markliebrecht

[markliebrecht]

Marvel Age #32 recreation by Paul Martin Smith

[markliebrecht]

COVID - Day 3

Mark is not here right now.

COVID now controls this vessel. This vessel seems to require nourishment and shelter.

For that reason, we will go to work for this vessel tomorrow to ensure nourishment and shelter requirements are met.

This vessel has no objections.

Symbiosis complete.

#COVID

[markliebrecht]

COVID: Day 2 (or 6?🤷‍♂️)

The skip the dishes guy looked at me in horror when he saw me. I was just trying to tell him to leave the food on the floor, but handed it to me anyway, with arms outstretched like Frankenstein’s monster. I did the math, and I’m not contagious anymore (I should have taken the test last Sunday when I started feeling sick), I just wore the mask to be polite. I think it ended up scaring the guy more. Either way, I gave him a “thumbs up” for bringing me food so I can stay home.

In his defence, I think I’m overdue for a shower.

#covidー19 #covid #skip the dishes

[markliebrecht]

FML 🤦‍♂️

So much for my 4-Year COVID-19-Free Streak.🤬

#FML #covidー19 #covid test

[markliebrecht]

Every crosswalk needs one of these!

[markliebrecht]

I picked up a new sketchbook and some Posca markers from Artists Emporium this afternoon. I have never used #posca products before, so I tried them out on the cover of said sketchbook. I’m impressed with how well they work. I may have to pick up some more in different sizes.

#Sketchbook #posca markers #posca

[markliebrecht]

STATUS: 03.24.24 | 🌔 | -6°C | ☁️ | Vacation Mode

Because the eldest child is now on spring break, I decided this would be an ideal time to take some vacation time.

To start things off, I informed our realtor that we will be putting an offer on a house. We'll be putting the official offer down in a couple of days. I want to know how many people are serious about that house. I don't want to put too much down, but at the same time, we don't want to under bid either. We walked away from a house last week, because we figured we were going to be out bid. That house ended up selling for $8K less than we were willing to pay. So we're going to put a lot more time/thought/strategy into this one.

Aside from possibly buying a house, we're hoping to see the new Ghostbusters movie sometime this week. I'd also like to take my daughter to the biggest art store in the city. I have never taken her there before, but she has taken a liking to painting with acrylics, so we're hoping to nurture that creative outlet. If the weather gets above the freezing point, I'd like to take the kids to the zoo. Last time we went it was in the middle of a heatwave, and a lot of the animals were hiding in the shade. At least this way we might get to see more of the animals that thrive in cold weather (ie. Polar Bears.)

I'm hoping to put aside some time to get some comic work done this week. It's been ages since I last sent out a newsletter at: www.morningcoffeecomics.com

I was going to visit a comic convention this weekend, but decided against it at the last minute. My wife pointed out that these cons are like a giant Petri dish of viruses and bacteria. I just got over a cold AND strep throat. The last thing I want is to spend my entire week off out with COVID.

My main reason for wanting to visit conventions, is that I want to start collecting something again. I like reading and making comics, but I have lost interest in collecting comics. Instead, I buy TPBs and omnibus editions. Things that I can actually store on a bookshelf. When we were unpacking, I found some of my old G.I. Joe action figures. I got to thinking that I might want to see if I can start collecting those. It turns out, those old 3.3/4" figures are expensive or in very poor condition. Instead, I spent that money on some of the new 'Classified' figures. I have no interest in collecting them all, but I might just try to buy newer versions of the figures I had as a kid, or the characters that I enjoy the most from the show I've been watching with my kids. So far, I have picked up Bazooka, Shipwreck and Lady Jaye. Someday I might try to go to conventions with my kids to find more of the classic figures, but for now, these ones are fun reminder of the time I spend watching the show with my kids.

We finally watched that new TMNT movie "Mutant Mayhem." It was a lot of fun, and my daughter is really into Ninja Turtles now. Six months ago, she absolutely hated the idea, now she can't wait for the sequel. It does my heart proud to know that she is as obsessed with TMNT now, as I was when I was eight years old.

I've been watching a lot of art vlogs on YouTube. I'm trying to find some inspiration to paint something this week. Instead, I find myself being bombarded by videos about 'selling stickers online!' It amazes me that all these people are (allegedly) making 4-5x my annual salary just by selling stickers online. I'm tempted to open my own art store just to see if it is a realistic venture, or if it's a bunch of fabricated BS to help them make a living off of YouTube's Partner Program.

I really should do some YouTube videos. All my equipment is in the corner of my apartment collecting dust as we've been looking for a house. I feel like I should draw a follow up comic to that one I did about moving the last time.

It really is that time of year I should be going through my YouTube subscriptions and unsubscribing to all the channels that have gone bankrupt, started posting shit/only shorts or haven't posted in 5 years. Again, I really should post more over there. I'm starting to feel hypocritical: https://www.youtube.com/@markliebrecht and https://www.youtube.com/@morningcoffeecomics.

#g.i. joe #Bazooka #Shipwreck #Lady Jaye #G.i. Joe Classified #morning coffee comics #newsletter #comics #art #spring break #vacation #buying a house #house hunting #blog #youtube #substack #Status post

[markliebrecht]

The Justice Society by John Watson

[markliebrecht]

[markliebrecht]

STATUS: 🍀03.17.24☘️ | 🌓 | -5°C | ☁️ | Resting 😌

It’s been a while, so let’s catch up:

We put an offer down on a house, and it was accepted on the condition it passed inspection. It did not. The immediate repairs could cost us as much as an extra $100k, so we walked away from it and are now waiting for our down payment to be returned so we can find another house.

On Wednesday we will be looking at another house that looks promising. I’ll also be seeing my accountant that morning, so it may end up being a really good day, or a day I wish I stayed in bed.

Next week I’m taking a vacation. My oldest is on spring break, so I’m going to spend some time with my family. Depending on the weather, we’ll hit up the zoo, the art shop and possibly spend the week looking at houses.

This weekend my daughter and I have been on antibiotics. She has been sick for almost two weeks. Her fever went away on Tuesday, I kept her home from school on Wednesday just to be sure she was fine, she went to school on Thursday but was sick again on Friday. The doctor thinks she was got over her flu/virus and picked up a new one at school on Thursday. I am seeing a reason for her to start wearing a mask at school again. Saturday afternoon the doctor called me with her test results: she picked up strep throat. Because I was coming down with a sore throat and a cough he wrote me a prescription too. I made it 40+ years without ever having it. I would have been happy to continue with my streak.

I saw that there is a small comic convention this upcoming Saturday. I may check it out to see if I want to apply for a table next year.

I’ve been watching a lot of art vlogs about opening art shops this week. I’m thinking I may start one in the near future. I figure if I’m making art anyway, I may as well have a place to sell some of it. I currently have a couple stacks of comics with my work in them that I need to sell, and I’m not quite sure how I’m going to sell them. Yet.

Oh! I almost forgot: I have fatty liver disease. I went for an ultrasound last month to confirm this. I’m not too worried. I’ve dealt with this before, and it can be reversed with diet and exercise. This past year my diet and exercise routine have gone to shit, so I am seeing a dietitian on Tuesday to help me put together a meal plan that I can maintain. Next, I start exercising for an hour a day, I just need to figure out what that will be. Possibly biking or walking/running. I may train for a marathon. That seems like it may be a good way to burn fat. Oh, and I have officially quit drinking. I never really drank that much in recent years. I just need to get rid of what I have. It’s almost funny, all the houses we’ve been looking at have bars in the basement. I’m sure I can convert those into coffee bars instead.

While they were looking at my liver, they found out I have something going on with my left kidney. Because of that, I’ll be going for a CAT scan sometime in the next month or two. Hopefully it’s nothing. 🤞 🙏

I don’t want to end this on a downer. So, I’ll just mention that someone reached out to me and asked that I ghostwrite their next book. I ghosted them. 👻 If you’re going to ask someone to help you with something, don’t be vague. Tell me your budget and what the book is about. Do not tell me to just look at your website. I don’t give a shit about your website. If you want to talk business with me, be a professional about it.

I’m not sure that was the happy note I had in mind. Uh…I got new shoes today? Maybe now my knee and hip will stop hurting after walks? Yay? Now you know!

#buying a house #house hunting #g.i. joe #knowing is half the battle #fatty liver disease #fatty liver #ghostwriter #diet #exercise #strep throat #streptococcus #st. patricks day #soberlife #sober #quit drinking #comics #vlog #art shop

[markliebrecht]

Knowing is half the battle!

I never really got into GIJoe when I was a kid. I knew of Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow, Cobra Commander and that was it.

Fast forward to this week: I found a 24/7 livestream on YouTube that I have been watching with the kids.

It is batshit crazy. I cannot stop watching.

My kids love this show! I love this show!

Why didn’t the movies do this? No one expected them to be good, we just wanted them to be fun.

I was telling my wife, if I ever get the chance to write a G.I. Joe comic, I am going to lean into the insanity they featured on this show.

#Cobra #g.i. joe #snake eyes #cobra commander #storm shadow

[markliebrecht]

Goddamn Daylight Savings!

#daylight savings

[markliebrecht]

I’m slightly more excited for Thursday (3.14).

You can only reblog this today.

[markliebrecht]

If they want to train AI models off your blog, you should be paid for it. Fuck them!🖕

Hi, Tumblr. It’s Tumblr. We’re working on some things that we want to share with you. 

AI companies are acquiring content across the internet for a variety of purposes in all sorts of ways. There are currently very few regulations giving individuals control over how their content is used by AI platforms. Proposed regulations around the world, like the European Union’s AI Act, would give individuals more control over whether and how their content is utilized by this emerging technology. We support this right regardless of geographic location, so we’re releasing a toggle to opt out of sharing content from your public blogs with third parties, including AI platforms that use this content for model training. We’re also working with partners to ensure you have as much control as possible regarding what content is used.

Here are the important details:

We already discourage AI crawlers from gathering content from Tumblr and will continue to do so, save for those with which we partner. 

We want to represent all of you on Tumblr and ensure that protections are in place for how your content is used. We are committed to making sure our partners respect those decisions.

To opt out of sharing your public blogs’ content with third parties, visit each of your public blogs’ blog settings via the web interface and toggle on the “Prevent third-party sharing” option. 

For instructions on how to opt out using the latest version of the app, please visit this Help Center doc. 

Please note: If you’ve already chosen to discourage search crawling of your blog in your settings, we’ve automatically enabled the “Prevent third-party sharing” option.

If you have concerns, please read through the Help Center doc linked above and contact us via Support if you still have questions.

#AI #AI Models #third party sharing #fuck that!

[markliebrecht]

[markliebrecht]

[markliebrecht]

STATUS: 02.27.24 | 🌖 | -30°C | ☁️ | Disappointed 😔

Two weeks ago we found the perfect house for us. The only downside was that it was a side-by-side. I never want to live in another side-by-side and I don’t want to pay over $300k for a house that is touching another house.

We decided to take a second look at it this weekend, and this time I could see the potential beyond my disdain of sharing a wall with a neighbour. Apparently 14 other bidders thought it was pretty good too. Anyway, we get to keep our money for now, and bid another day.

At least I was able to come up with some ideas for our next house, based on what I liked about this one.

🗞️ In Other News 📰

The weather here turned to shit. That means actual winter has finally hit. We’ve been spoiled with balmy temperatures and a lack of snow this year. Now nature is realizing it’s mistake and will freeze us for the next eight weeks.

I’m already sick of waking up to start my car and scrape the frost off the windows 30 minutes before I try to go anywhere.

I have too many online accounts. I think it might be time to start shuttering some of them. Do I really need that many Instagram accounts and YouTube channels?

I’m trying to use Substack, but I’m finding it about as useful as Medium. It’s hard to justify a paid newsletter, especially when I get so many free ones every day.

Is it too much to ask for a social network that does everything instead of a dozen networks that only do a little?

#house #house hunting #blog