sorry for not wishing a merry christmas, but i tend to think it’s only another ruse to get us to spend money on useless things. more often than not we don’t know what to buy, people don’t know what to buy us, we all end up spending money simply because it’s a very well-established habit. if it were just for me, i would say let’s not buy each other anything at all, which i apply to my relationship with my boyfriend and it’s been working out. no pressure, no disappointment, no waste of money. anyway gift-giving shouldn’t be a substitute for good behavior. plus it’s really supposed to be a religious holiday and i’m not in any way religious.

i’ve decided to change the way i draw women’s noses, which used to look like a little rabbit nose. two different people have recently told me that my girls all look the same and, even though i was initialy insulted by the remark, i have to agree. sometimes criticism is harsh and insulting at first but it’s usually constructive. and that’s why i like it. this little change will make my women characters much more distinct (not like Archie) and looking less like a blow-up doll. anyway i’m still figuring out my drawing style and it might keep changing.

i also came up with a new sketch i like for the greed character (bottom left). this time he’s more human-looking (and so is greed), rather than the snowman with clown-nose look. which i was thinking the other day that my inspiration probably came from growing up in a cold climate. the clownish part i think comes from the fact that i think men have a very clownish side to them. no offense, it’s kind of a compliment. i think humor is a survival skill for men among other male mates, also as a way of getting women and keeping them around. and who doesn’t like to have a laugh? humor can be used for all kinds of purpose, not always good ones, but good ones too.

i have to admit that sometimes i find that some men put humor higher on the priority list to other things like respect. i also think that women (in general) don’t have a sense of humor as developed as men, but then they have other senses more fully developed. anyway men are becoming more like women and vice-versa. i’m well aware there are plenty of exceptions, but i think often there is at least “some truth” to prejudices. ouch, i hope that didn’t hurt too much. but prejudices are when we make a big deal out of things we shouldn’t. if something is encouraged by a certain culture it will naturally become more common.