Monday, January 21, 2008

I feel bad about the lack of comic lately


I am posting this at a coffee shop while Tony and I go through our new book "Your Real Estate Closing". This is an older comic but if you haven't seen it then it's new to you!

There is an interesting discussion next to me. A red-headed lady introduced herself to a gentleman in a baseball cap by saying, "Please excuse me, I have no tear-ducts". Then she put some drops in her eyes. She asked the fella if he attends her church. The fella says no and explains that he has his own fellowship that mostly works through participating in message boards. Right now he is going through a lengthy explanation of the road that he has traveled to come to this particular brand of faith. She has been nodding and administering eyedrops for the better part of a half hour.

She seems to be interested in returning to her book but his story is rather captivating (Guatemala, suicide attempts, firebug ministers). She just asked if she could pray for him. I feel bad about eavesdropping now.

This conversation reminded me of one of my few mildly biblically themed comics so I decided to post it.

Enjoy

My nose is an endless fount of misery


Still sniffling and hacking today, but I took my illness out on the town this morning (suck it Austin...you did this to me).

Anywho, Tony and I were getting a little restless this morning and despite the drizzly wet weather we decided to abandon our musty apartment and try breakfast at "Juan in a Million". The place was packed today. When we walked in the door we were immediately greeted by the owner who insisted on gently shaking my hand and giving Tony's hand a friendly slap. Then he pointed out a newly cleared booth and wished us a tasty meal. Nice!

The waitresses are clearly well practiced in working as one flawless organism. The ladies who helped us (there were several) made quick and helpful menu suggestions and served our food in less time than I had to unfold my napkin. The food is very hearty and satisfying. We both had the Don Juan breakfast taco. Tony thought he might get two since the price was so reasonable, but we were warned (accurately) that one was more than enough per person.

The reason we picked this place was #1) Bethany suggested it and #2) I was praying that some spicy food might clear my nasal passages.

I had the same plan last night when we tried Thai Kitchen (off William Cannon and I35 if you are local). The whole reason we gave this place a chance was the hand-painted sign in the front window promising a two-week turnaround for renovations. I think it said something like "We PROMISE to be open again in the next 14 days!!" As if people were piddling themselves waiting for their beloved steamed dumplings. Well Thai Kitchen ain't no liar. They re-opened this week and we gave them a try.

It was FAN-tastico! The menu was expansive and the food was delightful, if a little salty for my needs that night. They even have a picture of a very satisfied Ann Richards on the wall enjoying some lovely noodles.

The combo of curry last night and chili peppers this morning should clear my stubborn head up but good right?

Sniff...

Friday, January 18, 2008

Ugg.

The cat is demonstrating my agenda for the last two days:


I'm sick.
I don't know if it was the wild House Search-a-Palozza this weekend, or the slight temperature change in Austin, or maybe the horrible mold problem in this apartment. Either way I am knocked flat by a cold. Thank the heavens this isn't the flu. It used to be that a cold was no big thing, just take a pill and drink some tea. No longer. Now the baby seems to want me to nap like I was cramming for a napping exam.

As a result I am running behind on Bethany's comic. This makes me so ashamed since even a cursory look at Bethany's blog shows that she would never wimp out with the sniffles. The lady is a world-traveling fountain of nonstop good times!
Plus, she's a Mommy and everybody knows that Mommy gets no sleep.

So I guess I am taking the last turbo nap of my adult life.

Take heart that the Bethany comic will be awesome and worth the wait. I am finalizing Bethany's ascension to Mount Olympus in between sneezes and snoring.

Here is a little preview:

It's cold outside...but not here.




The view outside our car last January...and this January.

My Mommy came to visit!!

Hey Ya'll, Thanks for all the lovely suggestion for entertaining/thanking my Mom after her epic road trip. We didn't get the chance to visit "Juan in a Million" because Mom wanted to satiate her southern home cooking cravings with some fried Okra. After some intense discussion only "The Hills" would do.

However, during her next visit we will dive into the Tex-Mex ocean starting with "Juan in a Million". Thanks for the suggestion Bethany!

Kevin's recipes were very exciting and we had every intention of giving them a try. However, avocados are a freaking $1.99 EACH! The hell? So we followed his Pizza suggestion instead. Not to worry I am keeping Ecua-delight firmly in mind for this summer. Hopefully I can even prepare the dish in my own kitchen in our new house, as opposed to the crap-shack we currently reside in.

Thanks to Joanna for the massage suggestion for my saintly Mother, who asks that you say hello to your own saintly Mother on her behalf. As it happens Mom is totally freaked out by stranger touches and new age Musak. I think the combination might make her break into a violent kung-fu explosion.

Mom did enjoy looking at your graduation picture on our fridge and repeatedly saying what a pretty girl you are.

This visit from Mom was wonderful since I hardly ever get the chance to see her (I left for college at 17 and haven't lived in the same time zone as my Mom since then). We talk on the phone all the time but it was so much better to be within hugging distance.
Mom was a real trouper with this house stuff. Her every waking moment was taken up with either house tours, or renovation plans for our favorite house. Basically Mom broke down a specific cost estimate for every bizarre house plan Tony and I could imagine. We toured Home Depot, Lowes, Scratch and Ding appliance stores, and even IKEA benefitting from Mom's vast experience in getting good materials on the cheap.

As an added bonus my Dad got on board with this whole home buying thing and offered us some excellent advice and help right when we needed it most. He also invited us to visit San Francisco this February. This should be fun since Tony has never seen the Pacific Ocean before. Dad and his lovely girlfriend Jill are always a kick since they live for having a good time.

My parents (who divorced eons ago) are suddenly working on the same team and saying complementary things about each other. It is so rare for me to speak to both of them in the same evening, much less have them both insist that a flash furnace is the most affordable option when you take energy bills into account.

2008 is turning out to be a weird Twilight Zone-y sort of year.

Friday, January 11, 2008

Above and beyond

Ya'll, today my mother is driving into Austin from Albuquerque. This is a 12 hour drive and she left at 5am this morning. The only purpose for her trip is to use her skills as an Architect to do an informal assessment of a few houses Tony and I are thinking of purchasing. She is expecting to roll into town around dinner time (what with lunch breaks, stopping at her grandparent's grave in Sweetwater, getting lost, etc). So she's gonna be hungry when she gets here. What do you feed a lady who has gone above and beyond? Will I rock this much as a Mother? Doesn't seem possible.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Flashback!

After stuffing ourselves with Mom's holiday tamales Tony and I were greeted by a mountain of baby stuff circa 1978. I don't know how she did it but my Mom saved every blessed thing my sister and I ever touched when we were young. We picked out a few thousand favorite things but could only fit one plastic tub of memorabilia in our Chevy for the drive back to Texas. Some things we couldn't fit: A cradle, a blanket box, 10,000 frilly little girl outfits. Heaven help us if we have a son...we are frugal people and that boy might need to embrace gingham and lace.
Here is a smattering of retro baby items:

This was my Bib, apparently I enjoyed stewed yams.


1970's doll house furniture.



May I direct your attention to the rockin' bell bottoms, the fine BBQ grill, and the vintage BMW?

Orphan Annie

This goes in our office. The baby can play with it when she/he has a greater appreciation for comic history...and we get a chance to steam clean the thing.

Requisite political onsie

Still true today.

Wool sweater and silk jacket


I don't know where my Mom found these items but I think they are fantastic! These were the only unisex outfits. The rest were matching dresses. My sister and I sported the "twin" look up until we were big enough to demand pants for all formal occasions.

Sad bunny and sadder lamb


All my stuffed animals look like they need anti-depressants. The lamb looks a lot like our cat who you can see in the background. Most likely our kitty is hoping to either eat or rape the lamb.

Snuggli 1.0

This is the classic "Snuggli" that my parents used to cart us kids around in the early 80's. It looks very complicated to me but Mom says not to be a wuss and give it a try. It also came with a very neat retro mauve corduroy diaper bag.

Thanks for all the gifts Moma, we will be back soon for the remaining baby stuff as soon as we close on a house!

Blessed re-gifting!

My Good buddy Marcie (who has a comic in the works) invited us to her house this X-Mas for dinner and chit-chat. While we were eating some delicious manicotti her husband assured us that having kids is lots of fun and wished us well. Marcie nodded sagely and loudly declared that they were DONE having kids!

In fact they both did a little high five to celebrate that decision.

As a result Marcie presented me with multiple baby items that she hopes to never see again. The first was a huge bundle of bibs. Here is the favorite:


She also gave us her Breast Pump...friendship goes up to a whole 'nother level when you have kids. Marcie warned us about replacing the parts that need to go for sanitary reasons:


Marcie presented us with this huge and multi-pocketed diaper bag. We loved it and let her know that we had been given a great diaper bag by Karen (lovely sister-in-law) before we even got pregnant. Marcie said:
"No fools, you pack multiple diaper bags and put them in the front closet. That way you just grab any bag without looking and flee the house before you miss a vital pediatrician appointment."

Marcie has always been a genius.

Nifty Gifties

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First Ultrasound



Now that the holiday melee has abated I have slowly begun to turn my attention to the little person that I will be giving birth to around June-ish. Today's comic is about our first OBGYN visit and first ultrasound.
Go read it and then come back to me my pets.

Done? Good Job. Okay, so as you may have noticed the standard breast exam was a little bit unusual in that my beloved husband was standing over me at the time blushing like mad.

Here is the conversation he witnessed while trying not to look down.

Dr. Hart: "So you draw comics about Death?"
ME: "Well, people tell me how they would like to die and I illustrate what they imagine."
Dr. Hart: "What are you working on today"
ME: "Death by Zombie Apocalypse."
Dr. Hart: "I think I would prefer to be bitten by a zombie immediately rather than hiding in a basement with a shotgun all night only to get eaten at 6am right before the national guard shows up."
Me: "To each her own."

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Happy New Year! WOOT!!


New Years in Austin rocks hard! So glad my sister could take a break from her work as a Special Ed. Teacher to join in on the good times.

Check out the pictures!
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