Thanks, Papa!

Well... Looks as though I can't sign off for the year (or even the evening) just yet...

Papa Bear has nominated OTS for a "Stylish Blogger Award." (Now proudly added on the Right.)  I would like to extend my sincere thanks, as well as execute my duties as a recipient.

In accordance with the rules, one must state seven things about themselves, and then nominate three other blogs for the award. So here goes:

1) I write a comic strip about my two sons, who have autsim. XP
2) I have a love of baseball that borders on mental illness. (Go Red Sox!)
3) My favorite filmmaker is Akira Kurosawa, though admittedly this is a very recent development. (And I'm close to being torn between him and Masaki Kobayashi.)
4) I have a Border Collie-Cattle Dog mix named Haley who didn't make it into the strip for almost two years.
5) I'm an engineer. (Which some people seem to think might explain a thing or two...)
6) I don't watch televison, but couldn't live without movies and anime. (And, of course, the occasional baseball game!)
7) I'm much older, balder and fatter than the "Dad" character who's drawn here!

And for the blogs I would like to nominate:

1) Kicking Kittens

Autismherd, has already been picked, in the exact same post as OTS was as a matter of fact, but I want to strongly "second" that well deserved nomination by nominating Kathleen's other Blog. (The one with the deliciously evil name!)  It's probably worth mentioning that Autsimherd was the first blog that started syndicating this one, AND that she put me in touch with the good folks over at Autisable, so I owe her for a lot publicity. But personal gratitude aside, Kathleen is a really cool blogger and both her personal blog ('herd) and her compilation blog ('kittens) are totally worth checking out.  (And I agree 110% with PapaBear: I can't imagine having four kids, let alone three on the Spectrum.  So, yeah: She deserves an award...  So here's a second one!)

2) Squidilicious

Was is it with these awesome names?  I can't believe I actually thought "On the Spectrum" was somehow clever at one point!  And what adorable kids!  If it weren't for my Michael and Jacob, I could SO see those two in a comic strip!  The love and affection in that family really comes through in their blog in a way that I can only hope ours does in mine.

3) A Life Less Ordinary

I hate to admit it, but I'm usually not a huge fan of reading people's personal blogs.  And that's rather a bit hypcritical, seeing as how I want people to read mine! LOL. But sometimes I read people's anecdotes and take on things and think, "They just... get it." (And surprisingly, NO, that doesn't happen just because someone else happns to have autism in their life!)  This is one of those blogs.

So congratulations!  Make sure to keep the chain going, or I'm sure something terrible will happen! LOL

Merry Early Christmas Everyone!

Unfortunately, due to our travel schedule, and preperations, yesterday was the only day I had to do an update.  And I had really planned on doing one! (Really!)  What I didn't plan on was getting sick as a dog, falling asleep at 6:00 PM Friday evening and waking up at 6:00 AM this morning, with only one break in between to see the Doctor... who charged me a $20 co-pay for the timeless advice of "rest and stay hydrated." (Um... You don't really need to tell a guy who just slept for 16 hours strait to "get some rest." *roll eyes*)  In any case, the 36 hours I lost kind of shot up my weekend schedule a bit.

And, since we will be out of town for the hollidays, OTS will not be updated until we get back. I might be able to sneak one in mid-week, before the new year, (and I'd really like to,) otherwise, the next update will be on the Second of Januray, 2011.

And since it's more than likely this this post will close out the year here at OTS, I just want to make sure I give a sincere and heartfelt thank-you to everyone who has left coments, not only here, but over on Autisable and at the Autspot as well, and I wish that you all take care, and have a safe and happy holiday!

So give your kids a hug from me, and I'll make sure to pass on all of the kind words, good feelings and warm wishes that you've sent our way over the past year to Michael and Jacob.

On the Spectrum #98: A Subtle Difference

(click to enarge)

Sorry it's just a 2-panel one this week.  I didn't update last week as I'd originally planned and we had a family outing planned today as well, so I was still short on time.  In any case I didn't want to miss yet another week, especialy with Christamas coming up (which will also mean a missed update or two) so here you go!

To make up for it, here's something that I haven't shared before: Pictures of the kids!  These are from out trip to DC over the Thanksgiving holiday - the reason that two of the last three updates were missed. (Last week I was just being lazy!)

Here's Michael in front of the Capitol Building:

Here's one of Jacob, in the Air and Space Museam, in front of the plane he tried to touch last year, as depicted in #88:

Just around the corner from where we were standing is the opening in the fence that he went into the exhibit though.  (Which is how we were able to be sure that this was in fact the correct plane! LOL)

And yeah, fair enough, I didn't draw the plane quite right, or the fence.  But hey: I was going from memory!  One thing to add, in addition to the fact that the opening is still there...

It's a CANVAS plane.  Fairly delicate, I'd wager, as least as compared to pretty much any of their other exhibits, which are typically constructed from either Aluminum or Steel.

Anyway, I hope this make up for just getting a 2-panel after three weeks without an update. 

See you next week!