Good morning and happy Monday - last night I posted the 600th MEMO - it's been quite a journey. I grew up wanting to spend my life writing/drawing a comic strip in the newspapers, but that dream got derailed by many things, including, and especially, a lack of confidence. However, I carried that dream in my back pocket and, in 2016 when I met the Mister, he found it and pulled it out suggesting that I continue. Even though the time has probably passed for me to attain that dream, I love posting on line. The strip has never led to anything job-wise, but I have fun and a few of my friends like it, so perhaps that's enough (it's not, but I feel kind of powerless - I know there are people making some sort of living out of it but I am baffled as to how they do it).
Anyway, appropo to the strip, if there's something you want to do, go out and do it. Doesn't matter your age, just do it. Do it now. And take the advice of "Deborah Vance" on Hacks, suck the marrow out of life even if you're not "of a certain age"; do not let life pass you by.
Despite my longing for a comics career, I still have managed to do a lot of things that have given me immense joy: events work, fundraising, emcee work, officiating, the Macys Parade and so many other things. I've been able to travel and am very grateful to have a lot of friends spread all over the place.
Which leads me to a thing I've been doing the past couple months - the "Everything is Possible Tour". It's not really a Tour per se, I suppose since I'm not performing or signing anything or whatever... I'm just visiting friends and seeing sights in different places adding "2024" chapters to many friendships that may not have had a current chapter in a long long time. Given how busy I can get with a corporate events job, it's been a blessing to have had this time to rekindle a number of friendships from across space and time. So far I've been to Washington DC, Philadelphia, LA, San Francisco, Somoma county, and Palm Springs. The Mister and I also spent a few days in the Catskills and reconnected with a friend of his that we hadn't seen in a long time. I'm taking a brief hiatus during the holidays and focusing on home bound things but hope to get to Houston, Minneapolis, and Chicago in 2025. You know, if you have a little travel literacy, you can get to places on very little cost - especially if you don't rent a car. I've found the biggest expense, though, is hotel rooms (not surprising, I suppose, but sheeesh!).
Ok this is pretty long and I'm going to wrap up - but if you are a comics professional and would be interested in mentoring and/or if you are a Friend of Andrew and are somehow reading this and we haven't connected lately, drop a note to me and let's chat.
Have a fabulous week ahead!
