Off to a Flyer

It’s great to be home!

Well, I’ve been home for quite a while now actually. We’re into early December and I’m still coming down from a high after having flown to the United States for a work conference in October, for study and some sight-seeing as well. Not only did I find the trip to be an energizing and illuminating experience for both work and play, but it was also great to catch up with one of my favourite people, my mate Sue.

In the two and a bit weeks that I was in the U.S I visited New York, Washington D.C, Baltimore, Mount Vernon, and Los Angeles. I met some of the artists who have inspired my professional life, and I navigated the US Government Shutdown to the best of my ability in order to make the most of my time in Washington D.C – despite the Smithsonian being closed – DESPITE the Smithsonian being the host organization for my conference, and for where I was originally scheduled to speak. I had a ball anyway.

So, at the moment I’m at the back end of a busy period, sitting in as acting manager at my workplace. It’s been an enjoyable learning experience, just as my trip was, but the downside has been that with my manager and my other colleague both having gone overseas (to India and Europe, respectively), it has meant that my work area has been incredibly quiet. This has its upside, but when sharing a building with over 200 amazing people, and I’m the only person on my side – it can really be quite dismal.

So a very quick summation of what I’ve been up to lately:

• I met Roscoe Orman, who plays “Gordon” on Sesame Street. Roscoe was the keynote speaker at the IMTAL Conference in Washington DC.
• I attended Comic-Con in New York and met my favourite artist, Neal Adams. Neal is the THE Batman artist. He also seemed a bit of a dick in person. A shame.
• Also at Comic-Con, I met my favourite animator, Bill Plympton and had a very enjoyable conversation. Bill was also nice enough sign and do a doodle on my copy of his latest DVD.
• This week I shot an interview segment for Saturday Disney. It should go to air in the next few weeks.
• I hosted and gave a tour of my work to the First Lady of South Africa.
• I toured all over New York, staying in both Manhattan and Long Island City.
• A quick stop in for two days in Los Angeles, staying in Santa Monica. It was much nicer than I thought it was going to be!

I’ll post more about my tour highlights at a later date.