Blank Canvas

Happy mid-September. I suppose. Just, y'know, waiting for October, and everything that comes with it. Just get here already... And bring that chill to the air with you.

Finally got some art projects going. I'm painting a flat wooden 20-sided die for my husband, and working on the first of hopefully a few canvasses for a friend. She just opened up a bar close to where I work, and it's hippie-themed. I'm also hoping to finally do the Poison Ivy (from the Batman universe) canvas I've wanted to do for ages.

I'll share pics of them once they're done.

The new house is going nicely. Got it all unpacked, now just need to get a couple projects done. A dresser for the kid, an entertainment center. Deep freeze. This 'n that.

Apparently we moved into a nature preserve. Countless squirrels, rabbits, mourning doves, cardinals, other birds I can't identify, possums, a snake or three, and... two chipmunks. Yep. However, it's only when I keep the bird feeder filled. Leave it empty for a few days, and it's a ghost town.

One of the chipmunks, the one I see regularly, is my favorite. When I fill the hanging bird feeder, I'll lay some food out on the ground for him. He fills his cheeks and disappears for a while, then returns empty. Repeat. The other chipmunk I only saw once or twice, and I thought "oh, you brought family, awesome!..." then suddenly he chased the new guy away with great hostility. "Or... not... ok..."

Hopefully getting new ink soon. As in new tattoo. Again with the sharing of pics once it happens.

Our family "vacation" this summer (I'm really not considering it a vacation, for reasons) included a sightseeing trip to "castle ruins" in/near the Ozarks. If you're ever in the area, it's worth the time. Here's a pic to give you an idea...

After a couple of paragraphs, I realized that I really don't have much to say tonight... Just excited to be doing art again, I guess, and wanted to share. Don't really have a lot to get excited about these days.

Take care. Ta-ta.

Crafty Carvings

Finally carved jack-o-lanterns yesterday. This year may be the latest I carved them. Less than a week before Halloween. At any rate, here's the result:

The smaller is Devon's. He chose that design, and I carved. (Has a totally lopsided grin, but sometimes those are the best!) The larger is mine. Not my favorite design. I didn't put as much thought and effort into it this year. But, I tried making up for it a bit afterward with a bit of creativity.

Cannibal Pumpkin says "You're next, Gourdo..."

I plan to make up for it next year. Maybe have a design that matches the intricacy that my Beetlejuice required. Or, if all else fails, just do the Ghost with the Most again...

Been at my housecleaning job for over a month now.

Oh! And I made one of the two recipes I posted about awhile back. Pappardelle alla Lepre. Ribbon pasta with rabbit sauce. While it could've had more sauce to it, it had a very good flavor and it went over pretty well.

Time To Gore The Gourd!

Hey there. Hope this finds you well. I met my newborn nephew over the weekend. Quietest baby I've ever heard. Barely cried. One of the first things he and I did was sit down and watch Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Good times! Nerdy aunt for the win.

Currently in the middle of my fourth week at the house cleaning job. While there are some elements I dislike, as you'll find in almost any job, I'm quite liking it. Perfect schedule, and I've already gotten a 25¢ raise. I get paid weekly, which is a big difference from the once-a-month that the school system had. But... I'm making about $200 more, monthly, than they were paying me.

Also over the weekend, we caught most of "Autopsy: The Last Hours of Phil Hartman" on tv. So now I'm getting ahold of the show NewsRadio, all 5 seasons. He died in between the fourth and fifth season.

Bought my yearly pumpkin today! Haven't sketched out a design yet, though.

Actually... just drew one up. We'll see whether or not something better comes along.

Excited it's October. Though once again, not getting in my quota of scary movies. I'll work on that the next two weekends.

Here's to many scares, fewer cavities, and fantastic autumn days... and of course nights!

Break It Down, Now...

Five days ago, I was employed by a hotel, working 2-3 days a week for very little money, half an hour away. Not very satisfied with how things were, but unwilling to return to unemployment, AKA Square One.

Four days ago, I received a call from a local business I'd applied for some time ago, and given up on.

Three days ago, I went in and talked to the manager/owner of this business, and agreed to start the next day. I left that meeting, went home and grabbed my hotel uniform, and drove the half hour to return it.

Two days ago, I started my Monday-thru-Friday day job cleaning houses. And I'm much more satisfied with where I am now.

So... Yay!

I keep listening to the new Red Hot Chili Peppers album. Really like it. The last song is currently playing. I like the rhythm to it. But also, cool beginning, cool title... "Dreams of a Samurai." Reminds me of "Death of a Martian" from their Stadium Arcadium album, which has been a favorite of mine for some time.

Alright, so... "Death of a Martian" just got more meaningful. Apparently, the band's bassist, Flea, had a dog who died during the making of Stadium Arcadium. So, the song is about and dedicated to Martian the dog. Now that I know this, certain lyrics make more sense. "Make room for Clara's bare feet"... Clara is Flea's daughter. "Chase lizards, bark at donkeys"... "She caught the ball"... And to be honest, I never appreciated the last part of the song - it seemed out of rhythm to me - but now that I know it's intended to be a poem, I appreciate it a hell of a lot more.

Here's a bit of background on the song...

Hope this finds you well. Happy belated first day of autumn/Autumnal Equinox! I'm excited, but apparently the swarm of mosquitoes outside my front door hasn't received the memo. Beat it, bloodsuckers.

Oh, and I'll leave you with one last note, and it's in regards to the Chili Peppers. It's not so new, so you may have seen it before. If so, I hope you liked it enough to enjoy watching it again.

Clever Charasmatic F'kin Models

So that pumpkin I said I was going to carve... got carved. It was successful and I'm rather proud of it.

See what I mean about bringing a simple outline to life? The outline looks rather different, more like a psycho clown than this crazy fellow.

Unfortunately, it'll rot fast. The more intricate, the faster they decay.

Just started reading Odd Apocalypse by Dean Koontz, the 5th installment in his Odd Thomas series. I love the humor in the Odd books. Take this excerpt for instance:

First, I ate half of the delicious croissant, but only half. By this restraint, I proved to myself that in spite of the pressures and the turmoil to which I am uniquely subjected, I remain reliably disciplined. Then I ate the other half.

The secondary character, Annamaria, is frustratingly enigmatic. I wish I could be more like her. She says very little, and almost all of what she says is in riddles. But I like the way she explains herself. She says that similar to the way you can't look directly at the sun, less you'll get hurt, she gives answers that are vague and skirt around the issue, because the true answer is too damaging.

My almost four year old witnessed me carving Mr. Geuse two days ago, and is still getting into the silverware drawer for a knife - repeatedly - and trying to carve up the other two pumpkins we have. Once I wasn't paying attention, and suddenly heard "elp! Elp me!" Looked over and he now wants me to help with his discretion. Another time he (the quick little bugger he is) had gotten a knife, and seeing him go up to the pumpkin with it, I yell "NO!" and he sticks it into the pumpkin - up to the hilt - real fast. I don't know if I'm amused or frightened.

I had a thought tonight at work... has anyone ever carved a tangerine? It'd be like a mini pumpkin. And Google images found this for me:

I

I know they just carved pieces of the rind out and left the mesocarp, but I like it. It's clever.

Definitely my favorite month of the year, October.

(Why is it the 10th month when Octo means 8?)

(Oh. Damn Romans.)