Washington-ians! Seattle-ites! People of the Northwest in general! Big reminder that this weekend is Emerald City Comic-Con (Sat, 10-6; Sun 10-5)!

Emerald City has quickly become my favorite convention, because A.) There are tons of Sheldon readers in and around Seattle, B.) The convention itself is super fun, C.) This particular con’ will be the first time my friends and “How To Make Webcomics” co-authors will be in one booth, signing together, and D.) We’ll be giving a featured talk, also called “How To Make Webcomics,” at the show.

It really is going to be a great time. If you can make it, don’t miss it! I’ll be giving out free sketches to Sheldonistas of all shapes and sizes (There were lots of kids, last time I went to Seattle — which was very fun)…and I’ll be chattin’ and givin’ out the Commemorative, Limited Edition, 2008 Emerald City Comic-Con High Fives (Note: Only bringing 65. Get yours quickly, while supplies last).

Also, to say “thank you” to all the Sheldon readers who do make it out, all Sheldon Original Strips will be $25 off the normal price at the show. So if you’ve had your eye on a specific strip, now’s your chance to snag it! Just e-mail me to make sure I bring your favorite.

Thanks! See you there!

Sheldonista George B. sent me an interesting read on “squee” that I thought I’d share….

Hey man. I don’t know if you’ve ever talked about this, but I always think about it, and today was so perfect I just had to comment on it.

Squee, and the way you use it in the strips, is the ultimate word. It’s like Dude. You can say it millions of ways and they all mean something different. Sometimes whole paragraphs with a single Squee.

I am not sure how much you plan this, or if it just happens, but I LOVE Flaco SO much because of this. What I mean is how whenever Flaco comments on something, there’s a duality that is so cool….one part is whatever you intended the “squee” to be which the reader can kind of gather from the context, but the BEST part is deciding what WE think he is saying. I’m sure you have something in mind specifically but today, for instance, I heard “word” when Flaco said “squee.”

Anyhow…not sure any of that made sense, but that is the secret sauce in what makes Flaco so cool!

A thought occurred to me, today, and I’m curious to see if there’s a Sheldonista out there who knows this, off-hand: What was the first strip that showed Arthur sitting on the lamp?

I’m kinda curious to see how long that’s been going on. If no one knows, I may just use the varying archive search features and see if I can figure it out. But I’m guessing there’s an Arthur fan out there who know this.

If you’re a Sheldonista who picked up a book or t-shirt from the Sheldon Store in 2006 or 2007, you know that I like to give out free desktop wallpapers… as a small “thank you” from me to you. A thank you, because it’s your financial support that keeps Sheldon going as a free, daily strip (…and keeps the lights on ’round these parts).

But it looks like everyone who purchased something in the first months of 2008 didn’t get the link to the free wallpapers. Which is a total bummer.

Anyway, I just now fixed the link hiccup… So if you were one of those folks that made a purchase but didn’t get a free wallpaper, just send me an e-mail from the address used in your Sheldon purchase…and I’ll send you the wallpaper link! Thanks!

I get it. Cuteness sells.

Cuteness triggers all sorts of basic, human parenting instincts and emotional responses that no logical brain can fully ignore…resulting in a higher possibility of an emotionally based purchase the next time you’re in the store.

I get it. I understand it. And I see it comin’ a mile away.

But dang it! Dang this commercial! I can not resist its charms! I’m singing this dang thing constantly. A capella style, Gregorian-monk style, George Clinton Parliament style. It’s ridiculous. This commercial has wedded itself to my deepest synapses.

The ad team that came up with this thing should all be getting Mazda Miatas for Christmas bonuses.

Just a quick note for any Sheldonistas living in or around Palermo:

My wife has a play going up at the Teatro Nuovo Montevergini. It’s a wonderful, all-monologue show called “In Her Shoes,” and this is the show’s Italian premiere. Previously, this play was translated into Italian by Valter Cassini Press — so if you can’t make it to the play, pick up an Italian copy, under the title “Accessories”!

(I’m sorry to say I don’t have the dates/times for the play itself in Palermo…and my Google searching in Italian is not so “fantastico,” so I can’t find it. But! If you’re in Palermo, I’m assuming you can find it lickety-split!)

Do you remember, a few months back, when I asked Sheldonistas to give feedback on The Sheldon Store using this Yelp link?

The idea was that it’d be far better for Sheldonistas to hear from one another about their experiences than it would be to hear it from me. And I still like that idea, I think it’s a useful one. But Yelp ain’t doing the job.

The Yelp site itself is more designed for local restaurants and stuff, not so much for the online world. Additionally, Yelp’s software algorithms have automatically deleted the posts from any kind Sheldonistas who added their review of the store …but who never posted anything else on their local restaurants. I can understand why Yelp’s software would do that…but it doesn’t help you or I if Sheldonistas don’t want to comment on their local Domino’s Pizza, as well as their Sheldon Store review. 🙂

But since I’d still like to do something like this, let me ask: Does anyone have an third-party review site they’d recommend for use with the Sheldon Store? If we can figure out a good one, we’ll move the “O-fficial Sheldon Store Reviews” over there.

Thanks, in advance, for any ideas!

Big reminder: If you’re within driving distance to Seattle, you HAVE to go to Emerald City Comic-Con on May 10 & 11th.

Emerald is rapidly becoming my favorite comics convention in the U.S., and they’re pulling out all the stops to welcome myself and “Sheldon”.

And since so many, many Sheldonistas live in and around Seattle (…it’s the biggest readership for Sheldon in the U.S.) this show can’t help but be awesome. I’ll be signing and selling, and giving out free sketches to Sheldonistas…so please come on down!

As long as I can remember, I’ve had a huge fear of getting anything near/on/around my eyes. Perfectly normal fear, I suppose, and not one to worry about…except that it’s kept me from getting contacts for my vision.

Been totally terrified of it.

But I decided that it was about dang time for a dang grownup to get over his dang fears…so off I went to the optometrist. And in the process, I found the perfect cure for eye-related fears: A super-tough-but-kind-hearted nurse from Russia.

Man! Now I see how the Russians survive those winters: Sheer, unyeilding stubbornness…tainted with genuine big-heartedness. This woman was awesome.

And by God, she did. Took me 2 1/2 hours, but with her help I got ’em in!

And today, when I tried it again at home, it only took me an hour. So…progress! Right?

Amid all my goings-on, I almost forgot to mention: If you’re going to New York Comic-Con this year, make sure you swing by booth #1863 and say hi to my friends Brad Guigar and Paul Southworth. Both are cartoonists and gentlemen of the highest order…and will be two of the “guest” cartoonists for Sheldon next week!