Where is the time going?

Wow! Can it already be the end of March? Life here has been a bit of the same ole' same ole' but that is never a complaint, we kinda like it that way. I always feel bad about neglecting the blog and I wonder if people really want me to tell them things like-
* I rearranged my kitchen this morning, that means I moved two pieces of furniture and it took two hours. It also looks exactly the same seeing that the kitchen is the size of most peoples closets.

* I don't really have a husband for the month of March with all the college B-ball happenings. (I am exaggerating he's still cooking dinner and doing the dishes;) I'm not all that in to the b-ball so the other night I plugged in the laptop and watched Legally Blonde in bed.

* All of our hotels are booked for our Italy trip- I am a little concerned that we may not be able to eat while there. I am also concerned that Gabe and I will end up staying there, we'll send for the pup but you guys can fight over the rest of the "stuff" that fills our apartment.

* I have no self discipline when it comes to sweets. Gabe read me some ridiculous kids book on will power and I wanted to shove it down his throat and ask for more cookies. That is said with nothing but love in the heart and junk in the trunk!

* With kids books in mind...Gabe and I bought some books off E-bay the other day. These books are from my childhood. My brother Matt told me when I was like 6 that if I read them I would be smart and go to Brown University...I never read them. But I am going to now! Here is a pic, they are part of the VALUE series, they pick an attribute and use them to teach about a historical character.


* Dakota was the only one who would go to the St. Patty's day parade with me last weekend. Here she is enjoying the show! She was actually terrified and I thought it was a little cruel of me to force her to keep me company;)

Priceless Art

Gabe here. One thing folks might not know about me is that I used to draw as a kid. Quite a lot actually. The other day Meg and I were going through our closet when we came across a folder filled with drawings from my childhood. Didn't even know I had it. Got quite a laugh when I opened it up.
I never draw now. Kind of a sad story, which I'll tell in a sec. But first, here's some of my better work, which was probably made when I was around 10 or 11. I guess I thought I was going to create a new comic strip or something.




And here's some random drawing from around the same time. I thought this was so cool when I did it. Hindsight is an amazing thing. It provides a lot of discernment. Notice that this a signed edition.


But before any of this stuff, I was addicted to drawing these little action figure/super soldier type guys. I used to be really into G.I. Joe, so I suppose that was my inspiration. But these dudes are actually my reason for not drawing anymore. Now I know my timeline is off a bit, because the comic strip stuff came later, but, ultimately, it's because of these guys that I no longer pick up the pencil. As you'll see below, I created a profile for each person, with ridiculous stats and listings of each character's specialties. As if these aren't bad enough, I realize now that the drawings are pretty awful as well. Here is a small sampling (it really is small--I have lots of these), and then I'll tell the rest of the story:



Here's a really original one. Might even be copyright infringement or something. I didn't know any better.


And sometimes I wasn't satisfied with just the regular drawing of a character--I had to have "action" shots as well:







So, finally, the reason I stopped drawing is because I once drew this one really amazing character named "Samurai Joe." I think he was from Japan. That's pretty normal. But can you guess what his specialty was?
Nope, not fighting.
It was eating pizza.
Yeah, once my older brother saw that, he just had to make fun of me. And who can blame him, really? It was pretty darn stupid. At the time all my dreams were crushed, though. I just remember crying and throwing half my drawings in the trash.
Unfortunately, Samurai Joe doesn't seem to be in the folder. Oh well. He's probably better off wherever he ended up.
It looks like I did try to get back to drawing, perhaps after I realized that human beings actually have joints and definition, but you'll see from the sketch below that I didn't get very far.


I know my brother is reading this, so, Seth, I want you to know that there are no hard feelings. Honestly. I'm over it. Besides, I'm thinking I can sell these as classic, collector items now and make a pretty penny. We'll see who's laughing then. Here's what I think each will fetch.
Comic strip character head shot: $5,000
Complete "Bob and the Lion's Cage" comic strip: $10,000
Solo action figure: $100,000
Solo action figure and "action" shot: $1 million

5 years.....

Today is our 5th wedding anniversary! I can't believe how quickly it's flown. Gabe and I are going to the Village for dinner and dessert. I have been trying to get to Milk And Cookies, a bakery, but Gabe never wants to go....wouldn't you know that the restaurant is just down the road.

Looking forward to the next five years (and more!)...and all that it will bring! Here is a picture of us on our first anni...We lived in Scotland at the time. Seeing our little flat brings back so many memories. I will have to see if I can find some wedding pictures to put on here.

Callisto

Here's a link to a browse-inside application of CALLISTO if folks would like a little taste. Torsten does a great job establishing the voice and setting the tone from page one. See for yourself!