I Was A Fykus

My Week with the Fykes

Once again, I apologize for the lack of photos, as my phone met sand and is still feeling the effects. I will hopefully have this taken care of in a week or so. Also, big shout out to over 105 subscribers. Thank you all for your support!

Updated: I got pictures!

I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing many people on the podcast. The question when you meet people is what will they be like in real life. Would Rodney Fyke and Tina McElhinny be as wonderful in person? Short answer, they were better.

I had only intended to come by for a few days. Three or four tops. After the first day there, I was invited to extend my stay for a week, which meant I would get to attend Cincinatti Comic Con. So that was cool. And I had a fantastic week.

Rodney is a sweetheart. He’s partly a philosopher, and has one of the gentlest hearts I’ve encountered. We hung out on the first day one of the coolest places I’ve ever seen. It’s a chinese restaurant littered with iconic chinese characters from movies, anime and video games. I literally was watching a seat decorated with Bruce Lee and Chun Li beside each other. The food was awesome. From there, I went to Rodney’s house in Independence Kentucky.

One of the big lessons I’ve learned on this trip is that speculation from afar over what is in front of you never match. Northern Kentucky is simply gorgeous. The mountains, the forests, even the way the roads weave in and out are simply magical. It’s a cool place to be around.

After the first night, I was going to stay the week. The following day, Rodney and I worked out. We went to Planet Fitness, did some treadmill and some massage, and then we went to the grocery store, and got some things, and then went back to the house. From there, we created.

It’s nice to work with a fellow creative. Rodney and I worked regular office hours as I went to work on my own finished freelancing as I was finishing some essays to be published. It’s nice to go back and forth with someone with a great creative. Rodney is a fantastic artist, but he’s a solid writer too. I have some idea what’s coming next for Rodney, and I’m excited for it. I think you guys will be too.

Tina is the quiet backbone of the Fykus household. She’s got a thankless day job, and is often hit with a lot of accusations of the kind of person she is. The truth is, she might be sweeter than Rodney in some ways. She believes in Rodney and lets cool things happen. And she’s pretty cool herself. There’s a pragmatism to her I respect, but she really genuinely hopes and cares for people, and that should never ever be understated. Tina is truly an incredible human being.

I cannot do justice the amount of thanks I owe these two. They were beyond any level of kindness I ever expected from anyone I’ve been around. They helped me upgrade my warddrobe, gave me a place to stay, and let me be me. They are always going to be grade A people in my book.

I should mention I had a girlfriend, kind of. A certain white haired kitty in the household took a liking to me, and would follow me into the bedroom. Rodney and Tina would joke about it.

I saw a lot of cool places and restaurants throughout. Some of the best customer service I’ve seen is in this area. That said, I’ll just focus on two places. We went to two really cool places I will talk about before we get to the con. Most of the week was con prep for Rodney, as he was prepping commissions, and doing work up to the show. The first was to the train museum. It’s a really cool spot in Cincinatti. I love the mural I saw while I was there. It’s a cool spot in Cincinatti to check out. It was a brief but fun place to go for inspiration.

The other great place is a barber shop from Rodney’s nephew, Mac Hensley, who owns a barber shop at the age of 23. He’s impressive that he has his own business. A lot of people look at someone like that still as a kid. That dude is doing some big boy stuff. If you’re in the area, check out The Garage Barbershop. It’s worth it. Great guy. Great shop.

At night Rodney and I would watch Football. I was filled with so much optimism then. (My poor Detroit Lions, but I digress…) . It was a magically fun week. I’m grateful for it. And it wasn’t done. We had a show to do.