I was just gonna post this in the Fan Art page but I feel the need to talk about it.

This Christmas was a real bear, mostly due to my own stupidity. Christmas eve was Friday this year, but for some reason I thought it was Thursday. My plan was to go to my parent’s house immediately after work on Thursday – which meant I needed to get Friday’s strip done a day ahead of schedule.

Now, normally it takes me a whole day to crank out a strip. Drawing the strip isn’t too difficult; from blank paper to finished comic is about two hours. What takes all day is the writing. I usually write several drafts of each strip, making hundreds of alterations until the eleventh hour. So the idea of writing and drawing an extra strip, in addition to doing all my Christmas shopping, was daunting. But I was up for the challenge. Eye of the Tiger and all that. So I dove headfirst into my work and, after several late nights, I made it. I got Friday’s strip done by Wednesday night. Big pump-fist. Woo-hoo! I did it!

Now, it’s Thursday morning and I’m at work. I already wrapped presents, packed my suitcase, and loaded my car the night before. I’m feeling good about my accomplishments. Then, the rusty gears in my brain start to turn. I start getting that feeling that something isn’t quite right in Adamville. I check a calendar and realize that I didn’t have to go to my folk’s house till tomorrow. All that work, all that sweat, all that extra effort. For what? For nuthin! I drove home (my home) after work, unloaded my car (because I had stuff I didn’t want in my car overnight) plopped down in my recliner and sulked.

Glad though I am for getting ahead of my work, I’m still bummed. So I was in a slightly crummy mood when I checked my email and saw a message from Simon. Simon had been reading my comic for a while and was kind enough to turn his girlfriend, Kat, on to it. Kat is tremendously talented with a needle and thread. Simon enclosed a pic to show just how talented she is. What I saw changed my mood 180 degrees.

This. This is one of the best Christmas gifts I have ever received: