Brett Waldon was my successor as the Daily Nebraskan cartoonist. He started off working a few days a week as I was winding down, and he took over full-time in the fall of 2003.

What was really amazing about Brett was that he had “it” right away – a well-defined style, a very well-defined sense of humor, and (what has always impressed me most about Brett’s cartoons, which might come from his theatre experience) an amazing sense of comedic timing. Brett is a master of manipulating pacing in a relatively small, two-dimensional shape. That is a skill that some people go a lifetime without figuring out, and he had it from the beginning and has only gotten better at it as time has gone on.

Well Brett’s two-and-a-half-year career as DN cartoonist is going to wrap up here in the next few days, and he’s using a technique I always wanted to try – using his editorial cartoons to tell a serial story.

Here are the first two episodes of what will be Brett’s four-part farewell series:

&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp

Well, the Daily Nebraskan is once again under fire from the Greek system, who can’t seem to understand that the DN has much better things to do than attempt to bring down their shaky little society.

The Daily Nebraskan recently ran a fantastic series on college drinking, sending reporters across the country to campuses in California, Wisconsin and Colorado, among other locations. Well, a few of those stories, a year after a drinking-related student death in Colorado, looked at drinking and the Greek system at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (try this, and this , both by Jenna Johnson).

And once again, the Greek system has responded by claiming the DN is trying to bring them down and destroy them. One letter even suggested that, since Greek recruitment is down, the DN should sweep issues like this under the rug, because reporting reality might make people not want to join up.

Recently, a Facebook group started up called Greeks Against the Daily Nebraskan (you need to have a facebook account to view that, unfortunately). Here’s their mission statement: “This is s (sic) group for all the greeks that hate the Daily Nebraskan because they have managed to take the greek system one more step backward, when we are trying to move forward!”

A few of us joined up, but they sniffed us out and booted us from the group.

But there are still people out there who think that their self-appointed social superiority entitles them to immunity from news coverage. I guess in that way, the Greek system is good preparation for the real world.

That animation is by DN photographer Greg Blobaum; the DN “X” logo is by the Greeks Against the Daily Nebraskan group.

HappyYoungPeople.com, a website that I contribute cartoons and occasional posts to, was mentioned in today’s issue of The Metro.

Being in Nebraska, I don’t know anything about this newspaper, but according to Tony Bock, “That’s a free daily for NY, Boston, Philly, Jersey – it’s huge, man. They have people everywhere passing them out around here. Their NYC circulation is a half-million.” So that’s exciting.

If you’re in New York, pick one up and look at the top of page 14 –

Web site of the day – The web site www.HappyYoungPeople.com features cartoons, movie trailer reviews and other witty jabs at pop culture. Its contributors describe it as the “‘Saturday Night Live’ of web sites – only funny.”

Or click here to download a pdf of the issue.

HappyYoungPeople.com was started by Tony, Chip Huffman and Matt “Guy” Fiorita. I post occasionally, and then this new guy named Joe Praino just came on board. They’re all based in New York City. I am the Midwest Bureau.

San Diego mayor Dick Murphy announced his resignation today. Although it is a bit of a shock, it’s not like it’s completely out of the blue. Just last week, he was named by Time magazine as one of the worst three mayors in the United States. Follow those links and you can get a taste of the things plaguing San Diego these days.

Politics aside, it’s sad to see anyone have to resign so soon in their term. And considering how many shots I’ve lobbed his way, it probably sounds like I regret being so hard on the guy. Not really – but it’s things like this that remind you that everyone, even those playing the big political game, is still human.

And beyond that, Murphy was the mayor back in January 2003 when I first started cartooning for The Reader. So there’s a little bit of selfish sentimentality thrown in too.

Hopefully his resignation doesn’t turn out to be in vain, and the big mess that is San Diego’s political structure can get cleaned up a bit.

The first week of Night Knight is in the bag. Week 2 begins today.

I had the series finished about a week before it started running, so it’s been a lot of fun just sitting back and watching the whole saga play out with no pressure hanging over everything.

Last week was the big media blitz – the advertising, the interview on KLIN – and this week, hopefully that all took hold and everyone will enjoy the ride as the story moves out of the introduction phase and into the series of unfolding events.

The good folks at Trade-a-Tape informed me last week that the reaction was mixed – mostly positive – but that at the very least, a lot of people were talking about it.

So far, the response people have been giving me has been overwhelmingly positive. People have also been extremely congratulatory simply because the thing exists, which is flattering. I have the Journal Star to thank for that – it was editor Kathy Rutledge’s idea from the beginning to do a serialized graphic novel. I was lucky enough to be the first artist that came to mind.

If you’re outside the Journal Star’s coverage area, go to their website and tell them you want to read Night Knight.

I wanted my birthday to be relaxing and fun, and that evolved into “Let’s see how many meals we can eat at In-N-Out.”

We started out thinking we’d have lunch at In-N-Out and then have dinner at Gordon Biersch, my favorite microbrewery. I wasn’t really in the mood to battle a crowd and have to deal with a bunch of yuppies when I really just wanted to hang out with Sara, so then we thought we should eat lunch AND dinner at In-N-Out. But when we got over to the Mission Valley In-N-Out, we spotted Pick Up Sticks nearby, which Sara hadn’t had a chance to experience. So the plan became:

1. Have “breakfast” (at 1pm) at In-N-Out
2. Go see a movie
3. Sara will get lunch at Pick Up Sticks and I’d get lunch at In-N-Out and we’d eat at the outdoor dining area in between
4. Do a little shopping
5. Have dinner at In-N-Out
6. Go home and be exhausted from all the eating.

Well here’s the proof:

This is kind of a side note, but we stopped briefly at DSW Shoe Warehouse and I have to show you these shoes. I think they are extremely ugly, and they were a really flimsy plastic too.

Here Sara is, modeling the ugly shoe.

Here is a closer look at this neon atrocity.

And here’s the price tag.

That’s right – $499.89. I could not believe it. It made me angry. This is why I despise fashion, and take it upon myself to be arrogant enough to pity people who obsess over fashion. Because some moron out there will really pay $500 for these things. When she asked me how much I thought they were, I guessed $8, because they came from the clearance rack and they’re absolutely disgusting.

So in spite of my complaining about those shoes, I had a fantastic birthday, and I loved getting stuffed with Sara. She brought me here for my birthday, and it’s been a great week. It’s really great to be able to enjoy San Diego for what it is and share that with someone.

I’m not saying I want to move back, but it’s been great being back. I will really miss the smell of the air. And In-N-Out.

Sea World Day began sadly, as we had to return the car. But here’s Sara with our dear Mazda 6.

We avoided a $20 cab fare by continuing to master the art of public transportation and made our way to Sea World by mid-morning. Sea World had long been a part of the plans since before we even really had a plan of coming to San Diego. It was more of a “Some day, when we go to San Diego, can I go see the manatees?” Because Sara loves manatees. Like she’d probably leave me for a manatee. So we were definitely going to Sea World.

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get up close to touch any manatees, but we still spent some quality time watching them swim around and eat lettuce. Several of them had lots of scar tissue and disfigured tails, and since they were all rescued from Florida, we figured they must have been hurt by boats and hunters and stuff. Neither of us are fans of seeing miserable animals in captivity, but all over Sea World, you’d really get this sort of happy and content vibe from the animals. The positive sides of it were very evident with these guys.

We went on this splashy rapids ride that had no line at all thanks to the fact that it was cloudy and in the 60s. Sara wasn’t excited about getting soaked on a cool day, so I let her wear my jacket, which I later regretted. We got so soaked on that ride that my shorts were literally still damp 8 hours later. But here are a few pictures I took the first time we went on it (we went twice in a row because no one else was waiting to go on):

Sara looking in anticipation at the coming rapids:

A big waterfall (and a second waterfall along the side) that we were headed straight for:

Sara’s reaction to seeing the inevitable drenching:

Later on, we went to a dolphin show, which I thought had the potential to be kind of lame, but it was really cool. The dolphins seemed like they were having tons of fun, and it was really a lot of fun and pretty funny. Probably the biggest surprise of the day. But here are a few pictures of the show. The first is obviously a dolphin, and the second was some kind of whale that was also part of the show. It kind of looks like a disfigured black shoe in that picture, but I promise it’s a whale.

Some people asked me to take a picture of them, so we asked them to return the favor. So here we are in front of the dolphin pool.

On Day 6, we rented a car and went up to Hollywood to visit my cousin Lindsay. We got a Mazda 6, and it was a ton of fun. I really missed driving in San Diego and driving in general, really. The first thing we did was head up Mount Soledad to the cross, which will be coming down because of a separation of church and state decision.

It was completely foggy and the magnificent view of San Diego was so obscured that you couldn’t even see down the hill more than about 50 feet. So that opportunity was somewhat blown. But we headed up I-5, and when we could get off, we took the coast highway and stopped in Laguna Beach.

Whatever weather was causing the massive waves in PB the day before was still in effect on Thursday. And because of the steeper slope of Laguna Beach, the waves crash much closer to the shore. So we were seeing the giant waves we saw Wednesday, only about 5 times closer.

I went around this outcropping to this little sandy cove to get some pictures and videos of the waves crashing on the rocks. Here’s looking left from where I was standing:

And here’s the view to the right, where Sara waited on the safe and dry part of the beach:

I was standing on top of a big rock, and even though the water was coming in around me, I thought I was safe from getting wet because of how high I was. I’d get splashed up to my shins now and then, but I didn’t think the water could really come much higher. I was very wrong. A huge wave came in and I got soaked – absolutely soaked – even my hair got wet. And I didn’t have any spare clothes with me, so it was pretty uncomfortable for a while. But here’s a look at the waves crashing on the rocks:

to be continued…

We met up with Lindsay at her apartment and she took us around on a tourist’s tour of Hollywood. I’d been to LA and Hollywood a few times before, but never really managed to see anything cool without being pointed in the right direction by Lindsay, so I was excited to get her version of a Hollywood tour.

We headed out to the mall that’s built around Mann’s Chinese Theater, where we went out onto a little scenic path to see the big “Hollywood” sign. It was so far away that you can’t really see it in this picture, but I blew it up and enhanced it a little bit so you can see the letters.

We had lunch at this place that had Japanese food and a name that means “swish swish” (according to the waiter) but I don’t remember what it was called. It was unique and it was fun, and Lindsay eats there all the time. Out our window, you can see these giant elephants that overlook the middle of the mall.

We went down to the street where you can see all those stars on the sidewalk, and we went over to the front of the theater, which currently has a giant “Be Cool” poster on the front.

Lindsay told us – after we’d been to see the movie – that she’s an extra in the movie. It hasn’t gotten very good reviews, but I thought it was fun, and Sara enjoyed it too. So we’ll probably see it again to Lindsay-watch.

So here is Burt Reynolds’ handprint, on which he apparently forgot how to spell his name.

And here is Sara next to Jackie Chan’s star, which we took for Vicki Wheeler, who Sara used to work with at the College of Journalism.

Closing out the Hollywood section of the trip, here is our Elmo Story.

We saw a bunch of people outside the theater dressed up as various movie and TV characters. I saw someone dressed as Elmo, so I handed Sara my camera and walked up to him.

NEAL: Hey Elmo, can I get a picture with you for my niece?
ELMO: (whispers to me) We’re like street performers – we work off tips.
NEAL: Okay, no problem.
ELMO: (from this point on, “Elmo” speaks in a falsetto/faux-Elmo voice. keep this important detail in mind) What’s her name?
NEAL: Her? That’s Sara.
ELMO: Your niece?
NEAL: Oh, my niece – her name is Miqaela.
ELMO: That’s your niece?
NEAL: No –
ELMO: She’s HOT!
NEAL: No, that’s my girlfriend. My niece is two.
ELMO: Dude, she’s hot! That’s your girlfriend? That girl is HOT!
NEAL: Yes, that’s my girlfriend.
ELMO: You’re a lucky man!
NEAL: Thank –
ELMO: Who’s that other girl?
NEAL: That’s my cousin –
ELMO: Damn! I’m going over there!

Elmo proceeds to walk over to Sara and Lindsay. I tipped him a $5, because that was the smallest bill I had, so I figured I’d get another picture.

NEAL: You guys want your picture taken with Elmo?
ELMO: Yeah!
SARA and LINDSAY: uhh…

Elmo puts his arms around them and rubs their shoulders while I take about 10 seconds of really awkward video (to be posted soon) with my camera.

ELMO: (trying to get back into character a little bit more) She’s so pretty!
SARA: Uh…thanks…
ELMO: She looks like – what’s her name – that girl from Alias.
NEAL: Jennifer Garner?
ELMO: Are you guys gonna get married?
NEAL: Well, maybe if she’s nice…
ELMO: I’ll be nice to her…
NEAL: Elmo, I don’t think you’re supposed to talk about stuff like that…
ELMO: And who is this? You’ve got another girl?
NEAL: That’s my cousin!
ELMO: Man you are LUCKY! Two girls?!
NEAL: She’s my COUSIN!
ELMO: (sticks out his fist to give the “pound” gesture) PLAYA PLAYA!!

I reciprocated the “pound” and we left Elmo to get his picture taken with other tourists.

I apologized to Sara later for any message I may have sent to Elmo by accepting the “pound,” but I reasoned, when else am I going to be offered the “pound” from Elmo while he’s telling me “Playa Playa!!” ?

Lindsay showed us some more stuff, but we eventually had to get back on the road to get home. On the way back, we stopped by the Lakewood mall to go to Rob Van Dam’s 5 Star Comics (RVD is a WWE wrestler).

Day 5 was Beach Day Two – the day we were actually going to hang out on the beach for the hot hours of the day. Weather.com told us it was going to be 80 degrees and sunny.

We had our third In-N-Out lunch at the Sports Arena location. I ordered the 4×4, which was my first time ordering anything off the secret menu. I like this picture because it makes it look like Sara’s eating two sandwiches and two orders of fries for lunch. She doesn’t like this picture for the exact same reason.

We got out at La Playa so that we could walk around Mission Bay on our way to Pacific Beach. Sara stopped to ride this turtle at the playground.

By the time we got to the beach, it started getting really cloudy and cold. We sunbathed for about 5 minutes and then put our clothes back on and played Scrabble. I won, to end my losing streak. But by the time we were done with the game, we were freezing. It got really cold and the sky got really gray. The waves were huge, though – bigger than I have ever seen at Pacific Beach.

This is a view from down on the beach by where we sat. It’s really hard to get a sense of how big the waves were from this picture, unfortunately.

We went out onto the pier, which was really exciting because the waves were breaking probably no more than 30 feet out from where the pier ended, so you could get an up-close view of these huge things. Every wave just rattled the pier. Here are a few pictures from out there:

We walked back up Garnet to have dinner at World Curry, but on the way we passed Avalon Tattoo, where Rey Mysterio gets his tattoos.