This Is Me, Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving, y’all!

I love the holidays. I know it’s not the coolest thing to do. I’ve spent most of my life from adolescence on being friends or acquaintances with artistes, alternative lifestyle types, and hipsters, so I know the thing to do is shit all over the holidays. In fact, if I go to Facebook right now, I’m going to be able to play a fun drinking game where I take a shot every time I see someone bitching about Christmas decorations, and then my liver explodes before I can scroll down. But fuck it. I LOVE the holidays. Fourth quarter is my favorite part of the year. You get the start of fall (my favorite season), then Halloween, then Thanksgiving, then my birthday (December 23^rd!) and then Christmas, which is my absolutely favoritest of favorite holidays, and my favorite day of the year.

(The exception to this is New Year’s Eve. I kind of hate New Year’s Eve. Too much pressure.)

Anyway, Thanksgiving has always been a day I really loved. Growing up as an only child, I always kind of gravitated to those occasions when the house would suddenly fill with people. I love having different conversations in every room, and wearing sweaters and flannel shirts, and watching football, and taking tryptophan naps, and all that good stuff.

Being married, I luck out, too. I get to double dip, and do Thanksgiving day with my parents, before going to Jenny’s family thanksgiving over the weekend. Turkey Times Two, for the win.

In the spirit of the season, I have assembled a list of the things I am thankful for at the moment.

I am thankful for my health (such as it is)

As I sit here typing this, I am wearing contact lenses that afford me 20/20 vision in my right eye and 20/40 vision in the left. When you consider that in April, my left eye was ay 20/400, that’s goddamned AMAZING. My retinopathy seems to be in control right now. My vision, knock on wood, has been stable for the last couple months, with no new bleeding or issues. The amazing medical team at the Yale eye Center has taken unbelievable care of me, and I owe them everything.

My eye doctor uses me as his poster child lately. Every time I go see him he brings in a bunch of surgical residents and shows me off. That’s a pretty awesome feeling, to know I’m doing well enough that I can be used as a best-case scenario.

I am thankful for my wife

Jenny’s amazing. She’s my best friend, my favorite person, the love of my life, and the best thing that ever happened to me. I never stop being thankful for her presence in my life.

Everybody should check out Grayhaven Comics’ The Gathering Volume 5 (Love Letters) to read her debut comic book story. It’s fantastic.

I am thankful for my cat

Miss Bad Ass Kitty Fantastico is the first pet that was ever MINE. I had pets growing up. Tons of them. But B.A. is the first critter I ever was solely responsible for. I picked her out. I brought her home. I’ve fed her almost every meal she’s ever eaten. I’ve been responsible for her health and well-being and happiness. And she’s paid me back a million times over. I’ve had her for ten years now, and she still runs to the door when she hears me come home. She still sleeps by my head, and sprawls out across my lap while we watch TV.

We had a bit of a health scare with her this year. It looked like she had kitty cancer for a while, and Jenny and I were convinced we would have to put her down. But fortunately, it turned out to be a much more treatable problem, and today she is just as frisky and piggy and adorable as ever. And I couldn’t be more thankful.

I am thankful for my grandfather

Charles Holyfield is one of my life’s heroes. I’ve learned more from him than I could ever repay about how to live, how to love your family, how to take care of yourself and others, and how to be wise without being arrogant or unwilling to learn. He’s amazing. And I’m indescribably lucky to be able to know him and to be able to spend time with him. I love you, Pop-Pop.

I am thankful for comic books

Since I was 3 years old, Comic books have been a huge part of my life. I never had that moment where I outgrew them. I never stopped reading them. I love comics. Always have and always will.

In the past month, I’ve picked up a couple truly awesome books everyone should check out. Try American Vampire by Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque, and The Sixth Gunn by Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt. Good stuff.

I am thankful for MY comic books

This has been a great year for me, in terms of my creative output. I wrote a full-length graphic novel, and have made progress on three more. I’ve had two stories published, and have 4 or 5 on track to be published next year. I’ve got proposals for three series cooked up and ready to go, and I’ve started writing first issue scripts for two of them.

I was talking to Pat Loika the other night and telling him that I wanted to find a way to break into the comics industry. Pat told me, “Dude, you ARE in the comics industry.” That made me feel pretty good.

Speaking of Loika…

I am thankful for my collaborators

I’ve had such an amazing run of luck working with insanely talented artists this year. Endless thanks and much love to Chris Hopkins, Chris Page, Leonardo Gonzalez, and Pat Loika. Without you guys, I’d be nowhere.

I am thankful for my friends

I have the best friends in the world. Swear to God.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Go find some stuff you’re thankful for.

Hugs and Kisses,
(The)Travis

P.S. The new Childish Gambino is pretty fucking awesome, right?