Cousins Having a Discussion

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Little Things Mean Alot

Hey folks! On Sunday, June 8th I am participating in the Walk for Hope. I hope you will join me in the fight against breast cancer. Because of City of Hope, some of the most important, lifesaving advancements in treatment were and continue to be made possible.

I am walking for all the wonderful women in my life and especially for my dear cousin, a breast cancer survivor.

Please, if you can, pledge in support of my participation. Your tax-deductible contribution will go towards the important research, education and treatment programs that are essential in the fight against this disease!

You can donate online by clicking the link below. Even the smallest amount can help make a difference.

Lauren is WALKING!!

Inspiration is Here

A plant takes a ride uptown on the subway.

Memories of a Forced Eviction

I had an overdue baby. Sam is having one of those too.

I don’t know her, but I feel bad for her. A kid that won’t come out of the cave is annoying.

At 15 weeks I almost lost mine. My doctor was sure I’d go into spontaneous labor. I spent 4 weeks on bedrest and the kid stuck. You can imagine my dismay when, 7 days past my due date, that same baby refused to come out. She was, well, stuck.

I tried everything to bring on labor.

I did squats. I walked. I ran. I jumped up and down. At the suggestion of the midwife, I tried to visualize a flower opening up. I yelled, “Baby! Get the ¡@#$ out of there!” Someone told me I should eat spicy food. I tried it. I did, um, other things. The kid seemed to enjoy it all.

On the eighth overdue day, the midwife said, “Induce!” I realized that was probably a good idea. The baby did not think that was a good idea and still refused to budge. I wound up having a c-section. My daughter’s head was like a big, beautiful melon. My pelvis is a shrinky-dink. Unfortunate combo.

There’s no way you can get a melon through something as small and unyielding as a limestone donut. I have no regrets and she was totally worth the wait.

Dinner For Cartoonists

It’s easy! It’s cheap! It tastes good! Come on and play along at home. You need:

2 chicken breasts
1 egg
3/4 cup crunchy onions (I used Wegmans own, but French’s would work)

Preheat oven to 450°.

Crush the crunchy onions (with a mallet, rolling pin or a heavy book) and dump them into a shallow bowl or plate.

Beat the egg, also in a shallow bowl or plate. Dip the chicken into the egg and then into the crunchy onions.

Put both breasts (the chicken, not your own breasts) on a baking sheet and stick ’em in the oven for about 25-30 mins, flipping them mid way through.

With this, I served oven roasted Brussels sprouts.

Trim and quarter Brussels sprouts. Mix well with 1-2 tbsp. olive oil. Spread evenly on a baking sheet and sprinkle with garlic powder/sea salt. Throw them in the oven with the chicken for about 25-30 or until they look slightly browned. Some will be crispy critters, this is good.

No, Brussels sprouts (if prepared properly) are NOT yucky.

Scene from Lunch in NYC

Happy 125th Brooklyn Bridge!

It’s Scary…

when your kid starts drawing the kind of things that you would draw. Clearly we spend too much time with one another. I was probably about her age when I started drawing what adults referred to as “freaked out stuff”. I did not think the “freaked out stuff” could be passed down to the next generation. It’s making me feel not as freaky as I felt before.

Agent M explained what was going on in the drawing. Like most of the things she draws, there’s this whole elaborate story that goes along with the pictures. See, some birds are in a fast food restaurant and they’re placing their orders. What’s on the menu?  Worm Sandwich, bug biscuits, bee burgers and other things birds would like to eat.

Her imagination is incredible, her attention to detail is unbelievable. I hope it stays with her, always.

Ojos De Los Huevos

Perhaps it was severe allergies that inspired this, perhaps it was stress, I can’t say for sure.

I do well with pressure. When I’m juggling many things, I often volunteer to juggle even more. I like it and would rather be super busy than idle. I write all my tasks on my to-do list to make sure I don’t miss anything. During these moments, my random cartoon thoughts get more frequent and decidedly outer-limits. Words with pictures. Movie posters in my head.

My color palette. Plastic coated paper plates. Dollar stores sell them. Perhaps you have some left over from that party you had in 1983. The kind with a dreadful design. I used to spend so much money on those fancy disposable palettes from the art supply places. As much as the whole concept of “disposable” does not fit with my trying to produce less waste, acrylics demand a surface that can be tossed out.

Protect Your Rights as a Visual Creator/Copyright Holder

Write to the US Senate about the Orphan Works Act now!

Urge the Senate to protect creators’ rights on S. 2913

The Shawn Bentley Orphan Works Act of 2008″ S. 2913 has passed the Senate Judiciary Committee, and has now moved to the full Senate for a vote. We were unable to achieve significant changes to the bill to better protect the rights of visual creators and rights holders.

Now is the time to write to Senators. The bill may still be amended while under debate of the full Senate. Write to Senators and urge them to amend the bill, and ask them to vote against the bill if it is NOT amended.

Just click the link above.