Not sure what to think?

Well, you're not alone.

Last night, Jena asked me if I was doing a blog. Up until then, I had been keeping it a secret because I didn't want her to to think I was spending a lot of time on it ... which I'm not. But she was OK with it (she was actually very supportive). My wife is the best. She ROCKS.

Apparently, she was tipped off to the presence of said blog by a goof on my part: I had cut-and-paste the URL for this site into an email to an old friend from high school yesterday. The clipboard was never cleared, so it appeared while she was working on her resume last night. Oopsie. But like I said, it's all good with my better half.

There's a lot on my plate right now, so I can't spend too much time on the blog. First and foremost, I need to find a new job. I also have a certification exam to study for. I have more unpacking and organizing to do. And at some point I need to find time to restart my online comic strip, "Brenda Monarch."

This is probably a good opportunity to introduce the two characters from my strip (see above picture):

Brenda Monarch — The title character, she is a reporter for "The Juniperian," the small city newspaper of Juniper Springs. She is single, stands about 5'8" (although my wife disputes this), and has a cat named Snowball. Her dad is a Vietnam veteran. There is a rumor that she may have an estranged twin sister in another state, but this has never been proven. She is from Canandaigua, a town in upstate New York. Because of this, she is also a (*cringe*) Yankees fan. Her biggest pet peeve is seeing other women wear white heels after Labor Day, or black heels after Easter. She usually hangs with her co-worker, Dave Kodiak. When Dave annoys her, she sometimes calls him "Spaceboy." Another of her favorite quips is "Thrillsville." She is proud to be a brunette, and her most distinctive characteristic are her bangs.

Dave Kodiak — He's the sports editor at "The Juniperian." He is also single, and is taller than Brenda (but under 6', and she's taller when she wears heels). He doesn't own a car or have any pets. He has a problem remembering important holidays and birthdays. He was in a fraternity in college, has a penchant for illegal fireworks, and probably has a collection of pornography somewhere. He's from suburban Chicago and loves the Cubs. He doesn't like the designated hitter, or the awarding of home field advantage in the World Series to the league that wins the All-Star Game. He usually wears a T-shirt that says "THEY."

There will be more characters in the comic strip in the future. (As an aside, it amazes me how many characters there are on The Simpsons; it is truly inspiring). I've been drawing Brenda and Dave since 1993, so they are the most developed characters I have so far.

Well, I have a lot of things to do today, so I have to wrap this up here. More riveting content to come later.

Buena nuei,
Charlie =)