Christmas Twinkle

Twinkle, twinkle, little house

Nearly lovely as my spouse

Shining brightly in the night

Bathed in blue and yellow light

Twinkle, twinkle, home of mine

I’m so glad it’s Christmastime!

(In case you hadn't guessed, we put up our outside lights today.)

Wheeeeee!!!

Tonight, a quick self-portrait. (If you can't tell, I'm the 10-year-old with the giant grin flying the awesome new X-Wing!)

What A Tease!

Today I’m so excited

My brain is gonna melt

My eyes are gonna bug right out

My hair is frizzed like felt

My smile’s wrapped around my head

So what’s this all about?

Today’s the day the brand new Star Wars

Trailer has come out!

The stormtroopers are awesome

And so’s the rolling droid

That triple-bladed lightsaber

Means something gets destroyed!

There’s TIE fighters and X-wings

And a speeder bike and more

The Falcon doing banks and turns

To Williams’ epic score!

The whole thing is so awesome

But there’s just one thing I fear

I don’t know how I’m gonna last

Till it comes out next year!

(click here to watch it for yourself on YouTube!!)

Hand Turkey

Happy Thanksgiving! I'm now back home, on the couch, recovering from a wonderful family dinner. Here's my take on a classic Thanksgiving image.

Thanksgiving Eve

For Thanksgiving, I got the day off

Full of dreams of tomorrow’s big trough

But instead of that thrill

All day long I’ve been ill

And I sit and I ache and I cough

(Hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow. Either way, I'll be at dinner tomorrow, but I might end up sitting on the couch, coughing and blowing my nose and generally trying not to get anyone else sick.)

Long Eared Owl

Maybe practice pays off. Tonight I was tired and uninspired with no idea what to draw. Recently, though, I was invited to join an owl-themed group on deviantart, so I figured I'd just do a quick speed painting of an owl. I found a source photo on Google and was able to crank this out in about a half hour. Looking at it now, I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out, especially since something like this would have taken me hours and hours not too many months ago.

Windy

I just heard a little boy say,

“Golly Mom, it’s sure windy today!”

She said, “You’re not wrong.

It’s incredibly strong!"

Then they jumped up and both blew away

(Edit: I just noticed that this is my 700th post! Who'd have thought I'd be able to come up with that much random junk to say or draw?)

Sid the Ape

At work recently I got a new whiteboard for my door. It came with some magnets for mounting that said "TAPE SIDE" on them, so you know which side to attach the mounting tape to. However, I ended up sticking it directly to my door, so the magnets went unused - until I realized that due to the way they were printed, all I had to do was break them apart, rearrange the letters a little and add an H in the middle, and they spelled SID THE APE. Now, of course, I need a picture of Sid to go with the label. Here's my first attempt:

Putting Up The Tree

I know it’s not Thanksgiving yet

And some say it’s too soon

But we put up our Christmas tree

Just this afternoon

We did it cause I love to look

At all the pretty lights

It makes the days more cheerful now

And brightens up the nights

It’s full of lovely ornaments

And with a star it’s crowned

And so I think I’ll leave it up

Til Easter rolls around

Ode to the Alascattalo

(Just in case today was Alascattalo Day instead of yesterday, here's a little poem for the occasion!)

Alascattalo, you’re so neat

With walrus tusks and moosey feet

And boy, those antlers! What a sight!

You must be strong - they don’t look light

You’ve such a rich and pungent smell

Your flippers help you swim as well

I promise you don’t look so odd

Despite that blubber on your bod

You’re truly king of land and sea

And that’s why you’re so dear to me!

Alascattalo

Behold, the rare and elusive alascattalo! This magnificent creature is found only in the most remote heart of deepest, darkest Alaska. It is the genetic cross between a moose and a walrus, and every year on November 21 (a few of) the residents of Anchorage celebrate Alascattalo Day with a tiny parade down a back alley. I have never wanted to visit Alaska more than I do right now!

Top Hat

Today, November 19, is Play Monopoly Day. However, that doesn't leave me much time for anything else, so how about Draw Monopoly Day instead? Either way, I still get to be the Top Hat!

New Blue Gloves

I went to Target after work

And got myself a treat

A bright blue pair of rubber gloves

I think they’re pretty neat

They’re padded and they’re moisturized

To help protect my hands

And keep my skin from drying out

While washing pots and pans

Cause otherwise my fingertips

Will crack and peel and bleed

And putting up with pain like that

Is something I don’t need

And soon it will no longer hurt

To hold a drawing pen

Until that day you’ll have to bear

With poems like this again!

Mammoths

Today I read an article about the biological and ethical issues some scientists are facing as they try to clone wooly mammoths. I don't know - I thought it was pretty easy!

It's Happened Already

It’s happened already - the girls do not know

Tomorrow they’ve got a delay due to snow

It’s coming down heavy, it’s coming down quick,

The streets are already all icy and slick

And since I’m the guy who must drive them each day

I’ll also be getting a little delay

Which means I’ll be falling asleep with a grin

They’ll still wake up early - I’ll get to sleep in!

Gung Wu

Though it may not be cool for a guy

I think I’m in love - you’ll see why

Her name is Gung-wu

I think you’ll love her, too

So click here and give it a try!

Radio Dreams

Denied!

I got the email this morning telling me that my lifelong (okay, maybe only week-long) dream of being a star voice actor on a radio commercial was not to be. Actually, she was very nice and said she appreciated the demo track I sent to her and would definitely keep me in mind for future projects. So maybe it's just delayed for a bit. If I ever get the call, I think it'll be a fun thing to try, and if not, oh well...

Kindness?

It’s a holiday not to postpone

So live it and make it your own

And say hip hip hooray

Cause it’s World Kindness Day

Now shut up and leave me alone!

(Happy World Kindness Day, everyone!!)

On The Record

One of these days, I'll have a nice, normal, relaxing day at work. I'll come home wide awake and full of energy at the normal time and not have any major commitments all evening long. On that night, I'll take my time and do a heartfelt poem or beautiful drawing. Tonight is not that night. However I did do something somewhat interesting tonight so here's a few lines about it before I go finish my laundry and wash the dishes and (eventually) go to bed.

I just made a recording

Of a demo vocal track

I sent it to a lady

And I hope she mails me back

And if she says she wants me

To the studio I’ll go

To be in a commercial

On our local radio

Go Philae Go

Tomorrow if all goes as planned

A spaceship called Philae will land

On a comet - what fun!

Cause it’s never been done

Although sadly the mission’s unmanned

(If you're interested, you can click here for a site with a lot of good information about the mission!)

Family Time

Today is my 13th wedding anniversary! Unfortunately, my wife has a pretty nasty cold, so my 10-year-old daughter decided to write her a couple of poems to cheer her up. We thought they were pretty cute, so we asked her if we could post them here. She agreed, on the condition that I draw our family as hearts, like she had done on her card. So here are her two poems, followed by my version of our heart family.

    It's not fun when you're sick
    Sitting down and laying all day,
    But when you're sick I'll help you
    Move and get on your way.

           *****

    I'm so happy that you're in my life
    You are the best Mommy of all,
    You help me stay happy and cheerful
    Even if I fall.

Cow With A Pearl Earring

Tomorrow is my sister's birthday! She's a genuine classic who has inspired me more than once, so here's another classic with a twist inspired by her. Happy birthday!

Happy Birthday to moo!

Rhyme Time

Oh goodness gracious, it’s after eleven

I haven’t got anything written at all

So let’s do this quickly and jot down some verses

I’ve got to get rhyming, I’d better not fall

See what I did there, it’s pretty apparent

I twisted the line so the last word would rhyme

It pains me to do it, I try to be clever

I’d be less cliched if I had some more time

Oh no, time and rhyme, now it’s getting appalling

These horrible verses will make me look bad

I can’t seem to help it, I’m spiraling downward

Until I hit bottom and then I’ll be sad

So let’s wrap this up cause it’s getting too late now

I’m sure you’ve grown weary of reading this trash

Of course with the way the world works this most likely

Will be my big breakthrough and earn tons of cash!

Bear Hugs

Believe it or not, today is Hug A Bear Day again! How did it creep up on us so quickly? So anyway, go out and hug your favorite bear. (If you don't have one, might I suggest this fellow!)

The Force Awakens

Is that a shiver that I feel?

A tremor running through my soul?

As if a million voices cried

A million fanboys’ dreams made whole

Because today they just released

The Star Wars title coming next

The seventh episode will be

“The Force Awakens” - I’m perplexed

Cause does that mean it’s been asleep?

And after Jedi’s final cheers

The midichlorians all took

A nap that lasted thirty years?

Or, perhaps, the force itself

Is waking other people up?

We might just see it offering

Luke a steaming coffee cup

I guess we’ll all just have to wait

Until that cold December day

When everything will be revealed

It’s only thirteen months away!

Numbat

I've been trying out the latest version of my favorite drawing app recently. There are many nice, new features, some that will take a little getting used to, and just a few things that I really hate - like the fact that it likes to randomly just quit every 5 minutes. I could try to fight with it and figure out what's going on, or I could just do a very quick and sloppy sketch of a numbat and consider myself done for the night. Guess what I'm going to do?

One More Job Tonight

There’s not a lot of time tonight

For pics to draw or poems to write

I’ve got to venture out into

The dark, cause there’s a job to do

My mom-in-law is flying in

And so I’m heading out again

To pick her up and bring her back

But then I still can’t hit the sack

I’ve got to take the garbage out

Recycling? Without a doubt!

And lots of dishes fill the sink

I can’t leave them, they’ll start to stink!

The laundry! I need clothes for work

Another job I cannot shirk

But worry not, I’ll get it done

Although it might not sound like fun

Cause no distractions fill my head

My family has gone to bed!

Be Like Laika

On this date back in 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 2. Onboard was a little dog the scientists had grabbed off the street a few days earlier - and that's how Laika became the first living thing in orbit! Here's a super inspirational poem to commemorate her daring achievement!

On this day, the old USSR

Changed a dog from the street to a star

So be just like Laika

When the right chances strike-a

And perhaps even you could go far

What I Want

After the recent tragic events out in Mojave on Friday I've been giving some thought to what I want, and I came up with a few things:

1) Peace and support for the wife and children (ages 10 and 7) of Michael Alsbury, the test pilot killed in the accident. A memorial fund has been established at this link.

2) A full, thorough and open investigation, so they (and everyone else in the industry) can figure out exactly what went wrong and how to fix it.

3) All necessary upgrades or redesigns made so the vehicle ends up as safe and amazing as Virgin Galactic says it is, even if it takes more time.

4) Continued public support and interest in the private spaceflight community. I would hate to see one accident end this industry in its infancy.

And all of this is because:

5)

Whether it's with Virgin Galactic, XCOR, NASA, SpaceX, Blue Origin or someone else entirely - I'm still expecting to make it up there (and come back safely) some day. 

Drawtober 2014, A Retrospective

I wanted to write a quick and easy limerick looking back on the past month, but I couldn't fit it into the standard five lines, so I guess this is more like a "long-rick"...

All the days of Drawtober were fun

And I drew something new for each one

Cars and cows in the air

With some hippos up there

And a mole with a crown

A poor penguin fell down

Lots of cats, one was king,

And a dragon-fern thing

It was great, but I’m glad it’s all done!

(at least until next year!)