Tag Im It!

Ok so Ive been tagged and I have to post 20 random thoughts about myself so here goes...

1. I love coffee
2. I dont think I could live without my computer/ipod/digital camera
3. I dont eat red meat or pork
4. I am really tight with my family
5. I miss my close friends alot
6. The soundtrack of my life would be all over the board
7. Contrary to belief, brown is not my favorite color ;)
8. Im seriously thinking about a career change, but Im not sure to what
9. Im scared of losing loved ones
10. I am totally happy with my hair, curly or straight!
11. Im outgoing, yet have a hard time making new friends
12. I love Tim Burton films
13. Im seriously envious of people who can draw really well
14. My most favorite moments/memories are those spent with my friends and family
15. I love vegetables, especially asparagus
16. I love the smell of oranges and clean laundry
17. I work out at the end of my day to help me wind down
18. I still sleep in a twin size bed
19. I may be 29 but I still act like a 5 year old at times
20. I hate winter

IlloFriday: Escape

So its been way too long since I last posted on here. Yeah I can hear Jordan now busting my chops saying that last time I came back from a hiatus I said I was going to post more consistently and then didn't post at all. Well I went without an internet connection at my new house for almost 4 week and I almost lost it. Things are finally back up and running and I'm going to try hard to keep up with my posting, If in the least posting an IlloFriday every week. On that note, here's my illo for this weeks topic, escape. I had this finished on Monday but Blogger hasn't been letting me post anything. But nonetheless here it is. Let me know what you think.

Out with the old....

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So there it is. My hoopty, the etcher-mobile, in all its old and run down glory. I bought it when it was just a year old back in '97 with very few miles on it. Now, in 2005 with over 120,000 miles, a few trips from Mass to Florida and back, two hit & runs, one small fender bender and a whole lot of snow Ive decided its seen better days and its time to say goodbye. This picture barely does justice of the rough shape this car is actually in, it was on its very last leg.


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For those of you who know me, know Im a yankees fan and also know that I have had that Yankees vanity plate on the front of the car for almost as long as Ive owned the car. Thanks Jeff ;) Well it too has seen better days and I have decided to let that plate sink with the ship. Most of you up here in Mass are very enthusiastic about this especially since I now have Mass plates, which are required to be in the front and back, which means no vanity plate replacement. I have also decided to return the Florida plates to my dad and let him begin a new generation of etcher-mobile, it is after all his business. So drum roll please....I present...the new ride...


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2005 Black Jeep Wrangler SE. 4 Wheel Drive. 6 Cylinder Automatic. Soft top, A/C & CD player. Can I just say I absolutely love this Jeep! It fits me to a T. Im sure the enthusiasm will wear off eventually, but for now I cant help but have permagrin every time I drive it. Its great driving down the interstate with the top down on a beautiful day. Its also great knowing that if I, for some silly reason, forget to put up my windows and there is a terrential down pour, all I have to do to drain the three inches of water that could gather on the drivers side floor is lift up the carpet and pull the drain plugs. I can also breathe easy knowing that the seats dry almost instantly and one would only need to sit on a towel to keep ones clothes from becoming damp. I think I read all about that in a brochure or on the web, it doesnt come from first hand experience, I mean come on...its only a week old, would I do something silly like that? I must also comment that Im even more excited about it because its my very first brand new vehicle. Ive only owned the '88 Chevy Cavalier and the '96 Mitsubishi Mirage and bought both of those used. Ive worked really hard and I think I deserve a new vehicle. Watch out kids, Im moving up in the world...Im getting a little bit older, a little bit wiser and deeper in debt, isnt life grand ;)

IlloFriday: Sport

Dont ask me why I came up with tennis, Ive never played nor do I watch it on TV. It was weird I saw sport as the topic and this instantly popped into my head. I quickly sketched it out and then eventual got around to making it digital. So here it is. What do you think?

IlloFriday: Heroes

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Watch out kids...two in a row. So this weeks illo topic is heroes. I must honestly say the very first thing I thought about was a sandwich! I cant help it I love food. So I went and fed my stomach and the second thing that I thought of is the US Military. In the last few years my life has been surrounded by the military. I would say a good majority of my friends are all in the military, different branches and different states. I figured I would use this weeks topic to honor them for not only working hard within an organization that fights for our countries freedom but also because they are some of the greatest people I have met. They have become some of my closest friends and I know I can count on them for anything. My thought is, if you dont have friends and family to help you through the bad times and to enjoy the good times with, what do you have? I hope everyone has a safe and Happy 4th!

IlloFriday: Black & White

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So I figured id come back full swing and start off with an Illustration Friday post. Its a charcoal sketch on newsprint that I did a few years ago and I reworked it yesterday in Illustrator. Ive always been really proud of this piece for one major reason, I cant draw people worth crap! When I finished the original sketch I was actually amazed that I drew it myself. Let me know what you think.

If I havent mentioned previously, I work in a great place, which will again remain nameless. We have a great deal of freedom to do alot of things that wouldnt normally occur in your average work environment, ie tin foil your co-workers cube. One thing we truely enjoy is food day. Everyone brings in a dish of something and we pick and snack all day. Well today we had a penny candy day. You know penny candy...wax lips, rootbeer barrels, wax bottles, buttons etc. One of my co-workers was great enough to bring in a bunch of retro toys and things to decorate the table and everyone brought in a type of penny candy to share...check out the pics below of our penny candy day table. These are the things that make my tough days at work a bit easier!

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So this is what I did to the cube of one of the guys I work with while he was away on vacation this past week. Why you might ask? Well, one night it was past work hours (probably close to 8pm) and I had thought everyone had gone home for the night. I was still working hard at my cube, seriously I had blinders on to anything outside of my computer screen. My cube is in the basement level of the building (of which is haunted) but I do have a ground level window. This window has a huge shrub in front of it so you really cant see in from the ground level. Well the previously mentioned guy was nice enough to scare the crap out of me that night by throwing pebbles at the window. When I stood up to look out the window I could just barely see him and this mischievous smirk. Sooo...this is what happens when you pick on me constantly and then scare the crap out of me, or if im really bored ;) Well tomorrow morning should be interesting. Yeah and he also has a meeting first thing in the morning in the conference room. Its a weekly meeting and everyone sits in the same chair every week and, yup you guessed it, I covered that chair in tin foil too!

So I had originally seen this commercial (click on the top commercial of the three) for Diet Coke and was instantly hooked. Why you might ask? Well its people roller skating to Starry Eyed Surprise by Paul Oakenfold feat. Shifty.
Then this commercial came along and blew the diet coke ad away. Why again you might be asking. Apple Ipod, Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz and again Roller Skating....does it get any better?

Ok so I actually had a moment to toy around and make a few changes to my sidebar...check it out. Yeah I know...just more stuff to keep updated. I swear im gonna get back on track and post on a regular basis again. Promise!

Yeah I know, Im a scrub who hasnt posted in a while. Work has been absolutely crazy, again! Can I say that its 7pm on Wednesday and im posting this from work because I know that im going to be here at least another two hours and i wont want to post anything when I get home! I promise to start posting again real soon, I swear!

Betty Crocker anyone?

More and more everyday I turn a little bit more into Betty Crocker. I still havent figured out if thats good or not. Im assuming since I love food its probably a good thing. On that note...Im going to a fondue party tomorrow night. It should be a really good time...i mean how bad can it be? Good food + good wine/beer + good friends = Good times! Im stoked. And in true Betty Crocker fashion I decided that we couldnt just have cheese and chocolate to dip our food into. No way...too boring. So I decided to make some fun sauces from scratch. 2 Hot sauces: a Peanut Butter sauce and a Sweet and Sour sauce. 2 Chilled sauces: a Dill sauce and a Horseradish sauce. Hopefully they will taste good and noone will become ill ;)

Jukebox Off 2005

Last weekend was an adventure to say the least. I made yet another trip from Beantown to the Big Apple. This was no ordinary trip, for no ordinary visit made by no ordinary girl (yes thank you to those who know what movie that is derived from) I made the treck Fung Wahless...yes you heard me correctly, no Fung Wah! I did travel with some friend this time, which made the drive seem alot shorter. Purpose of this trip you may ask? Our friend Chalrie was part of a Jukebox Off. The 1st Annual "Bubble" Jukebox Off 2005 NYC. So heres the deal two crazy kids, Charlie and Raj, battle on the jukebox in a tiny pub, Bailey's, in the "Bubble". The guys have 3 alternating rounds of 5 songs. Goal: impress the crowd, make em dance, make em sing, make em have a good time even if they dont want to! At the end of each round score sheets were tallied and a round winner was announced. After three rounds...well no suprise its a tie. So tie breaker is this...gentlemen choose two songs to be entered into the jukebox by the MC and the crowd will choose blindly on their favorite set. And the winner is.....Charlie! WooHoo!!! But we already saw that coming now didnt we ;) It was an absolutely fantastic time. Good beer, good friends, good times!
Check out the small sampling of photos that I put together in this album. For those of you who went and would like any of these pics either leave a comment here or get my email info from Charlie. We should do this every weekend!

Yeah I realize I havent posted in a while, I just finally met my the last deadline for project A, took a mini vaca to NYC over the weekend (which i will comment on and post pictures from in a later post), just actually filed my taxes last nite and have been training at the gym like a fiend! I should be getting back into the regular swing of things by the end of the week. Two things I would like to mention....
1. Im going to be sappy for a moment and say that I heard the sweetest thing the other day. Yeah sure maybe Ive heard it before but it gets me everytime. Someone made a comment about their significant other being their "cool breeze". Hot summer day, along comes a nice cool breeze, its one of the best feelings in the world and to have that feeling about another person is just awesome.
2. And this one goes out to ChaCha....i was watching tv the other nite. That new dating show Next on MTV. Yeah Yeah I know, but it was the first time id ever seen it and it was pritty funny. Point of story is...there was a girl who made a comment that eating is a chore. She only eats because she has to. ChaCha your not the only one, there are others...do you think she may be a long lost alien sibling? She did have red hair and was a little bit wacky.

So what do The Crow and Sin City have in common?

• Great graphic novels
• Great Directors
• Great Actors
• Great attention to detail
• Great movies!

So I just went and saw Sin City on Sunday and it was absolutely fabulous. The whole movie was done in black and white except for certain times when a splash of color would be added in for emphasis. Just like The Crow, the details of Sin City were pulled from the graphic novel to a T. There was a lot of voilence but because it was all in traditional comic book form it wasnt the least bit violent. I higly recommend this movie. Im definitely grabbing this one on DVD.

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Chána - this one is for you. Some people built a lego replica of Disney. Check it out.

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Man I love this commercial by Gatorade, it just makes me laugh.

Happy Easter

So I hope everyone had a great Easter. I did. I went over to a friends house and a few of us had a nice Easter dinner together followed by a fierce game of Trivial Pursuit Pop Culture on DVD. Man its such a good game, especially the Pop Culture edition. Heres and excerpt from part of the evening....

Question: What movie sequel uses Electric Boogaloo in its title?
Cheryl: (without any hesitation) Breakin'
*Crickets chirping here*
Other Team: So do you guys have an answer...
Cheryl: Breakin', seriously thats the answer.
Cheryls team: Oh. Really? Ive never heard of that. Ok if she says so, go with that.
Other Team: Breakin'. Correct.
Cheryl: Told you. Man I love that movie! Have you guys seriously never heard of Breakin'?

Hehehe..needless to say the team I was on put our unique wits together and managed to win the game! Good Times had by all!

Note to self: 5 Guinness, fierce games of beer pong, & one NCAA BBall game = Cheryl very drunk and very hungover!
Word of the day: fierce

Im just wondering...where on earth did the Boston area weather people go to school? I mean we were supposed to get 5-10 inches of snow and we ended up with rain and some slush. Hey Im definitely all for no snow but man you tell people around here that theres going to be a snow storm and they get thair panties all in a bunch, you'd think you were in Florida during hurricane season. You mention rain and the whole state buys every piece of food from the food store and every piece of wood from Home Depot. Its just some slush, you wont starve to death nor will you freeze to death. Oops shouldnt have said that, I think a few people just left to go buy more blankets.
So I went to the gym today and filled out a request for a personal trainer. Im stoked! I figure its the best thing for me to do. I have a goal and a date to reach my goal by. I figure by getting a personal trainer ill actually meet my goal. I know if I didnt get a trainer I would set a goal and a date and procrastinate like I do with everything else, and we know with working out you just cant wait til the last minute. Im also hoping it will get me on a regular routine which will help me destress and lower the amount of migraines I get. Definitely a good thing!
Anyone else besides me watching basketball? Im in a Sweet 16 pool at my work. Its actually a really good pool, I was in it last year, but alas didnt win =( This is a no thinking kind of pool. Our names are matched up with teams randomly. Heres the catch of it...if your team loses but covers the spread, you still win and take over the winning team and move on to the next bracket. I have Villanova. Great if they win, potentially even better if they lose but cover the spread because then I would take over North Carolina...definitely not too shabby a team to have. My game is tomorrow so we shall see.
Ok, only a couple random thoughts for the day....

• Watch the video of the octopus, who knew?
• How to really confuse your party guests.
• Good band, good song, good animation...definitely along the lines of Schoolhouse Rock!
• Jordan, will this be found in your shopping cart next? Man there are some really good classic tv series I would love to get on DVD, but thats for another post.
• Every feel you artwork deserves to be in say...the Met...Bansky did, check out what he recently did.

Side note...50 First Dates is on AGAIN. I dig that movie but man HBO plays it all the time. Also want to say Runaround Sue by Dion is a classic tune!

Here we go again...

So yet again, it looks like another snow storm is headed this way. They say 5 - 10 inches. It seems, knock on wood, that Somerville is this low snow zone. Everytime its snows, the North Shore, where I work, gets tons of snow, yet by my house in Somerville its nothing worth pulling a shovel out for. Hey Im not complaining about this, I hate to have to shovel. Im complaining about snow/cold/winter in general, I just want it to be warm!!

So I love my job and I really do enjoy it but man I just want this project to be over with. I feel like Im stressing through the work week and then sleeping away my weekends with a migraine. Soon, very soon it will all be over. This project will be completed and Ill be able to relax. So on a lighter note it looks like were getting more snow. JOY! Man will this snow ever end?

Todays tidbits...

• Duct Tape....many believe its the cure all for repairs. Ever have the sudden urge to make a wallet out of it, now you can!
• Speaking of making things....do you drink alot of beer? Maybe you can make this.
• This is just totally random and odd. Watch the video clip.

Tid Bits...

So heres a bunch o interesting tid bits and websites to check out...

• So heres a story about mysteriously appearing shoes and how its considered fly tipping, thats the illegal dumping of waste, am I the only one who didnt know that?
• Heres an interesting combo...Goths and Disneyland.
• What is up with these sunglasses?
• This blog is a kid whose an intern in NYC and some of the stuff he writes is just funny!
• Built to Grind, the company history of Independent Truck Company...heres a slide show narrated by Steve Alba. Check out the shot of Danny Way on the DC ramp. Wow lots of links in that bullet huh?
• Check out this site, theres some great shirts for great bands, including Less Than Jake, and all for a great cause.
• So in order for this to work, you have to have enough water and are able to spare twelve hours. Interesting.
• So I thought the age old question in toilet paper was...do you let the paper hang over or under, but I guess the more pressing issue is how to properly display multiple rolls of toilet paper. Check out this article, its a riot.

Ok so I guess thats enough for one night. Happy St. Pattys Day!