Holidays in Perspective

Posted by kaitsdashit on December 1st, 2009 filed in Squee!
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There’s nothing harder than spending your first vacation away from your family. Despite having flown the nest years ago, I’ve always managed to find my way back to my mother’s table this time of year.
The fact that I’m guaranteed to find ungodly amounts of food on that table when I arrive plays no small part in my migration pattern.
Yet, if you’ve been following this blog over the last year you’re aware that my mother and I have had a rocky relationship lately. Still, I soo wanted to be with her and Michi this Thanksgiving.
On the other hand, I have the most wonderful husband in the world. Not too many women can claim that their guy can make a week’s stay at a hotel and spa magically appear. (And I mean magically. I’m painfully aware of our bank account, so I don’t use the term lightly).
I’m sure that my mother’s thanksgiving went off without a hitch. As much as I’m sure that I have a plate of goodness waiting for me in her fridge. I just hope there aren’t tears sogging the sweet buns…
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So, it’s the last full day of our trip, and Ethan had one last surprise for me. We’re taking a helicopter tour!
(Is this where I mention having never flown before?) I think I should be scared–scared enough to pack a pair of fresh undies incase I need to change during our rapid decent. But, honestly, I’m not afraid.
I look over at Ethan–who’s just stepping out of the shower–and I’m not scared one bit. A little more of his magic, I guess.

Reasons to Celebrate

Posted by kaitsdashit on November 13th, 2009 filed in Squee!
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<p>So, I’ve been spotty with my posting frequency. Ethan and I came down with a case of projectile nastiness that I won’t get into at the moment, so that’s partly to blame.</p>
<p>The other reason I’ve been silent is that we’ve been busily working to put together something special for our readers.</p>
<p>We’ve just launched a one-off story featuring Misteria and, rather than printing it to sell or giveaway, we had the brainstorm of giving it away as a special digital comic.</p>
<p>So, if you’re inclined, run to <a href=”http://www.1089comics.com” title=”The best place to work!”>www.1089comics.com</a> right now and begin reading the weekly installments.</p>
<p>For those who prefer larger story bites, there will be something in this for you… but I can’t disclose that right now.</p>
<p>The second reason to celebrate?</p>
<p>It turns out that I don’t give my husband enough credit. Somehow during his and my illnesses he managed to pull himself from his sickbed, or away from his constant vigil at the side of mine–something I shouldn’t be so stoked about now that I think of it–and arrange a surprise trip for the two of us.</p>
<p>All I know is he managed to get Garrett’s buy-in on this, so I’m covered on that front. He’s told me to have my passport ready and to pack with the fewest amount of clothes in mind.</p>
<p>We’re supposed to be gone a week, so I’m wondering if he hasn’t registered a stay at some nudist camp or other…</p>
<p>If that’s the case, so be it. A vacation’s a vacation!</p>

Thanks and Another Plea

Posted by kaitsdashit on October 29th, 2009 filed in Squee!
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I’ve been reprimanded by “those in the know”–damn you blogerati–for being so gauche as to not thank my readers who so selfishly responded to my cries for help.

Sorry Xestrix and Samroxormas (and anyone else I’m forgetting at the moment). What can I say? This girl is harried. But I definitely appreciate the advice you gave me, especially since it saved my little backside.

Now I hope you don’t think I’m taking your help for granted, but something has been under my skin for the last few weeks.

The ad that Bea Arthur lent us–was a hoot, btw. I wish you could read it someday–had some strange writing at the bottom of it. I took it home to show Ethan and he was certain it was cultish.

Of course, it was within a few days of showing the ad to him that he came down with the flu, so maybe he was onto something.

Anyway, Garrett asked for the sample back not long after. He said that Bea insisted on it being returned to her. Good think I made a quick scan of it. Here’s a portion.

Any idea what the hell this means? Sorry for the bad quality. It was a horrible photocopy to begin with so I tried to crank up the contrast while scanning.

I had one pass at it, so this is all I have.

Maybe it’s gibberish. Or maybe it’s the text to some ancient extraterrestrial blood ritual. (But be careful, because this curse is about as bad as the one on King Tut’s tomb).

H1N–Huh?

Posted by kaitsdashit on October 25th, 2009 filed in Squee!
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To say that I’ve neglected posting here would be an understatement. But in my defense the YI household has been under siege by one nasty little bug.

First off, Ethan came down with the apocolyto-pork-virus and, being the dutiful wife that I am, I took some half-time off at work to practice my Florence Nightingale impersonation.

Well, no good deed goes undone as I always say. ‘Cause I ended up catching the flu and having to stay confined to bed for nearly a week. There’s only so much warm liquid that can a girl can pass through her body before she starts to wonder if she’s being secretly brined and basted.

Of course, the office fell into near disarray while I was gone. (Which really shouldn’t have surprised me). The rest of my silence has been spent on secret web stuff…

Thankfully I had finished putting together comps for Bea Arthur’s ad before fighting off the new plague–could you believe I managed to forget all about her during my delirium?

I guess that’s one positive side to nearly puking my ribs out.

A=V E=C S=R!

Posted by kaitsdashit on September 10th, 2009 filed in Squee!
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I feel like I should be wearing a toga and a band of leaves around my head.

A new friend of the blog pointed me in a direction for the project from hell. Her suggestion was like manna from heaven.

So, I sat down the other night to try a Cesarian code–not as painful, or bloody as it sounds btw–and I was so proud of myself. But that feeling didn’t last long since the hubby was able to figure out my message in only a few minutes. (I’m proud of you honey, honestly).

I’ll probably show the message to Garrett anyway, but I get the feeling he’ll thumb his nose at this attempt. It’d be nice to have something less simple in my back pocket.

Any other suggestions for harder to break codes? (Or is there no guarantee that Ethan won’t uncover my letters to secret lovers?)

Wedding Wear For The Unhinged

Posted by kaitsdashit on September 3rd, 2009 filed in Squee!
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The picture I included with my last post inspired me to wonder if there have ever been any straight jacket wedding dresses.

Depending on your point-of-view, there is a lot that’s analogous between being committed to the loony bin and walking down the aisle.

A quick visit to Google revealed the following picture. Too bad there wasn’t most information about the dress.

via Laciebug’s Flickr Account

Bats In the Belfry

Posted by kaitsdashit on September 3rd, 2009 filed in Squee!
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via Upon A Midnight Dreary

Ok, I’ve been procrastinating at work… My brain hasn’t hurt this much, since I had to sit through high school Algebra!

Fortunately Garrett has told me to just get the work done by any reasonable (his word, not mine) means. So I’m going to put a shout out for help.

I’m sure some kind soul out there can point me towards enlightenment. Or, at least a good (grade school level) primer on codes and secret messages.

Until this is sorted, I’ll focus on posting about… oh, I don’t know… alternative weddings? I think that’s what this blog’s supposed to be about, right?

I Had A Feeling…

Posted by kaitsdashit on August 28th, 2009 filed in Squee!
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I’m already late returning from lunch, and Garrett wants to go over ideas for Bea’s first ad.

After she was a no show yesterday, it took all my social grace (ha!) not to gloat. Today, I was going to tell Garrett that Bea was full of hot air for the zillionth time when she had to ruin my fun.

Oh, she had a sample of what she wanted alright…

It was some dashed off ad printed back in the 60s, and part of it was written in code. I can mimic the style of the ad. No problem.

However, Bea (and now, Garrett) wants me to take her ad copy and turn it into a CODED MESSAGE!?!?. Big problem.

I know nothing about this sort of stuff. I never paid attention to Morse code, Indian smoke signals, or any of that other boyscout crap.

Wikipedia, here I come. Or, better yet, if any of you can help me understand how to make a secret message, I’d happily bear a child for you. (Just ok it with Ethan first).

Damn CIA reject set on ruining my day!!

The Second Coming… of Maude?

Posted by kaitsdashit on August 26th, 2009 filed in Squee!
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I’m confused.

I can’t say it any plainer. I’m slack-jawed, above-my-head, dunder-brain, confused.

I finally found out why Garrett was in such a good mood yesterday. Seems that he was seriously contemplating cutting his print runs for the rest of the year.

But then an angel literally dropped wads of cash at his feet.

Did I say Angel? I mean Maude, which is part of my confusion since I could have sworn that Bea Arthur was… how do you say? Dead.

Bea, or whoever this nutjob was (I couldn’t follow her enough to even catch her name), has offered to buy all the available ad space in Misteria for the next few months. Thanks to the economy, and Garrett’s laissez-faire business ethic, that’s just about all of the ad space. I don’t think Garrett was expecting such a stroke of luck, since he nearly choked on his green tea when Bea made this proclamation.

Let me tell you, I both love and hate my job. I love it because I get to work with some of the coolest people ever to breath air. I hate it because I have to work for some of the thickest people ever to take up space.

I imagine that at much larger publishing operations the ad clients provide their own creative. At 1089 Comics we go for a lower rung of clientèle. People who can’t fathom why MS Publisher and family photos aren’t suitable for print advertising.

So it falls on me to take their scattered ideas and turn them into something that sells whatever it is they’re selling.

Well, I thought I knew scattered until Bea walked into our office. She was going on and on about how the ads, “Had to be selective”. She said she needed them to, “weed out the chaff,” while still drawing people in.

She continued going back and forth like this for nearly two hours, at the end of which she looked at both Garrett and me as if we were in on her big scheme.

It was like I was trapped in a real episode of Golden Girls. One where Bea walks into the scene and says something kooky. Except I didn’t have the benefit of a laugh track to clue me in on where punchlines were.

Wait.. am I confusing Bea Arthur with Estelle Getty? Or am I thinking about the other one?

I was this close to grabbing that woman by her scarf and tossing her out, but Garrett wouldn’t have anything of the sort.

To top it all off, just before she left she remembered that she had samples of the ads she wanted to run. And all I have to do is copy them. She’s dropping them off tomorrow.

ARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!

Now, where do I send off to get a rebate for the two hours of my life she wasted?

Let Me Just Add…

Posted by kaitsdashit on August 26th, 2009 filed in Squee!
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Before you think this blog is on a steady decline towards doom and gloom, Garrett was quite easygoing at work today.

So there