Several of my fellow comic creators and I are working on a compilation of our work titled Anthology Of Interest. Each of us is producing a twelve page story to contribute to the book. We meet each Wednesday evening to discuss marketing strategy, content and progress. We lost a few people along the way but right now there is a core group of about six that are serious about the project. My story is the first twelve pages of my weekly webcomic Awesome 5!.
You can click on the thumbnail to see the full size cover. Each story will have a cover so this is mine. The extra “!” is part of the team’s name, I know that it looks weird but that will be explained in a future comic. The organizer of our group had the brilliant idea of financing the anthology through Kickstarter, that way none of us have to come up with the cash and there will be no bickering over who gave how much and so forth. Even if the funding amount is not reached I still plan to self publish as a mini comic. As soon as we have the proposal video uploaded I’ll post the link so stay tuned!
Today I saw a photo of a very interesting sculpture on someone’s Facebook page, and I thought I’d share it here. It is done by Paige Bradley, and you can see her sculpture on her website here. It’s worth a look even if you only like this one piece, because you can see the illuminated base of the sculpture, plus other backdrops with it. Also she has a section of her site where she shows drawings, under the tab “works on paper.”
Before I mention my own thoughts about the sculpture, I wanted to ask, what does this sculpture mean/show/evoke for you? Do you like it? Why? There are four different photos of this sculpture on her website. This one here on my blog is the only one I could easily download, but it’s not my favorite of the photos. Which is your favorite?
I am not always moved by sculptures, but I particularly like the light coming from within her. Personally, it reminds me of the light generated by one’s energy centers, or chakras, emanating out into that person’s aura. Energy blocks, denial, facades or deceptive self- images we hide behind can surpress our energy a little like the opaque parts of the sculpture. For me the woman shown in the sculpture knows that her true freedom and wisdom comes from within, and from clearing the burdens and energy blocks she has within her own space. My favorite two photos are on her website, where it shows the illuminated base of the sculpture as well.
Aceo’s have been around for a while but for some reason I’m just getting into them. In case you don’t know, ACEO stands for Art Cards, Editions & Originals. They are miniature works of art the size of trading or playing cards (2.5 x 3.5) and are a great way to own original art or prints at an affordable price. There are little easels you can buy to display them, or you can use a business card holder to display them on a mantle, bookcase or your desk at work. You can even use them as bookmarks or gift tags!
We’ve just added a bunch of these little gems to our etsy store and more will be coming soon. There are lots of prints, but right now only a couple of originals. I’ll have to get to work on that! Here’s the link to that page.
We just finished watching “King Corn” which is a documentary movie we saw “On Demand” with our Netflix.com subscription. Part of the movie covers how cheap corn is used as feed for cattle, which really isn’t the best for their health. They are fed on feed lots where they can’t get much exercise due to crowding, and fattened up as soon as possible, in months in stead of years. One guy in the movie said the cows are basically obese, plus it showed just a bit of how it gives them excess stomach acid and other health issues so they have to be given antibiotics all the time.
Well I think this movie has finally pushed us into changing our food buying and eating habits, at least with beef. I will document in this blog how it goes for us so you can see if our resolve lasts. Just check the lower right side of the page where you see categories listed and go to the Food category in the future to see other posts on this. Up until now we have tried to economize and have bought our ground beef and frozen chicken at Trader Joes, and cold cuts and frozen tilapia at Aldi. I had already decided to stop buying cold cuts period because for some reason they make me break out. Because of this movie we will try to only buy beef from Whole Foods and we’ll make sure it’s grass fed not corn/grain fed. As far as our chicken, we are still debating what to do. I think we are nervous about the cost, but we’ll have to investigate the cost difference between frozen chicken at Trader Joes and chicken pieces at the Whole Foods meat counter. Most likely Trader Joe’s frozen chicken comes from a factory farm where antibiotics are given liberally. Now do we change all that now, or just our beef buying habits? How about you guys, dear readers? So we’re definitely changing our beef buying, but for chicken we will research further. Stay tuned!
The movie also discusses how much calories people consume with sodas which have tons of high fructose corn syrup. We already don’t drink soda, so we’re OK there. Years ago I heard how soda syrup can be used to clean corrosion off of truck engines, and that was pretty much it for me and soda.
Odie last wk, a few days after his cherry eye surgery
Today we had The Family Vet Visit: vet check ups for all of our animals – 3 cats and our new dog Odie. Uptown Animal Hospital & Dr. Dickes really came through for us. We got an extra big exam room, we got a vet assistant who was great with holding and comforting our animals during the exam procedures, and thorough and efficient desk staff. Our vet Dr. Dickes is very knowledgeable and we trust his expertise completely. He has a great bedside manner with our pets and us, and definitely allows time for our questions. He even took the time to recommend this website The Ohio State Indoor Cat Initiative as a resource for cat info.
We had all the cat carriers out for a few days to acclimate the cats to them
I have always heard great things about the various other vets at the Uptown Animal Hospital and the overall pricing there, which is very important since if there’s ever an emergency and we need to see another vet in the office, I know I’ll be in good hands. You would think that with four pets we would have had to pay an arm and a leg to get them all check ups. We didn’t. For vaccinations and nail trims for all three cats (1yr rabies for 3, 3yr distemper for 2), an eye exam for one cat, an eye exam for our new dog Odie (who got cherry eye surgery last week) & a fecal test, we got out of there for under $400. (Odie already had his vaccinations.) I think Uptown Animal Hospital, relatively speaking, is great for affordable high quality vet care & I’ll definitely be “yelping” them today! 🙂
Father & Son Photo: Lorenzo w/our new canine son Odie
Lorenzo and I have been soul searching about adding a canine son or daughter to our family. Our old dog Barney is with us in spirit, but not body, since he passed away under doctor’s care 12/1/10 at almost 14 years of age. We wanted a mid size or small rescue dog. Above all we wanted a dog whose spirit was very kind and gentle and agreeable towards all living things, a buddha dog. 🙂 Yesterday we found our buddha dog, and he is now our son, peacefully dozing on our floor as I type this. His name had been Otis, but we have renamed him to Odie, after cartoon Garfield’s doggie friend. It’s only right, since Lorenzo is a cartoonist.
Odie was in a shelter in Kenosha, WI. We learned about this shelter through Petfinder.com, which is a website where most rescues and shelters nationwide list their pets available for adoption. I also searched several area rescue’s websites that I know personally through my animal welfare volunteering in years past, and present day donations here and there. I showed my husband a photo of one shelter dog whose photo and description moved me who was in Kenosha, WI. We then noticed that Kenosha, WI was only 55 miles from us and that they had three dogs on their site that we liked. We felt it was a sign, and that we were meant to go there. I cleared my schedule for that next day, we filled out the online application, and off we went to Kenosha, WI yesterday, arriving just as they opened their doors at 1pm.
Mom & new son: Me with our new buddha-dog Odie
Fate did all the rest. The original dog I’d noticed had already been adopted, the third dog we liked was not good with other dogs, and the second dog, now our son, we learned had been waiting for the right forever home for SIX MONTHS. He did have one brief adoption but they were not fully committed and/or knowledgeable, and brought him back. Right away I got teary thinking of all the “long timers” I had known or heard about at Chicago Animal Care & Control during my 3+ years volunteering there. It was just not fair that such a kind spirited dog had to go through so much, so he had to become our son. Then to further validate our decision that this was meant to be, the shelter said they had recently decided to fix his cherry eye condition by surgery for free next Monday 7/11/11, and would also waive his adoption fee since he was overweight. We had been prepared to pay any fees for our buddha dog, but it was a fun hug from the universe to receive such discounts. We have already spent a little of the leftover money on a very handsome harness for his walks, and he is very earnestly learning what is expected of him as we do positive reinforcement training.
You can look forward to lots of videos on www.BarneysHomeDogBoarding.com and blog entries here about him. Even though he’s only one day out of the shelter, it’s clear that the shelter told the truth, and that he really is great with all dogs and our cats and all people. All the shelter volunteers came out to greet us and celebrate that their beloved long timer was finally going home for good. I have already sent them an update with photos, and will keep sending them updates, to thank them for their faithful care of him. We know he will be a kind and welcoming host to my reading clients that come to the house, and a wonderful friend and gentle companion to the peaceful big-hearted dogs that we board with www.BarneysHomeDogBoarding.com. This six year old buddha dog is home at last.
Phil is now a very famous Shih-Tzu, and hopefully his fame will bring him back home safe very soon. He was lost Thursday 6/23/11, and it is thought that he was stolen after just a minute or so loose on the street just north of the Diversey/Elston/Western intersection in Chicago. He is a 3 yr old rescue dog with tan, brown, and black coloring. His devoted parents, KJ and Deb, are conducting the most impressive lost dog search for him that I have ever seen. There is a Facebook group page they encourage you to join, called “Find Phillip,” (that’s Phillip w/2 L’s) and you can be a part of the search effort, and/or join in the prayer effort for his safe return. There is a black and white and also a color version of his poster you can print and post. It is a poster format that was recommended to them by a private investigator very experienced in lost dog cases. Also they are accepting fax numbers of anywhere you think might want a poster faxed to them. If you have information please email FindChicagoPhil@gmail.com
20 lb unneutered male shih-tzu found. Do you know who lost him? Can you help?
Just two days ago someone brought a stray shih-tzu to KJ and Deb, thinking perhaps that it was their lost dog Phil. It was not, and now they have temporarily named him Magoo and are fostering him. They need help finding his original owners. He is about 20 lbs and full of love and spunk, and still adjusting to this new situation. He loves adults, and is dominant in a humping way with their boxer, though that may be resolved or alleviated when he gets fixed. They may not have checked for a microchip yet on him, since no doubt they are spending every spare moment searching for their own baby. They have a diaper on him now as he tries to mark in the house. They do have three other dogs at home so perhaps Magoo is used to being the only king in the castle! Plus perhaps once he’s neutered…. They are guessing he’s four but do not know, and observe that his teeth are very clean and that he lacks basic leash skills. He needs someone to train him, and no doubt his healthy appetite can be used for positive reinforcement training. Crossroads Shih-Tzu Rescue will be vetting, fostering, and adopting him out, once his stray period is over next week. If you are interested in helping Magoo in any way, please contact the rescue. With the right environment and training, Magoo could make someone very happy.
So please consider sharing this blog post to help spread the word about both shih-tzu’s. Phil needs to be found and returned to his loving home, and “Magoo” (his new name) needs his original owner located, or a new foster home and/or owner needs to contact the rescue that will help him.
Me at the end of a Galos Salt Cave session, after the lights came back up
Both Lorenzo and I love going to Galos Cave Spa in Chicago and we went there again today. $15 per person for 45 minutes of total relaxation. Here’s a link to the Galos Cave Spa yelp page. Lorenzo and I have gotten pretty lucky and get the salt cave to ourselves. They probably have around ten chairs in there, I have been once with other people, which is fine too. We always make sure to request a child-free hour. Appointments begin every hour, and basically you can walk around in the salt cave in the beginning if you want, then you recline in relatively comfy chairs with blankets, and meditate and/or sleep. They play pretty relaxing music with wave sounds, but I think next time we’ll use our iPhones & ear phones for music.
Love the sea horses!
With this photo you get a sense of the overall look inside the room which has man-made salt formations everywhere. I say if you need to relax, and/or enjoy meditating in new environments give it a try. The photo also shows that you need to bring clean white socks.
Does the salt in the environment give health benefits? I say probably. Plus going there relaxes me in a way that surely carries health benefits.
Have you been there? Are you planning to go? Let’s hear your salty comments!
Fabulous hair comes to webcomics with Laser Girl. Love that blue!
Lorenzo has finished page 4 of 12 of his Awesome 5! webcomic. Click here to see the entire page 4 of the Awesome 5! webcomic. If you click on that link, on the bottom you have the option of reading the pages from the beginning, in case you need a refresher on the plot. This image here is my favorite part of page 4. It’s the most detailed drawing of Laser Girl’s hair so far, with the most blue. Pretty snazzy! A laser shooting crime fighter AND cool hair. Look out!
Lorenzo and I would both love to hear reader comments here on the blog post below! Even simple blog comments help google to rank our post higher, so more people can find his webcomics and other art. Did you check out the page? What are your comments? How about the whirling helicopter’s blades? I love that look too!
Murphy plays a mean game of catch for a 9 year old doggie!
Most of you know that Lorenzo and I offer BarnneysHomeDogBoarding.com dog boarding in our home, providing night and day care and companionship to the dogs of only one owner at a time. Recently we met Murphy and his parents. Murphy is a 9 year old poodle/shih-tzu mix, and a compact bundle of cuddles, love, and a motorized wagging pompom tail. Murphy has three cat siblings at home and since we experienced love at first sight with Murphy, we agreed to Murphy’s mom’s request for cat sitting visits for their three cats. We are very experienced cat people due to our own cats as well as volunteer and foster experiences.
Charlie appears for a cuddle during the cat sitting visit
So now we offer the best for the dog-cat homes. The dog gets round the clock love in our home, and the cats get to stay in their own home and get love and care with cat sitting visits. This photo shows 12 year old Charlie, as we both enjoyed a cuddle this past Saturday in their home. His cat siblings are Linky and Shadow. Linky was the main ambassador giving us lots of cuddles and company, and Shadow who lends us her subtle companionship from afar.
Murphy is very good with other dogs, so we decided to see if he wanted to play with Teddy, another poodle mix and honored client of Barney’s Home Dog Boarding. We invited Teddy’s parents over for dinner, to see if both well-socialized dogs would enjoy a playdate. Of course we took all precautions and had them meet down the block outside, then when that went so well we had them play off-leash in our enclosed yard as we all supervised.
Murphy and Teddy acted like long lost twins, so we declared Poodlepalooza a success and went ahead and ordered dinner and made a night of it. In this video, the voices are mostly Teddy’s parents, as well as myself and Lorenzo. Before this video was taken the dogs had chased each other around in circles time and time again, and here in the video you see their play as they are a little winded but still enjoying their play, safe in our enclosed yard. Thanks also to Murphy’s parents, for allowing us to post this all-out festival of cuteness. Will there ever be another Poodlepalooza? Stay tuned to find out!
