Yeah, yeah, yeah…I know…I said I would be back from vacation and post updates and such. But the truth of the matter is, I actually suck at blogging. It hasn’t sunk in yet that to have a blog, you actually have to post updates, even if they are about nothing at all.

What have I been doing? (I ask myself as I seem to be writing this for myself atm) Well I’ll tell you. Enjoying time off and being lazy and sleeping in. I am actually committed to getting 8 hours of sleep, but have not really been too productive. I have been working with a client on his website, but fortunately, the design part was already done a couple of months ago so all I am doing now is communicating with the client and putting in the pieces he gives to me. This gives me plenty of time to work with my skills and keeping the rust off, but eventually, I am going to have to come up with a schedule to keep and stick to it. If that means not staying up until all hours of the morning, then so be it. I also have to work on having a spot that is my work space where I go to as my office and get into work mode. Right now, I don’t have a spare room in the house where I can go and close a door, so it is going to be a little difficult to stay away from distractions. I could set up a spot in the bedroom, but there isn’t really room for that and besides, the cats want me to pay their daily attention toll and their food and water dish is in one corner and their litter box is over in the bathroom.

I lost my original studio/office when my daughter was born and she moved in there. It was the perfect set up. A small room where I had my art table and computer desk and a nice comfy sofa I could relax on and doodle or just kick back and watch something on the TV, all behind a closed door. I can’t really ask her to move out as there isn’t anywhere else for her to go. I could take a chunk of the garage and put up some dry wall and a door, but that would mean spending some $$$. And right now, I don’t have that spare $$$, otherwise, I would find an office to rent outside of the house.

So, as I organize my workspace, I can then post this awesome picture of the family from our vacation to Universal Studios Orlando, which the Doubletree is a fantastic hotel, but it seems the room had been booked by the spousal unit with two double beds instead of the promised two queen beds, which my feet hung over the edge and I had no room to move. I don’t like…well, the fact is, I can’t fall asleep without a ritual of moving from one side to the other, rolling back and forth (over time…it isn’t like I climb into bed and automatically start rolling from side to side…I start on my back, then after a few minutes, I go to my right side and then back to my back and then a few minutes later, to my left side and then again after a few minutes to my back eventually falling asleep) but with the spousal unit right up next to me, I had trouble falling asleep. That is why I absolutely love having a king-sized bed. Lots and lots of room between people…room to roll…now I just have to work on getting a new comfortable mattress…

DEAR GOD, WHAT JUST DIED?!?…sorry for jumping off on a tangent but I am sitting here on the recliner and I suddenly have my nostrils filled with a very noxious aroma. Turning around to see what is behind me spewing forth stench, I see my 15 year old beagle sleeping and pooting…holy cow, what did you eat?!?

ANYWAY! Gotta get organized, gotta stay updated, gotta get motivated to get this business rolling. Which means clearing out a space for me to work and pulling out the sketch book, dusting off the pencils and putting pencils and then inks to paper and bring about the cover of the Willow’s Grove:HIJACKED to life. Oh, yeah, and work on the actual book, too.

Okay, this sign has now surpassed the motion sickness warning sign on rides. You know the one showing a stick figure on the rail of a ship with little black dots representing chum hovering around where the mouth would be if a stick figure had a mouth? Well, this little gem was taken on the Dueling Dragons coaster at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Florida. It is right before you select what section of the coaster to queue up at. The imagery it conjures up is priceless. Usually, you hope the people who leave their sandals and flip flops on lose one or both during the ride and then either have to ask the ride attendant to retrieve them or walk around for the rest of the day barefoot…they should have a shoe shop right at the end of the ride to collect more $$$. But this sign tells you to remove your fake limbs so they don’t have to climb up into the netting to retrieve a lost arm or leg. I know it isn’t politically correct, but to me, the image is priceless.