#boab announcement

[battle-of-alberta]

Updates (and a poll?)

Hi all,

I've been neglecting this blog for a bit because I've been having a rough time. I lost a family member a few weeks ago and even though I was as prepared as I could be, it was still difficult and I found it hard to think much about a lot of things that inspire me with regards to this blog because I look around and have all these memories (and unanswered questions). (however, i also have inherited a bunch of recipes which is an enormous piece of 'berta history. to me, anyway. and i haven't even told you about the oilers cookbook.)

I am still having good days and bad days but I do want to think towards a future when I can start chipping away at those last ten or so asks in the box. And hey, since there's about ten, why don't we prioritize them with another mysterious emoji poll for me to look at when I feel up to it?

no wrong answers here just pick what you're vibing with :)

#boab announcement

[airmanisr]

British Aircraft Corporation Concorde 100 ‘G-BBDG’ by Alan Wilson Via Flickr: c/n 202 Built in 1974 as the second production Concorde and the first production example built in the UK. She didn’t enter service but was used for certification, publicity and testing work. She was stored at Filton after her last flight in December 1981 and was used for spares for the rest of the British Airways Concorde fleet. In 2004 she was donated to Brooklands and was dismantled in preparation for the move. She was reassembled and put on display during 2006, wearing classic British Airways colours. She is the only Concorde preserved outdoors in the UK, although G-BOAB remains parked outside at Heathrow. Brooklands Museum, Weybridge, Surrey, UK 20th August 2020 The following information on G-BBDG is from the museum’s excellent website:- “Concorde G-BBDG (c/n 202) was the second production Concorde and the first British production aircraft. Construction began in early 1970 at Brooklands and Toulouse. Delta Golf’s first flight was made by Peter Baker and Brian Trubshaw on 13th February 1974 and its first flight at Mach 2 was on 10th April 1974 during its 15th test flight. Following a series of proving flights, it became the first production Concorde to land at Heathrow on 6th July 1974. It was used for engineering tests, route proving, CAA certification, public relations and promotional work, and even flying in formation with the Red Arrows. ‘DG was also the first aircraft ever to carry 100 passengers in supersonic flight in 1974. After Concorde’s retirement was announced in early 2003, British Airways offered ‘DG to Brooklands Museum. Dismantled and transported by Air Salvage International (ASI), the Brooklands-built front and rear fuselage sections arrived on 5th May 2004 and the rest of the airframe followed on 5th June. A ‘Brooklands Concorde’ restoration appeal was then launched and an ASI team reassembled the main structure from March to December 2005. With considerable help from sponsors and many Museum volunteers, this aircraft was further restored, complete with a unique on-board exhibition, before officially opening to visitors on 26th July 2006.”

#Concorde #aircraft

[bbcbreakingnews]

MasterChef Australia: Jock Zonfrillo’s restaurant struggles

Out the door: MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo’s key lieutenant Greta Wolhstadt this year quit Orana. Above, the pair are seen with Zonfrillo’s wife Lauren

MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo has lost his right-hand-woman from his restaurant amid mounting rumours it will never again reopen despite his newfound fame.

The Scottish-born TV judge, who specialises in native Australian ingredients, was forced to close the doors of Adelaide‘s Orana in March due to the coronavirus crisis.

But now there are troubling signs it may never open its doors again – with the three-hatted restaurant’s closure described as indefinite.

Long-time restaurant manager Greta Wohlstadt has quit and staff have been forced to deny rumours ‘Australia’s best’ food destination has sold off its special crockery. 

The kitchen nightmare comes at a critical time for the chef – who is facing  scrutiny over his Indigenous food-focused charitable foundation’s use of a $1.25 million taxpayer-funded grant.

The South Australian government grant was handed to Zonfrillo’s Orana Foundation three years ago in exchange for completing projects, including a database of Indigenous ingredients which is yet to be delivered. 

Meanwhile, questions have emerged about why two companies the celebrity chef is a director of pocketed almost $500,000 from the foundation in recent years.

Ms Wohlstadt said her ‘heart is breaking’ for her Orana family after the restaurant announced it was closing indefinitely due to the coronavirus crisis in March

Glasgow-born Zonfrillo, centre, was among the Network Ten show’s new MasterChef judges – alongside former show winner Andy Allen and critic Melissa Leong 

‘Major blow’ as Jock’s ‘right hand woman’ walks  

Insiders this week described the departure of Zonfrillo’s long-time lieutenant Ms Wohlstadt as a ‘major blow’ to Orana. 

Sources said Ms Wohlstadt left the company in January, and she marked Zonfrillo announcing the restaurant’s closure in March with an emotional post. 

‘My heart is breaking for my (Orana) family,’ she wrote, thanking Zonfrillo for ‘creating this space for us’.

The Zonfrillo lieutenant has taken up a new role as the restaurant manager for Little Wolf Osteria in McLaren Vale, and was approached for comment. 

An Orana spokeswoman said that Ms Wohlstadt had left the company prior to the virus hitting Australia and insisted the big-name restaurant will reopen. 

The representative added that Zonfrillo and staff were ‘working through options for Orana’s reopening.

She said: ‘Orana is a small restaurant physically and while there are square meterage restrictions in place it’s not feasible for us to open and run a successful business. 

Orana, on Adelaide’s Rundle St, has been closed since March and there are mounting rumours the Indigenous food-focused restaurant may never reopen 

All packed up: Pictures show the restaurant the restaurant’s furniture piled into the one room 

The restaurant is famous for its 22-course degustation menu – with advertised meals including ‘Soup Soup’ – crocodile with Australian botanicals; Scarlet prawn, crocodile lardo & boab and coral trout, celtuce, warrigal greens & eucalyptus

‘We are, like every other restaurant in the country, hoping that we can open to diners again as soon as possible.’ 

Mr Zonfrillo has pledged to keep paying all his staff ‘until the bank account is drained or we can reopen our doors.’

Orana’s indefinite closure comes amid changes in Zonfrillo’s personal life – as he and his publicist wife Lauren’s sprawling Adelaide Hills acreage goes on the market.

He has instead spent substantial time in Melbourne filming MasterChef: Back to Win, and Network Ten has announced he will also judge the forthcoming series Junior MasterChef Australia, with Melissa Leong and Andy Allen.

On the market: Mr Zonfrillo and his wife Lauren’s property in the Adelaide Hills has been on the market. Above is the kitchen

Wow: The estate, which is situated on the ‘edge of civilisation’, boasts solid brick interiors, substantial living spaces to entertain, as well as a conservatory to enjoy the winter sunshine

The Zonfrillos’ home included an underground cellar (below)  

Jock Zonfrillo’s charity under scrutiny

The rise of MasterChef’s Jock Zonfrillo

Jock Zonfrillo was a teenage heroin addict in Glasgow, Scotland, and is now one of Australia’s most famous chefs… but success brings with it new challenges

Jock Zonfrillo, 43, grew up in Glasgow, Scotland where – in a fact that will surprise many MasterChef viewers – he was a teenage heroin addict.

‘Drugs were everywhere,’ the celebrity chef told The Financial Times last year. ‘We were surrounded. A lot of kids got into trouble and I was one of them’.

At 18, a penniless Zonfrillo – who had his job at a Scottish pub kitchen – jumped on a train to London and knocked on the door of one of the city’s top restaurants.

So the story goes, Zonfrillo then somehow scored a job with chef Marco Pierre White – the beginning of an illustrious career that eventually brought him to Australia. 

During a year long stint in Sydney in 2000, Zonfrillo says he had a life-changing conversation with an Indigenous busker about the Aboriginal way of living and eating.

Now a married father-of-three, Zonvfillo opened his restaurant, Orana, in Adelaide in 2013 and is judged one of the nation’s best. 

The word ‘Orana’ is the Wiradjuri word for ‘welcome’ and the restaurant is famous for its use of native ingredients.

Advertisement

The restaurant’s closure also comes amid scrutiny of the Zonfrillo’s charity, the Orana Foundation.

The foundation ‘seeks to unlock the true potential of Australia’s 60,000-year-old Indigenous food culture’. 

It secured a $1.25 million grant from the South Australian government three years ago.

The taxpayer funds were for the foundation to produce resources about native foods, including an Indigenous ingredient database, in partnership with Adelaide University. 

But the database – apparently containing some 1,443 ingredients – is yet to be delivered, sparking criticism. 

At the same time, documents filed with the charity regulator show the foundation has spent almost $500,000 on companies linked to Zonfrillo from 2016 onwards.

Financial disclosure documents state that the Orana Foundation has paid $381,669 to Zonfrillo Consulting and $101,676 to The Living Room Bar over the financial years ending in 2017, 2018 and 2019. 

Zonfrillo is the director of both companies and the reason for the funds being shifted has not been made clear.

In a statement, the foundation said the database is ‘complete’ and has been handed to an Indigenous intellectual property expert, Dr Terri Janke, for the ‘next stage’ of the project.

The foundation claims it has until September 30 of this year – or about six more weeks – to deliver the database.

‘The Orana Foundation stands by the timing of the Indigenous Food Database delivery and the use of all funds to date,’ the foundation said in a statement, dated July 7. 

 ‘There is a reason an Indigenous database of its kind hasn’t existed in Australia until now: it’s time consuming, labour intensive, requires extensive funding, and must have a committed team of resilient and passionate people to make it happen.’ 

It has since been revealed that a group of Indigenous women had put their hands up to produce a similar database but it ‘wasn’t supported’ by Australian governments.

Chef Rayleen Brown, the Northern Territory representative for the the First Nations Bushfood and Botanical Alliance, said in a statement that the industry ‘has been over-taken by non-Indigenous people and businesses.’

Ms Brown said the Alliance would be appropriate custodians for the bushfood database.

She the Indigenous organisation could offer it a ‘safe and culturally appropriate home.’

Between delivering the project and struggling to keep his restaurant alive, Zonfrillo – now a household name – is assured of a challenging period ahead. 

The post MasterChef Australia: Jock Zonfrillo’s restaurant struggles appeared first on BBC BREAKING NEWS.

from WordPress https://bbcbreakingnews.com/masterchef-australia-jock-zonfrillos-restaurant-struggles/

#AUSTRALIA

[leanpick]

Show us your boab! | The West Australian

Show us your boab! | The West Australian

The winners of The Kimberley Echo’s Show us your Boab competition have been announced, with six entrants taking home some amazing local prizes.

From February 20 readers were invited to send in their own photos of the most wacky, beautiful and unique photos of boab trees from the region.

There were four categories to enter for the chance to win one of six prizes from East Kimberley businesses.

T…

View On WordPress

[battle-of-alberta]

if you follow my main blog you likely already know we had to cancel the red deer trip due to the snow warning. when will we have the opportunity for red deer redemption? when???

anyway she'll have to get along without us for a little longer, but the good news is I am back on the ground in the wild rose province and I can finally set aside some time to start tackling the asks in the box I wanted done months ago. Hooray! Ideally, I'd like to post something once a week, but I have a major project I'm piecing together for work that may get in my way. A lot of the asks that sunk to the bottom of the box are also somewhat research-heavy compared to the lighter ones I tried to knock out earlier, so they may take more time than I anticipate.

Overall, it's good to be back and I'm looking forward to experiencing my second spring of this year now that I've escaped Vancouver Island :)

#boab announcement #boab omake #boab meta #hapo doodles #projectcanada cities #pc: red deer #elaine hartley #digital art #clip studio paint

[battle-of-alberta]

The ask box is closed (temporarily!) until 2024.

Please direct any burning questions via DM or to my main blog @allbeendonebefore or art blog @acetechne. I am catching up on about 15 asks over the holidays and would like to clear the box out before I start on any new projects.

The 2023 Annual Blog Survey is complete!

Thanks for participating! [ Check out the results here. ]

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What is this blog?

This is an ask blog for personifications of Canadian cities Edmonton and Calgary as well as a handful of their friends around the province. See brief bios below!

Please check the desktop/browser version of this blog for a more detailed vision, FAQ, and Story links among others. You're welcome to use my characters in your own works, please tag me so I can see!

My main blog is @allbeendonebefore. I go by Hapo (she/they) and I am running this blog primarily from Treaty 6 Territory (Edmonton). My background is primarily in classics, information and museum studies; I am not a historian, but I do have historical training and interest.

Ask Status: Closed! (temporarily)

There is currently (Mar. 2024) a backlog of 11 asks, please be patient for answers :) Sometimes I will answer an ask right away or sit on it for months, I don’t necessarily answer them in the order I receive them.

Asks without a recipient will generally be directed towards Ed and/or Cal; you can also ask me directly! Please be respectful when asking questions, especially around politically or historically sensitive issues.

I will be closing asks in December due to travel and to give me some catch up time and open them again sometime in 2024.

Meta Stuff

BoAB Meta Tag | 2022 Blog Survey Results | The BoAB uQuiz

Characters below!

Main Characters

Edmonton | Edward Murphy Masterpost | Bio | Relationships | Trivia | Notes Begrudging capital of the province and self-proclaimed black sheep, Ed represents an eclectic mix of blue collar oil culture and government service. When he’s not trying to escape the gravitational pull of 1980′s nostalgia for Gretzky and The Mall or snarking his way through question period at the legislature, Ed enjoys partying hard at festivals and long bike rides in the river valley.

Calgary | Calvin McCall Masterpost | Bio | Relationships | Trivia | Notes Largest city in the province and fourth nationally, Calvin’s youthful energy and optimism is tempered by a conservative streak and a preoccupation with being taken seriously as a major city at home and abroad. He is most famous for his annual Stampede celebrating the romantic wild west... contrary to his actual upbringing in the mild west!

Red Deer | Elaine Hartley Bio | Relationships | Trivia | Notes The city halfway between the provincial powerhouses, Red is either fuelling up vehicles, people, or both at once in Gasoline Alley. Maybe if people stuck around after emptying their bladders or filling their stomachs, they’d discover she has more to offer than her delicious home cooking!

Lethbridge | Lilith Sheran Bio | Relationships | Trivia | Notes The former financial hub of the province and former American whisky fort, Lilith has transitioned from a gritty coal mining past to the laid back lifestyle of a university city. Although she is one of Canada’s windiest cities, she rarely has a hair out of place.

Fort McMurray | Reginald “Mac” Buffalo Bio | Relationships | Trivia | Notes An isolated hamlet at the heart of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo and the Athabasca tar sands, Mac is a tough, working class rig pig. Behind his massive pick up truck, corded muscles and defensive nature is a shy guy (and a big fluffy Newfoundland/husky mix dog, Patches).  

Medicine Hat | Madeline Hargrave Bio | Relationships | Trivia | Notes A sleepy retirement community and overall ray of sunshine, Madeline usually takes a back seat in the provincial conversations and prefers to work on her own projects. Famously referred to as having “all hell for a basement”, Madeline’s wealth in natural gas and electricity continues to light her way.

Grande Prairie | Josephine Cardinal Bio | Relationships | Trivia | Notes A fast growing industrial city, Josephine’s hot temper and no-nonsense attitude occasionally conflicts with her romantic perception of herself. She is very proud of being a northern city with a surprising number of amenities and is more than happy to share with her neighbours.

Banff | Eleanor Crandell Bio | Relationships | Trivia | Notes An internationally famous mountain resort town, Eleanor is usually busy hosting and entertaining visitors from abroad (as well as Calvin every weekend). When not attending to guests, she is as down for skiing and wilderness hikes as she is for the buzzing shopping and nightlife scene.

Jasper | Jasper Swift Bio | Relationships | Trivia | Notes A former fur trading post turned heart of a national park, Jas tends to be a little more laid back than their counterpart in Banff but no less popular. A little quieter and wilder, Jasper’s claim to fame is their cozy cabin culture and annual Dark Sky festival.

Other Municipalities

Strathcona | Edith Garneau: Former municipality representing Edmonton’s south side and the University of Alberta campus, Edith is typically found inhaling copious amounts of cuisine on Whyte Ave or rehearsing for Fringe Fest when not plotting the downfall of the government.

Bowness | Caroline Cochrane: Former municipality representing Calgary’s northwest, Caroline represents what used to be a popular recreational spot for day-tripping Calgarians during the early 20th century. These days, she is usually trying to organize community fundraisers with themes beyond “western”.

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St. Paul | Paula: Small town originally founded as a Metis settlement, Paula’s current major attraction is the centennial UFO landing pad (with accompanying UFO Hotline, naturally.)

Vulcan | ? : Small town originally named for the Roman god of the forge, now capitalizing on their reputation as Star Trek Capital of Canada for obvious reasons.

Drumheller | ? : Small town in the Alberta badlands famous the world over for fantastic fossil finds, many of which are housed at the nearby Royal Tyrell Museum.

Cardston | Orson Card: Small town founded around one of the most northern locations of Mormon Temples in North America. Orson is a polite and sincere (if unsettlingly so) fellow who helped build southern Alberta’s irrigation system.

Sherwood Park | Marion Clover: A bedroom community east of Edmonton and one of the largest population centres in the province despite technically being a hamlet. Marion is a refined lady (pun intended) that supervises one of Western Canada’s biggest industrial zones.

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Missing a character? While my goal is not to personify every municipality in the province, I will occasionally reference others. Keep your eyes peeled!

#ask blog #hetalia ask blog #hws oc #hetalia oc #iammatthewian #projectcanada cities #pc: edmonton #pc: calgary #pc: red deer #pc: lethbridge #pc: grande prairie #pc: medicine hat #pc: fort mcmurray #pc: banff #pc: jasper #hapo art #digital art #clip studio paint #boab illustration #edward murphy #calvin mccall #elaine hartley #lilith sheran #josephine cardinal #madeline hargrave #reginald buffalo #eleanor crandell #jasper swift #boab announcement #pinned post

[battle-of-alberta]

alberta queer history time yeehaw!!

so irresponsible of me to forget and I’m sorry this is last minute but here’s your pride-eve announcement:

Are you interested in 2SLGBTQ+ history? Do you need a little mental health walk after that shitty transphobe got elected in Ponoka? Can you be outside Edmonton City Hall at 5pm on Thursday, June 1st?

RSVP here for the free tour led by none other than former City Councillor (and one of the first openly gay politicians in the country let alone the city) Michael Phair to learn about how Edmonton was and is still being built into a safe and welcoming city for queer folks through the 70s, 80s and 90s to today.

in Edmonton this month but can’t make it tomorrow? don’t worry there’s More or you can pick up a free map to take your own self-guided tour from the Stanley A. Milner Library or download it straight to your phone

I know Calgary pride is traditionally in September but you can find out about Calgary Gay History’s upcoming walks here and find out where to get a copy of Calgary’s Queer Map.

#projectcanada cities #pc: edmonton #digital art #hapo doodles #clip studio paint #boab illustration #boab announcement #will i be there will i be wearing purple very possible lol #edward murphy

[battle-of-alberta]

Battle of Alberta 2023 Survey Results

It's that time again. Previous surveys can be found here for 2022, 2021 and 2020 for your reference.

We had 18 respondents to the survey. The average BoAB reader is female, around 24-25, and Canadian. Over half of respondents identified as Albertan, which is again increased from last year. Of those that have lived in Alberta, most of you have lived in Calgary followed by Edmonton, Lethbridge and Banff.

Read on for some graphs, notes, and responses...

Demographics

Much bigger proportion of men this year than last, howdy fellas! :)

I'm always meaning to extend the ages out a bit more than I have been, there's a very slight increase this year just based on averages from years previous. Curiously enough there is a very even split between those in the 19-30 rage this year that I don't typically see. As possible, it could just be that some of you are aging and reaching a new category.

A smaller category for international folks and a bigger category of North Americans than previously - I'm always worried whether I should focus more on making this blog more accessible to non-Canadians and I feel that I've been failing on that a lot, for which I apologize. Thanks for your patience!

The Albertan category continues to grow this year, and it's also worth noting that the "Never heard of it" category has disappeared this year. Well, I suppose those who hadn't last year have heard of it now? I hope. : );

Calgary has finally surpassed Edmonton in this ranking, which I suppose was only a matter of time as it is the more populous city. Can't believe all the Lethbians are moving to Calgary jk.

We have some more variation on travel this year as well, a couple of you cited Drumheller specifically and I believe one person mentioned Slave Lake as well. Naturally, the big cities and mountain parks are in the lead. And tsk tsk, no the Calgary airport doesn't count (though it is certainly Calgary flavoured in my recollection) :^)

Blog

Little change in the proportions here, just less of you admitting you know me which is fine :^)

Lots of shifting here with art steadily at the top. There's been a drop off in politics and stereotypes and a rise in not being alone in Hellberta, which I imagine might have been somewhat related to wanting to forget the election this year.

One of you mentioned not remembering following the blog - this might have been my error because I did reblog the survey to my other blogs since I'm in the habit of doing so. It's entirely possible you coincidentally followed one of my other blogs for something else but ended up inundated with the content on this blog anyway, since I tend to self-reblog quite liberally.

Illustrations beat out Asks for top spot this year, current events taking another hit. I'm glad you guys enjoyed Jasper's introduction and my travels so much! Someone also mentioned the timeline which was very kind, the only reason it wasn't on the survey was because I had already published the survey before the timeline!

I also realized for the second year in a row I don't really have a name for what one respondent described as "local flavour" posts that are directly inspired from my travels and day to day, and thus I don't exactly have a tag for it to make it easily findable. I will consider whether it needs a name and if I have a good one.

I also screwed up slightly and listed the Bison ask as the only one of its category rather than introducing "Parks Pass" as its own category, so this is something I'm going to reflect on for future surveys as well.

Historical events plummeted from the top spot this year in favour of gag comics, and again I definitely get the need for more lighthearted stuff as all these compounding crises are weighing on us. I feel like that's definitely a direction I've already been leaning in, even with those things that do relate to current or historical events.

(but yeah, I am still thinking about the otome game even though the pace is slower than molasses right now)

For other: there's still some interest in Special Powers and Cloud Minding there, so I will definitely consider how to continue them if possible even if it's not on the horizon right away.

This was a new question this year to replace "Projects". While I'm a little sad at the high number of you guys who use mobile only, I understand. I just feel frustrated because I learned how to make webcomics before mobile was a thing, and I still struggle with proportioning my comics for scrolling and legibility and I'm constantly worried that I'm doing something wrong (so of course I am always scrolling my own blog on my phone and nitpicking).

The other issue is that some pages of the blog including the vision, FAQ, etc. are inaccessible to android users (like myself) which is also annoying. But it's the way of the world and I can't fault anyone for it, I can just do my best to be aware of it and try to learn and make decisions accordingly.

Characters

Calvin stayed steady in the lead with the same number of votes, but I'm shocked and amazed to see Red making such gains this year! The rest of the votes were a little more egalitarian than last year, although sacrifices were made (poor Eleanor!)

I also want to note that there's no direct correlation between living in Calgary and voting for Calvin, interestingly enough.

Jasper's first year of life has left you all thirsty for more, I see. But uh, I really dug my own grave with Sherwood Park as my joke answer, hey...? I guess you will have to meet Marion soon enough (which means I have to actually picture what she looks like and put that on paper instead of just drawing the Eye of Sauron)

Eleanor, the Paranormal Squad and the Nyo! characters are climbing up this year as well.

Someone actually suggested other towns such as Vegreville, which made me chuckle a little. As I've said previously, my goal is not to create as many characters as possible but to focus on developing the ones I have in front of me, and I'm not interested in personifying any more small towns at this time. That said if I had to pick a design for Vegreville...

why not this guy? :^)

I'm not picky though, they could be a lady too.

lol.

The magpies won this year, hooray! I will put out some extra peanuts for them from you guys.

Comments

Now to address some of the comments...

Let's start with the recommendations! Thank you so much for your suggestions, I hope you don't mind me sharing so we can all take advantage. They're all new to me, so I'd like to check them out as soon as I'm able :)

In terms of artists, I'll put in a recommendation for Amelie Patterson! She's an alt-pop singer/songwriter from Banff. I don't know if she fits the "vibe" of Eleanor necessarily, but she definitely has some good songs! I assume you're probably aware of the documentarian Dan Olson (https://youtube.com/@FoldingIdeas) but if not, he's made an eclectic mix of video essays with rather good quality behind them! :D visit Chunk'd in Calgary (it's in Kensington), they sell kinda expensive but absolutely life-changing cookies Have you ever visited Fort McMurray?

To answer this last one directly, no, not yet: I'm waiting a bit on that one because apart from Northern Alberta being constantly on fire during travel season lately, we are hoping for some progress on Highway 686 between Fort Mac and GP to make the Northern Alberta trip a little easier. Also hoping to save up some money so pals from up north can show me around a bit too :)

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The lack of an Unknown-N/A mark for opinion makes it less welcoming. I was shared a link to your blog, and yet, I didn't see an easy to read pinned "What to Expect / About… et cetera" so I don't know if I want to follow or block - that's much more in depth.

I'm going to be real with you, though I have no idea if you have any intention of reading my response or not or if you have already moved on, this response is somewhat unprecedented for me and I would be lying if I said it didn't keep me awake at night for a bit.

I'll set aside my bruised ego for a moment just to thank you for making me aware of some of my own blind spots and assumptions. Though it is not explicit and in fact I might have even been unintentionally misleading when I advertised this survey, I assume a certain level of familiarity with or at least curiosity about my work for survey respondents. However, there is no requirement to fill it out, regardless of whether you can answer the questions or not. It never occurred to me for this to be intended as a 'welcome' survey for visitors or potential readers, but more of a year in review.

I can't make any comment on who sent you my blog or why, but I do feel somewhat on the defensive from your response. Not only do I have a pinned post that links to more in depth about pages, but one of my main projects this year was to revamp it to be more accessible and easy to read than previously, so I can't help but feel a little stung that either it was not findable or not easy to read for you.

I'm not in the habit of self-marketing to complete strangers and I've racked my brains trying to come up with an alternative explanation for this amorphous thing that I've been building these past few years, but the choice between "follow or block" rather than "follow or leave" sounds to me like something I cannot resolve in my response beyond the following, and I apologize if this comes across as rude:

If you're not into weird drawings of anime twinks with varying levels of homoerotic tension that just happen to represent personifications of cities in this weird, beautiful, frustrating province and my own evolving understandings of them as both characters and as places, maybe this blog isn't for you. It's one part idealised vision, one part shenanigans, and one part coping mechanism. Maybe someone else could describe it better from the outside (lord knows as an ask blog, a great deal of the blog is somewhat dependent on reader contributions).

If you're looking for a bumper sticker that would encapsulate enough of my political views to decide whether to block me, you'd have to drive pretty close to read the paragraph starting with "well i absolutely voted for notley because i'm willing to settle for what amounts to a centre right pro-pipeline party if it means a snowball's chance in hell of avoiding certain death from the bigots and conspiracy theorists continuing to flock to what passes for the conservatives these days... etc etc", well, there it is and certainly there is a queer, satirical bent to political views espoused on this blog, though I try to think of it as a "break from the bullshit" because otherwise I wouldn't get out of bed let alone pick up my pen.

I can't provide much more than this in terms of "what to expect" because, as the survey indicates, the blog is always changing according to my time, energy, and mindset and who the heckaroonie i think I'm speaking to at any given time. If you stuck around long enough to read this, thanks.

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the parliament of magpies would have won if they'd ACTUALLY BEEN THERE.

I try to keep results as anonymous as possible but Maybe If You Came Over at a Different Time that isn't Balding Season they wouldn't be so shy! :)

you're good

Let's end on this one, thank you :) and thank you all for responding this year, I hope things can look up for us a little in the new year despite all the political bullshit, the cost of living and the goddamn constant fires. I learned a lot this year and was able to travel a lot too, and I hope I can continue drawing inspiration from this silly project for a while yet.

See you, Space Cowboys.

#boab survey #boab announcement #boab meta #thank you all for taking some time to fill this out #it gave me a lot to think about

[battle-of-alberta]

#boab announcement #has it really ...

[battle-of-alberta]

o ya this is your reminder (and mine) that the ask box is going to be open for a week and then i'm shuttin' er down until i clear it out and prioritize so i can relax over new years :)

if you dont have any ideas, feel free to drop one or two of the characters and a palette in the box instead.

#boab announcement

[battle-of-alberta]

i've got two degrees in classics i know how the trojan war cycle gets kicked off so no way am i taking responsibility for choosing.

you have one day

#boab announcement #boab poll #projectcanada cities #hapo avoids responsibility once again #boab ask #anonymous

[battle-of-alberta]

Provincial state of emergency officially so uh.

I'm not in any immediate danger from the fires, but I do have family evacuating, some of whom will be staying with me, so if I'm absent for a bit that's why! We are getting some rain here soon, hopefully.

#projectcanada cities #pc: edmonton #hapo doodles #edward murphy #traditional art #ink #boab announcement #boab playoffs

[battle-of-alberta]

pleased to say i’ve just about got the ask box under 20 asks and maybe 1/4-1/3 of those are ones that require a fair bit of research from me before I feel confident answering them, the rest are just more crockpot style where the jokes or the meta or the art styles just have to have some fermenting time. The smoke has been very bad here but hopefully it starts clearing up this week and I have a chance to bike to the library and pick up some research materials again soon, although obviously stuff like groceries are priority.

The provincial election is also coming up in less than a week, and honestly the reason I have been so productive in recent days (aside from being trapped at home) is because I want to do as much with these characters as I can before the election. I have higher hopes this year, but to be completely real with you guys the results of the last election made me feel so stressed and sick to my stomach that I stopped drawing for a long time.

Maybe it’s silly to say since I knew what I was getting into when I took on this blog, but since these things do affect me and people close to me I can’t always be the person who is making light of these serious things and I have to take some time to myself, even if the results are better. I don’t think I really have to ask since you guys have been so good, but I just want to emphasize that the election isn’t something that I want to dwell on or focus on in the context of this blog apart from personal venting. If it’s something you want to talk about, I’d direct you to my main blog @allbeendonebefore or private messaging.

#boab announcement #i had this thought like oh will i ever pick up the Storyline style comics #and then i Remembered #hapo rambles #GOOD NEWS AQHI IS BACK TO 3 #I CAN FINALLY OPEN WINDOWS AGAIN

[battle-of-alberta]

OKAY SO the ask box is officially closed for the rest of 2023. You're welcome to contact me through DMs here if you like, or through my main blog @allbeendonebefore or art blog @acetechne, and of course I always appreciate your lovely tags and replies <3 Even if I read them right before bedtime and forget to respond, knowing that something I'm doing is resonating or making you laugh is a huge part of what keeps me going, especially when the news is grinding me down.

There are about 15 asks in the box (although sometimes asks get lost on my other blogs, so I will have to check there too). I am going to have access to my tablet for the next week and a half or so; I'm not sure what the situation will be when I leave for the coast yet but I do have some art supplies there to use. Traditional art takes either a lot longer or is a lot faster depending on the approach.

I'm aiming to be back in Alberta by early January - it's an El Nino year so hopefully I won't get trapped inside my house and have my flights cancelled like last year... haha.

Some projects on my mind for the blog include:

Alberta Story and the 20th century half of this timeline. This has to be done digitally and takes a lot of little historical visual research, so it will be a while.

Cloud Minding I am still thinking about this - and I have finally visited Vulcan since I started it! I just need to rejig the "point" of it since two years have passed since I started it.

Special Powers I want to do some research on this before I finish it, but I'll start it up again when I'm ready / open it up again to asks in the new year. It's pretty meta so I have to think about how to illustrate and conclude it.

Marion's intro will come at some point, don't you worry. It will involve me rehashing my same 2.5 jokes about Sherwood Park as expected.

More illustrations, of course! Traditional and digital, whatever. They happen when they happen - I just need to remember to use all the references I squirrel away and forget about.

Ideally I want to clear some space off my harddrive and see if I can resuscitate my old laptop long enough to get some of my csp files off it since I no longer have an editable copy of the references, but that won't be until next year most likely.

I know most people don't look at the desktop version of this blog, but part of me would also like to update the guide page since I haven't really touched it in over a year. I'm trying to be more diligent about linking together things and coming up with designated tags for mini-series so that they are findable when I need them.

Stickers! I have been thinking a lot about designing little sticker sets of plants, animals, landmarks, food etc. of the cities we call home. If you have any ideas for me, let me know!

If there's anything I'm missing or you have any ideas, give me a shout.

#boab announcement

[battle-of-alberta]

BoAB Ask Box Announcement Time!

Hi all, happy November! I've been rolling this idea around in my head and seeing that the box is under 20 for the first time in while, I'm making the decision to close the ask box (temporarily!) at the end of the month.

This is partly just to make sure that some of the older asks including belated time-sensitive ones get answered, but also because I'm planning to head to BC over New Years to see my fam and I don't know what kind of time or materials I'll have access to yet, especially since I will still be doing remote work on two major projects. I also want to take some time to think about the survey results and what the blog focus next year will be, and on top of that I have some ideas floating around for designing local city-themed stickers that I want to try to tackle.

If you have burning questions, do try to get them in the box before December and I will see what I can do! If you have more general or meta questions for me, either get them in the box before the deadline or feel free to DM me any time.

#boab announcement #projectcanada cities #pc: red deer #hapo art #digital art #clip studio paint #hapo rambles

[battle-of-alberta]

I haven't technically closed the survey yet because I'm feeling very physically bad and I'm taking some time to rest and recover before the aggregation so should you desire to fill it out a little late, it's no problem. Once the results are aggregated I'll think some more about the direction for the blog for the rest of this year, but I'm having some meetings, giving a talk for undergrads later this week and having family visiting etc so you guys take care and Canadian pals I hope it's been a reflective Truth and Reconciliation weekend and enjoy your upcoming Thanksgiving break :)

#boab announcement #hapo rambles #im not dying and its nothing contagious i just gotta crack myself like a glowstick dont worry about it