Shades of a Jungleman

Burn the floor

Raphael Saadiq is my best find of 2013 so far. His records are new, but they sound like the old soul that I love the most. I haven't heard a song yet that wasn't like a bacon wrapped dance party. Watch out because this video is full of sexy ladies acting like their tiny outfits are on fire and burning them in slow motion.

Jug Wine: Indoor Kids

Jug Wine: Indoor Kids

Here is a comic by a girl who I sort of know who shares my sentiments on sports.

mommystyre: 5 Days

Hot damn I just realised that I've done exactly 300 posts on this dorky blog o'mine. I should've probably gotten better at it by now, Oof. Ah well, here it is, limping along, spurting and rambling. Touching on things from my job, brain, hands and home. You're welcome to it, because I enjoy doing it and documenting and celebrating the little quirks of my corner of existence. Also, I think my kids are exceptionally brilliant and good looking so it's really their show. What? They are.

I went back and forth about putting these pictures of myself on the internet because it seems silly and makes me self conscious but! I love to dabble in fashion and since my new job is quite a bit swankier it affords me new challenges in outfitting my mommy self. This is not a fashion blog and never will be but I feel my "career" as a barmaid has a limited shelf life and never again will I have a reason to piece together so many outfits and then try them out on a couple hundred strangers each night.

Don't misunderstand me, I am not fashionable. I know what I like and I try to make something similar out of scraps I pick up at the local thrift shop and then attempt to fool actual fashionistas. It's a creative outlet to balance out all the hours I spend in pajamas changing diapers.

All of these badly lit bathroom photos were taken at 4am after working all night. If I look tired, it's because I am. If I look old, I AM. Part of the challenge of bar fashion is keeping in mind that you will be splashed with all manner of liquids, have your hands in water almost to the elbow all night like a medieval washerwoman, you must be able to shake your arms freely, bend way over without showing coin slots or your lacy unmentionables, squat, and don't even think about wearing something flowing or flappy or you will be snagged on the pour spouts- mocking you like dozens of silver fangs from their sticky troughs. Oh and you will be standing and reaching and bending and shaking for 7 hours. No food, no real breaks. 

This leaves you with limited options: dark clothing, mostly pants, minimal rings and bracelets, no loose hair, no spanx, and *gasp! sensible footwear. YOU try to look lithe and in charge while sweating, dunking dirty glasses and nibbling on pretzels and the occasional olive. The upside is this: it is usually dark, usually smoky, and people have been drinking! They squint at you through the haze as a magical being of power, dispensing expensive social medicine and forgive many details, such as dirty hair or a jacket obviously made for children.

Here are five answers to that challenge which actually survived a shift, taken in a dirty mirror by an undercover mommy. I welcome your advice and ridicule.

More old comics

Here are the last couple of post it note comics from this past summer that were actually inked and scanned, with some bonus ones by Ruby. Hers are probably from a year ago but I think they're pretty interesting, especially the men "blowing fire" (she saw someone smoking at the coffee shop) and sporting monster scratches (do I detect male pattern baldness?). I also like the aerial view self portrait. She has since improved her drawing and sassing skills and Jesse does a bit less accidental cursing. He actually talks in real sentences like a tiny man now, for example "Mommy, somebody put a sticker on my banana! That's funny."

Evan and I have however regressed, and are still calling them "sh*tmunks", even when it's clearly a squirrel.

ever heaps,
Mami

check check! 1,2, 3...

 Hello internet! I missed you. I hope we're still friends. I am checking in, and would like to report that we are safely ensconced in our new rickety old house in Denton, Texas and having all manner of adventures and misadventures here in our new "small" town.

Evan is right this second playing drums and freestyle rapping about Jesse's dino pants, Ruby has stolen my vintage clip on earrings and has paired them with a strawberry polka dot shirt and stripes, and I am about to down a cold cup of coffee, dress like a vaguely hip prohibition girl and serve drinks with names like Aviation and French Pearl using such ingredients as liquor of crushed violets, mint leaves, absinthe and egg whites.

Here is a tiny comic I drew this summer for a project entitled "100 Days of Summer" in which I promptly got very behind and discouraged and I believe I squeezed out six whole days of summer. Anyway, Evan scanned them for your web pleasure.

I hope to not allow this blog to suffer the same fate as my house plants did, which was a slow death. Yesterday I dumped out their frozen wilty carcasses and dug up some nice green flowering something or others from the yard, put them in the pot and dragged them inside to a sunny window to beautify the "parlor". I promise to water you and love you and not let Evan talk me into no internet because it is good to take a break. Or something.

MURAL MATCH 4

Coldtowne Theatre

A red and white mural match with my old chum Jeff. This is possibly the last Austin one we'll do in quite a while since we quit this town in a week! Actually, I should stop fannying around on the internet and continue packing my life into cardboard.

Last night was our going away/Tacks listening party at my work and I got many warm hugs and high fives. It isn't hard to leave this city, but it will be hard not to see these friends I've made over the last decade and a half without a four hour drive beforehand. On the upside, our new house has guest quarters! Come and visit us.

Lamm"s Candies