This time my lateness is all because I don't appear to have internet at home. I tried, kiddos, I promise, but it looks like my internet is planning to give me trouble for a long time. At least I have slacker privileges at work. ;)

I'm working really hard on myself these days, and feeling better and better because of it. It's tough because even though I'm practicing cultivating compassion and happiness, I recognize that I have a lot more internal work to do and that I need to take a class or find a guide or something, and the more I try to focus and to generate inner poise, the more troubling issues come bubbling up, like a giant soup. They say this is how you know you're making progress, but I feel super emotional as a result. I wonder... how does one find a reputable yoga and meditation teacher in Hawaii? One who is genuine and cool and not a total fruit loop?

On the plus side, it's giving me lots of new toon material. ;)

I miss you guys so much! Tell me about how you are and what you're up to.


Here is your rerun! Somehow, one of my absolute favorites. Enjoy!

So I've been reading this book which is partially about India and the discovery of one's own self and power through mediation and prayer, and this -- of course -- while it's beautiful and righteous, immediately puts me to mind exactly how much work I need to do on myself. Naturally, I have no idea how to meditate, and I really feel as if, like home dentistry, it's not the sort of thing that should be practiced without some serious instruction first, so at this point I'm just floundering in all these thoughts of my own spiritual and emotional inadequacies.

I try to focus on loving kindness, filling my mind -- and therefore my corner of the world -- with good, warm feelings, spreading out like little spiderwebs of joy and acceptance, calming my monkey mind and inviting tranquility and grace into my brain. The trouble was, I was doing this first thing in the morning, on the city bus, with a guy in front of me talking loudly on his cell phone and a lady next to me who kept trying to shove her duffel bag onto my lap. Possibly the best place in world to start -- but then again, possibly not.

Still, I was doing all right, until I got off the bus and realized that the roadworks had made me late for work and that my manager was already there, ready to see me walk in late. Then my poise got a little rattled.

Erica, my manager, was just fine with me being late, but this didn't help my sudden anxiety, since anxiety is always looking for excuses to come in and root through your fridge, and then it just won't leave.

Sara, the new hire who is very sweet and cute, said, "Do you take the bus? Cause you have that same look on your face that I have when I get off the bus."

"Yeah," I said, sighing. "Worst part is, today was the day I was going to start practicing inner poise and developing a calm and enlightened and loving attitude toward the world. Har har."

Then Erica cocked her head at me and said, "Kit... you are, like, the most calm and peaceful and radiant person I know. You have this completely kind and relaxing presence, all the way to your voice. Why would you even say that you need to improve on that?"

For a second I just stood there. I didn't see any of that, but if she did, that was a big deal to me. It made me feel like I'm not as hopeless as I thought.

Morning everybody! Once again, it is so bloody cold here that I'm wondering why I even bothered leaving Ohio. I still get that stupid, too-cold-to-leave-the-bed-this-early thing happening, but without the added charm of a yard full of snow to ease the pain. Bah. Still, the island is being promised thunderstorms soon, so I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Hey, it's time for a word from our sponsors-- the sister and I have been working hard on lots of new and exciting things for the shop, so come over and check us out!

Etsy Buy Handmade voodoopastry

And now for your rerun of the week. This was one of my favorites for a lot of different reasons -- it has its roots in a real experience, it has an amusing literary reference, and best of all, a giant monster, which just makes any comic more fun. Enjoy!

I wish I were outside today, riding round the North Shore in a little boat with a sputtery motor, feeding sharks and watching for whales to fluke near the boat. This morning, Wahiawa was freezing cold, gray and rainy, and it was all I could do to drag myself out of bed, wrap myself up and get on the even colder bus (why they insist on cranking the A/C full blast first thing in the morning when it's still sludgy cold outside is beyond me). Still, in spite of all that, I can see the sun now and I bet it's a good hot day out there in the real Hawaii, on the water, under the sun.

I am in the office, with more detestable air conditioning, feeling like a creature on exhibition, looking outside through glass in a Lysol-scented terrarium.

Today, I wish I were a fisherman. Or something.


Happy Wednesday, 'roos! I have another rerun for you. This was one of the earlier Finn strips (funny how different he looks now) where he's trying to assert his demonic nature. I guess I was still playing with his personality, but I still am. Enjoy!

Say what you will about the insanity of downtown and the virtues of staying home in your PJs and watching Star Trek. Any other day, I'm right there with you with a caramel apple and no inclination to step out there. But on Halloween night, which I first experienced only a week before the Boyfriend and I became official nearly two year ago now, the city is a good place to be.

Nevermind that that year we saw two different guys open their respective car doors and puke on the street as well as a rhinestone Elvis giving me the eye all before we even got to the center of Waikiki; it was wicked good fun.

This year, Sue drove me up to meet The Boyfriend with his homemade Day of the Dead mask as he got off work, and while Sue went home to chill and pass out candy, Skullface and I drove to the heart of Honolulu, into a giant music and art festival taking place in Chinatown.

All the bands were fantastic, just plunked down at different areas of the city and rocking out, but in particular this New Orleans-derived blues/rock group that would make The Black Keys pee their pants. They had a man on tuba who was using it to play the bass part. Have you ever HEARDA that shit? Well it was great. Band was called Anders Osborne. During their performance two different guys, Cheech Marin included, spilled their beer on my same foot. But it was chill.


( Rock the Casbah... )

Another happy Tuesday night/Wednesday morning to y'all! Before we jump into your revisted comic for today, I want to show you what I made...


The Tortuga Rum necklace.

I have to re-do some of the threadwork, but it's not that bad for my first necklace all by myself! I used these awesome skull beads that I found on etsy and which lend themselves to all sorts of piratey and voodooesque jewelery. I need more tutoring from Sue before I can really make anything astounding, but I had fun with this. It's up on the shop if you want to check it out!


This was my first environmentally conscious strip, and also my first Berkeley Breathed-style poem-toon, so it stands out as one that I enjoyed very much. Plus, I like bagging on Donald Trump, always. Enjoy (again)!

Believe me, I don't like being on break from Snap Crackle Pop any more than y'all do. Not that I've heard any complaints (which I'd really love to -- honest!). It's not so much that it's desired as it is necessary, to catch up on things, to finally put the book together, to perhaps actually find out what the deal is with this website jargin...

Anyway, I hate leaving you in the cold. I know there's nothing so comforting and dependable as your morning toons (or whatever time zone you may be in), and being a part of that is the best I could ask for (apart from getting paid for it).

So, to keep us all relatively happy until such time as I'm all prepared to jump back into giving you new toons, I'll be running a few old strips, ones I particularly liked, to keep the Wednesday fires a-burning. It'll be embarrassing at first, as some of this art is over two years old, but hopefully it'll be entertaining anyway.

This one, my computer tells me, ran back in January of 1970. But since I wasn't so much as a zygote then, and since my computer's dating system has lied before, I'd put it at early 2007. Enjoy!

Ahhh. Today has been a heckuvalot better than yesterday. I just got back from a nice swim with mum, I got a lot of important stuff taken care of, and a lot of fun stuff done. What's more, I made up a brand new batch of Claymates to put on Domestic Voodoo and since they are just so cute (though I say it myself) I figured I'd give my favorite people the first look at them. Don't worry if any of these get sold -- I can easily make more, and shall.


Obviously, this one is named David.

( Claymates and one Skelebuddy.. )


Also, now that I'm at #150 for Snap Crackle Pop, I'm thinking of taking a short break so I can get caught up on all my projects. I have commissions for paintings as well as toys, and I'll need the extra time to get the SCP book att finished and ready to print. So, a small survey: would you guys be totally betrayed if I went on hiatus for a month or two? Would you lose interest in the comic? Would you riot? Be honest. I'd actually be flattered if a few of you got pissed. Don't hold back. Really.

Love you all (especially you. Yes, you) and I hope your day is going great!

Evening/morning, y'all! I missed ya.

Since strangers keep writing me angry comments about that one time I made fun of Danny Couch on Haole If You Hear Me, I'm thinking of making it friends only, so if you'd like to read my soon-to-be-more-frequent posts about life in Hawaii from a white chick's perspective, add me fast! To amuse me and satisfy his moral outrage over all my Danny Couch-related hate mail, The Boyfriend wrote a hilarious and topical short post, which you must read. Do so now!


I hope you enjoy this week's comic; it's number 150 and so I believe this is the final one that will go in The Book which is still being put together with the help of my sister and which I hope will be available before too long.

With a lot of love and mush, and with no further ado, your Snap Crackle Pop.

Hooo, I am late this week! At least it's still Wednesday.

Sorry folks. The truth is, I've been up to my ears in orders for this Halloween! The Skelebuddies are going like hot malasadas, and I've got another batch order from another shop as well as a very amusing order from a shop in the Dominican Republic, which is a stop on a cruise line so all these folks from Miami and whatnot flock there to buy Dominican stuff. The shopkeeper requested a batch of my handpainted wooden wriggle fish to sell in his shop, which I will happily do, if only because I find it hilarious that Miami tourists are going to buy authentic Dominican folk art made by an Ohioan in Hawaii. I've never even been to Samana.

But you know how Lyle Lovett said it: That's right, you're not from Texas, but Texas wants you anyway. XD

Anyway, enough prattle and excuses. I promised you lovely people a toon! Enjoy, please.





Reader React: If this cartoon made you want ice cream, comment and tell me what flavor!

I think if my life were being watched in little bursts by some person or other, it would seem very absurd.

Burst: Early morning on the bus, reading Nicholas Nickleby two seats down from a man periodically shouting at no one.

Burst: Afternoon, trying to explain to a four year old why it's not okay to paint your body parts instead of the paper while another four year old declares that he has stickies in this pants.

Burst: At home, watching Star Trek with The Boyfriend in between Brad Neely impressions and bicycle crunches.

Burst: Stooped over the kitchen sink, trying to dislodge from a fish tank the skeleton of my deceased algae eater with chopsticks.

Burst: At the desk, putting the final touches on a comic strip featuring myself, a dragon and a kilted Scotsman (spoiler!)

Ah well. It's a fun life anyway.


For you gals -- you know who you are -- who get it. Kilts are magic. And, just a note to all those men not of Scottish descent, though I am happily taken I shall still quote Mae West: "I like two types of men; foreign and domestic." Enjoy.



The reader will please take note of my elaborate use of background scenery.


Reader React: If you chuckled at this comic, comment and tell me who Finn would be pulling you away from!

Oh, it's a crazy world. The world is going crazy. I have been absolutely SURROUNDED by rude people lately, from the idiotic lady at work who didn't like how I sang a song so she told everybody really loudly what a terrible teacher I am; to the California snob-man cowing his gum behind my ear on the bus while talking about how much he hates Hawaii and then listing all the body parts people have two of as if realizing this makes him brilliant; to my incredibly loud and obnoxious neighbors, one of whom desperately needs to have a visit from Child Services, or a crowbar.

The good part is that all this stuff just makes me appreciate my awesome family and boyfriend so much more. Not to mention all of you marvelous people. I am a lucky turd. :)

Halloween and Day of the Dead are coming up! I'm making as many new Skelebuddies as I can to keep up. Watch the shop to see if the right pal for you pops up!


I have no idea how today's comic will go over. The Boyfriend liked it, which is surprising, considering. Dig in!

Howdy! As of right now, I have nothing interesting to report, even though there are many marvelously interesting things happening. It's been a dogpile of crazy stuff -- the birthday, hanging with the family, realizing my boy cat is a girl cat, really rude mean people at work, snuggling my man, designing new Skelebuddies for the upcoming holiday and -- finally -- painting something just for me. This one will take a while -- there's no real sense to it, it's just a jumble of crazy things, but it has Charlie Chaplin. Which is my focal point, I guess.

And how are you busy people doing? Could you use a comic today, perhaps?

I can't let this theme go, it's too much fun. This one sortakinda alludes to a children's story I wrote and am working on making into a book. Enjoy, campers!

Hey y'all! Since it's already Wednesday for most of you I'll just go ahead and say that by tomorrow (Thursday) I'll be twenty-four! Good gravy, I'm old.

Either way, we're having a cookout with steaks and campfire mac'n'chee and good tunes and in true Hobbit style I got presents for my family. I think it'll be grand. Lots of love to you all too!

The online store is really taking off, thanks to Sue and her wicked cool hats and her rabid followers, and some exciting things are helping spread our craftiness across the globe. I finally finished the order of Skelebuddies for Krystal, whose comic shop in Kentucky wants a crop of them and some of Sue's felt donuts to sell there. Sue has been contacted by a shopkeeper in Stockholm, Sweden who has ordered a whole heap of her handknit hats to sell over there. Our shop got a note from someone from the Cameron Art Museum in North Carolina who requested submissions from us for an exhibit they're doing on toys made by artists (all my other artist toymakers out there are invited to join in the fun!). Just today I got a note from someone who is part of a big Day of the Dead festival put on each year in Indianapolis who said that they want my Skelebuddies for the festival marketplace.

I've been listening to that Dolly Parton song "9 to 5" with all the gleeful abandon of a gal whose life might one day really take off. ;)



On a similar note, read my comic! And tell everyone you know.

Once again, this week we feature extra-special, extra-awesome guest art from The Boyfriend! When I told him what I wanted to do for this week and asked his advice on how to go about it, it occurred to me that he'd be better at it than I would. He set right to drawing the first three panels and left the fourth to me. Enjoy!




For more of The Boyfriend's fabulous work (including his recent Star Trek Meets Planet of the Apes series which is so rad) go here!

Check out our new stuff! We got gourds and hats and shrunken heads and baby owls! All the good stuff in life.

Etsy Buy Handmade voodoopastry

Oh I am way too wrapped up in watching Heroes right now to say much... I did all my inking in front of the show. It's the older season, back before it started to smell.

Anyway, have a comic! This is one that I'm pretty happy with, and also it's completely true. Enjoy!

It's hot. I mean, I know it's hot everywhere, but I live on a bloody island, it's HOT. And no ice cream. I can dream about it.

More of Sue's AMAZING hats up on Domestic Voodoo! Some of them are very Where The Wild Things Are. Go check them out!



Today's comic is dedicated to all those out there in the working world who know just what I'm talking about, particularly The Boyfriend, who was my inspiration for this strip. I had to re-name my place of employment, but you get the ideer. This is basically what my day looks like. Enjoy!



If you read this strip and laughed, comment and tell me where you are in your Happy Place!

New Claymates are up on the shop! We've got two owls, a peapod and a Sasquatch. Go see! More to come later.

Oy vey. I have another painting to do by September, a set of 20 Skelebuddies to finish and send out, cookies to bake my father, new Claymates to paint, next week's cartoon to write, and today my boss accidentally gave my paycheck to someone else, so I won't see it till tomorrow.

Will I ever get a real job?

I don't know. In the meantime, have a cartoon. Chins up!

Whew! Got it in under the wire. It's still Wednesday in my time zone, baby!

I'll post some pictures tomorrow -- fun at the zoo, more Claymates, possibly even my new gourds. Till then, forgive my lateness and enjoy your ridiculous comic for today.

Oh man, these are crafty days. Let's see if I can get it all...

I've been making my new Cabezas keychains for the Domestic Voodoo Shop, but waaay cooler is that a bunch of Sue's incredible hats are now up on the shop, each one better than the last.

I finally finished my large load of commissions and will post pictures soon. I loved doing those paintings, but now that it's over, it's a big load off my mind. I've also been experimenting with modeling clay and making fun little creatures which I will post up here very soon.

What's more, I've been looking into crafts with gourds, which looks like a huge boatload of fun. Of course, in researching materials and stuff for these gourd related projects, you run into things that make you re-think the whole sushi... a series of gourd-lover buttons with phrases like "Gourd is my Copilot" and "In Gourd We Trust" and "Ask me about gourds -- I DARE YOU" and, my personal favorite and most disturbing, "Do it with a gourd". Seeing this stuff makes me think maybe I shouldn't get into gourd crafts, or I may wind up four hundred pounds and frizzy haired with a pair of those lawn ornaments in the shape of fat rosy-cheeked children giggling at each other.

But whatever. I'll have fun with these anyway.


On to the cartoon! I love these ones that represent me as dumb as I truly am...



While in the middle of inking this, I was called away to do something and The Boyfriend sat at my desk and looked at the toon. Only after I got back and had inked half a panel did I realize -- snorting and giggling -- that in the space in the hood of the demon at the front door, he'd sketched a crazy face with cross eyes and a huge overbite. It seemed a shame to eventually erase it, and part of me wishes I'd just kept it in there.


POP SURVEY: If you read this cartoon with your morning coffee/tea/toast/whatnot, comment and tell me about your breakfast!