a long belated post

Hello blog, how have you been? Myself, I’ve been pretty busy. So busy in fact everything is pretty much a blur and I don’t know where to begin.

Did I tell you we’re in ESCROW again on a new house? We are, and the house is amazing. It is slightly terrifying and very exciting. ESCROW is a literal countdown until you move into a new place, and thus I have no desire to clean, only to pack. This is a conundrum since I have to clean before I can pack, but why should I pick things up if I’m going to throw things away? Luckily, Mom2 is flying into town on Wednesday (with Boy who is visiting her in Kansas City and taking her to see Avenue Q), so I have to clean some, and then I will pack on top of that.

My parents were actually in town-ish a week ago. Palm Springs is about a 2 hour drive from LA, and to visiting tourists looking on a map, they may as well be the same place thanks to urban sprawl. We spent a few days with them, and I told them about the house in person (perhaps the longest I’ve ever kept such a big secret successfully). Predictably, Mom was very happy and we hit up all the usual suspects shopping for house supplies. The guest bathroom and bedroom are done, minus an actual bed.

I’ve been hard at work on both work-work and my children’s book, which is going slower than expected thanks to a laptop snafu. I’ve been without a powerful computer for about 2 weeks now, and it’s a bit maddening. I’m coloring 600dpi images on an old desktop PC, and doing word processing on an old borrowed G4.

The Creature Features gallery show has closed and I’ve picked up my pieces. I need to code a new gallery page so original paintings can be purchased at a reduced price. I need to sell these bastards because they’ll be one less thing to move come December. The coffee table book of the show should be ready in time for Comicon next year, and I’ll be signing my two-page spread at a time to be determined. The next show in my immediate future in March, themed around flying monkeys, with an accompanying book set for next Christmas.

I’m typing this infront of the Arclight waiting for a screening of No Country for Old Men. There is a shocking number of people coming out of the Hollywood Tans salon, which is sad since it’s a beautiful day outside and sunshine is free.

I’m seeing the movie to kill time so my car can finish being detailed, since the dogs re-enacted choice scenes from The Exorcist all over my seats and floor.

Tucker had surgery earlier in the week to fix an inverted tear duct, as well as a dental cleaning that involved the unexpected removal of two dead teeth. After the first day you wouldn’t even notice he’d been in the hospital, so I thought I’d reward the boys with a trip to the dog park to play. I was rewarded with copious amounts of vomit.

I have to say, I’m pretty surprised the Holiday Cards have been moving so slowly. I put them up early this year to avoid the time crunch of previous years, but it appears the time crunch is more about everything buying late.

The Writer’s Strike is getting pretty ugly. We’ve been stockpiling shows on the DVR, and a lot of my friends are on picket lines. It’s obvious that the issues won’t be resolved until after the new year, and if it goes on until February, Boy and I will start to feel the burn as advertisers start pulling out of Rerunland.

The sinking suite to Titanic is playing on the loud-speaker, adding an odd sense of urgency to…sitting here.

Also, I love seeing how many people are leaving 24 Hour Fitness and lighting up cigarettes. I’m sure they’re going to smoke in their hybrids, too.

Well blog, I feel like I’ve told you a lot, and nothing at all at the same time. Longstory short, I’ve been busy, homebuying is all-consuming, and Christmas plans are now in a constant state of flux. I’ll let you know how the movie is.