Hopefully, my monkey knows the way.

[merimask]

Well, I'm a bit unhappy with myself, since I failed to re-stock effectively after last week's show.  I'm woefully underprepared for I-Con this weekend.  Still, I'm going there with two new Anubis masks...

...so that's something.  No belts or headbands to speak of, whatsoever.  Ren-faire-type costuming stuff usually does pretty well, so I shot myself in the foot, there.

On the other hand, every time I have to make utilitarian crap I feel like a total sell-out...so at least THIS show is pure art, baby.  If you don't need it, I've got it.  Woo!

In other news my daughter is thirteen today...I'm officially the mom of a (gasp) teenager!  Eeek!  To commemorate the event, I plan to surprise her by cleaning her room.  She won't mind, since as a fledgling teen she has nothing to hide from me yet.  Also, it NEEDS to be done since her room looks like someone "tossed" it looking for the secret files or something...not one thing is on a shelf or in a drawer, it's strewn across the floor like some TV show crime scene.  :::sigh:::  

I'm not allowed to get angry about it, since it's her birthday and all.  :-)

I ordered the COOLEST CAKE EVER!!!  for her from "The Dessert Deli", the same place that made my wedding cake.  It's little and round and blue with big sculpted vanilla frosting daisies all over it, and says "Happy 13th, Charlotte!"  Golden cake with chocolate buttercream frosting layers and vanilla buttercream on top...just like the wedding cake (but smaller).  Char's going to flip when she sees it.  I'll have to take pictures, since this place makes AMAZING cakes that are edible works of art.  I usually make all the birthday cakes in my family (since I'm pretty darn good at it if I do say so myself) but I thought "lucky 13" deserved something truly spectacular.

The monkey comment, by the way, is based on something my husband said the other day.  I noticed he was driving with a singularly blank expression...
Me:  "What are you thinking?  You...look funny."
Him:  *startled*  "Oh, I was just zoning...taking a nap."
Me: "...While you're driving?  Isn't that terribly unsafe?"
Him:  "It's okay.  My monkey knows the way home."

He went on to explain that his "monkey" is his hind brain...when all higher thought functions shut off and you find yourself on auto-pilot, that's just your monkey taking over. 

This is why I still love him.  Well, that and the long pretty hair.  :-)

I'm about to be terribly busy, what with road trips and goofy-ass sci-fi/fantasy conventions (Mark Singer will be there!  From "Beastmaster"  Woo!!  And George Takai (Sulu from Star Trek)!!  Live long and prosper!  And Elvira, Mistress Of The Dark (she must be, like, 65)!! It's geektastic!) ...and whatnot.  Wish me luck! 

Comments

[a-hollow-year.livejournal.com]

WOW. I love the mask! It's all shineeeey. By the way, I keep hearing about this long, pretty hair, but I've yet to see any evidence of it. Am beginning to think it does not exist. >:(

And happy birthday to your daughter! ^_^

[paynesgrey.livejournal.com]

Ah tell your daughter happy birthday.
That mask is cool! I always love looking at your masks. :D

[golden-meliades.livejournal.com]

The mask is lovely...very Egyptian-looking. Looks like you might have found it in some pharoah's tomb.

Just thought I should (uselessly, no doubt) mention...the worst thing that ever happened to me in my life (*including* the time I found out I had a tumour, when I had my surgeries, when I was diagnosed with MS, when my best friend moved away, and every other bad thing that's ever happened) happened because my mom cleaned my room. Yep, she found the 'stuff to hide' that you mention. I was fourteen at the time, but thought I should warn you, just in case...since I had stuff to hide since I was ten.

Thirteen and a half years later, it's still too upsetting to talk about, and only one person in the world (other than me and my parents) even knows it ever happened.

Though seeing as how you're not religiously ingrained like MY parents, it probably wouldn't be much of a problem for you even if Charlotte did have one or two things you didn't know about...you could probably take it in stride. And if you heard what it was that freaked my parents out so royally (my mom cried, and I nearly ran away from home...not joking, I was packed and took the bag and a box of dye to school and all) you'd probably just go 'hun'? Because it's not something that would even raise another parents' eyebrows. You'd have to be a JW to understand.

Er, sorry to blab! You're probably going 'what the..?' but when I saw the little mention of cleaning your daughter's room as a surprise, all my insides just clenched and it dumped out. Whoopsy :)

Yum, long hair. You don't see guys with hair THAT long very often. Especially stuff that looks healthy and clean.

In fact...I've never seen it. Except on television. I've seen guys with really long hair, but it's always ratty or greasy-looking.

[empath-eia.livejournal.com]

GUH. I have a major weakness for (healthy, clean) long hair on guys. I turn into a pink, gooey puddle of starry-eyed teenage loserness. You are sooooo lucky. They're hard to find nowadays, guys with nice long hair. They seem to think it's femme, which it's so not. Mmmmm.

The mask gives me shivers, Anubis scares the heck outta me. Must have seen or read something about him at an impressionable age. It's gorgeous!

Im-ho-tep.....

[rumdiculous.livejournal.com]

Oh man that mask rocks so hard. I love the dark colors with the gold.

That sounds like the best cake ever! Take piccies so I can see. I love multi-layered cakes. Designer cakes kick ass too.

Oooh! Ooh! Tell Charlotte happy birthday! And welcome to life as a teen. ;)

I zone out when I drive too. It isn't exactly the safest thing to do but it's habit now.

OMG Elvira! Let me know if she's still wearing that same dress. XD

[lotus-faerie.livejournal.com]

Congratulations. Your latest masks look gorgeous; how do you do it? :)

I just realized I never did e-mail you about purchasing a Medusa mask. Sorry! (My brain is freezing a good deal more than it should be these days.) I think that will have to go on the back burner for next year, as I already spent quite a bit on the special birthday boy this year, but I know he would love it.

If you are in the New York/New Jersey area for any conventions, let me know, and I'll try to come find you! Seeing your booth would be amazing; I'm certain of that.

[lotus-faerie.livejournal.com]

P.S. Did you take a picture of the cake for us? :) *drool*

several

[karenebl.livejournal.com]

1. re Charlotte turning 13: well, yay but your life is now chaos for the next - what? eight years? Maybe not, she could be one of the mellow kids. I know a couple but am related to none.
2. re conventions and cool people - I am jealous. Elvira would be fun to talk with and I am a Star Trek fan from waaaaayyyy back.
3. re zoning out while driving - this happens to me all the time, especially on the very familiar commute. Sometimes I'll just "wake up" and think "waitaminute, I don't remember passing the rest stop." You're not asleep, it's more like autopilot. If you see brake lights ahead the systems to watch for that are still running, it's just your conscious mind is not gelled enough to think. I have to think about this a little more. I think this might be the state you are supposed to aim for when you are meditating, a kind of "watchful waiting."