September 22, 2008 - Jaynekobb Says: WTFUGOTPWNEDLOLUSUCK
Filed Under: PersonalDiscussion: C[0]mments
Good gravy, has my life been hectic lately.
Shortly before Dragon-Con, my co-worker turned in his 2 weeks, leaving me holding the bag yet again. This is the second time in under a year that the other network administrator has left me high and dry. Now, my paperwork has doubled, I’m on the phone all the time, and I’m grumpy. Grumpy grumpy grumpy.
I want to try and focus on the positives, but it’s hard. Hard, but not impossible I suppose.
Dragon-Con was a below-average weekend. I had to work through the first day of it, missing tons of good time with the rest of the geeks out there, but I eventually made it down, had a few drinks with the Nistlers, and chilled out with my friends and family. The second day (or my first real day), however was less exciting. I ended up having very bad headaches the entire day that didn’t go away until Sunday morning. It took the wind right out of my sails, and I just didnt have much energy or desire to do anything.
The one saving grace to the entire day was getting to meet Edward James Olmos. I have been a fan of his since I was a kid, watching Miami Vice. Lizzie also got to meet Hayden Pantierre from Heroes. They were both very nice, and I’ve posted pics:
This past weekend, Marshall and Howard came down to visit us and go to Anime Weekend Atlanta. It was a pretty cool weekend. I got to sit at Marshall’s table with him and go buy some stuff and over all, have a great time. I think I had more fun at AWA than I did at Dragon-Con this year, but probably because of the company I was keeping.
August 30, 2008 - Jaynekobb Says: Dragoncon Day One PT 2
Filed Under: PersonalDiscussion: C[0]mments
So it is about 5:10 and I am sitting in the newly renovated Marriot hotel, waiting to be let in to the “So Say we All” panel.
The mission: get in without standing in line. Wish me luck.
I just got my photo back from the photogropher, and it is a great picture, but it has depressed the ever loving shit out of me. I am a gigantic fatass. I hate looking at myself. Beginning ASAP, I am going to get back on to atkins and really begin pushing on the workout front.
August 30, 2008 - Jaynekobb Says: Dragoncon Day One
Filed Under: PersonalDiscussion: C[0]mments
Here Is the line in front of my while I wait in line for my photo with Edward James Olmos, one of my favorite actors. I got his autograph earlier, along with Michael Hogan and Tahmoh Penikett from Battlestar Galactica. Mr. Olmos was very nice, and had his daughter with him at the table, which was cool, because I had Lizzie with me, so there was an instant fatherhood connection. I was thrilled to meet him.
I also met Michael Rosenbaum from Smallville and reintroduced myself to Nathan Fillian from Firefly and Dr. Horrible’s Sing-along blog. Lizzie got her picture with Hayden Panettiere from heroes earlier today as well. Looks like Hayden cropped off all her hair.
Honestly though, today has kind of sucked all around for me. I’ve been feeling sick, had a non-stop headache. I have popped more pills today than I probably should have. Later on I plan on going to the Battlestar Galactica Panel. I hope that is fun.
August 24, 2008 - Jaynekobb Says: Iphone pt. 2
Filed Under: PersonalDiscussion: C[0]mments
I haven’t posted a pic of Ms. Urd in a while, so here we go. Taken with my new iphone, here is Urd in her comfy chair, where she sits and watches over me, to make sure I don’t screw something up.
I haven’t written a good bit in a while, and that’s probably going to change now. My arm is out of the cast, the nerve pain has subsided to the point where I can work, and my creative juices are flowing.
Laurie got a used Mazda RX-8 the other day, and I’ve been learning how to drive stick. Not too difficult for me, since I already know how to drive a motorcycle. It is a bit tough for me to get going initially, but once I have it in motion, I’m good. It’s a beautiful car, and I can’t wait to drive it more, but my big passion for it is going to be modding it with new stuff, fixing up what is already there and making it just the way Laurie wants it. YAY for project cars.
I’ve also finally finished up on Marshall’s new website design, and it’s pretty spiffy if I do say so myself. Go check it out at www.animeflux.com.
August 23, 2008 - Jaynekobb Says: Iphone, Uphone, We All Phone for IPhone
Filed Under: PersonalDiscussion: C[0]mments
Well, this will be a very short entry, as I am mostly testing out an app that I downloaded for my new Iphone.
I am in love with it so far, though the keyboard is going to take some getting used to.
More later!
July 11, 2008 - Jaynekobb Says: The Best Part About Being Me
Filed Under: PersonalDiscussion: C[0]mments
Today, I am sitting in bed, recovering from the surgery that I had done on Wednesday. The doctor had to go in and remove a neuroma from the end of one of the nerves in my arm. The procedure went well, and I hope to make a full recovery and have no side effects. Through the past 9 months, I have gone from good to bad, better to worse. I’ve been in all sorts of pain, both physical and emotional. I’ve had two surgeries done, and have worried about whether I’d lose the use of my right arm. Through all of it though, the one thing that has been steady and true. The one thing that has never wavered, has been the love and support of my family, especially my wife, Laurie. She’s not only the most beautiful woman I know, but she’s also my best friend, my co-conspirator, my drinking buddy, my snugglebunny and my soulmate. I know that for a fact. I can’t imagine what my life would be without her, but i do know what it is with her… wonderful.
Since I met Laurie, my life has been nothing short of the most exciting time of my life. Waking up with her in my life everyday is the best of all gifts. This year alone, we’ve gone to see Eddie Izzard, Colin Meloy, and Jon Stewart. We’ve seen our daughter get another level of her black belt and have seen her dive into her cheerleading. She’s been there for me every step of the way during my health problems, and I love her for it.
I probably don’t tell her enough that I love her, but I hope she knows. But, for the record… without Laurie in my life, I just wouldnt have a reason to go on.
And… one final note…
Fatherhood can be tough sometimes. Especially when I didn’t get to begin my fatherhood with a newborn. Instead, I was handed the responsibility for raising a six year old child. In the past five years, my step-daughter Lizzie and I have gone through our patches. It’s been hard on both of us, learning to cope with one another. But, I know from experience that it was probably harder on her. See, as I like to point out to her every once in a while, we have more in common than she thinks. I too was about 6 years old when my mother got married. I too had to learn to live with a man who, while not my biological father, was going to raise me as his own. I too felt the need to rebel and test my limits with him occassionally. But there is one key difference between my daughter and me.
She is a better person now, than I will ever be. Lizzie is smart, beautiful, kind, friendly, open and gregarious. She excels at everything she does, whether it be her schoolwork, Tae Kwon Do or now, cheerleading. She has a wonderful life ahead of her, and I cannot wait to see it unfold. I cannot wait to help her through her hard times and cheer with her during her good times. Soon, she will be my legally adopted daughter, and I am so excited pretty soon, my last name will become hers as well. My only concern now is keeping the boys away from her when she grows up… she’s going to be too beautiful. I know it already.
My wife and daughter mean the world to me. Without them, I am nothing. They make me a better person simply by being around them. They’ve learned to deal with my gruffness and excuse my rough exterior.
So, as simply as I can put it… I love you Laurie and Lizzie, and I always will. This post is for you, because you two are the best part about being me.
June 25, 2008 - Jaynekobb Says: Monkey, Monkey, Monkey, Monkey, Monkey, You!
Filed Under: PersonalDiscussion: C[0]mments
To say that I am a fan of Eddie Izzard’s is an understatement of Daisy-Shooting Tank like proportions. To say that I am a fan of Eddie Izzard’s is to liken my love for chocolate to a passing fancy. I am a enormous fan of Eddie Izzards, and will be until the day I shuffle off this mortal coil.
Several years ago, my former roommate, Steve was watching a video of this British guy dressed entirely in drag. At first, I blinked, in disbelieve, discounting what he was watching as one of his offbeat discoveries. But then, as I listened to the show while making myself dinner, something amazing happened… I found myself chuckling at the transvestite’s thoughts on all things Roman, German, French and … squirrel.
Within two days, I had watched Eddie Izzard’s HBO Special, Dress to Kill four times, and had introduced it to three of my other friends. All had the same reaction to him initially, and the exact same response to him after the tape finished… bemusement followed by laughter, followed by howling acceptance. In the space of one week, Eddie Izzard had conquered the hearts and minds of all of my friends, and had earned the coveted spot of ‘Favorite Comedian’ in my collection of lists.
Since then, I’ve followed his career with rabid addiction. I have made it my goal in life to introduce as many people as I can to his quick wit, his fantastic stories, his sarcastic nature and incredible timing. To date, I’ve corrupted my wife, all of my friends, my mother in law, a few of my coworkers, and even some people I met in passing. In Eddie’s comedy stylings, we’ve all found one universal thing… truth masked as humor.
So, it should come as no surprise to you that when I found out that Eddie Izzard would FINALLY be performing in a city near me, I jumped at the chance. Months ago an email from the Beekeepers (Eddie’s mailing list for fans) landed in my mailbox, announcing the launch of his latest tour, Stripped. For weeks, I’d been sadly reading mail after mail from the Beekeepers, announcing that “Eddie Gigs in Los Angeles” over and over. Never once did I make the connection that he could quite possibly be rehearsing for his new tour. But, on that night, I glanced at the latest email, and two words jumped out at me… “Atlanta, Georgia.”
Not only was Eddie finally performing in my newly adopted city, but… he was performing at the new Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, which is a mere 15 minute drive from my home! At last, I would finally see one of the only performers in the world that I really cared about anymore. My patience had finally paid off, so not wasting any time, or really even seeking permission from my wife to purchase the tickets, I hopped on Ticketmaster and bought two seats. And not only did my patience pay off, it paid off in spades! By being a loyal member of the Beekeepers, I had gotten advanced notice of the show, and was able to purchase early tickets, which resulted in two center stage, orchestra level seats. YES!
Months went by, and in the time between purchasing the tickets and the night of the performance, my health has taken a turn for the worse, with my nerve damage, headaches and lately, nausia. In May, Jon Stewart from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart also came to Atlanta, and Laurie and I got to go to that as well. So, I guess what I’m saying is, in the short time between the original purchase date, and the show’s date, my life has been somewhat like a rollercoaster of emotion.
Well, last night was Eddie Izzard’s show, and not wanting to get myself too psyched up about it, I deliberately put it out of my mind until a few hours before the performance. We got home, and I fought another round of nausia due to the pain in my arm. My beautiful wife, Laurie, was concerned that I might not feel well enough to go.
“Oh, we’re going to see Eddie Izzard, if it’s the last thing I ever do,” I promised her, right before picking myself up off of the bed and getting ready to go.
The entire trip to the show was a difficult one for me, with the pain in my arm, and my constant fight against nausea. Laurie was hungry, but with our current timetable, we just didn’t have enough time to stop and get something for her.
At 7:50, we’re in our seats, perfect view of the stage, a well designed sorting of backdrops covered in hieroglyphics and other ancient languages and cave drawings. I turned in my seat, searching the audience, and there, a few rows behind us is my old roommate, Steve. The very same Steve that introduced me to the comedic stylings of Eddie Izzard.
Smiling to myself, knowing that everything has finally come full circle, I sat back into my chair, and prepared myself for what I hoped would be the comedy night of my life.
Shortly after 8, Eddie took the stage to a loud applause from an audience clearly familiar with most of his work. The audience was punctuated here and there by fans so excited to see him, they were willing to give him a standing ovation just for gracing us with his presence. I, was one of those fans. Gone, at least temporarily, was my pain and nausea. All of that was irrelevant now, because one of the few people in the world that I still respect was about to talk to us about “Everything that has ever happened.”
And believe it or not, Eddie Izzard tried to do just that. From the dinosaurs idiotic design (triceratops being the Daisy-Shooting Tanks mentioned in the first paragraph of this entry), to Germany’s brief period of being “Bat-Shit Crazy,” Eddie Izzard never once disappointed me or any of his other fans.
Aside from the very annoying heckler that wanted him to recycle a few of his past routines (a heckler that he very quickly shot down), the night was filled with laughter and an almost euphoric feeling of joy. One of the very few things I truly cared about had come to pass. I finally got to see Eddie Izzard perform live. At the end of his show, we gave him two well earned standing ovations, and filed slowly out of the auditorium.
After catching up with Steve and Karen, we hopped in our car, and as we were driving home, all I could think was “I should have bought tickets for Wednesday night’s show as well.”
Thank you Eddie Izzard for being every bit as brilliant as I had hoped and prayed you would be.
And thank you, Laurie, for putting up with me over the past several months of pain and depression on my part. You’re the best woman I’ve ever known, and I love you and everything about you.
June 23, 2008 - Jaynekobb Says: So Say We All… “9 FRAKKING MONTHS?”
Filed Under: PersonalDiscussion: C[0]mments
OK, lets start with the obvious… the little lady next to this text is my new Urd Ball Jointed Doll. Aside from a slight mixup in colors on her markings, she’s bootiful! I will post up more pictures soon. I just have to finish setting up the little “Studio” that I plan on using for them. I need to find some cheetah skin looking fabric or a pillow or something. Perhaps a trip to Wal-Mart is in order.
For the specifics, Urd is a Doll Zone Linlan doll. She’s 60cm tall (almost 2 feet) and is very very sweet looking. She has a tan complexion that is very even and pretty, and unlike most tanned dolls, this tan goes all the way through the resin. As you can see, she’s wearing the dress I bought her a couple months ago, and she’s looking great in it.
Right now, she’s sitting down on my desk, watching my computer screen, as though she was watching a big screen television. I love the way just the slightest change in angle or eyeline will completely change the attitude that is reflected on her face.
On another note, the “mid-season finale” of Battlestar Galactica aired last weekend, and I for one am about to find Ron Moore and beat the last 10-13 episodes out of him. The final three episodes that aired were some of the best hours of television that I have ever seen. I have tried, for many days now, to figure out just what the hell is going on, but unfortunately, I’m still drawing a blank. The phrase “This has happened before and will happen again” seems to be a very important one, so we shall see what it really entails.
Summertime sucks, that much is definate. However, what sucks worse than summertime is being injured during the summertime. That’s right, my arm has yet to heal from surgery, and as a matter of fact, it is now worse than it was. I have yet another surgery scheduled for July 9th, to fix what appears to be a neuroma that is developing. Hopefully this will be the final surgery I have to do in order to fix this, and I will be back to my happy go lucky self soon enough… oh… wait… i was never “happy go lucky.”
Other than that, it’s been business as usual… wake up, go to work, wish I was at home, get home, take more medication, go to bed, repeat. Oh, wait, I have been working on Marshall’s new webpage, which I think is coming along nicely. We shall see. He designed it. I’m just making it a reality.
April 25, 2008 - Jaynekobb Says: “Pull my Finger,” He Said Grinning.
Filed Under: PersonalDiscussion: C[0]mments
It’s been a busy week or so. Work work work! All work and no drink makes Tillman a grumpy boy.
Liz got on to the Wildcats Cheer Team! Woot! Good for her. We’re both very proud of you. Very proud of you indeed.
The little lady you see to the left of me is wearing the new dress I am getting for my Dollzone 1/3 BJD, Linlan. As I mentioned previously, my doll is getting a custom face-up to look like Urd from Ah! My Goddess. She will be one of a kind, very unique and incredibly special. I can’t wait!
I looked long and hard for a dress that I felt embodied a certain element that Urd has. I searched online stores, lurked on the Den of Angels boards, everything… until I stumbled accross Divas By Design and fell in love with the style. I also found someone that looks like they can build Urd’s regular costume as well, so I’m looking forward to that. I’ve got some new shoes, stockings, and some other essentials coming in from The Denver Doll Emporium as well. It will be a few weeks before anything shows up, but as it does, I’ll post images.
In other news, my Jaynekobb Figureprint came in as well. I want to take some pictures of it, but unfortunately, it’s in a sealed glass dome, so the pictures might come out all reflecty and stuff. Perhaps this weekend I’ll get it done.
Liz reminded me of the time that we went to this pizza joint down in Little 5 Points, Atlanta. The place had a kind of superhero motif, and the food was pretty darn good as well. But, what I thought was cool, was that when I had to use the restroom, I wandered in, took a look around and saw they had wallpapered the entire room with comic book covers. And there, looking right back at me was the cover to one of the comics I had written when I was working at AC Comics in Orlando, Florida.
I was stupidfied! It’s been years since I’d seen one of my comics outside of my own collection, and to have it there, staring me back in the face was amazing. I was tickled… and then it occured to me.. my comic was the wallpaper in some greasy pizza joint… that’s kind of depressing actually…
For the sake of my own ego, here are the links to my other AC Comics:
Good Girl Art Quarterly #13 (woot! now selling for $15!)
Anyway, that’s about it for now. More later perhaps
April 11, 2008 - Jaynekobb Says: Last Time That Happened, I Died
Filed Under: PersonalDiscussion: C[0]mments
Well, here she is, isn’t she? And boy howdy, did she bring her “A game”. She’s never looked quite so endearing if you ask me, and I personally don’t know how she could ever look any better. Marshall did an incredible job for me, once again. He took a semi-coherent idea of mine, plucked it out of thin air and put it down in fully realized color. I’ve been sitting on the black and white proof for quite a while now, and he’s been promising that until I’d seen the finished product… well, I hadn’t seen anything yet. And you know what? He was right. I had no idea what it would look like in the end, but I truly couldn’t be any happier with the finished product. Thanks again, Marshall.
What else is happening lately? Well, let’s see here. The new season of Battlestar Galactica is finally out, and so far, although I’ve only seen the first Episode, I’m very very excited! What a great show. Every year it seems to get better and better. Right now I’m plowing my way through 2 years of Ron Moore’s production commentary podcasts for Seasons One and Two. It’s been pretty interesting to hear some of the things he has to say. I’ve become fairly addicted to listening.
Last night we went and saw Colin Meloy of The Decemberists at the Variety Playhouse in Little Five Points. I took the crappy shot to the left on my cel phone. I am kinda bummed, cause apparently they didn’t care if we brought real cameras in last night. I wish I’d thought of that. 
I’ve gotten so used to being frisked at the door of concerts, I stopped bothering. Laurie was anxiously awaiting this show, and I have to admit, I was really looking forward to it as well. She turned me on to The Decemberists last year with the release of The Crane Wife. Since then we’ve seen them three times in Atlanta, and each time has been more fun than the last, due in large part to Colin’s seemingly endless energy.
So, last night was an even more unique experience, since he didn’t have anyone else on stage. Just him, a bottle of wine, a crystal that he bought in Little Five, a wierd mermaid in a box thing and his guitars. During the show, he asked us to name the crystal, which we named Cornwalus, and he introduced us to the mermaid, named Consuela. He played mostly music from The Decemberists albums, but did play one traditional folk song, a cover of Cupid by Sam Cooke, and a couple of other tunes I didnt recognize right off hand. The night was filled with laughter, music and joy. He messed up a few times, forgetting the lyrics or hitting a wrong note. Each time he embarassedly admitted his mistake. “I’m sick.. I have something that makes me forget the lyrics to my songs…” he said at one point.
Over all, a wonderful night. Laurie really seemed to enjoy it, though she really wanted to meet him. At first, I thought that might be possible, given that there only seemed to be about 100 people there, but over the course of the evening more and more people poured in, until at least 500 to 600 people were in attendance. Hopefully one day she’ll be able to meet him… and then I’ll have to kill him since she has such a massive crush on him.
To my wife’s annoyance, I’ve decided to give in to my need to spend money and “adopt” a ball-joint doll. You’ll see here a pic of the DollZone doll that I will be getting. The doll’s model is named Linlan, however when she arrives at my doorstep, her name will be promptly changed to Urd. You see, I plan on paying some extra money to get the DollZone painters to paint her face like Urd. I can’t wait! All I have to now is get her a white wig and some clothes… tho, having her in the cowboy outfit you see here is sorely tempting. Laurie hates the outfit though… I might have to dodge some dishes if I bring her home in that.
Marshall is the man responsible for my interest in these dolls. He has three himself, and they’re just absolutely amazing. When I go to Animazement next month, I plan on shopping around for some clothes for her. I was honestly hoping to have her by then, but it doesn’t look like that will be possible, unfortunately.
Lastly, Liz has Cheerleader team tryouts this week. Good luck little kid, I’m super proud of you and everything you’ve accomplished. Straight A’s, 1st Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo, Mary Poppins in the spring musical.. wow. I’m such a lucky lucky father.