It’s that time of year: you’re headin’ back to class, buyin’ $400 chemistry books (that you’ll sell back at the end of the year for $1.32), and divin’ into the Sheldon archives between classes.

Over the summer, I had a few college readers ask me if and how Sheldon could be in their college paper… so now is probably a good time to follow up on that:

To get Sheldon in your college paper, just e-mail your head editor or features editor and request they add it in. Having your friends join in on the chorus will undoubtedly help: editors can be swayed just like any other human being. And, you can seal the deal with this: unlike professional publications, I give Sheldon to college papers for free. Because, c’mon, it’s not like your college paper is swimmin’ in funding.

Just have them e-mail me to get set up with a login to grab high-res versions of the daily strip.

1.) If you missed it, the Saturday-Only Storyline had a nice, wordless moment this week.

2.) My favorite part about Sunday’s strip? Sheldon collapsing on Legos. Speaking as someone who worked at Mattel for 8 years, I can tell you that Legos are probably the most amazing toy of the 20th Century. They will still be around long after Barbie, Hot Wheels, Cabbage Patch, and Transformers are gone. But if you’ve ever stepped on one of those puppies while barefoot — it makes you want to curse the great nation of Denmark from which they sprung.

Legos: really awesome toy…really unthinkably painful to step on.

Today’s somewhat bittersweet entry continues our Saturday-only storyline. For those followin’ along, here are the previous installments: 1 , 2 , 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.

The Book Launch Party on Sunday night was a huge success — in large part due to the hundreds of Sheldonistas who came out and exchanged mighty, awe-inspiring high-fives. Make sure you check out the pics in the new Sheldon Photo Album.

Also! And more importantly! Copies of “62% More Awesome” are now officially on sale in the Sheldon Store! Pick up your copy (…or one of the 20 remaining Artist Edition copies) at the store!

1.) “62% More Awesome” will officially be going on sale tomorrow!

2.) Sunday’s book party was fantastic. I’ll be putting up a full write-up with pics later today…but for now: fantastic. We had 150-to-200 people show up over the course of the night — including two Sheldonistas who drove two hours to get there! Good times!

3.) Happy Leaf Studios has created another awesome video from the Saturday-only Storyline strips. Check it out, here: here!

4.) The Sheldon transcription project has officially completed! Woo-hoo! All the archives are transcribed and entered — which means you can search for your favorite strips using word snippets, phrases, or favorite punchlines. Give it a try, here. (…points for the first person to e-mail me with the funniest search and/or search result.)

Our Saturday-only story keeps rollin’ along! For those followin’ along, here are the previous installments: 1 , 2 , 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8.

1.) Limited Artist’s Editions for “62% More Awesome” are now available in the Sheldon Store! First dibs were offered to Sheldon newsletter subscribers, so there are only 83 copies left as of this blog post. Snag your copy now before they’re all gone!

Whoever is lucky enough to get the last copy gets an extra-special sketch of awesomeness inside.

2.) Regular editions of “62%” will be available in the store next week, after the book launch party.

3.) Regarding orders from the Sheldon Store: some readers have noted that I’ve been refunding excess shipping fees after we’ve shipped their order out.

The goal, for me, is to charge folks *exactly* what it costs us to ship…and no more. Shipping can be expensive enough as it is — and nothing gets me more ticked than when an online store or an eBay seller tries to make their shipping fees a profit center. I always shake an impotent fist at those people.

The Sheldon Store has some automatic shipping algorithms in place that try to apply the right shipping costs to your order, and they’re pretty accurate, 95% of the time. But whenever a reader was charged more than was needed, or whenever we spot a shipping efficiency that the computer missed, the excess gets refunded. It’s the right thing to do.

4.) Also! As a final note for today….I really like Flaco’s little T-Rex arms in today’s strip. Something about that just made me chuckle to draw.

On behalf of Sheldon readers worldwide, two pieces of Sheldon original art were sent off today to Germany and Canada, in thanks for the over-the-top work put in by Shalaina and Toby. These crime-fighting action squad Grammarians, between the two of them, edited over 1500 strips, and transcribed countless more.

For their thank-you gifts, Shalaina picked this piece of original art, and Toby picked this one. Good choices, I think!

So, with thanks from Sheldonistas everywhere, I hope you two enjoy these Sheldons framed up on your wall!

And for everyone else…check it out! With just 200 strips left to go, the searchable database of Sheldon toons is runnin’ like butter! Like butter, I tells you! Type in a few words to search for your favorite strip, and BAM, that baby is up on your screen.

One thing I love about “Sheldon” is that it allows me to make Shakespeare jokes one week, and Apatosaurus/Pokemon jokes the next. You ain’t gettin’ that in your daily “Cathy”!

Speaking of Pokemon, this isn’t the first time the strip has commented on Pokemon’s weird Japanese/English contraction names. Check out this earlier strip.

1.) Don’t forget! The “62% More Awesome” book party is this Sunday, 7-10PM, at the ultra-cool lounge in The Crescent Hotel, Beverly Hills. Free signature drinks from PINK Vodka and Vitamin Water, free sketches, and free, lasting friendship!* Check out how cool this place is: Go to their website, and click “photos”. Come on out!

2.) We are cresting the hill on strip transcriptions: only 300 more strips need final approval, and we’re done with the archives! Woo-hoo!

3.) I have not forgotten about my San Diego Con report! It’s a-comin’! I promise! Stuff with the new book has kept me powerful busy.

4.) I love sayin’ stuff like “powerful busy”. I feel like a 1840’s prospector in the California Goldrush. And that’s a powerful good feelin’.

*True.