“I’m tryin’ to think, but nothin’ happens!” – Curly Howard 

On Wednesday, every Wednesday, I write a blog post.  Even on The Agent’s birthday.  The Agent said I need to because that’s what writers do, so that’s that.  But sometimes, like now after the holidays, it’s hard to think of a good topic.  Government shutdown? Too political.  Climate change? Too scientific.  International relations?  Too depressing. And not funny.

I’m working on some new ideas but they aren’t completed yet, like my comically awful sign language version of A Bridge Over Troubled Waters. That’s not really blog post material anyway, as it’s a visual piece.  And of course the new novel, but there’s nothing to say about that til it’s completed either.

Then there is the University at Buffalo (my alma mater) basketball team, sitting pretty at No. 19 in the country, a ranked program for the first time in school history.  Friends and relatives who attended powerhouses like Duke, Syracuse and UCLA get to watch their teams in March every year!  Finally, we Buffalo Bulls can experience that.  But only die-hard NCAA hoops fans and UB alumni would care about that, and not even a lot of them.

Which leaves us with observations and musings, the dumb stuff I think about all day, every day.  Plus, a new bonus: freshly made cartoons!  So let’s go!

• Marketing and advertising are fascinating subjects.  These people try to figure out in advance how to attract customers and gain good will and brand recognition. This includes naming a product, logo and design that can become valuable intellectual property.  But sometimes, a product name makes one wonder: just what were they thinking?  Take the following example:

• We often hear that it’s not right to judge people, but let’s face it, everyone judges people, hence “first impressions.”  And you never know what someone will think of you, because they will judge you based on their own experiences and feelings.  How do I know this?  Because I’m doing it to you right now.
• You may be confused by my photos.  Do I have hair or am I bald?  The answer is, yes.  I don’t have hair.  I have hairs.  I have the illusion of hair.  My hairstylist, who is also hair-challenged and understands me, says he is not a stylist, but rather a magician.

  

• My dad was a cartoonist all his life.  He never became famous for it, but he had a lot of stuff published.  Some of it was really out there.  Here’s one of his best, which he hand-colored decades ago for magazine publication.  And right on time, too!
• Abe passed away a couple of years ago (he was still cartooning at 89), and it is my intention, although I lack his formal training, to continue the family cartooning tradition.  I’ve been working on some ideas involving animals.  I like animals. Drawing animals isn’t easy, but you can look up how-to online.  And in fact, the way you draw any four-legged animal is exactly the same way my father taught me to draw horses 50 years ago.  It’s better cartooning than drawing or painting because cartoonists are lazy and don’t want to worry about being too sloppy. Here are a couple from today.  Hope you like them.

Get it?  Dad would be proud.

That’s all for this week.  I’d write more but those cartoons took a bit of time to complete.

Smoking In Bed doesn’t have illustrations, but it’s fun, so order your copy today!

Thanks for reading, and have a great week!

#SmokingInBed #cartoons #camels #hair