Still, that was my goal. Even more than a goal it was a motivation. The odds were against me, especially after I had to move out of North Carolina. Regardless, I stuck to it and worked hard and tried to do anything I could. I took my AP courses, took the SAT and ACT multiple times, did as many after school activities as I was able to fit in, and even did some charity and community work when I was able. Nearing the end of my Senior year of school I was a borderline applicant. I had the grades and scores and resume to make it but I was not a shoe-in. Not by a long shot. Still, a lot of my teachers and friends thought I’d make it in – and I wanted to so desperately!

I still remember how heartbreaking it was when I didn’t.

My world shattered. I felt absolutely lost and void of hope. I had ONE goal for the past four years and I thought all my extra work was going to be enough to push me over that hill… but I fell short. I failed. And even worse, now I was just lost and adrift in the final semester of High School and just months away from being cast out into the wilds for the first time. It was the worst feeling ever.

… before I go any further I want to emphasis that you don’t need to feel bad for me. I still went to college, met all my best friends there, and am happy with my life so there’s no need to worry. It’s all good!

But, if it’s all good, why did I bring this story up?

Well, I brought it up because I was having a conversation with Brian the other night and realized that failing to get into Duke made me abandon the simple but necessary act of setting goals and striving for them.

I tried to think of any goal I’d ever had after that, and I couldn’t. I’m fairly certain that missing out on Duke actually made me afraid to work on a new goal because I never wanted to experience that type of failure again. Understandable but not very courageous.

Well, it’s time to change!

It’s time for me to grit my teeth, roll up my sleeves, and get to work. I could coast through the rest of my life like driftwood on the waves, but WHY? Why should I? Because I’m scared of failing again? Not anymore!

This year, 2012 is the year Joshua Jericho blazes his own trail. After a few weeks to think about where I am and what I’m doing and what I want out of life and what I want to do I know now that I have to set a goal this year and accomplish it. I have to prove to myself that I can do it!

So, what’s the goal?

Well, that’s the trick and where I had to spend a lot of time thinking it out. See, I want a goal that has a timeline of THIS YEAR, and is achievable but is not easy and will require some work. In short, I need something that I can achieve this year, but that I have to work to get so that it really means something!

So, after careful consideration I have selected my goal. This year I will publish a book!

This is something that I can achieve this year but will require work. First off, I’m going to need more comics to help fill the book. I’m going to need to plan and prepare and design the book. I’m going to need to fund the book (which means I can’t buy as many video games this year. *twitch*) and I’m going to need to find a publisher and a place to store the books when they arrive. There’s a ton of other stuff in there too, but needless to say it’s plenty of work to do.

BUT… it’s a goal I can accomplish if I put in the work.

Now, I’m not telling this to you guys cause I’m going to have a pre-order next week. Not even close! No way! Don’t fret! This is super, SUPER early planning day one almost. I’m not asking for or offering anything. All I’m doing is letting you all know (and putting into a very public writing) that I have a goal this year and I’m going to make it happen! This is my first motivational step! This is where it starts!

So, now it’s in the open. In my mind I have until December 31st of this year to get a self-published book in my hands. That’s the goal, and you better believe that this time I’m not going to fail! It’s going to happen!

So, with that said, check here for more updates throughout the year and I’ll let you know how things are progressing. Oh, and also for more comics.

Later dayz!

Something at my “real world” job came up this weekend and I’m waist deep in muck that I have to deal with. It’s nothing that’s going to cause me lasting problems, but it is time sensitive and going to require a lot of elbow week and some overtime. I’ll probably be buried in this until late Wed or even Thursday.

The only reason I bring this up here is because, as I’m late on both the Friday and now Monday comic I realize (to late) that I’m just not going to be able to get any comics done until this mess at work is dealt with. So, I’m just going to go ahead and let you guys know that I’ve got to take this week off from the comics. Once I get through this mess I can come back strong on Monday the 21st and we’ll finish the year off solid.

I’m really sorry to do this, but I figured it was better to warn you guys now than to just disappear for another week. The good news is I have some blog posts saved up that will still auto-update… but, yeah, no comics until next Monday. Thank you all for understanding.

This is the third year doing it, but the trade stays pretty much the same.  I have a small collection of what I call “casual holiday cards” that have a nice blank canvas inside.  Perfect for a small art sketch.  I’d like to send these cards WITH sketches out to you, the BlueCrew as my holiday gift.

So, how do you get one?  Easy:  send me a fanart.

That’s the trade.  You send me a fanart and I send you my art.  Hence the name.  Simple right?  So simple!   You can send me any fanart of any project I’ve worked on.  Any and all BlueStar character(s) or WTH stuff.  Heck, you can even draw a crossover with characters from each.  Whatever you like – I’m really not picky.

It’s that simple.  Draw a fanart, email it to joshua-at-bluestarblues.com along with your name and address so I can mail you a card, and if you have a character you’d like me to draw on your card or a website you’d like me to link back let me know.  That’s all there is to it.  Name, address, fanart.  BAM.  You get a card with a free sketch inside!

There is ONE little catch:  I want to make sure I have time to sketch these cards and get them to you before the holidays are over.  So this trade is up for grabs starting TODAY but there is a deadline on December 1st.  So, get crackin’ and get your art sent in this month so you can claim your card.

…oh, and one last thing:  every fanart I receive will count towards the BlueCrew Doubloons.  Normally a fanart is 5 coins, but because this is a special event… I’m gonna DOUBLE it.  That’s right, any fanart I receive between NOW and December 1st will earn 10 coins for the coffer!  How awesome is that?!  Pretty awesome.

So, one more time:  Fanart, Name, Address sent to me at joshua-at-bluestarblues.com by December 1st and you’ll get a holiday card with a sketch inside and earn the BlueCrew 10 doubloons.  Can’t beat that deal, so get crackin’ people!  I’m looking forward to looking at your awesome fanarts!

See, growing up I was a healthy Muppet-head.  Loved them.  Still love them.  Sad that they fell into shambles in the past decade.  But, recently, I’ve seen proof that they’re getting better.  It started with the recent holiday special A Muppets Christmas: Letter to Santa which really reminded me of the classic Muppets more than anything has since, well, Jim Henson left us.

Then came the fantastic YouTube videos.  Very good, very funny, and all perfectly Muppet.

Now comes the return to film.  Spearheaded by fellow Muppet-head Jason Segel and staring my not-so-secret crush Amy Adams, this movie just resonates a true return to the wonderful Muppets I was scared we’d lost.  I can not WAIT to see this film.

Although I will have to, since it’s going to release on Thanksgiving and I probably won’t be able to find any time to see it until that Monday.

But, whatever, it’s still Muppets!!

So, this month I’ll be posting some YouTube videos and sharing some awesome Muppet stuff with you on Mondays.  Not super original, but hopefully fun. To start off with I figured we should post up the newest trailer, which really points out just how… um… foreign the Muppets might be to some people.

Well, whatever it is, I’m there!  If you’re a Plusser you could follow me.  I’m a lot of fun.  I’m like the marshmallows in the breakfast cereal.  I’ve got no nutritional value but I sell the cardboard and I make the milk pink.  Not only will I post Song of the Day videos and random thoughts about Bollywood and video games and whatnots, but sometimes I work on the comics in hangout mode and you can watch me makin’ with the arts.  It’s fun!

You can find me at http://goplus.us/JoshuaJericho

So don’t waste no more time!  Put me in a circle – and please, a GOOD circle.  I swear if you put me in that circle with the Numa Numa Guy and Vegan Larry I will freak out all kinda of ugly.

K, see ya on the Plus Side.

With Halloween around the corner, I’m looking for some pictures of YOU in you piratey finest.  We’re going to make an album of you, the BlueCrew, here on the site!

So if you plan hit a party as a pirate take a picture and send it my way.  Got a pirate-in-training about to trick-or-treat?  Send me a pic!  Are you a seasoned, salt-water swashbuckler hitting the party this weekend?  Send me a pic! Have a lot of free time and want to get your Captain style on?  Do it, and send me the pic!

Heck, they don’t even have to be pictures from this year.  Or even from Halloween.  I’d accept a picture from Miss Appleton’s Fourth Grade play in 1958 – as long as it’s a pirate!  You got that picture?  Send it my way!

All pictures can be mailed to joshua-at-bluestarblues.com  (just replace the -at- with @ and you’re good to go.)  All I need is the picture, but you can also give me a name to go with it if you like.   (First name or nicknames only, thanks!)

And remember, this is an all ages site and the goal is to make a photo-journal for everyone to enjoy together.  So, please, don’t send me anything I can’t post OR that you wouldn’t want posted.   Okay?  Okay!

So, if you have a pic or you’re gonna get one this weekend send it my way and we’ll get them posted a little later.  Should be a lot of fun!

I have a habit of finding, tasting, and grading every single Dew released.  Or, at least, any released in America.  (Curse you Japan and you’re exclusive Mountain Dew Grape.  Matt, send me a MD Grape man!  PLEASE!!)

…ahem…

Anywho, some of my absolute favorite flavors are those limited editions that only release once very three years.  I could go on an entire rant as to why Pitch Black needs to be a permanent fixture… but that’s a rant for another time.  Or probably never.

The other really REALLY good flavor (to me) has always been the red Game Fuel.  Originally packaged as a special edition for Halo 3 in 2007, it was then repackaged as the World of Warcraft Horde flavor in 2009.  How much do I love this flavor?  Well, let’s just say I have a great story about me buying an entire palette of the Halo 3 version.

Why do I bring all this up?  What is the point?  How many cases were there on a palette?

WHY!?

…because it’s BACK!

...and also Doritos. I guess. Whatever. (drink red)

That’s right, to celebrate the launch of this years Call of Duty there are TWO new Game Fuel flavors of Mountain Dew!  Much like the 2009 release with World of Warcraft, you get a choice of two flavors (pick red) and the chance to win a bunch of prizes like a Jeep, an Xbox 360, or a hat.  (I hope I get a hat!)  PLUS, every cap code you get earns you bonus XP for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 when it comes out next month.  Not a bad deal.

For those of you who are curious, I have tried the other flavor.  It’s a dark green color, and while the label claims it’s a tropical blast, I’d argue it’s more like Baja Blast mixed with that lime Distortion from last year’s vote.  I can’t really stand either of those two flavors, so the mix is not appealing in any way, shape, form, foam, or taste.  Not for me.  May be for Brian or my brother Shawn, but DEFINITELY not for me.  I will stick with red, thanks.

So, get out there and get some Mountain Dew (red) Game Fuel and start chuggin’.  Get some XP.  Get a hat.  Get to gaming.  Remember:  “Drink New Dew; Get More Pew-Pew”