if i could make my perfect day, it was lived out yesterday. no work, spending time with my sweetie poo, going to an outdoor concert, then throw in some raspberry bacardi and garlic fries and i'm a happy girl.

we drove to modesto, which by the way has nothing to offer two out-of-towners passing a few hours before a show. hero's sports bar was the perfect venue for a concert, with both indoor and outdoor stages, and lots of security (and they were busy last night breaking up fights and pulling people out of the pit). the outside had the intimacy of a friend's backyard (a well-off friend), and the ground sloped down a bit toward the stage so the people up front weren't obstructing our view.

plus we got to see my absolute favorite band, the rev of course, plus nashville pussy, whom i remember seeing in san jose and liking, but kind of forgot about for a few years. their cd is now in our possession, so i'll remember not to forget them from now on. the rev did a little segment where they played a song or two from different decades in chronological order. the 80s was represented by rock this town... which totally made me melt into a big puddle. after that, they played in bloom by nirvana, then stopped there because, according to the rev, the 2000's are not yet over and there might be a person in the audience whose song will define define the decade. toward the end, the guy from nashville pussy joined them with ace of spades.

it's always the perfect sized show when you see band members in the audience.

what has four thumbs and is taking tomorrow off to go see the reverend horton heat, with the supersuckers and nashville pussy?

why i love david sedaris:

On the flight to Raleigh, I sneezed, and the cough drop I'd been sucking on shot from my mouth, ricocheted off my folded try table, and landed, as I remember it, on the lap of the woman beside me, who was asleep and had her arms folded across her chest... Under normal circumstances, I'd have had three choices, the first being to do nothing. The woman would wake in her own time and notice what looked like a shiny new button sewn to the crotch of her jeans. This was a small plane, with one seat per row on aisle A and two seats per row on aisle B. We were on B, so should she go searching for answers I would be the first person on her list. "Is this yours?" she'd ask, and I'd look dumbly into her lap. "Is what mine?" Option number two was to reach over and pluck it from her pants, and number three was to wake her up and turn the tables, saying, "I'm sorry, but I think you have something that belongs to me." Then she'd hand the lozenge back and maybe even apologize, confused into thinking that she'd somehow stolen it.

...from when you are engulfed in flames.

close-ups of the mural

if you watch the colbert report, you are probably wondering what happened to stephen's face...





after hours of searching online for details on his accident, i found out the truth behind what happened. there was an unnamed source at comedy central who said, "Stephen tripped over some cocaine and landed in a sharp pile of whores."

i forgot to mention how the men who cook event went at the fresno art museum. yeah, no sales, but i did pass out a few ghetto business cards that i had to make at the last minute on my ink jet because my real business cards didn't arrive on time. it was fun despite all that. i always like being outside with food and art and my honey bunny sweetie poo poo.

(i painted this mural while mom and dad were in europe)

looks like i'm keeping my job. though, i have to be honest, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if i didn't work there AND they paid me to leave.

i got a message from the vice president of operations while we were camping, saying it's very important that we talk. turns out it was about THIS!

it might be me who gets the axe this time.

if you're wondering what "voluntary and involuntary separations" means, it means this: the company picked two people who are in relatively similar positions. they pick the one who has been with the company the longest, and that person decides whether to be laid off or to stay. if that person decides to stay, the other person will be let go. i'm not joking.

all this is because mc clatchy aquired so much debt when it bought knight ridder, and hasn't been able to stay afloat since. never mind that the fucking c.e.o. gary pruitt continues to make millions.

i can't help but giggle when someone in the green mile says the name percy in a southern accent.

"i was baking a cake for you guys..."

oh my god, lighten up!

hitler wore khakis and they don't pull GAP ads.

i don't think we could have added another minute of fun to last weekend. on saturday, we picked up reina and tyler and played in a bounce house for an hour or so. i was surprised that my knee held out with all that jumping! then we took them out to dinner for reina's birthday. i had thought about getting a birthday cake, but i've liked the idea of getting something a little less traditional, and ended up with a large birthday tart. you have to believe me when i say it was beautifully decorated with strawberries, blackberries, and lemons. much better than cake for summertime, i tells ya. the next day we checked out the zoo. we saw lots of hairy things and lots of poo. i'm a poet.

i had a little bit of cash-ola in my pocket, and was anxious to blow it on something to help take better photos of stuff to sell on etsy. i had something like this in mind, but after reading that the lights are crappy, i thought i'd do a little searching. i went to boot's camera shop and saw the tent by itself, and almost took it home, and i would have if they didn't tell me they have a 15% re-stocking fee in case i need to return it.

in the end, i found a tent on amazon that's bigger and cheaper and shipping is free.

oh yeah. i just outsmarted everyone!

i overheard two women in the restroom talking about someone who had taken some medication for a headache. one dose wasn't enough so she took some more. apparently, she didn't wake up the next morning.

i started thinking if the same thing applied to krystal. it was declared an accidental overdose in both cases. did she not feel well and take too much, not realizing that it was too much and/or too potent with no food?

i think about her every time i hear these words:
spinster
poop
vodka
jetta
poon tease

60-year-old nazi at work (looking at my open-toed shoes): "if i had toenails, i'd paint mine too, but i had them pulled."

GAH!

i was born a headless chicken. i'm always running late, hoping to get too much done in too little time. of course i do my best work when i have a deadline, but it still makes me speed to work, leaving the house cluttered with matts, stamps, piles of clothes i decided not to wear, and curlers in a random pile in the bathroom.

i'm taking friday off so that i can attend the men who cook event at the fresno art museum. since i've donated to their auction, they invited me to have a booth to sell my work. hence, my finally setting up my etsy account so people don't laugh at me when they see my business card (which should arrive the day of) and see nothing listed. add on top of that, our mix cd trade was today, and i would be embarrassed if i didn't have some killer artwork since i'm trading with professional designers.

hello, lover. won't you come home with me?

i finally listed some items on my etsy shop. i decided to go with the name sugarcreep.

we spent the long memorial day weekend in san francisco and san jose. as much as i love being there, i can't help but get angry when i'm driving in the city. gah! move over! get out of my way!! but then throw in all 8 of us, plus a few extras, and there it is. it's just gonna be hectic.

but it did work out splendidly and we did have an awesome time at amber and de shion's wedding reception that was 10 years in the making. they have been wanting to have a little gathering for his family and ours, and we finally did it. it was a very informal and fun party, not like any wedding reception that included brides maids or bouquets. we played games, took photos, and the guests' creativity was exercised with all the activities: a scrapbook table, and asked to leave a message for the people of the future. it's been a while since all of us have gotten together (christmas?). good to see everyone!

at the photo booth, guests were asked to make a face in response to questions:

you just made a delicious turkey dinner for 8 and you drop it.
you see a vampire coming toward you, and you know what he wants!
you pick a scab off of your leg and realize it's actually a dried cockroach.
you're doing your laundry and find a $20 bill in your pocket.
you find a fly on your ice cream cone.
(do you love the leopard background?)

after the event, we had a bonfire at taco bell beach in pacifica which has a little bit of significance for me, personally, and not just for its sandy bean burritos. it was there where we once had a bonfire and i had my first glimpse of dad drinking a beer. a beer! i'd seen him drink coffee before, but alcohol? we're a normal family? horaaay!

so here i am at work, starving, but i've already had my lunch. i don't have any small change. if i take a twenty out of the atm, and i stick it in the snack machine, i'll be stuck with $19.25 in change.

time to forrage through the cubicles for candy jars. either that or fill up on coffee.

after staying with us for a couple of weeks, reina and tyler have moved on to stay at her mom's for the next month and a half. it was strange waking up this morning in my bedroom! no two-year-old hand on my face telling me it's morning. really, i didn't mind it at all. it was like a little adventure. but now it's just so ... quiet...

we had a good time visiting with them. we didn't get to go to the zoo yet, but we'll try to fit that in next month. little tyler is getting so big! his catch-phrases are, "where's dada?" and "what's that?" i taught him to talk like a monkey; i put make up on his face and pretty pretty bows in his hair; e got him a plastic wading pool with an elephant (the hose goes inside the trunk!); we drew with crayons and sidewalk chalk; he opened the door for me whenever i left for work and he was there to greet me when i came home. i got to know reina more, too.

aaaaw!

want to tell someone something? an email is perfect. you don't have to get up from your desk, and the recipient gets the message ... instantly!

there is no need for a follow-up phonecall asking, "did you get my email?" if it didn't bounce back to you, yes, i got your fucking email!

how can you not laugh at douchebags with hot chicks?

it's times like saturday night when you just wish your waitress would shut the hell up.



we tried a new indian restaurant, and as our waitress was putting our palak paneer into our "to-go" container, she related a story about one night when she accidentally spilled some of this delicious spinach and potato dish onto her shirt. when she got home, her young son asked her if the baby had pooped on her.

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

amazing graffitti animation!

my brother and his boyfriend just broke up

:(

thinking about my bro, mike, who has had lap-band surgery on tuesday. he's making a major change in his health, and i'm hoping he'll recover quickly and get used to his new stomach.

checking in often.

should i feel guilty if i happened to stop at the craft store after my doctor's appointment? back at the office 2 hours later, one of the supervisors asked why i took so long.

"you know how it is," i stuttered. "going to a specialist. it takes forever for them to just call your name!"

she looked at me.

"next time you should bring a book to pass the time."

just heard the good news!

it's another big step and it's about time! i still don't understand why someone (usually super-religious) would fight to make sure that someone else doesn't have equal rights. what do hetersexuals care if homosexuals get married? and the same stale answer of, "to protect the sanctity of marriage" is 100% flawed, people! you really can't give a good reason for not making gay marriage legal.

(this guy mike villines in the article is a total douchebag).

so go ahead, boys. set up your bridal registry at best buy.

horaaaaay!

i'm glad that dooce is getting a lot of news coverage lately. i've been reading her blog for probably 4 years or so. it's great that someone is making a (very comfortable) living by blogging. can't help but be jealous, especially working here.

two words:

jem karaoke!

we've been trying to catch up to the current season of LOST, renting it and watching 3-4 episodes back-to-back from the beginning. much like a soap opera, it's not necessarily good material or storylines, but it keeps you wondering what's gonna happen next? everything about it reminds me of a soap, down to the close-up on the face of a person who just revealed some important information and that expression freezes for a little too long, right before a commercial break. there are love triangles, kidnappings from evil overloards, mysterious planecrashes, conveniently-placed scars, beefy shirtless men, perfectly plucked eyebrows and matted-but-still-sexy hair. babies are born and stolen, paternity is questioned, people step over others to prove their power, they lie to get what they want and to protect people they love.

i still can't stand that fucking black cloud! it conveniently shows up whenever they can't think of any other danger to throw in there.

why can't i stop watching?

isn't it annoying to read someone's "i hate my job" blog post?

it seems no one takes the time to fill out their ad orders correctly. what usually happens is i'll hang onto it and call/email the person and wait until i hear back from them. why should i have to babysit it when it's their fault i can't order it?

"if the sales managers are checking up on them, perhaps things will improve," i foolishly thought to myself. i took the initiative to meet with them, and still nothing changes. in fact, the 2 things i specifically said were common mistakes came from the very manager i talked to.

does it bother me because if it pubs in the paper incorrectly, the advertiser could potentially be charged wrong? or the company could lose thousands of very badly-needed dollars? that it would be my fault if it doesn't get built in color instead of black and white? that i send them email reminders that probably get deleted? heck yes!

it's just paperwork.
it's just paperwork.
it's just paperwork.
it's just paperwork.

let it go, jo anne.

it blows me away that there are adults who still don't know the difference between your and you're or there, their, and they're.

how did they get through high school with that kind of crappy grammar?

erik and i talking about going to greece early next year! i can't wait! i can't wait! there's a chamber of commerce group that's doing one of those tours. we'll fly into athens, and throughout the tour we'll check out the acropolis, the parthenon, the temple of zeus, the theater of epidaurus, the temple of athena, take a cruise to mykonos, rhodes, and crete. it also has a lot of free time in the itinerary, which is good for those of us who don't like to be sheep. i've studied greek and roman art for a long time (don't ask me to remember any of it), but it will be so fascinating to see ruins of civilizations that had once functioned thousands of years ago.

weeeeeeeeee!

i sat "indian-style" for the first time this weekend.

(since my knee injury, that is)

a-friggin-mazing.

when i got home from san jose a couple of weeks ago (did i mention she's going to san jose state?), my honey pie and jay made a stand for my dress form!

here's our little cutie-pie:



the last few days have included going on walks, tripping on toys, sleeping in the living room, afternoon naps, soggy crackers, and sippy-cups.

whenever i watch ghost hunters or shows like it, there are several accounts of apparitions dressed in "period clothing," usually from the 1800's. what i want to know is (considering these visions are real) why are ghosts showing up from only that time period? has anyone seen a ghost in bell-bottoms? what about cavemen? i want to see a caveman ghost!

i just got a second job. it's at a place called young at art, and i'll be helping with birthday parties on saturdays. my first one went really well, and i'm really happy that a business like this is thriving in fresno. i've always thought being an art teacher would be awesome, but unfortunately, with public schools, to be an art teacher means only middle-and high school punks. a privately-owned studio includes all ages, and there are no stupid state problems or district authority.

this weekend was the annual chili party at our friend's house up in oakhurst. she was my favorite designer here before she was let go (while she was on disability). she's an old-time hippie who lived on haight-ashbury, worked for jefferson airplane, moved to hawaii without telling anyone, and has a permit to smoke as much pot as she wants. she has a chili cook-off every year, which i entered for the first time. i'd never made chili before, but i thought it was pretty decent. i made it completely vegetarian, which i think is why i didn't win. but we had fun sitting by the fire, belting out hey jude with jackie on the mic, catching up with sarah, dancing with my baby.

we spent the weekend baby-proofing the house for when erik's daugher and her son visit. they'll be here on wednesday night, and plan to stay for roughly a month. little tyler is almost 2, so we were careful to put all our skulls and ghouls out of his reach. karma's been living outside and we plan to move our bed into the living room for the duration. it'll be a little weird, but it will be nice to have her visit. i don't really know her that well, because when erik and i got together, she had just gotten married, had a baby, and moved away. the first time i met her, actually, was in the hospital the day after the baby was born. we'll be planning some fun stuff while they're here.

...that doesn't make me a grandma, does it?

stolen from suzanne: