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Seppuku 2013, initiate 2014

Posted on January 1, 2014 by Magnus Aspli

I could write a long blog post about 2013. But I feel time’s better spent on this new one, this two-0-fourteen.

2013 was a special year. A year with a lot of joy, and challenges. I became a father. To Loke, who is now 6 months and missed Santa on the Eve of Yule, but saw his first fireworks last night. So far he hasn’t turned into any kind of arch nemesis.

My creative goals for 2013 didn’t quite pan out, although, in hindsight, we did really strive to make it. A lot of hard work was put down, but overall I’m not exactly where I hoped to be come January. But we’ve managed to launch two, I repeat, TWO Outré anthology issues. (They’re available free, right here, so no excuses now.) I’ve been in (electronic) touch with a lot of prominent people in the comic industry – because living up in the Arctic, e-mail’s the name of the game – and 2014 is a year for business. I had a fantastic time at Raptus in Bergen, meeting a lot of great people. A screenplay I co-wrote with Robert Klecha came to the finals in a prominent competition, which was rewarding. And I have a few really strong comic book projects on the go.

But now’s a time for the horizon ahead. And the sun’s burning over there. (Figuratively speaking, since it’s nearly pitch black all the time here in Norway these days.)

Before January’s over I’ll write down my goals for 2014, and we’ll see how that goes by the bells chime for 2015.

Refurbishing or procrastination?

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Magnus Aspli

Nope, this isn’t a post about writing. No graphic novel. No screenplay. Nope, I’ve travelled into the world of interior design and redid our bathroom and our stairs.

I’d give you all the handy tips and what we did and how we did it and all that jazz, if only I could articulate it in English. I can’t. I don’t think I know the correct words. So I’ll just let the images do most of the talking.

The Bathroom

It looked alright as it was. Apart from the light puke-yellow paint and the slightly dated wood paneling (which you can’t see because I took the photos after we tore it off. See, I’m good at documenting things for an interior design blog. Hire me. Or not.) Behind the paneling, the 80s shone with all its splendor.

Applying more crowbar.

The sponge-blue 80s. I was born in a decade of classiness and elegance, no doubt.

Applying even more crowbar.

That was it. Job done. Pretty happy with the result. My favourite detail are the tiles above the pipes. You can just about see your reflection in them as you bend down to wash your face straight in the fountain from the pipes. Handy.

My girl though didn’t particularly enjoy that. Said she needed more Zen. So I brought it.

I thought she’d be happy now, but it turned out she actually wanted a sink as well. Spoiled, eh? I gave her two.

Finally, I thought. But had to think again. She even wanted a mirror. Again, I gave her two.

“And she saw that it was good and gave it Zen.”
– Genesis #0

Turned out pretty lovely and Zen-y, don’t you think?

(Thanks to good help from Stian and Ola Erik. I’m not going to take all the credit!)

The Stairs

My scripts were calling from upstairs. Lamentations, abuse. But I had not forsaken them, I just had one more job to do. The stairs.

Not enough drama. Not enough tension. The stairs needed blackness. Total blackness.

This is the last time I’m using masking tape while painting. More mess than protection. (Hey, what do you know? A handy tip!)

I had sent my girl and the kids off for a holiday and they were strictly forbidden to return until today. The birthday present remained a surprise, and put a big smile on her face as she walked through the door. Just on the nick of time for the paint to dry and the tape to be removed.

There’s still a mess after the tape, so I’ll have to go over with some white to blot out the black stains. But that’s after I’ve finished a screenplay or two.