This is a post I don’t want to write. Never… ever… ever. But I owe it to my big, fat fuzzy… my feline friend, Hydrox. On Saturday, I had to put him to sleep. Over the last week, his health had taken a turn for the worse. Hydrox became so lethargic he could barely walk, his breathing labored. The Vet confirmed the worst, Hydrox’s chest cavity had filled up again, his heart rate had dropped and he lost another 2 pounds. Dr. Bill was pretty sure it was a type of Feline cancer that was beginning to ravage his body. It was then that I was faced with the decision that no one wants to make for a loved one… human or animal.

It’s Sunday now and words cannot express the sorrow I feel. I raised Hydrox and his sister, Ho-Ho, from kittens. They have been a consistent part of my life for 14 years and now one of them is gone. I miss Hydrox so much right now it hurts.

I’ll post memories of this fat, funny cat when I can get thru typing without getting the keyboard all wet.

Goodbye my sweet, sweet friend. I miss you terribly. **headbutt!**

Cinema du Fromage returns and in fine form. Today I watched, for the umpteenth time, the 1971 Vincent Price classic, The Abominable Dr. Phibes. How can anyone not like this movie? It has everything you need in a horror movie…

1. Vincent Price.
2. Great stars chewin’ scenery like it was 24K cheese.
3. Hot women – Vulnavia was played by the attractive Virginia North but the real cutie to be on the lookout for is Caroline Munro as Dr. Phibes dead wife*.
4. Murder plot involving biblical plagues.
5. Hammer Film-esque production design set in the Roaring Twenties.
6. and to reiterate… VINCENT PRICE!!!!

I plan on tracking down Dr. Phibes Rises Again on DVD just so I can have the complete Phibes collection. DPRA is not as good as the original but amusing nonetheless.

BTW… what kind of name is Vulnavia? It sounds kinda dirty. <shrugs>

* You only get to see her in pictures, slides and the hub of a telephone dial.

I’ve had some really weird dreams lately. Most of them are about regrets. I wonder if this is what happens when you hit the “half-way” point in your life. Or perhaps it’s some sort of weird, mental, defense mechanism. Right now, the wife and I are on a tangent of bad luck. Each new weekend, for the past couple of months, brings some sort of misfortune. Some I’ve mentioned before, the rest I’m not at liberty to say. On the positive side, this weekend was only marked with my wife getting a cold (sore throat, achey ears, etc.). My dreaming mind is wasting time, reviewing the mistakes of my past. It’s beginning to spill over into my waking life and frankly, it’s pissing me off.

Personally, I’d like to get back to dreaming of flying, being Spider-man or seeing my secret project thru. I feel like I’m losing the mental retreat I can fall back on when things get tuff.

* Big Fat Fuzzy

Hydrox has been on his new meds for a week and he’s doing great! He no longer has labored breath and appears to be putting on weight. What a relief!

* Big Fat Fuzzy

I noticed over the last week or so that my cat, Hydrox, has not been himself. Well, when I went to let him out this morning, I noticed his breathing was labored and he was extremely lethargic. A quick trip to the vet confirmed the worst… Hydrox is in the early throws of cardiac failure. His chest is beginning to fill with fluid which is making it hard for him to breathe. The vet however, said we caught it early and is very treatable with kitty meds. The next week will be crucial, either Hydrox will respond to the meds or he won’t. If he does, he could live another 2+ years.

After my convertible Saab blowing it’s engine, my mother being diagnosed with breast cancer, my mother-in-law having two small strokes and all the problems my friend Mark and his family are having… all of this within the last 2-3 months… I’d really like a boring period of life right now.

Please.

Here’s a doodle I whipped up last week for my next WNC. Booger-man is an old super-hero I had in grade school back when I was drawing comics on notebook paper. In those days, he used to be called “Mucus Man” but was still my Spidey parody. The origin story is as follows: a nerdy kid goes to a science exhibit and gets exposed to toxic radiation while sneezing. Realizing he doesn’t have a tissue handy, he ingests the irradiated boogers off his hand and gains the powers of… boogers. Look, I was 12 years old and I thought it was frickin’ hilarious. Actually I’m chuckling as I write this, see how mature I am?

Yes, I’m aware of the game “Boogerman” for the Sega Master System from the early 90’s. Does anybody care that I’m using the name now? Besides that, this Boissy is small potatoes… for now.

Wait a minute? Potatoes. Boissy. Idaho. I made a funny. That’s a joke son, don’t ya get it?!

Whew… my first Wednesday Nite Challenge is done!

Sorry it took so long to get the pencils inked. Life threw me a couple of curve-balls this weekend, but here we are! I think I need to tweak the “line” I’m using in Expression. I’m afraid the grainy line quality might be a little too grainy. What do you think?

Next Week: The Phlegmatic Booger-Man strikes! ahh-CHOO!

To get myself back into cartooning, I’m setting a weekly challenge. Each Wednesday when I meet with the Artists in Hamtramck, I’m going to do a piece of comic art… 4-panel strip, small-press art, etc. I’ll do as much as I can that night then polish, scan and post it the next day.

I already have my first idea ready to go. It’s an idea that’s been waiting patiently to see “publication.” Tomorrow, my other kids get to show their faces.

I picked up a fondly remembered movie on DVD the other day. “What movie,” you ask nervously. If you’ve noticed the tag for this post, “Cinema Du Fromage,” then you know it’s gonna be good! The movie is the 1979 classic from Don Coscarelli, “Phantasm,” courtesy of Anchor Bay Entertainment. I used to watch this movie whenever I could on late-night TV ’cause it mixed the right amount of creep and camp. It has a tall, creepy mortician guy, short, creepy jawa guys and a chrome, billiard ball with a bad attitude. Words fail to describe the genius that is Phantasm. Rent it today and prepared to be amazed!

I recently discovered that Don Coscarelli is the director of Bubba-Ho-Temp and Beastmaster! That officially puts Don up there with Sam Raimi, in my eyes.

I’m gonna grab me a vintage can of New Coke, a bag of popcorn and set the Way-Back Machine to 1984. Thank you ABE!!

Today, my brother and some members of his reserve unit came home from Iraq. He arrived at Toledo Express airport at 1:00 P.M. to waving flags and signs saying “Welcome Home Tom,” etc. We couldn’t be happier.

Welcome home Tom. I’m glad you’re back.