Hello Winter

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What a week! My dear pet died, rather dramatically, before my eyes. I rediscovered television (baaaad idea). I returned to old habits of all night drawing and writing sessions. Got a hair cut. Befriended a moth. Caught the flu. And did some house-keeping for a swarm of disgruntled honey-bees.

I also turned 22.

I’m a tad uncomfortable with birthdays… suddenly being the centre of fuss because however many years ago you burst butt-naked into the world during a magical event you can’t even remember. The years of existence after that are sort of just instinctual self-preservation. But it’s important to celebrate the wonder of life; and hey, who doesn’t love a cake?

My sister once joked that I’m like a friendlier Sheldon or a happier Spock, which was both hilarious and concerning. She was exaggerating (I hope), but it’s true that I can be a bit blasé. Anything beyond gleeful curiosity or content indifference can feel somewhat… big.

The whole ‘dying pet thing’ is a bit grim so I won’t dwell on it much, but I will say that some of those ‘big’ feelings are too big to be ignored as a waste of energy, and can’t be brushed off straight away to make space for lighter thoughts.

Thankfully, the human brain is cleverly designed to multi-task!  Even while crying over the abrupt conclusion to life, there was a moment where two thoughts stood clearer than the rest:

“Blimey, rigor mortis sets in quick.” Followed by, “Where the hell am I supposed to find a shovel?”

Sentiment and practicality, hand-in-hand. Who would’ve thought?

In other news, there are people on telly in some painfully contrived reality cooking competition belittling their opponents and sobbing over their failed attempts to make quiche. Meanwhile, on the next channel, there are kids dying in some war I don’t understand, while the next channel is busy advertising a miracle all-in-one fruit juicer/vegetable cutter/meat mincer/time machine. Eventually I found a graphic show about child-birth and it made me feel dizzy so I turned it off.

Here is the latest Pip and Squeak.

Helpful

I often scribble in blank spaces. Many pages end up looking something like this…

Helpful Extra Scribbles

For more comics, channel surf to the (NEW AND IMPROVED!!) gallery page.

Live long and prosper.

-Kate.

Relax. It’s just a quiche.

High-school English

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And we have time for one more.

Metaphor

Back in high-school, I did both advanced English and extension English before realising I had better things to do with my time. I did, however, learn an awful lot about symbolism.

I find it’s easy to over-analyse texts. Sometimes though, it’s nice just to enjoy them for what they are, without questioning the symbolic significance of every decision the authors ever made.

For future reference, Pip is a metaphor for Einstein’s lesser known theory of rainbow optimisation and the Global Financial Crisis; and Squeak symbolises the complicated life-cycle of a sock puppet, and the infinite distance between right and left.

For more comics, scribble outside the lines to the Pip and Squeak gallery page.

Until next time,

Kate.

“Listen carefully,” said the tree, “for this is important.”

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Never trust anyone who answers a question with ‘obviously’.

Waiting Will Get You Nowhere

Waiting is such a strange verb. A ‘doing word’ without the doing. An action of inactivity. A dead-weight of uncertainty and anticipation, anchoring you to the spot while the rest of the world carries on regardless. And if you wait too long, Time will leave you behind.

So forwards, onwards, upwards etcetera!

All the best,

Kate.

The title has very little to do with this post. I just figured that if trees could speak, that would probably be what they’d say…  And then they’d chuckle quietly to their self  and remain silent for another century or so.

For more comics, fidget impatiently to the Pip and Squeak gallery page.

We Are The Movers And The Shakers

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Have I been busy? Yes. Productive? …Not so much.

Sleep On It

I was in a magical forest this morning when a spirit girl kicked me in the shin. The act ignited a vicious war between humans and spirits and we all fought with make-believe swords. Whilst the Silence from Doctor Who tap-danced along a stone wall, everyone else broke out into a jazzy, Disney-esque musical number that went along the lines of ‘Gotta get up! Gotta get up for something worth fighting for!’ Then Hercules swept in and warned everyone of the dangers of prejudice and the health risks of eating McDonald’s.

I woke up feeling enlightened.

I’m afraid that’s all I have time for just now.

Do something brave.

-Kate.

For more comics, navigate time and relative dimensions to the Pip and Squeak gallery page.