50

Since I got off work today, I played with Logan and took him for a few walks, worked on inking and lettering tomorrow's comic, and if time permits, I might start start carving pumpkins later on. Not a bad day at all.

I'm feeling more productive than I have in a long time, which is pretty awesome. I'm setting deadlines for myself and actually meeting them.

To anyone who's known me for a while, this may come as a shock, but I'm becoming a bit of a morning person. Not that I'm happy to be up early exactly, but it's become a lot easier and I've got a lot more energy than I ever did before.

Procrastination and laziness don't come as easily/naturally as they used to, either. I've got far more drive to get things done than I did a few years ago, and that's a very good thing.

Tomorrow's comic is my 72nd one so far. I feel like taking a bit of a direction shift and having more fun with the various mythologies I'm playing with, so we'll see where it goes from here.

I'm definitely a supporter of the Occupy Wall Street movement. I think it's great that people are getting fired up about it, and it's high time people paid more attention to the cause of the economic issues we face today. However, I also wonder if all of the people protesting get out and vote in every election. Spreading awareness is an important, essential step, but without follow-through it won't achieve much.

Real change takes time. It doesn't just "happen", it's something that needs to be worked at consistently if it's going to stick. I think many people nowadays - young people especially, sorry - have become so accustomed to getting things instantly that they don't really recognize this. Change is something that has to be fought for, often an inch at a time. So be patient, have focus, and don't give up.

It's been a really long time since I've been on a decent roller coaster. Way, way too long.

I've been trying to regularly step back and remember that I'm a healthy, free human being with the ability to analyze my own thoughts, recognize patterns in my life, and adjust how I live accordingly. I'm incredibly lucky, and you probably are too.

I'm trying to be less nostalgic. There has always been a lot of good mixed in with a lot of bad, and just because something's more familiar or feels more natural doesn't mean it's necessarily better.

Everyone gets put in situations beyond their control. It's usually not pleasant, but how you react to it and deal with it is something you can control, and speaks volumes about who you are.

Ultimately, if you're also a healthy, free human being, your life comes down to a series of choices. Are you happy with yours?

I honestly believe I would go through severe withdrawal if I didn't have my iPod. It's become essential to everyday living for me. I feel so spoiled about this sometimes.

"Community" is consistently one of the most clever, engaging and hilarious shows on television, and consistently its reward is low ratings. If you aren't watching it, you should really start. (Thursdays at 8/7c on NBC.)

I'm pretty excited for "Batman: Arkham City" (which came out yesterday), but I'm not going to buy it any time soon because I know I won't have time to play it. I actually haven't played a long video game in over nine months. I could make the time, but I have so many other priorities right now that I couldn't really justify it. I'm not complaining, though - I'm really happy with my life right now.

I'm totally into anything with a time-travel plot, I find the concept very interesting (at least when it's done well), but the thought of someone actually developing the technology to make it possible is absolutely terrifying.

A voice in the back of my head keeps telling me that I should buy a car. It would make certain things more convenient, but I don't actually need one, and in a lot of ways don't want one, either.

A different voice in the back of my head keeps telling me that I should buy a new computer. I don't need one of those either, but if my current one were to have problems or die on me (it's four years old now) it would seriously screw up my ability to keep the comic going. So I'm considering it.

A third voice in the back of my head (jeez, I seem to have a lot of them) keeps telling me to splurge on a really nice, custom three-piece suit. Easily the least necessary purchase, but damn would it be nice to have.

I've successfully hooked my girlfriend on "Community", "Doctor Who" and "The Walking Dead". This is a huge personal achievement. (Okay not really.)

I believe that people, in general, have more chances to get help than they think. The fact is that nobody ever got anywhere alone, not really. And while self-reliance is a good quality to have and is important in a lot of ways, I feel it's important to reach out to others when you need to, and if anything, doing so will only make your life easier and happier.

As time goes on, I feel less and less shame. I keep realizing that I had no reason to feel any in the first place.

One of my absolute favourite things to do is run around the house playing with Logan like I'm a sugar-addled 8-year-old.

Every time I lick an envelope, I flash to that episode of "Seinfeld" where George's fiancée died from licking the toxic glue on old wedding envelopes. Every time.

I can't leave the house without triple-checking that the door is locked. Same goes for locking car doors and checking that the oven's turned off - I do this even if I never turned it on in the first place.

I'm not interested in excuses. I used to make my share of them, but I want to be past that. Every decision or action has a consequence, and you have to own yours, good or bad.

I think angst is easy and cynicism is cheap, and it's getting harder for me to understand people who live with either.

A quote from my friend and former coworker Chris Clark: "An optimist is not someone who merely sees the positive side of things. An optimist sees the negative side, acknowledges it, but does not dwell in it long enough to become a part of it." I really like that, and that's pretty much exactly how I see it, too.

I don't think it's hard to lead a "clean" life. Just be kind and honest to others and be thoughtful about how your actions impact them.

As far as I'm concerned, the most important question is always "Why?"

DMC is releasing an all-electric version of the DeLorean DMC-12 in 2013. Everything I said earlier about owning a car does not apply here. So basically I have a year and a half to round up $100,000 in disposable income.

It's funny when you mention something or someone specific once in a Twitter post, and suddenly you have accounts about that person or thing following you for a while. I wonder, do the people who run those accounts just sit at their computers all day searching for that particular topic and follow everyone who mentions it?

I don't know why I keep finding myself surprised when it starts to get cold in mid-October. I've lived in Ontario my whole life, Northwestern Ontario for most of it, and yet I always seem to expect it to stay warm until December or something.

Blueberry-flavoured coffee. My god.

My bathroom is slowly becoming Beatles-themed. Is this cool or weird? (I think cool.)

Looking back, I'm really glad that The White Stripes and The Strokes hit it big when I was 17. I probably have much better taste in music now because of that whole "indie garage rock" movement. Sure, there were a plenty of forgettable "The ____s" bands coming out of the woodwork afterward, but that kind of stripped-down, no-bullshit sound is just what I needed to hear at the time, and I still really love both bands.

If you want a really quick and easy way to make me tune out, just be pretentious - use flowery speech, purple prose and ten-dollar words when they're not natural or necessary. It doesn't make you smart, interesting or deep - it just proves you know how to use a thesaurus.

I let Logan sleep on the bed with me. He's taken to sleeping like a human sometimes, with his body under the covers and his head up on the pillow, beside me. It's the most adorable thing ever.

I'm at the point in planning my third tattoo where I pick it apart and worry constantly that it's something I'll regret. This is an essential step. If I still want it after putting myself through all that, it's probably a safe pick.

I'm currently reading the following monthly comic series: Angel & Faith, Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Nine, Casanova, Daredevil, Ghostbusters, iZombie, Mega Man, The Sixth Gun, Snarked, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ultimate Spider-Man. If anyone has other comic recommendations, I'd love to hear them.

As much as superhero comics can be juvenile power fantasies (and they often really can), I feel like they've impacted my morals in a pretty significant way. Learning that "with great power must come great responsibility" as a child had a huge impact. Obviously not taken in a literal "put on a costume and fight crime" kind of way, but we're all in positions of power over others in one way or another, at some point or another, whether it's in work, social matters or personal relationships, and I think the motto is always a good rule to follow.

I get annoyed when somebody says I "look like Moby". I'm not offended by it, I just wish they'd try a little harder with their bald-guy-with-glasses comparisons. There's more than one, you guys.

I've been eating natural-style peanut butter lately. It's fine, but I think I prefer the regular kind, even if it's less healthy.

I probably drink too much coffee, but I've decided that I am perfectly okay with this.

I agree with Larry David: the bag and the dog, they go together. Being a dog owner who won't pick up after their public messes is like having a baby and refusing to change their diaper: if you're not responsible enough to take care of them, you shouldn't have them in the first place.

The next time I go on a vacation, I really think it has to be to London. This might be a while off, but it'll be worth it.

My favourite Beatles song is "Helter Skelter."

I used to be offended by a lot of things. Now the thing that offends me most is boredom.

Above my computer, I have a post-it note that says "live your life and be awesome". I don't always succeed, but it's a good goal to shoot for, right?

This is my 50th blog post.