consumed

Have you noticed that whenever paper-writin' time rolls around, I swoop in all doom and gloom about how you might never see me again and then miraculously my blog-posting frequency goes through the roof?? Almost as if I was avoiding work, rather than embracing it. Do my italics accurately convey my sarcasm, or should I really crank back the subtlety?

Anyway, I'm up writing genius words about water and air motifs in The Great Gatsby (note: italics do not denote sarcasm) with some minimal distractions (I even turned off Twitterific--the sacrifice!) and this made me laugh, so perhaps it will you, as well.From the beatifically Canadian Kate Beaton, who is obviously writing in reference to Pride and Prejudice, but it's a trope which shows up in pretty much every Regency historical romance ever (and, I'll admit, it's totally a personal fav).

On the subject of romance, meet my flight-to-Argentina book: Beyond Heaving Bosoms. I refuse to buy it until just before we leave, so the anticipation is almost as great for the book as it is for BA and the bro! I predict a good amount of snorts and giggles from my seat this journey.

hourly

So this may have been the worst idea ever (well not ever), but this morning, after learning my class today was canceled and seeing so many wonderful hourly comics, I decided to try one. I actually had a fairly unusual day (for me) yesterday, so I went with that. I know this isn't very good, but at least none of it is lies. Click on each to see it larger.

There's a lot I don't like about them, mostly stemming from the fact that I'm not an artist. It's all in pencil because I wasn't sure I'd even make it to noon, much less finish the day (and I did wimp out at the end), and you can tell how nervous I was about attempting to draw myself as I put it off for as long as possible. Anyway, gripe gripe, I did something I've never done before, and I think that's pretty cool!

stuffed

Have you eaten enough yet today? Boy, I have. I'm in my aunt's beautiful home in North Carolina, hiding in my room upstairs with the dog, both of us recovering from the day so far. There's been food, people, dogs, two loud little girls, and more dogs. Oh, and did I mention food? Man, I'm full.

If you're like me and are taking a break from the fam and looking for distractions, I'm here to offer a few:

- Like the top photo? Check out Lunch Bag Art for more gorgeous drawings done by a dad on his kids' brown paper lunch bags--and color me envious!

- Let's Eat, a podcast from NPR's Hearing Voices all about Thanksgiving, turkeys, and food. Very good, thought-provoking stuff if you don't feel like moving and aren't yet sick to death of the thought of food.

- If you're feeling guilty of gluttony on this Thanksgiving Day, spend some time at FreeRice.com, where you donate rice to the UN World Food Program simply by answering questions about a variety of subjects, from simple word definitions to (my personal favourite) fine art.

- Need some mental stimulation? Try the Post crossword. My parents and I completed yesterday's in the car coming down here!

- Tomorrow is the first annual National Day of Listening. While you're with family, try to sit down and encourage older members to reminisce. You can just listen, or you can choose to take notes or record. Don't know what questions to ask? The website has a great step-by-step guide, complete with Question Generator. I'm wishing I'd done something like this when my grandparents were alive.

- If you lack the energy to do any of the above, at least check out Marc Johns' artwork. Clever and ironic, his humor and simplicity puts him somewhere between Gary Larson and Edward Gorey. Quite a nice place to be, in my opinion!

Well, I'm pretty sure I've been stealing wireless from one of my aunt's neighbors (sorry!). The connectivity is spotty, so I think I'll post this before I lose it! Enjoy the rest of the holiday, y'all.

watch out for that cactii

So I've always had complete journal envy of those people who intersperse their words with little drawings. When I was young, I gobbled up books like the Amelia series based entirely on that envy. No joke. It's probably why I simply adore this little piece:By Maria Forde via swissmiss. Still, I imagine that life as a cactus is hard. This guy certainly agrees: (found on deviantArt ages ago. Love, love, love.)