divalea

A note from the comicker: Near-Life Experience Original Art Sale is going! Most pages are $35. You get cool art, I pay my bills and keep making NLEx! 
Now, the comic!

Inspired by the song "Fireflies" by Owl City. Owl City's official video and Captain Valor's American Sign Language performance follow. Both are massively charming. Thanks to raggedrobin for the ASL link!

He has his totems, and I have mine.



Yes, we're working on the whole "What's mine is mine and what's yours is mine" thing.
As soon as I came back with my pens, I drew this.

Fox has to have everything seen here, PLUS a towel, to go swimming. Welcome to the world of mini-Monk.

Back in late 2004, the San Antonio Current had the great idea to have reviews presented as comics. I was paired with Susan Pagani for a review of Stories in Stone, a Complete Guide to Cemetery Symbolism.

The result of a day's slogging through graveyards and many, many pictures gave the world a very NLEx result. Sorry, can't help the side-scrolling, it was a double-page spread in the paper.



What got me thinking about this comic was my trip today to Hortontown Cemetery in New Braunfels, where Summer, Fox, our friend Shon and I did some gravestone decoding.




Click on the church to see my pix of the cemetery and St. Martin's Lutheran Evengelical (I feel like I need to inhale before I say all that, it's a lot of name for a little building) Church. Hortontown had 93 residents when St. Martin's was established.

FINALLY. Marvel work (YAY MARVEL WORK) and the kids being on summer vacation (ACK SUMMER VACATION) kept me from doing NLEx with any speed. But here, FINALLY, is the sorta long-awaited NLEx on how to roast a chicken to deliciousness.

Notes on thermometers after the comic.










ETA: So sorry! Forgot to add the thermometer recommendation when I posted. The closest thermometer to the one I have is the Polder Classic Thermometer, which sells at Amazon for $20.17, but other sellers (via Amazon) are offering it for as low as $17.75.
A word of caution: do not wash the probe, wipe it down. A lot of the problems mentioned in reviews occurred from washing the probe. Why would anyone wash a thermometer? Geez.
One more thing: whatever probe thermometer you buy, make sure it isn't pre-programmed to only use USDA cooking guidelines settings. You can't set any other temperature on those. That's dumb.

Thanks to all who've given NLEx such a warm welcome. I'm really flattered and very, very happy to be drawing something that people are digging.


vogelein adds: "... and if you lack a roasting rack, you can make one out of delicious potatoes. Seriously, just quarter up enough of them to support the bird. Then you have roasted potatoes basted in drippings to go with your chickawn. Less equipment ftw!"

I'm making chicken this way next time. OMNOMNOM

The dancing chickens are a fond reference to the Peter Gabriel "Sledgehammer" video directed by Stephen R. Johnson. Aardman Animations and the Brothers Quay. Nick Park, creator of Wallace and Gromit, animated the chickens. I knew I liked that man.

My love for Glee is nearly unconditional and unabashed. I love the cast, love a lot of the musical numbers, laugh and cry (often during the same episodes.) It's smart, it's fast, and it's visceral.

I drew tonight's NLEx while waiting out a huge storm, waiting for the lights to go out, like they did all over San Antonio tonight. They never did, and now that the danger of Kentucky Fried Computer is over, here you go.

Nothing is easy about kids, some kids are less easy than others, and some kids could retire the not-easy cup. My son, for instance.

This is a typical evening for me. I can't just lay down. Noooooo. I must buzz about doing things first.
But I don't mind so much. I like the sound of the dishwasher running, I like not waking up to sinksful of dishes, and I sure as HELL was tired of looking at that stupid mattress.

Thanks for all the comments and support!