Category: IRL

I did some cursory searching, and I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned on this website that I have been actively participating in a local charity fundraiser, the Cerebral Palsy Stationary Bike Race, for the last four years. I bring it up because I just signed up for the 2023 race this week. And also because I would like to share this image from last year’s website:

If it’s not immediately clear why I wanted to share this image, squint a bit harder at that tiny guy on the far right. That’s me! I was selected to be on the friggin’ banner image! What an honor!

Now, I understand that whoever did this banner just grabbed a bunch of photos that the event photographers took and slapped ’em together. There was certainly no “I think we really need to make sure that Ryan is included in our promotional material” discussion, but it was heartening to see myself representing this great cause. Makes me feel like I’ve done something genuinely good with my life.

And, as mentioned above, I’m riding again this year. Donations aren’t being taken quite yet, but I hear they’re intending to start around January 25th or so. So here’s the link anyway. Just keep checking back until that big ol’ “Donate Now” button in the upper-right corner works. And then donate. You don’t even have to do it in my name. Just give a little something to help make someone else’s life a little better.

I went to the dentist yesterday, and for the first time in, I think, forever, the hygienist did not ask how often I floss. Instead, she just congratulated me on my greatly improved dental hygiene practices and thanked me for making her job easier. While I do brush my teeth every day, I have been terrible at flossing for my entire life. So it’s nice to know that I’m finally getting it right!

And this kind of comes as part of a huge flip of my lifestyle over the last few months. I’ve finally been making a consistent effort to take care of myself better lately. You know, like an adult should. I’ve been exercising just about every day, I’ve been eating better and less, I’ve gone back to completely cutting out sugary beverages (even diet soda), and I have a decent-looking beard now. I suppose that a renewed commitment to keeping my gums healthy goes hand-in-hand with all the other self-care practices I’ve been focused on lately.

Now I just need to start cleaning my home more than twice a year, and I might actually be able to pass as a respectable grown-up!

We’re only through four months at this point, but I’m ready to announce that 2022 has been pretty darn great to me so far. I could go on and list all the things that have put me into the happiest state of existence I’ve ever been in, but let’s just cut to what is currently The Big One:

A couple of weeks ago, I was asked by a team at work to provide an illustration of some description for our internal newsletter. This is… possibly the highest honour I’ve ever been granted. I’ve done commissions for people before, but this is… official. This is going to be published. And not self-published! Sure, there’s nothing in it for me but recognition and self-satisfaction, but those are two of my favourite things!

Of course, I proceeded to spend hours on a piece, only to decide that it sucks and throw it out two days before the submission was due. But hey! That’s the life of an artist!

I did turn out a pretty okay product in the end: a relatively lengthy (for me) comic strip about going back to work at the office. It’s not my best work, but I don’t think that I drew anything at all in 2021, so I’m shaking off the rust here. And also, like I said before, I only had two evenings to churn it out, so.

I’ll share it here eventually! But not today. Sorry!

Despite it not being my proudest work, being given this opportunity is definitely one of my proudest moments. I’m super happy right now! And it’s probably only like half because I’m up at 2:30 AM on a work night.