New Computer

I gots me a new imac last night, and they now come with an app called "photobooth" that snaps your photo, with all sorts of wacky filters. Not an earth-shattering program, but good for some cheap laffs:

My old boss. "Christian, your sarcasm is a problem.":


"Yes sir. I'll try to be better sir":


Medical Miracle Christian. Or poligymist(sic?) Christian:

Game Fantasys! page 5: The amazing, stunning, climactic conclusion.

All that build up, character development, an evil villian, a great cover and...this is what the pay off is. oh well.

Game Fantasys! page 4

Now we discover the identity of author #2: Vortron Ter! Leith was much better at coming up with names than I was. But then he played more role-playing games than I did (0). We also uncover Leith's Beatle appreciation with the quote from the song "come together." He insisted on reading this page aloud during our presentation, because he had to sing it with just the right inflection to sound like John Lennon. Which he did. I had no idea what the hell he was doing at the time, but I'll always remember his voice as he sang it. But now that I've heard the song lots, I know he sang the "right now, over me" too fast.

You can also see from the illustration that we stepped up the pace.

He used the word "entrapment" even if it was used wrong. Very impressive. I had no idea what that meant. Come to think of it I still don't know what it means. It's legal and it's bad, I know that.

And by the time you get to the bottom of the page, boom, it's over. All that's left is the triumphant last page...

Game Fantasys! page 3: Planet Flark--------->

Now destory is really heating up! I did not do the illustration on this page, I think we traded off and he illustrated and I wrote. The proletariat grumbling about "what the boss offered us" is an interesting addition for such a youngster. must've gotten that from one of our parents. Or a Barney Miller episode.

This episode has strange parallels to two small parrotlets being stuffed in a cage. This must be how Constanze and Fritz view me. No wonder 'Stanze bites me so hard. Especially if I look like that to them.

Game Fantasys! page 2

My second favorite name I invented (after "Cyclo") was "Tyro," which I thought was endlessly cool. But wait! What about a last name? I know: Styro! AND it rhymes! Sweet! I wonder if I thought of these when I was in the supermarket...Or maybe I was inspired by my Tyco train set...

- I don't know what "Gamble World" is.
- This is an early manifestation of my curly cue fondness.
- Also perhaps the first of many times I've come up against drawing two hands shaking, which is actually quite difficult.
- Leith came up with the name "Flar-exeker" (who, by the way, was about 25 feet high).

Apple stock

Apple yesterday released a video ipod, which will change the very nature of how people think and act, and usher in the age of Aquarius. They also announced their earnings, which broke all previous records, and they TRIPLED their net profits. So what are the headlines?

"...Microsoft stock is down $2 over the past month, and tech stocks in general were down yesterday after concerns were raised about Intel and Apple sales."

The truth: Analysts wanted/expected net profits to QUADRUPLE from last year's record profits. Unfortunately Apple only "shipped 1.24-million Macs and 6.45-million iPods, which represents 48 percent and 220 percent growth over last year, respectively. For fiscal '05, the mothership gathered revenues of $13.93 billion and a net profit of $1.335 billion, reflecting annual growth of 68 percent and 384 percent, respectively, and representing the highest annual revenue and net profit in the Apple's history." Yup. Apple's in the toilet. Better sell your stock now.

Also, what's wrong with this sentence?: "Microsoft is expected to report better-than-expected sales tomorrow."

How can "better-than-expected" be expected? Wouldn't that just be "expected"? So of course if MS's sales aren't "better than expected," the stock will go down. I hate the stock market. This is human nature at its worst. I hate all people. Grumble. I need coffee.

Game Fantasys!: Page 1

BTW yes, I know "Fantasys" is spelled wrong.

I actually have no idea what "Game Fantasy" was. Apparently Leith played it, but not me...Maybe he was anticipating me joining the craze that was sweeping the nation. He was about to explain, but thankfully got this train back on track. Ah! But thanks to the internet, I shall now find out...excuse me....OK I'm back. Nothing I could see...Maybe he made that up....oh well. Can't expect every 25 year search to end with Doobie-like success...

I must apologize for the gratuitous image in the lower left corner. You know how young boys are. However I was proud of the logo I came up with for the squadron of space fighters. Although now it looks more like the paper boat that Curious George built. And what the Hell's up with the rainbow?

Game Fantasys!

Here's a grade school assignment from...4th or 5th grade. It's a book written by my friend Leith (NOT "Leaf" which is what my wax-filled ears thought they heard, but that's another story) and illustrated by me.

Here's the cover. Please note:
1. only the middle space ship with the orange exhaust is authentic. The rest of the sketches and witty commentary were added in later years.
2. space pilots still need tight-fitting leather helmets with goggles, just like WWII pilots.
3. The high tech green yarn binding is...high tech green yarn.
4. My young self saw the typographic possibilities of adding a cat head into the M. Brilliant!
5. Even at this young age, I was practicing making things shiny and bejeweled. (cockpit of spaceship under "embarrasing")

Halloween Bejeweled

The re-skinning of Bejeweled continues! First Mowrer did Autumn, Now here's the Halloween version I did. If you want to play, you will need a PC; doesn't work on macs unfortunately:
Halloween Bejeweled

Story Time II

This is a sample of my childhood comic creation, "Cyclo & Ace": two crazy, happy-go-lucky fighter pilots with a bad habit of being caught unawares when "the enemy" came a knockin'. Unfortunately, this one was ripped in half sometime in the last 20 years, and separated from its mate. But it looks more old this way, and you, dear reader, can imagine the astoundingly witty and deep ending I must've given it...haha

Story Time

This is from some time early in Grade school. 1977 maybe? Thankfully they make space ships better now than the flakey 2000 models.

Barry Manilow

Barry Manilow's recent show of generosity regarding Hurricane Katrina reminded me of this drawing. This was from about 1981 or so (age 10). I was listening to a Barry Manilow concert on the radio at the time, and then someone asked to give him a big hand, so I drew it. Another gag was that I ended up drawing his hair like brains, unintentionally, so I was going to write "Barry Brainilow" or "Brainy Manilow" but couldn't decide, and then tragically toddled off before finishing this amazing gag. Maybe "Brainy Brainilow"?

And if all that weren't enough, I recalled that timeless simple drawn gag of the witch and the ship. I had just witnessed it that day at school and sketched it for reference. Hmmm, I guess you had to be there.

Long Jump: part I of many...

Here's an enlightening look into my formative years. After drawing lots and lots of cars, I discovered track, and turned my obsession there (If you look hard, you can see a car sketch in the background). Below is one of many little charts of how far I might one day have jumped. What I want to know is did they bury dead bodies just beneath the surface of the sand out past 24 feet? And who knew proper in air technique is walkin' like an Egyptian.

Also, you'll be pleased to know I did actually reach "my goal" in college.

Light rock odyssey

A search that started when I was ten has just officially ended. I have fond memories of boarding the schoolbus (1980) and rocking out to a song that I thought sounded like "A-1". I later discovered it sounded like a group called "The Doobie Brothers" (1987). When the internet and itunes arrived, I did a search for "A-1" but with no success (~2000).

Fast forward again to 2005 when itunes library sharing and podcasting allows us to leach and sponge off other people's music collections... Someone at work put The Doobie Brothers "Long Train Running" greatest hits album in their itunes library, so I've been flitting around, listening to as much as I could stand and finally today found a song called "Real Love" and that's the one! (yes, I had a lot of wax build-up in my ears as a boy.) The song I've been searching for, these past 2.5 decades!

I listened to it once, buried my face in my hands and wondered what I ever saw in that song. It blows! oh well. Cross that one off my list.

(ps, the brain continues to atrophy. I had no idea how to spell "odyssey" and had to look it up.)

Later Alligator

Variations on that tired old parting comment. Names have been changed to protect the guilty, so that people don't get mad at me/stop IMing me in fear that I'll publish everything they say. Been down that road...

Christian says:
Rawkin. I'll pick you up around 12:30 then?
Juan says:
okay dude!
Christian says:
Later, David Schrader!
Juan says:
l8r
Christian says:
(or is it David Schmader?)
Juan says:
Later, James Spader
Christian says:
Later, escalator
Christian says:
Later, Darth Vader
Juan says:
Later Ralph Nader
Christian says:
Stupid Ralph Nader. Lost us the election is '00 AND dissed beetles.
Juan says:
Later beetle hater
Christian says:
(To President Lincoln) Later Emancipator
Christian says:
Later Icon Creator
Juan says:
to ER doctor: later difibrilater (sp?)
Christian says:
We're designers, we don't need to spell
Christian says:
Later enunciator

Procrastinating in College

Below are three pages from a sketchbook in college (1993). Some of my...most memorable work was done when I should have been doing something else...

This first page is done in three vertical rows, and chronicles the time when I got my ear pierced, contemplated taking a job as "Artist Coordinator" at the Publicity Center (more power, more stress) vs. just working there making posters and running track one more year. I chose the latter.

The last two pages are more "stream of consciousness" and can be ignored.

Cast of characters:
Chris- Room mate, last name is Mowrer
Dan- Room mate
Nels: Room mate from the track team
Dave E: Room mate the following year
Madge: Teacher
Karl: "Artist Coordinator" at the Publicity Center

Mowrer Graffiti III

Mowrer as a child:


Snooty Mowrer:


Angry Mowrer:


The Tao of Mao-er:


Bug Mowrer:

Mowrer Graffiti II

Moon over My Hammy Mowrer:


Flowchart Mowrer (integrated into existing chart):


Super Mowrerio Brother or Weeble Mowrer:


Ringo Starr Mowrer:


Beatnik Mowrer:

Mowrer Graffiti I

Here's some doodles I did of Chris on the superfluous white boards in his office. Chris has the easiest head/face in the world to caricature, since he has willingly added so many iconic features and featurettes:
1. Relatively long hair, currently with green stripes
2. Glasses, currently green and rectangular
3. Moustache with waxed points
4. Goatee with waxed points
5. The angle between the three waxed points is always almost exactly 60 degrees

Perplexed Mowrer:


Young Mowrer in love:


Slacker Mowrer:


Search & Win Mowrer:


Pac Mowrer:

Welcome, young ones

Yes, I'm the last person in the world to have a blog. Except Lee Good.

Let the good times roll.

This is a picture of my house from space. Interesting eh?