So my Mac Mini, old, dusty PPC G4 with OS-X.4 finally got too slow to live. Opening a 250Mb file in Photoshop was taking 10 or more minutes - there was too much crap in the box.

So I bought a nice, new, dual Intel 2Ghz, CS3 and promptly loaded it up with fresh goodies...

After around a decade, most of my Photoshop filters no longer work.
OS-X.5.7 doesn't come with Stuffit support.

Basically, there's been a major overhaul to 64-bit architecture, and there's a bit of a lag in software support. Get the software, install it. Will it work? I don't know... is there a patch? Maybe... maybe an update? Maybe a PC version? Oh wait, Virtual PC won't work on an Intel Mac... so.. umm...

I'll just do it on my old computer.

At least the Open Source stuff stays current.

So the last time I posted here I'd gotten back from London and was updating my website - [link] - it looks freakin' awesome, so, what have I done since?

Been back to London one more time, went to the Birmingham ComicCon, a wedding, a dedication... got sick...

And I've been curating/editing a book - more info here - [link]

It's something, organizing 50+ creators, writers and artists to produce a common theme. I woke up one day and decided to stop chasing and start running.

AND... I've started pencilling something else for something else, and I have some more pics in the pipeline for DeviantArt. So cool.

So the last couple of weeks have been busy... finally updated my website with all the artwork I got from my trip to England. And I have a shitload more to scan and integrate as well.

I posted Part One of 'Soft' on my website, at Issuu.com and my ComicSpace page. It's not quite ready for regular updates yet - the actual launch date is August 1st, so comments and feedback would be awesome.

I'll be flying back to the UK in September - my family will be dedicating a bench and a tree to my step-father and my step-brother gets married the next week. A corner of Kennington Park will be forever ours. Especially if plans for an apiary adjoining the rose-garden where the bench will go proceed - I have a mental image of anyone loafing on the bench being stung to shit by angry bees.

A link for anyone with a sense of humour - Space Hijackers.

I fly back to the States in 10 or so hours. I'll get to see my wife and cat again, my PT Cruiser, my truck, the sunny California weather.

I'll miss the whey-faced pasty English, with their indifferent attitudes and ...wait, I'm one of 'em. Fuck. Trapped, like a rat.

Fair cop, Orrificer.

I wonder if I can stop drinking Coke and Pepsi, knowing how they treat people in the 3rd World, places like Colombia and India, stealing people's water to make Coke, knowing how much water is wasted to make one bottle...

So, I had to leave sunny San Francisco to come home and bury my father. His cancer had kicked his arse in an unexpected manner and the mandibular artery that branches from the jugular through the jaw had basically ruptured. As you can imagine, it was very, very sudden.

He was pretty loaded on morphine, codeine and several other reality-seperating medications.

That image now in your head, I should mention I found a portfolio of old artwork! Yay! And it was... well, some of it was... meh. Okay, actually, for being 10 years old. I usually hate old artwork. I've purged plenty last time I was here visiting.

Portfolio, black bag, go!

Also found a large box of old CDs. Double score!