Recent Absence Explained

I haven't done any cartooning lately, because I've been spending my time working on editing my old movies, and producing photographs.  I don't anticipate any new cartoons for awhile.

My ultimate goal is to produce a total of 100 strips to make into a book.

I'm sorry, I don't have the time to cartoon and do photography work together.  I advise checking in once a month to see if there have been any updates.

Here is a recent photo I just finished working on, called 'Atrium View: Weeping Cherry Blossoms'.

The Right To Be Billed

All the talk about rights and privileges is obscuring the essential issues of buying your health and life. Can you afford to be sick, can you afford to save yourself from an untimely death? According to most experts, health care costs will continue to escalate, no matter what we do.  It's enough to make somebody sick.

Buffalo Phil And The Mighty Jeep

I'm now in Colorado Springs, with my girlfriend, who is attending a business conference. So with my spare time, I signed on with a small group to go on a little day trip around the area.

Our driver and guide was 'Buffalo' Phil. You can tell the difference between a faux cowboy and a real one, not by the boots and the hat, nor the vest and jean jacket, but by the bandana. Evidently, nice guys wear bandanas.

'Buffalo' Phil said he shot President Reagan, then explained he had been a photo-journalist for a local paper. You see, humor is still much a part of the old west.

Our mighty Jeep was capable of roughly 50 mph maximum speed, so on the interstate going up to the Air Force Academy, we were passed on all sides by motorists enjoying our flapping side curtains, and our possible discomfort in the unexpected snow squall that had broken out suddenly. Or perhaps they were just enjoying Phil's spiffy bandana.

Good Tidings I Bring

Ah, with another religious holiday, Charlie appears: this time his earthly fondness for candy has gotten the better of him. Is this perhaps the work of the Devil? He would not likely think so.

His mixup of Christmas and Easter greetings, in this case, actually fits. In any case, have a Happy Easter.

I Love Spring

Looks like everyone wants to get into the act. Perhaps some people are cut out for poetry, and some are not. Anyway, Ivan has some nice thoughts, and what's wrong with that?

Tech Note: I used my newly purchased favorite 0.6 mm pen, which is impossible to buy without buying a set of four other sizes, which I don't need.

Haiku For Spring

Here's hoping that whatever season you are having, it is a nice one. Lucy's poem does not inspire confidence in the regeneration of life. Perhaps Ivan could think of a more positive poem ...

I just found out I have an eye allergy, and the new eye drops I've been prescribed have relieved the symptoms from which I've had for years. I didn't know I had an allergy. Better late than never, though.

USA Tax Day Approaches

Income taxes are due by Monday, April 18th this year. So to "celebrate", here is my first strip since returning home from my protracted vacation (in Hawaii). The next strip will be perhaps Wednesday of next week.

Ennis' head seems a little larger than it normally is, and it is normally larger than the other characters' heads. Getting the relative proportions correct is a bit of a pain, so sometimes I don't put as much effort in that area as I should. I'll try better.

Losing My Head Over You

For two days, I'm back at home, but now I'm off to Hawaii. (Life is tough). I apologize for not doing any strips for awhile, but I don't have the time now to do them, and still remain sane. When my life settles back down, I will resume the adventures at Hotel Rhooms.

Meanwhile, here is a photo I took at National Harbor, MD. It appears to be a robot lifting his head from his body, or perhaps placing it back on. It is actually one of those coin-operated public binocular machines, for looking across the Potomac River.

I welcome any captions that you might think of.  Just put them in the comments. Thanks.

Pre-Spring Break

I'm off to see my family in the Washington, DC area, so I won't be able to do any strips until the end of March. Maybe I can post some other things of interest in the meantime.

Zhu-Zhu Hampsters At Work

You can't say Randy RoboCat isn't thinking! Of course, we don't know exactly how he has tied the little critters to their Swiffer cloths, but then he has many built-in capabilities that are not readily apparent. One capability may be running a sweatshop.

Little Furry Pet

While researching little furry electronic pets, I came upon this selling point for used Furbies. And whose portrait might be on Ennis' wall, but of course Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Computer, an early tinkerer, himself.

Tired Of Swimming

I know ... the joke is a pun, but hey, if they don't come out of my head, it will explode. Actually, I drew the fish first, then they spoke the first line (no pun intended), then came Mr. Rhoom's line, then it created itself.  Don't blame me. Actually, I drew a pig first, but it never made into the strip.

This is the first strip to have a gradient fill. I like their little hats.

Looking for Rooms

Someone is looking for a possible 'port in a storm', maybe political asylum. But, I don't think Mr. Rhooms will be amenable to this character.  He seems a bit over the top, not to mention his autocratic crimes. Colonel Qaddafi will need another hotel, at least. Qaddafi's left arm is a bit weird, but I had a self-imposed deadline, and would have had to do too much to fix it.

New iPad 2 Announced

Ivan's many thoughts forge ahead. Unfortunately some of his thoughts should just stay in his head. I think Ivan idolizes Steve Jobs. But personally, I see no connection.

The New Game

Something more important than sports is on TV and the Internet.  Here's hoping that more democratic rule occurs in the Middle East, and with it an appreciation for the differences of others.

My Name Is Not Dave

Further adventures with automated phone agents. Mr. Rhooms has to deal with HAL-9000, who seems to have a malfunction. According to Wikipedia, in June 2003, HAL-9000 was listed thirteenth on the American Film Institutes's 100 list of worst 100 movie villains. HAL-9000's response in the last panel is out of character, and used here for a (hopefully possible) laugh.

58 Minute Wait

Inspiration for this strip came from a twenty minute phone call to an (un-named) government office. After five minutes of speaking to 'the machine', giving it my personal information, an actual person was connected, and of course, she knew nothing of that previously laboriously given personal information.

For those who are not familiar with the HAL 9000, it is the infamous computer in the famous Stanley Kubrick film, "2001: A Space Odyssey".

George Washington's Ghost

Today, we celebrate the birthday of George Washington, who has since given his name to thousands of people and things in the old US of A. As a matter of fact, my father was named George.

Living In The Future

I believe it will be a long time before cash is eliminated from our daily lives.  Just think how long it's been since we've started trying to eliminate the penny. No, I'm afraid there will be just that many more options in our option-filled world. Life just keeps getting more interesting.

Lucy's Patriotic Poem

The more I discovered about this U.S.Supreme Court case (Citizens United v Federal Election Commission 130 S.Ct. 876 (2010)), the more insidious it revealed itself to be. This successful attempt to ultimately provide yet more political power to the power brokers of wealthy corporations (and ironically, labor unions) was presented under the guise of free speech and assembly. Unbelievable, but all too sadly true, this ruling opens the doors for more expensive and nastier political campaigns, further setting back attempts to reign-in already out-of-control spending, and influence peddling.

Ivan and Black History Month

Ivan may be confused, but it's difficult to tell. Mr. Rhooms certainly is, as was Lou Costello. (See the "Who's On First" video on YouTube).

In the USA, during February, Black History Month celebrates African-American history.

While creating this strip, I thought it might be interesting to look up Martin Luther on the "Catholic Encyclopedia" at NewAdvent.com, since he broke with the Catholic Church to start the Protestant Reformation movement. The article and site are interesting, albeit densely packed.

Bedtime Story For Randy

Ennis tries his best to entertain Randy, but evidently Randy has had a full day, and shut down early.
Randy's action saves me from having to write an entire bedtime story, which could last several days or weeks in cartoon strip time. Hmm ... on second thought maybe that's a good idea. I could use the same panel drawing, and just change the text over and over.

Small Business Loan

Mr. Rhooms, being the astute businessman that he is, has analyzed Ivan's loan correctly. Ivan, forever the optimist, even in these uncertain economic times, is undeterred.

My 0.6mm pen is running out of ink, so I've switched to my 1.0 mm pen.  I run an expensive operation here, where no money is spared in the production of this strip.

Noah and the Snakes

Maybe it's best to be considerate of snakes, especially if they're right in front of your face.

For an unknown reason, God decided to allow seven each of 'clean animals' and two each of 'unclean animals' to board the ark. I didn't know this. Evidently the 'clean' animals are allowed to be eaten. The list is quite specific. Snakes are not to be eaten, nor are any crawling creatures, or creatures that have parts of their legs above their heads. That last one gets your imagination going, doesn't it.

Elephant Seal Passion

I'll admit, this blog is a bit of a digression from my usual blogs.

About a week ago, some friends and I went to see the yearly birthing and mating migration of elephant seals, on the beach just north of San Simeon, CA.

Now one wouldn't think that a two and a half ton male would make the best lover, but I was able to photograph one such Casanova flagrante delicto.

My caption: "I love it when you do that!"

What you don't see in this picture is the time spent in this activity, which is roughly five seconds.  I guess in the world of elephant seals, that's a pretty long time.

I hope I have inspired some of you to think seriously about Valentine's Day coming up.

Where's Bernard?

Lucy's pet snake, Bernard, has gotten loose. She can't ask Mr. Rhooms ... well, could it be that Bernard is trying to befriend Charlie, or is he just hungry? Or ... is he SATAN???!!!

Ivan's Painting Gets a Title

Ivan comes up blank, again, so the gang volunteers their suggestions. This is the first strip with a single panel. It took a longer time to fill in with colors, as I had to use the colors for all the characters. Every skin tone is different, just like in real life.

In time, I wonder if people will lose the meaning of Randy's Egyptian reference, as today's events fade into the past.

He's Really Not Able

Today I was in a very laid-back mood, and not inspired very much. And because I was wanting Lucy to write a poem, and had I no ideas, I decided to look up famous birthdays for today.  At first I couldn't decide between Clark Gable and Rick James. But after not coming up with anything decent that rhymed with 'funky', I went with Mr. Gable.

Not Seeing What I Want

I like how the word 'investigate' gets hyphenated to separate "investi' and 'gate'.  The actions that led to the financial crisis, like Watergate, were made up of little bits of unseemly and sometimes illegal conduct, which undermined a major institution to the detriment of a great many people.  There's nothing to be proud of in the whole damned mess.

Fired From Walmart

I told you Lucy had a job, and now I mean, she had a job.  What she lacks in social skills, she makes up for in a calm indifference to other people.

Sly and Sneaky

I looked up the story of Adam and Eve on Wikipedia, and found some interesting bits concerning the different interpretations and cultural assimilations. It's probably a good thing that a cat didn't talk Eve into eating fruit from the Tree of Knowledge: very bad PR.

Robots Can Be Very Persistent

After seeing Lucy's pet snake, Randy gets a hankerin' for a pet of his own.  Who knows whether it would be a pet or a toy. Certainly there would be some affinity, if not actual affection. For those of us who are not computer folk, in the last panel, Randy will repeat "I promise to take care of it" forever.

Liking Everybody Unequally

Could Randy RoboCat have a innate or built-in fascination with the swallowing of small fury rodents?  It seems as though programmers, like Ennis, have made great strides in the fields of artificial intelligence, portending a new world of very realistic robot pets, unlike the clumsy ones of today.

Lovely Lucy Meets Ivan

I hope she keeps her day job, if she has one.  Oh, yes, she has one.  And it is to be revealed.  Seems there is more to 'Little Miss Sunshine' than one might first imagine. Perhaps she has read a bit too much of Mr. Edgar A. Poe.

(I'm back to hand-lettering my dialogue bubbles, except for Randy's).

Lucy's Pet Snake

The newest resident, Lucy, has a pet, which has been accepted by Mr. Rhooms, because he's flexible with his house rules. I don't have big plans for the snake, so if you're looking forward to a wise-cracking serpent, you may have to wait.  Today's strip has a simple pun, with no need for a big buildup.  One of those major pun punchline strips (not pun intended) may come in the future ... without warning.

Randy RoboCat

The new resident meets RoboCat for the first time. Both of them appear to be initially quite candid.

This is the first strip to use no hand-lettering at all.  I am experimenting with type styles ("fonts"). This one, 'Huxtible', seems to be a good beginning.  My life is easier, if I don't try to do hand-lettering.  I suspect your reading is easier, too.  The young lady's hair looks a little like a ski mask. I hope it's not confusing.

Little Miss Sunshine

At last our first woman resident arrives, eager to settle in. The little lady appears quite particular, and definitely knows what she wants. Will Mr. Rhooms be accommodating? Is RoboCat eves-dropping? He's seems very interested in our new person.

Ivan Has His Ups and Downs

This strip springs from my fascination with adverbs like 'up, down, in, out, over', when used with an indirect or irrational meaning.  For instance people may say, 'Let's go up to Florida', when they are actually saying this in New York.  Or they may say, 'I'm going to beat up your friend".  In this case, I doubt that your friend is going up.  More likely he's going down.

RoboCat Names Himself

This may not be ha-ha funny, but it's true. This really happened. I can't make this stuff up. Well, yes I can ...

This is supposed to be taking place in Ennis' and RoboCat's room: thus the new background color.  And this is the first color showing of Ennis' sweater.  Also, I'm coloring RoboCat's, (Randy's) ear interiors in a cat-like fleshy pink.

Happy New Year

Here's wishing all of you a Happy New Year!  This year I plan to develop some new characters, and create some new settings in the hotel. There will be the appearance of at least two female characters, and exploration of drawing styles, colors, etc..  Perhaps I can even get a little ahead in the production pipeline.  It has been an exciting time for me so far, and I look forward to creating new strips for you.  Cheers!