Hey Everybody! I’ve been quite busy lately working on some freelance jobs and a new graphic novel (details to be announced at a future date).

Since I’m back on a book deadline now, I’ve been thinking about productivity and the best ways to get a lot of pages done in the limited time I have. As all cartoonists know, comics take a long time to produce. Typically, a cartoonist must tackle writing, penciling, inking, coloring, and even more extra tasks. A lot of steps! Often I get asked about how I make time to get my comics and blogging projects done since I do those things in addition to a full-time job. I’ve come upon an approach that I wanted to share since I think it would be helpful for others (whether you’re a cartoonist or not).

When I was thinking of tackling my art schedule, I envisioned myself living every day as I would as my “ideal self”. What would the best possible version of Abby do every day? I concluded that every weekday I would work at my job, study Japanese (I use flashcards on my phone), exercise (swimming, going to the gym, dancing, or taking an hour long walk – something physical), and ink or pencil two pages of comics. Weekends I am doing all of that (except for going to my job), and penciling or inking on average four pages a day. I even inked six pages in one Saturday!  (those results are not typical – I’m pretty fast since I do not have a very detailed drawing style and I work on small pages)

I usually allow one or two days a week as a break day on the art and exercise aspects. I like to make plans with friends during those break times to stay social.

I refer to this as “apexing”. So when I accomplish all of these things in a day, I’d say I am apexing. It might seem daunting, but I’ve been able to apex pretty much consistently every day the past month. As a result, I am ahead on my comic schedule (important since you never know when something like an illness or injury – or on the positive end – winning a free vacation to Europe ^_^ could arise and set your schedule back suddenly). So, daily, I am trying to accomplish living at the “Apex of Abby”.

I hope sharing this info will be helpful to artists and others trying to juggle a lot of tasks day to day! Good luck!

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It’s been a while since I attended the Summer Fancy Food Show. The show had relocated to Washington, DC for a few years, but it’s back in NYC this year (June 30 – July 2 at Javits Center) and I plan to check it out! Those affiliated with the specialty food, restaurant/foodservice or lodging industry can attend. If you’re in that category, $35 admission is available until May 17th (registration prices goes up after that date).
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I had a great time at Choice Streets on Tuesday night! For the second year in a row, there was lovely weather and a fantastic view at the The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. The lines were a bit worse than last year (I couldn’t get to the Seoul Food truck at all) but there was still plenty to eat and see. Here are some of my fave bites!

This is the line-up to get in. It was a sold out event!

Souvlaki GR was the first truck I tried and their chicken souvlaki with fries was yummy!

Comme Ci Comme Ça truck had this Lemon Chicken Cous Cous which was really nice. I especially liked the stewed vegetables in there.

Hibachi Heaven had hibachi vegetables and rice – I really loved the soy ginger sauce.

Mexico Blvd. had a good Black Bean Flauta.

Rhong Tiam’s burger was one of my favorite bites of the evening!

They also had an impressive display of cake jars!

Big D’s Grub had this tasty spicy pork taco. I enjoyed the kimchee puree and scallion relish.

On the sweet side I tried out La Belle Torte. The cake shot hit the spot!

I finished up my truck tour with a bite from Coolhaus. I chose a Smore’s cookie and Salted Caramel ice cream!

City Sweet Tooth fave Wafels & Dinges had a big line at the end of the night. Looking forward to next year!
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On May 1st, Garofalo Pasta is kicking off a fun and quirky contest, The Sleepover Chef! The contest will take place on Facebook from May 1-June 12 and two winners will receive a home-cooked Neapolitan meal by a Chef from Garofalo – the Chef will even sleep over if the winner would like! More details here! To qualify, contestants must “like” this page and post a reason why the chef should come over and cook them a pasta dinner.

To celebrate I got to attend a fun party at Eataly where Garofolo’s chef cooked a lovely Radiatori with tomato sauce and cheese.

These tiny pasta bags that were decorating the party were so cute!

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First City Sweet Tooth fave Robicelli’s is participating in The World’s Largest Bakesale at Grand Central Station with Sandra Lee! They will be with over thirty awesome bakeries and restaurants, including places like Del Posto, Jean Georges, Gramercy Tavern and more (as well as celebrity guests). The event benefits Share Our Strength’s “No Kid Hungry” campaign, so it’s a great opportunity to get some amazing sweets and make a difference! Details here. It will be from 10am-7pm in Vandebilt Hall at GCS.

Also, L.A. Burdick (5 East 20th St.) is hosting a May Day event featuring chocolates, flowers, poetry, raffles, and Lambic Raspberry Beer! The celebration goes from 6:30-8:30 pm.

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Looks like I’ll be attending Choice Streets again this year, and I’m psyched! CST fave Wafels & Dinges will be part of the lineup! Here’s my post about last year’s event. I got some gorgeous shots from the Intrepid!

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