Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Today's Video Link

And here's a video that someone showed us while we were at the Garfield offices. It started off to be a pitch to adopt this cat named Pinky and it turned into a fight for survival...

• Posted at 10:02 PM · LINK

Cat Man

As I mentioned, I spent Monday and part of Tuesday in Muncie, Indiana, meeting with Jim "Garfield" Davis and his fine staff. When I got home, I found a message from Paul Stadinger, a reader of this site, alerting me to a recent interview with Jim. It'll tell you where I was and a little about what it was like. I even got to watch Jim and his mother play their little game with the salt shaker. She won.

• Posted at 9:59 PM · LINK

Recommended Reading

Mark Yost sings the praises of the great broadcaster, Vin Scully.

• Posted at 5:48 PM · LINK

Scream!

If you want to see what a bunch of angry Pee-wee Herman fans can be like, read the comments posted to this newspaper item.

• Posted at 4:33 PM · LINK

Back Home Again...

We changed planes in Chicago and with limited time, I had the choice of eating or blogging. You lost out, folks. Sorry. I am now back home in my comfy computer chair in Los Angeles.

Great trip. Mid-Ohio-Con is one of the friendliest conventions I've attended the last few years...big enough that there's plenty to see and do, not so big that you feel overwhelmed by it. It reminds me in many ways of the early San Diego Cons. Those of you who lament the current size of Comic-Con International and wish it were as it used to be would do well to consider a trip next year to Mid-Ohio-Con. I liked the con. I liked the hotel. I liked the meals — B.D.'s Mongolian Barbecue and Five Guys, especially. I liked the side trip to Muncie while Carolyn and her friend Maggie Thompson plumbed the vaults of the comic collection at Ohio State University. I even liked my rental car with the Hertz NeverLost™ system.

There will be much catching-up in the days to come.

• Posted at 4:32 PM · LINK

Wednesday Airport Blogging

We're coming to you via the free wi-fi at the airport in Columbus, Ohio. Why? Because we have a half-hour and because we can. Mid-Ohio-Con was great...but then it always is, for reasons I'll try to articulate later. That ended Sunday and on Monday, my fellow convention guest Gregg Berger and I drove to Muncie, Indiana...the Garfield capitol of the world. For many years now, I've been writing and voice-directing Garfield cartoons and Gregg has been providing the voice of Odie, Squeak the Mouse and other bizarre denizens of the cat's world. I'd been to the offices before (many times) but it was the first time Odie Gregg had visited. Jim Davis is a gracious employer/host and we had a fine time, meeting and dining...and even hearing tales of Jim's old college buddy at Ball State University, David Letterman. A lot of folks think Jim made his fortune by creating the world's most successful newspaper strip but that was small change compared to what he's made blackmailing Dave.

Carolyn, Gregg and I are flying back to L.A. by way of Chicago. We change planes at Midway Airport and you'll hear from me then if (a) we have sufficient time betwixt flights and (b) they have free wi-fi and I can get it working.

• Posted at 6:48 AM · LINK