You know that I had the Weird Al version in my head as much as the original, right?

Actually, I've heard the original more often lately, albeit in a shortened form. A local singer, Charlie Romo, bookends the beginning and end about his tribute to Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper. I'm dropping his name right here because you'll hear about him within the next couple years when he really breaks out. Anyway ...

Obviously, I shortened the song, but it's still longer than I originally had planned because I'd left so much out of it. Not that I had to mention everything, but when I looked at what I had mentioned, I wondered why I didn't include other stuff. And I wasn't doing any more rewrites.

As it is, I had to go with a background frame (and there are nearly 100 images behind the lyrics) and not include any characters, like Quinn correcting the pronunciation of "psi" and "phi".

I don't use psi or epsilon much, either in class or in this comic, but it seemed like a good hook. Originally, it was "phi, psi" but then I realized what it sounds like the other way (Quinn's pedantry notwithstanding).

It was interesting looking back at the first 100 strips just to see how much has changed from my first year -- and not just the artwork. I used the Antronumerics(tm) a lot more (even if I didn't use that name), and they started developing personalities. But they've been used less in the past few years. The classrooms and the teachers lounge got more of the focus, especially when I started giving them names. And now I'm looking on the students so that they won't be the butt of all the jokes. Mr. 0 from f(x) News was featured quite often, but that program fell into lesser use even before a similarly named show program left the air.

Also, 2008 was an election year, and when I ran out of math jokes and needed to fill in those updates, I "went there". Looking back, even though a couple of those comics weren't too bad, overall it was a bad decision. On the other hand, there was a logo that looked like a zero that paired nicely with Mr. 0, but any plans for "Nillary" were cancelled. I avoided politics in 2012 and 2016, and I look to avoid it again this year. If I ever released a book of my first 100 strips, I'd want to leave most of these out.

Other changes are the upgrades of Paint, along with assists from a couple other programs to do little things. I'm still playing around with the size, but I'm making pixel size a little less random.

More song parodies when tunes stick in my head. Math horror movies around Halloween (fewer this year, sadly). And more Christmas comics because Christmas is fun.

What's up for the next year? I really want a wiki page of some kind. The existing one is poor, and that other wiki won't list me, despite 12 years at this. But I do have a TV Tropes page, which I did NOT create, but do occasionally try to maintain.

Thank you to everyone who comes by here to the actual blog posts, and doesn't just glance at them on social media. Thank you to the people who have been here for the long haul and gave words of encouragement.

By the way, everything in that song actually happened, just maybe not in the order presented. So there was a guy with a PhD and there was a girl who liked my parodies who didn't say much.

And despite my not having much to say, at times, I'll keep at it. Maybe even with a post for tomorrow! (Wouldn't that be cool? I have to work on it.)