Twenty Years Later

Now Playing -  Blood Dirt Love Stop by The Heavy

Life -  

Today was my 20 year high school reunion.

First off - I'm getting old. Second, I'd really never planned on attending at all anyway - high school was not remotely a pleasant experience or a highlight for me - I was the fat nerdy kid in the corner with a book and worse grades than he should have had that got teased quite a lot for his thrift store clothes or... because it was high school. Anyone that I really had any interest in keeping in touch with regularly I already do, either through here or in person.

However, as the plans were planned and people in the FB group started chatting, I did realize that I remembered more people from Poky than I'd have thought and some I even remembered fondly! I started mulling around the idea of going....

According to the movies High School Reunions are good for one of two things for people - reliving the glory days - when you were young and fit and happy and had tons of friends and nothing but years ahead, or a reunion is for returning triumphantly - handsomer and richer than you were in school - humbly mentioning the sweet job you have and the exotic locales you've visited...

And obviously movies are never wrong.

Well... The first movie reason is out, obviously. Number two.... I'm not LESS handsome than I was before, which would be almost impossible anyway. But I realized I'm pretty happy with what I've become in those 20 years. I moved to Montana and Maine with Walgreens, where I sat stagnant in a job of false promises and changing goals for a decade, and some of that drudgery and resentment lingers in my perspective of things and it wasn't until I started reflecting on the last 7,300 days that I realized I'd accomplished a lot of things I was really proud of. I....

-Wrote and published 2 novels with more on the way

-Worked as a manager at a C-Store, Drug Store Chain and Movie Theater

-Raised three great dogs and a couple of excellent cats.

-Met and married my beautiful and talented wife.

-Lived in Idaho, Montana and Maine

-Nearly bought a motel with guts and determination and not much else. (That one will be a goal for the next 20)

-Bought 2 houses, sold one, in that order.

-Created artwork for over a dozen novels and story collections.

-Totalled 2 Honda Elements with the 3rd still going strong. (Knock wood)

-Broke at least five bones and countless new scars

-Grew a beard.

-Made more than 2 tons of soap, one bar at a time.

-Host 2 weekly podcasts - Deeply Dapper Dispatches and Robot Kraken

-Started Deeply Dapper in 2010 and went full time with it 3years ago (ish) leaving Walgreens and taking the leap into starving artist and craftsman.

-Despite being starving, never actually lost that much weight...

-Lobster wrangler

-The Atlantic Ocean personally assaulted me and stole my glasses.

-Spent time in 33 States

-Worked almost 50 Comic Cons and other genre Conventions as an artist and author.

-Read upwards of 2,500 books

-Interacted with celebs and artists on a personal basis and met dozens of others at cons.

-Started working on two upcoming comic book series

-Became a cover artist for a comic series

-And most importantly, I met hundreds of genuinely great, cool, funny people from all over the US and the world that I'm lucky enough to be able to call friends – That's something I never thought I could say 20 years ago. So thanks, friends. It's because of the millions of little ways that you've touched my life that's allowed me to do what I do and become what I've become.

And I'm really damned happy with who I am now – I'm broke all of the time and my business is a very precarious one that balances on the edge of one bad con or accident (Hence the motel plan) and I'm still wearing thrift store clothes, but I'm working for myself, being creative every day, making what I love and enjoy, and I can't complain one bit about that. And after coming to that conclusion, I decided to blow off the reunion completely and stay home, prepping for the first in a series of Comic Cons (Next up – I'm a featured artist at Star Trek Las Vegas for a week) and then I watched a movie cuddled up on the couch with my wife and pets. For me, what happened after high school is what has made the biggest difference.

Deeply Dapper Dispatches Week 22 - The Review - X-Files

3D Week 22 - THE REVIEW - We review the first two episodes of the new X-FILES season, Episode 5 of SUPERGIRL and Kris reviews SAVAGE LANE by Jason Starr

Our hosts this week: Kris, Devon and Ben

This is the Second installment of the week, the "Reviews" portion of 3D, where we review everything in depth with spoilers and bad jokes - Caution: Here There Be Spoilers!!!

On iTunes: http://bit.ly/DapperApple

Stream & Download: http://bit.ly/3DPodcast1

The ROUS FAMILY -   

  

 

 

 

 

What's this? An Update?!?

Now Playing -  I Am Invisible by They Might Be Giants

Well, hello!

Sorry about the delay, as usual! It's been a hectic year, between two dozen comic con appearances, a "kids" alphabet book and the always there shop madness, this blog kind of fell by the wayside, but I'll be trying to do better in the new year, using this blog as both a personal journal and as a way for my fans and friends I've met at cons to get a bit more insight into the world of Deeply Dapper. 

And for now, if you want even more insight - listen to our new podcast! Deeply Dapper Dispatches is a podcast about my travels to assorted cons across the western US as a con artist behind the table at Comic Cons, Board Game Conventions, RPG Tournaments, Anime Cons, Horror Conventions and pretty much anywhere they'll let me hunker down in an alley and sell. I also get together with my friends to drink a few beers and cover some geeky news, book reviews, movie reviews and recommends and whatever strikes my fancy. 

This episode can also be found on YouTube, with photos to go with the jibber-jabber HERE

3D can also be found on iTunes and Stitcher!

If you like what you are hearing, or just want to help us out - please review us on iTunes - it helps other geeks find us and makes me feel all fuzzy inside.

The ROUS FAMILY -   

  

 

 

 

 

Recipe - Aunt May's Famous Wheatcakes

Now Playing -  Forever Young by Alphaville
 

RECIPE:
MAY PARKER'S FAMOUS WHEATCAKES

Originally made by my pal Pete's Aunt May, these wheatcakes are a great, hearty alternative to the standard pancake and will get your day off to a swinging start.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup Buckwheat Flour
• 1 cup Sifted Whole Wheat Flour
• 2 teaspoons Double Acting Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 2 cups Buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons Molasses
• 2 Egg Yolks, Beaten
• 1/4 cup Melted Butter
• 2 Egg Whites, whipped to stiff peaks

DIRECTIONS:

• Mix buttermilk and molasses, set aside
• In a separate bowl, mix together flours, powder, soda and salt
• Add egg yolks, melted butter and buttermilk/molasses mixture to flour mix
• Fold whipped egg whites into batter until blended - Don't overmix or thicken! Batter will set up slightly after mixing.
• Cook on hot greased griddle until small bubbles appear on top - Flip and cook until bottom is lightly browned. Serve hot with butter and syrup to your favorite nephew in a stack of  6-8 wheatcakes.

NOTES:

This recipe is really flexible to modifications and changes - the important part is the Molasses and the Buckwheat flour. I have substituted milk for the buttermilk, margarine for the butter, AP flour for the whole wheat flour and made the recipe without separating or whipping the eggs, just throwing it all in a bowl and they still make hearty, slightly fluffy pancakes that fill you up many times over better than pancakes. A great recipe!

The ROUS FAMILY -   

  

 

 

 

 

Great Falls, Montana for Grandma Graves' Memorial

Now Playing -  Here I Go Again by Whitesnake
 

Life -  

Last weekend Linz and I traveled with her folks to Great Falls, MT for the memorial of her grandmother, Ethel Graves. Rich, my father-in-law has been driving a lot lately, so I volunteered to be the driver for this trip. As it turns out, 6-7 hour drive to Great Falls for a weekend is a pretty short drive for me, now that I'm used to comic con trips, but the weekend itself was a wholly different experience.

It's always odd going to a family event that you are only tangentially attached to. The Graves family has always made people feel welcome to the family, that's been one of their strengths, no question, but when you are surrounded by people with decades of bonds, stories and connections, it's easy to become lost quite quickly. Particularly at a funeral, when emotions run high and more than ever, people reflect on the past.

I met Ethel a couple of times; at our wedding and at my brother in law Dylan's wedding, but she wasn't at her strongest either time and I was pretty preoccupied both times, so unfortunately I never really got to know her in any meaningful sense. However, I'd heard many great stories about her and I was glad we could make it up to the service.

The funeral home

It was held at a beautiful old funeral home in central Great Falls, replete with old details like painted ceilings and iron sconces. The owner gave me a tour of the upstairs and the original family's living quarters - its a great place, with a lot of character. The service was simple and pleasant, with all of the children speaking, a few songs, a slideshow and friends reminiscing about her and her husband. After that, there was a short graveside service, some admittedly questionable food at a small church and then the family assembled at the site of the old family farm. At the farm, with views of the Montana countryside stretching for miles, we scattered some of her ashes and added to the cairn of rocks that we made when Shorty was laid to rest. Beyond that, in typical Graves fashion, there was some eating out and many a beer was consumed.

The family farm

It was a bit frustrating at times because I'd driven Rich and Sue in our Element, so transportation became complex and to be frank, planning has never been Lindsay's family's strong suit. There's also been an undercurrent of tension between Lindsay's brother and sister's sides of the families for years that has spilled over into the way her parents treat the two groups that I really wish both sides would get over. It never overtly surfaced during the weekend, but it was always there lurking absurdly under the surface.

Essentially the only people there under 50.

At the end of the weekend, we also managed to get together with a couple of Lindsay's friends that live in Montana, which was really great. It was excellent being able to spend time with members of her extended family that I talk with online often but rarely see and overall it was a nice weekend, considering the circumstances. Though by the end of it, I was happy to be home.

The complete collection of photos from the trip can be seen on Flickr HERE

The ROUS FAMILY -   

  

 

 

 

 

Ludo's Ninth Birthday

Now Playing -  Here I Go Again by Whitesnake

Life -  

 Today, our boy Ludo turned nine!

I still remember the day we picked him out at the pound, a little black ball of energy, who has grown up into a smart, loving, cornerstone to our family. If it wasn't for Ludo, the last few years could have been almost impossible to weather, but his constant energy and enthusiasm makes it hard to do anything but feel happiness around him.

So yeah, I'm waxing a bit rhapsodic about a Newfoundland Retriever Pound Puppy. But he's worth it.

For his day, we picked up sandwiches and took him up for a hike around Cherry Springs. It was gorgeous out - sunny and clear, around 80 degrees. They've done quite a bit of work up there, but it's still the vaguely charming and overgrown nature area we've known since we were kids - a little too random, a bit small, but a nice little stroll.

Afterwards, we stopped at Tastee Treet and bought him an ice cream cone, (Video HERE) then went home and inspected him for ticks. I hate ticks, but he loved the inspection/attention.

This isn't the most interesting post in the world, but we've decided to really start turning this blog into a journal for our family and besides... Dog pictures!

The ROUS FAMILY -   

  

 

 

 

 

Now Playing -  Chelsea Dagger by The Fratellis

 

Life -  

 .... Once again, there's been a gap and much has happened! 

We are still living in Idaho, working on the shop and trying to get back to writing as well - I'm going to a lot of comic cons - about 1-2 a month and we are starting to get the house in order.

We lost Pooka to cancer just before Christmas, the rest of the furry kids are as crazy as ever.

Beyond that, it's just been us getting by, but we did take a great vacation with our new trailer and a few notable things that I'll try and get to on here in the coming weeks - writing in this blog had always been a great journal for our family and it often inspired me to write in my books too - I need to get back to that.

Also, I'm trying out a new format on the review site, and will start reviewing things on there again too. Yay!

The ROUS FAMILY -   

  

 

 

 

 

Where we are now.

Now Playing -  Tonguetied by Grouplove
 

Life -  

Well, a lot has happened. Actually, since I last posted anything about our lives, a whole lifetime has happened, it seems like. Technically, the last time I posted anything about our life was back in January, when I laid out our plans for 2014. It's now... nearly 10 months later.

Long story short – We moved out of Maine, are living in the Rosewood House and are starting to get things on track for the holidays and get our family in gear for life.

Long story long... it was a tremendous challenge for us to get to where we are. Virtually everything that could go wrong, did. But virtually everything that could go disastrously wrong went okay for us, so there's that at least.

After a lot of work and research, we decided that the best thing we could do to get our family moved back to Idaho was to get Linz and the kids out there with the Element and most of our stuff, then I would fly back to Maine, do some home improvement stuff, sell the trailer and drive to Idaho in the Fit.

The first part went pretty smooth, though we ended up not leaving the state until later in the year than planned. The drive was nice, though long. Hating the idea of a week of interminable driving on interstates, we cut south and took Highway 50 most of the way, through West Virginia, the Midwest, over the mountains in Colorado and up through Utah to Idaho. If you are planning a trip cross country, I very highly recommend this route if you have the time. It takes an extra day or two, but it is so much more relaxed and has more character in fifty miles than 500 miles of interstate travel. We ate BBQ, wandered remote campsites and generally enjoyed ourselves as much as possible considering how much was left looming over our heads.

As for our stuff? That's a whole 'nother blog, my friends. We shipped it using Uhaul's U-Box service, where you load the box, they load it on a truck and deliver it to your nearest U-Haul. Something that, while slightly more expensive than towing a trailer is more than compensated for in convenience and gas money. Or it would have been if u-Haul hadn't lost our box, been unable to provide even a semblance of customer service on any end of the ordeal and finally delivered our shop products and house a week or so later. Ugh.

But we had our stuff, in a big pile in the in-law's garage, Linz and the kids were firmly installed in their basement, my mom was working on moving out and I flew back to Maine. Despite taking pretty good care of the trailer, it was a trailer all the same. Things degrade so fast in a mobile home and after a few years, there was a surprising amount of little things that needed repaired. Soft spots on floors, re-painting, replacing some damaged linoleum. At the same time, we ran our shops from two parts of the country.

If you ever have the opportunity to live 3,000 miles from your family in a super isolated location with no friends and try to run a shop from there and out in the other location at the same time, while dealing with money woes and home improvement, politely decline. It was terrible. I'm not planning on reliving it here, but suffice it to say that I experienced some of the darkest times and lowest creative ebbs of my life in that trailer.

Eventually, repairs complete and plans made, we convinced the lawnlords to buy our trailer where it was, so that they could rent it out and I wouldn't have to find someone to move it. The deal was not perfect, we'd end up owing an additional $2k on the trailer and we had to wait for the bank. Which, it seems, in Maine consists of conceiving and raising a person from birth to then sign the loan papers. It took forever. The whole time, I stewed in a nearly empty house, sleeping on a mattress on the floor, unsure of when I could actually leave.

The news of an approval finally came a scant hour before the bank closed in the middle of July. I'd already had my car loaded with the last of my gear, save a few essentials. As soon as I got the call, I hopped in the car, drove to town, signed over the trailer and left the state of Maine. Possibly forever.

The drive to Idaho wasn't quite as fun this time, despite taking the same general route. I was in a smaller car that wasn't quite as fun to drive for long distances and more vitally, it was stuffed FULL. It was so loaded that at one point I actually had to unload it and eliminate some heavier items because the body was dragging too close to the tires for safety. I could slightly recline my seat if nothing shifted, but sleeping was next to impossible and there were no funds for motel rooms. I pretty much loaded up audio books and podcasts and drove non-stop.

Once I got back to Pocatello, things started moving at warp speed. We helped finish moving my mom and brother out of the Rosewood House, threw our stuff in and started getting our poor neglected shop back up and running. Earlier in the year we had started attending comic cons and we wanted to continue that and Christmas would be here sooner than imaginable.

But we were back in our house. For the first time in a long time, possibly ever, we were living in a place that we planned to intentionally live for the next 5-10 years of our lives. No crazy plans running constantly about leaving, no half unpacked rooms in prep for a motel, none of that.

The house needs a lot of work. Foundation work, new roof, deep cleaning, new floor coverings, yard work galore, but it's our home. For better or worse, and we plan to make it better.

And I know I've said this before, but I'm hoping to start updating this blog regularly with our adventures again. I'm likely re-directing most of our other blogs to this one and condensing all of my interests here at the ROUS Motel. It might make for a more eclectic page, but it should be a livelier one too.

The ROUS FAMILY -