my art,
make a couple of bucks, and feel like it's worthwhile to put pencil to paper at
all. Recently, though, I have begun to feel like I am too comfortable with
the large number of pieces that I have in stock, so I haven't been drawing
extras without an eye on specifically listing the drawing on eBay. The
backstock, mostly idea sketches and character studies, has made me complacent,
and that's a bad thing, so it all must
go! Come on down to
Crazy John's
Bargain Hut of Sale Art!
We have sales! We have bargains! And we have ART! Check out
these low, low prices; get not one, not two, but FOUR concept sketches for the
price of one! That's right! Pick up FOUR original drawings of
aliens, monsters, and other strange characters for just $2.50! Yep,
$2.50! No interest until November, easy financing plans available!
Act now, and receive a FREE gift! SERIOUSLY,
THOUGH...
I don't know what
will happen if I sell out (and there's little chance of that anyway), but I do
know that this is a good idea for me. I already feel like I should get to
work on more stuff...some of that inspired by what I'm selling right now!
I'm telling you, the creative process itself is as peculiar as any of the
monsters that I draw! Well, whatever works...!
May 12 - Well,
I'm still sick today, darn it. My throat feels like I've been drinking
powdered glass, and my head throbs with a distinct salsa beat. I have
attempted to get work done today, with modest success, but the quality of it is
not so hot because I'm in too much stupid discomfort to sit very long, so I rush
stuff along more than I should. That, and my decision-making toolbox is
rolling on three wobbly wheels right now. The most "famous" story here at
WOMP Central about one of my Sick-and-Stupid episodes is when, in a haze of
illness-addled logic, I placed a postcard of a cat inside the glass front door
of a chiming clock because "that's where it wanted to go!" Of course, it's
still there so that the
WOMP
Staff can point to it
and laugh whenever they are feeling low themselves. Anyhoo, I have finally
gotten my pictures of President Bush's visit to WOMP's hometown (Prairie du
Chien, Wisconsin) posted here on The WOMP-Site! Check them out by clicking
HERE! - Seacrest
OUT!
May 11 - Hey,
everyone. I tried to ignore it yesterday, but today I can
not....I'm
sick! I hate
being sick. It's so stupid! I have a VERY sore throat, which makes
it difficult to speak and extremely painful to swallow anything. I've felt
crummy all day, but I did get some artwork done. I'm a little dizzy and
sweaty, so it wasn't my best effort (to be sure), but at least it's finished and
delivered. I am going to attempt to get back to the drawing board after
this WOMP-Blog entry, but I can't promise anything. I'm a hypochondriactic
baby when I'm sick, and everything is suddenly about me and how uncomfortable I
am. One of the complaints I have is that my "art room" has NO circulation,
and, between being bent over a desk and being under several bright lights when I
draw, it is monstrously
hot! And that's on a
good day. When I'm sick, I whine even more, and I sweat like a cat in a
rocking chair factory (I heard that on The Beverly
Hillbillies)! Anyhoo, due to
the physical discomfort of working on stuff, I may only make a token attempt to
draw before I give up and go to bed early. I know that this has been a
rambling, pathetic entry, but at least this time I have an excuse!
Hopefully tomorrow I will be better. See ya then! (P.S. - Now I have
to wait 2 days for the next Flying
Banner page? You sure
know how to kick a guy when he's down, Aaron!)
May 10 - What's
the deal with the mad
scientists? I'm watching
Futurama right
now, and Professor Farnsworth is talking about creating atomic
super-monsters. I love that show. Anyhoo, The Professor is just one
of the latest versions of a classic fictional character, the mad
scientist. I think that a clue to the popularity of the mad scientist as a
device is within the title; he's not just a studious, far-thinking
scientist...
he's also nuts!
This dangerous combination has frightened us since Dr. Frankenstein first played
god in 1818. We seem to feel like the future is out of our hands, and,
instead, in the control of a few geniuses who understand tomorrow's
secrets. In general, we begrudgingly allow such people to labor in virtual
anonymity, assuming that they are using their vast intellects for the benefit of
mankind - all the while nervously hoping that they are held "in check" by some
sense of morals. But, what happens when they go mad, and those morals
become twisted by insanity? It's as if we assume that the pressures of
such intelligence and responsibilities will inevitably make them crazy. In
many ways, scientists are today's shamans, keepers of the universe's mysteries,
powerful and preternatural. Invested with such psychological importance,
it is only logical that we should fear the scientists' losing touch with "the
common man." In this way, Marvel's X-Men are an
extension of the mad scientist character (in fact, come to think of it,
Professor X
looks a bit like
Professor
Farnsworth). When creating a
story with a mad scientist, I think that it's important to remember that
context. It's too easy to always copy what has come before, but you do
have to "speak to it." Every mad scientist is "related" to Dr.
Frankenstein, and people will draw the comparisons to him whether you intended
for them to do so or not, so it's better to "intend" it right from the
start. Well, I guess I'll wrap this up for tonight...I have a beaker of
bubbling chemicals to check on! See ya!
May 9 - So, did
you guess the answers to the brain-tester I left you with in the last WOMP-Blog
entry? Not including derivitives or variations, the three words in the
English language that begin with "dw" are
dwell,
dwarf, and
dwindle!
Of course, this had no earthly connection to Monkey, comic books, or,
really, much of anything, but it was entertaining (at least for me). Part
of being a cartoonist is writing, so, in addition to the many visual "records"
that I've got rattling around in my head, I keep lots of little bits of
seemingly useless information stored all up in there as well. These are
the kinds of things that often spark stories. For example, the
"dw"
thingee could be incorporated into a Batman story featuring The Riddler.
Yes, cartoonists are an unusual lot. They are generally pretty
intellectual (with me being the exception that proves the rule), and many have
impressive knowledge of stuff other than just cartooning. For example, ask
Eric
Shanower about The Wizard of Oz,
Terry
Beatty about classic Universal
Studios movie monsters, Herb
Trimpe about World War One
airplanes, or ask Bill
Sienkiewicz about the history of
Punk and other New Wave music. I think that it's important to try to
follow your curiosity where-ever it leads you, regardless of whether or not you
can forsee an immediate advantage to doing so. Eventually, these sorts of
things become part of what makes your cartooning unique, and they could very
easily even lead to a job geared toward your peculiar area of knowledge.
More than that, a mindset of continual education
will enrich your
life! The moment we stop learning, we truly start dying. Oops - I
meant "the moment we stop breathing, we
truly start dying." Anyway, you know what I'm saying. As you pursue
an understanding of cartooning, don't be afraid to seem to deviate from
intensive study of the cartoonerly arts! Far from being a neglect of
your plans for a career, diverse experiences and knowledge will actually help
you go further than you can imagine!
May 8 - Hey,
kids. Another devilish "real" job day. To be honest, we are taking
my Mom out early tomorrow morning for Mothers Day breakfast, and I'm pretty
whipped from a crummy day of workin' for "the man," so I believe that I will
retire early tonight. I can't think of anything to talk about
anyway. I will ask you a fun question though; I heard this brain-tester
today, and I thought it might be fun to pass it on to you. Let's call it a
tribute to one of the great NASCAR drivers of all time, Darrell
Waltrip. Now, without
looking it up, can you name the three words in the English language that begin
with "dw?" Variations do
not count (for example, if one of the words was "dwisk," derivitives like
"dwisked," "dwiskerly," and "dwisklicious," do not count). Think about it,
then come back tomorrow for the answers! See ya then!
May 7 - What a
big day this
has been! I'm writing this a little later than usual (it's midnight, and
I'm just starting) because I am finally able to take a break from all of the
stuff I'm trying to get done! Let's see, where to start? First, I
should tell you that President
Bush was in town! As
you may know if you've been reading the ol' WOMP-Blog (and I find that highly
improbable), Mr. Bush has today joined a long list of his predecessors who have
visited WOMP's hometown, Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin (although I doubt highly
that WOMP actually factored into their decisions). I had some little art
jobs due today, and I wanted to go to the bank, so I absent-mindedly hopped into
my car (glancing momentarily at the curious number of helicopters overhead), and
left WOMP H.Q. for points West. I turned the corner to go to the highway
that divides our city in half length-wise and saw that the intersection was
blocked by a city dump truck. As I pulled up to it, I could tell by the
body language of the handful of guys standing near the truck that the
Presidential motorcade must have been coming up the street! I parked
quickly, grabbed my ever-ready camera, and ran out to the spot right in front of
a prominent "Welcome to Prairie du Chien" sign that the local Jaycees
maintain. It's the perfect setting to see (and be seen by?) The President
of The United States! Besides the sign, there is a beautiful historic
structure (The Old Rock School, the very building where, as a boy, I bought
Monkey in 1972!), a retired
tank, a large American flag, and an "All-Wars" Veterans Memorial Wall! I
was the only one there! I knelt down to keep from blocking the scenery
just as the first motorcycle cop went by. I started taking pictures, and,
sure enough, there was "W" right
in the window of his "Yes, America
Can" bus! I think I got
a pretty good one of him, too! I went back to the car (I still had to get
downtown, remember) and rolled to the back of the now-idling dump truck.
After about 25 official-looking vehicles passed, he and I rolled out onto the
highway, becoming the tail end of the motorcade! Turns out that every
other intersection, driveway, and parking lot entrance, had been blocked by a
physical barrier, not a truck. This meant that everyone was waiving at
us,
too! Pretty embarrassing, especially considering how crummy the current
WOMPmobile looks (although, I guess it's better than a beat-up orange dump
truck). I got my downtown business done, and went home to find that my
sister, brother-in-law, and their twin babies were visiting WOMP Central!
Also, the day's mail included FREE
CANDY, and my
complimentary copies of the Oziana
publication for which I had provided illustrations! The candy was from
Just Born,
Inc., makers of
Mike &
Ike and Hot
Tamales candies. I had
helped (sorta) with redesigning the Hot Tamales package, for which I was paid in
candy! First free Pete's burgers for life, now this! The
Oziana
magazines are pretty cool, if I may say so myself! I'm 113 years old now,
and this is the first big cartooning job that I've had actually go through to
completion! Part of being a cartoonist (at least in my experience) is
having your hopes raised and dashed over and over again (for example, I was
given a chance, about two years ago now, to provide a short story for a
Star
Wars comic book, but it all
fell through). That was one of the reasons why I wanted to make
The Adventures of
Monkey comics; it was one big
art job that couldn't be
cancelled out from under me! In fact, there are often MANY such shadowy
offers that briefly come my way, but they fall through so often, that I've
decided not to write about them in the ol' WOMP-Blog until I am positive that
they are "real." Anyhoo, I showed my family the
Oziana mags, and they
produced the desired "oohs" and "ahs" that make it all worth while. We all
had dinner together, after which I went back to the drawing board to complete
yet another art job which had to be delivered by 8:00pm. I finished it,
jumped again into the WOMPmobile, and zipped off to deliver it. When I
returned, I started yet another project, which is due tomorrow! ACK!
That brings us up to this WOMP-Blog entry. This might not have seemed like
much of a "big day" to you, but it sure did to me, and I'm still not
done!
May 6 - Hey
there, gang! Another brief entry tonight. I'm working on a whole
bunch of stuff that has to be done for tomorrow, and I'm HOURS behind where I
thought I'd be by now. I'm a little concerned, too, about delivering at
least one of the drawings because President
Bush is coming
to town tomorrow, and the Secret Service is closing down two of the main
highways of Prairie du Chien...both of which go right past the businesses where
I am supposed to deliver the art! Of course, I'm from here,
so I do know the back way to just about everywhere (in fact, I used to be a
delivery boy, so I learned all sorts of short cuts!). If possible, I hope
to check in on Mr. Bush when he visits (but I'm not hopeful, because I
understand that an advance ticket is required). One way or another, I'll
let you all know what happened in tomorrow night's WOMP-Blog entry! See ya
then!
Cinco de Mayo -
Happy National
Cartoonists Day! Thanks to Mr. Aaron
Uglum, Official Friend of WOMP,
for clueing me in on the
"holiday." The date commemorates the first appearance of the
Hogan's
Alley comic strip, which
eventually became known by the same name as it's most prominent character,
The Yellow
Kid. This was a
strange, VERY early strip. It featured a gigantic full-page panel showing
a "snap-shot" of life in the inner city. Although much of the humor was
based on ethnic stereotypes (especially of the Irish), it still holds up
today. As social satire, it's popularity is a clue to how people of the
time really
thought about stuff. I've always felt that Pop Culture tells more about an
era and those who lived through it than most text books. I'm sure that
there are college courses in Pop Culture all over the place, but I think that it
should be included more in High School Social Studies and History classes.
Every American kid should know as much about Jenny Lind, Tom Thumb, Enrico
Caruso, Robert Crumb, and Kurt Cobain as they are supposed to know about The
California Gold Rush, Abraham Lincoln, World War One, The Viet Nam Conflict, and
the collapse of the U.S.S.R.. Those kinds of world events frame the stage
of the times in which Pop Culture figures acted, all witnessed by regular folks
like you and me. I think that it is also important to realize that Pop
Culture represents a sort of vox
populi. While few people
had much of a say in the fall of the Berlin Wall, many people did have a say in
making Right Here, Right
Now, the
Jesus
Jones song about the event, a
#1 hit. Which brings me back around to The
Yellow Kid. While text-books
often contain the odd period editorial cartoon, I believe that they should
consider including several comic strips, the more popular the better.
Some, like The Yellow
Kid, were direct social
commentaries, but others were escapist fantasies, wishful dreams of the future,
inward searching travelogues, explorations of mysterious cultures, or
discussions of changing times. In the right context, with expert
interpretation and notes, cartoon strips could be very important tools for
teaching (and learning). They have the added advantage of being
entertaining, and that aids in remembering lessons. I'm sure that the only
reason that I remember ANYTHING about the Tammany
Hall scandal is because of
the scathing (and brave) cartoons of Thomas Nast which were in my Freshman
History text-book! For a great example, check out this posted lesson about
Thomas Nast HERE!
May 4 - Guess
what. I'm busy with artwork again tonight! I'm working on the
Purgatory
Punks biker club logo, and I
want to get preliminaries done tonight or early tomorrow morning. When it
is done, I will add it to the Recent
Artwork page. On that
note, I should mention that I haven't gotten any of the Oz stuff yet, but it
is
coming. When it does, I will figure out some way to to let you folks see
the final product here on the WOMP-Site. If I get extras, I may even sell
them on the Monkey
Stuff page. Oh, which
reminds me, keep an eye out for a new contest coming up this Summer! I
don't want to spoil anything, but it will have MULTIPLE prizes, some of which
are pretty valuable! Just for WOMP-Blog readers, I will give you an
advance-notice "heads-up" a couple of days before the "official" start of the
contest. So, if you like free stuff, keep tuning-in for your
chance to win (I've always wanted to
say that)! See ya!
May 3 - Hey,
gang! I'm gonna cut this short again tonight. I'm working on a
couple of neat commissions, one of which, a design for a Girl Scout patch, is
due tomorrow morning! How fun is that? Anyhoo, I did want to tell
you quickly that the WOMP Staff took a field trip today to the
Wisconsin Archeology
Center in La Crosse,
Wisconsin! I've long been interested in the ancient history of the area
around WOMP H.Q., so it was in the spirit of learning more about the people who
lived here before us that I set up a meeting between the WOMP crew and the
Center's staff. We toured the center's displayed collection of
pre-historic artifacts, talked briefly with the center's director, and even got
signed copies of his book about an amazing glyph-covered cave (which is only
about 15 miles from WOMP Central!). I was most interested in the cave
drawings because, in one form or another, they were the works of the area's
first cartoonists!
May 2 - Well, I
was right; I didn't have the time, foresight, nor energy to write a WOMP-Blog
entry yesterday...and, of course, I'm interminably lazy (that factored in there
someplace). Anyhoo, it was a pretty long day for me, as I had back-to-back
caricature drawing gigs. The first was at the River Ridge, Wisconsin, High
School Prom. I was scheduled for 8:00pm to 10:00pm, but I like to give
people a little more than they expect, so I showed up at about 7:30pm, and I
drew caricatures until 11:15pm. That went well, but, for the first time
since I've been doing this, one of my caricatures actually made the subject
cry!
Honestly, I don't draw "nasty" caricatures. In fact, as one observer noted
last night, I "make people look better than they really are" (a comment which
elicited the throwing of stuff at his head). This particular caricature
was even one of the better ones of the night, and the gal was pretty cute to
begin with, so I have no idea why it made her cry. I felt bad, but I
didn't know what to do about it since I believed that I'd already done the best
job I could. Other than that, everyone seemed to really enjoy the
drawings. After I got out of there, I threw all of my equipment and
supplies into my car, jumped in, and sped off for Fennimore, Wisconsin, some 18
miles away. There I was scheduled from 12:00 midnight to 2:00am, but I
drew from 11:45pm to 3:00am instead. This one was a Post-Prom event held
in a large church community room. They had a karaoke machine, a padded
"American Gladiators" style sparring ring, and several casino-type games.
They also had lot of fun people helping out. Even though I was already
pretty whipped, they sort of reinvigorated me, and, had my shoulder not suddenly
blown out, I'd have stayed longer. Right in the middle of the second to
last caricature, I felt a quick sharp pain in my shoulder, and a corresponding
sudden lack of strength in my arm. I nearly messed up the drawing, but I
held my arm up with my other arm and finished the drawing (I draw on a large pad
of newsprint propped up on an easle, so the motion is sorta like using a marker
to paint on a wall in the same spot over and over again). The next subject
sat down, and I took a quick sip of Jolt soda. That seemed to be enough of
a break, and I started in on the next caricature. Everything was fine
until, WHAM, the pain was back in a BIG WAY, and my arm literally fell
limp! I sort of rolled my shoulder, and it came back to life, but it any
fine motions were completely impossible, so the poor guy ended up with a
terrible, trembly "portrait" (now, HE should
have cried). I made my apologies and headed for home. I got home
around 3:30am, went right to bed, man, and I slept until 10:00am! I needed
it, too! Today we did junk around the house while I healed. Tomorrow
I get back to business!
Oh, and, on a different note, I have found that Franklin D. Roosevelt also
visited Prairie du Chien on a "whistle stop" fund-raising tour, so, that makes a
total of 21 U.S. Presidents who have found the need to visit WOMP's hometown
(with the possibility of two more as of yet unconfirmed sightings)! If
George W. Bush does show up on Friday, that will mean that more Presidents than
not were here at some point in history! How weird is
that?