A Blast From My Past - Lampshade Magazine

Just a quick off topic update... Had a frustrating weekend, reinjuring my leg in kung fu class on Saturday. Kinda freaked out that day, but since then I have been treating my leg and feeling better, or I'm at least resigned to the new injury. Thankfully it's nowhere near as bad as it was the first time. But it will take me out of class proper for at least a week (although I will keep going just to stretch out and do what I can in the interim).

As far as I can tell, it was a completely random injury once again. I had heard that this particular calf injury had a high likelihood for reinjury but I figured I was in the clear. I had been back to it full steam ahead for a couple weeks and felt fine. Plus it happened 40 minutes into my class and I was fully stretched out and warmed up. The only thing I can think of is that I didn't really do any strengthening exercises on my leg after the injury healed, like calf raises or jumping rope. Perhaps I just wasn't ready to jump back into it full hog.

Ironically, I would have tested for my black belt this past Sunday if I hadn't got hurt. The next test is in a few months, so I hope I am ready by then!



So on to the topic at hand, Lampshade Magazine! Discovered this spiffy website for the mag a ways back while doing a Google search for myself (come on, you know you do it too!). Lampshade is a literary/art/culture DIY magazine that I contributed to way back in 1995 before I moved to Montana and started self-publishing my own comics. It was assembled by my old movie theater cohort Matt Balzarini (I worked at several movie theaters part-time throughout high school and college, hence my warped movie mind). I forget how I initially was brought into the fold, but I do recall dropping off a boatload of comic book illustration pages to Matt. And he picked through them, finding images that were appropriate to the articles. Check out the illustrations and articles here by clicking on them, plus go to the Lampshade website for more fun.

Looking back at these old illustrations of mine reminds me of how far I've come as an artist, but also the naivete and innocence lost since those halcyon days of youth. And it reminds me of a funny story!

So I had dropped off a bunch of comic book pages for Matt to pick through, and completely forgot I had done so. So a couple years later (sad, I know), I was going through all my old comic book work and realized that most of it was missing! It took several weeks for my poor brain to put two and two together and realize that Matt may still have them. So I contacted him, but he couldn't find them anywhere. Man, was I bummed- a ton of great stuff from back in the day, gone forever!



Then a long time later (months? years?) out of nowhere I get a package from Matt with all my artwork in it! I was overjoyed! Apparently, his mom had stashed it away in her attic, thinking it was junk. And when she moved, the art was found. Matt was very apologetic but it was impossible to feel sore about it since I had my lost art back.

So thanks Matt for the Lampshade memories, letting me be a part of your project and for getting my comic book pages back to me, even if it took a little while! ;)