I heard about Pearls Before Swine last semester during a job interview, and I've been meaning to check it out. Then, on Sunday, Meli and I took our weekly walk to Starbucks do read comics and do a crossword puzzle, and I read this. Ladies and gentlemen, it's people like Stephan Pastis that keep my waning faith in newspaper comic strips alive and kicking.
The interviewer told me that she knew Pastis before he became a syndicated cartoonist, and that he had been a lawyer. I had a look at his bio and it turns out that he went to UCLA Law School and now lives in a city near Berkeley that starts with A (okay, it's Albany, not Alameda, but still). I think the universe is trying to tell me something.
Slightly troubling is the last sentence of his bio, which seems to suggest that he's still a practicing attorney. How the hell you draw a syndicated strip seven days a week and bill 2000 hours in a year will remain a mystery for now, but I'm thinking of shooting him an e-mail to find out how I, too, can live the dream of being a lawyer/cartoonist. Maybe I should start by drawing more than one goddamn cartoon a week.
UPDATE: I just checked out Pastis' Q & A section and it turns out he did quit the law scene in August, 2002. Now he works for three days to make a week's worth of strips. Talk about a lifestyle change.
He also says that Kristen's cousin makes him not want to draw cartoons. I can understand that. I often find Kristen herself rather discouraging.
Too bad he can't do it all... I guess that means that you'll never be able to foist IFTL onto an unsuspecting print public. (Matt: why not?)Unless you quit your job. Which might not make your wife too happy.
cartoons killed the textual star. I don't hold with it.
i'm all for running off do follow the dream - even if the dream is drawing cartoons for a living!
I think you are a much more adventerous people, Julie... If Matt didn't treasure security, he wouldn't be married to me!