39 sleeping positions

HINT HINT.


The Secret Language of Sleep: A Couple's Guide to the Thirty-Nine Positions
Evany Thomas
Illustrated by Amelia Bauer





Classic Spoons

Simple, romantic, tried and true, Spoons (or Spooning) is easily the most well-known sleeping pose. Cynics attribute its popularity to the position's mind-numbing simplicity, but those who dismiss Classic Spoons as too easy, or overly quaint, simply are not doing it right.
****




Conjoined Twins, Head (Craniopagus)

Conjoined Twins can sometimes overcompensate in their attempts to simulate real affection, and will shower outsiders with wildly inappropriate gifts (cars, underwear emblazoned with uncomfortable slogans) or stand far too close. Before long, co-workers and constituents learn to steer clear, which, happily, lets Twins return to their naturally anti-social behaviors.
****





Crime Scene

Couples who find themselves drawn to the Crime Scene position tend to be individualists who thrive in loosely structured environments with few or no confining dress codes, and they often make fine phlebotomists.
****





Excalibur

Like gorgeously plated food or a song filled with unusual harmonies, Excalibur couples—the wan and freckled hand-in-hand with the tragically tan, the pigeon-toed with the duck-walkers—achieve such perfection in their pairing that it reminds the world that anything is possible.

posters and drawings

I finally completed two large projects over thanksgiving break. I had a poster to make for a local event that actually recently just had a change of place. So I need to edit that.

But one project I am really excited about is the flyer I was asked to make for a Kimya Dawson show! If you know me well enough, you know how much I LOVE Kimya Dawson! I am really pleased with my work too.

Also, here are some sketches I have been working on. I want to try and design some Christmas cards to send out to my clients and friends and family. I just need to find the time.

Nature and all wonderful things captured in photos

I went and bought some old wildlife and informational books at St Vincent's thrift store yesterday. The books have some amazing photos in them. I didn't even scan all of them in, but here are a few I really liked from The Alps book I got for $.99

A Headless Body in a Topless Bar

here are some photos from opening of the group art show I am in this month at Tender Loving Empire in Portland. The show is called "A Headless Body in a Topless Bar".

Look! My name is even painted on the wall! and it is the first one. I feel so special. ^_^ This makes me so happy inside.
my painting is also in this photo. bottom left of photo.

Arcade Fire and LCD Soundsystem

*these are not photos I took, only photos I found on flickr to show everyone*

The drive with Zach, Josh, and Connor was real nice. We stopped in Snowville I believe at Molly's Diner. Whoa, that place was a little bit of old fashioned joy tucked 3 blocks away from the high way. The waitress was super old and wrinkly and had super bright eyeshadow caked onto her very tan skin and had the most amazing layered and curled hair since the 1950s.

When we hit about 16 miles north of our destination (Hell, aka Lehi) traffic was fucking terrible. It took us over an hour to travel those 16 miles on the freeway. All the while we were stuck behind a bus headed to vegas that had a very tan and perky woman in a swimming suit pasted on the back of the bus for everyone to see.

W finally got to our destination and found out where the concert was. It had been moved from the waterfalls amphitheater to a different concert area. I think this may have been because the show did not look sold out (I know... I don't mean to hate on Utah folk, but come on! Arcade Fire and LCD Soundsystem just played a show in your state and you can't even sell out the show.) So we tried finding a quick bit to eat because we were starving and there was NOTHING in Lehi except for a gas station, a bajillion cookie cutter homes that were ugly, Thanksgiving Point, and a Cabella's. Not even a fucking place to eat. Hell hole if you ask me. Lehi sucks.

We went to the concert completely pumped out how small the show seemed to be. We were all confused but glad to be at a more intimate setting.

LCD Soundsystem played first and put on a really good show. Occasionally members of Arcade Fire would come onto the stage and help LCD with a song or two. Win Butler and I believe his brother did back up vocals for the song "North American Scum" and Regine played bells on another.


^^^ I was closer to the stage than this person^^^

Finally after about 30+ minutes of setting up Arcade Fire finally came on. Wonderful. The crowd was super fucking loud and those crazy Utah kids were moshing and throwing themselves around during almost the whole set. They were even rebellious enough to be smoking pot and starting fights during the middle of it all.
The band was amazing as usual and the band was all over the stage slamming their instruments and jumping off scaffolding. Will Butler fell after climbing up a ladder on the side of the stage and Zach informed me that he saw blood. There was also blood on the keyboard that they kept trying to clean off. haha, Good ol' band bleeding for the cause. The band played all of the songs I wanted to hear but didn't get to hear at Sasquatch Music Festival back in May. They played the song "Neon Bible" and then it was followed by another song, not sure if it was something new or a cover, but no one in the crowd knew it and they all shut up and looked up at Win Butler endearingly as he wooed all of us with a ballad, similar to emotions of the song played just before it.
They played what I think may be my favorite song- "Tunnels" and Win dedicated it to his grandfather. Win said he couldn't not think of his grandpa and how he used to take Win camping in the mountains that were behind us (or in front of Win as he played). As the song played snow flakes fell on their video screens. It was a really nice affect.

When the band finally left the stage, everyone wanted an encore of course. But instead of people yelling and being obnoxious everyone started oohing the last vocal parts to "Rebelion Lies". It was amazing. It sounded like the wind whistling amongst the open and quiet crowd and there were rounds going. Half the crowd was on one part of the oohs and the other half was singing another ooh. And everyone was in tune. It was honestly a very cool thing to witness.

of course the band came back and they ended with Old Flame and anotbher song which I have forgotten (my memory is still in a blur from how awesome everything was last night)


^Also closer to the stage than this person

taking a break from the computer made artwork

It has been decided by me and thought about for a long time...

So, I am going to try and ween myself off of using the computer and doing computer art. I am going to finish the projects I promised people and then stop my band art.

Why am I doing this? Well, computer made art doesn't feel as good to me as picking up a pencil or charcoal and drawing. I don't get the same feeling of accomplishment when I make art on the computer as I do when I paint. I feel like my more traditional skills are starting to slack because I am not working them all the time. I am tired of design based art and I want to focus and master fine art.

I have this idea for an art show and I can't really accomplish it by doing band art/computer art at the same time. My commissions for flyers and other stuff just takes up way too much of my time and effort.

I also want my art to have more natural themes to them. Traveling-the wilderness-animals-people- all natural things. All natural themes. I want to start becoming more one with the outdoors and really learn to re-appreciate what mother earth has to offer.

This photo really made me realize how much I enjoy the old and simple.



projects I am going to finish before taking a break:

Monster Zine
the very most's album cover
poster for Finn Riggins
poster for The Parachutes
Posters under name Awesome Opossum
and other stuff I may have forgotten about.

say good bye to monsters. say good bye to digital. good bye.

Awesome but True Electric Institute's first group show a complete success!

Yeah! I feel like a real artist now. haha. Very broke and forcing others to look at my art. Oh the joys of art.
Yes. Here I am with awesome artist and founder of ABTEI, Sean Christensen. Me looking wonderful as ever with my white bra showing through my shirt. ahaha. Oh well. Those things happen, ya know?



The boy in the middle photo, Robert, is excellent with stencils and spray paint. His piece was the first to sell in the show--and hopefully not the last...


Here is Reading Frenzy at night. Oh, so pretty. Fun fact for all you weird music listeners out there. Reading Frenzy is next door neighbors to the coffee shop Half and Half, the very same coffee shop in the beginning of the music video "See a Penny, Pick it up" by YACHT. Yeah, I notice these things. Yeah, I am a nerd. I am that weird music listener.


Sean gave me a copy of all of his zines for free! MAN. they are super rad and super fun to look at and read. I think my favorite is "Venus in Furs". The images give me warm fuzzy feelings that make my heart feel all alone. That sound terrible but it isn't. It's nice in some weird way.

Tender Loving Empire

Tender Loving Empire in Portland is having a monster themed art show during October. I am submitting one painting and copies of Monster Zine. If you live in Portland you will be fortunate to be able to get your hands on the first test issue of Monster Zine which has some real treats if you go check it out!

I finished my painting.

beetle carcases

I noticed this about a month ago, but there was an infestation of beetles in the upstairs of my house. They roam freely wherever they want and they especially enjoy the hallway and the bathroom. Well, I thought they had left but it looks like they are back. I just found 2 dead beetles in my pack of acrylic paints and then I counted two in the hall and 3 in the bathroom, including a dead beetle on the floor.

What the hell is going on! I am being spied on by little black bugs... man I sound like a nut. I am going to start collecting their dead carcases...maybe for some weird art project.

My art is the cover of Boise Weekly this week!

yeah! Check it out. This looks cooler than in person, I will tell you that much. My favorite part of this drawing is the boat. It was so much fun to draw.


ALSO, I have an art show coming up! It is a collective of international illustrators! So, if you are in Portland in September any time, come to the Reading Frenzy and check out the art. The artists are great and I have no idea how I got the opportunity to be apart of such an amazing group. Really, my work is nothing compared to theirs.

Sorry for all of the artwork...

I am on a roll. So, I decided to kind of elaborate and make a character that was first based off of doodles, then off of a flyer I recently made. Here it is! So bright and happy and fun. I want to eat her hair.

Awesome Opossum Flyers- what has been created so far.

Here are the flyers Sean and I have made together as the team Awesome Opossum Flyers. We are making black and white posters for The Artistery in Portland, OR. It all started with our first flyer for a show at a different venue. Sean draws the main image, and I add onto it and add text and alter the image however I see fit.
This is a nice way of keeping the same style, which is the point of our flyers, to have the same style with each one.

to the left is our first official artwork, to the right is our most recent.

another flyer. I am on a roll. rock and roll

Just finished this today. I also found out the album for The franklin Cover Up has been pushed back a month so that gives me a bit more time to work on their album art. I am also working on flyer # 2 with Sean, as part of our flyer making duo-- Awesome Opossum Flyers.

Harry and the Potters are coming to Boise.

I whipped this up last night. I think it took about 4 hours, no, more like 5 I think. Either way, the flyer is done and all I have left to do is design the tickets.

I must be super woman. I do so much!

Alright, I just realized I have about a million jobs, some pay some don't. I am going to make a list for you and maybe you will sympathize with me and how much time I don't have to hang out with people.


1. work about 10-25 hours a week at Tully's Coffee
2. work about 10-15 hours a week at Zoo Boise
3. design flyers with Sean for the Artistery in Portland, OR
4. create artwork for art collective in Portland, OR
5. make flyers, book shows, advertise for new venue/organization, Community Benefits in Boise
6. perform in a band
7. make flyers and other art for bands locally, and not locally.
8. make my own art on my own time
9. soon--go to school, 12 credits this coming semester

Experiments with a fisheye

I took these quite a while ago, but I thought I would give them a bit more "exposure". Har har har.

Pain in the form of a thin and long rubber band...

I had an ortho appointment yesterday morning. The doc checked my teeth and set up my braces for the last and final process for getting them off. In 3 weeks I should have my braces off. I have had this... metal contraption and rubber mess in my mouth since May of 2005. It will be August of 2007 when my mouth becomes whole (or less?) again.

I can not begin to tell you the shit I have had to do for my braces. Sure, I didn't have to wear headgear, but I did have to wear rubber bands (aka "elastics") in such a fashion that they did one or several of the following-- 1. stopped me from opening my mouth 2. stopped me from stretching my mouth to yawn or sing or talk 3. they stretched in the front of my teeth and made me look like a freak, even having strangers I didn't even know make fun of me, stare, or ask me what the fuck was in my mouth. 4. caused excruciating pain 5. caused a number of other problems.

I am trying to figure out how many rubber bands I used in the past year and a half. I will figure out a total estimate and I will post it on here for everyone to see. I know at least that I was getting 2-5bags of bands every 4-5 weeks for approximately 1.5+ years. I still have bags of them sitting in my house. I am trying to find a way to use them...possibly make a sculpture out of them. Some kind of message of being trapped and bound with rubber and now finally being set free.

Let me tell you right now. The pain I am feeling is probably the worst the braces have caused me. Right now I have what are referred to as "spaghetti bands" in my mouth. The band is a long and skinny band, resembling a spaghetti noodle. It starts from the back bracket, goes up to the next tooth, then back down, then back up-- 1 to 2, 2 to 3, 3 to 4, 4 to 5, 5 to 6. Basically, I have a zig zag of bands running on both sides of my mouth. My teeth don't have wires keeping them in place for these next 3 weeks. That is what the rubber bands are for. If I don't wear the bands, my teeth go back to how they used to be. It is an odd sensation when you bite down too hard and feel your teeth shift in your soft gums.

The pain is comparable to a few months ago when I had a spring in my mouth that rested right under my left cheek. It lay so close to my cheek, that when I opened my mouth for anything, it shredded the inside of my cheek and left welts. I had a non-stop infection and canker sore inside my mouth for 2 months. I kind of was glad my mouth was so infected. I wanted the ortho doc and assistants to have to look into my mouth and see what shit I had to put up with while having their contraptions in my mouth. I always hoped it looked really disgusting. ...Eventually that all healed as soon as that spring was removed.

But in three weeks, my dental work is still not finished. I have caps I have to get on two of my teeth. I had peg laterals, now with the help of the braces, they are now just peg teeth, meaning they are smaller than normal teeth. This wouldn't normally need cosmetic surgery to fix, but they are two of my front teeth, looking quite weird with the rest of my normal teeth.



le sigh.... it shall all be over soon. Maybe I will lose weight... not being able to open my mouth or anything.

When I get Free Time...

I want to illustrate the first half of The Arcade Fire's "Black Wave/Bad Vibrations".


We can reach the sea
They won't follow me
Shadows they fear the sun
We'll make it if we run!

Run from the memory
Je nage, mais les sons me suivent (I swim, but the sounds follow me)

Left my name with the border guards
A name that I don't need
Ce sera un long voyage (It will be a long voyage)
Sur les vagues de l'oubli (On the waves of the lapse of memory)

Run from the memory
Je nage, mais les sons me suivent (I swim, but the sounds follow me)


I can just picture it in my head.... I just need to make sure I render it as I see it.

update on the tour and other stuff

I have been working all day trying to get these flyers finished for the tour that is happening in August. I got them finished, lets just hope they get okay'd and then they can be printed and sent out for distribution. I got the idea for these flyers from a doodle I made last night while I was at an excellent show (I will delve into that later). Lately I have been obsessed with lines and patterns and animals--particularly squids or anything with horns and tentacles. Seems all of my inspiration comes from these obsessions in a combined manor. Maybe I am getting the animal inspirations from my job, or maybe just because animals are so awesome. When I first did this doodle, I was thinking more power cords, like something ripped open and spewing out cords and electricity... but I decided to turn it into a shameful looking squid.




Last night was the show for Real Live Tigers, Karrie Hopper, Unicorn Feather, and A Seasonal Disguise @ community benefits. I was so scared that no one was going to come because it was the first show for the community benefits. But to my surprise, lots of people came! People came because of the flyers I had posted around downtown and folks really liked my work. I felt so good last night about what I had done, though the flyer they liked so much didn't have any of my drawings, just some digital alterings of a tiger (see previous blog to see the flyer). But it was still excellent feedback! Quite a boost of confidence and I was so happy to see people loving the new place. The show was a ton of fun and the bands from texas were so nice. I have met quite a few musicians from Texas the past few months and I have had nothing less of excellent to say about them. Really, fine folk come from that state. After the show we all went to Pie Hole and chit chatted about car games and wanting to move to Montreal (luckily for band mate, Karen, she already lives there) and talked about all kinds of nonsense and laughed at the drunks.


Ooh, also found out I will be having an interview by The Boise Beat, a local writeup on music and art and other happenings in Boise. Quite a nice surprise, hope the publication starts to get more notice from the locals.

concert/show flyers

Here are three shows come up. I think these are my only ALL digital designs that I have. I am pretty proud of them.

By the way, SUPPORT local music and traveling musicians! Make friends. Help out those musicians in need (which is almost all of them!)

Also, I may be designing fliers for a venue in Portland on a regular basis with Sean. Stay tuned...

The Best Worst Movie

I have suddenly just had flashbacks from when I was a child viewing The Best Worst Movie, TROLL 2. I was on the phone with Chad talking about horrible movies we had seen and Chad started telling me about this film where everyone in the town were trolls and a visiting family was tricked and fooled into becoming food for the trolls.

It hit me like a ton of bricks. This was the film my twin, Tom, and I had seen sooo many years ago and could not remember the name of it! All I could remember were these horrible weird looking people with green goo and a troll woman turning a boy into a tree and then cutting him down.

Miso Hungry for Miso Soup!

Lately I have been craving Miso Soup, but I didn't have the time or money to go to an asian restaurant and order any. I was at the store and remembered seeing "instant miso soup" packages in the "world foods" isle at Alberstsons. I made my way over and found the exact packages I had remembered.

Kikkoman's makes packages of Instant Miso Soup. The packages come in portions of 3 for about 3 dollars a package. All you have to do is dump the contents into a bowl and pour 2/3 cup boiling water into the bowl, stir, and enjoy! The soup comes in three flavors-- Tofu Miso Soup, Shiro Miso Soup (white), and Aka Miso Soup (red). I decided to go with the Tofu Miso Soup to try and see how the dried tofu would taste. Also, I don't know what the difference between white and red miso soup is. Is red spicier?


My review of the soup? Well, I liked it. Not nearly as great as getting home-made or restaurant made soup, but if you are on the go or at work and have a hankering for it, it is pretty decent and even the tofu bits weren't too terrible.




Anyways, I was googling Miso Soup and found a very interesting article. Consuming foods with high amounts of soy may help reduce the risk of breast cancer. from Breastcancer.org

This is why some people believe that the lower risk of breast cancer seen in Asian women living in Asia may be due, at least in part, to the high soy content in their diet. These women eat a lot of soy products, including tofu, textured vegetable protein, and a paste made of salted and fermented soybeans called miso.

But, of course, this is all not proven yet, just another theory on how to reduce breast cancer. Still, I don't think eating 2-3 servings of Miso Soup can be all that damaging, so why not do it? You really have nothing to risk.

Portland, here I come, kinda.

I am trying to plan a trip to Portland for the beginning of September, Sept 6th-8th to be exact. September 6th is the art opening of the Professor Awesome But True's Electric Art Institute. The PABTEI is a newly put together art/illustration collective displaying the works and uniting eclectic artists from all over the globe. The collective is run by Portland native, Sean Christensen and the artwork will be on display at the Reading Frenzy located 0n 921 SW Oak St in Portland, OR.

I was fortunate to have run into Sean online and have him invite me to join this new project. The art shows go as follows, so far the collective has 3 shows planned. They happen every other month. The first show's theme is clothing--illustrating your favorite outfit. Because clothes are often used as a way of describing oneself, how do your clothes represent you?


If you haven't already, I advise you to check out the collective's myspace page. The artists in the collective are the top friends on the page. I also suggest you go check out Sean's blog or his myspace page.

Tour!

I guess it is official! I am going to go on a mini tour with The Very Most and A Seasonal Disguise. In case some of you don't know, I sing backup vocals for A Seasonal Disguise, aka Zach Von House.

We haven't come up with a name yet for our tour, I was thinking "The Most Awkward Tour" tour, or "4 Guys, A Girl, and a Giant Van" tour... but I don't know what the other members are thinking.
So far here are the details. I believe we leave on Friday, August 24th and play at Nobrow Coffee in Salt Lake City, UT. Then we are playing in Colorado the next day, but I don't think we have that confirmed yet.


I'll let you know what is happening when I find out. I am even making the flyer for the tour, which i'll post on here when I gots it.



this is who I am going to be touring with.

Nampa--Smelly, indeed.

In times like this I wish I had my camera. This is the 4th time that I have had to drive out Nampa for half a week and stay out here and house/pet sit. for now, I am going to use photos I find on flickr.





The thing about Nampa,--the only thing I somewhat enjoy--is that the city is still stuck in old timey 1950s era town mode. There aren't really any new buildings, all of the businesses and stores have their original metal neon signs circa 1950 something. The town is cute looking. It is interesting, it has its quirks. Like I said before, these are the times I wish I had a functioning camera. I am sure some of you Idaho folk know exactly what I am talking about when I describe how grimey and wonderful this place feels. I think Boise used to feel like this. But that all started changing around the time I was born, so I don't know old Boise.

Today I went into downtown Nampa for a little bit to see what shops there were. I had driven past The Music Exchange last time I was here so I thought I would take a look inside and see if I could find anything. I walked into the store stepping from the 100 degree heat into a cold and deserted store... so far I was not impressed. I look at the man behind the counter and knew right away this man knew nothing about music. I said hello and made my way over to te 5 rows of cds, almost all labeled as "USED". Wow, talk about the worst music collection ever. It was a store of used and new cds and cassettes and dvds. The music selection was just awful. It was divided into the following sections: Rock, Country, Punk, Rap, Pop. That's it, folks! The rap section was massive and I didn't dare try and see what was in it. The punk section included Good Charlotte, The Raconteurs, The Donnas, Daft Punk (apparently if you have "Punk" in your band name, you immediately get classified as Punk) and a bunch of other bands that aren't punk. I went and looked at the posters. HA. Poster displays filled with beer jokes, 1999 Brittney Spears, gangsters and ganastas, pot leaves, and Marylin Monroe movie shots. I have never felt so out of place and uncomfortable in a store before except for the time that James made me go into the kids Abercrombie and Fitch or when I tried on clothes from Hollister with Laura.

I left that store after about a 20 minute browse and headed back to an antique store I had passed. The antique store was also dead quiet and I couldn't find the person running it. I quietly looked at all of the cute knick-knacks old 1940s children's books, and salt and pepper shakers. I found a pair of red earrings polka-dotted with sequins for only $2. That was pretty much all I could afford and after I made the purchase I crossed the street to the Flying M Coffee Garage.

That concludes part of my day in Nampa. Tonight, Zach and I are going to retrieve his mics from the coffee garage and maybe find a bite to eat.