#pumpkintalking

Ya'll...my life is so much better now. I could actually cry (edit: I did cry writing this hahaaaa)

My new job has been a lot of learning and I do feel overwhelmed at some points. But my boss (the CFO) is so kind and understanding of me and is truly the mentor of I've been in need of for so long. The finance team overall has been so kind and supportive and I finally feel like I'm in the right place for my skill set.

Since quitting my job, I've also started eating so much better and exercising as well. I used to eat out almost every day and sometimes even twice a day because I just didn't have time to make anything. Now, I eat out once a week - usually making healthy home cooked meals. I'm saving money and my stomach is so much happier. I also workout three times a week consistently and can feel myself getting stronger.

I've also been so much more consistent with my Patreon and just editing for my comic overall. I used to have to take whole months off, just to get through busy season. Right now, it's busy season timing, and I'm about to edit a new issue.

I went to my alma maters basketball game a few days ago with a friend. I'm seeing my family today for movie night.

I am just so fucking happy. And I didn't think I was ever going to be happy and content again.

I just thought I'd share this because there were so many years where I really had nothing good to share. When I was so down.

I know it’s been a while. The past few months have been really busy and honestly pretty hard, between work and personal things, and I haven’t had much time or energy for anything else.

I miss the comic a lot, and I miss you all. I still love it just as much - it’s just been a very difficult time. I wrote a longer update on Patreon if you’re interested, but I wanted to put a quick note here too.

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to check in since it's been awhile since the last issue. I wish I had more to show right now, but the process behind the scenes has been slower than I expected. There’s a lot I’m trying to sort out creatively, and honestly, some of it’s just been tedious and taking longer than I hoped.

It’s not for lack of care—I’m still very much invested in this story. I’ve been keeping my Patreon folks a bit more updated on some of this stuff, just because it’s a smaller space and a little easier to talk through things there. But I didn’t want to leave anyone here completely in the dark.

I can't say it'll get better in the next few weeks. But I'm placing some major boundaries with my job for the fall. I'll have to wait and see if I can hold myself to them and be supported in them.

In the meantime, I love and miss you all dearly.

AND, Ruel's cover of "Kiss Me" fits like every academy couple. But I can legit see Jim and Ariel walking downtown to this.

Or Jackunzel in Jack's dorm with the moonlight shining through his skylight.

Personal Ramblings

Heyyy.

I know I've been gone for a while, and to my happiness, I'm posting an issue this weekend(!)

I feel good about that, but haven't had a whole lot of good to feel about lately.

As days pass and I get older, I'm having to watch more and more dreams fall to the wayside, get ignored, or be forgotten. And it's not even like they're all big dreams.

It's small things like journaling every week for the year, or going to a concert, trying to make a new dish.

I feel like even these really small moments are passing me by.

And I'm not really sure how to stop it from happening. It just does. Life is busy and full, and priorities get reexamined every day.

I've always loved that line from "Vienna" by Billy Joel: "Dream on, but don't imagine they'll all come true."

And for the past year or so, I've really understood that to be true.

I know it all can't come true.

But can some of it?

Comic Ramblings

I wish I could say I'm fully back to some kind of schedule and posting more regularly, but I'm most likely not. My current job has become the headache that previous jobs have, and I just don't have the time to edit that I'd like.

I will say my creativity/inspiration is at an all-time high. I've been thinking about the comic a lot and plotting when I can. It's just about having the opportunity to get things on paper.

I'm actively working on my situation, though. This job is NOT endgame, and with every job, I get better at knowing when I've had enough. I'll try to post more personal ramblings just so you know where I'm at with that.

In the meantime, going to enjoy the comic whenever I can. That said, I think I'm going to keep this holiday season low-key and not try to do a Winter Wonder, like previous years. I think I'll end up posting more that way than trying to have a huge agenda. Appreciate you all understanding.