Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Hope you all have a great holiday. It’s tofu turkey for me! Maybe some mashed potatoes, some pumpkin pie, some cranberry sauce … mmm. I’m getting hungry.

Friday and today’s AG lites are up. =)

New AG lite is up!

Turkey day is coming up fast =)

Tomorrow I’m heading back to DC to get the rest of my things. After spending a week in LA, in my new apartment, I have a good sense of what I should bring back with me. The apartment does not have Internet yet, so that is why I haven’t been able to upload any of the comics. The comics are done, but I just haven’t uploaded it yet. Oh yeah, also been busy working at my new office, which I really love.

Today I’m starting a new chapter in my life. I’m flying out to LA to check out my apartment and where I’ll be working. I’m pretty excited!

Last Friday afternoon, I tweeted something on twitter that surprised everyone. If you follow my tweets, then you already know what I’m talking about. If you don’t, well, you better grab some popcorn. This will also explain why there has been a lack of updates on the big comic as well.

For those of you in the know I work full time in Washington D.C as a graphic artist/developer for a small design studio. The work is mostly for the web, which I don’t mind since I have been doing web work since I was 15 years old. I’ve also have been working on Applegeeks since February of 2003. So for a while, I have been going to my full time job and then coming home to work on the comics.

Then around the end of 2009, I was offered to do some freelance work. The offer was to design a maquette from Joss Weadon’s Serenity/Firefly series. Now let me tell you, being a browncoat fan, that is something you do not turn down.

If you’re wondering, the company that contacted me is called Quantum Mechanix. They specialize in building replicas from movies and shows. They are professionals at what they do and very passionate about their work. Since then, I have been working for them as a freelancer.

A couple weeks ago, Big River Tam, maquette was released. Soon, Little River Tam and Little Wash will follow. Happily, it doesn’t stop there. I have been assigned to work on J.J Abram’s Star Trek movie maquettes and BBC’s Dr Who maquettes. The list goes on from there. Sadly the NDA (non-disclosure agreement) prohibits me from saying anything beyond that (but hey, that’s the fun of surprises right?).

Now you can imagine what the hours of my evenings went too. I was working daily in DC and coming home to work on my freelance projects. I thought I would be able to get the comic done as well but I realized I was overextending myself. Regardless of the work hours, I still wanted to keep Applegeeks going. My goals for my work (both personal and professional) have always hinged on enjoying what I do, and I believe this enriches the final product.

Summarily, working for QMx in the evening wasn’t cutting it anymore. Considering the amount of work that was coming in, it was impossible to do it in the time I was alloted after my day job. That is when I was given another opportunity and eagerly accepted it.

Soon I will be starting a new chapter in my life as a Senior Illustrator and will be working at QMx’s headquarters in Los Angeles. As you may know I was born in Washington D.C and grew up in Maryland but now I’m leaving the east to head west. Though I will miss the support and company of my family, I feel this is a right move for me.

Los Angeles is where my skills are taking me and I need to try it out. I am excited about the work I’m about to do over there and very pumped about sharing it with everyone when I can. I guarantee it will blow your mind.

Now you may be wondering as to the fate of Applegeeks. I still would like to finish drawing the current story arc. But due to my new obligations that might take some time. Once I’m settled in LA, I might gain some time in the evening again. All I ask from you is to hang in there and know the story will finish. Your loyalty is humbling and I will do my best to reward you all as fans and give the comic the ending it deserves. As for AG lites, they will continue update as normal. I know the lites have been getting mixed reviews lately. I’m cool with that and I completely understand, but as of right now that’s the extent of work my free time will allow.

I believe I covered everything. I would like to thank everyone who stood beside us over the years and I would like to thank everyone who supported me after the announcement last friday.

To the long time fans or to those who just stumbled in, I hope you stay tuned. Since I truly enjoy what I do, I definitely aim not to disappoint.

Anyone who has had a problem with the recent update schedule needs to go read Hawk’s latest blogpost. What he’s said about himself goes for me as well – I’ve got a lot of new stuff going on professionally, and can’t really talk about it. Applegeeks is NOT our full-time job, and frankly it doesn’t pay the bills. It is and always has been a hobby and side project, and this is one of those times where our spare time is less available to us. This isn’t us being angry – it’s just a friendly reminder.

For the 99% silent majority of people who understand just fine – thanks! We appreciate it. Now let’s all get back to work. ;)