I do art things sometimes...

Sometimes...
Not of the greatest quality.
But sometimes.

Thusly, a little set of zentangle doodle experimenty thingy-mabobs:

Electric Paisley

Lil Tangles

Oceania

Exploring some odd color combinations that I would otherwise not choose.
Playing. Satisfying.
I've actually begun drawing again. Not just simple zentangles, but some proper graphite renderings. Sketchy still, but my fingers have been resilient through each test. In that regard, I had an idea to make a little Özil sketch after every Arsenal game during the season. Could be an amusing series. Mostly just amusing for me, but I might post them to my art tumblr if I can keep up with it.

A little preview. The actual series will be only greyscale... I think. Mesut played his first game for Arsenal last Saturday. He had a stomach bug. Poor kid. Wenger wouldn't have played him if the team wasn't so thin due to injuries/illness. Despite being sick, coming off of two successful International games, being slammed by nasty Spanish press, and having his life turned upside-down... he made his first assist for the club after just 11 minutes. And it was a beauty. Great long pass from Gibbs as Mesut took off down the left wing. Timed his run to have the ball come down over his left shoulder, split-stretched to slow its fall with the perfect touch of his left foot, passed it with an exquisite nutmeg to Giroud, who knocked it into the goal with a perfect finish.

Jokes were made that he adjusted rather quickly to the Premier League. I couldn't stop laughing. Partly from how great it was. Mostly from relief.

His debut at the Emirates (Arsenal's home stadium) is in... about 2 hours. My schedule is a bit screwy again, but NBC has full game replays online, which is amazing.

Alright. That's all. I'm off.

Gone to the Gooners...

"In WTF news... Real Madrid bought Gareth Bale. Not sure if I want. The midfield is already cramped. Could be great, but if our bug-eyed, crinkly-eared hero doesn't get the minutes he deserves, we're gonna have a problem."

During Bale's presentation at the Bernebau, Madristas were chanting, begging for Perez to not sell Özil. For more than a day, rumors flew that Arsenal had made a record-breaking bid for Mesut.

A problem... we have.

30 minutes to the end of the transfer window...

dear fans of real madrid,

thank you very much for three wonderful years with all of you. my time at real madrid was unique and special for me. sometimes things develop differently, than i would have expected them to a few days ago.
although I’m leaving real madrid I wish you and the team the very best for the future.

now I’m looking forward to my new club: THE GUNNERS!

And there you have it. One of the best players in the world, arguably the best central attacking midfielder in the world, one of the most beloved players by Madridistas and all football fans alike, happy, committed, and living his dream to play for Real Madrid and train with Zidane...

Forced out.

Forced out, because Perez wanted Bale as his shiny new toy and Ancelotti had to reform the midfield around that. Mesut's position disappeared. They forced him out.

Heartbreaking.

Luckily, Mesut is away from the chaos in Spain, training with the German National Team for a WCQ on Friday. And likely got the critical information he needed from his teammates Podolski and Mertesacker that he would be loved and trusted at Arsenal. Mesut hoped to retire in Madrid, but seeing how quickly they were ready to dispense with him, he probably decided he would prefer to go where he would be welcomed with open arms and confidence. What a shitty position to be in though. Geez.

All I can hope is that he'll be energized by the transition rather than deflated.
He didn't deserve that treatment. Hopefully he'll be able to rise above and do well with his new team.

Arsenal. The Gunners.
Apparently the saying goes, "Once a gooner, always a gooner."
We shall see.

TIL...

Technically, YIL. Yesterday I learned that those mysterious mutant Mourning Doves are Eurasian Collared Doves. As a bird-person, this is thrilling. Apparently, they're an invasive species that was introduced to the Bahamas in the 70s and spread to Florida in the 80s... and has clearly conquered the USA as it has arrived in my Northern Californian backyard.
This is so cool to me.
SO.
COOL.

Finally, snapped some shots of them. The photo on the left is through my bedroom window. On the right, through the living room window just before it took off. They don't tolerate my presence outside. Compare it to the Mourning Dove down here. Really different, but clearly still a dove. All I had were fleeting glimpses of confusion. WTF IS THAT?!! Now I know. Thrilled.

Even cooler is that I had heard a strange call at night. It sounded like an owl or a Mourning Dove having an identity crisis. Played a clip of a Eurasian Collared Dove and BINGO! That's it! YAASSSSSSS! Such a rad sound. Did I mention that I'm thrilled?

Sora has been especially friendly over the last week. It's nice to pop outside, make a little clicking call and she shows up in one of her usual spots. The fence. The gutter overhead. Or the jutting wisteria branch. She's comfortable enough with me that she'll trot around while I water plants, digging for bugs or grabbing peanuts when I put them out. The little hopping gallop is endlessly amusing to me. Birds are cool.

That Collared Dove, man.
Felt victorious when I figured that out.
They look downright regal.


In WTF news... Real Madrid bought Gareth Bale. Not sure if I want. The midfield is already cramped. Could be great, but if our bug-eyed, crinkly-eared hero doesn't get the minutes he deserves, we're gonna have a problem. Gif courtesy of his new adidas campaign.

Oh lawd.

*wibbles*

Life and Death...

Our little garden is doing well. The squash exploded in size and is producing faster than we can keep up with. First time we've tried straight-neck squash and it's good. Tasty. It's overwhelming the basil and tomatoes at the moment. Hopefully it'll spend its energy producing rather than growing/suffocating the basil.

The first mutant.

I tried to modify my sleeping schedule to something reasonable when it started slipping again. Backfired on me as it always seems to. I haven't slept with consistent hours for a week. A bit crazy-making. Why do I try? Lol.

I've determined that we've lost a scrub jay. And I think it was Aoi. Haven't seen him since that massive thunderstorm we had. Our backyard has been his territory for more than 8 years. And suddenly... he's gone. Of course, I have no idea how old he was when he first came here. I'm concerned he may have passed. It's like losing a pet. I'm bummed. I'm planning to immortalize one of my last interactions with him in comic-form.

Sora, Chibi, and Tasu all visit regularly. Tasu has learned to not screech constantly, but is still kind of stupid and won't come near me. All signs point to Chibi inheriting Aoi's dominance. He's a genius. Sits close and watches me for long minutes while I peel peanuts for him. Figured all that out quickly. Sora is still my girl. Chill as ever, but a little less tidy than she used to look. She was probably close to Aoi's age and has been here for 5-6 years. Gettin' old.

Otherwise, it has been towhee takeover. They're everywhere. Oh, and a couple of mourning doves showed up last week that I've never seen before. I'm not entirely sure that's what they are. They're the right shape and have the characteristic wing-whistle, but they're the palest mourning doves I've ever seen. They're silvery-white. And one of them is enormous. A scaled-up version. I wonder if it's mixed with a rock dove or something. Haven't gotten a picture yet, because they're pretty jumpy. Rad-looking though.

Football season has begun again. Real Madrid won their first match, but they're not looking super solid yet. Ancelotti is playing Mesut out of position. The Isco/Özil dynamic will have to be figured out. The energy already feels better than last season though.

Death is back! Tod 2.0... the Dark Tod.
Fiercer. Darker. Just as fabulous.



Then he got up the next morning and played a soccer game and scored a goal. The Death nail-polish probably needed a bit of touching up after that.


On a last bright note. Junsu is still granting three wishes during 'Genie Time' on his tour. Fans have begun requesting favorite songs and are coming prepared with printed out lyrics. Kind of hilarious.

The ones where he doesn't know the melody well are really impressive/lulzy, but this one is Busker Busker's big hit from last year 'Cherry Blossom Ending'. Sweet song.


Cute.