Sorry I don’t have a finished comic page to post, but here is a sketchbook page for you. I doodled this during Bach, Beethoven and Brunch, a summer outdoor concert series in Pittsburgh.

Also, I stumbled onto Jason Turner’s Page 100 Project last week, so look out for a page or three of novel adaptations coming soon!

I’m back in New York, after signing off the ship on Friday in Vancouver, meeting up with ship-friends for some mid-morning sketchy bowling and lunch, hauling ass to the airport for 10 hours of travel, getting picked up Saturday morning to travel to central PA with my aunt and uncle, visiting with my parents and baby sister, spending Saturday night in a bed and breakfast, driving back to New York City (did I mention my uncle’s car has no A/C?), and getting dropped off at Pride right at the point when everyone’s wilting and tired of rainbows, crowds and roadblocks. However, I got to see my friends Jess and Santos, and take advantage of Jess’s encyclopedic knowledge of New York snacking!

Today, Monday, was devoted to things like grocery shopping and trying to finish the frikkin New Orleans comic. It’s hard to work on a project on and off for so long (I started this story last September). I’m worried that the style will be inconsistent, plus I’m already in the habit of staring at certain pages for long periods of time without deciding how to go about them. (I know it’s not unusual to spend years on one work, but this is no coming-of-age epic; it’s a 16ish page travel anecdote.) This is why I decided on a self-imposed end-of-June deadline. I’ve had a lot of fun with the comic, but it’s time to finish.

You’re looking at the approximate reason I haven’t been posting daily. There have been a few nights where “a drink” turns into looking around wondering why it’s three or eight in the morning. (The next day is mostly spent sitting still in a cafe and hoping I remember to get up early and hike NEXT week.) There was also a crew party one night that ended with drunk-babysitting and spending the next couple days untangling ship-rumors about what went on. That was a bit of a mess.

Last night was late, but fairly innocent. I was sitting next to a dancer at dinner, and we got into a 3 1/2 hour conversation on every topic from spoken language to sexuality. After that, I was dragged into the staff bar for an angry rant, followed by a game of Pictionary with some friends, and a long talk with Liz. If this keeps up, I’m not sure when I’m going to find time to pack.

Yeah, when I’m mesmerized by scenery, I forget that there are consequences to walking uphill as fast as possible for an hour and change.

The chili’n beer in question was from the Skagway Brewing Company, which I try to hit every time I’m in that port. It seems that just as I’m becoming a regular in these places (“You get the chili bowl, right?”) it’s time to start saying goodbye.

Incidentally, today is my last time in Seward, Alaska, which means I’m at the Sea Bean enjoying a squishy couch and a huge cup of coffee. It’s the perfect day to stay indoors: it’s precipitating steadily (rain? snow? fog?), and low clouds obscure everything except the few blocks of Seward, bordered by pine trees. Last week I was wearing a t-shirt; today, people shiver in their coats.

Seward, last week:

and this week:

However, the Sea Bean is warm, with light pouring through the front windows and music lapping at my head. To my left, a guy from Portland is studying for his summer job as a glacier guide. Across from him, one of my ship-friends sketches. All around me, ship people Skype home and do their downloading. Annnd, my panini is here. Turkey, bacon, and provolone with crisp red onions and pesto sauce, pressed between tasty thick slices of bread. I’m officially never moving from this spot.

I guess on subconscious level I’d been missing hourly wages, customer contact and repetitive tasks, cause I started doing some registration and data entry for the art auction onboard. First impressions:  I’ve never seen anyone get so excited about raffle tickets and free pens.