The above strip was indeed inspired by a recent event: doing caricatures at the Exxon Mobile holiday party on Sunday.


I get there - "there" being the Ritz Carlton in Tysons Corner, VA - about fifteen minutes early, park my car and take the elevator to the fifth floor, where the party coordinator spots me and rushes over.


"Oh good, you're here. Go up to the sixth floor and grab three silly hats from the dressing room, please."


...


"SILLY HATS??"


I look around before I head back to the elevators. Everyone - EVERYONE - looks like an elf.
Ooooh, no. I'm not getting paid enough to do this.


I take out my job sheet and read the description more carefully. "Exxon Mobile holiday party. 8 caricature artists.
Only JOLLY ones, please - last year we had some problems!"


Well YEAH, of course you had problems - you made them wear f*ing ELF HATS!!


Well, that says it. I walked into right into this one.
Had I read the word "JOLLY" earlier, I could have called in dead a week ago.


Anyway, in more valuable news, happy birthday to my mom (sorry to drop the F-bomb on your birthday, Mom; I swear I didn't plan it that way!), and sorry for the lack of updates lately.
I have been AB-SO-LUTELY swamped.
I've stopped taking jobs for clients who aren't either entertainment agencies or art directors.
I pretty much ONLY reply to client e-mails now, and there isn't even enough time in the day to do that!
So as always, I'm so sorry to those of you wonderful people who are e-mailing me heart-warming fanmail; thank you SO SO much for your encouraging words, and rest assured that they ARE being read and they DO make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!


By the way, I'll probably have some huge news in the next few days.
Stick around; whether it happens or not, I'll tell you what it is. Promise. :)