for you, Vanessa

So I've been drawing a ton.  And making patterns, taking pictures, etc but posting nothing to this blog.  Some of the drawings were for a facebook page I did with friends in September, until I realized that facebook was really bumming me out so I deleted it from my phone and have avoided checking it...  And now I'm in the midst of a drawing project with Kristin and we have our drawings posted here for the time being.

The drawing above is from this morning for my project with Kristin, as a documentation of my LA mornings lately.  I wake up and debate going for a run immediately and then decide that instead, I will make coffee.  With my big old cup of coffee I sit at my desk, read emails, check my planner, make some to-do lists, and then sometimes play The Daily Show or something on Netflix or some music while I draw or paint or stare into space with my coffee until I realize I'm starting to get jittery and it's time to make some food to counter the caffeine.  

This morning I reheated some leftover ginger garlic tofu bok choy soup because I needed to finish it but it wasn't what I wanted- I just shoveled it in and felt uncomfortably hot from it- almost feverish which is awesome when one is already feeling on the verge of panic from a little too much coffee and the uncertainty of one's future due to her employment status...  yay!  (and that's when I decide that tomorrow, for sure, I will run first thing rather than going straight for the coffee...)

bffs

So a while back Sidekick passed away.  He got sick and then died, and it took me a little while to realize why I was in a bad mood until I realized that his death sort of affected me.  I'd had him for years, after all, and he had been a trooper when the three of us (He, Thor & I) packed up and moved a thousand miles from Boulder to crazy Los Angeles.  From a simple life living on a quiet little street to a big hectic city with helicopters and sirens screaming by...  I was attached to both those little guys and maybe losing him was like losing one more connection to that simple life I'd left behind.

I felt especially bad for Thor, though.  While Sidekick was sick, Thor wouldn't leave his side.  He swam solemnly nearby and it broke my heart- I was likely anthropomorphizing, but it really felt like he was losing his best friend and it was hard to watch.

Then, soon after Sidekick died, I had to go away for a week.  Before I left I cleaned the tank well- I scrubbed the algae and changed the water and replaced the filter.

When I got back, I realized that the toothbrush that I used to scrub the inside of the glass was still in the tank.  Thor seemed a bit better and I couldn't help but think the toothbrush had somehow played a part.  They must have become friends!  I left the toothbrush in the tank, because who was I to force Thor through another devastating loss...  I imagine this is what it was like while I was away:

ach

brainstorm

After 4 days of the pipes in my house being frozen I've begun racking my brain for new ways to try to thaw them...

new friend

I was a little worried that Sidekick would eat any new friend I introduced him to, but I figured I'd give it a shot. (Mudcarp died when I was out of town a few weeks ago- I thought it would be nice to give Sidekick a new friend.) I actually gave him two new friends, Thor and Cupcake, but Cupcake got sick and died a week after I got her. Thor and Sidekick seem to be pretty fond of each other, though, despite the disparity in size. I have noticed that Thor stays clear of Sidekick when I feed them- he holds back and eats the little bits of food that drift down to him, or he swims to the opposite side of the tank to eat at the surface. Smart lil' guy.

big move

If Mudcarp and Sidekick were to move across the country, I imagine this is what it would look like... If we were all headed somewhere together (as I'm hoping we would be- those little guys are basically family...) maybe they'd let me stash some things in their rented truck... amidst their algae wafers and dried tubifex worms. My guess is that Mudcarp would do most of the driving.

on the ears of a rabbit