Read the real life stories and experiences of freelance writer Mike Gagnon.

Today...

Scooter is almost house trained, almost. And almost leash trained, almost. He's so cute and he and the cat are getting along now too!

Work was shitty as usual. Busy and tiring.

Got a call from Shaun at the Art Intruction School Inc. tonight. Turns out he wants to change the date of the interview to later this week, and if he thinks I've "got what it takes" than he wants to to enroll on the spot. But that means I have to make my first tuition payment right then. That costs $$$ I don't have enough.

Good god when will I ever have enough money to do anything that I want to do?

Uploading more de-bugged pages to the website as I write this.

I've got the blahs, I was feeling like I was getting a cold this morning. I don't know if I have anything to talk about. I have a few ideas I really want to cover, but no time!

BLOOOORG!

Mike

Posted by: lightning at 22:34 | link | comments

Well, the motime servers are really slow today, but that's OK because they're upgrading which is causing the slowness.

I read Jay's blog again the other day, and he made point to specifically say he ain't pissed at me. SO I was happy about hat. I was worried there for awhile.

Another day of not getting enough work done. This is so frustrating. Half the day was spent in Owen Sound at the "Drivetest" centre. AAAHHH!

The dog... 

Our new puppy's name is Scooter! Yaaaaay!

Driving tests...

I fucking hate driving tests. I'm trying to exit my G2 and it seems I can't catch a single F'n break. This was the second time I did it. I had a much better test person this time. I did everyhting fine, but apparently I slow down too much when I change lanes, so he couldn't pass me. ARG! I did however have a nice chat with him. I told him how I failed the first test because that instructor said I went too fast when changing lanes and that I was supposed to swerve away from the sidewalk when I pass a group of people. Today's instructor told me that guy was full of shit and that I should have past the first test that I took. Well isn't that great to know! What a money racket. And, I don't think the government controls the driver testing anymore. They have a new name, new logo, no government of Ontario pictures anymore, and they've changed locations. Weird eh?

I might get some schoolin'...

Well, I got quite an interesting call from Art Instruction Schools International today. They're the school where people like Charles Shultz (is that spelt right?) of Peanuts, and other similar folks got their start. A few months ago now I did their written and hand drawing test. I scored somewhere around or above 90%, (I don't know where I put my copy, so I'm not sure) Anywho, they called today and said that they want to consider me for their art program via correspondence.

The guy explained to me that he was the recruit for the Ontario area and that he's been trying to track me down since I moved. Hee hee, sorry. Anyway, he said that from his region he recieves 3600 entrants per year. 1300 are selected for consideration in the course. 1000 are called and have someone go to thier home for a personal interview, and from that 900 students per year are accepted. He says he really wants to see me and all that, so I got some info and he'll be coming here tommorow or Wednesday night after I'm done work to conduct an interview.

This might be good if I do it because it gives me a chance to improve my art, and they also start start finding you commercial work to do while still a student and continue to do so afterwards. I'm not 100% on any of this, but I'll keep everyone updated...

Mike

Posted by: lightning at 17:19 | link | comments

Hey it's me, I'm back again!

Casey D...

Pam just remined me about something last night, and ai feel like such an asshole. I should mention the help of a new friend who's been throwing in some extra time to help with the site and things as well. I couldn't have gotten this far without the help of one Casey Demillo! Casdey is volunteering his time and expertise to LSP whenever he can. He's an intern at one of the local Kincardine papers, and he'll using his journalism skills in various areas on the web page. He's also doing a little bit of the web mastering and building. Casey hope to become a journalist, or creative writer (is there a difference? =), he's really into comics, and he's a great guy. I'm glad to have friends like this. I can't belive I've never mentioned him in the blog yet! Thanks for all your help Casey!

Website...

Well, by the end of the day the new bug-free version of the Lightningstrike section should be active on the website, and I'll be well into the editing of the GLimpse section.

My new dog...

The dog is doing great! He's coming along quite well and we've only had him for 2 days! He's really starting to develop a little personality and he's half house broken already! He's a lot smarter than I expected! He's 7 weeks old today. And is unnamed as of yet. I'll keep you u[dated, and maybe we'll get a picture of him up here sometime!

Bruce Power...A journey to another planet....

As I mentioned before, the other day one of my deliveries was a new fridge to Bruce Power. Bruce Power is a nuclear power plant which generates and provides energy to Southern Ontario and Michigan, and is located about 5 minutes from our place and in the same town (Tiverton). Anyway, yesterday was the first time I had ever been there (except school trips that don't really go into the plant)

SO I pulled up to the drive way. There is one on either side of a patch of grass. One is open and one is covered by orange pylons. So I went through the open one. Boy did that get me off to a bad start. It turns out the open one is the exit lane and the one with the pylons is the enter lane. Apparently you're supposed to drive around the pylons. Now that I think about it maybe they do that so no-one could get up ramming speed or something to get by the guard station. Anyway, so I pissed off the guard right away. I pulled the truck over after he asked me to. This guy is in full uniform, huge bullet proof vest, billy club, you name it. Anyway, he searches the truck, makes me open the hood etc. and I have to go into the main office. This is when I notice that everyone there, I mean everyone, is dressed in the same bullet proof, heavily armed attire. They ask me questions, view my drivers license, check my background on the computer, and issue me temporary passes to enter the facility. Kevin, who is with me, is not allowed to enter the facility because he doesn't have his license with him. (I think he lost it because of the drinky, drinky)

Anyway, so the guard finished checking the truck and I'm allowed to pass throught the gates. This place is crazy. It's like a huge city, with a full road/highway system, and traffic lights. They even have thier own fire department and ambulance station on-site. But this place is eerie, because it's like a huge futuristic city, that looks completely deserted. There is no-one outside. At all. And the landscape is full of large shiny silver pipes running everywhere, in and out of everything. I'm told they are for the steam from the reactor. It looks like Metropolis or something. Kevin calls it Droid city.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An image of just one part of the Bruce Power plant, on Lake Huron, in Tiverton

Anyway, by the time I get to the place I'm going it seems like I should have driven to another town or city from where I started. I find the main guard house I am supposed to go to. The place is full of more well armed Kevlar clad security people. I pass through metal detectors just to wait in the lobby for this guy who ordered the fridge. I watched employees coming back from lunch have to go through a series of metal detectors, checks, and questions, then remove thier work boots, all before being allowed back in. So finally I'm told I can back up into this secutiry gate, where they take the fridge and load it in thier own truck. They don't want me to come in any further, and they don't want me to install anything for them. Weird!

So anyway, I then leave and stop at the station, returmnn my visitor passes, pick up Kevin, and then go back to my slave job. All in all I'd say this was a unique experience. For what they pay, I'd still love to work at the power plant, even though the atmosphere really weirds me out.

Hasta La Vista

Mike

Posted by: lightning at 10:30 | link | comments

I just got home, so this one still counts as the Saturday entry, and later on today I'll do a Sunday entry. Don't like it? Eat me.

What happened at work...

So I show up to work at 1 O'Clock on Friday. Get this. Ken acts like absolutely nothing happened on Thursday Afternoon. He's all buddy buddy and the subject never comes up. I asked Kevin if I was in shit for closing early and he said that he didn't know because Ken didn't say much to him about it.

I get stuck with Ken's son Nick for the afternoon doing the deliveries. The retard wrecks a door on a fridge so we have to bring it back and replace it with a new one. And I get shit for it of course. Before that Ken and Kevin took thier usual afternoon booze lunch, but his time for only 2 1/2 hours. And get this, this time They bring Ken's 15 year old son (Nick) with them.

New Addition... 

Well Friday night after work me and Pam went out and looked at some little gaffers. Yep, we've got a new addition to the family. Today he's 7 weeks old. He and Baron are getting along so-so. Baron has had to put him in line a couple times. He's a little Jack Russell terrier and thus far is unnamed. We're trying to pick between Samson (or Sampsom), Pepper, Scooter, Banner, Griffin, and maybe a couple others.

Today at work... 

I'd like to point out that the hours of my place of work are 9-5 on Saturday, with an alleged 1 hour luch from 12-1. Today that drunken joke of a weasel screwed me. From the moment I got in all I did today was deliveries. Load the truck, unload, reload, unload, reload, yadd yadda. Here's the problem. Fucker had to have purposely given me more deliveries than we could do in a day. And I think I know why. During the week we can't get deliveries done in the afternoon because the drunk has the work truck over at the bar. So that means we're always going to be behind on deliveries. Plus, ever since this fiasco with my not getting my days off he knows I won't agree to work another Monday, so anyone who would want something on Monday, or anthing he'd like to get delivered on Monday gets added to the list.

There were at least 2 deliveries that were 45 minutes each way, not including unloading, installation and reloading time.  Bastard. And of course this means the first person to sacrifice thier lunch break is me! That's right. Things were too busy for me to have a lunch break, but everyone else gets one. SO, Pam had to come to pick me up after work twice, which she wasn't happy about. I worked from 9 to 7 today. So you know what that means? Another day of not being able to get my real work done.

Oh, and guess what stupid Nick did today. He put a huge spider-web shaped crack in the windshield of the work truck. Why? Because he was trying to hit a fly and decided the best way to do so was to punch it while on the windshield. And he didn't even hit it! I just opened the door and out it flew!

So then after Pam picked me up at 7 we came home so I could scarf some microwave burritos and then we grabbed the dog and went and visited Pam's parents to show them the dog. We didn't get back in the door until exactly midnight. Pam told her family last night. So far my mom is the only one in my family who knows, and we're going to surprise my family tommorow when we visit.

Today one of my deliveries was to Bruce Power. That place is like a whole 'nother planet! But that's a story for another time...

Mike  

Posted by: lightning at 00:40 | link | comments

Work...

Well, I'm glad as hell to say I got all of my e-mails done and responded to and all that today. What a pile. Once I'm done this log I'll be working on the webpage some more. Next week I've gotta get through this stack of messages and people to contact, start a new script, work out the rest of the bugs and update the page, get my promo stuff printed, and do some ad selling. All aroung my fakin' job.

Job...

God damn, I know it now. I'm gonna cave and go in for work at 1 pm today. I deserve more time off and I deserve better. I just better not get any shit or attitude from Ken. For all I know I could show up and be told I'm fired for closing the store early yesterday. Kevin (a part-timer) was home when I drove by his place at 5:45 and he always goes to the bar with Ken every afternoon, so I would assume they eventually did return before closing time and Ken sent Kevin home. I really don't know and don't fucking care. He hasn't called me yet. If I am fired he'll find I'm not as nice as he thinks I am and he'll be paying me what he still owes me in cash before I leave.

Ken and Kevin usually have at least a six-pack of these everyday at work in the back room, after they've drank at the bar for 4 or 5 hours.

Future...

I really can't say what the future holds. I know that if I get fired I'll have to start looking for a new job, but I also feel that if I had the extra time I did while looking for another job, and could put an almost full time effort into Lightningstrike it could really become something special and important. If things would work out right it could easily be a self-supporting business that I could sustain a living on. I know what to do and how to do it, my life just doesn't allow the when, or enough time to get things done properly. I hate that. I also really want to get a blog done soon that talks about my favorite up and coming indie comics. Maybe Monday...

Untill tommorow, as always, I am...

Mike

Posted by: lightning at 10:42 | link | comments

Ken is a piece of shit...

Ken is my boss at the new job. It's really just me and him there. On a regular basis Ken will leave sometime in the afternoon, leaving others to watch his store and run his business, he'll return 4 o5 hours later completely smashed because he spends every afternoon at a local bar.

When Al was still there he didn't take no shit, so Ken always waited untill we were done our lunch at 1 O'Clock before he left for his daily booze binge. Now that Al is gone he is showing me that he has no respect for his employees and that he is taking advantage of me. Oh, of course he's always got a buddy-buddy attitude though. But since Al left he doesn't want to give me a single day off, and he's now not even giving me lunch breaks. And I know it's all so he can have a nice long booze break everyday.

I finally co-erced him into giving me some time off, and he offered to give me this afternoon off, and tommorow morning, because we have deliveries tommorow afternoon. So I was supposed to leave today at 12:30 which is why I didn't bring a lunch. Ken said he wanted to run out for a quick bite before I left today at 11:30. I was leary, but what are you gonna say? He's the boss and I'm new. So he left at 11:30. I waited, started getting hungry, waited, and started getting REALLY hungry. By 4:15 pm the lush still wasn't back!

SO I closed the store and left. I don't know what he thought of that, and I don't much care. He didn't call tonight, so I'll find out when I see him again. I honestly think I should take my full day off tommorow, but I don't know if I can get away with it cause I'm new. Fuck! This is one of the big reasons I'm not getting enough done at home.

This afternoon was planned to get a chunk of this work done! I am so pissed off! By the the time I got out of there there was no sense going home because I had to pick up Pam when she was done work. What a fuckin' asshole! And now I'm trying to catch up! I'm missing Family Guy too! I know I can't get a good amount done tommorow morning! What do I do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Should I say fuck him, take off all day tommorow and take my chances? Call in sick maybe?

Mike

 

Posted by: lightning at 21:15 | link | comments

Okay, so I've gotten some more done on the webpage. That's good. Got my mgsubmission address e-mails cleaned out, that's good. But I still need more done. I'm getting aggravated with my job a little, but nothing serieous. Anyway, back to the real work. Okay so I've got some things done. I'm still too busy to even contact friends and family to even talk. I'm so behind. The website needs updating. The e-mails are piling up. I need to do the newsletter. I have a stack of messages.

I'm almost able to get the contact info for Paul's website. I'm asking Bravenet to help me because the clix.to URL I added to his site is through them. If I can't figure this out soon I'll just make a new site with the exact same look and info, just updated and then hand over the log-in info to Liisa. Geocities/Yahoo is no friggin help. I challenge anyone reading this to find a way to ever get in touch with a real person at that company using any info on their website.

On the plus side I read the Mason review at www.comicskins.com and I'd have to say I am pleased and agree with the review.

Mike

Posted by: lightning at 20:17 | link | comments

hmmm. the justice league pick from yesterday worked yesterday. oh, well.

Holy Jeebus.....

My entire body aches! I am a stiff, swollen, cut-up mess. Ken had me doing deliveries all day today. And of course on the only day it's been deliveries all day straight we're delivering all the big, heavy, sharp cornered appliances. Oh, and let's not forget removing the customers old appliances from 1973 that weigh 400 pounds each. I am frickin sore. My pulled muscles have pulled muscles. Although there is one thing...I can feel the muscles growing, growing, GROWING...hee hee hee

Other Work... 

As in Lightningstrike work. Still tons of e-mail and website work to do mostly. Then maybe I can get started on this new script. AAAAAAHHHHH!!!! God Dammit! Everytime I try to get more and more ahead with this work pile fate throughs a monkey wrench in my fucking plans. Boss taking away my day off, boss taking half my lunch break away, Pam wanting attention (which is OK) and general fucking crap with day-to-day life. And tonight the only thing I could get done was this blog. For this I'll make an exception though as I had a good reason. I had to take Pam to the hospital.

I watched a movie in the waiting room while I was there. It was actually a sequel to little women. It's about these two street kids who are taken in by Joe who is all grown up now and running a school for orphaned children with her husband Fritz. Mariel Hemingway plays Joe. That's all you need to know, don't bother watching it, cause it is a horrible movie. I can't even begin a serious critical review. It was just so bad. The narrator seemed to not really fit properly into the movie. It was almost intrusive of being able to enjoy the story. Anyway, I can't rememeber the name of the movie anyway.

Well...

I wish I could work in more pictures, that seems to be the only criticism I really get from people who e-mail me when they visit this page. "Not enough pictures" they always say. I won't chastise anyone, because that's not necessary, at the same time I've decided that I will not apologise for not including pictures when I don't. Rest assured I will work in images when I can!

Thanks and Peace Out Homies!

Mike

Posted by: lightning at 22:35 | link | comments

Well today has been a real frickin stress. Work was tough. God, I was soaked. I did deliveries all day in the pouring rain and every single delivery was to someone who was born an asshole.

I need to get a vehicle. I really need to get things off the ground again for GLimpse (and the other comics) there is a lot of potential around here. I think we could do well selling ads and maybe start doing the comics on web press.

Sorry to those of you who haven't gotten e-mail replies from me. I tried to get all my e-mail done tonight, but there is just too much!

I've only got a few minutes, Pam is begging to watvh TV with me. I love her, but it tears me up when she does htis. I have so many important things to do and get done, but instead I'm going to end up not finishing to watch TV with her. It's not that I don't want to spend time with her. I do, but it's so conflicting. I feel like if I casn get my work done I can finally make something of my life and my work, including comics.

I watched a 3 part series on the Justice League cartoon where they go back to WWII. I'd have to say this cartoon has never impressed me a lot, but this story arc was way better than usual. It even has Steve Trevor, Backhawk(s), and Sgt. Rock and Easy Company.

A Pic from Justice League!

The new Teen TItans cartoon is kind of stupid.

Anyway, gotta go!

Mike   

Posted by: lightning at 20:11 | link | comments

Hey all! Even my day off was tiring and exhausting! Pam and I went to Goderitch today which is a small city around 35 minutes from here. It is about half way to Stratford.

Anyway, it's weird when you think how close things really are. It makes me wonder why friends and family from all over don't visit each other more. I mean Startford isn't far from London, which is close to Windsor. 90% of my relatives live in Windsor. Weird thought..

Website..I have valiantly continued work on the website, the SMASH! Comics portion will soon be bug free.

Tommorow was supposed to be the second half of my weekend, but the new boss asked me to come in on Monday and take another day off later this week. That will be discussed tommorow. I was reallly looking forward to getting a lot of work done tommorow, I have to get my e-mailing done! SO I'll do that and then have to put off everything else untill later this week.

As soon as I get the chance I'm hitting the road. I should have my own vehicle soon. Once I do I'm calling up every business in a one hour radius and trying to get them to advertise with me! If you're interested just e-mail me! Ah, I'm shameless. Yeah, I'm going to get ads for Independent GLimpse, Powerwus #2, and others.

It will be nice to have money coming in on a weekly basis again. Especially becaue there was so much stuff I wanted in Goderitch today! I've heard there is a used comic/book/movie/magazine store there, much like Toronto's BMV, but that I didn't have time to find today. I think it's called "The Flying Dragon" or something.

So, I skimmed my e-mails just to see who sent them because I didn't have to to read them and it appears that my book Mason got reviewed on the Comic Skins Network. Cool eh?

Here's a pic of the cover of Mason

and if you look around you should be able to find the review at www.comicskins.com I haven't been able to read it yet, so I hope the review isn't too blazingly bad.

Gotta get some work done, so untill tommorow...

Mike

Posted by: lightning at 20:27 | link | comments

Hey there! Welcome back! Don't forget to subscribe to my blog by clicking the red button icon on the left. No, I don't get any money, but it makes me feel special!

Website, I know, you're all sick of hearng about it...

Well, the only MAJOR problem left, except the corrupted Wus pics is in MS Word. For some reason when I edit or alter a page in Word now it is attaching this big long code in the HTML instead of the regular image search code. This code makes the picture not work properly because it points to a file that doesn't exist. It's quite strange and aggravating. So I guess I'll have to stop using Word for webpage editing altogether. Which is both good and bad. CoffeeCup is much better for some things, but Word is better for a couple others and it's easier to do everything you want all at once in word. I wish I could figure it out...

Saying goodbye to Al...

Today was Al's last day, it was no surprise as I was hired to replace him. I may have only known Al for 3 days, but he'll be sorely missed. He was a good guy and fun to work with. We were tellin stories today about stupid crap we did when we were younger and fights and stuff. It turns out theat in the 80's Al was in a semi-succesful rock band that did the Ontario circuit, especially Hamilton and Toronto. Their original name was Blackwood, but they later changed it to Electric Gypsy. Cool eh? So long Al, installing home theatres won't be the same without you.

So, if I get his working here yay! it's an image! Crew of the Wanderlust #0, Created by Paul Quinn, Script by Jason MArcy, published by me!

Bye!

Mike

Posted by: lightning at 20:53 | link | comments

Simeon!...

Simeon is a freind of mine. He's big time into indy film and is working for the Toronto Indie Film Festival. We are going to be making a movie based on the comic I published called Suspension of Disbelief, created by Paul Quinn. I'll be producing and Sim will be directing. Cool eh? Anyway, Sim e-mailed me to tell me that a friend of his has now gone into business for himself and can do all our filming and editing for less than the cost of renting it ourselves. Which is good.. It's slowly coming together.....

Website...

Well, I got a few more kinks out of the site. There are a few brain benders I haven't solved yet, some stuff I just haven't had time to fix. All-in-all it works and has all the info I want up. I'll get a lot of the bugs that are left out on Monday (or maybe Sunday if I'm lucky!)

TEAM COMIX...

I have a feeling this may be an abreviated version compared to what I originally planned because my head is just not working good for intelligent thought tonight. Some of you may or may not be familiar with "The Comics Journal" magazine as well as writiers for said magazine such as Tom Spurgeon (likely misspelled) and the like. As of late in some troubling articles recently appeared by Mr. Spurgeon and his compatriots, mostly rantings, in TCJ. Dont get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with the mag. I've advertised in it many times and I read each issue as thoroughly as possible. Even the bible sized interviews.

Anyway, as of late a segment of these folks at TCJ have written some troubling articles about what they call the "Team Comix" mentality. When you put some of these articles in perspective it kind of gives youa picture of what is REALLY wrong with the comics industry. What Spurgereon and his confederates call the "Team Comix" mentallity is anyone trying to do anyhthing positive, promote, or move the industry forward. They look down on anyone who thinks that they can bring people together and unite forces for a common goal through comics. In Tom's narrow minded view these people, who want to help lift up everyone in the entire industry, are the problem. These article clearly convey the point of view that every comic creator should have a self centered point of view and that no-one should try to do any common good for the industry unless they be branded a fool. Now, I can't say I have too much insight into these writers, but to me it smacks of a long brewing deep seeded resentment for never being able to be succesful in comics themeselves in their bygone days.

Did anyone ever stop to think "Hmm.. maybe if people united for a common goal it could really improve the industry for everyone and the mainstream media's perception of that industry. No of course not. Why? Because there are too many extemely self-centered, introverted, and jealous has-beens who have been allowed too much power in this industry. I have nothing agains pioneers, or old-timers coming out of retirement. It's the bitter bastards who resent the entire industry for thier misfortune and are given the rains of companies and magazines that I can't stand. Also in these "TEAM COMIX" artciles people such as Spurgeon and other writers frequently knock and criticise the guys at Top Shelf because their company was saved from bankruptcy by people who they consider to have the "Team Comix" mentality. First of all, excuse me but what company publishes The Comics Journal? Fantagraphics. Oh yeah,, umm yeah. .Fantagraphics.. yeah. That's the company that was just saved from bankruptcy two months ago by sending out an e-mail begging people to buy their books for the good of the industry...hmmm.how'd they get that idea? From the Top Shelf situation. What a bunch of hypocrites. Second of all the guys at Top Shelf are cool guys. They're nice and I like them, so lay off and fuck off TCJ. That's about all I can manage tonight.

I'm missing Family Guy!(sorry, no pics today!)

Mike

Posted by: lightning at 21:03 | link | comments