The Cast of Characters

These are the people I share my life with. Names have not been changed, since we're all guilty anyway...

The Immediate Family

Me, appearing thoughtful.

GATES: This is my blog. I’m a gay, middle aged, overweight, happily partnered computer artist/geek/writer. I’m occasionally clever, often sarcastic, directionally dyslexic, creative, shy, intelligent, and I walk like a duck. That last trait will come in handy in case you ever need to track me through a blizzard. I love (in no particular order) Wine, Bacon, World of Warcraft, my hubby Punk, Punk’s Cooking, Entertaining, Vodka, Tequila, Grilled Chicken Salad, Italy, Hawaii, Bears & Cubs, Reading, Movies, Reality TV, WINE (again) and more… Jesus – from the looks of that list, all I do is eat & drink.

Mr. Man.

PUNK: This hottie is my long suffering husband of 15 years. He’s a great chef, and a total alpha male. He's Italian, and a Taurus - it's an amazingly stubborn combo. I bust his chops, saying he "lives at a constant simmer"... he's quick to anger, but equally quick to forgive. He brought me out of my shell, and his love of entertaining friends & family is mirrored by my own. He’s my biggest supporter, but also keeps me grounded. I may be biased, but I think we make a great pair.

The Nub.

SOPHIE:  This is our 4 1/2 year old boxer. She’s sweet, shy, and occasionally crazy. Luckily she’s not as crazy as when she was a puppy – My emergency brake, and portions of Punk's wallet still have the bite marks to prove she went through teething. She goes by the nicknames The Nub & Sofa Bean. Most often found shivering underfoot during thunderstorms.

Friends & Family:

Viv & Rob

Stan & Steve

Randy & Jason

Stamford

Joe C.

The Work Crew:
Disclaimer: I love the people I work with...  not necessarily the people I work for. 

Lauren: I'll keep it simple... God bless Lauren. She keeps us animators, designers & editors sane. This often involves bringing in snacks, alcohol & helping us bitch. She also does her level best to keep us somewhat organized & on schedule. How the hell she does it, I have no idea.

Demian: The other animator. Here's the thing about Demian (and all of us at work, really) - he's creative, sarcastic, & really talented. Unfortunately those higher up like to beat us down. On a personal note, he sure does like Tobasco Sauce.

Todd: An amazing illustrator & designer. He's also a fellow comic book fan - even if we've both stopped reading on a regular basis.

Collin: Web coder/guru extraordinaire. I'm not sure how he does it, but he keeps a schedule unlike anyone I've ever met. He'll regularly show up at 1 in the afternoon, and act surprised that we're all surprised to see him. It's awesome. 

Stephen: Another great designer, and one of the most fucked up/funny people at work. He's the one who will take any running joke that one extra step. You know the step that makes the entire room go "Oh god, no!"

Jay: Technically Jay is my manager. But he's more than that - he's a good friend. Talented, dedicated, & soft spoken, but don't let that fool you - he's as sarcastic as the rest of us!

George, Curt, Paulie, and more....

Random Folks:

Bueller? Bueller? Anyone?