Kham Xiong, 23
St. Paul, Minnesota

Michael Cahill, 62
Spokane, Washington

As we embark on another long distance drive to celebrate Thanksgiving by over-eating I tend to try and meditate about what I’m thankful for.

First and foremost, my wife and kids – no surprise here. My siblings and my Mom, who am I looking forward to being reunited with since we’ve become far-flung, are naturally “up there”.

Secondly, I’m very grateful to my employers at Slingo, Inc. Sal Falciglia is a class act who was the creator of the wildly successful game that has enabled me to be one of those rare individuals who enjoy what they do; furthermore the firm’s GM Eric Lamendola has shown a compassion and empathy for the artists and taken care of us in stand-up ways. Two class acts and I’m fortunate to be associated with both.

I can’t wait to get to work, and when the day is done, I can’t wait to get home to my family.

Finally, I must acknowledge my sister-in-law and her husband Wasfi. Despite the challenges they both face, I never need to worry about the care of my children. I am eternally grateful. Help yourself to anything in the fridge!

So, what are you thankful for?

Have a safe and healthy Thanksgiving.

Francheska Velez, 21
Chicago, Illinois

Amy Krueger, 29
Kiel, Wisconsin

Jason Hunt, 22
Tipton, Oklahoma

Aaron Nemelka, 19
West Jordan, Utah

When I started this blog over two years ago, the massacre at Virginia Tech erupted. I vowed I’d always remember the victims, since an inordinate amount of press is given to the killer.

Re-considering that it takes very little effort to copy-paste their names and ages – and since this attack on military personnel on U.S. soil on a military base is particularly upsetting to me- I’ve decided this isn’t all I can do.

I’m going to do my best over the next two weeks to do rapid sketches from the CNN gallery – and some are blurred photos – but the very least these heroes deserve is that I take a few minutes to look into their faces, and grieve for their families and friends.

Bolingbrook, Illinois

Last month I embarked on some modest advertising of my web comic, inspired by the adage “you have to spend money to make money.”

What have I learned? Aim big – it’s better to spend $25 in one paid slot that reaches a quarter million eyeballs (well literally half a million eyeballs) than to try to nickel and dime your way via lower impressions on smaller sites. Common sense? Perhaps in hindsight.

The resulting chatter from the costliest-ad yet is returning heavy traffic weeks after the original ad aired. Want to know the irony? The chatter was a thread in a forum discussing “Awful Web Comics”. Without emoticon and eyes-rolling, when a member of that community was calling my strip the “best web comic ever” I signed up to thank them!

This by no means discouraged or offended me, because

1. I knew the thread was called “Awful Web Comics”
2. You develop a thick skin doing graphic design professionally as long as I have
3. This community is not my intended audience. If you are into furry animals in your mid-twenties, then you’re probably not interested in my content (but Mom and Dad may “get it”) and finally
4. any publicity is good publicity.

All this analysis speaks to my impatience; I will be dutifully creating the best comic I am able. Paid advertising was a means to insure that readership, which was critical to my first full month. My goal for November 2009: no paid advertising whatsoever until the end of month. I’ll do my part on Black Friday (staying away from the stores) and spend my entire monthly budget in one shot.

The comic I’m considering advertising on is called “Questionable Content”.