Confused and bewildered by the fact that I was actually awake on a Monday morning, and noticing the thick blanket of white snow outdoors, I had but one option to fill the time I’d otherwise have spent sleeping.

Bake some cookies.

How I arrived at this conclusion, I do not know. But that is exactly what happened. It would be the first time I had ever undertaken such a culinary endeavor, so even though I was following a recipe, it was a bold experiment because I did not know how these cookies would turn out or even if I had the talent to produce them properly.

The results?

AWESOME.

These are ninja style peanut butter cookies with tiny chocolate chips. The recipe actually came from the label on the peanut butter jar. 1 cup of peanut butter, a half cup of white sugar, and one egg, plus whatever extra little flourish you want, in this case the chocolate chips. Mix until the consistency no longer feels like peanut butter, roll into little balls and shove ’em in the oven at 325° c for 15 minutes. Pretty hard to screw this up, so they turned out really well.

Has the ninja found another calling? No, probably not. More like the ninja has found a new snack.

Sayonara.

It’s no secret that I have a goatee. If there is one stereotype that I actually fit into, it would the that of the goateed artist. I’ve pretty much had a goatee since I was 14 or 15, though there was a period of time where I had to be clean shaven for a job. All of my current acquaintances only know me as having a goatee, and I doubt that my family even remembers what I look like without one. It is probably my most defining physical characteristic, and I’m perfectly happy with that.

Until now I hadn’t really put much thought into it, but recently I somehow stumbled onto some interesting websites devoted to the art of sporting a goatee. This has changed the entire outlook I have on my hairy chin. I used to just have one because it was a lot easier than actually shaving there every day. But now I see the truth, that the goatee is an important part of a man’s identity!

Goatee Style is a website by Ryan, another goateed artist, and in addition to being a pretty cool site with interesting art and links, it also has some goatee information and pictures.

Goatee.org is a UK based site for all things goatee! Includes a FAQ, links to goatee history, a gallery, some weird British stuff, and even some poetry. I like this haiku.

I wear my goatee

It sits proudly on my face

Others, so jealous

I say that the goatee is much more than just facial hair. Far beyond trendy clothes or any sort of changing personal style based on a fad, it is an all encompassing element of a person’s very being!

Or it just makes me look evil. Whatever. I’m cool with that.

Sayonara.

It’s not a happy day.

Dreamwave Productions, the publishers of the Transformers comic books, has closed. The writing may have been on the wall for a while, and rumors were swirling for weeks, but that doesn’t make the news any easier to swallow. It did come as a bit of a surprise though, since several new projects were announced and were supposed to come out soon, not the least of which was a Beast Wars comic book series that I would have absolutely devoured as soon as it hit the stands.

I really enjoyed their work on Transformers, so I find this news to be pretty depressing. Not just because I’m a Transformers fan and there won’t be any more comics coming out from them, but also because they were a local group of artists who became quite the success story here in Toronto. Living so close to their offices, I had hoped to someday work my way into their ranks as a colourist, not simply because I want to work on Transformers in an official capacity, but more so because they seemed like a great bunch of people and I really wanted to contribute. I know some people think that Pat Lee has a big ego, but having met the man at a few conventions I can honestly say that he’s one of the nicest folks I’ve ever encountered. I’ve also met some other artists and I know that there are quality people who have worked there. I sincerely hope that they all land on their feet. Best of luck to them.

Transformers is still really huge right now, with a new toy line and a new show coming later this year, and the upcoming live action movie produced by Steven Spielberg, so I have no doubt that it won’t be long before another company picks up the comic book license. The question is if this other company, whoever it ends up being, will treat the Transformers franchise and its fans with the same high degree of respect that Dreamwave did. In my eyes, they will have a lot to live up to.

The story isn’t over yet, so it remains to be seen what will end up happening with what’s left of Dreamwave, their unfinished projects, and the Transformers comic book license in general. Still, kicking off the new year with this sort of news doesn’t exactly fill my heart with confidence. Sigh.

Sayonara.

I’ve been waiting 17 years to say that line from the beginning of Transformers The Movie and actually mean it. Happy New Year, everyone!

I rung in the new year at a party with some great friends. We watched some crazy movies. Of course, Transformers had to be one of them seeing as this is the year 2005. We also watched Shaun of the Dead (which was awesome), the original 60’s Batman movie (which was not very awesome, but quite hilarious), The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Ghost in the Shell 2, and The Princess Bride. Good times all around.

2004 was not personally a great year for me, but I’ll always remember it as a great year to be a fan of the things that I enjoy. Transformers celebrated its 20th anniversary with great new releases that both moved the franchise forward and harkened back to the beginning. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles also celebrated its 20th anniversary, and continued its streak of great animated episodes on one of my most favorite TV shows. Godzilla had his 50th anniversary with several DVDs released to North America with subtitles and a new film that I hope to see in the new year. Star Wars finally came out on DVD, with a picture quality that looked like the movies had just been filmed yesterday. Anime and manga are, for better or worse, becoming more mainstream, but the result is more releases that are easier to find, and wider variety of series to choose from. Spider-man 2 proved that comic book movies kick ass and are here to stay. So with all this in mind I have to say that this was a pretty good year.

Now is the time when people look to the future and make resolutions for the upcoming year. Well, it’s no secret that several people have gone out of their way to tell me how much they don’t like me, that they hate my artwork, and that I should take down my webpage. It’s also no secret that the overwhelming majority of these people are complete idiots who can hardly even spell and have no manners. And it’s certainly no secret that I relish every opportunity to tell these people, in no uncertain terms, how stupid they really are. Maybe I’m right, maybe I’m wrong, but I’m a fighter and I don’t take insults lying down. While this year I have no doubt that this “trend” will continue, I resolve that in 2005 I will work my hardest to prove my detractors wrong. Actions speak louder than words, and while my words will still speak volumes as they always have, I promise that my actions in the coming year will completely shatter any of the insulting nonsense that is thrown at me. So expect great things from me and this site.

Take that to the bank.

Sayonara.