I wish I had a picture of Matt the Cat, because he is absolutely adorable. He is belongs to the wonderful folks who draw Little Vampires, and is something of a celebrity himself, as he often appears in the comic, being pestered (or rewarded!) by the minuscule monsters.

This comic fudges the truth just a little a bit, for humors sake. For one, Matt was having a bit of an all-expenses paid vacation at the vets, where he is beloved by all of the vet techs, in order to spare Layne and I some serious allergic reactions. (The Hicks’ were even kind enough to borrow an air filter, which made a HUGE difference! I never even got the sniffles!) And, for another, he was far too much of a gentleman to end up on my face, though he did sniff curiously at me from a distance upon his return home after SDCC was over. (We didn’t leave until Tuesday, so we had a little time to visit San Diego after the con.)

Apparently, Matt really loves Canadians. The only other new person that he hasn’t hidden under the bed from was also Canadian, and he was treated to a full-on “pet me, love me” routine. I think that if Matt hadn’t been a little bewildered from the trip home from the vets, and had I not been to quick to keep my distance, lest I start sneezing, he would have wanted cuddles. He certainly peered down at me from the stairs for a very long time while I finished coloring my comics for the week.

So, Matt – here’s to you! Next time I come down there, I’ll bring you some maple syrup flavored catnip!

This year was the first year I’d ever attended San Diego Comic Con, either as an exhibitor or as an attendee. I’d heard stories – wonderful, amazing stories – from other people who had been to the show before. “Geek Mecca”, they called it, or sometimes, jokingly, the “Geek Prom”, but the one thing that remained the same about their tales was the slightly-misty look in their eyes as they spoke of it. Some people had met famous actors and shook their hands. Others had gotten their hands on enough fabulous loot to make pirate envious. And others had met life-long friends in line for Hall H.

So, to say that I was a tad nervous about exhibiting at San Diego is a bit of an understatement. One of my friends tried to reassure me that I’d exhibited at other big cons before, and that I would be an old pro at it. I looked him dead in the eye and replied, “To say that is akin to saying that I’ve walked through a rainstorm, so I should know how to deal with a hurricane.”

So, was it a hurricane? Hells yeah!! More people attended that con this year than live in the city I was born in.

But was it one hell of a fun time?? Oh my god yes!!!!

More later!! There’s tons of San Diego stories to tell, but only a few days before I ship out to Gen Con!!

Layne informs me that I got the song completely wrong. It’s bread, mayo, lettuce, CHEESE, tomato, etc, etc, etc… He says that the cheese provides a nice, flat platform for the tomato to sit on so that it doesn’t fall off the sandwich while you’re trying to eat it.

This is a man who had put a LOT of thought into his sandwiches. A LOT.

Which is probably why they taste so good. I used to be of the opinion that anything thrown onto bread in any order was a sandwich, and why should I care what order they go in because it’s all just going to wind up in my belly anyway. But there is a certain logic to his arrangement of ingredients. Lettuce tastes best with a little bit of mayo. The meat tastes best by the mustard. Everything has a reason and a purpose. It’s all very zen.

Sorry to be a bit of a downer, folks. This was a hard strip to write. I discarded seven other scripts, including a few lighthearted takes on the holiday. None of them seemed to fit. They felt fake. And, loathe though I am to air any of my dirty laundry in front of you lovely folks, I felt like this one needed to be said. Or drawn, rather.

I hope you all enjoy your holiday. I won’t necessarily enjoy Father’s Day, but I will do what I normally do, which is to call my grandpa and my uncle and thank them both for being a part of my life, and then try and ignore the urge to huck a remote at the screen every time I see one of those damned saccharine ads for Father’s Day on tv. Seriously. They all boil down to “Dad’s so funny. Look, he likes golf and napping!”. I do believe that I hate them even more than I hate the usual ream of sexist beer ads.

Sometimes, the weather on the prairies is enough to make me wonder why anyone chooses to live here.

Take the snowstorm we got on Wednesday, May 4th. People in other, less insane climates are getting their Cinco de Mayo decorations up, hanging out on the beach, or already tending their burgeoning gardens.

What was I doing? I was scraping three inches of frozen snow off of the windshield of my car. Now, just days before, I’d been hanging around outside in a skirt and tank top, pondering putting some flowers out on my patio. Sure glad now that I decided NOT to head to the garden store after all!!

Oh, Edmonton. I love your gorgeous riverbank and your summer festivals, but the moment Layne’s done his degree, we’re frickin’ heading to the coast. I’m sick of snow.

For those who are wondering what’s up with the cowboy hats, it will become quite clear once you know two simple facts about Calgary.

Fact #1: Calgary is home to the world’s largest rodeo. Surpassing even any of the big rodeos in Texas, the Calgary Stampede is SO massive that it caused the city’s divorce rate to skyrocket as people suddenly sneak out on their partners for someone sexy in a cowboy hat.

Fact #2: The Calgary Comic Expo is held on the Stampede grounds. In fact, the convention hall is only a short walk away from the Saddledome, the giant sport’s field designed to look like – you guessed it – a saddle. The security staff all wear rodeo shirts and cowboy hats.

So, knowing these two simple facts, it’s quite easy to understand why people would mix a little Western themes into their sci-fi costumes. I mean – it’s Calgary! Everyone’s got a cowboy hat!