For the curious, I've moved my personal blog to Blogspot, so if anyone's interested in my day-to-day blather, that's where I'll be.

I decided to move it to Blogspot since my professional blog is there, as well as a few other boring reasons, but it's open to anyone's comments, so feel free to drop me a line there if you so choose.

Our gallery hosted a big fund-raising show for the American Diabetes Association last week, and apparently some people from "South" Magazine were on the scene. There's a short write-up and some photos, in case anyone's interested.

"South" Magazine's a new but fast-growing magazine down here, so it's kinda cool they featured the show and our gallery as well.

You people are going to think I only post when I'm in STL. Well, considering my recent track record, you'd be right. XD ... >_<

So, second-to-last quarter of school is finished and I'm currently enjoying my relaxing last break before real life steals my time and soul. This past quarter was Chock Full o' Enlightenment, I tells you what. I had three classes and what did I learn?

Let's see here...

1. The people who set up SCAD's curriculum are idiots. It's counter-productive/harmful to force students to take a techniques class the quarter before their thesis.

2. That said, crackle medium is both terrifying and awesome, as well as busted nibs.

3a. The Sequential Art department has the coolest toys, thus they have the most fun.

3b. Pumpkins are really fun to attack with medieval weaponry.

3c. Chain metal is heavy, but not as heavy as you'd think. It's kind of like wearing a shirt made out of mercury, but without the ooky poisoning affect.

3d. Beer bottles do not shatter into perfect weapons for face-cutting bar brawls unless scored ahead of time; instead, they explode like a mini-Big Bang, sending glass bitskies hurling into unimaginable and uncomfortable places, like down the back of my shirt.

4. Driving through Jacksonville, no matter the time of day, is highly unpleasant. It's even worse when it's morning rush hour, you haven't slept more than an hour or so, and are probably still marginally intoxicated from the night before.

5. In order for it to be bearable, a gallery opening must have alcohol. Even if the food is of gourmet caliber and mostly cheese-related, your regulars will still show up with forties in paper bags and spend most of their time reminiscing about the kegs you've had in the past.

6. Important paperwork will get lost. Don't expect otherwise.

7. 8:00 a.m. classes are for masochists.

8. Say what you will about the US Postal Service, but they're the only ones who can find me in this blessed country. UPS and FedEx are full of tweebs.

9. I've interpreted the major issues and dismal failures surrounding all of my attempts to complete any of the assignments in my Professional Practices class to mean that the gods don't want me to go into illustration exclusively.

10a. I've interpreted the positive feedback and rousing success of my attempts to complete any of the assignments in my Drawing for the Sequential Artist class to mean the gods want me to go into comics.

10b. To further support this interpretation, a friend of mine I met in said class wants me to help out with a gift anthology for her buddy Guy Davis; she scripts several pages of a comic based on his Marquis series, I draw it, it's printed in a book to give to Mr. Davis as well as sold at the Motor City Convention in May of 2007. While not a fact I learned this quarter, it's still a fact that has me falling out of my chair every time I think about it. It also means I can go buy "The Marquis" and write it off as research material; is this not a bitchin' career or what?

Well, I've finally finished my whirlwind tour of the Midwest. I'm now back in Savannah and gearing up for the beginning of my second-to-last quarter ever.

As for the end of my trip, Timewell was fabulous. My first night in we played Skip-Bo with Danny L.'s sister at her new house while Little Buddy chased the kittens around and deposited them in our laps at random intervals. K's new house is so cute, especially after all the redecorating they've done! And the kittens, Ernesto and Lupe, are such attention-whores; they even like to get their bellies rubbed!

That night, when we got back, Danny L. introduced me to Avatar: The Last Airbender, and I'm in love. I had seen a few episodes on Nickelodeon but never enough to really get caught up; god knows how many times I saw that damn pirates episode... Over the three days of my visit she got me caught up with everything that's been released in order to prepare me for the "movie" [really just two episodes stuck together] on September 15th, and I'm way excited. Sokka kills me dead; everything he says is money!

Tuesday Danny L. and I went to the Ville. It was my first trip back since I graduated, so it was wierd to see how much it did and did not change. We dropped in on the professors, surprising Shoaff very, very muchly! Even though she had class she made us sit in her office and catch her up on everything we've been up to lately. I'm glad I've been busy, because I'd hate to dissapoint the woman, even though she's no longer my professor; Shoaff's just like that. Bohac was happy to see us too and was glad to hear about his painting girls [sorry Shannon and Lisa, I kinda told him how proud I was about what you guys had been doing lately. *^_^*]

I also saw pictures of Dori [a.k.a. - Demon Child,] and damn she's grown! She's already 11 and I can remember back to when she was no bigger than a minute and causing so much trouble at one of our field trips that Arliss slammed down the packet of Olive Garden crayons in front of her and told her to "color, dammit." Ah, good times, good times.

We then ate at El Vaq [tasty as usual and we even got one of the torrid romance novel tables] and caught up with my boys Matt and Peter for drinks at the Spaz. I can't believe they're graduating this year! My, how time flies....

Tuesday night we returned to Timewell for more Avatar and my introduction to Danny L.'s latest video game. Apparently her dad realized she had a PS2 and wanted to play something. They did a bunch of research, read a ton of reviews, and came up with "Shadow of the Colossus." Damn, this game is good! The storyline is ambigous and slowly revealed throughout game play, the action controls are complex yet easy to pick up on, the world is beautifully designed, and the colossai you have to fight are a fabulous combination of real-time battles and puzzles. Think Myst, only the puzzles will kill you if you don't get it right. Three thumbs up!

Wednesday was the obligitory "putz around in Quincy day" and I picked myself up a copy of "Shadow of the Colossus" on uber-sale. Huzzah!

Thursday I returned home to STL and got all my hair cut off; I'll have to post pictures, since it's quite a different style for me. I have bangs! I haven't had bangs since I was in fifth grade, unless you count the ones that came down to my chin and were longer than the rest of my hair... I don't. Also picked up a power suit [Issac Mizarahi Target, but it looks nice] and took the toys off my dash. I have to grow up a little bit, you know. I am 23 now. Of course, I still watch cartoons and play video games, but I figure that stuff's too much fun to ever give up. ^_^

The drive back to Savannah was uneventful, but I did start reading "Lirael," which was gift from Rhiannon ages ago; sorry for just getting around to it, honey! I'm loving it so far, even more than "Sabriel," the first book in the trilogy [it's a trilogy, right?] The Disreputable Dog makes me happy all over. ^_^

And now I'm off to frame my piece for the gallery's new show "Deep Fried South." It's a call-for-entries show but we Red Kiters figure we pay the rent so we really don't need to pay the $5 entry fee. Sure, that may not seem far to others, but it's our gallery so nya. :P

So, where was I? Ah yes, Tuesday, August 29th.

Saw the eye doctor on Tuesday. I heart Dr. Mulqueeny; I've been going to him for eleven years now, and he still doesn't look a day over thirty. He's a really nice guy and always remembers what I'm up to and notices changes in my hair style from year to year. His office also got this nifty new machine that takes a picture of the inside of your eye, thus eliminating the annoying, time-consuming, and innacurate process of dilating one's eyes. Let me tell you, the inside of your eye is really, really, really pretty. Really. ^_^ Dad then treated me to lunch at Bread Co. and a new book of crossword puzzles, and I was happy as a clam. But wait, my story gets better... [no it doesn't.] Bob, Jen, and Kuma came over for grilled salmon and a rousing game of dominoes. Good times were had by all.

Wednesday I tried to go to the dentist but apparently I'm too old for my mom's dental insurance plan, so I'm in the same position I was for most of my childhood: supported by a valid excuse to avoid the dentist. Can't afford dental insurance thus not having to get my gums gouged out by some bored assistant who really doesn't give a crap if I floss or not? Brilliant! :shakes fist in air:

Wednesday evening I had the extreme pleasure of dining with my painting girls from undergrad, the fabulous Lisa and Shannon. I swear those girls only get lovelier and more talented each time I see them. Lisa's doing amazing work in Wash U.'s MFA program and Shannon is teaching art at my old junior high. Small world, eh? I can't wait to see Lisa's thesis show and, although I am unable to make it, I'm thrilled for Shannon who is finally tieing the knot in October. Congrats, sweetie!!

Thursday I went to see the Chihuly show at the Missouri Botanical Gardens with Mom, Dad, and Aunt Cindy. Maybe it's because if you've seen one Chihuly, you've seen them all, but I was a bit underwhelmed by it. Although some pieces were lit up at night, others that should have been weren't. There were pieces in the Climatron that I wouldn't have even noticed in the daylight, considering their less-than-flattering placements. Still, it was a gorgeous night out and the gardens were as lovely as ever. I even got to feed the koi back in the Japanese garden, a favorite pastime of mine since I was no bigger than a minute.

Friday was more Bob and Jen love. We ate delicious food at Everest Cafe [the only Nepalese joint in town, wonderfully priced, and waaaaay yummy,] Bob and I hashed out the plans for my professional website, and then we saw "The Illusionist." Now that was one pretty, exciting, mind-bending film. I absolutely adored it and would recommend it to anyone.

Saturday was a BBQ at the Galle's [my aforementioned second family.] Debbie's parents, Grandma Sharon and Poppie, [Sharon and Roger,] were in from Chicago and their youngest daughter Leslie was home visiting from Truman [my alma mater, as well as Bob's, Jen's, and Leslie's older sister Jenny's; what can I say, it was a good school.] We had a fabulous night of too much food, too much wine and beer, too much dominos, and too much laughing our asses off. My sides are still sore.

Today I not only went back to the Botanical Gardens, but I also did so with Bob and Jen. I can't shake those crazy kids, it seems. ^_~ We enjoyed the annunal Japanese Festival by partaking of it's delicious food, watching the sumo demonstration, feeding the koi, [that never gets old,] and watching the taiko drummers. Jen and I bought some lovely ukiyo-e prints from the sassyest old man I ever met [he was so cute!] and I got sunburned knees. Well, my face is a bit pink too, but it was mostly my knees, from sitting out in the sun for an hour during the drum show. Although I can't cross my legs, it's okay; the festival was worth it.

i do have to peeve [can Iverb that? is that allowed?] about something we overheard at the festival. This trio of ladies walked past us, complaining about how they didn't like the red bean ice cream. One lady said that if you were going to put beans in ice cream, you might as well put hamburger.

Now, ignorance in it's own right doesn't peeve me; no one can know everything, but at least trying to educate yourself is honorable, beneficial to yourself and your world, and fun to boot. Trying to cram your preconcieved notions into the tiny chink you made in your ignorance, thus plugging the gap with inapplicapble and potentially harmful information, is dangerous. And it bugs the crap out of me. I know I've been guilty of this and probably with stumble and do as such in the future, but hopefully I'll have the good sense to keep this to myself. Spreading ignorance=not cool in my book.

To end on a lighter, more boring note, I'll be heading out to Timewell for a couple days to visit another of my undergrad girls, the lovely Miss Danny L. We might make a stop into Truman in order to rescue my fiber fairy and eat some lovely yummies at El Vaq or the Spaz; as Ben Folds once said about Il Spazio, "It's spaz-tastic." True story. Then it's home to pack and drive back to Savannah on Friday.

Sigh, time goes by so fast, doesn't it?

So, here I am, back in STL. I got in late Friday night after a long but pleasant drive with Dad [who flew down to help me drive the Pup back up for inspection and what-not.] We listened to Eddie Izzard, I did more crosswords than anyone else has done in their life, we chattered [me more than Dad because I had a continuous caffiene drip,] we got to stop in at Big Daddy's Fireworks stand [let me tell you, it's huge,] and all in all, it was good times.

Saturday I stayed in my pajamas until the parents and I went over to my "second parents'" new house for dinner and dominoes. My brother has this uncanny mind-control-jutsu that gets everyone hooked on Double Twelve Mexican Train Dominoes, [no racial slurs intended, it really is the name of this version of dominoes,] and the Galles are not immune. Debbie demolished us hard-core, but Tom topped her with the fabulous pasta he made in his shiny, new man-skillet [it's huge] on his sexy, new stove [it's hot *obligatory rimshot.*]

Sunday I stayed in my pajamas [notice a trend?] until Uncle Chris came over for dinner with Michael and Abby in tow. Michael just turned in 10 in August, Abby'll be 9 in November, and they're already taller than me. Well, not me, but I bet Michael at least has our cousin Drew beat, and he's 24. We taught the kids 500 Rummy and Abby proved to me just how smart she really is [as if I didn't know this already.] I was playing ping pong with Michael when Abby came in. I asked her if she wanted to play and she said not really, but the adults told her to come see what we were up to. She also went on to say, and I quote: "I know they just want to talk about grown up stuff without me listening to them. All they had to do was tell the truth and I'dve left."

Kids are brilliant, I tell you.

Today the barrage of doctors began. I won't tell you which doctor I saw today, but it went a hell of a lot better than it normally does. My old doctor of this sort doesn't take my new insurance [who the hell doesn't take Blue Cross Blue Shield?] so we switched over to another doctor in her office that does. I'd recommend this woman to anyone, even though you guys would have no use for such a recommendation. After that came pizza and movie time; I finally got to see "Good Night and Good Luck," and I loved it! Quietly powerful, intelligent, and well-acted, [I say this while strongly disliking George Clooney and Robert Downey Jr.,] this film really made my night. I totally recommend it.

I'm eagerly looking forward to tomorrow, since I get to see my adorable puppy-niece Kuma. She's so wonderful and sweet, I missed her so much! Oh yeah, Bob and Jen'll be escorting her. Well, nothing's perfect. ^_~

Let's see here, what have I been up to lately?

-It's time once again for the suicide sprint to the end of the quarter, in which I have too much to do and not enough time to do it in. I'll have a dummy book of my children's book "Olla and the Bogey" ready to send off to publishers as a result, though. I'll also have an ass-load of conceptual illustrations for "Our Girl Kelly" that I intend to use for my thesis show in two quarters as well. [Yes, I am well-aware of the fact that I'm becoming a one-trick pony with this story, but the characters won't leave me alone. I intend to turn it into a graphic novel in the next year, come hell or high water. It's about time OGK saw the light of day, don't you think?]

( Olla and the Bogey Final Page Pics )

-My group was victorious in Conceptual Illustration for our group project's pitch of and animated version of Fluke by Christopher Moore [yes, the author of Lamb,] earning me a poster of a piece my professor did for NASA's celebration of the 25th anniversary of Apollo 11's mission. It's signed by both Paul Hudson [my prof] and Buzz Aldren. Yes, you read that correctly, BUZZ ALDREN.

-My most fabulous pair of sunglasses ever died. You all probably know the pair, the ones that look like something out of a Tim Burton film. I know they were only $3 and out of a bargin bin in one of the twenty shops in the Quincy, IL mall, but they were fabulous none-the-less. I'm still mourning the loss, but since I'll be visiting Danielle in a week or so, there's hope I may find a replacement. Lightening does strick twice in the same spot sometimes, you know.

-Red Kite's most recent opening, a Fibers thesis show, was a great success. The work was so amazing that it made me want to haul out my sewing machine again. Then I reminded myself of the first point in this list and became very sad.

-TAing for Mohammed has turned out to be more profitable than I ever could have imagined. I've finally found a benefactor! He's going to hook me up with the heads of the best illustration departments in Canada as I search for professorships, as well as a very reputable agency. Mohammed's also recommended me to a psychologist friend of his in DC who wrote a children's book manuscript about managing anger in children, and I could possibly be doing the illustrations for said manuscript. Now all I need is a web page, some mailers, and a business card, and I'm set. I hope. ^_^ Apparently my snark and adorable, button nose has won over the most impossible-to-win-over professor in our department. Or something like that.

-I've finally caught myself up on this season of "Project Runway." While the designs are a hell of a lot better than last season's, the people are far less entertaining to me. Say what you will about Santino, but his impressions of Tim Gunn orating "Closer" by NIN has a very, very special place in my heart.

-I'm preparing for a trip home to STL come the 24th. The puppy [i.e. - my Elantra] needs a check up but my parents won't let me drive 16 hours home alone, so Dad'll be flying down, we'll drive her home together, I'll enjoy my two week visit with my own car at my disposal, we'll drive back to Savannah, and then Dad'll fly home again. Mom's uber-jealous because Daddy'll get to see my apartment and she won't, but she'll just have to deal; I don't think she'll want to deal with the new airline restrictions anyways. I can't wait to see Lisa, Shannon, and Danielle, and I also can't wait to beat Bob and Jen at Double 12 Mexican Train Dominos, so I'm looking very forward to the trip. I might also get some new clothes out of it, which I desperately need. Plus I get to see Kuma, my most perfect puppy-niece! I miss you, sweetie-darling!

And... I'm spent. TTFN, dearhearts!

So, I came down with this nasty fever late Saturday night and it didn't break until this afternoon. This means that, for the past three days I've felt and acted like the living dead on some really great psychotropic drugs. In between crazy fever dreams, trying to do homework, attempting to keep the apartment from spinning off the building like a top, etc., I have also been painting in Painter.

I did not realize this at all.

I came to discover my actions today as I pulled up a recent document and found this piece in my Recent Documents folder, the file name simply reading "head." Curious, I opened it and found myself relieved it wasn't weird porn; instead I found a piece of art that, according to the document properties, was last updated yesterday evening, an hour or so after I thought I had put myself to bed. Apparently when I get a bad fever [which, thankfully, is rare,] I not only hallucinate and talk to people claiming to be my muse/guardian angel type folks, but I also create odd art.

Go figure.

Since I don't remember my motivations for doing this piece in the first place, I'm at a loss for the story. Give me some time and another couple of days to fully recuperate, then we'll see if anything comes to me.

( The Fever Piece )

I finally have both a.) a kick-ass new apartment and b.) the internet in said kick-ass apartment! Huzzah!

Erm... Nothing new other than that. Thanks for your patience!

~Z. Kate

I'm finally moving out of my crap apartment into a nice one [a few blocks away, but totally worth the hassle] but I kind of have to do an intermediary move since I'm being forced out of my current building before my new one's ready. What does this all mean to you lovely people? It means my internet accessibility will be questionable at best, so don't take it to heart if you drop me a line and I don't get back to you until next week.

So, until then, be good my sweetlings!