<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
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<title>The Optimist Recent Updates</title>
<description>The last update of the comic.</description>
<link>http://www.drunkduck.com/The_Optimist/</link>
<language>en-us</language>


<item>
<title>Page 46</title>
<description><![CDATA[... this is the last page!! OMGGG!!!


OH SHIT, crazy news. My sister's car got stolen..!! In Hartford, or as my stepdad just called it, "the ghetto". WOW. It really sucks. What also sucks is I wanna go and visit her etc, but my parents said no!!! They're like, "we're leaving soon so just come with us." ?? THEY'RE WATCHING FOOTBALL!!! Am I the only one who cares about Kathryn???!!!

Anyway, WHATEV.  I am majorly pissed at whatever horrible person stole her car. She has the worst luck. She's always broke, her car kept breaking down (until she finally figured out what its problem was- there was a crack in one of the lights and it was letting in water on rainy days and frying the alternator or something...) She had a cancer scare two years ago, etc. Well, according to my personal theories on luck and un-luck, this means she's gonna have an incredible, fun, exciting life...
Ok, so update: my stepdad and my younger brother had a big, messy fight, during which somehow I was corralled in and got yelled at (for saying "stop fighting, guys!") which was my cue to slink off, print-out directions and wounded pride in hand, and go off to hartford to see Kathryn.  We went to ihop, and were all just mutually shocked at the shitty luck that follows Kathryn like a foul odor.  Kasia was like, "well artists/writers have lives that are filled with suffering..." haha.  

Anyway, DON'T UNFAVE THIS YET!! More updates will trickle in, with news on the hard copy, a new cover image, and other fun things!!! (p..please??)]]></description>
<pubDate>Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
<link>http://www.drunkduck.com/The_Optimist/?p=616940</link>
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<item>
<title>Page 45</title>
<description><![CDATA[ok guys! I've had this page mostly-done since like, last thursday. I just never got around to assembling and posting it. But here it is! urggh I forgot how hard it is to do these kinds of pages. I had to like, take pictures of the panels with and without the clay (because they were casting shadows into other panels..)
ANYWAY. 
Time to announce the winners of the fanart contest!!
#1: Darkwaterfrey
#2: Phillby
#3: Buroo

Everyone who entered, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I think I'll put all the pictures in the hard copy, too!! :D because I love you. Yes, you. Yes, to the gentleman in the blue sweater, I love you.

Anyway. wtf is up with me.  I am kinda less-than-loving life, for no discernable reason.  So let's get cheered up! woo. *has no verve*
alas.
Anyway, thanks for reading. Next page is the last page, I think.  

I made some progress on planning Life is But a Dream, my upcoming comic- [url=http://www.drunkduck.com/The_Optimist/gfx/lves.jpg]here's a sketch I did [/url]for one of the main characters, Rosaura! (hah all my female leads have my hairstyle.. haaah... although, it makes the most sense for her to have that hair!!) Also, I planned out the first few pages!!

ALSO, I was gonna do some terrible short story for this DD community project, but INSTEAD I had a brilliant idea today!! It will be 'Mauvais and the Beast'. Tentative title. I have to find a good, evil-sounding french name.  It's gonna be a cute Beauty and the Beast adaptation, where the evil sister gets sent to the Beast's castle instead of Belle! :D? I thought it was clever...]]></description>
<pubDate>Wed, 23 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
<link>http://www.drunkduck.com/The_Optimist/?p=615324</link>
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<item>
<title>Page 44</title>
<description><![CDATA[Hey guys. Today was one of those weird, unfortunate days. The kind of day where you wake up late, go to work with bad hair, and on the way home your muffler completely breaks (did I mention I drive a jalopy).  At least I have the puppies. When I get home they're always SO EXCITED, for seemingly no reason. 

One concrete reason why today was terrible: I found out (belatedly) that a high school/elementary school friend of mine, Alex Convertito, was injured critically in a car crash last week.  It's really sad, cause he's like the coolest person ever (even though I haven't seen him in a looong time.) He's, like, the one who showed me pokemon! I think he brought it into school in 6th grade- I was amazed by it and quickly went on to become a pokemon master...
Anyway, I really hope he gets better.

Also, weirdly, about Kanye West and Taylor Swift.. my parents were watching Jay Leno, and I saw this weird interview with Kanye... I feel bad for him! There's something not-right with him mentally.  But he's a really good musician!! (See, I'm not a music snob! I listen to some of this popular music...) I liked his latest album. Easy on the rap, heavy on the angst.  But I had even listened to his music in high school!!

Well, anyway, about this page: guess which panel was drawn with a reference. You're right, panel 1! I could never draw hands that well otherwise.  And, I'm pleased with the water-effect-- I was worried that it wouldn't look like water. Which it more or less does.
Kazimieras is... not all there.


Agh I am excited for the next page! I'll try to finish it tomorrow, or the next day...

Also, I'll announce the winners of my contest soonish! I need help judging from various third parties- I never realized it would be so freakin' hard to judge. So many excellent entries. Every entry is wonderful! O=O I'm happy that I have such talented readers!!!  Oh, anyone who mildly cares and didn't participate, pq me and tell me who you think should get 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.  (see the entries [url=http://www.drunkduck.com/The_Optimist_Fanart_Contest/]here.[/url])

OK I'm TIRED so I'm going to bedddd~~!!]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 15 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
<link>http://www.drunkduck.com/The_Optimist/?p=612255</link>
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<item>
<title>Page 43</title>
<description><![CDATA[WOO! new page!!!

This is going to be a long note.

Why, you ask?  BECAUSE, lots of news!!!

First of all, my fanart contest is coming to a close.  It ends the 15th, and any of you last-minute-stragglers better get your acts together!! jk, I kid.  Anyway, if someone is dying for more time, I'll accept stuff after the due date... I'm like a really chill professor! There is no due date!!

SECONDLY, I've gotten 3 (three) new entries this weekend!!! All by incredibly talented individuals/teams of individuals...

Check out [url=http://www.drunkduck.com/Monkeyshine]Phillby's[/url] wonderfully nerve-wracking dystopian interpretation of Soviet Lithuania! 

Then there's [url=http://www.drunkduck.com/Harkovast/]Harkovast's[/url] wonderful traditional-media drawing of Kazimieras, with an incredible background! [url=http://www.drunkduck.com/Harkovast/]READ HARKOVAST!!!!1![/url]

Then, the SURPRISE ENTRY!!  It's by [url=http://buroo.deviantart.com/]Buroo[/url] of DeviantArt.  I was surprised and amazed!!

Also, [url=http://www.drunkduck.com/The_Hub/]Hyena Hell[/url] made an entry, but I'm going to wait until she properly scans it before posting it, so we can see it in all its high-quality glory!!

Go [url=http://www.drunkduck.com/The_Optimist_Fanart_Contest/]here[/url] to see all three entries!!WOO!



And, other news.  OK, I decided to finally stop waiting and to buy a domain name/ have my own site!! I decided on the name rainbootcomics.com, which is very meaningful, of course... well, it was raining this weekend.  I made a cool logo (click[url=http://www.drunkduck.com/The_Optimist/gfx/rainboot%20girl.jpg]here[/url] to see it!) and have been trying to figure out how to make a nice-looking website... TO NO AVAIL. I suck! I just need some guidance... D: I just never really [i]did[/i] all this stuff!!
So if anyone knows about how to make a website that doesn't suck, pq me and help me out... I'll do you some awesome favor, like, erm, like... ? whatever!!!

I'm downloading FireWorks (I vaguely learned how to use it, so there's that advantage) and maybe that can help me make my website. URGH.

OTHER News!! I was thinking, "oh crap! what am I gonna do when The Optimist is finished??" and was unhappy that I had no projects in mind. And then I remembered this idea that I had a few months ago that had really sounded awesome at the time-- to make [i]La vida es sueño[/i] into an awesome graphic novel!  It's a play by Calderon de la Barca, about a guy named Segismundo who is locked in a tower all his life because of a prophecy that he would dethrone his father, King Basilio, and cause lots of problems.  Then he chances to meet Rosaura.. and.. aarghh it's too awesome and tragic!!! ANYWAY, it's my fave play.  And, I don't like the way that it's translated: "Life's a Dream". It sounds cheesy and happy!  I think I would call my comic L.V.E.S. instead (so as not to scare English readers off with a Spanish title.) Or how about "Life is but a dream"? Like the line from Row, Row, Row your Boat!  hah!

OK I've babbled enough. enjoy the page, and I HAD A SUDDEN CHANGE OF HEART ABOUT SOMETHING IMPORTANT IN THIS COMIC OMG you'll find out like, later this week!!



...oh, and, nothing suspicious about this page...]]></description>
<pubDate>Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
<link>http://www.drunkduck.com/The_Optimist/?p=611766</link>
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<item>
<title>Page 42</title>
<description><![CDATA[A NEW PAGE!  Okay, to address the concerns of why the ground is cracked: there's a layer of ice on the walkway (this happens to my walkway in the winter after a snowstorm, I swear!) So the ICE is cracked, not the floor. 

Ooh I like Jadwiga's face in panel 3.  for some reason she looks like Eli from Let The Right One In.

HM! news! I GOT A CAR!!!! I have to get it registered or whatever this weekend- I have to get the DMV to put license plates on it!  and I have to get insurance... erghh... everyone wants me to get 'collision', which costs an extra $600 a year, and I am like SO not for it.  D: but I might have to do it to appease the 'rents.  I also have to get the money together to pay the girl. It ended up being $2000. Luckily I have a nest-egg of about that much in a special savings account, so I don't have to use my checking/savings money.
Also this Friday's PAYDAY woo.  $380 more! a drop in the bucket... or whatever the expression is.  Actually, if I REALLY think about it- I have very,very few expenses-- I never eat lunch at work, I don't buy coffee, I don't have health insurance, I don't pay rent, and I'm not going to 'finance' my car and all that.  So really I only need gas money (at most $50 a week?) and car insurance money (something like $150 a month?).  So even though I don't have a very high-paying job, by virtue of being a total bum, I save lots of money.

Wow, I'm a'ramblin.  K thanks guys for reading my comic! Hey I'm in the top 50 now!! (for comic stories.) OK I cheated; I got ads on project wonderful!! But HEY it's not really cheating- it's not like I held down F5 for five minutes straight or anything! (that immediately sounds suspicious.  LOL! For real!!!!)

ok, I'll have the next page sometime this weekend- tomorrow? the day after?  SEE YA!]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 11 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
<link>http://www.drunkduck.com/The_Optimist/?p=610576</link>
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