So the countdown to the Cornfather’s departure continues with just a few strips left! I think any more than that and jefbot’s pestering will make the Cornfather positively homicidal.

And funny thing about Avatar: The Last Airbender – the Cornfather’s counterpart (Michael) and I had been watching the series on Netflix a year or two ago, loving the story and consuming nearly the entire run in a matter of weeks, but we never watched the final episode. I think we were waiting for a special time to watch it or maybe it was just bad timing, but we never found out how everything ended up. Please, no spoilers in the comments, as I do intend to invite Michael over and finally watch the finale (especially since the spinoff, The Legend of Korra, is coming soon.) Actually, at this point, it’s been so long I almost feel like watching the series again to give myself a refresher before watching the final episode and the new series. Anyway, any Airbender fans out there? (And I’m not talking about the godforsaken Shyamalan live-action version.)

So, yes, the Cornfather’s really moving out, but I couldn’t resist having a little bit more fun with him before he officially moves on. No doubt bot will experience much angst and drama during the move, not that the Cornfather (or you readers for that matter!) would expect anything less.

Much of this strip was taken from real events, in that my apartment’s living room looked more or less the same – minus one large couch – after my roommate (Michael Cornacchia, the inspiration for the Cornfather) moved out. I wish I could say I learned some sort of lesson from his spartan lifestyle and his ability to resist most collectible/material things, but that was not the case then, nor is it the case now. I’m sure many of you can empathize.

First off, SO sorry about the lack of a Tuesday post this week. I’ve been pulling my hair out over this downtime and am taking steps to ensure this issue never happens again. Basically, the hosting site changed the passwords for my FTP site so I couldn’t upload the strip, and I wasn’t notified until yesterday. After that, it still took another day to resolve the issue and get my new password set. Really frustrating. Anyway, the issue’s resolved, so I’m going to try and let it go while I still have hair left to pull. Moving on:

There are a couple of big things going on with today’s JEFbot, so let’s get to it!

First off, the Cornfather isn’t being written out of the strip (so you CornFans can put down the torches!) but it’s true that he might be moving out of the apartment he and bot have been sharing for the past few years. I’ve actually been meaning to do this for a while now; although the strip doesn’t directly reflect my life 100%, (heck, if 1% of the comic’s truly autobiographical, I’m in trouble!) I do like to bring some of what happens in the “Real World” into jefbot’s world, and the thing of it is, is that Michael Cornacchia (the Cornfather’s inspiration) and I haven’t lived together in over a year. Of course, we still talk and hang out, but it’s a totally different dynamic now, and I’d like to reflect that in the comic. Rest assured, he’ll still be playing a role in jefbot’s adventures, and there’s still much comedy, mayhem and drama to be had from him, but things will change.

Secondly, this strip marks the end of “Chapter 2″ in this comic strip! The first chapter – as represented in Volume 1 of the JEFbot book which I hope to have available to you all soon! – collected strips 1 – 203, and set up the world and characters of the comic. The second chapter includes strips 204 – 408, and expands the world and things get crazier. In the next chapter, I’m hoping to expand the world even more, and I’ll tell you now: things are going to get downright insane, so hold onto your butts! The next several strips will be relatively tame as the Cornfather starts moving out of the apartment, but soon after that, get ready for things in jefbot’s life to get shaken up, big time. I hope you’re all along for the ride!

UPDATE 01/25/2012: Hey, BOTpeeps! Sorry for the delay in getting Tuesday’s strip up – it’s not for lack of trying, believe me. We’re having some technical difficulties with the site which have made it impossible for me to post the latest JEFbot. I’m hoping my tech guru can resolve these issues before tomorrow afternoon at the latest. I’ll keep you guys posted as to any progress (or lack of such) as I know more. Frustratingly yours, Jeff.
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For the past couple of years, the Screen Actors Guild has been making the screeners for many of the SAG Awards nominated films available for download via iTunes, which is great, since I can push the movies to my television via my Apple TV. Unfortunately, I’m kinda fickle, and quick to change my mood and mind quickly, so although it might have seemed like a good idea at the moment, an hour later after these films download I’m either watching something else, playing a videogame, working on JEFbot, or out of my apartment altogether. I’m not sure why the films don’t stream (almost) instantly, the way many other films on iTunes or Netflix do, but if I have to wait more than 10 minutes (realistically, more like 2-5 minutes), I’ll generally catch it another day or time.

How about you readers? Do you download movies often? If it doesn’t download instantly, are you as apt to change your mind as I am? Has all this instant media made us spoiled and impatient? Sound off in the comments below!

When I first saw the Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace 3D standee in theaters, it must have been the first time that a major Star Wars property held no sway over me. Even when I saw the 3D trailer, I had no longing, spark or tingle to see it, which is kind of strange. I’ve just been burned by the Prequel Trilogy so much (I’ve watched them multiple times, hoping I just misjudged them. But nope, they actually get worse with each viewing) that they have no power to bring me to the dark side any longer.

Of course, this is all said with the acknowlegment that when the Original Trilogy is released back into theaters (with or without the 3D), my butt will be firmly planted in the largest theater in town, munching on a big tub of popcorn with a huge smile on my face.

I’m actually ecstatic that I’ve seen most of the movies that were nominated for SAG awards before I got the screeners. This just means I’ve seen a lot of good movies in theaters this year, I suppose – something I couldn’t say last year, when I’d only seen two or three of the nominated films. Which is pretty sad when you consider I really really love movies and want to like, act in them and stuff.

What’s been among your favorite movies this year? Nothing’s really pulled ahead of the pack for me, except for possibly The Descendants, but maybe that will change once I’ve seen all the nominated films. Kind of surprised the final installment of the Harry Potter films wasn’t nominated for Outstanding Cast, for the unprecedented achievement of keeping the (mostly) same group of actors around for a decade, if nothing else.