Looking for the silver whining

Stop the presses!* It has only been two weeks since my last blog, and I’m already back. I mean, i can’t promise I’ll make this a habit, but…

Anyway, today I decided to turn my comic energies in a different direction. I’ve begun to realize that some things I’d classify as bad might look pretty good depending on your point of view. For example:

Pain or gain | Want More Puppies

Honestly, Tavish is pretty psyched when the heating pad makes an appearance for any reason.** He also likes when I’m home sick, because it means he can stay in bed allllll day long.

Anyone else’s dog seem to enjoy – or at least, find a silver lining in – their misery?

*Younger readers, back in the day we had these things called newspapers. They contained our news and were printed on things called presses. So, if you had breaking news you’d have to stop the presses to add it in.

**Yes, the reason here occurs monthly, but it often appears to soothe other aches & pains as well.

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Snow drives me to link

You know, I think this blog is way overdue for a good old fashioned link roundup. Don’t you agree? Let’s dive right in.

  1. First up, your punny pet names for the week: Hiss Hemsworth and Ferret Leto.
  2. It’s the first rule of Dog Club, man.
  3. Some look at things and say, “Why?” Others look at things and think, “Dang, that would do for a dog train.”
  4. How have I never heard of this podcast before?
  5. I feel the need to introduce you two these dog-related comics: Dogs, Ducks & Aliens and Bark Trek. You’re welcome.
  6. Tell everyone I died from too much cuteness. They’ll understand.

Finally, as always, we end with a video. Forget that whole doggie in the window thing:

Thanks to BarkPost for this one!

Man, posting a link roundup has me feeling all kinds of nostalgic. I can’t promise them weekly, but it did feel kind of good to bring back the link-a-palooza.

So, anyone else about to be snowbound?

via giphy.com

I hate winter. (Tavish agrees.)

 

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Lists and the women who love them

Last year was a busy blogging year for me… just not on this blog. I launched my webcomic, which – like a shiny, new toy – has gotten the lion’s share of my attention. I’ll admit that I’ve found myself missing this space and hope to give some more attention to my first blog-child in the coming year. (We’ll talk more about that later this month – stay tuned.)

With that in mind, I wanted to start off the new year with a new post. When a friend told me about 50 Happy Things, I just knew that this was the perfect way to kick off 2016 (and to help me find some positivity in a year that seemed to be full of sad news from the world at large). Plus, I love lists. I have a list of the lists that I keep. It’s like list-ception.

You can visit Tales from the Motherland for the full lowdown, but here are the basics:

  • Set a timer for ten minutes.
  • During those ten minutes, write a list of 50(ish) things that made you happy (or that you were grateful for) in 2015. (After time was up, I went back and added some links, comments, and photos – you know I can’t resist a good link roundup.)
  • Add your post to the list of bloggers participating in this flood of gratitude. (Don’t have a blog? That’s okay! You can do this on your own – either just for yourself, or to share with your friends in another format. Also, if you want to tell me some of the things that made you happy in the comments, I’d love to hear them!)

I armed Tavish with a stopwatch, which he promptly ignored in favor of going back to sleep. (Hosting people for New Year’s Eve is exhausting, apparently.) So, looks like I’m on my own. Here we go… Continue reading

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Adventures in Fur-tility: Pets as practice for children?

(Alternate post title? What to expect when you’re deflecting.)

Stop me if you’ve heard this one…

At the dog park | biologicalclockie.com

Courtesy of my new webcomic – click to check it out!

I’m not going to ask for a show of hands, but I have a feeling plenty of us have been on the receiving end of this sort of comment.  After all, there are people who think any plans for your uterus are fair game for conversation.  (It’s called uterUS because we’re all in this together. As a society. Or something.)  And obviously any and all choices you make in life are geared toward your eventual role as parent.  (Ladies and their universal desire for babies, am I right?)

When you put those two together, the only conclusion is that you adopted a pet to practice your nurturing skills.  Sort of a placeholder until you can fulfill your biological destiny – keep a plant and a pet alive, and then you’re obviously ready for parenthood.

I’m often at a loss regarding how to respond to this sort of nonsense. (Or I think of the perfect Jerk Store comeback later, a la George Constanza.) A withering stare is always appropriate.  I’d also vote for a blunt and snarky comment about how rude this whole topic is.  Or perhaps one of these?

  • “You’re right.  Having a pet really has prepared me for parenthood.  If crate and clicker training worked for Spike, it will work for a baby.”
  • “Not only am I getting some practice in, I also have a reliable vet and groomer already lined up for my baby.”
  • “Oh, crap.  I think I did this backwards. I had a kid for a few years as practice for my pet, but I gave her up when I got the kitten. Wonder what happened to her.”
  • “So many good lessons.  If my kid cries when I leave the room, I’ll just toss him a Kong filled with peanut butter to distract him.”
  • “I figure I should practice it all – so once Fluffy turns 18 and can finally move out, then I’ll be ready for kids.”
  • “How dare you!  That’s not a dog. It’s a kid wearing a designer faux fur bodysuit.”

Anyone have a good response to this question? Share yours in the comments!

(Don’t forget to swing by Biological Clockie and check out my new comic!  You can also follow along on Facebook and Twitter.)

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The elephant in the womb?

Please forgive me for that post title. It was the best of the worst, so just be thankful I spared you the others. Working titles included “the birth of an animation” and “make way for chucklings.” I told you they were bad.

However, the title seemed fitting, in a way. After all, it’s no secret. Over the past year or so, posts here have been infrequent. I can imagine that finding new content here could sometimes feel as unlikely as finding a Golden Ticket in your Special K.

Okay, maybe that’s not the best example. That Golden Ticket was nothing but trouble, unless you relish the idea of turning into a blueberry or almost drowning in a river of chocolate. I’m hoping that new posts here aren’t having that effect on you.

Anyway, I digress. (Big surprise, right?) I wanted to talk a little bit about my absence and let you know that my time away from you has not been in vain. I’ve FINALLY accomplished one of my goals for 2015 (and 2014 and 2013)…

I launched that webcomic I kept talking about! So, I finally followed through on that promise (or made good on that threat, depending on your point of view) and got some of the ideas out of my brain and onto (virtual) paper.  It’s out in the world, and it’s just getting started.

It’s called Biological Clockie, and she really wants to be your new BFF (Best Frenemy Forever):

  • The webcomic lives here – you’ll find new comics on Mondays and Thursdays.
  • You can sign up to get new comics by email using the form in the right sidebar on the BC website.
  • If you’re more of a feed reader kind of person, sign up here.
  • Biological Clockie has her own Facebook page and Twitter profile too – follow for updates, funny stuff, and more.

So, that’s the big news here.  I hope you’ll stop by and check out my new site – I’d love to hear your thoughts! After all, how could you resist finding out more about this face?

She's waiting for you...

She’s waiting for you…

Working on the comic has also helped me start finding my blogging mojo too, so I’ll probably be posting more regularly here as well.  It’s win-win (for me at least).

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