Rhymes With Orange Newsletter #16 - October 2004

Hey friends,
Newsletter time!
Highlights: --Canned in Cleveland?
                --Schmoozing in the Buckeye State
                --Talk in Cambridge, MA Oct. 28
                --The raccoon who peed on my printer

Canned in Cleveland: As if the Buckeyes didn't have enough on their plate,
voting-wise, they are now responsible for the future of Rhymes With Orange
as well....

That's right, The Cleveland Plain Dealer is having a phone-in-your-vote
run-off between Rhymes With Orange and a new strip, The Meaning of Lila.
(You can see it for yourself at http://www.creators.com)

The poll began Sept. 27 and runs just two weeks, through Monday, October
11th.

HERE IS WHERE IT GETS UGLY-- All FOUR of the people working on the Lila
strip are from the Cleveland area. The poll is between just the two strips,
not all the strips on the page. That means that lots of folks who know the
creators will be calling in.

So if, and ONLY IF, you have the area codes 216, 440, 419 or 330,
CALL THIS NUMBER TO VOTE for RWO: 216-999-4733.

(Don't call under any circumstances if you're not local. It will hurt, not
help.)

I do not have the number to vote in favor of the other strip, but it is
available on the Plain Dealer comics page.

WHAT IF YOU DON'T LIVE NEAR CLEVELAND?
Surely you have a relative, pen pal or business buddy living in Ohio.
Help out by alerting them of this lousy poll. There's a good chance they'll
know folks in Cleveland.

Again, the deadline for voting is Oct. 11, 2004. It's coming up.

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SCHMOOZING IN OHIO:

I'll be joining Bush, Kerry and a hundred-plus cartoonists and
cartoonophiles as we descend on the Buckeye state October 15 and 16. Ohio
State University has an amazing cartoon library and holds a conference for
both artists and the public with engaging speakers and thought-provoking
exhibits. This years theme is "Controversy in the Comics."

While John and George probably won't stop by, my guess is there will be
plenty of pictures of them to look at.

More info at:
http://www.lib.ohio-state.edu/cgaweb/FCA/index.htm

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TALK IN CAMBRIDGE, MA OCT. 28

I'm joining forces with two other Beantown cartoonists to do a benefit for
NEADS, a non-profit that trains service dogs for Deaf and Disabled People.
It will be at the super-cool Brattle Theater.

For info: http://www.brattlefilm.org/

My cohorts are Mark Parisi and Lennie Peterson. Mark does the great panel
"Off the Mark," which Bostonians enjoy in The Herald and is syndicated
nationwide.

Lennie Peterson just retired his strip, "The Big Picture." Lennie also
draws for the Boston Phoenix and plays in the rock band "Clutch Grabwell."

For info on these two heartthrobs: http://www.offthemark.com,
http://www.planetlennie.com/index2.html

We'll be talking about cartooning and there will also be demonstrations by
the talented service dogs.
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THE RACCOON WHO PEED ON MY PRINTER:

Big fat varmint squeezed his big fat butt through the new cat door (the one
the cats refuse to use) and walked into the living room. The dog, who
doesn't have the hearing she once did, didn't wake up until he walked passed
her and she smelled his musky goodness.

Barking ensued, and lard-butt took cover on the printer in the office. We
opened the front door and he left peacefully. We discovered his "goodbye
note" the following day.

We now lock the cat door at night.


Note: If you got this once already, it's b/c you're special.

--
Reigning Cats & Dogs, the new dog and cat collection, is now in stores!

http://www.rhymeswithorange.com