Friday, October 19th marks the 2,000 Sheldon toon, which is kinda neat…and worth noting.

I absolutely love drawing this strip, and based on the little snippets I get from your daily e-mails, it seems to bring an awful lot of folks an awful lot of joy as well.

There is nothing I’d rather do, creatively, than cartoon on a daily basis…so allow me to make this public pledge: I’m gonna keep drawing Sheldon for decades and decades and decades more to come. I may, in time, create a second (…or third?) strip, or experiment with other stuff…but Sheldon is here for good. You have my word on that.

That would not be possible, though, without your kind support. The e-mails I get, the nice posts on the forums, the kind words said to me at conventions or book signings — that stuff buoys me along for months. You have no idea. So thank you for your kindness: it really does mean the world to me.

And thanks also, for your support at the Sheldon Store — as that’s what keeps the lights on around here. (…I still take a unique kinda joy any time someone picks up a Sheldon book.)

So today, we mark strip #2,000! And here’s to the next 2,000 strips!

OK, yes, granted, I *was* looking at the Star Wars online encyclopedia for a big chunk of my day today. And yes, granted, that *does* make me a huge nerd.

But there comes a time in every nerd’s life when an invisible line is suddenly crossed. It’s a moment of sudden illumination that causes a previously fun activity — such as looking at an online Star Wars encyclopedia — to instantly become the lamest possible way you could be spending your day.

Ladies and gentlemen, that invisible line, that moment of illumination….came for me today in the form of THIS RIDICULOUS STAR WARS ENCYCLOPEDIA ENTRY.

…and here’s my followup thought, since I now have to comment on this: The duck’s homeworld is “Naboo”? Really? Is this really what we’re shooting for here? I mean, c’mon…I’m all for suspension of disbelief and immersion in a sci-fi universe, but isn’t that kinda ruined when you start listing “Ducks” as being from “Naboo”? What’s next?

“Species: Chihuahua. Homeworld: “The Ice Planet Hoth.”

“Species: Cute Baby Otter. Homeworld: Tattoine.”

“Species: Rare White Tiger. Homeworld: That weird lava planet where Anakin got served.”

Remember, a few weeks back, when I mentioned my last trip to Germany…and how surprised I was to find Sheldon books in Nuremberg (Nürnberg)? Well, Sheldonista Alex H-H has outdone himself, travelling to Nuremberg to look for some Sheldon in the wild. And check out his submitted travelogue, in photo-comic-strip form.

This is awesome! Thanks, Alex!

A huge, huge thank you to everyone who came out to the SPX show in Maryland — you really made it a fantastic weekend. I’m happy to report we sold out of all three books while there, exchanged a lot of high fives, gave away lots of free sketches, and gained a lot of new readers.

I’ve put together a little photo-album-with-descriptions for your perusal….check it out!

After a two week break following the birth of his first child (…congratulations!), my buddy Paul is back at this drawing desk, creating daily installments of Ugly Hill. Ugly Hill has some of the most fantastic art going, so please check it out!

And congratulate Paul and his wife on their wonderful news!

I’ve poked fun at Microsoft many a time, including the only Steve Ballmer joke I’ve ever done. It’s one of those fun, easy targets for a cartoonist.

But the recent HealthVault strips brought a pleasant surprise for me: not one, not two, but three separate e-mails from folks in Microsoft’s Health Solutions Group, all saying they loved the strip.

The best e-mail I got was from Jeff, who said he printed out the cartoon to put up in his office, and on walking to the shared printer, saw the same strip already up on someone else’s office. Exhibit A:

I think that’s awesome. And I think it says a lot about the character of the folks behind HealthVault that they can roll with the joke so kindly.

Microsoft Folks Is Good People.

Thursday night, I’m hoppin’ a plane to Maryland for SPX…so here’s your last call: if you’re hoping to pick up an original strip at $25 off, e-mail me to tell me which one you’d like. I’ll be bringing 50 or 60 along with me…but they might not be the one you want! And that would be mortifyingly embarrassing for both of us.

Can’t wait to meet all the nice folks that have e-mailed so far! This show is gonna rock so fully….I can already tell.

Come for the free Sheldon sketches, stay for the high fives!

oh my music, gone

playing now in memories

…I need a sweater

1.) Quick reminder for north-easterners!

This weekend, join me at SPX in Bethesda, Maryland…as it will probably be my only east-coast trip for a while! I’ll be givin’ out free sketches and high-fives, as well as signing and selling books and original strips! (…which reminds me: I’ve received e-mails from a few folks asking that I bring this or that original. If you’re hoping to pick up your favorite…make sure you e-mail me so I bring it along!)

2.) Heard Paul Anka on the radio, today, singing “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. It was actually really, really, really good. You go, Paul Anka.

3.) I hope you don’t mind the supersized Sheldon strips that have been runnin’ lately. I’ve been giving myself the luxury of space, when the pacing needs it, and I’ve been enjoying it. I hope you have, too!

4.) I had two readers e-mail me today telling me they just finished reading through the entire Sheldon archives, which is always fun to hear. If you have down time at work or between classes, here are three ways to dive into the 2,000 Sheldon strips!

5.) That’s right, I said 2,000! In just 9 days! Woo-hoo!

Do you remember, a good while back, our contest for the “Funniest Pug Picture”? We had a lot of really funny pics submitted, but this little guy ending up winning…

The winning dog was named “Pudgie”. Here’s a shot of him when he’s not relaxin’ in his alligator bed:

Well, as you remember, the contest winner got a free copy of The Good, The Bad & The Pugly, aaaaand a personalized drawing of their pug.

Colleen G., the Sheldonista who won the contest, told me that Pudgie loves to chew on his little binky, so that’s how I drew him up. Check it out, I’m kinda proud of how it came out…

So, Colleen, look for your inked drawing and book in the mail! Hope you like it!