Jigga Figgas #1: LeBron and Dwayne Wade

I wasn't entirely keen on this chart, but a friend urged me to post it up anyway - so here goes!

Sources:

• Jeezy's $23,000 & $24,000 figures: Young Jeezy - "24-23 (Kobe-LeBron)"
• Jay-Z's $3,000 figure: Jay-Z - "Empire State of Mind" (featuring Alicia Keys)
• $28,500 figure for wholesale price of cocaine, 2009: UNODC, “World Drug Report 2009: Section 3.4 Prices, pages 215 to 234,” June 2009.

Jay-Z is many things to many people. I'll be the first to admit that I think Jay-Z is an excellent businessman, and yeah, I listen to a lot of his music. But there's also the dark side of Jay-Z - Jay-Z the biter (something that'll likely constitute a flowchart of its own). Jay-Z the man you love to hate. There're few in the rap game these days that give us as much material to scrutinize.

So, in the name of fair play and infographic love, I'm gonna start dishing out a series of charts as the ideas come to me.

I call them: The Jigga Figgas. Find out about "your favourite rapper's favourite rapper" with a number of revealing graphs about the man who forged an empire (often upon the backs of others, but who's counting?) with the tools available to him. There'll be ones of further complexity as time goes on, but if you have a point you want to see explored or something about Jigga that's really been bothering you but you just couldn't QUITE place your finger on it, let me know :)

Enjoy!

--case p.

Posted via email from Doomz Now and Forever

The 2010 20K: Day 42 - Things I'd love to be doing with the blog // Cover Letter Tips

Hey all, hope your Wednesday was good!

I hope you're enjoying the blog that's more laid-back and pensive for the time being! I've been keeping myself occupied as of late with life in general, and it's been good :) On top of just networking and keeping the contacts buzzing in order to build the foundation to achieve the 2010 20K, I've been trying to do other things like:

• Make more time for creative pursuits
• See friends I haven't seen in a while
• Commit to the weekly/biweekly things that I say I'll do
• Purge the excess in my life wherever possible

The hustle's been hard, but not impossible. There's been a lot of pro bono work too as of late - especially with the resumes, tax advice and whatnot, but maybe this is all part of a practice round to get the word out about my missions and the skills I bring to the table. I'm starting to ask my clients to refer me over to other people needing help for a nominal fee, and then I'll just build it up as time passes. I think I have a market that I can really grow with services that cater to the economy we're in right now.

So from the title, you can guess that I've been doing some thinking about the blog :)

• Seeing what penny stocks can do for the 2010 20K
• Getting involved in a lot more design contests, such as the ones you see here: http://en.guerra-creativa.com/
• Listening to the advice my friends give me and trying to figure out ways to make money that're quick, fast and exciting. Oh yeah, and legal.
• Using more of the online opportunities to get paid for blogging and networking like a madman
  

I came across this article in yesterday's t.o.night newspaper - a small publication designed for the people commuting out of the city - and I thought it touched on a lot of key points of how to make your cover letter better. I use the tips below in how I go about improving the voice used in resumes and cover letters. Some would say I'm shooting myself in the foot by sharing something like this, but if no one has money, no one gets paid, right?

So yes, the hustle continues a day at a time :) I've had people make promises to donate if I do certain things, I have projects on the go and I have moves that I've yet to make to really start pressing forward. Thanks for the support, and I hope that:

You keep reading
You pass the blog's link on to your friends
You help a brotha out with ideas, cash, advice or whatever if you feel so inclined.

The 2010 20K Running Total = $192.14

Peace out, homefries,

--case p.

Posted via email from Doomz's posterous

http://bit.ly/aZbuDe sweet! I had some Richard Pryor diagrams I wanted to make - now they'll be RELEVANT.

Posted via web from Doomz Now and Forever

The 2010 20K: Day 41 - Busking

http://www.metronews.ca/toronto/local/article/456474--busking-is-like-public-art

So it would seem that busking in the TTC might not be the best idea if I want to reach this goal in a timely fashion. If we consider that:

• There's a $150 annual permit for busking in the TTC
• One would need to commit to six-hour shifts three to four times a week, which would definitely cramp on sleeping time
• I have limited musical talent - I don't think I could very readily pass a serious audition
• It's a subway station. Those things are COLD.

So maybe we'll look to something more like street performing. Or maybe doing portraits of people - but WAIT!

http://www.toronto.ca/licensing/pdf/rd_allw_fees.pdf

• If I'm just busking or drawing with chalk on the sidewalk, we're looking at a $35.69 permit fee.
• If I want to draw portraits of people as takeaway items - it's a $300.00 permit fee. THREE HUNDRED. I'll need to think this over - see what approach might even be good to take care of this =/
• The application for this is pretty lengthy - and there're a gajillion rules and regulations and bylaws associated with the practice - man. Buskin' ain't easy! I'm going to need more me's just to make this work!

I was going to enter one of those surveys you see on the back of your receipts from the fast food joints - you know - let us know your thoughts and you could win $1,000 - but damn! The recession must've hit Wendy's hard, because their is "tell us about this visit and we'll give you a free Single hamburger"! Wow, Wendy's. Wow. And you can only redeem one every thirty days. You know what - how about I fill it out and give it to a homeless person? Least I can do with this thing. Note: I actually would've done this, but just realized that I needed to fill in the survey within 48 hours of my visit. It's been 79 h 23 min. My bad, random homeless person :( Also, in an amusing side, it appears that Burger King (huh - guess I have fast food more often than I think) doesn't even WANT your two cents - only a portion of it:

Still collecting Air/Aeroplan Miles like a fiend - kinda hoping that I'll be able to supplement some of the trips to come with these.

• Aeroplan Miles to date: 1263
• Air Miles to date: 609

If anyone has ideas on how to optimize collecting and using these, let me know! I'll post some ideas that I found and go from there - I expect that I have some fellow avid collectors out there!

And now, observe as I forge out into the snow to try and get to work on time!

Plus I have another couple of resumes to look at - commuter reading! Woo!

Digits:

The 2010 20K Running Total = $192.14

Have a great day, y'all!

--case p.

Posted via email from Doomz's posterous

Infographics: A New Calling?

YO! For all y'all who haven't been paying attention, this week has been a CRAZY one for me!

After getting my DMX chart put together, I submitted it over to I Love Charts over at Tumblr, expecting to pull off some hits for my clever (yet horribly, horribly dated) wit. And get hits is what I did - over the course of a couple of days, it landed about 36 notes, which are people either reblogging or "liking" my content. Sweet! But that wasn't the real surprise.

Tuesday morning, I got an email from my friend Clare labelled "OMG your GRAPH!" Now, here I was thinking that she'd seen it and was just appalled at the material I was putting together - but then I thought, "Wait a minute - this is Clare - she wouldn't give a crap". When I opened the email, I went bug-eyed.

My pie chart had made it onto The Huffington Post (http://www.thuehuffingtonpost.com). Say what?! Yes - apparently my chart had made enough of an impact on someone for them to go and post it in the humour section of one of the most-viewed and commented-upon newspapers on the Internet! My joke of a chart had somehow built up some notoriety of its own! Sweet!

So let's see what a little more exposure did for the stats:

• 4800 views
• 240 diggs
• 110 shares on Facebook
• 75 comments

So you KNOW what this means, right?

Case P.'s gotta make some more charts!

Aiming to get an Olympic-related one out sometime this week :D

Otherwise, just learning more about Wordpress, sketching like a madman and working on ideas for my clients.

Keep it cool, everyone!

--case p.

Posted via email from Doomz Now and Forever

The 2010 20K: Day 40 - From Pocket Change to Potential

I love pay day - seriously love it. New possibilities, new options - it's like waking up and unwrapping a new present to do with as you wish.

As of late, though, my pay days mean more that I get to see my credit card balance reduce at an accelerated rate moreso than getting the shiniest new whatever's out there. With my regular income, I've devoted myself to getting rid of the invisible shackles that hold me down and being able to go into the future a bit more carefree and content :)

I remember the days of living cheque to cheque - I mean, I'm 26 with no kids or mortgage, so thank goodness I didn't really have anyone else relying on me to feed or clothe them - it would've been a horrible situation. No, oftentimes it was because of that desire I just mentioned. To be the best dressed. Have the new toy. Eat the finest foods. It was really just me valuing all the wrong things and doing whatever I needed to do to get them.

On one hand, I think that these are the kinds of lessons we all need to learn in our lives at one point or another - and for me, I'm glad that it's something I came across early on - but at the same time, one would hope that people are given enough teaching that they can avoid falling into similar pitfalls. Not everyone gets the same opportunities in life, as we can often see from the disparity between the rich and the poor in our world. I can remember from my time spent as a Financial Sales Representative that I'd often have to counsel people twice my age on their finances, simply because they were never given the same access to knowledge about investing, credit, budgeting, etc. that I had. Now that I'm at a point in my life where I'm purging items more than I am collecting, I can see the benefits of all this and hope that I can eventually pass on what I know to others in such a way that it very practical and easy to follow.

Some easy tips come to mind:

• Don't spend what you don't have - if you must do so, find the method that costs least (borrowing interest, especially) and/or can be paid off the quickest
• Try to make do with what you have - mend a tear if you gotta - make notes on envelopes - reuse jars like crazy - do what you gotta!
• Shop smarter, not cheaper - cheaper isn't always better - example: dollar store batteries versus a solid set of rechargeable batteries, ESPECIALLY if you have a charger! Over time, the money you save from not having to dash out to the store repeatedly to replace those batteries will start to look pretty good once you keep using quality rechargeable batteries through their lifespan - they can last a VERY long time. There are a number of instances like this in life where what seems like a massive investment compared to alternatives in the beginning may turn out to be the better option.

Just some food for thought.

In other news:

• I did sell that RAM, but my friend discovered that their computer won't actually accept anything higher than what they already had, so we're trying to figure out what we can do to fix the situation
• The last chart I released in my other blog (chart is NSFW!) became more widespread than I'd expected - about 240 diggs, 70 total comments, 40 notes on Tumblr and 3,250 views on Huffington alone. I'm pretty encouraged by that, despite the rather embarassing nature of the chart itself, lol - I'd like to create something Olympics-related, but nothing's come to mind just yet that really knocks my socks off. If anyone has something they've always wanted to see in chart form, please let me know!
• I got those three resumes that were on my plate out of the way, and I'm happy to say that the clients are all very happy with the new products I put together for them. I got one person a job in two months after years of looking - maybe I can do the same for you? Let me know!

Otherwise, it's been your regular sort of week - I have a cousin getting married this weekend, so the work time will be reduced significantly, but other than that, the hustle continues as per usual. I have noticed that I haven't quite made it easy to share my blog posts on Facebook, Twitter, what have you - so worry not; new functionality will be on its way!

So, in closing, thanks for joining me once more - please feel free to contact me with any questions, concerns or ideas - they're always welcome in the 2010 20K. I can't wait till this cold is over and it gets dark later so I can get out in the world and REALLY do some stuff!

The 2010 20K Running Total: $192.14

Winter, you can't stick around FOREVER, homey!

Have a great Friday, y'all,

--case p.

Posted via email from Doomz's posterous

Something something something idle hands...

You KNOW a post is offensive when you won't even put it up on Facebook where your family might see it - LOL.

So this is me taking a break from the work I was doing to just break out and do something totally different - graphing out the women named in DMX's "What These B**ches Want". Yes. I went there.

In fact, if y'all like this, you'll probably think I'm insane for what I'd do next - because most of that song can be graphed pretty easily!

So check it out :D

--case p.

Posted via email from Doomz Now and Forever

The 2010 20K: Day 39 - Back in Full Effect

Oh, man - after suffering a violent illness, I'm back on track! This really helps to remind me why I was frequently blogging in the first place:

• When you don't do it as often, it's harder to get back into it
• When you don't do it as often, you have WAY more that you want to cover in a blog post, making it HARDER to get it all down
• When you don't do it as often, people never know when to expect the next installment from you.

Guess I need to get more of that content out! So as I sit here listening to some of Hall & Oates' live work, let me fill you in on what's up and what's what.

So I haven't been up to nothing this week, that much I can promise. It's had its ups and downs and definitely a lot of just being plain busy, but I'm working with the hope that the projects I'm on right now will get me to the point where it will make sense once more to do the 2010 20K on a closer-to-daily basis.

WEEK IN REVIEW

So first off, let me list off what's been going down this week. (I actually had to check my BlackBerry to verify some of this, because it's been THAT insanely busy!)

Sunday:

• Discussions with the R in Team R&C over next steps to be taken on various business ventures - information that you too will sooner than later be privy to!

Monday:

• Blogged about the rumours of a new MacBook Pro coming out, which turned out to be false for the time being, and making a parody song to go with it, on top of that. (If I already had a Mac, I'd have just made my own music with GarageBand, but no...)
• Got some extra promotion of the blog from a friend in exchange for lending her money. (Fortunately, I know that she always pays back!)

Tuesday:

• Got a new commission request from a friend down in NY - on top of another I have, I need to get my software up to date and these out of the door ASAP. Fortunately, tomorrow is Family Day in our fine province, so there'll be the opportunity!
• Also scored my first ShopItToMe gift card - don't hear me complaining about that! Free money is free money!

Wednesday:

• Did some pro bono web consultation for a friend of a friend (though in this case, the friend was more useful than I was - it does happen here and there!)
• Got two new resumes to edit - I love taking them in, retooling them some in order to let peoples' real skill shine through, and then seeing them get jobs from them later - my most recent success story is getting a friend in the US out of a job that she loathed and facilitating a new job and move for her by getting her resume up to speed and far clearer at explaining what she's all about :) I hope to do the same with the resumes I still have on my plate - another three.

Thursday:

Hit up some dim sum (ha ha!) for lunch with the work team for Chinese New Year, met up with Kevin shortly to lend a hand with something and had a nice dinner with Sarah and some friends for the night to start up a nice, restful long weekend. All seemed well, except for the headache and slight stomachache I was having - but as it usually goes with me, I figured I could shake it off with some sleep and get back to 100% in the morning.

Friday:

• (1:30 am) Food poisoning! What started as a lieu day suddenly became a sick day! (Yay :S)
• (4:00 am) Round two!
• (7:00 am) Round three!
• (11:30 am) Finally wake up without beelining for the washroom, and I feel like someone went to town with a crowbar on my insides. Most of Friday was spent relaxing (or, in my case, recovering) with friends, playing board games and being tricked into watching The Time Traveller's Wife (yes, Sarah, I said tricked!) - all in all, decent day, though I really did NOT feel well.

Saturday:

• Got a new chapter of a manuscript to edit - hope to get to that soon, as well!
• Baby Shower! For all y'all thinking that men don't attend baby showers, let me get you up to speed - it's 2010, baby! Let's get modern! It was good times with my friend Mel and her friends and family - and oddly enough, I actually made a little bit of money - or, shall we say "converted" - I'm still counting it, though, because the 2010 20K is partly about the stories to be told, right? So our mother to be asked for me to go to the underground store (it was literally underground and not so much under the governmental radar) to get some matches so we could light some candles. So I did. Matches are 10 cents and when I handed the middle-aged cashier my $5 to buy them, he gave me a look of dismay as if I had just wiped by behind with it and was handing it over to him to dispose. Anyway, long story short, I got conned into buying a Cash for Life scratchcard so that he wouldn't have to (Lord forbid) break a $5, but made the $4 it cost back in winnings. I'll take pleasures in small victories where I can :)
• Brokered a deal to sell some RAM I've had lying around - perfectly good 2 x 2 GB RAM I'd bought some time ago anticipating that I could buy a MacBook Pro and upgrade it with it, but then good ol' Stevie had to go and make 4 GB of RAM standard in the MacBook Pros. So then I had the bright idea of updating my current computer with the RAM to tide me over until an upgrade. Only to find out that its motherboard can't handle more than 2 x 1 GB of RAM. So I was left with RAM that was essentially useless to me. Thank goodness for other Mac users who need to get their units upgraded! I'm expecting another $60 for that.
• Dried out a Copic marker tip - kinda sucks that the chisel tip of my Grayish Lavender BV23 opened up in my bag while in transit, drying it out beyond repair - fortunately, there's a reason why you pay extra for a Copic - I can just walk to the art store up the street from my office (I KNOW. THIS IS POTENTIALLY DEADLY TO MY WALLET. EVEN MORESO THAN WHEN I WORKED ACROSS THE STREET FROM A MAJOR MALL. WITH AN APPLE STORE. OKAY, NO MORE CAPS LOCK) and get a replacement - so it's not all bad!

WHAT'S GOT ME PUMPED?!

I spoke with someone this week who seems to have the same kind of vision for future business that I do - looking to really develop things beyond the standard money-makers, looking to go outside the known and develop things that could truly advance the way we go about doing things right now. It's got me a little excited, because the potential to forge new paths ALWAYS appeals to me! MORE TO COME!

IDEAS FOR EVERYONE!

Don't worry - I didn't forget y'all. In the midst of everything else that was going on, I still found potential new ways to get some income in while you're in, or trying to get into, the day-to-day hustle.

• One friend hipped me to NewAd, the agency behind all those people you see in the major areas of the city handing out freebies, club promos, etc. etc. Check out their site, give it a read and if you can swallow the thought of bumping into people you know while trying to get them to try a new flavour of gum, then hey! I say give it a shot!
• My fellow Canadians - Doritos has got their contest for naming chips up and running again, with a top prize of up to $250,000! Oooh - ahhh! It runs from February 14, 2010 - March 21, 2010 - but remember - you'll be competing against me! Bring it on, my friends!!!
• Now, I don't know if I'm abnormal, but I find that I spend a lot of time organizing things. Such as:
• old files on the computer
• ideas
• scraps of paper

so if someone was organizationally-inclined, I'd go as far as to say that there's a market for getting people like me in check! I'm just saying!

Anyway, I think that's an epic enough update for now! It's way late, and I'm going to get some shut-eye.

But FIRST:

The 2010 20K Running Total: $132.14 (with another $60.00 pending)

There's going to have to be some good-sized projects to make up for lost time - I'm supposed to be at $2000 or so already!

Stay tuned,

--case p.

Posted via email from Doomz's posterous

formspring.me

What motivates your artwork?

What motivates me? Good question, my friend.

I guess the answer lies in a few areas:

1. The knowledge that with the more drawing I do, the more I'll improve and move toward the skill level I want to be at to draw Fish n' Chimps

2. The fact that I have a story I want to tell - it's all in my head and I'd love to get it down one day for everybody to see - that's something that keeps me going - knowing that I can eventually share this great thing with everyone

3. I like creating new ideas - whenever I come up with something new and keep working at it until it looks exactly the way I want it to - that's something that gives me great joy :)

I don't think I'm giving up drawing anytime soon, for these reasons.

Ask me anything

The 2010 20K: Day 38 - Still at it!

Hey all,

So, as planned, my other blog has been good for just goofing off and getting original Casey Palmer content out. Today was a song - it's good times :)

But the 2010 20K still progresses! Some quick updates:

• Still working on putting together a Statement of Work for a business reconstruction project
• Sharon was kind enough to donate another $20 to the challenge, so thank you, my dear!
• A friend brought up the idea of doing art auctions in order to fund some of the challenge money, which could be awesome
• There's the possible prospect of getting paid for some manuscript editing, but that also is only in the talks

So you know, despite a weekend with me resorting to the reclusive side of my personality, things still move forward, with or without my active involvement.

I haven't QUITE quit yet ;D

Still working on those websites and hope to have them up soon as well - Wordpress is working well with me, but there'll be a good deal of experimentation before I really get it all where I want it to be.

Anyway, just checking in! Hope everyone's been awesome, and may you have a great week! I hope to come with some more news sooner than later!

Until then, comrades,

--case p.

Posted via email from Doomz's posterous

Rumour: New MacBook Pro?!

Part Of Your Mac World by Casey Palmer  
Download now or listen on posterous

Casey Palmer - Part of Your Mac World.mp3 (3171 KB)

So there's a possibility that there'll be a new MacBook Pro released tomorrow in conjunction with the Macworld Expo down in San Francisco:

http://www.macrumors.com/2010/02/08/current-macbook-pro-models-deleted-from-best-buys-inventory-system-updates-imminent/

Now, I've wanted a MacBook Pro for five years, and every time I've come across some reason why I shouldn't - possibility of a new iPod Touch that could come free with a MacBook Pro purchase; possibility of a refresh around the corner; bad reviews of the MacBook Pro that came out.

WELL NO MORE!

I'm ready, Steve Jobs - I'm ready now! I need you to bring it on! I've wanted this for so long.

So badly, in fact, that I made a song about it. (Apologies to Alan Menken and EmpireSB on this :P) LISTEN TO IT. NOW.

"Part of Your Mac World" Lyrics:

Look at this Mac - isn't it sweet?
Wouldn't you say my laptop's obsolete?
Wouldn't you think I'm that dude who's needing an upgrade?
Look at its case - it's aluminum based!
Shiny and sparkly, logo in my face
Looking at me, you think - sure - he's needing that upgrade!

I've got music and websites and photos
Freeware to make my graphics galore
You want AVI files - I've got twenty
But who cares? No big deal...
I want more...

I wanna be where the hipsters are
I wanna feel what a matte screen feels like
Working on stuff with a - MacBook Pro

Listening to rumours won't get you far
I need a laptop with crazy features
Browsing the 'Net with a - Magic Mouse

With the elite, I can't be beat
I can turn my nose up at the world
I'd be so free
Wish I could be
Part of that world

What would I give
If I could chill - over at Starbucks?
What would I pay
To stay unplugged - for seven hours?

Betcha they can, just understand
That they don't need an antivirus
No rebooting
Bad computing
Or blue screens of death

I'm ready to jam with GarageBand tracks
Ready to let iMovie make features
What's Dashboard, why's it - how do you say it - rock?

When's it my turn?
Wouldn't I love - to explore stuff from the Apple Store

No more PC
Wish I could be
Part of that world

Let me know your thoughts! :D (I know I'm happy with it.)

--case p.

Posted via email from Doomz Now and Forever

Rumour: New MacBook Pro?!

Part Of Your Mac World by Casey Palmer  
Download now or listen on posterous

Casey Palmer - Part of Your Mac World.mp3 (3171 KB)

So there's a possibility that there'll be a new MacBook Pro released tomorrow in conjunction with the Macworld Expo down in San Francisco:

http://www.macrumors.com/2010/02/08/current-macbook-pro-models-deleted-from-best-buys-inventory-system-updates-imminent/

Now, I've wanted a MacBook Pro for five years, and every time I've come across some reason why I shouldn't - possibility of a new iPod Touch that could come free with a MacBook Pro purchase; possibility of a refresh around the corner; bad reviews of the MacBook Pro that came out.

WELL NO MORE!

I'm ready, Steve Jobs - I'm ready now! I need you to bring it on! I've wanted this for so long.

So badly, in fact, that I made a song about it. (Apologies to Alan Menken and EmpireSB on this :P) LISTEN TO IT. NOW.

"Part of Your Mac World" Lyrics:

Look at this Mac - isn't it sweet?
Wouldn't you say my laptop's obsolete?
Wouldn't you think I'm that dude who's needing an upgrade?
Look at its case - it's aluminum based!
Shiny and sparkly, logo in my face
Looking at me, you think - sure - he's needing that upgrade!

I've got music and websites and photos
Freeware to make my graphics galore
You want AVI files - I've got twenty
But who cares? No big deal...
I want more...

I wanna be where the hipsters are
I wanna feel what a matte screen feels like
Working on stuff with a - MacBook Pro

Listening to rumours won't get you far
I need a laptop with crazy features
Browsing the 'Net with a - Magic Mouse

With the elite, I can't be beat
I can turn my nose up at the world
I'd be so free
Wish I could be
Part of that world

What would I give
If I could chill - over at Starbucks?
What would I pay
To stay unplugged - for seven hours?

Betcha they can, just understand
That they don't need an antivirus
No rebooting
Bad computing
Or blue screens of death

I'm ready to jam with GarageBand tracks
Ready to let iMovie make features
What's Dashboard, why's it - how do you say it - rock?

When's it my turn?
Wouldn't I love - to explore stuff from the Apple Store

No more PC
Wish I could be
Part of that world

Let me know your thoughts! :D (I know I'm happy with it.)

--case p.

Posted via email from Doomz Now and Forever

Blogging takes serious work.

Man, some days you don't even know what you want to write about, but even that will mess you up - it's like art - when you force something out, people can usually tell. You need to have something that you're passionate about and just RUN with it. What do y'all think - do you still have any passion left when you get to that quarter life crisis? Yeah, I know - there's people out there who'll tell me that they still have passion and they're twice my age or that I'm spoiled. I'll take those as valid points - but I'm talking about a quarter life crisis in the context of my environment and my time, where oversaturation of media leaves too many of us jaded, skeptical and cynical of just about everything. I feel that one needs to make an active push beyond their boundaries and comfort zone in order to figure out what really matters to them.

I spent much of today just inking work and clearing things up. Let me show you a shot of my working area to give you an idea of whassap.

Yeah, so as you see, I keep myself busy. Mostly work-in-progress pieces, but I've gone back to inking with felt pens and just trying to establish more character in my sketches :) But man - I need to figure out what my passion is - one of the important things to consider when starting one's blog (learned from Jessica Schroeder's What I Wore, who mentions some general tips and kinda knows what she's talking about [just maybe, eh?!]) is to find a community that's interested in the same things that you are. Okay, that's fine and dandy if you have a specific focus on what it is you're interested in. Uh oh. Yeah, that's gonna take a little work. For now, you're getting random collages and montages of what I'm up to, and I hope that'll do for now. I'd like to thank Jon and Simone for talking me through my blog woes earlier today - I'm going to try the au naturel route of blogging for the next bit (don't take that TOO literally - I'm not about to blog naked) and I hope you enjoy what you see. If not, that's still okay - this is more of a self-exercise right now to track how I'm doing, what I'm doing, all that. Let's have fun with this :)

--case p.

Posted via email from Doomz Now and Forever

The 2010 20K: Day 37 - The Days Off, Day 3 of 4 - A Shocking Turn of Events!

10:49 am: I'm going to make some money for this blog today if it KILLS me. But from where?

I feel, and correct me if I'm wrong, that people really don't take me seriously on this goal. Maybe I seem to laissez-faire. Maybe it's the fact that there's no apparent cash flow coming in on a regular basis. Well, I think those are valid points, but my sincerity is there. I will achieve this.

From the poll I conducted recently (with 4 replies at this point - but who am I kidding? It's 11 am on a Saturday - people probably have better things to do than read a blog on their first escape from the office for the week) it seems that there's at least one person who would like to see more interesting stories come out of the 2010 20K - one of the things I'm thinking is perhaps I'll need to break out of my comfort zone and just DO stuff in order to really make this happen. People want conflict. Excitement. Action. A protagonist who really seems like they're trying to get the task at hand completed - not one who simply conjectures upon whatever comes to mind and LETS things happen.

So what do I have on the plate?

• a logo design, which I plan to work on as soon as another deal goes through (I haven't forgotten, promise. Just waiting on an email.)
• a business proposal to help a restaurant become more successful

In creating my blog and site content, I'm finding that my history of packratism is rearing its ugly head - I don't know how many of you deal with this, but I'm finding that I wrote a lot of notes to myself on how I'd like the site to appear, things I'd like to post, etc. But they're all over the freaking place. Different text files, mind-mapping programs, Google Docs - it's ridiculous. Half of figuring out how exactly I'd like these sites to look is figuring out what exactly I've thought up already. Kinda weak.

So what do I do, guys? Do I go out on the street and start handing out business cards? Do I panhandle and beg for money as people pass by?

Jon raises a valid point, though - maybe I DO work too much. Perhaps my workaholic tendencies have got the better of me in life.

Is it possible to make a goal like this happen WHILE having fun? How do I merge the two without making it seem like a daunting project that I can't accomplish without a crapload of backbreaking labour?

*ponders*

I don't know. I wish I had an answer. It would make it a lot easier to do, that's for sure.

Some good friends have mentioned that:

• Daily updates for the 2010 20K may not be feasible when there's not much going on in a day
• Too much talk about the 2010 20K may seem more like I'm pushing a brand or product than trying to accomplish a personal goal

So seeing as how as I seem to have lost sight of myself in this, how about this. The 2010 20K will be a blog to focus on the 2010 20K. When a project comes along, when money comes in, I'll update it. But there's another side of me. The guy who just wants to goof off. The guy who likes to draw random doodles of crap to pass the time. The guy who listens to video game music mixed in with classic rock, cheesy disco and deep moving ballads.

That is Casey Palmer. That is Case P. That is Doomz. Forever.

http://doomzforever.posterous.com

The 2010 20K isn't dead. Far from it. But I need to find myself so that I can better attack such a large project. I'll post updates there when there are updates to be had. For now - it's Doomz time.

Case P out.

Posted via email from Doomz's posterous

The 2010 20K Day 36 - The Days Off, Day 2 of 4 (aka 50 Firefox Tabs Open and No Ideas? I Think Not!)

Day 2 of being at home just chillin'. Today I literally didn't leave the house except to salt the driveway and take out the trash. I got some more art, reading and organization done, and I got around to installing Wordpress - now I'll just need to build my sites from the snippets I have hiding in various folders and other hidey holes on my various hard drives. Worry not - I'll make this work!

Being without human contact for too long, however, can defiintely make one squirrely. I should've put on an album I loved and had that on repeat for the day - but noooo - I wanted to multitask, so it was a busier day mentally than maybe I should've had - but whatev! I'm on my weekend - I can do what I want, right?

Anyway, in looking over some of the many tabs I mentioned having open in this entry's title, I have a few opportunities I spotted to maybe get some more dollars in the pocket:

• HarperCollins lets up-and-coming writers submit stuff here: http://inkpop.com/
• Reminder to self: start running your ideas for the Toronto Star Short Story Contest to people so you can get a head start on actually WRITING the entry
• Jon's suggested sitting my butt on ChatRoulette all day and convincing people to send me money.

Someone probably needs to chain me to a desk or something, though, so that I actually output everything that needs outputting.

So I was talking with a friend last night about how to inspire more interaction in my blog, and I think I've come up with a few ideas.

• Subscribe! I know there's some of you who read on a daily basis, and trust me - I really appreciate it. But why not take it one step further and make it easier for yourselves? Along the right side of the main page of the blog, you'll see a link to subscribe to the blog - click that and you can subscribe through email to get regular updates :) That way you won't need to remember to hit up the blog daily - but again. That's your prerogative, Bobby!
• Podcasts! Is it a pain to download all the fun stuff I put up on here like videos and audio to your iPod to carry with you wherever you go? Sure it is! Well, there's an answer for THAT! Click on this link: itpc://doomz.posterous.com/rss and you'll be able to get all that fun stuff from this blog to carry with you! It'll be like having a mini-Casey to keep you company :D I know, creepy right? And by creepy, I obviously mean FANTASTIC.
• Polls! Yes, I really do want to know what you think about how I should proceed with the 2010 20K! So I'll put out polls to see what you think I'm doing right and wrong and where I should go next with it.

In fact, here's one now!

Oh, so you answered "Other"? Weellllll...

I hope you all take some time to answer the questions so that I can build a better blog - thanks in advance for whatever help you can provide!

I've been informed that light text on a dark background is difficult to read. Seriously? Why did no one inform me of this previously? I love it from an aesthetic standpoint, but if you guys are straining your eyes in order to read the awesomeness I've put together, that's a problem. Hopefully I'll get around to some template changes and harmonization over the course of thw weekend. No guarantees, but I'm always open to change if I think it'll be beneficial :)

Starting using my DeviantArt account again, but doubt I'll see any real action there until I start actually COMPLETING work *adds that to the to-do list*

Okay! That's all you're getting tonight! I have more madness to try and customize with all this Wordpress!

The Same Number You Saw Yesterday:

• The 2010 20K Running Total = $108.14

Until tomorrow, Readerland!

--case p.

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The 2010 20K Day 35 - The Days Off, Day 1 of 4

Hey all,

So I cashed in a couple of lieu days, and here I am - it's been a day of relaxation, sketching and coin counting.

Coin counting? Oh yes. You didn't think that my local bank branch could have a coin counting machine and that I wouldn't want to try it out, no? There was about $100 worth of change in the bin - it went to a good cause. (Paying bills quicker - the ones I'd much prefer to never see again.)

But seriously, I can't say there's much I can offer in the money-saving tips world today - discussed the merits of using Wordpress to power my sites-to-be with Kevin, thought about the option of finding Canadian game shows where I could be a contestant after completely OBLITERATING the Wheel of Fortune contestants on their puzzles (I estimate that I could've raked in $80-$90K easy if I never hit bankrupt with the luck that they were getting) and just did a lot of sketching. Please refer to below for today's sketchdump:

Also, I just went to town on this piece of paper (with more punishment to come!):

Which resulted in these poor victims of my hate crime against art tools:

Anyhoo - if there's something you want to see in the next few days, feel free to suggest. I'll be here! All day! Just working on stuff!

Los Numeros:

• The 2010 20K Running Total = $108.14

All the best,

--case p.

Posted via email from Doomz's posterous

Jedward featuring Vanilla Ice - Under Pressure (Ice Ice Baby) (FAIL!)

via youtube.com

Seriously? WORST VIDEO OF THE YEAR. And yes, I KNOW it's only February - but this is simply HORRIBLE.

1 - mixing a great song with a horrible one to come up with a version that's even worse?
2 - did they apply extra makeup to look even whiter than the vampires in Twilight? Not that I've seen the movie, mind you.
3 - GETTING FREAKING VANILLA ICE IN AN ATTEMPT TO MAKE HIM RELEVANT AGAIN WILL NOT WORK.

Someone needs to find these Jedward guys and take their recording studio and videographers away from them for the good of EVERYBODY.

--case p.

Posted via web from Doomz Uncut

Kamasutra For Geeks

via makeuseof.com

If you've ever tried to open up a computer case so you can get in there and do some upgrades, you too have done this... erm, "dance".

My recommendations?

*get better tools
*build up some more muscle, OR
*GET A FREAKIN' LAPTOP!

--case p.

Posted via web from Doomz Uncut

The 2010 20K Day 34: Writing Better Blog Posts

Okay, I felt that yesterday's post was a little weak. A little rushed. A little lacking in substance. I apologize for that. Some days I get carried away with random thoughts and don't really take any time to insert any thought to structure, logical flow or really, anything firmly rooted in good communication. I can't promise that it won't happen again, but I'm just explaining the insanity!

Today was a good day - wrapped up the week of work - the next couple of days should see some SERIOUS work get out of the way! Expect improvements, planning and all-around goodness from yours truly!

Today was ALSO a good day due to some talks with a potential client - it's a fresh project that's a little different from things that I've taken on as of late - I hope to only bring good news about it in the coming weeks, but of course, as with many of my projects, it's all hush-hush for the moment :)

So to all y'all waiitng for designs? Updates to projects? All that Doomz goodness you know and love? Keep an eye on your email addresses in the next four days ;)

I don't want to leave you guys without anything for today, so here - a quick colour prelim for yesterday's sketch - the final will very likely be different from this, but I hope you get the idea from what you see.

Anyway, I'm more bushed than a National Park. Have a great one, y'all, and check in over the coming days - I'm going to try and churn out so much product that heads will SPIN!

The Numeros:

• The 2010 20K Running Total = $108.14

Toodles!

--case p.

Posted via email from Doomz's posterous

The 2010 20K: Day 33 - Long Posts from Long Days

Dear Designers,

Oooooooh snap. Y'all are lucky that I have a full-time job and an active social life, or y'all would be in TROUBLLLLLEEEEEE!!! I've got designs in the vault that would knock socks off all over the block! (Ooh - I know you loved that flow!)

The point of that little aside was to let you know that despite missing some deadlines, despite feeling like there's never any time to throw down creatively on the things I wanna do - I'm still at it! I'm not about to let these little inconveniences and grounds for excuses get the better of me! There's too much I wanna do and so far only one me doing it, so I'm not going to be shut down that easily!

Work today was challenging - something I'd been working on completing for a while now suddenly blew up in my face. Now, me being someone who does NOT like to mess up when I'm accountable for something was not taking this lightly. It made my day longer, forced me to tackle some issues more aggressively - in general, I was edgier than usual. A little drawing at lunch helped a bit, but some time off would probably get me back on track.

Last night also saw me up getting Apache, PHP and MySQL installed on my computer - or rather, an attempt to get it installed. I soon found myself learning about the difference between thread-safe and non-thread safe versions of PHP and why installing the wrong one on Windows 7 just won't work. Attempt 2 is tonight. Which is somewhat hilarious, since I'll have to declare all the steps all over again whenever I move over to a Mac, but it's good enough for now :)

But you're probably all out there watching the season premiere of Lost. Whatev - I'll catch up on it later. I'm a busy man with things to do!

Anyway, that's all you're getting for now - I'm wrapping my challenging day up with some relaxation and drawing - tomorrow will hopefully see some things wrap up, but the verdict's still up on that one :)

The Digits:

• The 2010 20K Running Total = $108.14

Keep it cool out there!

--case p.

Posted via email from Doomz's posterous

The 2010 20K: Day 32 - Numbering These Blogs Won't Be So Easy Anymore!

It's another week, another month (not to mention that it's Black History Month!) - not too many earth-shattering changes as of yet. Still working on the blog (obviously), still carrying too much wherever I go. This week, however, might see a bit more of an opportunity to lighten my load. I hope to just take a long stretch of time to finish some art; use up some supplies that I've been carrying for FAR too long; and clear up the digital presence of mine EVEN more.

I was commenting to Sarah the other night that things are often better when you're working in a team. Everyone on a team has their own individual area of expertise, and no two people on a team will ever do things EXACTLY the same way. I think many of the ventures I'd like to pursue are very team-favourable. Sure, you can try to be good at a whole list of things, but there's only 24 hours in a day! Just throwing that one out there...

Last night I posted this message on my Facebook and Twitter:

CANADIANS. Help a brotha out! Got contests? Fast food surveys? Air Miles/Aeroplan points? SEND THEM MY WAY! email, facebook, twitter, blog!

I'm totally serious, too! Whatever you guys have and aren't using, send it my way like an Usher song! I'll fill out those surveys! I'll use those coupon codes! Mail those SASEs! I won't be stopped! In fact, I think there's a McDonald's receipt in my jacket pocket with a survey address on the back. Can anyone confirm whether or not these actually have winners? Maybe I should just contact them and see if they can give me further info? Keep you guys posted.

So it being around that time of year, the shirt design I'm working on is on the theme of Hearts, like I mentioned. Here's a preview of the style I'm working with this time:

I am hoping for epicness by the time it's done! This is only a sample, but it'll be a lot simpler than the last design I was working with, so I SHOULD make cut-off.

Anyway, I'm gonna keep at it for the rest of the night, so I wish everyone the best - definitely have some moves going on this week - hopefully I can open the lid on some ideas soon - I'm dying of the anticipation!

The Math:

• The 2010 20K Running Total = $108.14

Keep your lives interesting out there!

It's your boy,

--case p.

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