Groovacity {jungle and city and rain}

All sorts of randomage... cookies...

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 07:37:17 GMT

Hey all! I'm finally back. Thanks for waiting so nicely.

New stuff up on Lily's and my etsy shop! Some of her marvelous hats, and a few brand new geisha dolls and Skelebuddies! Help two broke-arse gals and check it out.

Etsy
Buy Handmade
voodoopastry

Another silly bit of fluff, but please, for the love of mike, watch this, and prepare to feel so good. A marvelous video...

All right, kangaroos, your comic is finally here. Sorry I couldn't post it last week but I hope you'll dig it anyway. Enjoy!

Ugh... oog...

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:23:00 GMT

*zombie moan*

I'm so sorry, guys. I'm sick. At first I thought it was vog-related (the volcanic fog in Hawaii is an often unseen menace that has been killing my allergies lately) but now I'm sure I've caught whatever flubug The Boyfriend has. We were so pathetic last night, coughing and groaning and shivering. I should not be at work today, but I am.

What's worse is that as a result I don't have your comic for today. Every time I tried to finish it, I just needed to lie down. Really sorry, everyone. I'll try to finish it by tonight.

In the meantime I have to pretend I'm not sick so the customers won't get mad at me. Oy vey.

I want to be unstoppable

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 09:16:19 GMT

I can't quite account for it -- I've been so busy lately that I seem to have gotten nothing done at all. How does that happen?

My puffers didn't make it. I'm told this is pretty normal for that variety. After a respectable period of mourning I went back to the only logical and comfortable alternative -- the trusty and cheerful goldfish. I have two, quite pudgy and marvelous, named Pepper and Pickle. They really seem to love each other; they're always nosing each other and sticking close.

It's been raining here for days. Sometimes I love it, sometimes I wish it would stop.

Happy comic day, folks! Enjoy this one -- writing it made me chuckle, which is unusual.

Ugh, off to bed...

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 09:17:20 GMT

Finally I get to use the Carmen Miranda icon I made...

All right, kids, have a comic. A SEVERE sinus attack is making me want to die, so I'll keep this brief. The Boyfriend and the Star Trek original series are keeping me afloat.

As to the gardening in this toon, since I can't actually do it, I'm using the cartoon as a means of making it almost true.

Enjoy!

O stormy seas and tentaclees...

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 07:43:07 GMT

It's a mixed bag this week, 'roos. On the downside, I'm being completely ignored by my coworkers, I'm swamped with projects I can't walk away from, I can't manage to cook anything new and interesting, and I think my last surviving puffer might soon buy the farm. The other two disappeared and Aramis, the last one, started swimming erratically and floating. I have no idea what I'm doing wrong.

On the upside, my etsy shop is doing so well in its first week that I already made seventy bucks! I can't help but be excited about that. Plus, my boyfriend is great, my family is great, and I am great.

So, a little bit of a lot of things. Let's have a comic, eh?

I'm fully convinced this happens almost nightly. Yes, the comic is dark, but that's just because it's night. See, I'm all artsy like that. :p Enjoy, all!

Another Wednesday...

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 09:06:48 GMT

Hey everyone! I've torn myself away from Twin Peaks long enough to give you tonight's comic. Enjoy!

Voodicular Boogie

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:28:15 GMT

Hey all! Finally got up my etsy shop!

For these items and a ton more, go check out my brand spankin' new shop, Domestic Voodoo!

And if voodoo supplies aren't your thing, don't worry. I'll be listing a lot of different items that I've made, including some geisha nesting dolls. I'm also hoping that this shop will include my awesome sister and her crafts, so keep your eyeballs peeled for all that goodness.

Please enjoy!

Home sick from work today. Once I start feeling less oogy I'll get up and clean the house, but until then, I'm working on cartoons and crafts. Hope you're all well.

Puffer fish and rude shells

Wed, 27 May 2009 19:13:55 GMT

Sorry I'm late again! I'm getting pretty good about rushing for the deadline, but it's still a bad habit and I had to pack it in last night so I could sleep. One of my major distractions, of course, was my three new friends in my fish tank.

After a respectful period of mourning for my extremely cool and departed fish Levi, I've done my research, prepared my tank and acquired three little pea puffers! They are tiny, only about as big as half a fingernail. They're camera shy as a breed, but they look like this...

I've named them Athos, Porthos and Aramis. Naturally I can't tell which is which, but ah well. So far they're staying alive and eating like champs! Wish me luck.

Here's your comic for today! I hope you dig it. And just so you know, a proper book is coming soon!

Sea creatures and paint stains

Fri, 22 May 2009 03:15:31 GMT

Sue and I drove down to Ko Olina for some long-needed chillout time. Sometimes just being on a beach, under the sun, near water, is all the therapy required.

The clouds could only have been more perfect if they'd given us a stellar thunderstorm just as we were leaving.

Can you spot Sue? She's hiding.

Looking like a movie star with that hat.

I sat down on the rocks by a tiny pool, near that cave. I could swear I heard things scuttling around in there and I snapped this hoping to catch some of them, but I can't find anyone.

But I did manage to catch a shot of this huge fella. Yipes!

Sue found a cool shell fragment.

Saw some pretty cool fish in the mini pond, some of them long and eel-like.
But what snuck up on me after was even cooler...

My favorite shots. A nice-sized anemone creeped open once I'd stopped moving. It moved pretty fast and I got a couple of shots before Sue's shadow scared it back into hiding. These don't look too awful, considering it's above water with full sun behind me. I do so love sea creatures!

Sue, looking still more fabulous. In all, a great day at the lagoon.

On the drive home we passed a street full of these fantastic trees.

This was a commission I did for the daughter of my boss's friend.

And this was the one I did for her son. Usually I don't want to paint other people's children, but this was a rather fun project.

I got these great wooden fish online that wriggle back and forth, and I've been painting and selling them locally. I may sell them online as well if anyone is interested. No more than a few bucks each.

These are the geisha dolls I did for a series of orders from work.

A collection of the geishas and their various pieces. Since I'm now done with the actual orders, I'm free to do some dolls for anyone else who might be interested. Just let me know if you want one!

Aaaand I wanted to include this, a silly little mashup I made for an ID photo for my DeviantArt site. I just decided to spruce up my picture with a whole bunch of stuff that's cool.

Hope you dug the photopost, critters! Loveyoo!

Noooo they be stealin' my bucket

Wed, 20 May 2009 08:25:10 GMT

The new quote of the week is brought to you by my mother, who -- looking at a photo of myself, her and my sister wherein I am unknowingly bucking out my front teeth to chaw on my bottom lip like a demonic bunny -- said, with no prompting, "Well, you don't really look like a retard."

XD

I am getting under-the-weather again, and this time it's creeping me out because the crazy zombie flu has made it to the island with force, and I don't have insurance so I can't see a doctor. I'm taking lots of vitamins, but hopefully this will be nothing.

This week's comic is pretty close to how it actually happened. Some names have been changed to protect, well, me. Please enjoy!

Sicky fishy and choo choo blues

Wed, 13 May 2009 07:37:02 GMT

Quote of the Week: "I don't think I have delusions of grandeur... but I am their god." -- The Boyfriend, referring to his sea monkeys.

I now have a rather serious crush developing on Zachary Quinto. O no, Quinto!

Leviathan, my fish, isn't eating. He's just sitting in one corner, moving as little as possible. I can't see any outward signs of being sick. Any fish experts have an idea?

EDIT: Thanks anyway, fish experts, but poor Levi died this morning. I am pretty bummed -- I loved my crazy one-eyed goldfish.

In happier news, in one of my drop-off art classes, one of my favorite kids -- a freckle-faced goofball named Dan -- wanted a story. I didn't have one on me at the time, since stories were usually reserved for a different part of class, so I just said, "Once upon a time there was a frog who loved a princess so they got hitched, the end." This did not satisfy him, and the rest of my class was starting to back him up in demand for a story, so I just made one up with no idea of how it would end when I started it.

"Once upon a time there was a ship full of dirty rotten pirates..."

But then the story grew. There was a pirate king and a ghost and three tasks, and it was silly and nonsensical as well as interesting, and I managed to come up with a proper ending as well. It was good. It satisfied the moppy-haired masses. They kept their eyes on me the whole time. They laughed at the right parts. They clapped at the finish.

So I'm writing it down.

I will share what I have when I have aught to share. Until then, I have a comic for you...

Come on, put yourself in danger, don't answer if anyone calls...

Wed, 06 May 2009 09:54:23 GMT

My life is in a confusing spot just now. I find myself pretty lonely in between working because The Boyfriend is also working twice as much as I am, these crazy hours of mandatory overtime that really ought to be illegal and probably are. Without him around, I find myself reaching out for anyone who might be around, and in that I sometimes get burned. I recently talked to an old friend who I'd missed dearly, only to find that he hadn't missed me, and didn't seem to care or even notice that he'd completely dumped our friendship once he got a girlfriend. At least, this is how it came across. This was a real bummer, and it seemed to enhance the loneliness for a little bit.

There is an end in sight, it will get better, it's just a ways off. I'm sure a lot of you out there in different time zones are going through the same thing. I wish we could catch up on the phone when you're not already in bed or I'm not at work. We shall all endeavor to hang in there.

I feel comfortable with you guys, even those of you who I don't know personally -- you who are reading this are, in part, a comfort zone for me, and I wish I could grab you all together and have a massive slumber party. I could use one. Or maybe just the slumber part...

In the meantime, I will paint and draw for you, and for those who will pay me for it. ;)

Please enjoy today's cartoon and, I beg you, take it in the spirit of fun in which it is intended.

Comfort food, weiner queens and bus bitches

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 08:10:05 GMT

I'm sick. I think I have dengue fever.

Okay, not really. Just a head cold. But still. It could be dengue fever.

Today I got to see The Boyfriend for maybe twenty minutes between his coming home and going to bed. The rest of the day was spent coughing and drawing. I do have a few interesting tidbits for you, though.

The first is an article, Bitchin' Kitchen style, that I just posted on my other livejournal, Haole If You Hear Me, which, if you ever plan on taking the bus here in Hawaii, or if you just want to cackle at what I've endured in doing so, you may want to read.

The second is this...

I found her by accident but this photo cracks me up. A recently crowned beauty queen, covered in sausage. She was evidently made Hot Dog Queen. The unexplained "Zion" headdress deepens the craziness. Best photo ever.

And now my comic, which I drew, inked and greyscaled all today, a record for me. Please enjoy!

Choo choo ch-boogie

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 08:47:55 GMT

There's a lot that I could say about today -- about a screaming primadonna kid in art class, about how my cat bites me every time I try to pet him, about our fabulous taco night, about selling geisha dolls and paintings, but to be honest, I just gotta sleep. The Boyfriend and I have been working like nuts -- him waaayyy more so than me since he's on friggin' MANDATORY 14 hour shifts including Saturdays (they recently switched it from 12 to 14 hours to try and get him to shove paperclips into his eye sockets), and I'll be pulling six days a week as well.

What I really want is to go to Ko Olina, sit under a palm tree and eat grapes with my sister. I miss being in Hawaii. Living in trashy, gray, dismal, pot-soaked Wahiawa and working in meth-capital crazy person central Aiea, is not what I call living in Hawaii.

Yada yada. I'mm happy tonight anyway. Got a goldfish, got a comic, got a good man, got a tummy full of tacos, I'm all set.

Enjoy the comic! This totally comes from real life.

Kit's Bitchin' Kitchen: Are You A Crack Dealer, Or Just Fat?

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 05:11:19 GMT

I started out as a skinny kid. I was so skinny, in fact, that my parents assumed something must be wrong with me and, upon finding that my overactive thyroid gland had blessed me with the metabolism of Wonder Woman, somehow decided that this was a problem that needed to be solved. The doctors -- all men with no concept of how vital it is to be a size one in your formative years -- completely reversed my good fortune, slowing my metabolism to a snail's pace. Ever since then, I've only had to look at a photo of a doughnut to gain five pounds.

Because of this, I have never been The Pretty Chick. You know the one -- she stands out when she's walking in a group of her friends, who all look like water buffaloes next to her. She has impeccable hair and clothes, straight teeth, she can walk in heels without looking as awkward as a baby giraffe, and she always has an itty bitty waist.

It's important to be one of these girls when you're a teenager. If you do not belong in the Pretty Group, there are only two other places for the likes of you: the Ugly Group, and the Nobodies. The Ugly Group is never really as bad as it sounds, because the Uglies have comeraderie. They stick together and defend each other, forming a protective shield of ugliness around one another. But if you are not quite ugly enough to be in the Uglies, and certainly not pretty enough to be in the Pretties, you're a Nobody, and we are completely invisible.

I've managed to push my way out of that category since High School, having gained recognition and acclaim for my ginormous gazungas, but I still belong to the Chub Club, and my membership may never expire.

It wasn't until several weeks ago that I realized things had gotten out of hand. I can still fit into my clothes, I can still see my feet, and I am still able to see plenty of people on the bus who give me that incredibly comforting feeling of "At least I'm not that guy", which is very important to have when you're in the Chub Club. That tenuous little thread of security snapped during the art class I teach, when one of my five year olds said, "Miss Kit, it looks like you're gonna have a baby."

I was astounded. I mean sure, kids have no discretion about their thoughts, and anyone bigger than their mom is considered fat, and since this boy's mom had -- to my dismay -- lost her enormous tummy as soon as she gave birth to her new baby and immediately shrank back into a size six, I knew I couldn't take it too personally. I tried to set him to rights.

"No, I'm not having a baby, hon."

"Yes you are," he said.

"Okay, go away. Go do something."

I finally decided that the time had come for something drastic. I have tried everything, including a pricey gym membership which, nine moths and nearly six hundred American dollars later, had done zilch for me. With the market being saturated with organic, natural, herbal remedies to my problem, I figured, now must be the safest time to try the pill method.

I browsed the diet section at the store, puzzling over products that contained, not chemicals or medicines with names I couldn't wrap my tongue around, but delicious fruits. Everything I saw that claimed fat burning capability was composed of cranberry, blueberry, acai berry, pomegranate or pineapple. I found myself getting hungry while looking at pills that were supposed to stop all that nonsense.

"These are good," said a woman next to me, holding up a packet of green tea extract pills.

She was thin herself, so much so that I was almost mad at her for perusing the diet section when she should really be at Macy's trying on jeans I couldn't have fit a single leg into. Still, I reckoned, these green tea thingies clearly worked for her, so why not give it a shot?

At the checkout, the cashier scanned the box and then paused, scrunched his eyebrows, and dialed for a manager, a sure sign that I would be standing there until the next election. I immediately went into panic mode. When a cashier calls for a manager I get the same feeling of anticipating danger as back in school when a teacher asked to see me after class, or at work when the boss called me into the office.

"Did I do something wrong?" I asked the cashier.

"Nono," he said. "Well, I dunno. It's like, cough syrup, you know?"

Buh? Yes, of course I know exactly what you're saying. TALK MORE!

"There's a limit to how much cough syrup you can buy cause I guess if you get a certain amount you can make meth."

"Meth?" I said. "God, I can't even make lemon squares."

"Well yeah, so it's probably something like that."

"Uh... then maybe I should re-think this thing..." But we both just stood there, waiting for middle management, like the barrel-scrapers we both secretly were. As we waited, I had time to sincerely contemplate my impending purchase. What was I about to swallow, here? What, when you can scamper off with booze, cigarettes and fireworks with scarcely a glance at your ID, would merit disturbing a manager from her Cheetos break before taking it home and putting it in your mouth?

After about six months the manager arrived -- a vision in square spectacles and fem-mullet -- and she squinted at the cashier's screen which was shielded from my view. It could have said any number of things on that mysterious monitor, notices popping up in response to my dangerous diet product: CRIMINAL. CRACK DEALER. Or, which I most feared and suspected, FAT GIRL.

Cashier Boy and Mullet Lady knew something about me, some terrible secret that I might not have known myself, or would find out the hard way.

Mullet Lady tapped in a code, they looked at my ID, and that seemed to be the end of it. They were both prepared to move on and let me walk away with a possible arsenic cocktail. I decided I'd better speak up.

"So, is there anything in these I should know about?" I asked. "Because if there's crack in these, I don't think I want them."

Our Lady of Perpetual Mullitude squinted at the box with all its professions of all-naturalness and looked for some giveaway in the ingredient listing like "cocaine" or "acid" or "hobo-maker" or "ground up kitten bits". I watched her read, waiting for some sign that I should give up and accept my lifetime membership to the Chub Club.

After a few minutes she harumphed and walked off without another word. The cashier looked at me.

"So... she didn't answer your question, did she?" he asked.

"No," I said. "But if I come back and I'm a zombie, I'll have my receipt."

Pardon the vernacular but ain't life grand...

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 02:06:02 GMT

Ooog. I am way sick, man. I stayed from work today, and with luck, I'll be on my feet again tomorrow. The worst part is that my fish, Levi, is sick also, and he looks just awful. I think he must have some sort of fungal infection, but I won't go deeper into it cause it's really unpleasant. I hope he'll be okay -- I immersed him in a buttload of fishy medicines, so keep your fingers crossed for my poor one-eyed fish pal.

The Boyfriend's comic last week got a hell of a response! I'm so happy y'all seemed to like his style. He was worried, but I wasn't. This week it's back to me, but I'm sure he'll do more guest comics soon.

It's late, of course, but only by a matter of hours. It's still Wednesday! Please enjoy.

Whew! Here we go...

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 10:27:13 GMT

I finished my painting commissions and I have about twenty more to get to, which makes me feel so important, it's crazy. I'll post pictures soon but for now it's time for a way special edition of Snap Crackle Pop!

The Boyfriend is giving me the gift of a small, very small, break from routine, and has volunteered to be my guest artist! That way, I get a break, he gets some fun, y'all still get your comic PLUS you get a taste of his extremely cool old-school Jack Kirby influenced comic style. I friggin' love what he did for this week and I'm curious to see what's next. I told him he has full license. For now. ;)

Anyway, here you are, your comic for this week! Please enjoy!

It looks like a jitter jamboree

Sun, 05 Apr 2009 02:27:56 GMT

Time for a photopost! I get to let you lovely folks in on what the hell I've been ding with my time, apart from singing to babies and tossing toddlers.

Please enjoy!

I found these blank nesting dolls online and ordered some to paint. This voodoo nesting doll was my first attempt.

I found this hideous Ganesha at a junk shop. The original paint job on it was pretty bad with this fakey crackle finish to make it look antique and what looked to be Sharpie marker in some places. I decided to spruce the poor guy up a bit.

This is the "after" shot. I feel like he now looks as cheerful and compassionate as he's meant to. I had planned to sell him online but The Boyfriend was pushing for us to hang onto him, and when my sister saw it she offered to buy it herself.

Bugsy found a hidey hole in our closet...

... And another in The Boyfriend's bookcase.

This was my second nesting doll set, which sold before I even finished it. Once I told my manager that I was making one of these, she said she wanted to buy it. I now have orders for five more like this!

My funky collection of randomage on the living room bookcase. The chameleon and silber elephant are both gifts from my aunt, who recently visited.

A little glass tako from The Boyfriend! He got it for me from a local artisan when I was having an unhappy day. I love it madly.

Old one-eye Levi. I finally snapped a photo of him from the front.

Caught! I found Suki and Bugs full-on cuddling one morning and snapped a Sasquatch photo.

And another a few days later.

Way better than wallpaper -- I found these cool design sheets at the craft store, used a bunch of cardboard pieces and made a big wall hanging for our living room area. I love the yummy design.

My handmade voodoo doll. Sue taught me the blanket stitch and gave me some of her materials and I stitched him up while watching Ghost Hunters. The button eyes are my favorite part.

I made another, much smaller.

They're friends.

The purple doll, in progress.

Finished! This one is super soft. When I put these up online I want to make it clear that they're strictly for entertainment, not for messing with cosmic bags of flaming doggy doody. I think they'll be fun.

I've been so desperate in this desolate, lightless apartment to have a garden, so I went and got a little greenhouse. These are the first sprouts! I am so excited. Left to right we have jellybean tomatoes, cilantro, chives, catnip and a flower called achillea.

Mordak and Randall are keeping my new friends company -- a zinnia and a marigold that I planted at work along with the kids in my science/art dropoff class. I imagine theirs are sprouting at home too.

On Thursday, Andrew called in sick (just for fun) and we went to the toy shop. I drooled over the educational science toy section -- I never realized how much I LOVE science toys, and I can't friggin' wait to have kids. I got this contraption -- a carnivorous plant dome. In six weeks I'll be growing a venus fly trap, a sundew plant and trumpet, pitcher and cobra lilies. I'll have to raid an ant hive for their food, maybe.

And for The Boyfriend, I bought Sea Monkeys. They're already starting to hatch!

Our garden/earth science area. I'm just as pleased as punch!

Love you guys, all.

Can't you see that it's just raining, ain't no need to go outside

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 09:27:48 GMT

Finally, getting it in on time today.

I've been swamped with projects as well as work, and so I'm looking forward to falling into bed after posting this. I've been spending my time painting for money, watching the third season of The Venture Brothers and filling my pack with street rocks to scrub and bring to class so I can instruct two year olds in how to create Rock Pals. You bet my life is fun.

No more for now... need to make sleepy.

Today's cartoon is real life. I have this argument with Finn every single morning.

Shoo fly pie

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 22:01:10 GMT

I will not admit that I'm getting sick, so just infer what you want. I really wish I didn't hate tea so much... or that I had any milk in the house to make a nice 'mater soup.

The main point is that I know I'm late, I'm sorry I'm such a bum, and I may be just a little sad that I didn't get any emails or phone calls reminding me that I'm a bum, but hey, you're all too nice. Ive been lagging behind because I have so many painting commissions to get to, some with deadlines, and my mom's birthday was on Tuesday and I've been at work more than usual as well.

I mentioned to The Boyfriend that I was contemplating a brief (brief!) hiatus, just to catch up, and his eyes lit up.

"Would you let me be your guest cartoonist in the meantime?"

I was delighted. It's an awesome plan. I give him full creative license -- he could even kill me, I told him -- and hopefully he'll start soon. Don't worry, I am not leaving you, I just need to get things in order. I don't know when exactly the break will start, but when it does, I'll be leaving you in excellent hands. The Boyfriend has a Jack-Kirby-influenced old school comic book style that I think is brilliant and marvelous. With luck, we'll all have a good time.

I'll post more later with photos of the projects I've been taking on, but in the meantime, enjoy your comic.

Craftsplosion

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 08:20:42 GMT

Today, more than ever, I want a pet elephant.

Oh man. I just got my shipment of craft supplies from the online site I ordered from and this shit is off the chain! If I can use that phrase. I can't wait to paint the tar out of it and post it up here. I think it'll be a ton of fun. I opened up all the boxes and just sat there, dazed, on a craft high.

But before I could start any of my fun projects, I had to finish your comic.

This one is special because the guy I'm talking to is actually The Boyfriend, his first real appearance in the strip. Who knows what will happen from here. I put him in because we had this conversation, and because it's kind of comforting to see him there on the page. If the subject matter of the toon gets your brain all twisted, don't stress; I don't think about it much either. ;)

Please enjoy!

P.S: Can I say "boobie queens"?

You gotta walk the dog if you wanna get along with me...

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:40:25 GMT

Oh man. Today was lousy. At least, work was. My first art class was really good, but the second went to pieces and it had to be the day that my boss was observing my classes for a review. I left feeling like I wanted to start drinking beer in mass quantities.

On the upside, there's no feeling so good as being on my own with my group of three-to-five year olds for a drop-off art class, confessing that I'm having a bad day and having them gather around me like my best friends and say, "It's okay, Miss Kit, it's only one bad day," and "You're a good teacher anyway." Daniel, the freckle-faced goofball made me giggle by saying, "Just make sure a bad day doesn't turn into a bad hair day!" Kids are so effin' great.

Of course nothing really chases the bad day blues away like a good long hug from The Boyfriend, followed by him making goofy faces at me.

Your comic today is based on a conversation The Boyfriend and I had about women in popular comics, and how there is rarely a role for them beyond sexy uniforms and sassy comebacks. The good lines and good personality traits are reserved for the male characters, and the women are there to look hot and be a part of a traditional fantasy. This is not true of all comics by a longshot, but the majority seems to hold it as law. Anyway, this sprang from it.

It is also shaded in the brand spankin' new, delicious and wonderful Prisma greyscale markers I just got from my friend Kristin! I'll reserve telling her she shouldn't have because I'm just pleased as punch that she did, and so if today's comic looks good at all, it's all to her credit. ;)

Please enjoy!

Also, I got an unfinished small wooden puzzle and decided to paint a little something on it. I may try to sell it later, who knows. Of course, it just had to have a blowfish in it. ;)

Here's a little song I wrote, you might wanna sing it note for note...

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 00:52:33 GMT

Just penned this masterpiece...

I Hate My Neighbors (A Love Song)

I need to sing a song about
The people on my street
Cause if I keep my big trap shut
Someone will get beat

I live in a ghetto cause
Land prices are so high
It wouldn't really be that bad
If my neighbors would all die

The men stay home all day because
Nobody's got a job
But if they feel ambitious they'll
Find someone they can rob

If the women go to work
It's down at Bunny's Bar
They scream at all their children
And they double park their car

And every single day my neighbors
Smoke a bag of pot
And the smell comes through my windows
And I wish their lungs would rot

They hang out at the laundry pit
To fight and smoke and bray
So I can't use the dryer, though
It's busted anyway

Not a single day goes by
Without an awful row
The shouting and the cursing
Floating up from down below

And do I need to hear you scream
When your girlfriend sleeps around?
She might be faithful if you quit
Blasting Jay-Z so damn loud

They stare at me when I pass by
And loathe me cause I'm white
I wish they'd shrivel into raisins
If I concentrate, they might

I'd shoot them way up into space
Or drop them in the sea
Or leave them in a lion's den
Drenched in hot gravy

Yes, my neighbors are quite vile
And reek of weed and beer
But I'm stuck with each one until
I move away from here.

Thank you, thank you all.
*curtain*

You are golden, child, don't let go

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 19:16:28 GMT

Man, I am really pushing my deadlines. Last night I was up inking this until just minutes before bed. I used to do these cartoons a month in advance, but I've lost my lead, and I'm starting to feel like I've lost my touch as well. The ideas aren't coming as easily to me as they used to.

I guess at this particular moment in life, it's easy to feel a little lost -- I'm sitting here at work in a shirt with a huge cartoon clown on the front, with Play-doh on my pants and a little under my nails, and I feel like I'll be low on money and dignity forever. I still think that the most noble thing in the world we can do is make other people laugh, so I'll keep trying even if it's tough to keep up.

I don't know if Finn in this comic is trying to be my friend and give me good advice, or trying to be my demon and encourage me to continue being broke and unpublished... He's sort of playing both sides of my brain.

Enjoy!

How I Did Not Get Eaten To Death By Sharks (a photopost)

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 06:19:01 GMT

Last week, my family and I jumped into a cage in the ocean surrounded by sharks. It was a blast.

When I called my father, telling him that I'd found an ad for a North Shore Shark Tour in a Haleiwa coffee shop, I didn't really expect him to like the idea. I often come up with silly things that I would like to do someday, hang gliding and bungee jumping high on that list, and I've long accepted that if that someday ever comes, I will not be able to convince my sensible family to join me. To my surprise, the old man was all for it. Of course, he has recently acquired a motorcycle and a chili pepper gangsta bandana to go with it, so really I should have known.

On Sunday, we converged in Wahiawa, my sister, her husband, my father, my boyfriend and myself, and drove out to the harbor to meet our boat. It was small, with a two man crew and a huge steel cage on the back and a grinning barefoot surfer guy helping us on board. We had a bumpy, choppy, fast ride out to sea, which I absolutely loved. I was worried I might be seasick, but I never have been before, and I suspect it's not on my large list of handicaps. I would ride on that boat every damn day.

When we came to a stop, the guys started lowering the cage into the water and to our left a couple of humpback whales appeared, much closer than I had ever seen anything of that size. Whale watching boats aren't allowed to come more than 100 yards of the whales themselves but, the crew explained with a grin, shark boats have no such rules on them, and the whales came to us anyway. They lolled out of the water and fluked a few times, our adorable surfer guy whooping in joy, and all of us nearly peeing ourselves.

My sister elected to stay on the ship, so I decended into the cage with my father, the Boyfriend and Justin. The following photos are my views from that point on.

There were dozens of them in the water all around us. They were attracted by the noise of the boat's engine, the same engine used in crabber boats which -- the sharks have learned -- often toss leftovers over the side for them to catch.

Yes, my toes.

The sharks swam directly under our feet. It was hard not to be startled by the huge dark shapes coming toward you from below.

The sharks could get up to ten feet long.

Inside the cage was roomy enough for four people, but the hardest part was hanging on with the huge waves and choppy sea -- you were constantly slipping and whacking your legs on the bars.

After twenty minutes or so, they pulled us back in. I wold have been happy to stay, but poor J was getting a bit green-gilled.

Sue provided us with towels and bottles of water.

The mountains were being swallowed by the clouds. It was a gorgeous day to be out at sea, looking back at the island.

This is definitely something I would do again. It was too much fun.

Go bug my sister for photos of what the adventure looked like from the surface!