The Rest of the Trip in a nutshell

I've realized that not everyone wants the play by play of my week long trip. So from this post forward I'm only going to highlight some of the better moments and post pictures as I think of them.

Gonzo and I stayed with Jessica and her mom Helen, and obnoxious younger brother Joey from the evening of the 11th, until the morning of Tuesday the 14th. I have pictures of the animals and landscape and all of the roadside stands that we stopped at during the 12th. But, there are so many pictures, I can't widdle it down to my favorites. I'll post them later, and I'll probably draw some of them. We had a good time, ate some great pancakes, had some fabulous Taco DipTM , and all around had fun being "lazy". We did get to one of my favorite spots...well used to be favorite spots- it's not as fun as it was when I was in High School...State Street in Madison. Gonzo got his hair cut at the Campus Barber, we stopped at a Wisconsin Shop where I took this:

(I didn't steal it, I just took the picture) We stopped at Pipefitters where I bought 2 sweatshirts, one for me and one for Gonzo, to support the wonderful state of Wisconsin and the college team (Go Badgers!).

Once we left Jessica's house, we made the quick trip to see my friend Heather:

I miss Heather. I miss all of my friends in Wisconsin, but I really miss Heather. So I was really excited when plans changed from going to North Carolina to going to Wisconsin, because that meant I would get to see her.

That's Heather. She took us on a fantastic trip all in 2 days. The first day she showed us this rediculously pretty state park...she didn't know it exsisted, we just kind of "found it". Big Falls, I believe is the name of it.

Gonzo took probably 3000 pictures there. I'll include a few:

She took us by a haunted church where Gonzo got some very freaky pictures. We cooked out at her house in 35 degree weather the first night, then the next day Heather and her husband took us in the direction of Minnesota, where we stopped to eat lunch at the Machine Shed in Lake Elmo- then off to The Mall of America- which was a blast but really, really hard to get past one section...my feet and legs have never hurt so bad. We went to the aquarium in the bottom of the mall (which come to think of it, I don't know where those pictures are...hum...), then we left and went back to the Machine Shed for dinner, where they sat us in the same exact booth. We rested up and headed back to the Madison area so we could go to the farm to visit my relatives.

Yes that is me eating a piece of wheat. Well chewing on it is more like it. There's nothing like being down on the farm. (I have a ton of other pictures that Gonzo took, but I'm working...don't have the time to post them all.)

For anyone who is interested, we did get to eat at Taco John's...twice. Once for lunch, and once for breakfast...the Taco John's on Monona Drive serves Breakfast now! Holy Crap!

And here's one last picture that Gonzo and I took on the way to Heathers in Elk Mound Wisconsin:

Day 2

*vacation story continued*
October 11, 2008
Waking up in a strange part of Missouri I had never been to before, I discovered that I loved the breakfast at the Fairfield Inn and decided right then and there I wanted to live there. Ok, maybe not live there- but I wanted their breakfast every morning from then on. They have a waffle maker- where you fill the cup with the waffle batter and put it in the waffle iron and wait until it beeps then flip it and wait until it beeps and throw it on your plate! I did not have waffles however. I was drawn to the blueberry muffins. I have to admit, I loaded my plate with more carbs than one can ingest in one meal, so I took most of it with me. I still have the box of raisin bran I picked up.
Anyway. We decided to get going with this whole "vacation" thing around 10am that day. While I had been napping in the car the night before I had missed several road signs that would have peeked my interest- Good thing Gonzo had been awake. About 20 minutes after we hit the highway, Gonzo was exiting to a strange road that wasn't on our path and I was like "dude, where are we going?" and he just points to a sign.
One of the best parts of the trip happened on day 2. Gonzo was driving me on Route 66. Something I had been wanting to do since High School.

We drove on it for a good while, saw that one entire town in Missouri turns into a massive yard sale on Saturdays and then continued on our way.
We kept pulling off the road to see little campsites and explore the gorgeousness that actually lives in Missouri (I'm sorry if I'm offending people by saying that, but I grew up in a home that made it sound like hillbillies were the only thing that lived in Missouri, and it was probably a barren waste-land. It is not, and they are normal folks, just like anyone else. Missouri is beautiful- especially with the falls colors). We pulled off the road in time for lunch at the Meramec Caverns.

These Caverns just so happen to be the hideout of Jesse James- however they will only spend about 5 minutes of the tour telling you about him...the tour is over an hour long (walking tour, bring your walking shoes, and a jacket...it's cold!). I have to admit, I was pretty excited to get out of the car and walk...especially in the caverns. In Wisconsin they have the Cave of the Mounds, which can pretty much compare to the Meramec Caverns- with no tight spaces to crawl thru (Cave of the Mounds is a field trip spot elementary kids go to- grown adults don't enjoy the tight spaces as much...especially if you have a fear of enclosed spaces). But I found myself thinking about the time when I was a kid and wandering Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico and thinking about how much bigger that was.

But it was fun! Gonzo took a crap ton of pictures (my camera hates the dark and far distances...his thrives in it)

We got back on the road after the tour and headed North...East...northeast? To hit our next destination- St. Louis.

I have to admit, I did not want to stop and see the arch. I was like "it's an arch, big woopie". But when you start to see it and you're still 10 miles away from it, it's kind of impressive. So we stopped. They were having some big hippie art festival where they were going to be burning some stuff later that night, but we didn't stay for it. It was good to get to stop and chat with the local artists and find out about the festival, and watch them build their pieces along the river. We have so many pictures of St. Louis I'm only going to post a few:

I've heard tales of the locals asking people who are taking pictures if they can see the wad of gum stuck to the top of the arch and I actually met one of them...not as funny since I've heard the stories. But it still made me laugh.
I wanted to go on a horse carriage ride but Gonzo's response was "Sorry man, we're heading to Wisconsin, we don't have time".

Next time we're in St. Louis we'll make the time.

We got lost trying to leave the downtown area- and I'm glad we did.

They have some beautiful architecture and some gorgeous fountains. Apparently the day we were there 18 couples had gotten hitched and were all taking their wedding photos in the fountains- it was really pretty.
We hit the Illinois/Missouri border just before sun down and made it thru the state in about 2 hours (thank you radar detector!).
By about 8:45pm we made it to Wisconsin. We took the back way of getting to my friend Jessica's house, via Beloit, Janesville, Evansville, and Brooklyn- but we got there by 10pm.
We were pretty wiped out but managed to stay up and chat with Jess and her mom Helen.
Thus concludes day 2 of our trip.

I'm Back

I know everyone missed me. I'll have a more appropriate blog post once I get all of my pictures sorted thru. I'm probably going to break it down by days and spread it out over the rest of the week.
But for now I'll start you with this...

Day 1
Friday October 10th, 2008
Gonzo and I packed our bags, loaded the car and hit the road around 6:30pm. At approximately 6:33pm we turned around and went back home, because we left the deliciousness that are donut sticks, sitting on the counter- that was our breakfast for the week- very important not to forget the 230 calorie snacks.
We decided to take a different route to get up to the great white north (not white just yet), so we went up 75/69 thru Oklahoma to head to Interstate 44. Once it got dark the feeling of sleep soon took over and I started napping thru much of the boringness of Oklahoma (lots of small towns that you have to slow down to get thru-if it wasn't dark I'm sure I would have enjoyed it). I woke up once we reached the Glasshouse McDonald's- former World's Largest McDonald's- that goes over interstate 44. I had the best cheeseburger I have ever eaten at a McDonald's and the worst Fries ever. Gonzo really hated the Big mac that he got as well. Kind of a big dissappointment. We had a good conversation about the EPA and towns that have been wiped off the map because of contamination and pollution, and then I went back to sleep. I woke up around 2:30am, due to the fact of the car coming to a stop. Gonzo had finally decided he had had enough driving for one day and we stopped in at a Fairfield Inn in St. Robert Missouri.
The bed and the pillows turned my "nap" into sleep- and thus concluded day 1 on the road.

I've been tagged

I just checked the blogs that I frequent, and I see I've been tagged. I hadn't really planned on posting again before the big trip...but seeing as how it'll be a week before I'm back into a "normal thinking mode" I thought I better do this now before I forget.

The rules: Link to your tagger (mine is Dallas Shaw) and list the rules
List 7 random facts about yourself
Tag 7 people (and make sure you check back and see what they say!)
If you're tagged, play along and pass it on!

So here are 7 random things about me..

1. I grew up on a pig farm in Wisconsin
2. I can draw with my toes (don't ask)
3. I'm scared to leave comments on other people's blogs because of spelling errors or saying something stupid (yet I encourage people to leave comments on my blog).
4. My very first car was a 1973 VW Super Beetle which I only drove a total of 10 times before re-selling it...and I miss the crap out of that car.
5. I have a horrible fear of spiders.
6. I'm a morning person. So much so that "sleeping in" to me, means waking up at 8:30am.
7. I've always wanted to learn to play the banjo, but never have.

and for the 7 people I choose to tag:
Deanna, Tania, Charles, Bag 'n' Trash, May, Gonzo, Bryan. (Not that I expect you to complete it...it's fun if you have time)

t- minus 4 hours and counting...

To take on the trip?

I think I'll pack them just in case...but the likelyhood that I'll get to wear them is slim. Well except when I'm way way way up north in Wisconsin and into Minnesota with my friend Heather. Oh yeah, did I mention I may or may not be going to Minnesota for the first time ever? Mall of America anyone? I know the excitement has passed for me too. But I've never been to Minnesota. How can I truly say I'm "from the North" when I've never been to the state of 10,000 lakes? (my entire trip revolves around Wisconsin, Minnesota will remain a day trip)

Oh wait- SIDE TRACKED! This is what I may or may not pack for the trip:

The hat isn't new, and it's completely upside down. But the fingerless mittens are new. I made them...uh...my days have run together...I think I made them either Monday of this week or late last week.

I actually don't know why I make the fingerless mittens anymore, other than the fact that I can make a pair in 4 hours. When I wear them I end up curling my fingers into my palms so they can be warm too. Because lets face it- when your hands are cold, your fingers are the most cold, right?

So yeah, I don't think it's going to be as cold during the day, but 30's at night really may constitute me wearing something knitted.

I had to practice wearing them. You know, being that it's only really cold in Texas for about 1 week out of the year, it's surprisingly easy to forget what it's like to wear something warm.

I'm leaving tomorrow evening, so I'm not sure there will be another post before I go. If you have any drawing needs please follow the directions on my website www.ashadebetterthanstickfigures.com and I'll get back to you as soon as I have access to email (which could be as soon as I get to Wisconsin- depending upon who has internet access- or it could be as late as when I get back to Texas in a week).

2 days and counting

I wish I had something colorful or interesting to post. I'm just so excited that I'm rocking in my office chair at work watching the clock tick by. At least it's almost lunch. I suppose I could roll a ball of yarn that I have with me...and maybe knit something after lunch. But usually after lunch is when I'm busy with work things...funny that I work at work. :P (Really I do work, but there is a lot of down time as a receptionist so it just seems like I don't work.)
I'm actually not feeling 100% today, I woke up dizzy and I'm still dizzy. It could just be my body anticipating the climate change. Or it could just be me being overly excited for vacation to start.
Whatever it is needs to quit. It's making me want to take a very long nap...say a nap from now until Friday? :)
Although I did just think of something interesting. Yesterday was the 17th anniversary of when I broke my wrist. Man I feel old. I like to think of that day as the day that magically changed my right wrist/hand into a drawing machine. I should've planned ahead and bought a cake and thru a drawing party. Oh well.

"Trees get lonely too"

Once upon a time I worked for a company that clearly is the devil. It's located in Downtown Dallas. That's all I'll give you. Their name can remain anonymous. Seriously, the people there all sucked. Mainly 3 people in particular really sucked. I only worked there for a grand total of 2 weeks, but clearly it made an impact.

But that's not the purpose of this post (even though I HATE that company, and if I ever have to do any advertisements for my company I will dangle a little carrot in front of their face just to go "you suck, why would I ever do business with you?"). The one good thing I got from working at *name withheld for legal reasons* was my good friend Mortimer. Actually I don't know what his "real" name is- Mortimer is just what I call him. I might have actually told you all about him once or twice before. My last day at *company that is the devil* I had to go into the "management den" to get dinner orders. While waiting for one of the dumbest people ever left in charge of anything to get off her personal call during working hours so I could find out what she wanted to eat (only to be told that she wasn't going to need dinner)- I looked out the window and low and behold was this sad looking tree. I doodled his face on my notepad (not this drawing- this one is new as of 15 minutes ago), got the response, and walked away- then I left and never came back. See. Mortimer helped me. In a sick and twisted way, the look on his face...a tree's face...was all I needed to see to realize I wasn't going to be unhappy where I worked. Unfortunately for Mortimer, he's doomed to stare at those horrible faces at the horrible company until he dies, or construction takes him out, or some horrible drunk driver runs into him and breaks him in half. I feel bad for Mortimer. But hey, I like to think of it this way. His sad face is making those people's lives miserable because they have to stare at a really unhappy tree every day, all day long.

Love you Mortimer! Thanks for so much drawing inspiration.

Wisconsin

This week will truly be void of photos (hopefully not completely void- I have a few things I would like to take pictures of and post)- I'm in a crazy "I don't want to be here" "I don't want to do this" "why can't I be on vacation RIGHT NOW?" mood. So needless to say, while I am working on stuff, to keep my hands and mind busy during the day, I'm in such a "wait, I better not forget to pack this" mind set, that I'm neglecting the blog.

All because vacation is looming. I turn into a complete spazz. I have my lovely "don't forget to pack!" list that I add to daily. Earlier this morning I was printing off map after map of crap that I either want to go to while I'm in WI or directions to friend's houses. Oh the maddness.

Ok, not completely void of pictures. I will be in many many parts of this wonderful state next week. I'm sure you can throw a dart at this map (print it first, you don't want to ruin your monitor) and you'll hit someplace that I'll be.

Sadly the thing I'm looking forward to the most in Wisconsin is a little place called "Taco John's". Oh I can taste the beef burrito now!!! Potato Ole!!! DANG IT! I want to be on vacation already!!!!

I can't wait.

I'm getting to see some, and stay with some, really really good friends that I've known for pretty much my entire existence .

Seeing them will be vacation enough. Let's just hope that it doesn't snow while we're there.

I'M EXCITED!!!

And the Winner is...

...NO ONE.
*blink* *blink*
I made ugly mittens. It's cool. No one wanted absolutely FREE mittens. Apparently times are tough enough that no one can afford to own FREE mittens. Either that or no one on the face of the planet has women's size small hands. I'm down with that. If I can't wear it, why would I want free?
They shall go in the "trash" pile. Thanks to anyone who was reading though. I appreciate it. I'm sure you would appreciate it more if I would make some FREE mittens that actually fit someone though, huh?
Anyway. I didn't do anything remotely art related this weekend. Attack of the allergies happened while at a Good Guys car show so my day was shot at about noon on Saturday. Then yesterday was the State Fair of Texas. I don't think anyone can truly appreciate the greatness that is bacon, until they have had Chicken Fried Bacon (sorry dad, it's just so good). 6 hours at a fair is enough of a day to me, so I pretty much passed out at 7pm last night.
Well rested and ready for a new week. A week that will go by much too slowly because I will be leaving for vacation on Friday. FRIDAY of THIS week. Too excited.
I promise if I make anymore FREE mittens, they will fit everyone.

***FREE MITTENS***

It's Free Mitten Friday!!! Ok, let's not get too excited. It's not like I'm going to start doing this every Friday.

These are the "Terracotta" mittens I was referring to earlier this week. Don't worry, once I know someone actually wants these Women's size Small mittens, I will sew in the ends before I ship it. I see a little tail hanging out there- need to fix that.

These mittens are absolutely free! The only thing you have to do, as a reader, if you would like these mittens, is leave a comment. I'll pick a winner on Monday. There may or may not be an "extra surprise" in the package (value of the possible "extra surprise" is to be determined).

Another view of them, to prove that there are in fact 2 whole mittens up for give-away. And yes they are the same size (they are on the top of my couch, which is rounded, hence the right one looking smaller- it's called perspective).

I was going to do a whole cool themed photoshoot and then got lazy and decided to make dinner instead.

So yeah, if you want them, leave a comment (it would be awesome if you had a link on how to contact you- either website, or email, whatever- so I can then contact you for shipping information- I would prefer, and I would hope you would too, that you not leave your mailing address in the comment- cool?)

Ok this is going to be a long post, because I don't want to post again before Monday- so everyone has a fair opportunity and doesn't get all freaked out and wonder which post they need to comment on, since I know EVERYONE wants these mittens (:P).

I made another pair of mittens this week (not up for grabs...yet). I had some left over green yarn from the magic scarf I worked on a few months ago, so I decided I wanted to make some mittens- with a "twist" (HA! just wait, you'll laugh in a minute). Honestly I need to explain how I knit my mittens. It's not normal. In fact I'm not sure I'm following any one pattern here. I learned how to knit "convertible mittens" a few years ago from one of those awesome Target "I can knit" kits- I waited for it to go on clearance- I still haven't used the yarn or needles that came with the package...just the instructions- which were very poorly written. So I've been making the fingerless mitten part of the convertible mittens for the last 3 years or so as seen here. I could probably make those in my sleep. But then to make a complete "mitten" I never really looked at the rest of the instructions from my Target buy. Recently, I started reading http://www.crazyauntpurl.com/ and found her roll-brim hat "recipe" (ok actually I was looking for free knitted hat patterns on google and her website popped up and I've been hooked every since), the way she does the decrease on the hat is how I do the decrease on the thumb and the top of the mitten. And now:

as much as I hate math, I counted my way thru my maddness that are my stitches and made some "twists" to my mittens (HA! Laughing yet? Anyone? Anyone? No? Ok). Seriously, I wrote out my instructions this time. So if anyone is interested in obtaining the instructions (FREE) for these mittens, leave a comment (simply say that you want the "Twist Mitten Instructions" and I'll either post them when I have time, or email you- they aren't typed at this point, but I'm working on it.), and believe me, these are the easiest instructions to follow...ever...because I spell everything out. No guessing at what K2T means. :P I may even work on another pair, and take pictures along the way so it will kind of be like a tutorial...however that will take longer- patience.

And now for non-mitten news. Gonzo and I have decided that our "trip" this year, instead of the NASCAR invaded North Carolina, that we will be going to...DRUM ROLL....Wisconsin! WOO HOO!!! Doncha know? Yeah. So I'm completely overly excited, to say the least. Next weekend can't get here fast enough. I will be able to sew in ends on Terracotta mittens and ship them out before I leave- hence the winner will be picked on Monday (pre-vacation). Oh yeah, did I mention that it's cold enough in Wisconsin now to wear my knitted goods? Yeah. It's awesome. I plan to visit a few yarn shops while up in the Southern part of the state. I'm so excited!!!

Anyway, this post is long enough. I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend. I'll be watching the comments!

I like cupcakes and drawing babies

My mom made it. Isn't it cute? Actually my dad helped too. He likes glue. Hence he glued the eyes on. The cupcake needs to be cleaned off just a bit, but I like him. It's a pin cushion, in case you were wondering. The "sprinkles" on top are actually beads sewn on- I have yet to stick any pins in. I'm affraid he might run away if I stick him. I've never had a useful object with legs before- I'm not sure what the protocall is.

So the lovely North Carolina trip? Anyone remember mention of that? Good, because I don't remember when I posted about that. yeah. It's looking like North Carolina might not be our vacationing spot afterall. Hurricanes, NASCAR, and gas shortages our making us look elsewhere in the good 'ol US of A. We've narrowed it down to New Mexico- just because we like to fly by the seat of our pants and Wisconsin. You know Wisconsin. Because they have cheese. And I'm from there. I'll keep you up to date with our decision. The more I think about it though, the more I'm leaning toward the great up-nort. Where "Doncha know?" is an actual saying and everyone knows what it means-without making it sound like they are making fun of an accent. Plus it's my favorite time of year up there. FALL. We don't really have that season here.

And here's the baby I had started earlier this week. See? It really is laying down. I'm alright with how it turned out, but I so rarely shade the background that I'm still scratching my head about how it looks.

I'm ready for the weekend.

Oh yeah, before I forget. I just made the ugliest and smallest pair of "Terricotta" colored mittens ever. I'm scared if I take a picture of them they will either dissappear (which wouldn't be so bad) or they'll break my camera. Ok, they aren't that bad. I made them yesterday at work. 2 mittens in 8 hours is pretty good right? I'll need to be reminded once I post them, but I'm going to be giving this pair of mittens away. So keep an eye out for the post (They best fit a woman's small or medium hand...I have large hands and can put them on, but they aren't a comfortable fit).

Another baby- it's not mine

This baby is totally laying down, the picture is flipped upright so you can see the face...trust me, if I posted the picture of it on it's side you would be thinking the drawing looked really retarded anyway.

THIS, is not a commissioned piece. I'm drawing because I'm bored.

I keep re-typing this paragraph, and it never makes sense. So I will leave you simply with:

I drew a few things on Friday, I need to scan them and post (I'm lazy), On Saturday I went on an Art Supply Store binge, but only bought things at one store and not very much- We must be in a depression because that is just depressing. Sunday I knitted 10 rows on my sock, can someone please explain to me why my fingers and hands hurt so bad after 10 rows? Arthritis at 26? Oh yeah, and my mom and dad (my dad=the glue king) made a cupcake pin cushion for me this weekend...I'll take pics and post later. When my mom finishes my quilt (you know in December of 2012), I'll take pictures and post it as well. :P (just kidding mom, but quit breaking things and get to work on it, would you??? My lap is cold! HA! Totally kidding! Love you!)

One of those weeks

It's just been one of those weeks where this picture pretty much sums it all up for me.
Although, by getting this drawing done, I can now cross something off my "to-do" list that has been on there for eternity..."Work on flames tattoo design". Granted I still have a few more sketches to go before I can completely cross it off, but this is the first actual completed design I've finished for one particular individual (I'm sure he would like it tweeked).
I do like drawing tattoo designs for people, although I have yet to actually know anyone who requested one that got it put on themselves. Well...myself excluded. I'm thinking that any tattoos from here on out, that I get, will all be designed by me. You know. Because I'm like that.
Anyway.
I'm ready for it to be Saturday already. I don't know if I can take the hours left in this day and another 24 hours after that. Really. This week has been one of those screaming headaches, without the screaming headache. Full of mis-communication, co-workers who try to throw me under the bus for their mistakes, one blogger using my name and linking my information to a blog where she describes my name as well as 2 others as "strippers"- when this person doesn't even know me, and fall is still not here. Have I mentioned that I didn't knit all week? Yeah, I know. It's sad.
But I've been drawing. And that's all that matters.

ATC's and doodles

Just wanted to stop by and show you some of the ATC's that I've completed over the last two days. Again, these aren't for sale, but they are for trade. So if anyone is interested in trading Artist Cards, let me know (ASBTSF@gmail.com)



Also, I decided to work on stippling today. I haven't done any of that since college. It wasn't too bad. Although not my best work.

I'll probably be working on more ATC cards the rest of the week, unless I get any commissioned work, in which case we all know where my attention will be.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week.

ATC anyone?

This weekend I went to my local Asel Art Supply (is it ok for me to want to live in the store?), and found some very interesting small items at the check out counter. Artist Trading Cards.
Holy crap, how have I not known about these? Anyway, I'm working on some. I won't be selling them. But I am offering up to trade with anyone else who is into the ATC. Feel free to comment, or email me (ASBTSF@gmail.com) and I'll be very happy to trade you cards via snail mail.

Parents make the darndest things

My dad is a wood worker- has been for awhile. However in the last several years he has turned his focus to wood turning. Once I told him that my friend Jessica was having knee surgery, and I thought that I should send her a "wood turned" cane- my dad got on it. It's hard to see from this photo- taken by my dad, but that light colored branch is actually the cane, and it was turned from a branch of a similar nature of that bush it's sitting against.

For a better view of the cane:

I don't know if she'll ever use the cane, but thought she would at least get a good laugh at the fact that I'm a smart ass and decided knee surgery= walking with a cane.
Anyway. I'll be shipping off her goody package probably later this evening or tomorrow at the latest.

So yeah, that's the big "secret" thing my parents were planning. Originally my mom was going to carve a horse head for the top, but after looking at it logically, as something Jess might actually use, decided that #1- the horse head would be very uncomfortable to hold, and #2- wouldn't be sturdy enough to support anyone's weight without it breaking. Hope you like it Jess!

The end to a relatively calm week

First things first- Can someone please do an exorcism on my car? It keeps turning up very odd looking spiders. I DO NOT LIKE SPIDERS. Or can someone send a memo to the spider police insisting on a new law for no spider hitch-hikers on my car?

I really wish I had gotten to take a different picture of this guy. You can actually see an orange band with a bazillion eyes when you look at it. How I got that close, is beyond me. I only got to take this picture and one really blurry one because he was not affraid of me or my camera and was running across the roof of my car right for me. did I mention that I DO NOT LIKE SPIDERS? Does this look like a scorpion without a tail to anyone else? I'm not having it! Spiders STAY OFF MY CAR!!!

On to the moral of this post:

This week has been pretty calm, I'm hoping that it's the calm before the storm. I managed to complete one commissioned drawing, that will be shipped out next week. I'm getting together with my parents this weekend to get the final piece for my friend Jessica's "knee surgery care package". I'll also be sending that out next week (her surgery is next Friday). And I started learning how to knit a sock.

This is only 3 days of work, and not 3 entire 8 hour work days full of knitting, mind you. Grand total probably about 4 hours of knitting here. It's so tiny it's hurting my hands. I had a co-worker ask me today if the sock was for an adult. Sadly it is, guess I'll be using the new steamer and blocking it...when it's done...in the year 2012.

I've actually got a pretty booked weekend of doing nothing art or knitting related, but I'm hoping to work on some stuff in between the other crazy things. I've also go to re-do part of my website content. I really need to stop working on that when I'm so sleepy that I can't think straight. Content should only be edited when I'm fully awake and high on life. So yeah, I'm going to do that at some point either this weekend or during the week next week. I also hope to get some more things done for Zazzle and get them up for sale. Anyone have exciting projects they are working on?

In a Funk and it's only Thursday

Have you ever had one of those days, where you woke up- you were really excited because the weekend was almost here; work was going well, and then BAM! The crap hits the fan? Or maybe it's not even that much crap, maybe someone just says something and you bristle up like a porcupine? Or someone sends an email and you can't tell if you are taking the meaning of it wrong or not, so then you spend hours upon hours wondering what it is that you did wrong? Yeah, I'm having one of those days.
Without going into a whole lot of details- one of the companies I used to work for has a google group, so we can all stay in touch, etc. etc. Someone made a comment yesterday about the Production Assistants that we worked with being "Coddled" (I would be one of them), and it's continued to snow ball- yet none of the PA's are even replying to the emails. I'm a littler per-turbed by the whole thing because being a PA is one of the most Thankless jobs on the planet already, people who are or were or who will be a PA don't need to be reminded of that. But because of those emails I'm just left dumbfounded and questioning every action I made at that job and others. Being treated like dirt on the bottom of a shoe is a tough enough job- I may not be one now, but there are days that I still feel like I'm sitting at the bottom of the barrell. Maybe that's why I ran as far away from the animation industry as possible...
Anyway
I started working on some socks yesterday. It's my first ones so I hope they turn out to at least resemble socks- I don't even care if they fit or not, as long as someone can look at them and go "Ah! Socks!" then it'll be alright.
I can't even draw right now I'm so flustered. People suck sometimes.

"Mr. Buddy"

The dog, which I have learned is actually called "Mr. Buddy", is complete.

Any questions, comments, concerns are welcome in the comments section (open to all), or feel free to email: ASBTSF@gmail.com

Getting back into animation, maybe...Last night was a wealth of knowledge from "the guys". Watching some of them learn how to better their animation, as well as listening to one of them teach the rest of us. It was good times. Did I draw? Um, no. I brought my laptop...and it froze up. Excuses, right? Yeah, well, I still learned alot. Unfortunately the animation guru might be moving far far away as his job will be history in a few weeks. That makes me really sad. And angry at myself for having dissappeared off the face of the earth for so long that I couldn't hang out with the guys prior to the last few months. If he moves, I wonder what the likelyhood of "the guys" having their weekly meetings will be? Sucks.
I'm completely finished with the dog drawing, but still waiting to hear back on approval before I post the final picture- once I hear back I'll post it though. Critiques are welcome.

my life in a nut shell...or on paper

I know, where has the time gone? It's only been, what? 10 minutes since my last post?

But I drew a little, and dug out my camera and decided to post a little something, something.

I got the idea for this while browsing a forum like 4 months ago. It's me, from the age of 5 until the age of 18 (I'm working on the later years).

This (to the left) is me at the age of 5. I had this really awesome hair cut from the time I had hair until probably 5th grade, bangs straight across, short in the back. It was truly a sight to behold (sarcasim). There are pictures of me from around this age, maybe younger, of me in a blue tank top and shorts. I remember wearing this outfit until I outgrew it- I loved it! Anyway, I remember my babysitter calling me "Chipmunk Cheeks" because I had, and still do have, gigantic cheeks.

But yeah, that's the gist of me at the age of 5. Not a whole lot of a story there. (a co-worker came up to me while I was drawing this and goes "and the story is?" and I just said "no story" and she goes "are you going to make one up?" I wanted to say "why would I make one up if it was real life?" but instead I just shook my head and bit my tongue and proceeded to continue)

When I was 12 I used to wear this pink sweatshirt, alot! It was painted by someone, for all I know it was my mom who painted it. But I remember there was some Native American Indian theme to it, and on the shoulder there were some painted feathers. My 6th grade substitute teacher, in front of the entire class, stopped me from walking across the room to tell me I had something on my shoulder- figuring that he was joking I was like "ha ha, yeah, it's called paint" and he starts laughing, pointing, and very loudly going "oh! I thought you had bird poop on your shoulder!!!" Needless to say, I very rarely wore that sweatshirt after that, and very rarely did my peers speak to me that year. Oh, to be back in the 6th grade...I would rather die.

By the time I reached High School I was very much...um...I don't know- quiet? shy? to-myself? High School is a very self-concious age (all 4 years, thank-you-very-much), so the baggy paints, shirts, oversized sweatshirts, backpack, and long hair in the face were a must. If I could have dyed my skin the color of the walls I would have. I just didn't want anyone to notice me- at all. But looking back on it, if I had known then what I know now- oh what a joyous time I could have been having, instead of trying to blend in to the surroundings. But I'm ok that I was the wall-flower. It probably kept me out of a whole lotta trouble.

And of course there's no time like my Senior Year. I had 6 art classes. I was glued to the back table, and the rocker in the back of Mr. D's art class. Always head down, looking at the paper- whether I was actually drawing anything or not. I had some joyous times in that room, one very horrible rant that I exploded at my evil tormentor from one of those classes, and 2 very large crushes of guys who sat very close to me. Don't get me wrong- I learned a crap-load of art-stuff from Mr. D. But who really takes away JUST what you learned in class? I have some very fond memories from High School, and some very horrible memories that I still slap my forehead because of.

Anyway, I will continue to go with the "my life in a nutshell" theme, and produce some more years in my life- hey! Maybe I'll work on that while I'm hanging out with "the guys". (they get the quotes. Because they are "the guys".)

"The guys"

Tonight I meet with "the guys". I'm determined to draw this time. I'm practicing right now...ok not really...right now I'm typing this...but maybe in a little while I'll draw a little something. I'm almost done with the dog...just a few more dark spots and a signature and we'll call it done- well, done until it gets approval or request for changes comes thru- which there were none the first go around. I was doodeling a little something earlier, but theres no point in describing it if there's no picture to show you...so it'll have to wait. What is with all of the "..."'s I'm doing? Geez, learn to type!
So anyway "The guys"- I'm not sure if I've mentioned them before or not. They are 4 guys that I've known since college that are very talented and crazy good artists. They make me laugh, therefore I hang out with them. Ok, the laughing part is just a plus, I hang out with them because they help motivate me to put the pencil to paper. I actually got out of the routine of hanging out with them for several years (long, therapy needed reasons for that- not going to go into that right now), and a few months ago started up again. I don't think I've ever actually drawn while hanging out with them. I usually hang around and watch them draw, which, honestly, I find creepy. Mainly because it drives me insane when people watch me draw...I don't know why...maybe I need therapy for that as well...much like I need therapy for these freakin' ".................." that I keep typing! AAAARRRGGGHHHH!!!!
A-N-Y-W-A-Y: So I'm brining my laptop and paper and drawing board tonight, to hopefully draw at least a line- whether on paper or on the computer. I think I just feel like I'm not good enough when I hang around them. Seriously, these guys are crazy talented. I get all excited for the "Tuesday meeting".
Ah well. I hope it goes well. I hope they don't ban me from coming over- I'm actually hoping that Gonzo gets off work early enough to show up this time, I think these guys think I'm making him up and just saying "he works alot" so they'll think I'm in a relationship. Seriously, he does exsist. He'll be in good "none drawing" company. The guy whose house we meet at is married, so his wife and 3 dogs will be there, and maybe one of the other guys will bring his girlfriend/fiance along- they can all sit in the corner and make fun of the fact that I "pretend to draw at the meetings".
On to practice drawing....
....
........................................
done and done...

Dog gone it!

Haha! I had to start over on the dog :( So sad I know. It's not done yet. But I sent an email to wait for approval from the requester. Once that's all approved, or changes are requested then I'll finish it up and post the final product.

So Ike was a pain when it went thru DFW, lots of rain, not too much wind, but yeah, the rain made me sleep all Saturday away. I could have been doing things...

I feel really awful for the people in Galveston and Houston, both for the people who didn't heed the warning and leave, and for those who have lost everything. Everytime I turn on the news it makes me want to volunteer for something, Red Cross, Salvation Army, who ever will take me. It also really makes me wish I was a millionaire. Just so I could donate some money- that way the organizations can buy the right supplies they need. I'm also considering donating blood. I've never done that before. When I was 18 and my High School had a blood drive, I wasn't elligable to donate because I had just gotten a tattoo. I went with a friend so she wouldn't be scared while she donated, and I almost passed out. Needles/hospital equipment + me= not a good combination. I went to try to donate while in college and that's when I found out I had anemia. Surely that's under control now- as I couldn't donate once they found that. I don't even know what blood type I am. Part of me hopes that I'm the same blood type as my mom- as she has one of the most needed blood types in the world (Don't ask me what that is). But part of me just really wants to help. These are my states people. I want to help.

The storm's a comin', the storm's a comin'!!!

Ah good 'ol hurricanes. Well not for the Gulf Coast people, but you know. There's the rain, the clouds, the wind, the flooding- you know..."The Good Stuff". Ok, it's not good, but it means that I get to eat microwave popcorn, drink sodas and order pizza and make the delivery man want to kill me because I made him drive to my house in the Tropical Storm conditions (by the time Ike gets to North Texas it will only be a Tropical Storm).
Well, this lovely "stay in doors" mentality gives me a ton of time to draw! I received a request this morning for a drawing! I'm overly excited!!! So excited that I did this outline quickly and started on the head...and well...I'm starting over. I know it's all rough, but I don't like where it's going. I may attempt to re-work this attempt this afternoon, but I think I would like to start fresh. We'll see. I'll post up more pictures later. (FYI, I dropped my camera on the ground yesterday. Concrete...it didn't break. Nor are there any defects happening. I'm in a state of shock.)

Big foot poop in a baggie

1. Ugly drawing:

I started drawing one of those babies from that forwarded email I was referring to earlier today...and OH MY LORD is it ugly. I'm not going to even start on the clothing. It's horrid (the drawing, not the photo I'm drawing from).

But at least I was in a drawing mood, right? So I kept drawing, designed some wrist tattoos that I would like to get (yes parents, wrist tattoos...one on my right that says "Draw" with a squiggly line under it and the tip of a pencil. and another one on my left that says "Knit"...so I can remember when I knit and purl my knitted rows are on the left... :) I'm lame. LOL.

So since I was still in the mood to draw after the ugliest drawing of a baby I have ever drawn (not entirely true, I actually drew a horrible picture of a co-workers niece that was gorgeous once...and started over before she saw it.) I decided to draw some Big Foot Sketches:

No, I am not one of the crazy people who will pay for a tour of some land that is "known" to have big foot walking around. If in fact big foot does exist, it's a wild creature. how do I know he won't come attack me if he felt like it? Or bite me. I have a very odd fear of creatures biting me...just running up and knawing on my leg or foot. Odd.

Anyway- yes I was crazy, glued to the news when there were reports of those idiots who claimed to have found a giant rubber suit with entrails in a freezer...I mean big foot. I figured it was a hoax. But with all of the new species people keep finding, or animals scientists thought were extinct, but keep popping up, I did want to believe that maybe, just maybe someone found one. It would have been kind of cool.

Which brings me to story time. I'm pretty sure I swore to my friend that I would never tell a soul about this, but I'm pretty sure I've told every living acquaintance the story, because I felt like such an ass (sorry mom, but it's the only fitting word here). So this "friend" of mine used to live in Seattle, and he would wander the woods at night, asking for trouble...I mean, hiking. He was afterall in search of big foot. One of these outings, he found "something" that he believed was "somethings" of big foots. So he picked it up and put it in a plastic baggie...to carry it around with him for 10 or so years. Until he meets me. He didn't tell me what it was, but grabbed the baggie in mid-story, where I go "oh yeah, Owl pellets. We dissected those in 6th grade". To which he immediatly threw the contents in the trash. He thought it was big foot poop. And I just went and shaddered his hopes and dreams. Seriously, I feel like an ass for that. I could have kept my mouth shut and he could have lived in blissful happiness for the rest of his life "knowing" that he had "bigfoot poop" in a baggie. But oh no. Open mouth insert foot! So yeah, Chad- if you ever read this, I'm really really really sorry that wasn't big foot poop. If I ever come across some though, I'll be sure to give you a call to redeem our friendship.

Part of me really likes to think that big foot is just a really tall, fat balding old guy who has a body hair growth problem. You know, especially with the reports from the south east where people say it has a horrible odor. To me it makes perfect sense.

I also some times think that it was just a really really tall gorilla that some how managed to live in the wild and mated with lord knows what to keep the "hurd" alive.

But then there's another part of me. Whose pretty sure this ellusive creature is actually just an unshowered, unshaved college Freshman who got lost after hitting the bong one night.

Or just got really drunk one night and lost in the woods...maybe hit his head on a tree branch and suffered some brain damage, so now he 1. doesn't know who or where he is, and 2. forgot how to speak.

But if there is "big foot" out there somewhere, I think it would be cool. I think it would be way cooler if there were unicorns and mermaids, and dragons, but I'd settle for a big foot. I just hope he's like Harry.

BAM!!!

See, you didn't really have time to be all that nice. I just seem to be in a better mood today.

Basically, after I made that purple and tan "pocket wallet" (name patent pending :P), and using it for the weekend, I decided it needed a little more...something...to make me feel safe that small objects that I was keeping inside weren't falling out of tiny holes. So I decided to fabric the inside (yeah sure, that's a real term right there "fabric the inside"). Plus, I felt that there needed to be a pocket inside of the wallet (hence "pocket wallet")- to prevent my phone from being scratched (too late for that, I scratched the crap out of the back of that thing 2 seconds after I got it). So voila! Granted this is the prototype. I attempted a stockinet stitch self stripping gray yarn yesterday and...well...It looks really pretty. But as for holding anything...unless it's small, it won't fit in there.
On the plus side, I'm totally in the mood to draw today. I've got a bunch of pictures to draw from the car show from Saturday, and I found some baby pictures that I had printed out from an email forward from back when I drew "Scary Leaf Head Baby". So maybe, just maybe I'll get a drawing done today. I finished the car drawing from earlier last week, 2 days ago, so I need something else to work on. Business has been ssssllllloooowwww. I'm guessing no one is thinking of Christmas...which is a quick 3.25 months away. I'm hoping for some commissioned drawings soon, just because I miss the rush of a deadline...and setting my own deadlines for drawings that aren't going anywhere just makes me go "hum, so I can push that date back, I'm a slacker". But if anyone is reading this and thinking "I want a drawing done, but it's kind of pricy". Just know that I don't charge shipping- anyone else who I've run into that does the same type of drawings charges more than I charge per drawing, and then charges shipping on top of that. No pressure though. Hand drawn portraits aren't everyone’s taste, and I totally understand. There's a lot of art work out there in the world that I'm not too keen on, so I wouldn't just go buying it because someone has time to make it. But if you are considering having me draw something for you, drop me a line and we can discuss it.

Slowest day ever

Aside from having eye issues yesterday and part of today, I have gotten some things accomplished.

If you are nice this week, I may show you the inside of this "pocket wallet" as I'm dubing it. Trust me, you will want to see that. But I'm not really in a posting/bragging mood.

I figured I should show the splatter paintings I've been working on...or worked on this weekend. The last 2 days it's been raining after work, so i can't spray the backs of the remaining ones...so here are the ones I finished this weekend:

I had to make a second Red splatter, purple background panel because Gonzo's aunt stole it, as you may recall. So I did this one. this is actually only a sliver of the entire thing. I got lazy with the photos. What can I say?

Ignore the flash in these, my camera hates where I live, so it's impossible to get rid of the glare. I actually really like this one, although not as much as Gonzo. This is actually partially see thru. I used a textured spray paint for the back, and oddly enough, 3 coats...heavy coats of the stuff, didn't make it non-see-thru (I've lost my vocabulary this afternoon...check back tomorrow.)

Weekend

I forgot my camera cord, so I can't upload any photos right now. Anyway, there's not a whole lot that went down this weekend, but here's an overview:

Saturday was the 1st Annual THEM- The Invasion Car show in Deep Ellum. That was freakin' awesome! It was a classic car show...and by classic, I mean mostly rods- one corvette showed up for about 20 minutes and left, obviously realizing that he was at the wrong car show, not your mom and pops classic cars, that's for sure (although some moms and pops were there with their awesome cars). I took lots of pictures and so did Gonzo, so I will have plenty of cars and bikes to draw for awhile. Not to mention enough inspiration for pinstripping that I may actually put brush to metal soon.
I got a wicked bad burn...again...while at the car show. Forhead and nose are nice and crispy, as well as the back and front of my neck, and my lower arms. At least this time I was smart enough to wear a t-shirt and not a tank top. One day I will wise up to the sun screen. One day.
Saturdays car show made me realize how much I want more tattoos. I've neglected getting more than the one I have because of work. I hate that work places won't accept that as art, and be done with it. Corporate America needs to loosen their ties a little. Freedom of Expression is needed more. Tattoos are sweet. I almost won a $100 gift certificate to get a tattoo done on Saturday...and by "almost won" I mean Gonzo bought a raffle ticket for me- the numbers weren't even close. But seriously, there were so many women there with sleeves done, or their entire legs covered that I was just like "I only want 1/10th of the number they have- what do they do for a living???"

Sunday was Zest Fest in Fort Worth. I wasn't that excited about it before I went, and during I was even less excited. A whole lot-a hot salsa's to sample made my stomach severly upset. I was surprised after only having gone down one aisle Gonzo threw in the towel and said "no more, I'm done"...so we just wandered amongst the 100s of others that were there until we had seen everything. Not all that exciting.
Saturday night Gonzo and I did paint up some more panels to hopefully either sell as is, or pinstripe and then sell. Hopefully I'll remember to grab the camera cord while at lunch, or I'll bring it tomorrow and upload some pretty photos.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend.