When eBay first surfaced, everyone would spend hours searching through auctions, a time sink for finding things you never knew that you didn’t need at all. Once I almost bought a flak jacket. I’ve never been in danger of shrapnel, but for $55.00, how could I not have needed such a fine jacket?

Now that eBay has rotted into a giant, uninteresting, outdated, slum of profiteering, the real fun is at KickStarter.com, where you can donate money to fund people’s projects. The spectrum of projects is broad (album, graphic novels, board games, gizmos, whosits, whatists, and thingamabobs galore). And in return for funding, you often receive something back, such as a poster or original artwork or the actual product. It is like the Make-a-Wish Foundation, except it is powered by bright ideas and cash, rather than sadness and sports heroes.

Earlier this week while browsing comics projects, I discovered a project for “Galacticat, volume 1“, which is a comic about a cat who is a space taxi driver. I backed the project, not only out of a love for space, animals, animals in space (what happened to that NASA?), and spaces filled with animals, but because of one particular perk:

“Your name and likeness (and personality traits, if you so choose) will be used to create a character in the Galacticat storyline! We will characterize you as an animal person of your choosing, while retaining your physical characteristics.”

Yes, I am going to be in the comic, as an animal, in outer space. I’m about to be immortalized in awesomeness and whatever part of the Dewey decimal system covers taxi-based literature. All week I’ve been debating merits of different animals in space, personality traits that might be suitable in a comic, and of course, who will voice my character when Pixar picks up the option for the movie. Hell, the artist even lives in the same city as I do!

When the comic ships out, I’ll be sure to post an update about it. 

This is so much more useful than a flak jacket.

Earlier this week a friend equated one of my recent efforts to dressing up as a dead horse. Or perhaps he meant dressing up a dead horse? Now I’m saddled with confusion. By all means he is right, but I argue that if you’re going to have a dead horse around, that hasn’t been re-animated as a wight Game of Thrones style, it may as well look good or at least presentable. Place a nice afghan over it, set out a few coasters to keep away water stains, and layout an impossibly large coffee table book about esoteric contemporary modern art. Throw up a teepee to the side and invite Kevin Costner over.

I should have woken up last Saturday, tossed open the blinds, and proclaimed that “This day shall be spent outside!” Instead I woke up, saw the lack of clouds and thought “I must venture forth to the living room!” Then I proceeded to do what all Xangans before have failed to do: a visually decent blog theme. Few will notice the changes and even fewer will care, but I fear not! I didn’t spend much of Saturday on it, but I did delay enjoying sunlight for it, which is odd by I’m fine with. I enjoyed doing it, and I felt like decorating in the most geekiest fashion possible.

Some of you will venture here and see boring white squares on a gray background, while those of you who have seen the death of old browsers see a thestral before you with drop shadows and rounded corners. Ooooh! Ahhhh! Eeee! And the rest of you are wondering what thestrals are and why you’re not outside and why no one makes a toaster that accepts lobsters, instead of bread.