Japan-A-Radio

So, it is Saturday night and I'm grading papers and trying to get my report cards done.  And as I take a break and post, I am listening to all the best and newest Japanese pop and anime soundtracks.  How, you must be asking yourself, can Hale do that?  Well, I am tuned in to Japan-A-Radio, a web radio site for Otaku like myself.  It is a goofy obsession, but it makes me smile and it makes working on grading on a Saturday night instead of, you know, going out and having an actual life, a little more bearable.  Anyway, they are on itunes radio under international, or you can tune in directly from their website, www.japanaradio.com. 

More Comic recomendations.

Here is another recommendation for an excellent comic for your classroom.

This manga(Japenese comic) is based on the video game "The Legend of Zelda, the Ocarina of Time".  You don't have to have played the game to enjoy the comic

, but it is sort of nostalgic to read it if you did play through all the same adventures.

My 7 year old son and I read through this comic together, and he absolutely loved it!

And, if your kids like this one, there are about four more volumes coming out over the next few months.

click here to see this book on Amazon!

Thursday Night

Well, it is the end of a long week, but I feel pretty good.  I got some good grading done this afternoon (though I certainly have more to do tomorrow and this weekend), and we have a week off, which is nice.  It will allow me some time to catch up on my actual classroom work, though I'm sure I will do some reading and stuff to get ready for the week after next.

Also, I took a little time to read a new X-men comic today, which always puts me in a good mood. There is something very relaxing for me that happens only when I am reading a comic that I am really enjoying.  I suppose it is the pleasure of reading, or the escape of a good story, but there is also something extra for me when that story also has artwork that is artistically exciting to look at.  I'm not sure if my kids are appreciating it on the same level, but they also seem to really enjoy the comic books that I put out.

My personal favorite series for kids is Power Pack.  Much of what I read isn't appropriate for the classroom, but that series is consistently good, fun, and kid friendly.  You can check them out here on Amazon, and here is their article on wikipedia.  I have connected to a hardback collection of their stuff, but there are other, less expensive paperback collections.

I will try to post some reviews and recommendations in the future.

Sunday Thoughts

What a beautiful day today.  I had a great run, we had a wonderful bible study, and now it is time to settle down and get a little work done.

Speaking of work, yesterday was a bit of a bummer.  I finished my review on the case study, and I was felling pretty good about myself, and then I got home and read the email about how we were supposed to write about our ideas for thesis projects, and I realized that no matter how well I do this year, I will still be a step or two behind.  I'm not saying that it isn't doable, I was just a bit overwhelmed by how daunting a task it is going to be to be a classroom teacher, a father, a husband, and a student.

Anyway, just something I will need to work through.  Not sure there is a solution, and I suppose I am whining a bit, but just what is on my mind, which I suppose is what this whole Blog thing is supposed to be about.

Well, that's it for now.

God Bless,

Hale

and for anyone who cares, here is my class website.  It was made with the excellent program that comes with every Mac, iWeb.

http://web.me.com/mrburckin

So, here is the story behind my short lived career as a comic book creator.  I have loved comics for years, pretty much on and off since I was about 10 years old.  About twelve years ago I started dabbling with drawing my own comic, and I did it as a hobby for many years.  About three years ago my wife and I sold our house in Benicia and moved up to Oregon, where we could afford to buy a house pretty much out-right, and where I would have a chance to be the stay-at-home dad and pursue writing comics full time.

However, the more I learned about the business, the more I realized that I wasn't really cut out to be an illustrator, and that I really wanted to focus on the writing end.  So I hired an illustrator and began to work on the first issue of my comic, Tzedik.  The more I did in that business, the more I realized that what I was best suited for, and what I could possibly make a living at, was digital coloring.  However, here is where I faced a real crisis of conscience.  I could at this point, after about a year and a half of working at this, either go back to teaching or color comics.

Now, I didn't give up teaching because I don't enjoy it.  Quite the opposite, I love to teach, and at the end of the day I feel like I have really given something to the kids.  Also, at the end of the day, I feel like I have really performed my mission in life when it comes to serving Christ.  Could I really get that same feeling spending all day coloring bodacious babes beheading zombies?  If I was coloring, I would have to pretty much color anything that came across my desk.  The choice seemed clear to me.

So now I can work for at least another 30 years teaching and I never have to look back and say "What could have been..."

So, that's my story.

here is some more my work that got published on the web:

my illustration of Psalm 4 can be found here:

http://communitycomics.com/selah_psalm04_hb_c.html

lp-cafe.com

Okay, here is my website where I put my comic book art.  I don't share this with my students, but I have some pictures up in my class.  Check it out is ya wannna.

www.lp-cafe.com