I'm happy to write that I finally have some free time on my hands, now that the holiday cards are done and out the door.  (For the record, some Notable Retailers had their Christmas merchandise on the shelves a week before I displayed my own holiday wares.)

Anyway, I'm in the midst of designing an '08 Melancholy Company calendar, which, quite naturally, features art from the greeting cards.  Once it's done I'll be selling it at cafepress.com, along with some other stuff, like a mousepad and some T-shirts.  I'm hoping to get all that card-related stuff done before Thanksgiving.  I'll post a link to my shop once everything is ready.

And speaking of ancillary merchandise that no one wants or needs, I've "been in talks" (with my brother Andrew, who's a darn good sculptor, among many other things) about creating a Hairbat mini-bust.  We wouldn't make many--maybe 15 or 25, so obviously it would be a very limited-edition collectible.  I'd probably sell it with a signed and numbered Hairbat print or something.  I have no idea when the bust would be ready, but I know it'll be pretty cool when all is said and done.  Now, the only thing holding up production is--spoiler alert!--me.

I still have a few weeks' vacation time I need to use by the end of the year, so I have two options:  Try to cram a lot of "Dad of the Year"-type quality time with my son into a few precious weeks, or finally pencil the first issue of HAIRBAT LIVES.

Seems like a no-brainer, doesn't it?