Clattertron

[dc]Y[/dc]ou survived the week. Here’s your prize: six things on my mind or stuff I wanted to share.

[] That’s Sharp

I’m a gadget person, so multi-tools are a favorite. I picked up this Leatherman C33TX a few months ago and it is great. I wanted a pocket knife for a long time and a friend recommended the C33TX–and after I tried his, I was sold.

Not only is the C33TX a knife with a combo straight-serrated blade, it also packs a caribiner/bottle opener, a flat screwdriver, and a Phillips screwdriver. The ‘quick release’ feature takes some getting used to, but is very handy.

Stephanie teased me a bunch when I got this knife, but honestly it more than paid for itself many times over. I opted for the black oxide blade, because I read all those Elric books. Sure. I almost never leave the house without my C33TX now.

[] Save Don’t Spend

Here is a comic book I wish existed when I graduated high school or college: Poorcraft: The Funnybook Fundamentals of Living Well on Less.

Poorcraft features advice and tips about saving money and living within one’s means. You can read Poorcraft online for free, or buy it through the publisher or Amazon. Poorcraft is beautifully illustrated and presents a very serious subject in an easy to understand (and fun) way. It will probably be my go-to graduation gift for years to come.

 

[] Track Your Spending

Speaking of saving money and the like, Stephanie and I started using the Spendee app on our smartphones.

Spendee offers an easy way to track your income and outcome throughout the month. One of the first things recommended in Poorcraft is figuring out a monthly budget. The easiest way to figure out a budget is to track your spending for a month (or two) and go from there.

After tracking what we spent on groceries each month, Stephanie and I came up with a weekly grocery budget—less than the average of our trips from the previous months. This required some adjustment, but sticking to a weekly budget (and going shopping once a week, regardless) helped Stephanie and I save money.

Spendee is customizable and lets you create your own categories, select icons, and even color-code your icons. I use one color for categories just for me (gas, food on my own) and another color for ‘family purchases (groceries, eating out, etc).

[] Strike That, Reverse It

I decided to postpone the multi-part story I planned to begin this coming Monday. I was not happy with the first (and probably most important) page i drew. I need to redo some of the character design stuff—but I will get back to this story at some point.

It is good to challenge yourself, but it is also good to accept when something is not turning out how you hoped.

Expect a new gag comic this coming Monday.

 

[] Simpsons Fever

If you are hungry for more Simpsons fun because the marathon on Fxx, I recommend this podcast interview with Mike Reiss on Gilbert Gottfried’s podcast. Reiss was a writer and showrunner on the Simpsons for years and offers up some great stories.

Reiss is also behind another of my favorite animated shows: The Critic.

 

[] Oh, Hi, Batman

I went back to playing Batman: Arkham City this week after leaving the game alone since, gasp, June.

I enjoy Arkham City, but I still love Arkham Asylum much more. Arkham City is just, I dunno, too much.

Something I found out the other night while playing: in Arkham City, the Penguin’s trusty monocle is actually a broken beer bottle shoved into his face. Yep. Creative, I’ll give the design team that for sure.

 

[] Wrap Up

This Week’s comic: Red Flag Car Stickers

Making fun of those sticker families you see on the back of cars. Because someone needs to, right?

[ ] Clattertron Rewind

A year ago: Just Married

Two years ago: Behind the Scenes – Game of Hugs