The goddess of witchy webcomics

I almost forgot to add... The first new strip SHOULD be up in the morning, barring any problems with KeenSpace ComicGenesis. For right now, I'm continuing the old arc from 2003. When I have more of a buffer built up, I'll start adding in some strips to continue the Jenny Everywhere story from 2005.

This strip marks the beginning of the end of Roger's mullet. ^_^

Also, after this arc, Roger will start to show a bit more variety in his wardrobe (as seen in the Jenny Everywhere story arc). In fact, I can safely say that this arc is going to be changing quite a few things in the TW universe.

This arc has been a long time in coming (as has the one that will follow it), and so have the changes it brings. As DC Comics said back in '86: "And NOTHING will ever be the same."

Current Location: Right here, in front of the computer.
Current Mood: determined
Current Music: Ellen McLain - Still Alive (Yes, AGAIN. So THERE. :P )

Several years ago, I spent about six hours trimming away all the background of the current TW logo, to give it a transparent background so I could superimpose it over other images (like the splash panel of the Sunday strips).

Six hours.

While trying to find a way to take an image with no transparency and give it a transparent layer (I wanted to cut out a portion of a new strip and paste another image behind it, so that it peeked out through the transparent area), I found out how the magic wand tool works. I tried it out on the original scan of the TW logo that I still had saved, and the job I'd done in six hours took me less than a minute.

All of you who are already familiar with your paintshop programs can feel free to point and laugh hysterically at me. I deserve it.

Current Location: Right here, in front of the computer.
Current Mood: ditzy
Current Music: "Weird Al" Yankovic - Dare to Be Stupid

My cat, Meowth, is now on teh intarwebz at http://mine.icanhascheezburger.com/View.aspx?128442087162343750.jpg

Feel free to visit and vote for her. ^_^

Edit: Okay, here are some others I posted:

http://mine.icanhascheezburger.com/View.aspx?128442109962656250.jpg
http://mine.icanhascheezburger.com/View.aspx?128442138085312500.jpg
http://mine.icanhascheezburger.com/View.aspx?128442147770156250.jpg
http://mine.icanhascheezburger.com/View.aspx?128442148368906250.jpg
http://mine.icanhascheezburger.com/View.aspx?128442151000312500.jpg

Current Location: Right here, in front of the computer.
Current Mood: satisfied
Current Music: Ellen McLain - Still Alive (Yes, again. I like this song)

Well, I'm out of work. I'd seen this coming for over a month, so it's something of a relief. I've been so exhausted for quite some time now, because the store kept refusing to hire any help for me during the Christmas season (I worked in the toy department, so that was pretty stupid). Then, the week AFTER Christmas, they hire someone to help in Toys -- when the work was actually at a manageable level for me. Infer from that what you will.

Anyway, this means I get to start looking for a new job, but the good news is that I now have time to work on TW. I'll be trying to build up a nice backlog of new strips while I'm unemployed, because I know I'll have less time to draw once I find another job.

Also, I just noticed today that the www.tashasworldcomic.com address is FINALLY working. Wheeee!

Current Location: Right here, in front of the computer.
Current Mood: tired
Current Music: Ellen McLain - Still Alive ('Portal' credits)

For months, now, I've been complaining to management (and any co-workers within earshot) about the evening-shift workers in my department. The "closers" are supposed to straighten out the merchandise on the shelves and put away any merchandise that is not in its proper place. They are NOT supposed to standing around having conversations while they play with the toys until I come in at 10 pm, then grab a few boxes off the pallets and stock the shelves until 10:59, then head to the timeclock to punch out and leave, leaving the toy department looking like the day before X-mas and baskets of toys that have been picked up in other departments.

These slackers were also in the habit of taking 30 minutes or more for their 15-minute breaks. One of them frequently went on break sometime before 9:30 and came back in time to clock out and go home at 11:00.

But no more. Saturday night/Sunday morning, a bunch of slackers from all three shifts were fired -- among them the two millstones around my own neck. Mind you, I didn't find out about it when I went to work Sunday night. Nope, I went in Sunday, saw the toy department looking like it has EVERY NIGHT FOR THE PAST FOUR MONTHS, with toys on the floor, merchandise from other departments scattered all over the department, and peggable toys everywhere but on the pegs. In short, like a hurricane had just swept through. And like I said, no different than any other night at 10 pm. I spent the whole night getting more and more pissed off at the two jerks who work toys in the evening, for leaving all of their work for me, when X-mas season means I have triple my usual work anyway. Finally, just before it was time for me to go home, I was ready to deliver an ultimatum to management -- I'd had enough . Either they make the evening guys do their job or I quit and they can find someone else to stock toys at night, or they move those guys and put ME on the evening shift. I approached a manager and started to tell him the closers had left a big mess as usual, and he informed me that there are no closers in toys anymore. They'd been fired. Oddly enough, that was enough to cool me off immediately; now for once there was a good reason for the department to look like shit. Sadly, though, it didn't look any different than when the two slackers still worked there.

The days since, the toy department has looked better when I walked in than it has in MONTHS, because now they get people who are done with their jobs to come over and straighten things out a bit. It's amazing what getting rid of two idiots who were getting paid to goof off for eight hours has done to my stress level and my morale. I mean, those guys were making the same pay as me and I was doing their jobs AND mine, while they goofed around and generally got away with shit that would have gotten me fired (if I'd done it).

One of the guys who got fired is about to be a father. You'd think that with a baby on the way, he'd realize that he couldn't afford to lose his job. But no, he'd been getting away with this crap for over two years, and had never been caught for most of that time because I had help overnight. Help that quit a few months ago because, like me, she was tired of doing those jerk-offs' jobs for them. Still, you'd think the father-to-be would have realized that management was starting to notice his lack of work when I started refusing to do it for him, and he and his partner wound up getting written up for it a couple of weeks ago.

Sad thing is, he probably blames me for his getting fired (at one point I left the work he left for me, with a note that said "from Nathan, with love" in the back room, and the next day I left both that AND that day's stuff with a note that said "The evening shift needs to do their own work and not leave it for overnight"). Truth to tell, I feel bad for him, because I liked hanging out with him, and because I know he's got a baby on the way. But that pales in comparison to the joy that I feel that both of them FINALLY got exactly what they deserved -- what SHOULD have been done a LONG time ago.

Current Location: right here, in front of the computer
Current Mood: tired
Current Music: Lemon Demon - The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny

I was considering getting a new Neopet -- a Xweetok. I didn't feel like coming up with a name, so I opened a couple of online anagram generators. These are some of the more interesting results I got from typing in "Rhea's Xweetok" (punctuation added by me):

Take Whore Sex
Takes Ex-Whore
Tweak Hero Sex
Take Her Sex, Ow!
Wet Sex OK, Rhea
Wake Other Sex
Weak Other Sex
Rae the Sex Wok
Hat Sex Were OK
Sex Art Week, Oh!
OK, Wear the Sex

Too bad I can't use any of those... ^_^

Current Location: right here, in front of the computer

I've made a difficult decision. After five years, "Tasha's World" will no longer be updating. I've been trying -- I really have -- but the fact is, I can't work full time and draw the comic. I know other artists can, and that's great for them. But for me, drawing is difficult. I mean, REAL drawing. I suppose I could just scribble out some stick-figures and throw them up on the site, but no; I wouldn't be happy with posting that. There's plenty of stick-figure comics out there already. And it wouldn't be fair to the few readers who are still out there waiting for new comics. Better for me to just walk away from the comic until/unless it can have the kind of art it deserves.

I really hate to just leave everything unfinished like this, but working full time is running me into the ground. My knees are no longer able to support my weight the way they should, and the rest of my body is having to compensate, which leaves me so exhausted when I come home that I can barely even HOLD a pencil, much less draw. It's frustrating, because I have all these stories wanting to be told. Every day at work, I get more ideas, and no outlet for them.

With all that said, this is not the end for Tasha and her friends. If I find an artist who is willing to draw the strip, knowing that it's a non-paying gig, or if I win the lottery and quit the full time retail hell I'm stuck in, Tasha and company will return.

I always knew that TW would have to end someday, but I didn't want it to have to be like this -- with no ending, no closure. I hope to someday bring the comic back, but for now I have to say goodbye to Tasha, Stephanie, Roger, Adam and Barbara and hope that we'll be able to see them again soon.

Oh, and to Rann and Chris, I only just saw today how the guest comic came out on the webpage. I've fixed the problem, but can't log in to CG's siteadmin to force an update. But it SHOULD fix itself tonight with CG's regular update.

To everyone out there who hadn't already given up on "Tasha's World," all I can say is I'm sorry. And maybe we'll be back again, someday.

Current Location: (insert sarcastic quip)
Current Mood: exhausted
Current Music: none, I'm going to bed

One more thing before I toddle off to bed...

The "Tasha's World" wiki has been updated. Link is on the TW site.

Current Location: right here, in front of the computer
Current Mood: tired
Current Music: Belanova - Tal Vez

Recaps start tomorrow, in preparation of new strips.

And there was much rejoicing.

Current Location: right here, in front of the computer
Current Mood: tired
Current Music: Leif Garrett - I Was Made for Dancin'

I'm going to updating the TW website again...

I was thinking of new stuff I could offer my 2 or 3 remaining readers, and I remembered these magnets I made awhile back:


( close-up images )
What do you (my 2 or 3 remaining readers) think? Do these look like they'd be worth $2 dollars each? Any suggestions for other images that could be used? Any suggestions for other stuff I can offer (keeping in mind I'd most likely be making it myself, and probably not trying to sell it through CafePress)?

Current Location: right here, in front of the computer
Current Mood: eh
Current Music: Ozzy Osbourne - Momma I'm Coming Home

Just trying to raise some money to help with bills...

John Byrne's "Superman" (1987)

Marv Wolfman's "The Adventures of Superman" (1987)

John Byrne's "Action Comics" (1987)

I'll probably be putting some more comic book auctions up in a few days, if these do well.

Current Location: right here
Current Mood: tired
Current Music: Nu Shooz - I Can't Wait

This past Saturday, I auditioned for Who Wants to Be a Superhero? For pictures of the event, here are some links:

http://s56.photobucket.com/albums/g194/WitchyWebcomics/Texas%20Titans/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/angelmarquez/sets/72157594503650243/detail/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/72835770@N00/

Here's me, finishing filling out the application: http://flickr.com/photos/angelmarquez/371546571/

I don't remember this photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/72835770@N00/372044626/

Group phot of the Texas Titans: http://www.flickr.com/photos/angelmarquez/374157249/in/set-72157594503650243/

Current Location: 10-20
Current Mood: tired

Yeah, I finally started playing Ragnarok Online:

Current Location: Right here, in front of the computer.
Current Mood: yawn
Current Music: the fan

The kind of stuff I eat:

For tonight's meal, I boiled some roots and fungi, then drained the water. Then I added some crushed, dried leaves, some ground-up seeds and roots, and some animal body fluids. Then I smashed the whole mixture into a paste, some of which will be used to garnish some baked fungi, and the rest of which will have ground-up animal body parts added to it and eaten as a side dish.

Yummy! ^_^

(translation tomorrow, for those who don't quite get it...)

Current Location: hell on earth
Current Mood: silly
Current Music: the voices in my head

You scored as Storm. Storm is the seconday team leader of the X-Men. She has a peaceful personality but must be careful since her emotions control her powers. She loves gardening and is afaid of tight spaces. Powers: Control of the Weather </td> Storm 70% Rogue 65% Jean Grey 60% Cyclops 60% Wolverine 60% Iceman 50% Colossus 45% Gambit 40% Nightcrawler 40% Beast 30% Emma Frost 20% Most Comprehensive X-Men Personality Quiz 2.0 created with QuizFarm.com

Current Mood: tired

Heh. ^_^

In other news, today's strip SHOULD be up, but for some reason, I can never get Keens-- Comic Genesis to update it without a bunch of hassle with manually creating the page and doing lots and lots of manual updates while I jack around with the index page. I don't feel like doing all that crap right now; I'm tired and I have some touching up to do on the next couple of strips, plus lettering and all that, then sleep, then back to work tonight.

If it's not up by the time I wake up this evening, I'll see what I can do.

Edit: It's finally up. Enjoy. Or not. Whatever.

Current Mood: tired
Current Music: Martin Page - House of Stone and Light

Happy birthday, chef_troy!

Your present is that you get to draw a new Scandal Sheet! update! ^_~

Current Mood: bouncy
Current Music: Olivia Newton-John & The Tubes - Dancin'

I apologize for the absolute suckiness of the most recent update (WARNING: Probably NSFW). The pencils (which I actually had done last week) weren't that great, but when I inked (which is usually where I correct any pencilling mistakes) I did sort of a rush job, because my hands were bothering me again.

In other news, I've got two new strips pencilled, so I'm taking a bit of a break before starting the next strip. I'm probably not going to ink these, as all my pigment liners AND my Sharpies are running dry and I don't have the money to spare to buy new ones. This means I'll have to put more detail into my pencils than I've done in a long time.

I really need to get some strips done during my work week, so I can get caught up. -_-'

Current Mood: hands hurty, but accomplished
Current Music: Anne Murray - Danny's Song

Abbreviations:
C = cup
t = teaspoon
T = tablespoon

HERMITS

1/2 C butter, softened
1 1/2 C sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 t baking powder
1 t cinnamon
1 t allspice
1 t cloves
1 t nutmeg
3 C flour
1 1/2 C raisins*
1 1/2 C pecans, chopped*

Preheat oven to 350°. Cream the butter and sugar together. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Mix in baking soda, salt, baking powder and spices. Mix in flour, 1/2 C at a time, then the raisins and nuts. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto UNGREASED baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes, or until the cookies just begin to turn golden on the edges. Cool on a wire rack. Enjoy! ^_^

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

* I prefer to substitute Craisins for the raisins and walnuts for the pecans. YMMV.

Current Mood: getting over being sick
Current Music: Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Never Had To Knock On Wood

Oh, and this:

You scored as Fantasy Goth. You are a Fantasy Goth. You may or may not actually be a goth, but "normal" folks see you as one of those weird kids, and you are probably considered a geek by quite a few. </td> Fantasy Goth 79% Romantic Goth 75% Old-school Goth 58% Industrial/Rivet-Head 54% Death Rocker 54% Perky Goff 46% Anything-Goes Goth 46% Ethereal Goth 42% Understanding Outsider 33% Cyber-goth 33% Confused Outsider 21% What subcategory of Goth best fits you? created with QuizFarm.com

Current Mood: whatever