Funny how one’s mind and body react in certain situations; I thought I might lose it before entering the hospital room where my sister Linda was recuperating after her cancer surgery, but once I was in there, I was in complete control of my emotions, and was able to maintain at least the illusion of strength and calm. It wasn’t until much later, perhaps as much as a day or two, that everything hit me. But, you know, I’m pretty good at suppressing emotions. I think that’s one of the reasons I do this comic – as a way to let those rascally emotions run free for a while before I bottle them up again.

So this is the last strip in the Xinda/Breast Cancer storyline. I didn’t want to end it on a cheery, joke-y note since this is such a serious topic and I wasn’t about to present a presto, everything’s fine now, ending. My sister Linda (Xinda’s Real Life counterpart) has gone through months of grueling chemotherapy and radiation, and she’s still continuing her fight to beat the cancer, so it’s not something that can be magically wished away, sadly. And although this strip is the last of this particular arc, you can be sure we’ll be checking in on Xinda/Linda every so often as she continues that fight.

Once again, a HUGE thank you to all you readers for sending well wishes, prayers, positivity and healing vibes to my sister and family throughout this storyline. I know Linda got a kick out of getting to know many of you in the comments and I’m sure all that awesome mojo is helping with her recovery. So, thank you!!! Once again, I’m convinced that I have the best group of readers in webcomics.

When I was a kid, I had a friend in the neighborhood whose parents had a room in which all the couches and furniture were covered with plastic. It was a room us kids were told never to go in when there were no adults around, and of course, it was the room we always played loud music and ate food and wrestled in whenever my friend’s parents were away. During that time, I never understood why they would cover everything in plastic since it made everything look so ugly, but now that I can afford cool things I guess I can relate a little. I mean, a couch is no iPad, but it is harder to clean.

Thus, with this strip, the “iPad” storyline ends, at least for the time being, though there might be a couple more iPad-themed strips down the road as I get my dad’s reaction to the device and as I discover more apps and uses for it. Expect a couple standalone strips and then we’re going back to a storyline many of you have been asking about…

Those of you following my Twitter feed might have read about my frustration in getting a screen protector on my iPad a week or two ago. Seems every time I would begin applying the sheet of plastic, little pieces of lint and dust would be instantly pulled toward the screen and lodge themselves between the protector and iPad surface, creating tiny bubbles I couldn’t squeeze out. I destroyed the first screen protector and would’ve crumpled the second out of frustration (luckily I had three) had a kind Twitterer not pointed this video out to me: http://tinyurl.com/2cjtk8o (thanks, @MissAddict!). The best part of the video is the “tape technique” at the end, showing how to get dust particles off your screen protector. Totally works, and now I have a beautiful-looking iPad, with protection that you’d barely know was there.

Flying in my dreams is one of the hardest things for me to accomplish. I think I mentioned in a comment that I’m more Greatest American Hero than Superman, when I take flight in the Dreamworld, but when I am able to actually get off the ground, it’s always an amazing thrill.

JEFbot trivia: The Cornfather’s real-life counterpart, Michael, actually does do yo-yo tricks. I’m always concerned when he does them in my immediate vicinity however, since the yo-yo has a tendency to zip free from the string on occasion, flying at high speed into whatever’s in its direct line.

Evil, evil, Cornfather. Actually, I used to do this kind of stuff to my friends all the time when they’d sleep over in junior high/high school. It’s a wonder I had friends back then.

Gonna cut this strip’s blog post a bit short today since A) I wrote a tome for last Friday’s strip so thought I’d give you guys a break this time, and B) I need to get some sleep tonight because tomorrow is the premiere screening of Grey Skies, the horror movie I shot with actor/producer Michael Cornacchia (the Cornfather’s inspiration) last year!!! Longtime readers may remember me posting about my experience shooting the movie, here. Woo-hoo! Look for a blog post about the screening soon.

After a long hiatus, Abraxas is back! Can it really be since June of 2009 that we last saw jefbot’s favorite pet ferret (not counting guest strips)!? Hard to believe, no? Anyway, we know Abraxas has had a certain taste for electronics in the past, but never has the situation been so dire. Now that it appears communications have been cut, how will jefbot and the Cornfather get out of this (literal) mess?