The goddess of witchy webcomics

tashasworld @ 2008-01-13T19:18:00

2008-01-14T01:50:58Z

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."

Put down that chainsaw and listen to me

2008-01-14T00:58:19Z

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.

Roger, grab the cat.

2008-01-07T19:56:05Z

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

I've experiments to run, there is research to be done, on the people who are still alive

2008-01-07T15:44:53Z

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!

When we gamble with our time, we choose our destiny.

2007-11-09T10:35:04Z

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.

Fun with anagrams

2007-09-18T23:02:21Z

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... ^_^

(insert ((witty/sarcastic/movie quote)) line here...)

2007-07-28T13:48:35Z

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.

tashasworld @ 2007-06-03T12:48:00

2007-06-03T17:49:41Z

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

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

And I dancedancedance, and I dancedancedance

2007-06-03T17:29:28Z

Recaps start tomorrow, in preparation of new strips.

And there was much rejoicing.

For you are a magnet, and I am steel...

2007-06-02T10:43:04Z

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:

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)?

A used pink bathrobe / A rare, mint snowglobe / A "Smurfs" TV tray / That I bought on eBay

2007-06-01T10:14:15Z

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.

"And who are you, the Disco Plumber?"

2007-02-02T01:53:07Z

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/

"You actually go outside in these things?" "Well, what would you prefer? Yellow spandex?"

2006-10-26T17:02:50Z

Yeah, I finally started playing Ragnarok Online:

You keep your eyes on this toches, and don't you take 'em off till we get to San Fransisco!

2006-08-18T21:54:29Z

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...)

Yeah, I'm back. I'll explain later

2006-06-16T02:30:38Z

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

"Ray, if someone asks if you're a god... you say YES!"

2006-06-05T13:21:09Z

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.

Additional:

2006-06-01T17:51:58Z

Happy birthday, chef_troy!

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

"Miss TESSMACHERRRRRRRR!!!"

2006-06-01T17:34:41Z

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. -_-'

Recipe: Hermits (cookies)

2006-05-30T13:03:45Z

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.

"Silk and satin, leather and lace, black panties with an angel's face..."

2006-05-28T16:50:08Z

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

Too disgusting for me to come up with a witty title...

2006-05-28T16:17:51Z

Urgh. http://ebonypearl.livejournal.com/141567.html

America: Land of the paranoid and home of the turn-in-your-neighbor. I've been seeing something like this coming ever since "our" government started using 9-11 as an excuse to do whatever it wants, Constitution be damned. I've been thinking seriously about emigrating to Canada, and crap like this doesn't help change my mind.

Additional:

2006-05-26T02:44:23Z

Okay, the last strip is finished and uploaded. Now it's time to take a nap before I try to get a couple more strips drawn before I get my REAL sleep before work.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes...

2006-05-26T00:28:41Z

Yesterday, I was FINALLY able to get the first of the tattoos I've been wanting. It was pretty cool. Too bad I'm going to have to save up for a LONG time before I can get the next one.

Today I finished inking the strip I've been working on. Got two new strips pencilled (and one of them inked). I should have the other strip inked and uploaded before midnight (CDT). I also finished assembling the last strip in the "Coming Out" arc.

Another thing I've been working on is re-lettering all the old strips that used Blambot fonts. The "Introduction" strip is nearly finished, and the first 6 strips of the "Toil and Trouble" arc are finished. Plus, I've been tweaking some of the pages on the website and correcting some mistakes in the storyline dropdown.

Well, I'm off to read my LJ Friends page, then finish inking part 6 of "Everywhere."

Excerpt from the "People Are Stupid™" files

2006-05-21T15:43:18Z

"Tag switching" in retail is nothing new. Before UPC barcode scanners were the norm in retail outlets, dishonest customers would simply pull price tags off less expensive items and place them on more expensive items, counting on cashiers to not notice that the $25.00 blender had the price tag from a $10 toaster. Bar codes have forced these thieves to become more creative. Where I work, for example, it's not uncommon for a "customer" to switch the facepaper from a $10 frame with the facepaper from a $4 frame. Since the barcode is on the facepaper and not somewhere more sensible (like printed directly on the back of the frame), the $10 frame will ring up at $4. And in this age of "superstores," the cashiers are much less likely to know the actual price of said frame, especially since 95% of the merchandise is not ticketed with the price. Almost every department in my store has seen evidence of this tampering.

However, last night (or perhaps sometime yesterday), one of these thieves outsmarted him- or herself. In my department, we stock two types of collapsible chairs. You know, the kind where the legs spread out into a "X" shape, opening the seat and the back. The first, the "sling chair," is of fairly solid construction and is very sturdy. It is also the more visually appealing of the two. The second, the "butterfly chair," is rather cheaply made, not very sturdy, and comes in garish colors of faux fur. Other than that, they look very similar when folded and they both come in clear, reuseable plastic sleeves.

Sometime yesterday (or last night), some "customer" took a sling chair out of its proper bag and put it in the bag for a butterfly chair, and (apparently, since I never got it back in this morning's returns) purchased it. Not bad, right? he or she got the better chair for the price of the crappy chair. But here's the kicker: The sling chair retails at just under $20, while the butterfly chair retails at almost $29.

In trying to cheat the store out of almost $10, the "customer" actually screwed him- or herself out of almost $10.

Kick the baby!

2006-05-19T15:11:05Z

The strip I was working on yesterday is finished. It's been uploaded and I ran a manual update. It still hasn't appeared, but it *is* there -- somewhere. I may try to draw some more before I go to bed, but as I'm tired, my hands ache, and I have to work tonight, I promise nothing.