That's cool.

I saw a kid walking through the mall the other day wearing an oversized black t-shirt with a large flaming skull, snakes, a few dragons, and a demon of some description. Apart from being an unfortunate fashion choice, it did make the bold statement, “This is a cool shirt and I am cooler for wearing it.” You have to admire that.

I typically allow cool to kind of waft off of me, like an air freshener. It’s subtle and it gets the message out, but I know that doesn’t work for everyone. For those people, there are dragon shirts and fringed halter-tops.

YSL #187, week of July 31, 2005 

Happiness is . . .

I’m always tortured about what I should be doing. Should I be working on next week’s strip? Should I mail out those mix-cds I promised everyone or should I relax watching “Cube 3: Cube Zero”. It’s always hard, but this comic gives the easy answer.

YSL#186 - July 24, 2005  

YSL now in two Anchroage Papers - I'm the robot that loves you.

Good News! You can now find Your Square Life in the University of Anchorage's Northern Light, the campus student newspaper. They will be publishing "Best of" strips in their paper, ~30 strips total throught the summer and the upcoming school year.

Strip #1 in the best of . . . is "I'm the robot that loves you." It was strip #41, published during the first year. I'm going to try and submitt them in chronological order and, looking back, this was the first one I felt ok with republishing. Oh, they are all stellar, but . . . it is a best of.

This was inspired by Wilco's "I'm the man who loves you", which is definately a good album.

I hope you enjoy. Don't hesitate to chime in if there is a strip you want included in the "Best of . . ."

UAA Northern Light Best of #1 

Under 30

Yet another strip about growing older and my place in life. This strip is differentiated by outing my secret goal of being a jigsaw puzzle playing superhero. I have not yet priced capes, and, as of yet, I do not own any puzzles or really have any interest in acquiring them. It’s more of a long term goal . . . a calling, if you will. It’s not for me to question. I just have to heed the call. I’ll have the decade to figure it out. I think forty will be more about undersea chess. I have a feeling, rather a vision.

YSL #185 - Week of July 17, 2005 

"Lee, this is your new intern, Bubbles"

I’m captivated by interns. I think it is just me. I pretty sure it’s because the whole concept is completely foreign to me. On the worker’s side of things, you have someone so captivated by a particular career they are willing to do it not only for free, for long periods of time, and willing to put in extra overtime if necessary. On the employer’s side, you have inexhaustible supply of eager, disposable employees. I can see why people do it. I know why employers want them, but . . . I just can’t wrap my mind around it. When I hear intern, all I hear is “personal slave” and its non-stop hilarious to me, kind of like helper monkeys. “Eeep, Eeep, Hello I’m your intern.”

[this strip is worth noting, as it contains a rare cameo of me (see great artist in third panel)]

YSL #184 - Week of July 10, 2005 

Your new promotion

A little background on this week’s strip: I’ve been captivated by my wife’s phrase, “he/she is just the monkey’s monkey” [which I just reminded her of and she completely denies she ever used). The basic premise, as near as I can figure, is that the organ grinder’s monkey had his own monkey to dance about, so who do you want to be the monkey or the monkey’s monkey, because you’re not going to be the organ grinder.

I fancy myself as a monkey, thank you very much.

YSL #183- Week of July 4, 2005