Oh Is It This Day Already?

I'd thought I'd make a bigger deal out of this, the final entry in this year's 365 Project, but the truth of the matter is, I've got too much to get done to spend more than a few minutes updating the blog this evening (I'm already running late for tonight's engagement).

So here you go, two more masks:

Snake and Dog

And perhaps I'll take the time to wax eloquent tomorrow...

My Wild Ways

I woke before my alarm this morning, and as I lay there warm and comfy in bed, I pulled out my phone and made out the day's To Do list (it has occurred to me that mayhap there is something a teeny bit off about this sort of behavior, but since I don't actually need to do it to function [most days], I think I'm still on the sane side of neurotic...)  The list consisted primarily of household-related tasks.  Yes, I was committed to a day of, as I put in on Facebook, "exciting household chores!"

I got up and got on that, plowing through such fun activities as picking up the bedroom and vaccuuming the upstairs, cleaning the kitchen, doing dishes, and starting laundry.  I even picked up downstairs!

And then, around 0900, I got the text:

"It looks like a dry-ish day.  I'm going to climb outside- anyone interested?"

It was my climbing bro, KB!  I was a little confused, however:

"Are you... making a joke?  It's like pea soup where I'm at."

KB proceeded to convince me that it was clear skies down in Portland, and since my skies were rapidly clearing as we exchanged texts, I gave my Self a Talking To.

"Self," I said, "we should go climbing."

"Ugh," said Self.  "It is cold outside.  And I have a whole To Do List of things."

"That is lame, Self.  Go do something fun, instead of stuff that makes you feel grumpy and resentful."

"But... indoor-things?  I am mentally prepared for indoor-things.  We made a list of them, and it's what I was expecting to spend the day doing."

"No.  It's sunny outside.  How often does that happen?  Quit being a damn stick-in-the-mud and let your climbing bro rescue you from being Lame."

And so Self caved, and I told KB to come pick me up, all the while feeling like a wild and dangerous woman who was shirking her responsibilities (but not really because hey look at all the stuff I'd already gotten done!) He gave me one last chance to change my mind:

"No pressure, though.  There is a good chance it will be too cold and/or wet and/or shitty."

"It will be awesome.  I'm changing into layers right now."

And do you know what?  We were both right- it was not just cold but fucking cold, and the first route we looked at wasn't just wet but had water actually flowing down it- but it was awesome anyway (in large part, I'm sure, because we did not actually attempt the flowing-water-route).  Especially awesome was that I got to have my first real rappelling experience (I don't count the one during college orientation- I'm pretty sure that wasn't rappelling so much as being lowered via a belay- but it's been ten years so I really don't remember...)

Here is KB setting up for our rappel

We only did one route, but it left us feeling damn good (the parts of us that could still feel, anyway) and we agreed it was a place to come back to once summer comes around.










(You might be be pleased to know that once I got back to the house I continued with my To Do list, and still managed to get most of it done.  And so you see, Self, you can fit in both play with work and be a well-rounded and Highly Satisfied human being.)

Half Grown Dog Love

After letting Isis outside this morning she and I had a playful romp around the kitchen, including a highly satisfying game of Tug- after which I fed her, and then she followed me around while I made my own breakfast.  She was being so cute, and I found myself so incredibly full of love for this little creature we've taken into our lives that I knelt down in front of her, took her beautiful puppy face in my hands, gazed deeply into her expressive little eyes, and told her how much I love her.  And did she sweetly lick my chin in response?  No, no she did not.

True Story.

Yeah.

Water Babe

I have no idea from whence this sprang, but spring it did.

Sprung.

The Sheen's the Thing

Here is more of the Rat:

Shiny shiny shiny pants!

And I've had more thoughts on the overall costume for the Rooster, as well, so you may see an updated doodle of that in the near future.

In other news, I got back on the wall with both hands today, and I've only got a little soreness.  I'll be staying off it for the next few days, then back on again.  Healing is the most obnoxiously slow thing in the world.

'Twas the Day After Christmas...

...and all through the house
A Creature was stirring
(She wasn't a Mouse)

She is a thief.  A rat-burglar, if you will.

So here is the beginnings of round two of the Masks- I don't have time to get as detailed as I did on the last one (things called "work" and "social engagements" are getting in the way) but maybe I'll remedy that tomorrow.  Her stones are not the expensive rubies, emeralds, and sapphires of the dancer's mask, they are are smoky and clear quartz, and varying shades of amethyst, unlikely to draw attention in the crowd.

Family Christmas

"You're my family now."

Attention Grabber

Today's image brought to you by the Chinese Zodiac!  Specifically, by the sign of the Cock, which is (as you may have surmised) my sign!  Here is what some sources have to say about the typical Cock personality:

Roosters are extremely sociable and prefer being the center of attention, always bragging about themselves and their accomplishments. 

Although let's be fair, here- is it really bragging if I'm just Stating Awesome Facts About Myself??

::cough::

Aaaanyway, between thinking of the Chinese Zodiac and masks (and masques, for that matter) I came up with this little drawing- which I brought home and colored, because I didn't have to work a full day which meant I had time for such shenanigans.  (Also I baked a pie.  Because awesome.)

In my little mental narrative, she is a dancer hired to perform at a masque.  I may do a series...

All's Well that Inks Well

So I was at a friend's house today, watching her put some beautiful calligraphy on a box, and I said, "I've been thinking of getting a dip pen- where do you recommend I start?" and she, being the lovely sweet creature that she is, leaped up and gave me two from her own collection, plus a spare nib.

I got home and thought I'd play with my new acquisitions, only to discover that my India ink was gone, all gone- all except for one tiny phial I use to refill some of my fancy pens, so I put a bit of that into a teeny divot of a thing I had lying around, and while it wasn't exactly an ideal inkwell, it was good enough to satisfy my craving to play...

Cats and rats and derpy dogs.

I'll have to get some more after Christmas, I think.  ^_^

Tyet Isis

Here is a thing I am working on:

But my head hurts now, and I need to get off the computer.

(read about tyets here)

Happy Solstice!

Also, happy The World Once Again Has Not Ended.

(or maybe it has, and we're too busy to notice)

Here is a quick sketch I did of Artemis and Apollo arm wrestling, and Artemis is of course winning because, well, Solstice.  But tomorrow Apollo will start to get his fist off the table, and in about six months it will be his twin who is on the losing end.

Bam.

I like the concept, if not the execution- I expect I'll revisit it at some point and make the anatomy a little less, "Things do not do that thing that you have drawn there thing..."

Okay "Wonderful" But Not "Pregnancy Wonderful"

Holy crap, you guys REALLY want me to be pregnant!  I've gotten more hits on my "Wonderful News" than any other post, like, ever.  (I make the jump from that to "people want pregnancy" from the private messages I've received asking about it).

 

Anyway now I feel a bit like a cad, because my wonderful news has nothing to with my reproductive capabilities.  I am not now, nor have I ever been (to the best of my knowledge) pregnant.  And seriously, if/when I do happen to conceive, I promise I will give you a totally awesome reveal, and not a smarmy little, "I know something you don't know!" post.  Scout's honor.

But back to that wonderful news.  I shall preface it with a story.

Almost three months ago I was riding my bike to work, and I took a right-hand turn.  As I did this, a van turned left onto the same street, and as it approached me I thought dreamily to myself, "Wouldn't it be nice if that van side-swiped me, so I didn't have to go to work?"

Needless to say, the van did not side-swipe me, but when I realized what I'd just thought (in all earnestness), I couldn't let it go.  In fact, I got to work and sort of broke down because I suddenly came to terms with just how incredibly miserable I was at my job.  And it was not my job, per se- I happen to love my job, and the company I work for.  But my boss had driven me to the point where I woke up every morning feeling unhappy because I had to see him, and I'd burned through all my sick days by autumn because there were some days I just couldn't face going in.  So I felt trapped and miserable and it was a dark, dark time in the life of O.

I tell you this so that you will understand why I flipped out with joy on Monday and made such a cryptic post.  Monday was a my own personal Christmas Miracle day because that was the day my boss came in (late) and stated that he was leaving the company to pursue opportunities elsewhere.  And then I helped him clean out his office and then he was gone and I never, ever have to see him again.

I felt... freed.  I felt so incredibly light, and I hadn't even realized how heavy I'd become.  My stress levels plummeted, and I've spent the past three days in a delirium of joy.  So no, I am not pregnant- but I am pretty effin' joyful nonetheless.

Brush it Off

Found an old brush pen in my bag today... it led to doodles, and made me yearn for my copic.

Guess which one I drew with my left hand...

Also I want a fountain pen, but I think it's probably too late to change my order with Santa...

More Left

Had dinner with an old friend tonight who is also an artist, and we talked about the benefits of doing left-handed drawings.  Which, of course, led to (you guessed it!) more left-handed drawings.

And, of course, more introspection on my part.

Wonderful News, Everyone!

I got some really fabulous news today...

True story.

...but I can't share it quite yet.  By the end of the week, probably.  For now all you need to know is that I am feeling approximately one jillion times lighter in spirit than I have for a very, very long time.

What the Left Hand Knows

I don't know why I feel like I'm not allowed to be sad that my grandmother is dead, but there it is.  Maybe because it's the holidays, and it's just too damned cliched to miss dead people during the holidays.  But the melancholy keeps coming up, and I keep shying away from it.  It's like my conscious, dominant brain says to my subconcious, "No, not now.  You can be sad later, when it's not so pathetic."

...but it wasn't my dominant hand I was drawing with today.

Colors Aren't So Hard

Here is some gimpy-handed coloring for your perusal:

I figure I'll get back to drawing like a reasonable person tomorrow.  We shall see.

Obligatory Left-Handed Post

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am so obviously ambidextrous:

Word.

::sigh::  No.  No I am not.  Oh well.

Weird Day

It was, as you may have surmised from the title, a weird sort of day.  The sort of day where you end up standing in an awkward stance, staring out at... who knows what.

It's a good thing I did this drawing while at work.

There's plenty  I could say about it, but I'll just give you the lowest and the highest.

The lowest is that I have once again injured myself.  By being stupid.  I strained some tendons in my right hand, so I won't be climbing for at least a week, and we'll have to wait and see if I'll be drawing for a few days.  Needless to say, this makes me Grumpy.

On the other hand, this evening we went to the Portland Cello Project's holiday concert (Beck the Halls Holiday Spectacular!), and it was awesome.  I am in all sorts of Amazing Moods because of that.  This is our second year going, and I have to say that I think it now officially qualifies as a Holiday Tradition for us.

Yay Holiday Traditions!

Kittens!

That is all.