Sketchbook Dump #18
poodles, doctors, and shopping at Marshall's
It’s technically Spring and I have a lot on my mind despite the world deliberately trying to bring me down. I’m serious! Down! Down! Down the stairs! My mother has reminded me to “be careful,” something I always need to hear!
I can’t lie… I’m in pain! It’s been over a week since I fell and I’m having a hard time drawing which is slightly terrifying. On top of falling down the stairs, I’m developing some issue in my hand from drawing too much. Is it arthritis? Is it tendonitis?! Is it carpal tunnel!???? Stay tuned! All I know is I bought a pink compression glove to wear at night and I do not think it’s helping though it is quite chic. I’ve also been referencing a wonderful book called Draw Stronger, but believe me if you have recommendations, I am taking them! I’ll try anything, I even bought tiny cat toys that I’m told can function as a stress release/pressure point thingy for my fingers… getting creative! Feeling old!! Send help!
Would you believe I also threw my back out? I swear it’s like I’m being smited by the great and powerful smiter. Despite my various ailments I have been thrilled by this above 50 degree weather and it’s got me thinking a lot about poodle hairdos. Who knows why! Probably has something to do with how I always wished I had curly hair. Curly hair seems so carefree and sexy to me. I wanted it so bad that I literally got a “body wave” (read: a vague perm???) in college because my mom told me it would look great and all I can say is… sure. sure sure sure. I do not recommend unless you enjoy learning hard lessons.
Some positive news is I got a new chair off the street and I’m in love with it. It’s mustard yellow and cozy and I’ve been excited to wake up in the morning to drink coffee and read in it. Currently reading 3 books: Allie Brosh’s Solutions & Other Problems, Phoebe Gloeckner’s Diary of a Teenage Girl, and Molly Shannon’s Hello, Molly! It’s like the perfect trifecta of hilarious women.
It’s unclear to me if the new iMessage “edit message” option is a good development for society. Though I nearly fell over laughing when I heard this conversation ^^ between my boyfriend and his brother. “How far back?” is a great question and the answer is of course, “let go and let God!” But seriously, I enjoy all my errors in texts. It’s funny when I tell someone “I’ll be right btere” or “idk i don’t cate.” Typos are the stuff of life! Is anyone out there actually upset about little mistakes like that? Do they really need to be fixed? It’s not prose! It’s chatting! Even if it was prose, mistakes happen! There’s at least 5 errors in Murder Book but I can’t get upset about that because I am not a computer. And even if I was a computer I’d keep trying to autocorrect “duck” to “fuck.” (Am I the only one with this issue? My phone doesn’t believe I ever want to talk about ducks, but I really really do)
I’ve been at a lot of doctor’s offices lately, both physically and virtually. The journey to “getting better” is long and winding but it’s certainly filled with a lot of great fodder for comedy as well several solid magazines. Can you believe Adam Sandler is on the cover of AARP mag? It reminded me of the scene in Father of the Bride Part II when they see Peggy Lipton on the cover of… honestly it might be AARP???
Last week when my boyfriend and I were visiting his parents upstate we (I) decided to go to Marshall’s to see what beautiful things it might have to offer. As I was walking about perusing many cute $8 tops I noticed someone in front of me that I absolutely recognized. It was my boyfriend’s brother’s girlfriend. I screamed. ALICIA!? She was just as confused as I was. How could we both be in Marshall’s on a Sunday in Peekskill? We started maniacally giggling as most women do in Marshall’s and she quickly became embarrassed by how many clothing items were in her shopping cart and I knew exactly how she felt. It’s like being caught whilst having a nervous breakdown in Starbucks. She was like “I don’t know! I decided I hate my whole wardrobe! I’ll probably hate all this! I don’t know what I’m doing! Is this dress cute????” The dress was in fact adorable and I assured her that filling one’s cart at Marshall’s and then only walking out with one top is a very acceptable form of therapy. Then my boyfriend walked up and asked “Was that you screaming? Do you like this rug?”
In addition to my new Levi’s which I adore, we bought Margie a new bed, but she didn’t seem to understand the concept behind dog beds. The bed now belongs to her park buddy Kurt Russel who is using it as an actual bed and not a boyfriend. Don’t worry she has plenty of other items to hump in the home!
My goals for this week are to get my brand new Doc Marten Mary Jane’s FIXED since they broke within a month of me wearing them, because I really want to embrace them as my “spring shoe.” I also plan to wear shorts as soon as I can handle it, attempt to not slip back into my old Diet Coke addiction, and of course to see the new Scream!! I was very skeptical about it since I’m a die hard fan and don’t know how to feel about Scream set in New York WITHOUT Neve Campbell but then people have been texting me things like “It’s actually good” and “I need to hear what you think,” so off I go to the cinemas!
Before I go, a recent list:
And finally! Fun news! I am teaching another cartoon workshop in Manhattan at ArtsClub on March 31st from 6:30-8:30 PM. Sign up! Come drink wine and draw with me! The past few classes have been a BLAST.
Also! Do you live in Northern California and have kids who like to draw? I am teaching two cartoon camps this summer in Sonoma. One is stop motion animation and the other is basic cartooning. Check out more details here.
Thank you for reading! New posts every Friday!
Recently watched: Pamela, A Love Story <3
Obsessed with: figuring out how to fix my shoulder??
On repeat: memories from my best friend’s wedding
Most of the cartoons in this newsletter are available on Etsy!
Are you using your What Did I Do Today? journal? I would love to hear from you!
I so wish I was in NY for the workshop! Or if I was a kid I’d drive up to SF this summer! Come teach in LA?? 🤗
Love your toons, it’s always amazing to read it!👍🏽