A Toaster?

This one is mostly an inside joke for a few close friends.

I have also officially exhausted all my comics, and will now be posting them as they are written, rather than as they are ordered (most were made before I ever developed the blog).

Thanks for reading!

Aliens?

I do.

Somehow, with pretty much all my groups of friends, at some point we start talking about aliens. I certainly believe in them (seriously, of the trillions of rocks in the "uni"verse, there's no way we are the only one which harbors life) and often find myself thinking about why some people try so hard to deny their existence. I can understand that people might find it hard to believe they have ever visited our planet, considering the ultimate vastness of space, but to assume we are the only intelligent beings is just ignorant.

With all the personal accounts I have heard, I truly think that someone is watching us. Whether it's with drones, satellites, or visitors, we are certainly a species worth studying. I would be curious too if I saw a planet in which virtually every landmass was illuminated in the dead of night...

Anarchy?

I thought it was an important point to clarify.

Vuja De?

You'd have to be an old fan to get this. Not really. It's pretty straightforward.

A Main Character

A Different Font?

Envy.

Pun Alert

Psych! Not going downhill at all! Plenty more fresh, original comics to come!

A War?

The Truth Is Out There

Going Places?

Change is inevitable. It is the only constant. However, I know too many people who do everything they can to "maintain" order and resist change.

As a species, as a culture, and as members of something much much bigger (and being made up of things much much smaller) it is counter-intuitive and unproductive to live in a physical and mental state of uniformity. In fact, it is against the law. Much like the law of gravity, there is a natural law throughout the universe which dictates that any species that does not live by the natural shift between what is zero and what is infinite (or what is ordered and what is chaotic) will suffer physical and mental consequences. For approximately the last 10,000 years, the vast majority of humans that walked the Earth tried and failed to counter this law through the use of totalitarian agriculture. As a result, we now live in a world ravaged by crime, poverty, famine, starvation, depression, stress, injustice, and so many other terrible things. Yet, we produce far more than enough goods to satisfy the global population. Maybe it's not the human species itself that is at fault (in fact, I guarantee it isn't). Perhaps it's the food manufacturing and distribution processes we ( 99% of recent humans) have been following for thousands of years, which has yet to be shown to be more, or even equally, beneficial than previous agricultural and collective practices, namely primitivism. May I remind you that before the practice of totalitarian agriculture, humans, as well as millions of other species survived and thrived together in a constant state of change (again, the shifting of order and chaos). I say it's time we change a process that has failed us for far too long.

Whether it's perceived as a step forward or backward, both Maurice and I know that the only way to go places, is to move.

Musicians...

Sorry for not posting anything for so long.....he said to nobody.

I love music. I think most Americans can say that, which is dumb.It is ineffective and wasteful to just listen to it, (or in some cases, hear it) you have to take the time to analyze and understand it. Not necessarily the lyrics, but the concept of the song itself.

This particular comic is of course a satire, just some things I've noticed. The Alanis joke is more of a prod at myself because, though I am a huge fan of punk rock, primarily, Alanis Morisette is a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine. Cool it! Only every once in a while....like long road trips.

A Language

"I actually get this one." says my Venezuelan friend.

By the way, Tree's sentences both (almost) make grammatical sense, if you can decipher what he is saying.

An End

This is the first strip I used something from the internet.
Please don't sue, please don't sue, please don't sue...

I can get worked up pretty easily when it comes to the 'end of the world' topic, though I assure you I don't run around yelling 'REPENT! REPENT!' I try to be a realist when it comes to this subject. Are there many things that threaten to destroy our way of life? Yes. Is human civilization destined to crumble? Perhaps. Will the species Homo sapien reign forever? I sure hope not. For all we know, that giant eraser could be heading for us right now.

A Game

Irrational

This is (somewhat) based on a true story. Someone once told me they had an irrational fear of getting hit by a car. I said that was not irrational considering we live in a culture where cars are everywhere, and they claim the road to be their own. As a frequent pedestrian/longboarder, my biggest fear when out and about is not falling and getting some scrapes and bruises, but some idiot behind the wheel to distracted by their oh-so important text message to notice the tall guy in the bike lane on what looks like a surfboard with wheels.

No, for a human, to be hit by a car is not irrational, just like for a tree, being cut down is a logical death to consider. My fear of raccoons, however...

A Hipster

The only true hipster is the hipster who genuinely doesn't know what a hipster is.

A Meme

http://tommysayshai.tumblr.com/

This was made by my friend Blaine! Check it out, so funny!

A Band

I've been in so many bands, it's not even funny.

I think Candied Bacon is really going to make it big. Talents Scouts, Agents, Producers, be ready for when this band hits the market!

J.U.

I have been best friends with Jonathan U. since 2nd grade. He has had more of an influence on my life than any one else (*with a few possible exceptions). We have always shared our thoughts, aspirations, and emotions very openly with one another for the entirety of our friendship. Like all relationships we have had our lows, and our highs.

In the past, there have been phases where we didn't hang out very much (usually because of a female or two), but we have always come back to each other, and have even lived together for a year.

Jonathan says we are "friends by default", always having one another to fall back on; always there to support the other, be it with ice cream, The Brave Little Toaster, or just an open ear. Our hearts and minds are in sync, after being so close for so long.

My mom says we are "true blue friends", meaning our friendship will last forever, and will be constant and strong. There is nothing I believe to be more true.

Next year, for the first time in our entire lives, we might not be living in the same town. In fact, we have never lived more than two miles apart. Life will go on, and we will always be there for each other, but it will certainly be much different.

He hopes to attend Loyola Marymount University in LA next year to pursue a career in film. Ever since we were kids we have acted, directed, and made movies together. I couldn't imagine a better path for him.

Jonathan, one of the funniest, most creative people I know, made this comic, and though it doesn't follow the intended order of Gettin Trunky, I felt it was too important and urgent to not post tonight. He is my best friend, and will always have a special place deep, deep in my heart.

Cherish new friends, but never forget the old ones. Often, they know us better than anybody.

I love you Jonathan.
-RC

A Banjo

I have been recording music with my folk band, Powdered Whiskey, the last couple days. We have been fusing musical magic through a banjo, bass, guitar, ukulele, and harmonica.

I have always felt that everyone should play an instrument (vocals can count, I suppose).
If you don't have one, get one.
If you can't play it, learn.
If you know, start a band.
If you don't want to start a band...who cares? Go solo!

"Music is the cosmic dance!" -Maude (from Harold and Maude)

The Forevers: A Poem by Christopher Dragg

I look to my left, then to my right
I am surrounded by my brothers and my sisters
We all look the same,
more or less
As the day wears on, it becomes colder
and colder
We huddle together
but the more we do, the likelier we are to repeat our necessary task
We are too close, too heavy
I can feel it
And suddenly, I am falling
We are all falling
My brothers and sisters
above me and below me
we are all falling
Is it our fault?
No, it was inevitable
Falling is inevitable, it always has been
We all do it
We all have to do it
So that our kind may continue to live, and thrive
Earth approaches
and we splash, shatter, and disperse
but we do not die, we cannot die
I will live forever
My brothers and sisters will live forever


(Inspired by Oregon Rain)

A Haircut

Depression

If a friend expresses self concern, never ignore it.

Even if they are talking in the weakest of all fonts.

Creator

Do I dare discuss God?

I think not.

Disco Ball

Tunnel vision.

Sustainability

This is another one of my favorites. What Tree is saying is pretty much how I feel, but much like Tree, we (including myself) spend a lot of time talking about "sustainability" and not all that much time practicing it.

Millgram

If you don't know.
http://psychology.about.com/od/historyofpsychology/a/milgram.htm

A Possum

Panels

Sometimes there are events in our lives that can change everything. Let them happen, and move on.

Punchline

Why fix what isn't broken?

Cube

It must be frightening for someone(thing?) living in a two dimensional world to run into something like this.

I think we all know these people; the ones that stand out above everyone else, make a lasting impression on us all; make us say, think, and and perceive things we normally never would. Embrace new people, always. You never know how long they might be in your life, and just how important they might be.

Budget Cuts

It seems every major public institution these days is having to face the problem of budget cuts, especially in the realm of education. At my school there have recently been a number of staff and faculty members laid off, as well as classes cut. I never thought that school budget cuts would effect me first hand, but I've recently discovered otherwise. I cannot get into quite a lot of the classes I would like to because the classes are too large. For me, this is hard to understand considering the ludicrous amount of money I am spending on tuition. One would hope that all classes would be available, but this is simply not the case, nor is there anything I can do about it. And I go to a small, but public university where class sizes are already smaller than they were in my high school, and I lived in a fairly affluent area. I wonder how big the classes are getting there, and how big they are in urban schools around the nation.

So, where are our tax dollars going anyway? It's clearly not education, in fact, only about 2% of your taxes go to education, whereas 21% go to National Security.
Now, I don't know about you, but personally I don't support the devastation of countries halfway across the globe, and I certainly don't want to pay for it. Know where your money is going, and if you don't like it, write your Governor, Senator, even the President. If that doesn't work...RIOT!!!

Attached is a link to a New York Times website that gives a pie chart (one of my favorite things in the world) that shows precisely where your hard earned money is going. Please, check it out.
http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/07/where-do-your-tax-dollars-go/

Consistency

This one is definitely one of my favorites. I think it speaks for itself.

Initials

Aaaand...there goes the fourth wall.

This is MINE! Not yours! Those are MY initials! MINE, MINE, MINE, MINE, MINE!
AND YOU CAN'T HAVE IT!

There's a reason I don't post these on Facebook. If I did, Facebook would own them. But...I made them. They were my idea; I drew them, established the characters, signed my initials...how could they belong to anyone else?

We are so driven by a need to be recognized. Why? Do we all crave the spotlight? Or are there still people lurking in the shadows making art in the streets unrecognized and unknown? Are there people out there philosophizing without hopes of one day being known by the world? Are we all inherently self interested? Pfff, I don't know. Hell, I don't even know my own initials.

Gender?

This is a topic that is coming up more and more in our society. As issues such as same sex marriage (or as I like to call it, marriage) and the recognition of transgender individuals are more openly discussed, the question of sex versus gender is usually a common confusion. Even members of the LGBTQ community have trouble giving definitions to certain words. From what I understand, the "sex" of a person is purely scientific (ie, penis or vagina) whereas "gender" includes the social roles, norms, and expectancies attributed to either gender. However, even those are often far too blurred or complicated to be limited to just "man" and "woman". It's a difficult topic to wrap one's head around, especially for people who don't know what it's like to be a woman in a man's body (or the other way around), or to be attracted to members of the same sex, and don't know anyone who is open to talk about it. But we NEED to talk about it. The more we, as a society, a culture, try to hide and back away from these discussions, the worse it will get for everyone. The key to success for the LGBTQ community is support, particularly from the hetero community. Be an ally.

And will someone, please, make Maurice a sandwich?

The Ocean

Tree is probably the most relatable character. Many of us feel trapped, rooted if you will, to our current location. There will always be somewhere or something we want to see or do, but simply cannot reach. It's quite tragic, really. For all we know, he could be just ten miles from the ocean, and still would never be able to see it. Somethings will forever be just out of grasp, never to be heard, felt, or seen.

Funny

You tell me.

I once heard; knowledge is knowing what to say, wisdom is knowing when to say it. I think the same goes for humor and wit. As a dear friend often says, "It's all about the ancient art of thai-ming."

Art

I've recently started dating an Art major.....need I say more?

This is a question I find myself asking...myself. What is art? Is it merely an expression through something other than text alone; or can mere text still be considered art? Does it have to be public? Does it have to have a story, meaning, or message? Personally, I wouldn't consider Gettin Trunky to be "art", though it is an expression through a channel other than simple conversation.

The subtlety in this strip is what I find funny about it. If you don't pay attention, don't look close enough, then you wouldn't get the joke. Also, it would make no sense independently. Only by having read previous editions of the comic could one find the humor (what little there is) within it. A lot of art pieces don't make sense to some people (like myself) while making perfect sense, inspiring thought, and provoking emotions in others (my art student girlfriend). I think that's what makes it so special; the vast array of reactions you can get from different viewers.

A Special Guest

Happy Leprechaun Day!

Kant, NPR, The Dude

I like to think of Tree as the philosopher in the group. Not that he is particularly intelligent, but he is always questioning his being. Though I don't always agree with Kant, he is definitely someone to read about and consider. Morrie is the intellectual. Though the name is Morrie Anarchy, I doubt that he/she is actually an Anarchist, but who am I to say. I just put make up words, I cannot read their thoughts.  I think we often mistake the term 'anarchy' for 'chaos'. They are not one in the same, though I will not deny that one could certainly lead to the other. Anarchy is merely the idea of living without any established government. A anarchist need not be violent or hopeless. Maurice, however, is certainly a nihilist, hence the reference.

Where's Tree?

A Drawing

The philosopher questions their existence. The intellect is open to all possibilities. The nihilists denies its importance. Question authority, not reality. Do not waste your time wondering how you came to be, but accept that you are; and then live.

I particularly like this strip because it really hones in on Maurice's personality. Maurice is shown farting in almost every comic, not because I wanted cheap humor, but because it is a large part of the character. Maurice is not one to care what others think about him/her (that's correct, Maurice's sex is unknown even to myself). Instead of being driven by social norms and expectations, Maurice does whatever causes the the most pleasure for oneself.
Why can't we all be more like Maurice?

How do you feel?

"How do you feel?" Such a strange question.
"Why, with my fingers of course! And my toes, and my nose! Three cheers for bundles of nerves!"

A Deaf Human

We fill our heads with philosophy. We question our existence, and compare it to the lives of things not human. Why? What is is that makes a human special? Cognitive thought? The ability to recognize oneself? Language and expression? Or are we even special; perhaps we are just loud... 

The trees speak softer than the humans.

An Acorn

What makes you uncomfortable, friend? Do not think too far into it.

On the left is my good friend, Tree. In the center, Morrie Anarchy, who I have known for many years now. Standing at the right is a new acquaintance, Maurice the Nihilist, who cares not what you think of him. Soon we will all be friends.

Gettin Trunky: A Prelude

A long, cold winter hath past; and at the dawn of springtime, a new art form rises. Living in such strange times call for strange expression. Our lives are filled with complex and numerous decisions. The idea of simplicity has long since passed.
"I am not a hipster." he calmly reminds himself.
"I am NOT a hipster."
When spoken aloud, those words can only mean one thing.

I am no artist. I am no writer. I am an imagination. Pure and simple.
When at a loss for words, a loss for ideas, there is only one thing left to do...vent...on the internet.
I am no pessimist. I am a realist. This is my reality.

A tree.
An elephant.
A nihilistic giraffe.

That is my world. May I share it with you?