Lil Bits

Since the projects I'm currently working on will most likely have me busy for quite some time and any updates on them will probably be few and far between for a while, I was thinking from time to time maybe I'll post some small art projects I did during the time I was absent from the blog.

To start off, here's some digital art I made a few months ago to commemorate Superman's 80th anniversary.  I whipped this one up pretty quickly, over the span of a couple hours from start to finish, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

How I Spent My Summer (Also Spring and Part of Fall)

So, things have been crazy busy and I haven't blogged in ages.  Shocking, right?  Here's a bit of a recap of what's been going on so far this year.

Things got off to an awesome start in the early months of the year when Teal asked if I'd be up for helping out a bit with her web series, My Gimpy Life.  That was an offer I couldn't pass up, so I got to work.  I went a bit out of my usual creative territory and designed the website for the series as well as all the graphics for their promotional stuff and social media sites.  I even animated the logos for Rolling Person Productions and Dracogen that you see at the end of every episode.

The series was released over the summer and I'm so thankful that I got to have a little hand in it.  Teal and everyone involved did an incredible job and they should all be extremely proud.  I'd definitely encourage you to check out My Gimpy Life right here:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8DFDC12B1B8CFC85

Also, check out the website: MyGimpyLife.com
And follow the show's Twitter feed: Twitter.com/MyGimpyLife
And like it on Facebook: Facebook.com/MyGimpyLife
And howsabout Google+?: https://plus.google.com/u/0/100522847194674207229

Get to it, would ya?

Next up, in early spring, I started work on another project I couldn't pass up on.  Sébastien Lefebvre of the band Simple Plan was about to release a solo EP and wanted an animated music video for one of the songs.  It still baffles me that I got this chance, but before too long, we discussed things, agreed on a concept, and I got started.  About 270 hours of animation later, the video for My Dear was complete.

The video debuted in July and to my relief, the response has been overwhelmingly positive.  A few months have passed and every time I watch it, I'm beyond proud of what we came up with.  I can't thank Sébastien enough for letting me be part of it.
And a very special thanks to my buddy, Rich, for helping make the whole thing happen!

Take a look and tell me what you think!

http://youtu.be/WNn3UQ2i8zQ?hd=1

In July, after a year of quiet planning, I embarked on an insane trip.  Mom, Dad, and I drove from Ohio to California.  For Comic Con.

We were away for 19 long days, so chronicling everything would be an exhausting task at the moment.  For now, I'll just share a few brief personal highlights from those 19 days.

-On the way out, I spent the night in Phoenix (where it was 115 degrees) and finally got to meet my dear friend, Leah D'Emilio, after years of friendship.

-I got into the Warner Brothers panel at Comic Con and got to see the first footage of Man of Steel presented by director Zack Snyder and the new Superman himself, Henry Cavill.  To this Superman nerd, it looks incredible.

-I also got to see a ton of footage from the upcoming Hobbit movies presented by Peter Jackson and the cast.  Nerd bliss.  I can't wait to visit Middle Earth again.

-I unexpectedly got to meet a personal creative hero of mine, Bruce Timm.

-I met Power Girl.

-I met William, Bert, and Tom.

-We got to see old friends, Sharon & Jim, for the first time in years.  Unfortunately, I was a bit under the weather, so I couldn't fully enjoy our visit to Brent's Deli.

-On my last night in California, Teal & Ali invited us over for dinner.  Even though I was sick, hanging out with Teal, Ali, Marisa, Dan, and Bre the wonderdog was fantastic.  I wish I could get together with my California friends more often.

After nearly three weeks away, we came home to Matthew showing off his newly learned skill of bike riding.  The kid taught himself how to ride in just one day.  Uncle pride right there.

A few weeks after getting back from California, I had another little trip planned to see Chantal Kreviazuk and Raine Maida play shows at Jackson-Triggs in Niagara.  Mom, Maude, and I went up and had some fun, but we cut the trip short when we found out my grandma had a mild heart attack.  We came home to see her before she went in for bypass surgery.  The surgery went well, but she's still on the long, speedbump-filled road to recovery.  Love you, Granny!

Before coming back from Canada, we did get to take in Chantal's show at the winery.  To say I'm glad we saw it would be an understatement.  Sitting there under the clear Canadian night sky, sipping wine as Chantal played and a cool breeze swept across the hillside...it was the most relaxed I've felt in a long, long time.  I needed it.

Things have been off-kilter lately with everything going on with Grandma, so I haven't been super productive these past few weeks, but that's just the way it goes sometimes.  Family comes first.
There are still new, awesome things coming though.
Soon.

And the last update for this entry?  I'm 30 now.

Yep.

Jacob's Semi-Yearly Year's End Review of the Year- 2010

Well, kiddos...it's been a crazy year. Who's up for a little recap?

Way back in January, after a hiatus that was much longer than intended, I resumed work on The Girl and the Ghost.

As I animated that, Larry and the gang finished and premiered Dolly Oxem's Traveling Video Circus.

I worked right through February and in March, realized that at some point, the music video for Sex Love and Honey had snuck past 100,000 views without me noticing.

Mom and I took off to Toronto for a few days and attended a pair of amazing back-to-back Our Lady Peace concerts. (A blog entry for this trip is still coming. Really.)

A few days after getting back from the trip, we had The Meeting. The 4Reelz crew came together for a meeting which I consider to be the official start of the journey known as Four Tanks and a Healer.

As work on Ghost continued into April, the schedule for Four Tanks and a Healer began to sink in. I knew I couldn't handle them simultaneously, so I reluctantly put The Girl and the Ghost on hold once again and started animation on Four Tanks.

Toward the end of the month, I took in a fantastic concert by The Swell Season.

The summer was comprised of endless long hours of animation. By the time August rolled around, I was in massive need of a break. Mom and I swung up to Niagara Falls for a few days and saw Chantal & Raine play two shows at the Jackson-Triggs winery.

It was a great break and an unforgettable experience.

August also saw the release of my personal favorite movie of the year- Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. 112 minutes of pure movie fun.

Before the month was over, Superman paid us a visit.

Christopher Dennis, the Hollywood Boulevard Superman, was in town to film a scene for The Long, Slow Death of a Twenty-Something with Larry. After filming, they stopped by my house. Not many people get surprises like that.

September got off to a bumpy start. A fun night out at the wine bar with Corey, Eric, and Beth ended with heavy rain basically frying my wheelchair's controls.

This left me stranded with a dead chair for my birthday and a couple weeks beyond. It sucked, but I got a lot of animation done.

Once my chair was semi-functional, Mom and I spent a day at the zoo. A weekday in late September is definitely the time to go. Everyone's at school and work and you pretty much have free reign of the place. It's pretty nice.

The work continued through October. When Halloween arrived, Matthew was ready. His love for Toy Story was apparent by his costume choice.

In early November, I allowed myself another little break and headed up to Niagara again with Mom. This was a very laid back trip consisting mostly of eating, drinking, and a Chantal concert. It was a short, but sweet getaway.

Upon returning, I buckled down for the home stretch and finally finished animating Four Tanks and a Healer after seven months.

In the following days, I re-learned how to relax just in time to enjoy Thanksgiving and Matthew's 3rd birthday. Still can't believe the little bugger's already three.

In December, I sat down and just wrote for the first time in months and it felt great. I now have a script for a brand new animated short film.

On the 18th, we all gathered at Pufferbelly in Kent for the wrap party for Four Tanks and a Healer and The Long, Slow Death of a Twenty-Something.

A few days later, it was time for Christmas and all the fun that comes with it.

Now, I'm sitting here in the early hours of 2011, just reflecting to myself on 2010 after spending New Year's Eve with Mom and Matthew. If I had to pick a word for the year, I guess it would be "strange." I spent most of the year with my nose in my laptop, racing toward the animation deadline. The working hours seemed to drag on forever and stressed me out to my wit's end. Oddly, that made the rest of the year fly by. I honestly barely even remember the summer. So, it was a productive year, but a strange one.

The highlight? Watching this butthead...

...grow into this butthead.

So, what's up for 2011? First and foremost, I'm jumping in and FINALLY finishing The Girl and the Ghost.

After that, I'll be tackling the new short, which I really think will be amazing. I'm extremely excited about this one.

And what of Four Tanks? Well, Larry has meetings scheduled with some big TV networks out in LA at the end of January, so we'll see.

Here's hoping 2011 is a great one. Happy New Year, guys!

Big Things

So, I'm still working on bouncing back from the pneumonia thing (and now, a cold on top of that), but I'm getting there and things are happening. I've been writing and Larry's been writing and there are new projects in the works. But they're still cooking, so stay tuned for more info on those.

On Monday, the folks over at Fan Cinema Today posted a review of The Greatest Fan Film of All Time.
My personal favorite part?

"Despite all the yuks, however, there are moments when the movie shifts moods. The flick starts out with baby Superman’s departure from Krypton, which is depicted with a melancholy that Richard Donner never managed to achieve. Later, too, when the bad guys have all but won, the tone is genuinely grim—not an easy thing to achieve in a fan film."

A scene from our fan film just got compared (and favorably) to a scene from Richard Donner's classic Superman film? A scene featuring Marlon Brando?
I can't wrap my head around that one. Wow. Just awesome.

Check out the whole review here:
http://fancinematoday.com/2009/04/20/the-greatest-fan-film-of-all-time-is-it/

If that's not enough, I got this text message from Larry on Tuesday.

"Stan Lee's people asked for fan film to show him"

I heard from Larry again today and I guess that'll actually be happening tonight.
It's insane. I seriously can't think about it too much, or I may go nuts.

I mean...Stan...Lee. Watching Fan Film.

Stan. Lee.

Canada (Better Late Than Never)

It's been bugging me that it's been two weeks since my trip and I haven't blogged about it yet, so I'm taking this opportunity to remedy that.

Day 1 - November 28th, 2006

I woke up still coughing, but determined not to let it derail my plans. While coughing, I hopped online and booked our room (last minute, I know) as Mom made sure everything was packed and ready. After some more coughing, we hit the road around 1:30, a little later than I'd have liked, but good enough.

The ride was nice and uneventful, not many people traveling on a Tuesday in late November. We pulled into the road stop nearing 4:00 and headed into Denny's. I was hungry, but worried eating would irritate my throat and make the coughing worse, so I took it slow. Everything went well until a tiny sip of Coke went down the wrong way and triggered a really bad coughing fit that kept us at the rest stop much longer than planned.

Once we finally made it to Niagara Falls, we missed a turn in the dark and ended up driving the exact same path we walked when we got lost back in September. There was an eerie feeling as we drove due to the thick fog/mist rolling across the road and the lack of people around. I could hear the Silent Hill theme in my mind. Through the fog, and in complete contrast to the creepy vibe, we could see the big display of Christmas lights they had set up along the road, which was pretty cool.

We ended up getting to the festively decorated Marriott around 8:00 and quickly settled into our room. And coughed. I was okay though, I was in Niagara Falls, I was comfy, and Veronica Mars was going to be on shortly. I switched to the channel to get ready and found...a rolling picture. It rolled through the entire show, but I was still able to follow and enjoy it.

Before too long, I took my medicine, had some soup, and called it a night.

Day 2 - November 29th, 2006

This was it, the day I had been looking forward to for months had finally arrived- the day of the Chantal Kreviazuk and Raine Maida concert. I was still coughing, but my spirits were high.

We were up early and had a few hours to kill, so we loaded into the van and headed to the Pen Centre in St Catherines. It was surprisingly crowded for the early afternoon of a Wednesday, it took fifteen minutes just to find a place to park.

I'll admit, I spent a little too much on DVDs, but hey, I'm allowed to every once in a while. I got myself Superman Returns, Trailer Park Boys: Season 5, Trailer Park Boys- Xmas Special and did some Christmas shopping as the music of Our Lady Peace played over the speakers in HMV.

We nibbled a bit in the food court, restocked our Kleenex supply at the drug store, and were on our way to the Centre for the Arts at Brock University, thanks to the helpful directions of a kind taxi driver.

We arrived just before 4:00 and made our way to the Sean O'Sullivan Theatre. You might be thinking that's pretty early to show up for a concert, but as I've said before, Chantal and Raine have always been extremely kind to my family and I, this time they invited us to the sound check. I couldn't fully wrap my head around it until we were actually in there. It was an amazing evening, most of which we were lucky enough to spend actually hanging out with Raine and Chantal.

The concert itself was fantastic and very intimate in the small venue. Raine opened with a poem before playing a handful of songs from his upcoming solo CD and a great acoustic version of Innocent. Chantal played a nice mixture of old favorites and newer songs from her most recent release, Ghost Stories. They both sounded absolutely great and put on an excellent show.

Many many MANY thanks to both of them for all of their kindness and such an unforgettable experience.

Chantal & Me

Me & Raine

After leaving Brock University, we headed back to the Falls, got takeout from Fridays, and headed up to the room to eat and sleep after a long and amazing day.

Day 3 - November 30th, 2006

Before heading home, I had one last mission: find out the name of the delicious wine I had on my birthday. Mom and I headed downstairs to the Terrapin Grille, I looked at the menu, and found it. Jackson-Triggs. Fantastic, I tell you.
We were told we could find it much cheaper at a liquor store or the duty free shop. Works for me.

On our way back to the room to pack, we discovered we were locked out of our room, despite having requested a later check out time. Turns out it was just a mix up and they forgot to update our keys, a quick visit to the front desk fixed that.

I gazed out the window as Mom packed and made a couple quick phone calls. The weather was mild, hovering around 60 degrees the whole time, but the grey look of winter was always lingering on the horizon. It was very strange to see Niagara Falls so devoid of tourists. We never saw more than twenty people on the walkway overlooking the Falls.



Before long, we were on our way. It was funny, the bellman who helped us get our stuff from the room to the van actually remembered us from our last visit.

We made a quick stop at the duty free shop and grabbed some of the wine before crossing the Peace Bridge and heading home.

It was a much quicker trip than two days before, but the weather made it a bit less relaxed. We had heavy winds the whole way through New York. It felt like a giant had the van in its grasp and would randomly give a violent shake.

As we crossed into Pennsylvania, the winds died down and were replaced with dark clouds and torrential downpours. The rain stayed with us for the rest of the drive.

We arrived home just after 5:00 to share our travel stories and relax after the drive. Looking back, I know I normally never would have left the house with a cough like that, but I'm so glad I pushed myself. This experience was 100% worth it.

The Time of the Season

I don't like the Fall. Sure, the leaves and the big billowy clouds are beautiful, but then there's also the days getting shorter, the air getting colder, and the overall dreary look of it, which leads to the complete lack of desire to leave the house.

On the bright side, it's also the start of the new TV season.

In the new show category, I'm already a fan of Heroes, but I'm really loving Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. It's just brilliant, I'm hooked.

Last Thursday was great with My Name is Earl, The Office, Grey's Anatomy, and ER all premiering, but tonight, my Superman sweet tooth gets its fill with the premier of Smallville.

And then next week is the season premier of my most recent TV show obsession, Veronica Mars. Jenny got me hooked over the summer. I got the first disc of season 1 from Netflix and I wasn't quite sure what to think. It had some really cool elements and it was really unique, but something left me feeling iffy. Maybe it was Paris Hilton guest starring in the second episode.
By the end of disc 2, I was completely hooked and itching to see the resolution of the Lily Kane murder mystery. The investigation spanned the entire season and somehow managed to never get old or tiresome, plus, after you've suspected everyone of being the killer, the big reveal at the end actually delivered.
I got Mom hooked and when the season 2 DVD set came out, we watched the whole thing in just 3 or 4 days.
The show is just excellent. Great cast, great characters, and fantastic writing.
So now we're eagerly awaiting the start of season 3 on Tuesday.

Okay, it looks like this Fall should be alright.

Batman News and Other Updates

Hey gang, got some cool news! Last Thursday, I saw the finished version of Batman's Gonna Get Shot in the Face. I'm gonna be honest and I hope I don't sound too cocky, but this is going to blow Revolution out of the water. I'm extremely proud of how it turned out and I'm hoping everyone else enjoys it too.
Larry's talking about doing a premier for Batman and his new short film, The Losers Have a Junkyard. There aren't any details on the premier yet, but for now, you can view new trailers for both films over at Bullcrank.com

I also have to mention that late Friday night, Nintendo: OldSchool Revolution passed 400,000 views at iFilm and it's still going strong! It's like the little cartoon that could.

So, I've now been done animating Batman for almost two weeks. I'm definitely enjoying the break, but I'll admit, it's pretty weird not having a project waiting for me every day. After the initial aimlessness of the first couple days post-Batman, I haven't had much trouble finding ways to keep myself busy. I've actually been working on quite a few projects and hobbies. So far I've...

• Started rewriting a script of mine.

• Resumed reading Neil Gaiman's Smoke and Mirrors.

• Gotten roped into Monopoly madness with Mikey, Brendan, and Corey.

• Created some new artwork.

So, yeah, I'm keeping my hands full, but looking forward to the next big project.
Closing thoughts for now: Go see Clerks II, it's great. And while you're at it, see Superman Returns. That movie's amazing and beautiful and deserves more love from the moviegoing public.

Jacob's 2004 Adventure: Part III- On the Road

August 30th arrived. I had gone to bed early the night before, but because of my excitement level I wasn’t able to sleep. Mom and I got up at 6:00 AM and got ourselves ready. I calculated that if we hit the road at 9:00 AM we would easily be able to make it to Toronto by 4:00 PM. A little after 8:30 we left to pick up Grandma. When we got to her house we got some frustrating news. My aunt, who lives about 45 minutes away, hadn’t even left her house yet!
I was fuming, this could throw a wrench into the gears of my whole plan. At 10:00 AM she showed up and we were on our way. We were an hour late and Mom knew what to do: drive fast (while of course obeying all speed limits and traffic laws...mostly.)

Though the weather was rainy and at times foggy, the ride was beautiful. I sat in the passenger’s seat wearing my lucky Superman shirt I had been wearing when I met Chantal Kreviazuk (that's another story in itself). I hoped it would bring me luck again that day.

Armed with my iPod and lots of good music, I helped Mom navigate and enjoyed the scenery. One of the things that sticks out the most in my memory was a sight somewhere in Pennsylvania. As we cruised along on the freeway, we crossed high above some valleys and rivers, when we did, we were almost level with the treetops of the forests running along the road. At that height, it struck me how beautiful it was to see the mist lingering above the roof of the trees. It reminded me of something out of prehistoric times in a way.
The fog got pretty dense as we passed into New York, but that was short-lived. The closer we got to the Canadian border the better the weather got. Shortly after we crossed the border, the sun finally came out and shone down upon our road.

Just after we passed Niagara Falls, our stomachs were empty and our bladders were ready to burst, so we stopped to remedy those issues. After a quick slice of pizza, we loaded back into the van and headed for the QEW. It was roughly 3:30 I think, still behind schedule, but I hadn’t lost hope yet.

Around 5:00 I finally saw Toronto emerging over the horizon. I was so excited, the city looked beautiful. Gleaming skyscrapers everywhere you turned, everything looked so clean, and the sight of the people quickly walking down the sidewalks after getting out of work was something straight out of a movie. To my Superman-loving eyes, it looked like Metropolis had been ripped right out of the comic books and I was smack dab in the middle of it.

It took a little while to find our way to the Air Canada Centre, but we persisted and made it there. We hurried inside and went straight to the box office to pick up the tickets that were waiting for us.

I had some time to kill before doors opened and I had traveled nearly three hundred miles, so I decided to check the place out and see what I could see. Mom and I went back outside and walked around the building. I was shocked to actually find a door marked “Stage Door.”
Outside of the door were a bunch of security guards taking their breaks, having cigarettes, etc. I decided to play it cool and hang around for a bit. In my mind, me playing it cool greatly resembles Richie Cunningham trying his best to act like The Fonz. After a little while, I made my way over to the guards and asked if this was where the band comes in, but he told me they had already been inside for a couple hours. I was obviously disappointed, but had nothing better to do than continue to wait around, so I did.

When I’m determined to do something, I like to think that I’m nearly unstoppable, you can’t kill my hope and motivation. At the same time, I’m not too naive to know when I’m defeated. It was 7:00, I was tired, discouraged, and I admitted defeat, so Mom and I headed inside. Having not slept the night before, I was feeling a bit grumpy and to be completely honest, if it wasn’t The Corrs, I really wouldn’t have been in the mood for a concert.

A short time later I got to my seat in the chilly arena, home of the Maple Leafs. I met up with a friend from the message board, Richard, who I had met at the Cleveland show. We swapped our travel stories and as he left, I told him to send my friend, Steph, up to see me if he bumped into her. It was then that something completely unexpected happened, as a result, Steph wouldn’t find me until after the concert.

Meanwhile a few rows back (When buying tickets, we were only allowed to buy two seats in the disabled section, so my aunt and grandma were sitting a few rows behind us) my aunt was amused by the fact that we traveled to Toronto and people here knew me. What can I say? I’m a schmoozer.

As I sat there wearing my Superman shirt in this Metropolis-lookalike city, I could barely believe my eyes when I saw a tall, muscular, completely bald Lex Luthor clone coming up the stairs. Instinct from years of comic books had me ready for a battle or at least some intense witty banter. Thankfully it didn’t come to that, being tired and all it certainly wouldn’t have been one of my better performances.
I watched him and was surprised to see he was indeed coming to me. Who was this? Someone from the message board I hadn’t met yet?
He came right in front of me and spoke.
My aunt couldn’t take the mystery anymore and came down by us to find out what was going on.
The following is what was said to the best of my recollection. For storytelling purposes, I’ll affectionately refer to him as “Lex.”

LEX
What’s your name?

ME
...Jacob.

LEX
Jacob Drake?

ME
...Yeah?

LEX
Who are you with?

ME
My mom, aunt, and grandma.

At this point you could see him stop and think about it.

LEX
We thought you’d be here with your parents. We have passes for you and two guests to meet the band.

After they resuscitated me, he told me to follow him.
I raced against the general flow of traffic in the main corridor of the Air Canada Centre as fast as I could, trying to keep up with him. It was like time slowed down as I bobbed and weaved through the crowd. This news had completely eliminated any feeling of tiredness I had just moments ago. I felt as though I was in a dream, after so many years of hoping for a chance like this, I was just minutes away from meeting The Corrs.

Eventually we got to a little waiting area, he told me to wait there and eventually “a big black guy in a red t-shirt” would come to take me downstairs.

As I sat there waiting, my mind and heart raced. I don’t remember the last time I had felt even close to this nervous. It was so bad that I had to keep wiping my hands because they were sweating so much. I could hear the opening act go on, but up to the point that I’m writing this I still have no idea who it was.

Fifteen minutes later a gentleman came up and started talking to us, it turns out he was one of the band’s tour managers. He was very cool and told us it was alright to take pictures, give gifts, or have them autograph anything I might have with me. He told us that as soon as they finished with another group of people, someone would come and get me. When he left I got my picture and book ready while Mom got the camera ready.

A few minutes later, the big black guy in a red t-shirt appeared. This was it, it was time.

We piled into the elevator and went downstairs. We were joined by four or five other people, they were contest winners I believe. I was led around a corner and down a hallway, I felt like such a bigshot. At the end of the hall was a door that was just slightly cracked open, I knew this was our destination. My excitement and nerve levels skyrocketed. All I could think was “Are they actually in there?” As we got there and entered, I found the room was empty. Disappointing, but a relief at the same time, now I had a few more minutes to try calming myself.

The room was quite nice and luxurious. Leather couches all around, a refrigerator, and a big plasma TV hanging on the wall. The contest winners sat off to the right of me as I got comfortably seated directly across the from where we had come in. They chit chatted about their jobs, sports, and the like. I wondered to myself how they could be calm enough for casual conversation while my main focus was trying my best not to hyperventilate and/or wet my pants.

Twenty minutes or so passed, it was nearly 9:00, they were to go on stage shortly, where were they?
At this point I was surprisingly calm. I remember I looked down at the ground for a second and when I looked back up I saw a tiny figure silhouetted in the doorway I had just come in. Time slowed down and as it hit me, I thought to myself “Holy shit...it’s Andrea Corr...”

She glided across the room, coming directly towards me. She was followed by Sharon and Jim. She waved to the other people, but kept coming in my direction. As she got closer, she spoke.

ANDREA
Hello, Jacob...

JACOB’S BRAIN
Holy shit! She knows my name!

ANDREA
We got your letter, it was beautiful. We loved it, thank you.

JACOB’S BRAIN
Holy shit! They read my letter!

With that she leaned in, hugged me, and kissed me on my cheek. I’m amazed I had the ability to speak after that.
There I was, talking to three of the four Corr siblings. To say it was surreal would be an enormous understatement.
It was such a rush to me, but sadly, a lot of it is blurry in my memory. Even so, what I do remember, I remember clearly.

We briefly talked about the Cleveland concert, I said how great it was and then Andrea said something unexpected. She not only mentioned the signs I had (she remembered!), but she also said that my last one made her laugh and it was what made her forget the lyrics to “Breathless”! Even though I probably should feel bad about making her mess up, I can’t help but smile when I think about it.

I gave them the picture I had made and they were kind enough to sign my personal copy and my copy of the Corner to Corner book. Then they gathered around me and we took a couple pictures together.
Looking back at the pictures I’m still awestruck that I’m in the same picture as them, that their hands were touching my wheelchair, that Andrea is holding a picture that I made. Little things like that just blow me away.

One by one they wandered over to mingle with the other guests, but Sharon seemed to hang around and talk with us the longest. Mom congratulated her on her soon to be born niece or nephew and we talked a little bit about how far we had driven to get there that night. This next bit I remember so clearly simply because I found her choice of words so damn adorable. After Mom commented on how tiring the drive was, Sharon replied by saying “Oh, I know. It’s a puffer.” Not being a word used in everyday conversations where I’m from, I absolutely loved it. Puffer.
As Sharon was about to join Jim and Andrea in mingling with the others, I made a decision. I decided to fight my shyness and speak up, so I did. I blurted out “I’ve got to ask...can I get a hug?” I’m so glad I spoke up, it got me a hug from the lovely Sharon Corr.

Still in shock after meeting them and unable to believe that they were still just feet away from me, I sat there with the biggest smile across my face you would ever see. At some point my aunt noticed Jim had forgotten to sign my book. When it comes to shyness, Aunt Karen is the exact opposite of me, the word “shy” doesn’t exist for her. That said, let me give an example of her in action.
Without hesitation, she walked across the room, grabbed Jim by the arm, and told him he forgot to sign the book. When she came back I couldn’t say anything due to the fact that my jaw was dropped after seeing her do that.
Being the great guy that he is, Jim graciously came back to sign my book before heading for the stage.

As the three left the room, they waved and said it was lovely to meet me. All I could think was “Who the hell am I? It was lovely meeting you!”
Jim was last in line as they made their exit. I called out and said “Come back to Cleveland soon!” He turned as he walked, waved and said “We’ll be back!” With that, they were gone.

I sat stunned. Did that really just happen? So much happened so fast it was like those few moments when you first awake from an incredible dream. You feel the joy from experiencing such a great dream, yet you also feel sadness in knowing it was nothing more then a dream. For me there was none of that sadness. Dreams do not write their names on your artwork. Dreams do not take pictures with you. Those facts and the memories make me smile because they remind me: on August 30th, 2004...my dream came true.

Before we even left the room, I could hear that they were already on stage and starting to play “Humdrum”. By the time we got back to our seats they had already finished it and were beginning “Only When I Sleep”.

Again, the concert was phenomenal, though my mind remained backstage replaying the night’s events over and over again. As a result, the two hour long concert seemed to speed by in about fifteen minutes.

After the show, Steph finally found me. When I told her what had happened earlier, her jaw dropped and her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. The look on her face was priceless.

I gave her a copy of the picture I made and she and her father walked with us for a bit as we left.

Shortly after 11:00 PM we were on the road again and headed back to Niagara Falls. As I gazed out my window and watched the streetlights silently whiz past in the night, I reflected on my long, but amazing day.

After the long post-concert drive, we arrived at our hotel at 1:30 AM. We wearily unloaded our suitcases and went inside. Before leaving home, Mom had called and let them know we'd be a very late arrival and to hold our room...so of course we get inside and find out they gave our room away. We protested a little to the concierge, but we were exhausted. He gave us free valet parking for the night, put us in a cityview room, and said we could get into our original room the next day. We were too tired to argue, so we went up to the room. I knew I would have sweet dreams that night.

Caged Bird

I'm so incredibly restless lately. I'm suddenly feeling a lot of anger and frustration towards my surroundings. I guess I'm just really sick of this city and even the surrounding cities. It seems all the places I used to love to go have either changed so much they've lost their charm or they're just not even there anymore.

Sea World used to be my favorite place in the world. It was a challenge to see everything I wanted to see in just one day, but we always did it. The best part came at nightfall. As soon as it got dark, everyone in the park headed for the lake to see the big fireworks show, but not me. I would make my way to the Dolphin Cove to experience a magic like no other. With everyone watching fireworks, the Dolphin Cove area was empty, so it was basically just a group of bottlenose dolphins and me. I've never felt such a sense of peace and wonder as I did on those nights, I'd go so far to say it was a spiritual experience. Sadly, a few years ago Six Flags bought Ohio's Sea World and those nights ended for me when it was changed into an amusement park.

In Sea World's absence, I had to find a new special place for myself. For a while it was Tower City in downtown Cleveland. It's basically just another mall, but it had a big highlight for me: The Warner Bros. Store. It was a nice reason to make our way downtown and I got to see tons of great Superman stuff. A few years ago almost all of the WB Stores closed. I think there's still one in Times Square, but that's a bit out of range.

So, I now find myself in the midst of summer, the ultimate time of year where the opportunities are endless...or at least that's how it used to be. Instead I'm in a constant battle against a formidable enemy called boredom. I try the old fail-safe activities like going for walks or seeing movies. It kills some time, but there's no lasting feeling of satisfaction afterwards. In an attempt that couldn't possibly fail, I go to the mall. All my life the mall has been a sure fire way to occupy yourself for two or three hours easily. Yet now most of the stores I liked are gone and I'm left with overpriced DVD, CD, and book stores. Within fifteen to twenty minutes, I'm so bored I wish I had never left the living room.

It's now dawned on me that there's nowhere around here that interests me, I don't even have a good hangout spot. Restlessness and anger are now settling in, knowing how many incredible things there are to see and do outside of Ohio, especially after my adventures in Toronto and Niagara Falls last year. I'd love nothing more than to pack up the van this very moment and start the journey back to Niagara Falls. See the view from the top of the Skylon Tower. Stroll down the bizarre area that is Clifton Hill. Go for a ride on the river aboard the Maid of the Mist. Look out over the Horseshoe Falls as I let the mist envelop and rejuvinate me. It would just what I need, but it's just not possible right now. Trips cost money, money I don't have. It's really annoying when little green pieces of paper are the key to the door that looms in front of you, but such is life, eh?

For now I guess I'll just have to start saving up as the battle with boredom continues. Or maybe I'll make a sign out of cardboard that says "Niagara Falls or bust", that could work too...

-Jacob

Playing Catch Up

Long time no blog. Sorry about that, folks. The host site was down for a while (gotta love free) and I just got distracted with various things, but you know me, I always find my way back. I'm like the annoying puppy you just can't shake.

Since it's been a while, let's just go over some of the notable things that've been happening in my little corner of the world.

-I gave in to social pressure.
Yes, I finally joined the cellular phone wielding community. It's nothing fancy, but it does the trick. Plus it was cheap, which is always nice.

-I got culture.
A few weeks ago I went to the Cleveland Museum of Art for the first time. I roamed the endless galleries with my main man Corey and the lovely Sara.

-I got owned.
Corey first taunted, then completely destroyed me at Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds. Not pretty.

-I got style.
I bought one of these babies. They look cool and they're for a good cause, check em out at the following link:
Christopher Reeve Foundation Dogtags

-Happy trails.
After a little farewell party at my house with Sara, Eric, and Monica, Corey packed all his things and made his way to New York City for his new job. Good luck, man!

-Episode III
I was one of the millions of sleep deprived nerds (some of whome were costumed) worldwide to show up for the midnight screening of Star Wars- Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. The review's coming soon, but for now I'll just say this...me likey.

-Change of plans.
Due to a few different circumstances, the feature film we've been working on is temporarily on hold. It looks like we'll now be filming it at some point next year, so there's more time to get the appropriate funding and so we can make sure the script is perfect. Or something like that, ask Zoe. ;) Instead this summer, we'll be shooting a short film. I've just finished the rough draft and sent it off to Zoe to see what she thinks. I'll give you more details next time...if you're good.

Until next time, stay beautiful, baby.

-Jacob

Good Day, Sunshine

Imagine, if you will, spending months on end sitting in a small place all by yourself. Your only human contact being with family and any friends willing to brave harsh elements and unfavorable conditions to come and visit. The internet and TV are your main windows to the outside world. It's not terrible at first, but after a few months, you begin to crack. You go stir crazy. This, my friends, is a little something I like to call a Cleveland winter.

Yesterday I, and the rest of northeastern Ohio, got just what was needed: an early taste of summer. A 70 degree day on March 30th, absolutely glorious.

I wheeled myself out into the sun and just let it soak in. I swear, I'm like Superman in that respect, I'm a solar battery. Let the sun shine down on me and it charges me up in a most unbelievable way. I'm almost instantly ready to go and you can't stop me until the wee hours in the morning. Unless it's a 90 degree sunny day, forget that.

So, after a minute, I decided to ride around the yard and test out my new chair to see how it handles driving in the grass. It's a bit bumpy, but nothing I can't handle. I darted up and down the street a bit, then my trusty sidekick and driver (or as I like to call her, Mom) was ready and we headed for the comic book shop.

Curse my weakness for the work of Alex Ross. I spent money I really shouldn't have spent on action figures based on painter Alex Ross' renditions of Superman, Bizarro, and The Flash. A bit expensive, but damn, they're cool looking.

Our next target was...Target. As we wandered past the DVD section, I heard the cries of a toddler who was either really really hungry or having a religious argument with his dear mommy. His screams were so passionate I couldn't quite make out the words, but I'm fairly sure he was yelling either "I want bacon!" or "I'm a Pagan!" Whichever it was, good luck to ya, kid. Now I'm hungry. Pagan bacon...mmm...
Anyway, I found a Wonder Woman figure I've been looking for for months. Score. Yeah, I have nerdish tendencies, shut up.

After a quick and uneventful sweep of Wal Mart, we dined at my personal favorite, Anthony's Family Restaurant. Great food, good prices, and cute waitresses. What's not to love?

About as full as we could get without actually exploding, we made our way home for American Idol, the only reality TV show I'll watch. Well, okay, I'm a sucker for Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, a show that actually does good things. Plus it's slightly amusing to predict at which point Mom's going to cry. For the record, it's usually about 1.5 seconds after "Bus driver, move that bus!" Back to Idol. As usual, they eliminated the wrong one in my opinion. Doesn't matter though, I think Bo's going all the way.

What a day, what a day. I top it off by sitting here in the wee hours of the morning typing all about it. I need more days like this. Sadly, they're already predicting more snow this weekend. It won't be long til summer's here, but it sure would be nice if it'd hurry up a bit.

-Jacob