Category: Blogs

Hello, my Creatures!

So, I realized that today’s Stick comic required a bit of elaboration. I like to go on rambles through the woods…pretty much whenever I get the chance. Which is a little more difficult given that I live on the outskirts of a thriving metropolis. Fortunately, for me, there are a number of parks in which I am free to go rambling in. SOME of the parks even have little off-the-beaten-path trails that I can go wandering on for hours without ever seeing another human being. Which is pretty sweet, sometimes (don’t worry, I always carry my phone with me and keep my headphones at a reasonable level to be able to hear potential Creepers or Animals.).

Sometimes this requires a little trekking through some mud (not that I ever go out of my way to find mud, mind you. I would never do such a thing!), and my favorite pair of Converse low-tops have seen some wear and tear over the years. To the point where 1950s Dad would rather see them go to the trash bin. But NO. I will never relinquish them. They were my first pair and remain my favorite, even though they have a ton of holes in them. Even though they have zero tread on the bottoms. And even though they are no longer baby-blue, but sort of a gray? color.

The bit in the comic about the mud is also true. Not sure if everybody out there is aware, but Georgia has red dirt. And it’s thick, more like a clay. And kind of a bane to most gardeners since it’s red color is due to it’s crappy nutrient content and it’s difficult to grow some things in. It’s also a disturbing sight for folks who’ve never seen it before, though the stuff’s pretty common throughout the Southeastern United States. But we have regular ol’ healthy black soil too.

And now your brief lesson on pedology (that’s the study of soil, folks!) is over. That’s all for now, Creatures, and as always: Thanks for reading!

Sorry for the lack of news updates, Creatures! (But let’s be real, you’re hear for comics, anyway, at least I hope so XD )

The past couple of weeks have been busy, busy, as I’ve been painting my Art Lair (since I don’t think I’m mature enough to have a studio!) and getting the yard all spruced up in between torrential downpours. Before-and-after pictures to get slapped up here soon though, so you all can see the crazy ideas I come up with when I’m allowed to purchase paint and throw it on the walls.

I’M AN ADULT!

That’s all for now, but more to come soon. And as always: Thanks for reading!

Happy Independence Day to all my American Creatures out there!

Hope it’s less dreary and rainy where you are, because it’s been pouring down rain all day yesterday, today, and it’s supposed to continue on through the rest of the weekend. So be sure to light some sparklers and set off some yucky soot-snakes for me! At least I can eat hot dogs and BBQ inside!

That’s all for now, and as always: Thanks for reading!

Good evening, Creatures.

I’ve just about gotten the comments thing figured out (finally). It comes down to basically I have to approve of a comment before it will appear, but once that happens, the commenter is free to make further comments later. It may seem a little confusing because a Creature may be approved for making comments on Life On a Stick but then goes to make a comment on On the Couch only to find their comment will have to “await moderation.” The short explanation for this is SurlyQueen is basically three sites in one, so you’d have to get approved again.

The comments section on this site is here because I enjoy talking with you all about my comics and my art, and, of course, to create a social atmosphere between my dear Creatures. I want to thank everyone who comments, it means a lot to me when someone takes the time to say something. I may not be able to answer them all, but that does not mean I’m not reading them or that I don’t appreciate them!

I also sincerely appreciate that the vast majority of the folks commenting around here have been pleasant and polite. A trend I’d like to see continue. There have not been many instances where I’ve felt the need to intervene, but since there have been a couple, here are some guidelines:

This one’s kinda long so here’s the Short Version: Be polite, don’t swear too much, and no shameless self-promotion!

Now for the expanded version!

Trolls and flame wars will not be tolerated. Last time I checked, I graduated from middle school, and I don’t have time for it. Nor do I feel that any of my readers should be subjected to it. Personal attacks or needlessly inflammatory comments will be dumped in the trash bin.

Keep swearing to a minimum. There’s a self-imposed PG rating on this site, because I’ve always believed that there’s a place for all-ages comics in this world, and there are kids that visit this site. I’m not naive enough to think that children aren’t going to learn these words out in the world, but they don’t have to learn them here. Most of the usual suspects have been added to a list of blacklisted words, so using one will alert me to moderate the comment, regardless of whether or not the person has previously been approved. I reserve the right to edit or remove the comment.

Self promotional comments are not acceptable and will be removed. My comments section is not the place for shameless plugs, and there are other places on the internet where one can advertise for free.

Finally, if there just isn’t something nice to say, it’s probably better off not being said. Cliche? Totally. But it works well for keeping up a harmonious community. If another person has said something that you think it ridiculous or stupid, you are not required to respond to them.

Most of you guys have been naturally following these guidelines anyway, but I know sometimes it’s tempting (not to mention easy) to spout off anonymously on the web. So think of this as a sign I’ll point to, if things get out of hand. I want to keep my corner of the internet civil and polite, and I think that can be done here. Keep up the good work, Creatures!

That’s all for now, and as always: Thanks for reading!

Oh, snap, Creatures.

I’ve just joined Good Reads. I don’t know how I managed to wait this long to join. Expect me to start telling you all what to read (and possibly what not to) in the near future.

That is all.

And of course, as always: Thanks for reading!

Good morning, Creatures.

I am what I like to call a Legacy Nerd.

My parents are nerds, and I am one too. Dad’s a rocket scientist (No. Really.) and Mom regularly schools me on things trending on the internet before I’ve even heard of them. Apparently, I’ve also been going to Sci Fi conventions since before I can remember. Or walk, for that matter. Not to mention the fact that I grew up in a city nicknamed “The Rocket City.” Sure, it’s in Alabama, but it’s not really what you would expect from the state when everyone there is an engineer and there are literal rockets included in the skyline (although, they took down the Saturn 5 rocket and lay it on its side to preserve it in its own massive building.).

What the heck does this have to do with Star Trek?!

Both of my parents were pretty big Star Trek fans when I was growing up, both regularly watching The Next Generation and Voyager. Though Mom gets slightly more nerd-cred here for watching all of Enterprise and owning the Star Trek cartoon series on DVD. I, on the other hand, recall Star Trek to be about the most boring thing in life when I was growing up. Not even deigning to be in the same ROOM when it was on.

Imagine my surprise when I went to go see the first installment of the J. J. Abrams’s flavor of the series. Despite my best efforts, I had a small emotional attachment to the original series. I recall listening to my parents fondly recall their favorite episodes from the original series and how much they loved the show when they were growing up, so I guess a sort of nostalgia had rubbed off on me by default. Plus the movie looked like it was going to be a crazy action flick in space, so I was in. I expected it to at least be entertaining.

I was NOT expecting to suddenly and inexplicably want to watch everything having to do with Star Trek ever.

It was like some huge, cartoonish nerd switch had been flipped over in my brain. I would devour ALL the Star Trek EVER. Including the cartoons. Including Enterprise. I would watch it while clutching my squeaky tribble plush that I got at a Star Trek convention my parents dragged me to when I was ten and RUE the fact that I hadn’t paid better attention at the aforementioned convention because I could have learned Star Trek things at it and I had missed that opportunity forever.

I knew where I could get the episodes. Mom and Dad, after all, have a lot of it in their DVD collection. I called Mom and told her what had happened and asked if I could borrow them at some point….

And she laughed.

TRIUMPHANTLY.

And said, “Ahahahaha! Your GENES are kicking in! Sure, you can borrow them.”

Well played, Mom. Well played.

I will begin my voyage on the Starship Enterprise today. Love or hate the latest incarnations of the franchise, know that they have brought another fan into the fold. Given my family’s history with the series, some might even say “home.”

That’s all for now, and as always: Thanks for reading!

Hello, my Creatures.

Since the most recent Life On a Stick comic took place during our excursion to the Georgia Renaissance Festival, it occurred to me that I never posted any pictures of myself in costume, here on the site. It’s a well-known fact that I will use the flimsiest of excuses to dress up in a ridiculous costume, and the Ren Fair is no exception. Heck, it’s not even really a flimsy excuse. It’s a great one.

I’m not really big on historical accuracy, so I usually go for fantasy-themed garb. This time was no exception, especially since my pal Jennie (of Devil’s Panties) TOTALLY twisted my arm and convinced me to go dressed as a kobold…Erm. Short version, for the non-Dungeons & Dragon-initiated out there: a kobold is small, lizard-like humanoid, of distant dragon lineage. Think of them kind of like really industrious, lizard-like vermin. I’ve come to adore the under-appreciated kobold (not surprising, given my affinity for real world under-appreciated creatures…I’m looking at you, possums! <3 ), and cobbled together a costume that went something like this:

Oh glob. Those pants.

Though, I must say, I am proud of how vibrant a shade of turquoise they turned out (thanks Rit Dye!)

And that is correct, folks. Costume comes complete with detachable tail that doubles a both a decoy AND a quick snack. This concludes this session of Pictures of SurlyQueen Dressed Like a Total Idiot!

That’s all for now, and as always: Thanks for reading!

Hello, my Creatures.

For those that have been following my sporadic Sunday Yard series, you may have learned that my back yard is full of Wonders and possibly Terrors.

I love having a yard, but I’m a grown person (or so I’m told) and THAT means that I have to take some responsibility for said yard. Growing up, my mom taught me that part of this responsibility is weeding. It’s hard work, but truth be told, it’s kind of turned out to be a zen like experience for me, and quite satisfying when I get to see a bucket full of weed-corpses drying in the hot Georgia sun. Mom made sure I knew the difference between what was a weed and what was not, so I was fairly confident when I marched out the front door to clear the land of all the stuff that didn’t belong there. Most of the stuff I was digging up was pretty standard: dandelions, little tree sprouts that had to come out because where they were growing was never going to be enough room for them once they got big…Anyway, the usual.

But then there were these Mysterious Other Plants.

Okay, I’m pretty handy when it comes to identifying plants, but I’d NEVER SEEN anything like these things before. These weird, little spriggy plants that stuck up above the grass line. They’re clearly not part of the grass itself, so I figured they must not belong there and went to dig them up.

I walked over to the largest patch of this Mysterious Other Plant and bent down to pull them up…

And nearly had a stroke.

Right there, in the front yard.

Because as I touched the Mysterious Other Plant, a swarm of something LEAPT INTO MY FACE.

This is the part where I nearly lost it, thinking I had stumbled upon some horrible insect swarm rising to defend their Mysterious Other Plant home and it actually took me a second to realize that I was not, in fact, covered in some sort of insectoid nightmare, since there was no buzzing, biting, or creepy crawly sensation of bugs taking a stroll on my precious skin.

Since there were no adverse effects, I decided to take the totally, completely, scientific approach and poke the Mysterious Other Plant again….which yielded the same result. They were seeds. SEEDS.

Sure, plenty of plants disperse seeds in a variety of airborne methods. Dandelions puffs, maple propellers…All kinds of stuff. But unlike the gentle release caused by a cool spring breeze, seeds dropping gracefully to the ground below, THESE seeds, the seeds of the Mysterious Other Plant EXPLODE FORTH INTO THE AIR WITH ALARMING VELOCITY.

Which is ACTUALLY………Pretty cool.

Which THEN led to me poking ALL of the Mysterious Other Plants in the yard…..

Which will ultimately result in my entire lawn being utterly wrought with this fairly invasive, difficult-to-get-rid-of weed (which, by the way, I finally learned is called bittercress!)

*sigh*

That’s all for now, and as always: Thanks for reading!

Hello, Creatures.

It occurred to me that most of you might not know how to play hopscotch.

In fact, I was not entirely sure I remembered how to play hopscotch, so I had to turn to the trusty Internet for answers. Guys, this game is crazy old, with variations dating all the way back to Ye Olden Times…which, I guess shouldn’t have really surprised me, given that it’s a pretty simple game. Turns out I did pretty much remember the game, and I will REVEAL ITS SECRETS TO YOU!*

You can play by yourself (you know if you wanna) but it’s better if you get a gaggle of kids together, draw out the court, and grab a couple of rocks to get started.

Each kid takes a turn tossing their rock down in each successive numbered box, one for the first turn, two for the second, etc. Then they hop over the box with the stone in it and proceed down the course. When they get to the tenth box, they turn around, head back down the course, stopping in the box ahead of their rock to pick it up, hop over the box that had the stone in it again and finish the turn.

That was confusing.

The first turn would go like this: The player tosses the stone down in One box, then hops over the One box and into the Two box, then proceeds up the course, hopping in every box until they get to the Ten box. In the Ten box, the play turns around, and proceeds back down the course, once again hopping in every box until they stop at the Two box to pick up their stone in the One box. Once the stone is retrieved, the player hops over the One box to finish the turn. Repeat the process with each successive box. The player loses the turn if they throw their rock outside of the designated box, if they step on a line, or put both feet in one square. First player to complete the entire board: A Winner Is You!

*Seriously, this is the reason why women live longer than men. Here’s a video (Eddie Izzard explains hopscotch. It’s Izzard, so there’s some language in there. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.)