Another Compost Experiment

Remember that test I did with the supposedly compostable drinking glass from Pizzeria Pagliacci's a couple years ago? Well, I ran across another product making the "compostable" claim, only this time to a greater degree (to see the info, go here and then click "compostable packaging"*). Call me a skeptic if you want, but I just had to try it. It turns out that the timing is such that the Sun Chips bag is the first item in this year's bin, having just emptied the now well composted soil into the gardens. This means maximum compost time, pressure, and heat. I'll check on it in 12 weeks or so, maybe a little longer to allow for enough other food stuff to really get the party started. Then I will report back. This is skeptical environmental consumer lookout guy signing off.

Wednesday May 5 2010

File under: environment

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on Wed 05th May, 2010 04:24 pm PDT gretchen said: they do say it is going to take at least 14 weeks...but i'm going to stand by what i said in the last prediction, won't get hot enough in a-train. but i could be wrong. on another note, how freaking annoying are those bags? soooo loud! ************************ on Wed 05th May, 2010 11:22 pm PDT per said: If I remember correctly, Hammer pants produced twice as much noise, but you still rocked em tough. ohhh! ************************ on Thu 06th May, 2010 07:45 am PDT katie b. said: awesome! i can't wait to see the results. i'm thinking that bag will look the exact same, with a little dirt here and there. ************************ on Sat 08th May, 2010 03:40 pm PDT Sean said: Ohhh! Ohhh-ohhh! Ohhh! STOP. Hammer time ************************ on Tue 11th May, 2010 03:48 pm PDT mindi said: What ever happened to that cup? ************************

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Quote For Monday - ABCs

A to Z: you're sure to find something that calls to you. P.S.*

Monday May 3 2010

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on Mon 03rd May, 2010 01:07 pm PDT Jenn said: Yeah, xeriscaping is what they call our front yard here -- I call it a whole bunch of rocks. ************************ on Wed 05th May, 2010 05:52 pm PDT The other wren said: I'm gonna "Master Something". Or maybe I'll master-something... ************************

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FC 103 - Work Those Muscles

Wow. It feels like it has been years since I've worked under a deadline like this. It's 11:49 pm on Thursday evening and an hour ago, I hadn't even started this week's comic. Usually, I have it done before lunch on Thursday and all I have to do is cut and paste the post last thing before I go to bed. Not this week. No, this week has been hectic: drive-ins, after parties, double dates, work(!)*, circus ballet, and more. The result of a hectic week is a quickly thrown together comic. Perhaps you can't even tell a difference. Well, this one took under an hour while most take 2 or more. All in all, though, I'd say the more than 50% drop in time leads to less than a 50% drop in quality, but that's just me. Anyway, we all know 2 hectic weeks back to back for me is practically unheard of so next week's comic will be back in the regular vein. Anyhoo, happy Friday!!

Thursday April 29 2010

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My Earth Day Contribution 2010

I've been really making an effort these last couple years to honor Earth Day. While the saying goes that we should treat everyday like Earth Day, it is easy to slip into less than perfect habits. Plus, having one day where everyone (media, organizations, etc.) is focused on doing good things for our planet makes for a wonderful excuse to do something yourself. The past 2 years, I've been taking a couple hours out of my Earth Day schedule to go pick up trash on the side of the road. Not only is this Earth Day inspired, but when bike is one's primary mode of transportation, one tends to notice just how trashy some of our roads can get. Besides the great feeling I get from doing my little part to help clean up, it is just downright interesting to see what ends up on the side of the road. In my unscientific survey, here are my observations. At least 3/4 of the garbage on the side of the road is easily recyclable (glass, plastic, aluminum, etc.).* A majority of that (at least in my small test area) is glass such as beer bottles, alcohol bottles, and wine bottles (the weight and breakablity of which led to some interesting thoughts on glass's desirability as a packaging medium). Some roads haven't had a trash crew through in a long time. Just an hour of cleaning up trash can make a huge difference. I'm hoping to make my Earth Day trash clean up a yearly thing. If you happen to be around next April, feel free to join me.

Monday April 26 2010

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on Thu 29th Apr, 2010 11:51 am PDT Horge said: Just thought I'd throw in my 2 Euros about your glass pondering from my work/research: glass is one of the most easily recyclable packaging (saves about 35-32% energy, produces about 1/4 the solid waste, reduces pollution of air about 20% and water 50%, and would reduce mining waste by about 80%); recycled aluminum is even more cost-effective (saves 90-95% each of the energy, raw materials and air pollution); obviously plastic is awful (full of dangerous chemicals and it can really only be downgraded - drinking bottle > detergent bottle - instead of used for the same purpose, uses up scarce petroleum resources, gives a funkier taste...). But to my thinking, glass still wins out, because if the bottle manages to stay intact, it just needs to be cleaned and refilled, while the aluminum will have to be reprocessed from the start... So that's my 2638 cents for the day :) ************************

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FC 102 - Holiday Comic Cop Out

Two years ago, I planned a whole month of comics in honor of Earth Day. But I ended up being on the road for most of April so couldn't get it all to come together. And then last year, I was on the road again, so again it didn't happen. This year, I have no excuse except that I forgot. But while I might have forgot about my Earth Day comic aspirations, I didn't forget about Earth Day, of course. But more on that later. Anyway, this is one of the comics that I was planning for that month long homage 2 years ago. Had I known how quickly it would come together, I might have just made it happen back then. (Comics without people in them are so much easier to draw.) Anyhoo, I hope you all had a happy, productive, and conservative Earth Day.

Thursday April 22 2010

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on Fri 23rd Apr, 2010 04:19 am PDT Dave said: Dude, this was awesome! Nice work. ************************ on Fri 23rd Apr, 2010 04:26 am PDT Saxtor said: Good show! ************************ on Fri 23rd Apr, 2010 05:22 pm PDT Amanda said: Seriously, one of my favs. ************************ on Sat 24th Apr, 2010 10:09 am PDT andrew said: Bring back Pluto ************************ on Sun 25th Apr, 2010 12:09 pm PDT Chris said: Dadly, I've celebrated Earth day by burning tons of jet fuel. On the upside, I did see a lot of said earth and found all the green we've been missing; it's hiding over here in Germany. ************************ on Thu 29th Apr, 2010 11:55 am PDT Horge said: I also unfortunately had to spend earth day burning up fuels. But at least it was carpooling to try to convince various mayors here to solve eco-problems (though given the results of our discussions, I think you probably had a more satisfying experience...) BTW, nice comic! ************************

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A Beard With a Story

Here's the story: There is a short beard-related documentary showing at the Pickford Cinema here in Bellingham. Being a beard enthusiast, I rallied my beard-o-phile friends together to go. Then I had the thought, "Hey, I'm due for my bimonthly shave anyway. Why not get creative for the event." I promptly called my buddy to borrow his hair buzzer. Said buddy is a clowny fellow. And it just so happened that the buzzer exchange was going to happen at Vaudevillingham. Clown buddy decided that we should turn the ridiculous beard trimming into an act. I somewhat (but not really) reluctantly agreed. The act was an audience plant act. I was the plant and I was to win the bid on a special hair-cut auction. When I got on stage, I sat down to get ready for my hair cut. Then out came Blinky. He brandished juggling knives, took a shot from his bottle of whiskey, then went to down on my beard. He climbed up on my knees, pretended to shave my legs*, shushed the audience, and generally clowned around. And then I ended up with this beard. On the Trustworthiness of Beards scale, they call it a Horseshoe a.k.a. The Hogan and rate it "unsavory". If it is paired with oversized, yet mismatched, sideburns, I only imagine that moves it more to the "threatening" side of things. The upside is that after the movie, I'm free to shave it off. The downside is that that won't be until Tuesday.

Sunday April 18 2010

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on Sun 18th Apr, 2010 06:37 pm PDT Wren said: The documentary was awesome. It was called "Enter the Beard". See the trailer here. ************************ on Sun 18th Apr, 2010 07:30 pm PDT katie b. said: haha!! ************************ on Sun 18th Apr, 2010 08:07 pm PDT Mom said: The Bearded Lady won't stand a chance against you clowns. ************************ on Tue 20th Apr, 2010 05:35 pm PDT Wren said: The official photos are in. You can check out the whole series (as well as lots of other great ones from Vaudevillingham) at this flickr page. This one's my favorite! ************************

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FC 101 - Down On Bourbon Street

A rant: one of my biggest pet peeves is this proliferation of beads in the parade/celebration scene. Okay, so maybe it isn't the beads per se, because dressing up and having a souvenir isn't so bad. It is the fact that the beads are/have become super crappy plastic that is so cheap that no one feels they should keep them. So, during a parade/celebration, those who have the beads want to get rid of them (because they bought a box of 100,000 necklaces or whatever) and when people take them, they just throw them away when they get home. It all makes me cringe. But that's not what this comic is about. It was inspired by my recent-ish trip to New Orleans and seeing how it has become quite a family tourist destination, which necessarily tones it down. I thought it was funny seeing parents trying to give their kids the New Orleans experience yet also protecting them from exactly that. Oh well. The thought made me chuckle.

Friday April 16 2010

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on Fri 16th Apr, 2010 09:02 am PDT Wren said: Sorry for the late post. The server was down last night when I went to make the post. ************************ on Fri 16th Apr, 2010 11:58 am PDT Saxtor said: I like it. There's a documentary about the cheap beads stuff, Mardi Gras: Made in China. I haven't seen it, but you should Watch it for free and let me know... ************************ on Sat 17th Apr, 2010 06:46 am PDT Richard said: Other great NOLA paradox: tourists who go to see the street culture and then are so convinced of the performers' criminality that they won't approach or watch. ************************

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Cirque Lab on the Move

The Cirque Lab, home of the Bellingham Circus Guild, has found a new home. While the old space was pretty dang neat (and home to many great memories*), circumstances dictated finding a new place to better accommodate Vaudevillingham and the other great shows that are in store. Anyway, along with a new space comes moving. It's really amazing how much stuff can accumulate in a shared space, esp. when shared by circus folk that can turn pretty much anything into a prop or costume. A bunch of people helped out on the moving, so it was a hoot. There was climbing around to unhook aerial equipment, trying on old costumes, and alternative transportation. So now all the is left is organizing the new space to get ready for this month's Vaudevillingham show. Speaking of which, you should come. Use it as an excuse to check out the new space, see a great show, and support a worthy local circus group. Info (address, times, etc.) can be found on the website. Hope to see you there!

Wednesday April 14 2010

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I Love My Job

I love my job. For those of you who don't know (or are saying to yourself "You have a job!?!?"), I am a professional housesitter*. While technically the focus is usually on pets, since I do the plants, mail, papers, etc., I think "housesitter" encompasses the job better than "petsitter". Why do I love this job? It's always different. I get to shop at different grocery stores, see different views, hang out with different pets, get to know different neighborhoods, and ride different buses, just to name a few things. And while housesitting requires you to be around the house as much as possible, it still leaves time for me to do my thing: make and do crosswords, draw comics, read, watch t.v., make websites, etc. But what I like most of all about housesitting is that I can see the direct result of my work. There is no middle man between me and the people for whom the service is being rendered, and they always appreciate it so much. That, the being able to directly help someone out, is what I love most about my job. Do you know someone who needs a housesitter? I'm always looking to take on new clients and move into new markets*. And the jobs don't have to be in the northwest. I'd be happy to do a stint in Delaware, California, or Germany. Just get ahold of me and we'll work something out.

Monday April 12 2010

File under: work

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on Mon 12th Apr, 2010 03:47 pm PDT maggie said: i may have some potential clients for you in PA - leaving 6 cats to go to Europe. ************************ on Tue 13th Apr, 2010 10:35 am PDT Jenn said: How much do you charge? ************************ on Tue 13th Apr, 2010 10:58 am PDT Wren said: @Jenn: Price depends on how many and what kinds of animals, what are their requirements (i.e. 8 5-mile walks a day for a dog will cost more than feeding a cat twice a day), etc. Travel and relationship with housesittees is also a factor. Generally, though, prices are between $20 and $40 a day. ************************ on Tue 13th Apr, 2010 11:00 am PDT Wren said: This just came across my comics page today and I couldn't help but posting it here: Lockhorns 4/13/10 ************************ on Tue 13th Apr, 2010 06:16 pm PDT Root Mama said: I'd be happy to give you a reference! ************************ on Thu 15th Apr, 2010 12:40 pm PDT Horge said: Just thinking, you ought to combine some of your interests with your career. Make yourself a website to advertise yourself. And maybe a reward that the first person to make a contract/agreement with you each month gets a pack of troothpicks (maybe a future troothpicks customer)? ************************ on Sat 17th Apr, 2010 05:29 am PDT steve said: Is that Thomas? ************************

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FC 100 - Billable Hours

Woohoo!! Comic number one hundred!* I'm halfway tempted to review the history of Friday Comics, from a one-time shot to a month long experiment to what it is today, but won't. If you are feeling nostalgic, however, have a browse through some of the past 3 years of comics. Instead of a nostalgic look back though, I thought it might be fun to look at a few stats: Besides me, there have been 11(!) guest artists* 8 guest artist contributed just one comic apiece* Guest artist contributions account for 38% of the Friday Comics At the time of their contributions, guest artists represented 5 different states and 5 different countries! Since the official start of Friday Comics (Oct 2007), a new comic has been posted on over 75% of Fridays* 90% of comics have been 1-panel, 4% 3-panel, 3% 6-panel, 2% 4-panel, 1% 2-panel 26% of the comics have been drawn by hand on paper*, about half of guest artists' chosen medium Any stats I missed that you'd like to know? Any particularly fond memories or favorites you have from over the years? As for me, there's too many to count. And hopefully, there will be many more.

Thursday April 8 2010

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on Fri 09th Apr, 2010 11:41 am PDT Mom said: I vote for more Rock, Paper, Scissors escapades. I miss the little guys. ************************ on Sun 11th Apr, 2010 09:05 am PDT Sean said: I think a lawyer might also say something about dropping his suit... ************************ on Tue 13th Apr, 2010 10:53 am PDT Kat said: I know I'm bias, but I like this one. ************************

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