Five New Heads!

Yesterday was all about new heads. I worked on these five lovelies from before noon until nearly 6pm. Which was perfect timing, because I then had to get dressed (I had, um, worked in my pajamas all day), because we had been invited to a special screening of a forthcoming movie. And the score for that movie, done by a friend of ours, was great! And um, yeah. We really liked the part our friend did.

But these heads! I'm pleased with them. They already have perspective identities in my mind. There's prospector head, and swimming girl head, fancy pants girl with her beehive (which was originally going to be more Marge Simpson curly, but didn't end up as such), and the shy girl who's maybe a little chubby, and her weird, goofy brother. I think about them a little too much; it maybe isn't healthy. I have a hard time parting with them by the time they're completely done. I've spent so much time with them, and assigned them personalities. It's something I need to work on.

We're still waiting to hear about the dream apartment. One couple turned it down, and there's still one couple ahead of us. But they haven't communicated with the people at the building in awhile, so we have a good chance. I'm really hoping. I think we'll know today though, one way or another.

Still no official new apartment. We've applied for three, but we're down to two possiblities at the moment. Our choice- Charlie decided he wasn't as crazy about one place once he had thought about it, and since it was the most expensive of current options, it wasn't a big sacrifice. I'm still anxious to here from the places we do want, and I'm not making a big effort to seek out new possiblities right this second. It's just as well, as looking at apartments during the work week is tricky.

No new art to show right this minute. I have a few sketches around and a sock I've been knitting (I've been knitting it for awhile. It's not even the second sock. It's the first sock. This doesn't bode well for the pair getting done in a timely fashion). There are some new model prototypes I made today, but they're for an commercial job, and not really all that interesting out of context anyhow. Plus most spare time has been taken up by apartment hunting, errands, and yesterday's much need spa trip. (The spa trip was a belated birthday present from Charlie. He went too. We had massages. It was lovely.)

Since I don't have art to share today, here's a close-up of Smee, waiting patiently as I hold his Kong over his head.


And as an added bonus, Rusty helping Charlie sit on a chair!

We've just started apartment hunting, and I'm so antsy. I know that technically we have time, but we've been itching to get out of this place for months now. We saw a place that was pretty great last night, and applied. We haven't heard back yet, and I don't expect we will until late today or tomorrow, if not until Monday. Neither of us could sleep particularly well, and now I'm all jangly from tiredness, but still to hyper to rest.

And it's generally hard, because even with the move into the suburbs (we're planning to move to Pasadena or there abouts, from our current LA home), there's very little that's both in our price range and allows pets. Add in the fact that as we get older and more financial stable we're also getting a lot pickier, and choices get ridiculously scant. Los Angeles is just a very expensive city. And it's suburbs likewise.

Anyhow, I really do hope that this is all resolved soon. I feel like I'm going to be on edge for months to come.

My world is lovely

So I tried out some new things with this doll. Her feet have flat bottoms, and she has removable shoes. I also used some little brass colored glass beads I got this weekend as buttons down the front of her dress, and on the cuffs. And her skirt is paneled, so that it goes outward in all directions. I'm really pleased with how she turned out!

I pleased with a lot of stuff lately. I've been working out regularly, and even if it's only been a week, I'm still really proud of myself. It isn't something I love, but I know that it's good for me. That said, now that it's starting to make me feel healthier, it's easier to go to the gym.

And I love all of these toys I've been making! It was a little bit of a gamble, as I'm making a lot of it up as I go along. But I really think they look good. They're cool! The one I have up on my store isn't selling, and I feel like there's a good chance that future ones I put up won't sell either. My luck isn't great, and I need to push myself to promote more. But at least I love making them.

Plus I'm starting a new series of paintings this week. A loose narrative told in scenes across four or five small canvases, it will portray a girl's trip through space to a strange new place. Sort of an allegory for my move to LA, which has been wonderful and bizarre and terrifying all at once.

And hats! I'm making hats again. I sold a hat a few weeks ago, and I'm working on more. There will be teapot hats and peacock hats and tree hats!

Yeah, art is making my world lovely.

New Doll! Plus Bonus Body Issue Digressions

Another doll, done! She came together relatively easily. I think I must be getting the hang of my doll making process. She'll be up in the shop soon. Watch for updates!

In other news, I started going to the gym yesterday. When I lived in Chicago, I walked a lot. It was my main mode of transportation. Sadly, walking everywhere in LA just isn't possible, and even where you can walk, it frequently isn't pleasant. So I've gotten out of shape, and it wasn't feeling very good. And I wasn't feeling super great about how I look. Which I feel guilty about, the being down on my chubby self. Especially as I frequently think other girls look extra cute when they're chubby. But for myself, it doesn't match up with how I look in my head. Probably because I was a tiny kid, and most of the women in my family are wee. The realization that I would never be a tiny, lithe little thing, at least not as a healthy person, was not really a bad thing, but it was sort of a surprise to me. At any rate, the fact that my health will improve with working out is my bigger concern, along with generally feeling good. And I'm going back this afternoon. I already feel more awake than before. I realize that's mostly a psychological thing, but whatever. I'm feeling good!

This picture represents how I'm feeling right now.

Nothing I'm doing is working particularly well today, and it's terribly frustrating. The little felt robot pouch I want to make to hold my business cards has come out crappy twice in a row now. The handle for the teapot hat I'm crocheting is all lumpy. My head hurts, it's too warm, people are doing loud construction type things in the neighborhood, and everytime I get a leg up on housework the dishes fill the sink again and the clothes are back in the dirty laundry bag. In other words, nothing is really wrong, I'm just in a colossal grump today.

I think I'm going to go draw more. That, at least, is working today.

Weekend of Awesome!

Taking a break from washing the mountain of dishes from last night's Sopranos finale party (kind of liked the end, perhaps precisely because it pissed so many people off). I have to take a break for a few minutes to give my finger a few minutes to heal, as I cut it on one of the pointier of the dirty things.

So I will point out highlights of my weekend!

Friday was my birthday, which was spent reading, working on hats to sell, hanging with the dog and cat, and fielding phone calls from well-wishers. In the evening Charlie took me to Los Balcones Des Peru, our favoritist LA restaurant. After a trip to the cd store and the comic book store, we came home. And not a moment to soon! We were going to watch a dvd, but when Charlie flipped on the tv, there was a police chase. And newscaster was saying "They've just rounded the corner of Adams on the Washington". And we remarked to each other that that was awfully close to our house. (You know where this is going, yes?) So we settled in to watch the chase, which went in circles around our neighborhood. It was all "hey, there's the Trader Joe's" and "hey, there's HD Buttercup". And then they turned on to my street! And it was all "hey, there is our house" and "hey, there is our car." It was kind of scary, but we kept watching to the end and it came to a peaceful conclusion.

And Saturday it was off to Pete and Caroline's house for a Pete's birthday party. Which was enormously awesome. There were tons of great people, lots of good food, and a bouncy castle! I'm now firmly of the belief that basically every social event needs a bouncy castle. For that matter, ever gym needs a bouncy castle, as that may be the most exhausting cardiovascular exercise ever.

But yes! Good weekend! And please excuse any typos, I am having trouble typing with a band-aid on my fingertip. Also, my brain is a little stupid today.

Stuff in Shop! Stuff in Shop!

This little fellow has been added to my etsy shop!

Sew Excited (that I'm making awful puns)

Tada! I have finally set up my new sewing machine! And despite the copy on the box (and my deep fears) it did come with a foot pedal. It just gives you the option of using a start/stop button on the front instead. Which is actually kind of cool, that my machine could be used by someone with out good use of their legs. It's an inclusive machine!

I was seriously afraid to set it up. I hadn't used a sewing machine in a few years, and I really thought I was going to mess it up. Now that I've set it up with no trouble, I have to laugh at myself. It's not like driving a car, where messing up could hurt or kill someone. The worst that could happen is I'd sew through my finger or break some machine part. Fortunately, it set up with out issues, and sews quite nicely. Sews pretty quietly too.

In a bit I'll have to put it away for the day (the perils of having no designated work space and having to use the kitchen table), but I'm really excited to put this baby to heavy use. I'll have to name it, I think.

On an unrelated note, this weekend was fully of greatness! Friday night we went out for dinner at Sushi Karen, one of my favorite restaurants in LA (well, technically Culver City, but same difference). The food is great, but because it's not on a super main drag it's never super crowded.

Saturday we were off to the LA Arboretum, which we somehow had never been to. I can't imagine how we'd gone so long with out visiting it. It's amazing. Lots of leisurely walking, lots of trees and plants, and there were peacocks and turtles everywhere.

And yesterday I went to my very first baseball game! It was great. I was afraid I would become horribly bored, but I didn't. I actually had tons of fun, and the game was really close. So close in fact that Charlie went to use the bathroom, and when he came back a minute later the game was over.

Okay. On to some online pattern browsing, and then to conquer the mountain of weekend dishes.

New Little Lady! And Dog Update!

Tada! She was a bit on the complicated side, but I like how she turned out. She isn't quite done yet (I'm going to make her a little messenger bag, and little books to go in it) but I was eager to get her picture up here. Hence the lackluster photos. Although even if I had waited for tomorrow morning to take the pictures, it probably wouldn't have been that great. It's been really gray here lately.

In other news, Smee the dog is feeling all better. Right now he's sitting on the sofa, chewing on his foot. Which is another thing I wish he'd stop doing, but I'll take it over him being sick. I'm pretty level headed with this sort of thing, but I was really worried about him yesterday. I was about to get in the car and take him to the vet when he finally started getting better. He's my little guy. I'm glad he's back to his old self.

Poor Puppy

Dog is vomiting on everything, hope to be back to art tomorrow.

All Better!

A little bit of paint, and the heads and faces I burnt earlier are as good as new.

Accident at the head and face factory

Apparently at some point the timer went off, but I did not hear it.

Little Hoodie Guy!

This may be the best one yet! I'm really proud of all of the little details (the hood, the sweatshirt pocket, the drawstring tie on the pants, the shoe laces). He kind of reminds me of my sister's husband, although there isn't much resemblance. I think it's the clothing.

built in clothes=good!

Okay, built in clothes are definitely the way to go, at least until I get my sewing machine. This little fellow took a few hours of work, but it was worth it. And I can feel my handsewing getting faster again, so the time spent should improve over time.
Anyway, I really like how this one turned out. I'm not sure how easy it is to tell in the photo, but I embroidered the details on to his little jeans.

clothing failure

Thus far, my attempts at clothing the dolls has been lackluster. I've realized that sewing little tiny clothes without a sewing machine takes more patience than I have. Also, it may not be with in my skills to make removable pants that don't look really stupid at that size. I did make (most of) a little doll-sized sweater, and it's turned out beautifully. Unfortunately, putting the sweater on the doll put way too much stress on her shoulder joints. I'm going to finish the sweater and hang on to it for some other toy, but for this doll I'll have to try again. I'm thinking a little thread crochet sundress may work quite nicely.

New Work!

Back to work with me! I've been painting and making toys again, as I'm giving self-employment another shot. Today I'm putting up pictures of some of the toys and toys in progress (the more conventional dolls are going to have clothes soon). As soon as I get good pictures of the recent paintings, I'll post those too.
And soon I'll put a whole bunch of it up in my long neglected etsy shop, in the hopes of pulling of the money-making part of self employment.

Things I've learned today:

1. It's worth spending an extra $5 to buy a mop that doesn't suck ass. Oh my god is our new mop better than our old one! I can wring it out. I can get around corners. The floor is clean but not soaking wet. I love you new mop!

2 I learned how to darn socks! Sort of!

A month or two ago I noticed that one of my pink socks, the very first pair of socks that I knit (the only pair I've finished thus far, although that will change soon) had a hole. Not able to throw them away, I set them aside for a bit. And today, armed with many printouts of online darning instructions, I gave it a go.

So far as I can tell, there is a pretty but difficult way of darning socks, and an ugly but easy way of darning socks. After a go at the former, I gave up at went for the latter. And it worked! It looks like crap, but it worked! As it feels fine on my foot, and seems to be holding the hole from expanding, I'm considering it a success.

The young people of the neighborhood have all decided that the cool place to hang out today is the unpaved alley behind my house.

Young people, I am all good with you hanging out back there. You seem like nice kids. I don't really mind the constant chatter. But for god's sake, stop hanging out with the kids that shriek. They sound like happy shrieks, but still. Please stop shrieking. Please

Back to comics!

So. I used to do a lot of comics. And I'd like to again. I'm working on one that I've been playing with on and off for years now, about a fishperson (mermaid seems like the wrong term, considering it's a more fish like affair, and not all stars and sparkley goo-goo) (not that there is anything wrong with stars and sparkley goo-goo, it just isn't my style).

But I'd also like to do auto-bio comics again. Except I sometimes feel like I'm not interesting enough. Which is how I suspect is how most people feel, but still. That said, I'm still going to give it a go.

Bathroom Fun!

The cold continues, although it is starting to fade a bit. I don't feel nearly so much like crap, but I'm sneezing constantly. I've been using old dish towels to wipe my nose, as I'm finding it helps avoid the horrible nostril chaffing that tissue leaves. Then I'm washing the towels, because I'm not gross.

Today was also fun because the toilet decided for no particular reason to overflow all over the place. Right as Charlie was about to get in the shower before heading into work for a few hours. Right as I was starting to make lunch. Charlie called me into the bathroom to help. It was then that we realized that we did not own a plunger. Because we rock. So Charlie went off to buy a plunger, I made lunch, he fixed the toilet, took his shower, we ate lunch and he went off to work. I got to mop the floor (and I am buying a new mop the next time I am at the store, because our mop sucks), wash the towels that we used to soak up the overflow, and wash approximately seven hundred million dishes. Which was fun. That said, I'm all appreciative that Charlie is the one going into an office on Saturday instead of me. I'd much rather deal with our messy household stuff.

All toilet mishaps aside, it's actually been a good day. In the mail today we got an Amazon gift certificate, a paycheck for me, and a suprisingly large amount of money back from the DMV for overpayment of fees. So that was pretty cool.

Also, we learned yesterday that Charlie is allergic to dustmites and cats, but not dogs. As in, Smee is not the problem. Somehow, this makes me feel vindicated.

French cartoons!

I am currently keeping myself entertained with this site, which I discovered via Drawn. The site is entirely in French (I think you can actually get parts of it in English, but it doesn't really matter for my purposes), and has several animated shorts.

I am needing to keep myself entertained because I am full of snot. Very full of snot. Although it is all in my head, not my lungs, which if you are familiar with the way I tend to get colds, is unusual.

I've also been doing a lot of painting and drawing this week. Charlie and I decided that since he's got a well paid job now, it would be alright if I worked on my own art at home until my internship making stop-motion puppets starts. Because while I am very good at temp work, especially reception work, it was causing me massive anxiety. That said, I'm actually glad to still have the option of temp work open to me in the future. If finances make it necessary, I can do it. It's just that right now, since I don't have to temp, I'm going to work on my own art while I have the time.

And yeah! The internship! I'm going to be working in Puppetry department of a stop-motion animation company. A million thanks to Pete, who helped me get this position. It isn't a paying gig, but it's a foot in the door for doing something that will be fulfilling. I think this may lead me on a career path that I'll actually be excited about and engaged in.

Pear Sorbet

The pear sorbet worked! And it was ultra tasty! I've been eating it with slices of manchego cheese, which it goes with very, very well. It was also very much enjoyed Friday night, as dessert for our weekly dinner with Jed.

And yesterday was fun as well. Charlie and I met up with Pete, Caroline, Nigel, and Megan to go to the new fashion/architecture exhibit at MOCA. The exhibit itself was fascinating, although the fun for me was brought down by the guards, who were yelling at people for even looking at the pieces too closely. There was sort of a jail for art atmosphere going on. That said, I haven't felt that at past exhibits there, and I suspect I won't in the future. I think it was a combination of big crowds, and the fact that sadly, those dresses and architectural models are worth way, way more money than any paintings they would display.

But anyway! It was still really fun and really interesting. And afterwards, everyone came back to our house for dinner and board games. Everyone met Rusty, and played with Smee. It was a great evening.

-Pear Sorbet-
5 red anjou pears, peeled and cored
19.5 oz. pear nectar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp brandy (optional, but don't leave it out if you're worried about tasting the alcohol, it's more of a flavor enhancer it this case.)

Combine pears, 11.5 oz. pear nectar, sugar, and vanilla in saucepan. Cook over medium heat for 40-45 minutes.

Puree in food processor until smooth.

Stir in remaining pear nectar, and brandy.

Chill in refridgerator for at least three hours.

Freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.

Blueberry Ice Cream

Well. I have not been so good of late on my promise to myself to update the blog more. In my defense, it's been really busy here. Not even fun busy. Temp work busy.

Fortunately, it should transition into non-temp work busy soon. I'm hoping that in two months time or so, I should be hard at work on something in my field! My current career path plan is to balance a combination of puppetry, painting, and illustration/graphic design. And it's actually looking like I'll be able to do that.

My other project of the moment is cooking. Not that I'm not always cooking- the vast majority of our meals are at home, and are made from fresh ingredients right before we eat. But I'm trying to create more of my own recipes. I have a hope to someday publish a cookbook. It could be self published. That would be fine. I'm mainly interested in getting more people cooking more often. I think it's something a lot of people are afraid of, and I want to get the word out that it isn't that hard. Even things that people think of as tricky, like souffles and custards, are actually pretty easy.

Anyway, we've been really into homemade soups and homemade ice creams at our house. The picture above is the blueberry ice cream I made on Monday. That one isn't my own recipe; I got it from William-Sonoma Ice Cream, a book I highly recommend. Everything I've tried from it has been wonderful. Today's project is a pear sorbet. I couldn't find a recipe that was quite what I wanted for that, so I've made up my own. If it turns out well, I'll share it.

cupcakes!!!

I came home today to the most wonderful surprise. No, not the pillow the dog had torn apart or the puddle of urine he left on the bathroom floor. I came home to those too, but they weren't that big of a surprise. No, the surprise was that while I was off working a temp job, my husband went to the store and bought a strawberry cake mix and chocolate frosting,and he made me some cupcakes! They are very tasty, and so very, very pink inside.

And last night we had a fabulous time! Between our friend Pete and Charlie's work, we were able to see The Animation Show, and for free! The shorts were really good this year, for the most part, and we got to see a lot of friends. One of those friends is Shane Acker, the director on the movie Charlie has been working on most recently. The short that the feature is based on, "9", is screening at the festival, and Shane did a little Q&A afterwords. It was actually one of the better movie screening Q&A's I've been at. People actually asked decent questions, and Shane had excellent answers. Anyhow, if you get a chance at all, go see The Animation Show, and definitely go see the 9 feature when it hits theaters.

After the screening, a big bunch of us went to a bar in Santa Monica. I got to talk to some people I haven't seen in awhile, and I got to meet Shane's wife Sibyl, who's very nice. Charlie got up and did Led Zepplin for karoke, and as always, really got into it. It was fun.

Then we got home, and weren't in bed until around two, and then it took me awhile after that to fall asleep. So of course today was the day the temp agency called me, after not calling all week, and not calling last week except for Monday. Fortunately, it was the office I worked in the last time, which is a slight pain in the ass the get to with the traffic, but is filled with extremely nice people and an office that is set up incredibly well. So it was an easy, quiet day, and the only bad thing I brought away from it was a big blister on my foot.

Now I am hanging around at home, while Charlie is off helping a friend with a possible project. I had planned to go to the West Hollywood Stitch and Bitch, which I've been going to most Thursdays lately. But between a full day's work and a late night last night, I'm wiped out. So it's off to read my new book about getting started as an illustrator for me.

Rusty!!!!!

So. I did not get back to the blogging so fast as I intended. I meant to. Really I did. But a certain Charlie got pulled back for a week's additional work on a movie he had been with most of last year. Which meant limited computer access for me. Also, since it was a very last minute deal and on a tight budget, I ended up being Charlie's defacto unpaid assistant. Lots of flagging scripts and running off to buy things at Office Max. It was actually kind of cool, if a bit tedious. And now he's off cavorting with movie stars for the day while I work on art related business.

Also! We got a cat! A cat named Rusty! He's five years old, and cute as a button. He talks constantly.
As cats often are when the first come to new homes, Rusty is still a little shy. He's coming around, but he still likes to hide under the bed and behind the washing machine for hours on end. Also, yesterday, I couldn't find him for about seven hours (impressive in a house this small) and by the time Charlie came home I was getting a bit worried. We ended up in full on panic mode, taking the house apart, when Charlie heard a little mew coming from the kitchen. Rusty had not only gotten into a cabinet, he had burrowed behind several layers of pans.

And I've been busy with the art and the craft. There's been a lot of painting, and a good deal of crocheting as well. I'm making myself a queen sized blanket, in the skinny stripe style that seems to be sweeping the crafty internet these days. I figure I get a nice blanket at the end, and with the added bonus of clearing up lots of yarn stash clutter.

Back! Now with Marriage!

So I have returned. Technically, I was back in Los Angeles on January 1, but it's hard to get back into a blogging groove. I kept putting it off and putting it off. And really, I'm still mostly putting it off, because I need to transfer all the good pictures of the wedding and the travels and the art and the crafts and what not off of the other computer. Also, House is on soon, and it's one of three shows I watch (along with Simpsons and King of the Hill), and I really kind of want to watch it. But tomorrow! With the art and the stories and such! It will be good! Please come back! I promise to be all posty and good and funny!

And for now, you get a picture of the man who is now my husband, snuggled with Smee the super wonder dog. If you know Charlie, you will understand how amazing a transformation this is. This is a man who was deeply afraid of the most gentle of dogs, now a major dog advocate. He pushes other people to get dogs. Even people who really shouldn't, like those that travel constantly, and those who are deathly allergic. He's been converted.

Over the river and through the, um, desert.

Tonight we leave on the great cross-country trip to Chicago! I can't say I'm really looking forward to the drive, but I think it will go alright. And I'm very excited about being in Chicago again. I definitely miss it. As much as I like LA, I feel out of place here in a way I don't so much in Chicago. I don't even think it's people here, or the culture here. Because there are so many people in California who are so wonderful, that I am so very, very fond of. But my family is in Chicago, and it will be nice, for a little while at least, to be back there with them.

We will be traveling with the dog, which I suspect is in some ways worse than traveling with a child. Sure children require a great deal more entertaining on roadtrips, but the trade off is that you can take the into restaurants. At least into McDonalds. I will be having several days of eating in the car, with evenings of eating in a hotel room. I've done before, coming out here, and it isn't fun.

But then we will be there! And on November 25th, we're getting married! Which is amazingly cool.

The goldfish hat is up in my etsy shop! Go buy it! You know you want that classy hat!

Goldfish Hat!

A new hat! People who knew me in Chicago, (and really, a lot of people here in LA) know that I used to sell handmade, self-designed hats for extra money. I decided to get back at it, and this is the first of them. It'll be up in the shop tomorrow!

Five paintings!

A very productive day! I finished five paintings! Some of them will be up in the shop soon, once I decide which ones I'm going to sell.

Halloween Roundup!

So. That was sort of a lackluster Halloween. I was sure that this year, being in Los Angeles, where people I know are always having parties, that there would be Halloween merriment. But no. People we knew were generally sick, injured or out of town.

That said, I did have some vaguely Halloween related fun this weekend, so I'm not complaining. Charlie and I met up with Jed and Kate for a puppet theatre performance of Frankenstein, which was really good. And really, I'm a big supporter of anything puppet related. And this was largely paper and shadow puppets, which I am particularly fond of.

After the show, Jed joined Charlie and me in our kitchen for a dinner of cheeseburgers, creamed kale, and mixed greens with blue cheese dressing. Good beer was had by all, and then there was much playing of the Guitar Hero video game.

Halloween day itself was fairly low key. I set up my etsy shop, did some sketches, worked on my sweater. I prepared for trick or treaters, but as I had suspect, the number I got was zero. So I now have six pounds of Smarties.

Poor Charlie didn't get home from work last night until 1:30 in the morning, so I had a quiet evening alone but for the dog, watching House and doing art.

And now I have the hiccups.

Etsy Shop!

My etsy shop is open! These two paintings and two drawings are up for sale! Come visit!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!


As you can see, the whole family is sharing one costume this year.
One more picture of Smee, who looks the sweetest in the costume.

Via the worst picture ever taken, I present to the world my progress on the Sweet sweater. It's coming along pretty well. I have a few more inches to go until I reach the bottom, and then I need to decide if I'm going to put sleeves on. But I doing it! It's getting done.

Sadly, not much else has been accomplished today. I slept poorly last night, and in my attempt to take a short nap to make up the difference, I somehow slept about 2 1/2 hours this afternoon. Mainly I have done crocheting, and figuring out a driving route for our trip back to Chicago for the wedding. Why am I taking yet another cross-country road trip, since I didn't really enjoy it the first time and now it's also winter so we have to take a slower, southern route? The dog. Because there is a good chance that we will spend a goodly amount of December in Chicago, we've decided take the dog with us, so that he can hang out at my mom's house. I'm not checking him as baggage or cargo, therefore we have to drive.

The toppers for my wedding cake! I designed the pattern myself and everything. I'm very pleased with how they turned out.

I am back! Ta da!

At last I can make my triumphant return to the internets, for the internets, she is finally hooked up at my house!

And so much has happened since last I posted. We moved into our new place, the wee little back half of a duplex right off of Venice. Two days later, I had to put the cat to sleep. It was absolutely heartbreaking, and we miss him terribly. But it was the right thing to do. He had stopped eating, could barely move, and seemed like he was maybe in pain. He was basically in liver failure. It was very, very hard, but I think it was the kindest thing I could do for him at the point. At least, thankfully, our dog is very young and in excellent health, so we should have him around for a good long time. And I suspect a new cat will come into our lives in a few months.

But good things have happened too! The move was a good thing! This new house is much smaller, but it's also in much better repair, and is owned by much nicer people. And a few weeks ago we went out to Chicago, partly to see our families, but mostly for my dear friends Erin and David's wedding. Which was absolutely beautiful, and the reception that followed was a blast. I'm so incredibly happy for them. You look at them, talk to them, and you know that they're in love. They're in it for the long haul.

And I have set up, just today, an etsy shop! Which has nothing in it! But probably will tomorrow! People should buy stuff, so that I can go to Sawtelle and buy myself a big bowl of ramen for lunch sometime soon!

And my own wedding is coming up, in less than a month. It's a weird thought, because I spent a lot of my life assuming I would end up alone. It was something I was fine with, but the fact that I'm going to be with Charlie for the rest of my life is more than just a pleasant surprise. It makes everything just a lot nicer.

And there has been arts! And crafts! My sweater for the crochet-along is progressing nicely, and I like it enough that I think when I finish it, I may start another one. And I have made the toppers for the wedding cake, a felt dinosaur bride and robot groom. (There will be pictures of all of these things tomorrow. I procrastinated all day, and now I don't have the daylight for good pictures anymore.)

And I love my new toothpaste! The cinnamon flavor Crest ProHealth makes my teeth feel so very, very clean, and the cinnamon flavor is so much more pleasant than the mint of whatever the hell we were brushing our teeth with before.

Also, I love that my only real co-worker at the moment is the dog. He is so damn cute.

Hi! Just checking in to say that I am not dead, nor is Monkeys Go Home abandoned. I'm simply without internet in the new house at the moment. Also, I am currently out of town, at my parents' house in Chicago. But I should be back and kicking up some art dust pretty damn soon!