A Button-less Shame

Oh, I forgot to mention this.

Remember how I was going to have buttons and postcards for Elderly Apple at Comic-Con?

Well, long story short, it ain't going to happen.

Short story long (or maybe medium length), I sent in my finalized designs several weeks back to be approved as family-friendly, and to receive the address to which I would send the materials to be put on the freebie table. I had no doubt that I would pass the family-friendly test, as I don't use profanity, don't have graphic violence, and would be completely lost on kids, save for the pictures. So it was just a matter of them looking at my pieces so I could get some confirmation.

As such, I waited.

And waited.

...And waited.

And heard nothing. Not one word. Neither one way or the other. Days, a full week passed. I was becoming concerned. So, I decided to call their Press Relations department (who were in charge of the approval).

Him: "Hello?"
Me: "Hello, I was hoping I could speak with Christopher Jansen, please."
Him: "May I ask what you're calling in regards to?"
Me: "I had sent an application out a while ago to put some promotional materials on the Comic-Con freebie table, but I hadn't heard back."
Him: "Okay. Your name."
Me: "Andrew Schnorr"
Him: "And your company?"
Me: "Elderly Apple Comics."
Him: "Ebony Apple?"
Me: "Elderly Apple."
Him: "Okay, so you have a question about the freebie table?"
Me: "Yes."
Him: "Okay, you're going to want to speak with our press relations department."
Me: "Yes, I know. I was hoping to be patched through to them."
Him: "And you're going to want to speak with Christopher Jansen."
Me: "Um...yes. That's who I asked to speak with."
Him: "Okay, give me a second."
[Three minutes later.]
Him: "Sir, I'm sorry, but Chris is currently busy. Would you like to wait, or would you rather me take a message."
Me: "I'll wait."
Him: "It may be a while."
Me: "I'm willing to wait as long as necessary."
[Ten minutes later.]
Him: "Sir, I'm afraid Chris is in a conference meeting."
Me: "I can wait."
Him: "Sir, a more expedient method of contacting Chris would be through email. He answers immediately."
Me: "I sent Mr. Jansen an email regarding this situation well over a week ago. He has not responded in any way."
Him: "Oh. Well, you see, Chris is currently backed up with email. It may be some time before he responds."
Me: "My promotional materials publisher has a strict turnaround period, and I need an answer soon."
Him: "You may want to call again later."
Me: "Will he actually be available?"
Him: "He should be."

And so I called back later that day. Another conference meeting. I called again the next day. Twice. Two more conference meetings. And again and again for seven days! I'm pretty sure Christopher Jansen is a Patrick Bateman-like slacker in the office, always making excuses to get out of phone calls and meetings.

So, after a full week of calling, I finally get hold of one of Christopher Jansen's underlings. After a lengthy conversation, I was basically told that it was pretty much too late at this point, and if I didn't get an email in the next couple days, there was no chance (needless to say, I didn't get an email within a couple days). My favorite part of the conversation was the end:

Him: "Sir, you really can't blame us. You should have sent in your materials at least a week ago."
Me: "I sent my materials in two-and-a-half weeks ago."
Him: "Oh. Sorry."
Me: "...Thank you." [Click.]

So...yeah. You're not going to see people walking around the Con wearing buttons of a bar of soap slipping on his own residue. It just wasn't meant to be. On the bright side, I don't have to pay the hundreds of dollars to get it all printed, right?

...Am I right, folks?

Continuing Progress on Elderly Apple Comic-Con Butttons

Okay, so I've been working with designs that I think would make good buttons. I tried out the schizo watch (due to his round nature, of course, and the fact that he was recommended by multiple people), but that, ironically enough, didn't work out the way I wanted. It was too round; there was not enough rood space for text.

Of what I've gone through, I've found four designs which I think work pretty well. While I don't know if they'll fly with the powers-that-be at Comic-Con, I am kind of guessing they will.

I was also considering, maybe, using two designs (to mix things up) and split my buttons up that way (a bit more expensive, but more variety). I'm not sure.

The only other decision I'd need to make would be between using a 1.5" button and a 2.25" button. Any thoughts there?

(Oh, we'll be working on business/postcards later. Now is the time for buttons!)

A Call to Action!

Okay, finals time. Don't expect anything great from me during this period. I need to do well, mainly in certain classes *cough*accounting*cough*.

Anyhoo, I had posted this on a webcomic community forum I'm a part of, but since I watned your feedback as well (and because you should be reading Elderly Apple [*shakes fist*]) I feel you're all qualified to help.



Okay, so I've been thinking that I'd like to give some freeeeebies away at Comic-Con. It might get me some interested viewers, and I think it'd be neat to see people with my swag at the con.

Anyhoo, I'm considering the following items (not all of them, but maybe one or two).
-Buttons
-Postcards
-Magnets
-Business Cards (To be carried on my person)

Now, for each of these, I would want to have one of my comics on it.

So!

I have an assignment for you all. An assignment of friendship!

I'd like to hear which comics you think would work well in any of these formats. Meaning:
1. They have to be representative of what Elderly Apple is; it's style, humor, whatever.
2. They should try not to make it seem like there are any stable characters (this is one of the main reasons I am hesitant to just resort to Pliny, the Elderly Apple.
3. It must be (and I quote the Comic-Con people) "be approved by Comic-Con to be all ages appropriate." I don't think this will be too much of an issue.
4. (I could probably "clean up" any of them if necessary, erasing stray lines and such, so that shouldn't be an issue).

Additionally, it we're looking at a business card, we'd need a space where my name/URL could go. (I actually thought after making this one that "that would make a good business card.")

Oh, and for a button, you'd need something that would work well in a circle.

Alternatively for the button, we could instead do something like this, using TWO buttons:


All subject to variation.

Now, I know what you're thinking: "Wait, Elderly Apple Guy [ed. note: this is how people refer to me], why aren't you trying to figure this stuff out yourself? Shouldn't you be doing your own dirty work?"

Answer: I kinda am. I have certain ideas of what I'd like to use, but I want to open up the discussion to see if there's any kind of consensus. Plus, it's hard to trust my own judgment when it comes to my creations.

So take a look at my archives and see what you think will work! I thank you in advance for any help!

So there you go! Put your ideas in the comments, along with any explanations of why I should use it.

Keeping You in the Know

A few notes I'd like to put out there...

Note 1
First, I'd like to apologize about the slowdown of updates in the last week or so. Life's been kinda crazy. Not in a bad way, mind you. I'm looking for summer internships, and that precludes a bit of time and effort making phone calls, writing letters, doing research, etc.

(Also, it's midterm season.)

I was planning on talking a bit about the internship fair that occurred last week, but I'll hold off on that right now. Let me just say right now that I have an interview set up with one company, an application sent in and and a lot of talk with another company, and I'm on the lookout on a third (as well as a couple more).

I won't say who I'm most interested in, in case any or all of the companies are reading (hi there, companies! ^_^), but there were about a dozen companies I could apply for (had I the time!) so the fact that they made it through my "Round 1" means something. (If you really want to know, give me a call or shoot me an email.)

So, anyway, I would have been updating more often, but I've only been getting 2-4 hours a sleep a night as is, and I'm hoping to increase those numbers, not decrease them further. But don't worry, I still care! :)


Note 2
So, as you may remember me mention a few times before, I'm trying to lose some weight through a diet and exercise regimen. I thought I'd give you an update on it.

Namely, I've currently passed the 200lb mark (going downwards). Which is pretty good, considering I started at 232.

Now, last week I reached my halfway point toward my primary goal of 175 pounds. I decided to take a few pictures of myself to compare with some "Before" pictures like they have in all the commercials. It's pretty interesting.

I was considering putting them up, but am hesitant for two reasons:
1. Part of me wants to wait until I have reached my goal of 175lb to post the before-after comparison, as the change will be more dramatic.
2. The pictures are of me without a shirt, which - regardless of weight - may be an unpleasant experience for all involved.

I dunno. If you really want to see pictures, let me know. Otherwise, I'll spare the Internet this time.

Long story short, diet's going well.


Note 3
Remember to check out Elderly Apple! I know everyone's busy, but you can literally, literally see each day's idea (I don't specifically call them comics; there's no real punchline; they're just ideas) in 30 seconds or less.

If you happen to have an additional 30 seconds, please leave a comment. Both on EA and TLD, comments are my lifeblood. As trite as it sounds, they give me the strength to keep going. More comments = more enthusiasm from me! Plus, it gives you an opportunity to say something witty. Remember, though, that Elderly Apple Andrew is different from regular Andrew. So don't expect a similar interaction.

Finally, if you have 30 seconds more, please be sure to vote for the comic in the Top Webcomics Vote. The button's on the side of the site. The voting system's a little confusing at first, but spend a minute and you should figure it out. The more votes I get, the more notoriety Elderly Apple gets. Also, when you cast a vote, I will give you a random trivia fact that you (probably) didn't know before. This is updated every single day, so voting every day is the only way to know them all! Your knowledge is expanded, as is my user base. It's win-win!

So, that's one-and-a-half minutes total. I understand if you feel that you don't have the time. But if you do, please check it out. It may seem simple, but it really is a strenuous mental exercise, and I want everyone to experience it.


...Kthxbai!

A Short Note

Can't write much. Must stay off the Internet for another 24 hours to avoid going over UC Bandwidth limits. (Going over = Bad Times)

Before I go, while the hell aren't any of you commenting on, voting for, or even looking at Elderly Apple? (Don't try to fool me; I can tell.) Even if it's not your cup-of-tea comic, it is a significant investment of time and energy and I'd like to see more than 2 page views each time I check Google Analytics. C'mon, I'm literally asking for no more than 30 seconds a day.

Anyway, I gotta log off now.