Grumpy Gramps

Last night I had the pleasure of sharing a couple (four) of pints with Nicky's Grandad in South London. He goes to the same pub at the same time every night. He easily puts down five to six glasses of Fosters in a sitting. He's an ol' London cockney that has hundreds of stories from throughout his life.

He had twelve brothers and sisters. They were poor, so the boys had to share one pair of shoes- taking turns to wear them and then to go to school. His mother sold him to the carnival when he was 13. As a carnie, he drove the motorcycle in the Wheel of Death. His other stories revolve around evil pet monkeys (is there any other kind?) and a cross eyed pig named Suzie.

I'm going to try to get him to tell me more stories (it's not difficult), so I can write them down and illustrate them.

This is that man.

Mr. Tea

A couple of weeks ago, I had lunch with an old SF friend, Brad Mossman and his lovely wife, Lotte. Finally getting around to posting some hardcore action shots of some insane tea sipping. Brad is an extremely talented musican and artist. He created theme songs for some of the shorts and games I've worked on in the past.

Visit the world of Mossman here-
bMossman

Dead of Night

The last couple of nights, I've awoken to an unearthly screeching in the old tree right outside my window. I thought maybe it was a cat or an owl, but it didn't sound like any creature I have ever heard. It happens usually when it is very cold and clear and in the dead hours of the night.

So late, last night when the howls started once more, I threw open the curtains to catch a glimpse of the miserable critter. This is what it looked like...



Loosely based on one of my all time favorite children's books, Tailypo, A Ghost Story.

Black Cloud of Mordor

London was covered under a thick dark toxic cloud on Sunday... same as any other day, right?

Well, this day was different- a fuel depot east of London caught fire and exploded early Sunday morning. People heard it as far away as the Netherlands. I guess it's still burning now. It was a creepy looking day- the bright sun shining through the dense smog.

I'm pretty sure everyone will be turning into polite zombies any day now.

Above is a pic from BBC and below are a few out my front window.

Peeps in the Hood

Man, London is just full of these shallow, two dimensional people.

Giant Jellyfish Attacks Japan!

"Run for the hills! It's Godzilla!"
"No wait... it's just a giant jellyfish."
"Giant Jellyfish! Ahhh!" *

* That's what the Japanese are saying to each other. But in Japanese. Which I don't know.

Grossness and coolness at the same time.

Giant Jellyfish Article
Thanks to my bud Lyn for sending it along.
Lyn Gaza'a Site

Dorking Around

Spent part of the weekend in Nicky's hometown of Dorking. Yep, that's the name. Dork-ing. It's a beautiful village with rolling hills, cozy pubs, and scraggly forests. We took a hike outside the town along a country road overlooking the entire valley. These pics were taken on a chilly morning. Definite Shire material.

Secret Location of Dorking

And the weekend trip to the Shire was complete with some soccer Hobbit feet. (no, they're not mine)

Gorilla Undies

Random pages from my sketchbook.
Not sure why the ape is wearing tighty whities.

Ring a Ding Ding

I was caught up in the middle of this huge police raid in my hood yesterday afternoon. Luckily they stormed the cafe next to the one I was in. Guess I'll hold on to my phone a little more closely from now on.
BBC Article