Today is going to be dedicated to getting back on track.  It's been a nice week and a half (or so) of lazing about and generally doing nothing, but seriously guys: we have active, creative minds that demand progress and productivity.  To slack off in our creative endeavors is to forsake what drives us to wake up in the morning.

Let this be a call to action--a kick in the pants for everyone who just hasn't "felt like it" for the past few days (myself included).

Heather: have you been editing, love?  If not, hop to it!

Ibrahim: you've slacked off on the fourth challenge as much as I have.  Call it, bitch, so I can give out more free stuff.  And remember, your video has to be at least as good as Victor's.  There's a steamy photo in it for you if it's better.  Oh yeah, I went there.

Emily: I have the highest standards for you because I know how great a writer you are.  I'll be posting my plans for you later, as well as repeating them in the new krumbinesBRAIN when I upload that.

Jez: You are fucking PACKING up your life and getting ready to hit the road for a year!  You can't muster up any sort of chronicling of this experience?!  Also, was there any follow up on the Cecil project?  If there's no interest in it, that's cool.

BillO: You're the biggest, laziest, sonofabitch of them all!  Okay, maybe I just said that for effect and didn't really mean it, but I'll draw you're attention to Emily's note for your action as well.

Middlebrook: Get off your lazy ass, get back on YouTube, and make a new Middlebrook's Advice.  I'm beginning to forget how the theme song goes.

TO EVERYONE: Today marks the first birthday of Talking Heads.  To celebrate, I would like everyone to make a video simply saying why they like the show.  I'll be posting a krumbinesBRAIN episode tonight for which you can add your videos as responses.  Shortly after I collect a good number of videos, there will be a massive Talking Heads Anniversary video, featuring all of your comments.

Finally, I'm elevating the challenge series to a new level with something I'm calling "Apocablog".  Like I said, this one is for you Emily (BillO, take note!).  Apocablog is the epitome of a creative challenge.  You're goal is to create a character who is living in the end of times.  It can be a meteor impacting the earth, a zombie apocalypse, or even the good lord himself, smiting his creation ... you create a character who is vlogging the end of days.  I challenge you to take your time with this project and craft something as creative and compelling as possible ... and your goal is to up the ante once a week, as the end grows ever nearer.

That's Apocablog ... and it's starts next Wednesday.  I'll post a script I wrote so you can get a better idea of what the concept is, but the idea is to invent your own character and your own set of circumstances.

And now, after much debate and agonizing over the comments, I've decided that the winner of my random give-away will be Em, TheStarvingSoprano.  Email me your shipping address and I'll send you a copy of the book!  Also, if you've been on the fence about buying a book, I'd emphatically encourage you to do so--I'm only $2.50 shy of receiving my first remission payment for the book sales!

As always: stay creative!

You guys are too generous.  I like to try and respond to everyone's comments, but you all flooded me before I much woke up this morning!

Still, you guys are generous.  That short story was something that came to me in the hour before I went to bed myself.  I was reading Obsquatch's blog and he made mention of "2:26" and I kind of just took it from there (thanks, dude!).  I try and put a little more purpose into a story, but this one, well, I didn't.  Which is why you guys are too generous.

The intention was to hint at the subtext of the writer's life, the reasons he enjoys sleep more than his waking life ... all without actually getting into those details.  It was a short story and I was giving myself less than an hour to write it.

So, I know that it's shallow on the surface, despite the miniscule effort to beef up the subtext.  I think you ended being so generous because of everyone's ability to relate to it it: everybody prefers their dreams at least once in their life.

Anyway, to show my gratitude for all of the support you've all showered upon me and the dedication you've exhibited by making the trek over from my youtube and twitter pages, I want to offer up a copy of one of the books--any book--as the prize to an impromptu contest.  To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment telling me which book you'd like to win and why.  I'll select a random winner at the end of the day (okay, tomorrow morning, just to be fair) and then send you the book.

Don't believe me?  Recent winners of my random prize giveaways include AngryPunkBronxKid (he got a t-shirt for pointing out the Talking Heads episode number anomaly) and FalconNeko (who also won a t-shirt for catching the recycled Beanie Boy theme music in the new krumbinesBRAIN).

I give away WAY too much shit.  No reason why you shouldn't receive some of it, right?

Also: I want to draw your attention to the sidebar on the right.  Underneath the the EotU:Vampires! banner, there's the first Zaphod Zombie comic that I made a little while ago.  I'm hoping to hash out more scripts and do a few more comics when I have a chance ... nothing regular, mind you ... I just enjoy the characters and believe they deserve to continue to be realized in some form or another.  Regular comics will be coming soon in the form of Explorers of the Unknown.  Yes, there are big doings developing behind the scenes!

Stay tuned and stay creative!