Tooning In

I admit it. I'm a frustrated cartoonist. Sit me in a seminar or some sort of classroom situation, and my pen is practically on autopilot. It's almost as if to get my brain to function properly, I must get my doodle on creating little cartoon creatures with my limited artistic ability.

So it was with great empathy when I interviewed Stephan Pastis, creator of the popular comic strip "Pearls Before Swine," that I found out he did the same thing when he was in law school. Well, at least one of us was able to capitalize on doodlin'.

Anyhoo, here's a link to my Q&A with Pastis, which appeared in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

http://www.ajc.com/news/entertainment/calendar/pearls-before-swine-comic-strip-creator-draws-to-o/nSTJq/

And this is a link to download or stream the episode of my radio show featuring Pastis talking comic strip shop:

http://1690wmlb.com/shows/pck/

Feeling Corny

I must say it makes me quite sad to see folks sparring on Facebook over politics. It's one thing to have an opinion, it's another to rabbit punch someone else in the back of the head if they don't agree with your stance.

Well, if you live in and around the Atlanta area and you need to blow off some politically charged rage, I suggest playing in a corn field or simply perusing a pun'kin patch.

And where should I go for a corn maze or a plethora of pumpkins, you ask? I got yer choices right here in an article I wrote for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

http://bit.ly/Vz3V4F

Doesn't that corn maze look like an elaborate crop circle? Regardless of your political leanings, it looks like the truth is indeed out there. Go have some fun.

Slipping On The Lederhosen

To my knowledge there's not a drop of German blood in my body. But there's something alluring about lederhosen. Not sure exactly why, but those goofy, German short overalls strike me as comically cool. Oh, how I wish I had a pair.

The closest I've come is buying a German lederhosen hat while visiting a pal in Heidelberg many moons ago. I wore it while gorging on a mountain of brats and ingesting gallons of brew. Yet, some snooty Germans didn't seem to appreciate my traditional crown. After being chided, I simply growled back at them like the obnoxious American they expected.

The hat currently rests on top of a giant plastic clown head in my den. I still don the hat occasionally, and it's become the recipient of my exhaustive pin collection. I guess it holds somewhere around three dozen pins, and I'm guaranteed quite a neck workout when I put it on.

Whenever I attend an Oktoberfest celebration, I reach for the hat. After culling together a list of events for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the "hut" is calling my name.

You can read my round-up of Atlanta area Oktoberfest events here: bit.ly?PRXLJy

Anyone with an extra pair of lederhosen? You know who to call.