Scraps 5: The Search for Spock

Haven't posted any scraps in a while...

Back from Wisconsin

I just flew back to Florida yesterday. Despite the circumstances for my visit, I still had a great time. I was terribly homesick before I went up to Wisconsin, but because of this trip, I think I'll be okay for a while. Before I left, we snapped a few family photos.This is my brother-in-law Dino, my niece Gabby, my nephews Niko and Garrett and my sister Donna.
This is my nephew Cody and my younger sister, Suzie. And here's the big 5 that started it all. Suzie, mom, dad, me and Donna. Love you guys!
In other news, I just got my new camera. I'm going to take it for a spin tonight at work and hopefully have some caricatures to share with you tomorrow. See you then.

Wisconsin wrap-up

In a few short hours, I will be boarding a plane for Florida. Whenever I visit Wisconsin, I make it a point to visit a few locations that Florida is severely lacking. The first is Menards.

Menards is a Midwest chain of home improvement stores. "You save big money" is their slogan. They have everything you need for any home improvement project, much better than Home Depot or Lowes.

Woodman's is a gigantic grocery store. They carry such a wide and diverse variety of food, that unlike in Florida, all of your grocery shopping can be done in one place. Man, I miss this place.

...and here it is. The world famous Brat Stop, the gateway to Wisconsin. It was founded by Gerry Rasmussen, a childhood friend of my father. Nearly every Durkin that ever lived either worked or drinked at the Brat Stop at some point. The Brat Stop is located within crawling distance from my parent's house.

Since 1964 The Brat Stop has hosted live music with acts like The Charlie Daniels Band, Styx, B.T.O., Cheap Trick, Foghat, The Guess Who, Nazareth, Molly Hatchet, Joan Jett, Holland, Bad Boy, Night Ranger, Loverboy, Jackyl, Eddie Money, 38 Special, Ratt, Warrant, Saxon, Tracy Byrd, Great White, Mark Wills, Jo Dee Messina, Neal McCoy, Wade Hayes, Trace Adkins, Chris Cagle, Shinedown and Sugar Land, just to name a few...

Of course, I couldn't make it very long without drawing SOMETHING, so I drew Cody, one of my nephews.

Awwww, ain't he cute?

Wisconsin: Home Sweet Cheesy Home

Today I'm going to show you where I spent the first 29 years of my life. I was born and raised in Bristol Wisconsin. It's in the county of Kenosha, located in the very southeast corner of Wisconsin, and virtually halfway between Milwaukee and Chicago. It was a great place to grow up. Wisconsin has its own unique history and culture. Because of its large German, Irish, Polish and Norwegian population, the regional diet tends to skew toward cheese, beer and pastries, a fact promulgated by these brochures I picked up from the airport.One of the things I like most about Wisconsin is the people. They are hard-working, authentic and steeped in tradition and family. And most of them look just like this:

For most of my childhood, I lived in this house, where my parents still reside. The house and farm my father grew up in, while not existing any more, was only within walking distance of this house. From kindergarten through second grade, I went to Woodworth School, at the time, it was consolidated with Bristol Grade School.My dad went to this school when he was a kid. It was a two-room school then. He actually rode his horse back and forth to school every day. As you see, the building is now an antique store.

From third through eighth grade I went to the main school, Bristol Grade School. My niece goes to this school now. This is unfortunately as close as I could get to take a picture, as they were ending the school day. At Bristol, I had several of the same teachers my father had. They assured me that I was a much better student than him.

Next, I went to Westosha Central High School, the same school my parents attended, and subsequently fell in love with each other, eventually creating yours truly. How's that for tying it all together? After college, I lived in several places around Kenosha, but when I got married and started having kids, I returned to Bristol. That's right, I lived in a trailer.Actually, I lived in two trailers. the first (number 17 on the left) was where I lived when my son Alex was born. When the family grew bigger with the birth of my daughter Kathy, I moved next door to number 18, the double-wide on the right. I managed a shoe store at the time, and had several other retail jobs before moving to Florida. Tomorrow, I'll post about some of the places I have to go to every time I visit Wisconsin.

Friday morning: Just after midnight in Wisconsin

My Grandmother has finally been laid to rest. A very long, emotional day today. I'm going to be visiting with family and friends here in Wisconsin for the next few days. This blog has been a bit somber lately, and it's high time I start to lighten the tone.

I'll begin by chronicling my journey to Wisconsin on Wednesday. That morning I went online to print out my boarding pass. When I got to the point in the process where I was able to select my seat on the plane, I noticed there were still a lot of available seats to choose from. I picked a window seat (my favorite) just behind the wing. It just so happened that I chose a spot where not only was there no one sitting next to me, but no one in the row in front or behind me. I was completely surrounded by empty seats. Perfect! I could pass gas with no discretion at all!

Sometimes I like that isolated feeling. Just being all alone, not having to interact with strangers. I go into a sort of "zen" mode, where my mind goes clear and I'm quite peaceful. Despite my protective bubble of empty seats on the plane, I still donned my "cloak of invisibility", meaning I wore sunglasses, a hooded sweatshirt with the hood over my head, and my iPod. It's the same outfit I wear when I have to go to a shopping mall, and I don't want to be hassled. It's an outfit that says "I am not to be disturbed." Sure, I look like the Unibomber, but it works.

As usual when I fly, I slept for quite a bit of the time. Something about hurrying through the airport, worrying about tickets, luggage, security etc really tires and stresses me out. So much can go wrong. So by the time I'm finally on the plane and in my proper seat, I'm ready to relax and take a nap. I suppose in that way, I'd make a terrible pilot.

Besides the funeral and all that accompanies it, and visiting with my family, I've been watching Kevin Pollak's webcast interview with Futurama's Billy West and John DiMaggio and listening to some choice music on my iPod. I've also been reading (make that DEVOURING) The Road by Cormac McCarthy, a post-apocalyptic story of survival and isolation, a fitting tale considering the past few days.

Tomorrow I'm going out and taking pictures of life in Wisconsin. I'll show my favorite, can't-miss spots when I visit and share some old places from my past. See you then!

In Wisconsin.

An early rise for me this morning. I'm in Wisconsin for my grandma's funeral. I'll try to post something more upbeat later today, but for now, I think this is most appropriate.

Susan Gerich
February 1, 2010
Susan Gerich,Age 96, of Bristol, passed away Monday, February 1, 2010 at her daughters home. She was born April 5, 1913 in Filion, MI, to the late John and Susan (nee Loeffler) Kittl. Susan spent her early life and received her education in Filion, MI. On October 17, 1930 in Wheaton, IL, Susan was united in marriage to Martin Gerich. Following marriage they resided in Chicago before moving to Burlington in 1947. Martin preceded Susan in death on September 7, 1986.Susan had worked for General Crystal, Foster Forbes and Northern Engineering Laboratories. She was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Burlington and the St. Mary’s Senior Citizens. Susan was also a member of the Waterford/Rochester Senior Citizens. She enjoyed gardening, quilting, crocheting, tatting, bowling and playing Bingo.Survivors include her daughters, Theresa (Robert) Ahler of Burlington, Patricia Arnold of Burlington and Anne (James) Durkin of Bristol, 13 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren with 1 on the way, 12 great-great-grandchildren, step-great-grandchildren and step-great-great-grandchildren. Susan was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, sisters, Theresa Kittl, Margaret (Gene) Black and Mary Relaz, a brother, Anthony (Susan) Kittl, a great-grandson, Eric Ahler, great-great-grandson, Grant Cowan and by a son-in-law, Richard Arnold. Funeral Services will be held on Thursday, February 4, 2010 at 12:30 PM at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Burlington with Rev. Jim Volkert officiating. Burial will follow at St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery. Relatives and friends may visit with the family at Schuette-Daniels Funeral Home on Thursday, from 10:00 AM until 12:00 Noon. Memorials to Hospice Alliance in Pleasant Prairie have been suggested.Schuette-Daniels Funeral Home & Crematory625 Browns Lake Dr.Burlington, WI 53105262-763-3434www.danielsfamilyfuneral.com

One from last night...

I was only able to snap one photo from last night's caricature gig. I did several more caricatures that I was fairly proud of, but was unable to document for the blog. My stone-age camera has failed me for the last time, so I'll be getting a new one.

I'm currently packing for my trip to Wisconsin. I'll be chronicling my time there on this blog, so be sure to keep stopping by!

Spinning within the whirlwind...

With my grandma passing away, I will be heading up to Wisconsin very soon to be with my family. I'll depart Wednesday and come back to Florida Sunday. In the meantime, I worked last night and then I have to work first thing this morning and then I have a gig later tonight. That leaves me with very little time to tie up any loose ends and take care of the necessary business I have before I go. It also leaves my very pregnant wife home alone. Hang in there, babes!

It appeals to what remains of my OCD tendencies to update my blog every single day, so keep coming back and you'll keep seeing new content. I plan on taking pictures of my caricatures at the gig tonight, and posting them before I leave Wednesday. While in Wisconsin, I'll update you on how things are going, and show you some of my old haunts.

That said, I have no artwork of mine to share with you today, so here's a picture of a bunny with a pancake on its head.

Grandma Gerich. April 5th 1913-Feb 1st 2010

Just got a text from my dad informing me that my grandmother passed away this morning. Here she is recently with my kids.

I remember when I was just a kid. My mother would take my sisters and I to visit my grandma and grandpa every Friday. I was too young to realize how much time it would take to drive to their house, my mom could only put the distance in terms I could understand "One Bozo show away"
My grandma and grandpa lived in a big farm house. There was a barn full of equipment and tools, which smelled like stale beer (my grandpa crushed and recycled aluminum cans as a money maker on the side). A charming wooden fence surrounded the property, which was hilly and lush with trees and grass. My grandparents kept a substantial garden, which they harvested and cooked from.
The porch of the big white house overlooked the barn and driveway. A card table was usually set up inside the porch with the remnants of a euchre game still on it. As you entered the house, the smell of chicken soup, baked goods and coffee permeated the air. I remember grandma always had wishbones from the chickens she had cooked with for the grand kids to make our wishes with.
My grandma cooked all the time, my favorites of course, were her desserts. Every Easter, she would make these pastries shaped like Easter eggs with frosting and flowers, and small, bite-sized cupcakes.
I remember her basement, cool and damp, with a pool table. I remember the dining room, which we never used, and the cabinets in with paper and crayons for us to draw on. I remember the t.v. room and the back porch, and the stairs leading to the second floor, where my mother's room was when she was a kid.
I remember playing outside, laying down in the cool grass, seeing shapes in the clouds. We would build forts with the old wood we would find lying around, play hide-and-seek, and run until our faces were red and we were full of sweat. My grandma would have refreshing Kool-Aid for us.
It was a great time and place to be a kid, my granparents made it that way.
After my grandfather (Papa) died, my grandma moved closer to town. She survived quite well on her own, going grocery shopping and taking walks. I would hear stories of her falling occasionally, getting a huge, ugly, purple bruise, but not being worse for the wear. My grandma came from good stock. She was tough and hearty, able to weather any storm.
Toward the end, she lived with my parents. I got a chance to see her a few months ago, and although she was a bit more frail and weak, I could still make her laugh (usually at the expense of my father). I think that's what I remember about her the most, her laugh. It was unbridled, joyous. Now as I think of her, I can still hear that laugh, and I can see her eyes, her head tilted back and the huge, inviting smile on her face as she chuckled.

My grandma lived to be 96 years old. She is survived by her three daughters, and countless grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Rest in peace grandma, and tell Papa I said "Hi"

Alex Durkin: Deathfang and Dan

My son Alex is creating a comic book series called "DinoBoy". Pictured below is one of the characters, Deathfang.
...and this is Dan.

Kenny D. Grade 1

I just stumbled across this old activity book of mine from grade school. It's from when I was in 1st grade, back when I was 6 years old. That's 1977, kids.This picture of me on my bike may be the earliest drawing of mine that I have. I think that's a squirrel on the tree.

Even then, I always knew who I was, and what I wanted to be when I grew up.

...except for the teeacher part...

International College Program Caricature Gig

The Disney's International College Program caricature events are among my favorites. There are usually a large amount of artists with me (twenty in this case) and the subjects are diverse, polite and well-dressed. Here are a few from yesterday.

Caricature gig

Here's a few caricatures from a gig I just did. This was an adult drinking crowd, the majority of which actually wanted their drinks in the picture with them. A bit suggestive, I know.

This guy looked a bit too young to be drinking, a fact I couldn't resist including in the caricature.

Another beer lover.

The Office

Another one of my favorite shows is NBC's The Office. Recently while watching the show, I've been caricaturing the cast members. I'm still missing a few, but when I finish them I'll post the complete cast at that time.

MegaCon Orlando 2010

That's right, I'm going to be an attending artist at MegaCon in Orlando this year. I will be in the Burgundy section #15B. I will be selling Chapters 1 and 2 of Black Cat Bone and debuting Chapter 3. I will also be selling a lot of Durkin's Dragons stuff, like the first book, the 2010 calendar, the new book Durkin's Dragons: Parodies and Tributes and I'll be selling the original dragon art from the books. Stop by and say "Hi" and buy some stuff!

By the power of Grayskull....

...I have the power!!He-Man Dragon.

LOST: Character sketches.

I love ABC's LOST. The 6th and final season begins shortly, and I've been re-watching the previous seasons to prepare. I've decided to keep a sketchbook by the couch, and this is what I came up with during last night's viewing. Clockwise from the top left, Ben Linus, John Locke, Miles Straume and Daniel Faraday.

Reluctant AK Parade Watcher

A few weeks ago while working at Disney's Animal Kingdom, I sketched this gentleman while he was waiting for the parade to start. He seemed pretty grumpy about his whole situation until someone brought him popcorn, satisfying him to point where he was able to muster up some fake interest...

Indy Dragon

Ladies and Gentlemen...the Indiana Jones Dragon!

Jack Sparrow Dragon.

This is the latest in my new series "Durkin's Dragons: Parodies and Tributes", the Jack Sparrow Dragon. The series will eventually be compiled into the next Durkin's Dragons book. I already have some Star Wars and Disney dragons that I've posted previously. The next one, which is currently in the coloring stage will be posted soon. Stay tuned!

Purina Caricature Gig.

Here are some caricatures from a recent gig I did for Purina. The event took place at Gaylord Palms in Orlando and was for veterinary students and their pets...or at least pictures they had of their pets. I've never handled so many iPhones, digital cameras and laptops in my life. But I had a lot of fun, and I love drawing animals as much as I love drawing people.

Black Cat Bone Chapter Two: Flood Water Rising Now Available!

IndyPlanet has done it again! Black Cat Bone Chapter Two: Flood Water Rising is now available to purchase here.I've added the link to the right as well.

Last night at Wilderness Lodge

This is Devon from last night. She obviously loves to read. Her brother wasn't able to get his caricature done, however.

Character Design: Zip the Wallaby

Here's a sneak preview of a new character from Norman Down Under, the second Norman Phartephant book I just finished illustrating. Once again, I had to design the character based on the author's description, not off an existing toy. After picking and choosing different elements, we settled on the final design, and agreed on the color.

Character Design: Alfredbit

The last character in Norman Phartephant Volume 1 I needed to design was Norman's friend, an older elephant named Alfredbit. Like Ty, he did not have a toy counterpart, and had to be designed from scratch. Here are the initial designs:

Here is the final design, with turnaround and color.

Character Design: Ty the tiger

A few posts ago, I showed the design process for the main character from a book I illustrated, Norman Phartephant. In this book, Norman meets a new friend, a tiger named Ty.

Unlike Norman, this character was not based on an already existing toy. It was my job to create Ty's look based on the description the author gave me. Ty also had to exist in Norman's world, so their style had to be similar.

Just as I did with the process in creating Norman, I started with a number of various designs. I tried to give a wide range of styles, to give the author different choices and combinations. I based the final design on her feedback, and we agreed on the color.

Norman Phartephant Volume One has one more character, whose design process I will show here soon.

One from last night.

Did this caricature at Wilderness Lodge last night. This couple was a lot of fun.

In other news, I can't stand my camera.

Norman Phartephant: Character Design

I've been talking a lot about Norman Phartephant lately. For those who don't know, Norman is a plush toy elephant created by Angela Larson at Fierce Fun Toys. What makes Norman unique is that when you squeeze his tail, Norman lets out one of eight different gassy sounds.

I was approached by Angela to illustrate a book introducing children to Norman and his world. The first step for me was to design what an illustrated Norman would look like. I didn't want him to be a literal representation of the toy, rather a more animated, cartoony version that still resembled the stuffed animal.Angela sent me my very own Norman and after playing with him for several...hours, I began to study what made Norman..."Norman." I was immediately drawn to his wide-open eyes and his expressive eyebrows. I love drawing eyebrows. I even put them on fish.

The next step was to draw numerous versions of Norman. I made some very close to what the toy looks like and others I purposely strayed away from the toy's design. I wanted to give Angela a wide range of options. This way she could pick and choose which parts of each version she liked in an effort to narrow down Norman's final design.

Angela really liked the one on the top right. In fact, the final cover of the book is based on that design. She liked that Norman could sometimes sit on his bottom or stand on his hind legs to express himself. There were versions that I liked, or may have been easier for me to draw, but I had to keep in mind that Norman had to look very close to his plush counterpart. Once we decided on a design, I worked on a front and side view of Norman, and established the color palette.
We used this collaborative back-and-forth process to design the other characters in the book. I'll post those soon.

Another Norman Phartephant Book Review: 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires.

3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires is the latest website to review Norman Phartephant Volume One, which I illustrated. Check it out here, and remember, you can always order both the plush Norman and the book at the sidebar to the right.

Scraps 4: Revenge of the Scraps

More scraps for you. I'd love to see a plush version of the one on the bottom right.

Sisyphus.

Greek mythology tells the story of Sisyphus. He was the cruel king of Corinth, the "craftiest of men" according to the ancient Greeks. His trickery, deceit and avarice was so vile that he was punished by the gods to forever roll a boulder up a hill, only to have it roll back down to the bottom before he could ever reach the top. He repeated this task for eternity, the mindlessness of the task driving him mad. Sometimes I get to feeling like ol' Sisyphus. Constantly pushing that big ball of stuff up the hill, struggling to keep it from rolling down and crushing me. Then I remember that life's about the journey. It's not about the ball of stuff, but the trek up the mountain that counts. I have to pause and enjoy the view while going up that mountain, and never let that ball of stuff beat me. I'm stronger than the boulder of distractions and road blocks. These things that are laid out in front of me are only challenges to be won, not obstacles to defeat me. I must always remind myself to refuse to give up, to be patient, persevere, work hard and never get discouraged.

Conservative Mafia Banner

Recently, I designed the bulldog mascot for a website called The Conservative Mafia. I posted about it here. They liked it so much they wanted me to design their logo, to be used for their t-shirts, as a banner for their website, etc.

Did You See That? Norman Phartephant book review.

More love for Norman at:
http://cpamomva.blogspot.com/2010/01/norman-phartephant-volume-1.html

Another great review, but say my name!!

Norman Phartephant Book Review: The Mom Buzz.

Check out the latest review of Norman Phartephant Volume 1, illustrated by Kenny Durkin.

http://themombuzz.com/2010/01/04/norman-phartephant-volume-1/

SCAL-E

This is the second gift dragon for the Christmas present I mentioned yesterday. It's a dragon based on the Disney/Pixar character Wall-E.

After she received the drawings, the recipient sent me this message:

"THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!! I LOVE them! Especially how Ariel is squeezing the life outta Flounder! And "SCAL-E" is ADORABLE! Love his eyes. You really hit a home run with them. And it was such a surprise!Most couples have "their song", well we have "our artist", and that's definitely you. You will be drawing for us for many years to come, I promise. Thank you again!"

This is what I've wanted my whole life, for my drawings to make people happy. I consider myself to be a very lucky man.

The Little Dragon Mermaid.

A while ago, I posted some Star Wars Dragons I drew as a gift for a client's boyfriend. Check out the Han Solo Dragon, Chewbacca Dragon and Boba Fett Dragon. I was contacted by the gift recipient boyfriend to draw a couple of dragons as a Christmas present for his girlfriend. Turns out they're both Durkin's Dragons fans! The first dragon he requested was the Little Mermaid.

I'll post the second request soon.

Crash and Burn.

I feel really lousy today. I've had non-stop hiccups for the past week. I'm able to shut them down at night before I go to sleep if I relax and concentrate, but I didn't get to sleep until 4:30 a.m. this morning. It sounds silly to be incapacitated by hiccups, but I because of them, I can't breathe, talk normally, eat, draw etc. My throat, neck, chest and back are sore. Imagine hiccuping all day and night for seven days. It's frustrating and ridiculous. I'm off to get a massage and see a therapist and then I'm off to work tonight. Ugh....

Monsters!!!

This is the kind of stuff I've been drawing my whole life. Whenever I'm doodling, or I just want to have some fun, I draw critters like these. Usually each creature starts with some random shapes. Then I flesh them out and add details like hair, scales and clothes. I think I may try to color this one, and maybe next time I do a group like this, I'll do a step-by-step tutorial, so you can see my process.

Happy New Year from Alex

This is a drawing Alex did for the New Year. They are his original characters Dinoboy and Deathfang.

New Year's Day 2010: ...in with the new.

The year is 2010. Can you believe it?

2009 was a great year, but I'm really looking forward to this year. There's a lot in store. As I did last year at this time, I'm posting my New Year's Resolutions. You'll find they're very similar to last year's resolutions.

1. Post more on the blog. Every year I post a little more than I did the previous year. This year I want to break the three-digit barrier. In fact, I intend to post EVERY SINGLE DAY. Ever since I returned from the ISCA convention in November, I have been posting daily. Sometimes it's very easy, and sometimes...not. It turns out I have a lot of artwork in the archives that I haven't shared with anyone yet, and there's a ton more planned for the upcoming year.

2. Attend more conventions. Once again, I plan on attending MegaCon and FXShow in Orlando as a guest artist. I know I will also be attending the Star Wars Celebration and the ISCA convention in the fall. If I'm available to do more, I will absolutely attend them, and you'll hear about it first on this blog.

3. Publish more books. 2010 marks the return to Black Cat Bone, with Chapter 3: The Devil's Music. Look for it in the first half of 2010. Durkin's Dragons will continue, I'm already planning another book. Norman Phartephant, my flatulent pachyderm friend will be going on more adventures this year, and I'll be illustrating them. There is a new series of books that I'll be illustrating, which I'll reveal here when the time is right, and there are more publications in the works as well. I love being busy!

4. Increase my presence on the web. The Internet has become an essential tool for the freelance artist. My intention in 2010 is to utilize even more of the applications available on the web. I would love to do some live drawing on Ustream, try my hand at pod casting, and expand my merchandise opportunities.

5. That pesky weight thing. I mentioned in my previous post how healthy I've been eating, but that I have to be more physically active. Now that the weather's a bit cooler here in Florida, I'm going to get outside and start walking around. Hopefully, I can incorporate that into my routine and eventually walking will lead to jogging, etc.

Again, I have a few personal goals as well which are none of your business. It's going to be a great year. Happy New Year everyone!

New Year's Eve 2009: Out with the old...

2009. What a long, strange, wonderful trip it's been! I think this year ranks up there among the most pivotal and important years of my life. I got married to the woman of my dreams, conceived a child (due in the next few months), was embroiled in a highly emotional but completely necessary legal battle, and established a the next stage of my freelance career.

Last year at this time, I set some goals for 2009. You can view them here. Let's see how I did.

1.Post more on the blog: Granted, I was certain I would be in the triple digits, well over a hundred posts. I ended up with 91, pretty close.

2. Publish more: Black Cat Bone took a year sabbatical. In the meantime, I started Durkin's Dragons, which produced an art book and a calendar. I also partnered with Angela Larson of Fierce Fun Toys to illustrate Norman Phartephant Book 1.

3. Attend more cons: I was a guest artist at MegaCon in Orlando this year, I attended the Animation Supercon in Miami and the ISCA convention in Ohio.

4. Lose more weight/Get in shape: Okay, I started out the year great, but when my wife and I found out she was pregnant and I was going through some other issues, I gained back all the weight I had lost. I eat great; organic natural food, no high-fructose corn syrup, no palm oil, no white flour, for the most part, I've cut out soft drinks, alcohol and junk food. I just need to get ACTIVE!

5. Get a website: Also a miss, although I have updated the blog considerably with many more features and I've increased my presence on the web in other areas.

So, not bad I suppose. There are some things I'm doing right, and other's that are areas of opportunity. That's what life is all about: recognizing your accomplishments and always trying to grow and learn. Tomorrow I'll talk about my plans for 2010. Enjoy the celebrations tonight and I'll see you here tomorrow!