In honor of Papaw Babydoll

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Date:	2007-11-19 09:41
Subject:	Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated
Security:	Public
Mood:	mischievous
Music:	"Trouble with Tribbles"

A quick one for everyone who's been convinced I've dropped off the planet. Well, I have - I fell into a well of my own hyperactivity. It totally screwed up string theory - there's now a 12th string...it's called AprylRae and all the other strings point at it and giggle.

I'm hiding from the physicists. They want to hurt me.

Seriously though - who WHO would have thought that moving to the SAME time zone as all your buddies would make it impossible for you to call people - it blows big time!

The studio is up and running - we're getting ready for Black Friday - with a twinkle in our eyes. No, it isn't desperation - it's the glow of the season! There are so many cute little pottery and makeup gift-baskets sitting around you can't swing a stick without hearing a cellulose rustle. But, they ARE cute. Like little tribbles...except blue, er, and breakable. And - I'm relatively certain you can't put a tribble in a kiln. Well, you can...but it'll burn off.

I was listening to our commercial and realized we mentioned jewelry.
I have No jewelry on display. None, ziltch. I do it all custom order - so it is sold as soon as the sketch is done....so...guess what I'm doing today?

Great news!! We were able to get a Kawoni Van! She's an 84 VW Vanagon, blue and white...and her name is Gertie. Like a lot of ladies in the area - she's about to have some face work done :)

The horsemen and the dog pretty well summed up the last week on the drive home last night. Sometimes you get to a point in your life when you just have to stop and wonder - HOW did this happen? What brought this on?

I hit that point last night.

At a stop light a man in the car next to us got out and looked in his trunk, shut it, got in and drove off. Innocuous right?

Pestilence asked what he was doing. Famine said "Checking on the body"

She DIDN'T blink.

I didn't for two miles either.

We stopped for dog food on the way home, mainly because I-Chaya is insane. He spends half an hour licking is hoo and both his ha's - drinks from the potty on occasion - but is *above* dog food. He likes salad - preferably Caesar with a side of salmon...oh, and carrots and broccoli with ranch dressing. We're vegetarians for crying out loud! Cooking salmon in the house is not something I enjoy. Well, they have a great new brand - it's called "Wolf King" (he's a siberian) - the first ingredient is bison. BISON. It's all Bison and Salmon...with sweet potatoes and stuff - and none of the odd stuff that isn't good for them. Did I mention bison? He went nuts. I'm surprised the dog didn't request a cigarette after-wards.

One warning to anyone who wants to try it. Very healthy, apparently tasty as well. Wait for it.

Dog Digesting Bison Gas.

You know...I think I'll stop there. There's no way your mind will go as bad as it actually was.

I have to run errands...but will be back!

Date:	2006-10-24 19:04
Subject:	The life and times of the three horsemen - an intro
Security:	Public
Mood:	quixotic

Once upon a time in Appalachia three wonderful children were born to an unsuspecting couple. The little darlings became euphemistically known as Pestilence (currently 5), Famine (currently 7) and War (physically 11 - mentally - ??? somewhere between Buggs Bunny and a Tibetan Monk). War had the option of being "Death" but decided against it because "Killing is bad...and in war it is possible to simply outsmart someone...you don't absolutely have to kill"

O_o ok...

Of course, their grandparents had strong convictions about the names of the children.

The convictions were squelched when they learned that Pestilence and Famine were at that moment upstairs in the tub having a butt sniffing contest. Loser cleaned the bathroom after tubby time.

Many of you have heard the psychotic mythos of their exploits...but some haven't and the stories are totally screwed if you don't know the players. So, a brief re-cap.

Famine gave herself a title at age 3. The same year she sent me to the emergency room with all eight bones in my wrist dislocated...two years afterwards she attempted to stare down a state trooper. The trooper refrained from having her for an apres dinner apperitif with ketchup.

Her title is "The"

She uses it often, and has been known...in fits of disgust...to put it on her papers at school. Her teachers have come to realize her effect on the other denizens of second grade, whom she refers to as her minions. She will be eligible to vote during the November 2017 primaries.

Lock up your sons.

The Christmas after her fourth birthday she came downstairs wearing nothing save a pair of black leather "Dora the Explorer" boots and a tiara - and holding a wand. When she was told to put on something warm she announced to everyone, through gritted teeth, that she was "the QUEEN!!!" and began waving the wand at everyone in the room. As she was being carried upstairs, ramrod strait, she looked confusedly at the wand and asked "why aren't you a frog yet momma?" - waved the wand again - and said "It must need batteries."

Pestilence, being the youngest...and the only boy...spent the better part of his formative years hiding a lot. He hid on bookshelves, under laundry baskets, even in the dryer (Famine showed him how).

The very existence of Pestilence is a miracle in its own right. He wakes up happy every morning, just knowing he's made it through the night.

Pestilence has been known to stop an entire group of hikers on the side of a mountain and make them wait for a snake to cross the path...so they wouldn't scare the snake. He also enjoys stopping them to inform anyone who will listen that he likes to pee in the woods. He is the only child I have ever seen who can consistently pick up and cary wounded animals without being harmed...birds, reptiles...you name it he has brought it to me to fix.

Everyone needs a hobby.

While most little boys admire Superman or Spiderman...he emulates Gomez Addams - to the point that many a dinner has been paused so that he can stand on his head before we all eat.

When he has nightmares Grandmother Bear is always there to watch over him.

War is beyond description. War has an unerring knack for making friends with very different people - then informing them that everyone will play together. Miraciously they do...in her presence. We're waiting for the day when her mysterious charm wears off and all these poor children realize how many years they have simply done whatever she's asked. But for now - it's just fun to watch.

War has spent the last couple of months drooling over my stiletto boots. Her favorite game at age three was "Tie up Grandma" (as in with a jump-rope, then climb up on the couch with her and watch Scooby Doo). She'll be voting November 2013 - unless she figures out a way to ensure global domination before then. But she's polite...so no one will mind.

Really.

You'll *never* know.

When she does watch TV inevitably she gets torqued up about decent shows being canceled. A forty five minute (minimum) diatribe ensues in which she goes off about the need for plots...real actors (those with *talent*)...and how kids today are going to grow up even more stupid because the people in charge of studios don't think people should think.

War has decided someone needs to be smacked.

The entire sixth grade has heard of and seen shows their parents never expected.

On a dare.

Because she asked.





And lo, we have proof that I'm constantly one horseman shy of an apocalypse.

Date:	2006-10-24 18:57
Subject:	yeah - sort of
Security:	Public
Mood:	anxious

Ok...so I'm commuting 2600 miles to work. You'd think that fact alone would buy me a little break right?

Nope.

We finally found a *great* studio space. We qualify to rent it. We have the blessed lease right here! But...the office can't seem to call us to come in and sign the thing.

Aneurysm needs to be a mood.

Date:	2006-10-09 17:31
Subject:	Signs
Security:	Public
Mood:	mellow

A quick re-cap for the newbies:

I'm a Sagittarius Sun with a Libra Moon and a Scorpio Ascendent, my Venus is in Aquarius, my Mars is in Ares...and that pretty well says it all - doesn't it?!

Every day is just a walk through the park once your come to accept the fact that chaos is fun. "My mind is as still as the eye of a hurricane, serene, energetic, waiting." Unfortunatly, I myself am the said hurricane...so I trip over my mind all the time.

So, another little list of reality to help everyone:
DABDA.


D is for DoDo, Dumb, Ditsy, Duh and Denial as in "I'm not possibly out of coffee" "I can't possibly have promised 6 dozen cookies for the PTA meeting" "That is *not* something unidentifiable floating in the sink" "I volunteered what?!?!" "My ceiling is where?" "They need it when?"

A is for Acrimony, Animosity, Annoyance, Antagonism and Anger as in "Why am I out of coffee?!" "Who eats cookies anyway?!" "Stupid sink!" "I need my mouth wired shut" "I hate deligating!"

B is for BS, Bandybaiting, Bushwhacking and Bargaining as in "I'll be more efficient with coffee" "I'll be a better person if I can just be a good mom" "I'll read the entire Sears manual on home improvement while the cookies are cooling - that's efficient" "I'll meet people to delegate to if I volunteer...I know I will" "I'm a good person, and gosh darn it people like me"

D is for Dejection, Desolation, Desperation, Despondency, and Depression (er, and DoDo and Duh and the like) as in "I don't deserve coffee, and I have no time because there's this whole Sears maunal and all...and the type face isn't even, how unseemly, I should fix that" "Hmm...I should go sit in the corner and eat organic-reconstituted-non-GMO-gluten-free-Vegan-soy-worm-substitute"

A is for Accession, Acquiescence, Admission, Affirmation and Acceptance as in "I'll never have coffee again - who needs sleep anyway" "Wow - look at all the pretty colors" "I like sitting on the front porch braiding my hair and sucking my thumb"

It's all a state of mind...

God give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed,
courage to change the things which should/must be changed,
and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.


That being said, we never actually really can do it can we?

Date:	2006-10-05 13:39
Subject:	my malfunction
Security:	Public
Mood:	ditzy

A question to the universe at large:

What exactly *is* my malfunction? I mean REALLY! Contrary to popular belief I'm actually a serious person - I just happen to have a plesant disposition right? Er, and I take my humor seriously...

Anyway, I just pulled the AR-ism to end all AR-isms.

So, I'm walking through the WalMart trying to pick up some groceries to leave for the family because I'll be gone for a month. Oh - and I decided to fly rather than drive my 180K truck with no gages across the country...so I'm scrambling to get stuff done before I fly out in 6.5 days. And I just got back from Atlanta - and two of the kids had birthday parties last week - and we had a string of storms so bad I swear I saw an ark. So, I'm shopping and packing in my head when I see a buddy. He's having a problem with his upcoming wedding. The bride is petite and can't find a dress. They're in bad shape. A lot of people would have felt bad for them right? Maybe looked up a good dressmaker website perhaps?

Settle down - wait for it you know it's coming.

So, I'm making a wedding dress this weekend before I fly out...

Truthfully - you all knew it was gonna happen right? What *is* it with me?

Have to go - they'll be over in a few hours and I still have to finish chores.

Date:	2006-09-18 13:25
Subject:
Security:	Public
Mood:	blank

Sleep deprived rambling warning.
I mean really - how long can a person stay up without rambling sooner or later?!

OK - for those who have asked for the "AR Project Scheduling Guidelines tm" or as Marisa calls it "How to juggle chainsaws for fun and efficiency" here they are:

1) It IS possible to do 6 things at once. Really. Umhuh.
2) Look for personal injury - or possible injury. If one of the projects involves blood or bone, it gets priority...usually...unless its your own.
3) Public property damage - if it involves the kids flooding out the floor and making the second story tub fall into the basement garage...you guessed it, second priority.
4) What ever is closest to your left hand (er...cause everyone is lefthanded right?!?!). Fine your dominate hand then...

See - simple :)

Date:	2006-09-13 15:42
Subject:	Dragon Con 06 Update
Security:	Public
Mood:	busy

Well, the whole thing went really well! There's nothing like being plopped down with 50K people and having to give art lectures on the fly to keep you on your toes.
Class notes will be up soon!


Here's my fav CG we had for sale:



If anyone hasn't experienced a DC yet - do so. It is a remarkable, and surreal, experience. I'd just flip if Creation would attend one and take a few notes.

Date:	2006-09-13 15:11
Subject:	Welcome
Security:	Public
Mood:	artistic

Ok, being the launch post and all this should include some riotous story, or other interesting tidbit or something.

Patience - it will come!