It's FRIDAY!!!

Ok, so actually - it's "Friday".
It's Wednesday in the "real" world. But in my world, it's Friday!
What that means is that I have the next 2 days off. And that it's beer and pizza night.
Yea, "Friday"!

And speaking of quotation marks, (what? Did too...) what is with that, anyway? Have you ever noticed that people use way too many quotation marks and obviously don't have a clue what they are for?
Like this one:

It's nice of him to stick around for 20 years, not really being their dad and all.

Or this one:


It's okay, it doesn't really "bite". Or doesn't "really" bite...

So, are superfluous quotation marks the worst or are random apostrophes even worse than that?
I mean, what the heck?


That make's absolutely "no sense" whatsoever. Bwahahahaha!

And speaking of no sense...
I got a 911 call the other day. Some lady (I use that term loosely) who wanted to file a fraud complaint because a local bar charged her nearly $9 for a margarita and didn't put any tequila in it. Except that she was clearly drunk. She also complained that other bars were putting cocaine in her drinks.
I'm thinking she needs to quit drinking.

Speaking of 911...it's not always crap and crazies, just so you know. I had a guy call one day to report a stolen car. He was at the courthouse. I asked which street he was on - he proceeded to start singing "On Broadway" for me. Made my day!

Speaking of musicals...I now hate my coffee stand gals. Okay, not really. But they were going on and on about "Glee" the other day so I thought, what the heck, I'll give it a try. I need something to replace "Ugly Betty" anyway...
So, thanks a lot. I'm completely hooked now! I love the music, the characters are a hoot. I so want to be on that show.
Whaddaya think?

HAPPY EARTH DAY

It's raining here today, and everything is really green. The plum trees in my backyard are in bloom and everything else is leafing.

I don't mind the rain. It's a nice background sound for the day.

I have a window open just enough to smell how green it is.
Have you ever noticed that? That things can smell green? It's really nice. It's a happy smell. A "new" smell.

It's a good day for Earth Day.

Speaking of ...

 I haven't had much to blog about this week, the brain is just not working the way I want it to. I wanted to post some new art this weekend, but I'm really having trouble with that. Kind of like writer's block, I guess. So I'll do another episode of  "Speaking of..."

Ready?

So I was randomly flipping channels last night and happened upon one of those "reality" shows, "Stupid Housewives of Fresno" or whatever. You know the ones. What is with that crap anyway? Do I really need to watch a gaggle of bimbos with too much money, too few brains and wa-a-a-ay too much cleavage talk about their money, and their cleavage? No. I watched about 5 minutes of it and wanted to claw my eyes out. Don't even talk to me about that Jersey show...what little I have read about it, I think it would make my brain bleed out my ears.

Speaking of "reality" shows, I will admit that there are some I really like. Project Runway just makes me happy. Apparently I love Heidi Klum, high heels and silly gay drama queens. I also like almost anything on Sci-Fi (I refuse to call it "SyFy" - what the hell?) and HGTV, even though I'm still miffed that they didn't give me that Dream Home I ordered.

Speaking of HGTV, Secret Agent Man and I have a new favorite show: "Holmes on Homes".  He is a Viking god that fixes homes for people who have been royally shafted by their contractors.  Mike Holmes is kind of like Ty Pennington, but less obnoxious and more buff. It's awesome. Except if I ever have to hire a contractor they are going to hate me because I'll be all, "Mike Holmes says..." and "Do you have the permits?" and "Have you ever done this before?" and stuff like that. And they're going to be all, "Don't you have something else to do, ma'am?"

Ma'am?

Speaking of "Ma'am..." as previously stated in another post, I am am not 45 years old. I wonder if I look funny to people, cruising down the road, head-banging to The Offspring and Kings of Leon. I have very eclectic tastes in music. King of Leon is one of my current favorites, but I also still love Steely Dan (if I was on a desert island and could only bring one CD it would be Steely Dan's "Gold"), and I have Imogen Heap, Lady GaGa, Spoon, the Weepies, Bing Crosby, Bare Naked Ladies, Bruce Hornsby, Elbow and Lyle Lovett, to name a few. My iPod is having an identity crisis.

Speaking of Apple...can someone please explain to me the big deal about the iPad? Isn't it just kind of big iPod Touch? I just don't get it. I guess I'm not all up on the Apple craze. Which is odd for an artist/graphic designer, so I've been told. I don't own a Mac. I have a  Gateway and it's just peachy. (No apples for me. Unless they are this kind.) What I really want is an Alienware laptop.

Actually, what I really want is an iCoffee, an iNap and an iVacation.


Speaking of vacations, you know what I think would be cool? If those of us who blog back and forth with each other regularly could swap houses for vacations. I want to trade with Pseudonymous High School Teacher...although it might not be as much fun if she weren't there to visit with.  Or maybe Midlife Slices so I can stay in their gorgeous new guest house. Of course, if it's cleaner than my house (likely) I may just stay...

 So, what are you thinkin' about today?

Speaking of Random...

Random Monday stuff.









Yah, that's the stuff. 

I went to the freezer last night to get a popsicle (mmm...grape bars!) and when I reached in for one I noticed a box of frozen pre-cooked bacon. I thought,"Mmm, bacon..." and had a split-second debate before deciding to stick with the grape bar. 

Speaking of "pre-cooked", what the heck is it with "pre" stuff? "Pre-cooked" bacon. It's not! It's just "cooked"! Pre-mixed, pre-cut, pre-chewed! Whatever. It sounds really stupid when you think about it enough.

Books on my Kindle that I am simultaneously reading:
"Fragile Things" -Neil Gaiman
"The Heart Is Not a Size" -Beth Kephart

"A Wind In the Door" -Madeleine L'Engle
"The Painter of Battles: A Novel" -Arturo Perez-Reverte
"Frankenstein" -Dean Koontz
"Alice In Wonderland" -Lewis Carroll 

Speaking of Alice, a little late to the game, but Secret Agent Man and I went to see Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland in 3D the other night. If you haven't taken the time to go see it yet, you should, before it's out of the theater. Way cool. 

Speaking of Secret Agent Man, later this month S.A.M. and I will have been married 7 years. We have lived in this house the exact same length of time. We had this kind of weekend 7 years ago:  Wednesday - the house was done being built. I went by on my way home from work and peeked in the windows. Friday we both had the day off, went and signed off on the house and got the keys. Saturday we got married. Sunday I had to go back to work. Sunday and Monday  S.A.M. and his parents moved my apartment-worth of stuff into the new house. I vowed, even though I did not have to move the majority of it, that I would never - ever - move again unless I absolutely had no choice. 

Speaking of moving, my parents are looking at moving back over here. They have been looking at houses when they come over and have been sending me listings to check out. I love looking at houses. Now I want to move again. 

I think I must be a gypsy. I have moved 32 times. Seriously. I'm 45 years old and I have moved 32 times. All but 2 have been since I turned 18. What the heck? (The sad thing is, I just counted them again, and I feel like I'm missing a couple...)

This is my new favorite thing this week.
This is my other new favorite thing. It made me laugh and cry at the same time. I don't know why. It just did.

And last, but not least, I really appreciate you all for stopping by and checking out my silly blog and my art stuff! I guess that makes you my other-other favorite thing this week! :)

Oh You Card!

I listed some more cards at Zazzle today.

Also some t-shirts:

and a bunch more, so go check it out! Buy something! (Is that too bossy?)

Thief! No, not you...

So I was perusing blogs today, and one of the blogs I went to was Amanda Raquel Worr's because I love, love, love her artwork. She had some information about books and resources to help budding illustrators, and illustrators who are having a hard time getting published.

One of the things she linked to is a blog called Escape from Illustration Island. I had actually come across this blog some time ago, and then as my 4-year old attention span is wont to do, I promptly forgot about it, so I was thrilled to make its re-acquaintance, so to speak. (Thanks Ms Worr!)
EII has lots of good info about copyrights and other legal stuff for artists. As I was reading through some of the older posts I found a link to an article about artist Chris Buzelli (again, love his stuff too!) who had a problem with a blogger at smartplanet.com who used one of Chris's pieces without permission.  Chris called for a "posse" after getting a somewhat snarky reply from the offender. Go here and read the comments to see what ensued.

Now, I get that it's really easy to find works online that you like and want to use for a variety of reasons.  I'm sure we've all seen a picture here or there that we want to use to illustrate a story or whatever. The point is that "right clicking" a piece and saving it to copy and use is, most of the time, illegal. There are some "unless-es". And sometimes, no matter how you dig, you can't ever find who actually took a picture or how to contact them.
But really, the effort should be made. I think most people would say okay to using something if they were contacted properly and credit would be given.  (Unless someone has already purchased the rights to said image, of course.) I know I am guilty of it as well... but I think what really gets me is that, to me,  it's one thing if it's some kind of generic picture that is plastered and  re-plastered all over the internet (I know, legally it's probably not, but hello - LOLcats anyone?) but to use someone's artwork is a whole different deal. And the fact that once contacted the "thief's" response was rude and uninformed was really too much. If someone ever contacted me like that about something I posted, I would take it down immediately and profusely apologize. End of story. And I would expect the same consideration. Not that anyone has. So far. (I guess I'm not famous enough, huh?!)

Anyway, it's an interesting and informative read for you artists out there. Check it out.

Oh yah, how do you like my new "kids"?

Hey, there Cupcake!

When I initially designed my cupcakes I really had no idea what I was going to do with them. I just liked them. I mean, who doesn't like cupcakes? 

I sold one to a lady who wanted to use it for her Etsy banner. 

And I have sold a couple prints here and there. But I still had no real game plan for them. 

Then I found Zazzle. And baby clothes. And look how cute this is!

Almost makes me wanna have a baby. 

No. It doesn't.

End of "Tera's Truths" Contest

Okay, so the votes are in, so to speak. And no one got all 3 of the "truths".
Three people got one right each. And since no one got all three, and I said the first person to get all 3 would win, I'm going to call it good with the first person who played that got 1 right.
That would be...Shirley! Who's idea it was to do this silly thing in the first place...so I guess that's kind of fitting.  (Shirley, email me!)

So what are the answers? They are as follows.

1:  I once won a backstage pass to an Oingo Boingo concert and had my picture taken with Danny Elfman.
     FALSE!  I just wish it were true. Secret Agent Man is a huge Oingo Boingo fan and I guess   
     it's rubbed off.

2:  I got to be part of a crowd scene at the Rocking Horse Bar in Spokane during the filming of "Vision  Quest".  Madonna sang "Crazy For You".

     FALSE!  However, two of my roommates at the time did drive over an hour to Spokane and 

     then waited in line for 4 hours to try to get in before deciding to just go shopping instead!

3:  I lived in Frankfurt, Germany for two years, by myself, and worked at a Burger King.
     TRUE! I got married way too young to a military guy, moved to Germany with him, 
     promptly separated and then was stuck there until my parents decided to send me $ to 
     get home.

4:  I had to be air-lifted off a mountain after a skiing accident that broke both my ankles.
     FALSE! It sort-of-kind-of-almost-but-not-quite happened to my brother though.

5:  I am a direct descendant of Erik the Red.
     False! As far as I know, being adopted and all. But my dad used to tell me I was. (Way to go 
     dad! Made me feel all important and stuff!)

6:  I once got arrested for public intoxication outside of a Journey concert.
     TRUE!  Well, I got a ticket. (Same diff in this state.)  There was a whole group of us, 

    and several of the group were drinking, I was not (that's my story and I'm sticking to  

    it!), but we all got tickets. And had to go to court. And my car broke down on the way 

     there (no, it's true!) so they issued a warrant for me but since I was on my way out of 

     country (see #3) they said the heck with it and threw it out. 

      (There Michel, feel better now!?)

7:  I'm a speed reader. I once read War and Peace in 20 minutes.
     FALSE! It's actually a Woody Allen quote.

8:  I'm color blind.
     FALSE! But it would make drawing interesting wouldn't it?!
 

9:  I'm a "night owl", get bad sunburns when I'm exposed to too much sun and am severely allergic to garlic. I think this means I'm half vampire.
     TRUE!  Bwah ha ha ha ha! No seriously!  Bwah ha ha... oh drat. Still true, though.