Just Doodlin’

Here comes the fear

| Viciously Sweet

Sometimes I look around and wonder when it will be better? Not that I don’t appreciate my current existence. I mean the wondering and future-casting is just a normal thing. It’s something we all do, because we all aspire to more. I mean I’m not a Disney character, so my wishes are more than like becoming a ‘real girl’ or putting an end to the terror of Rattigan.

(On an interesting sidenote: I’m super preparing for my family’s visit here this spring, trying to find movies that won’t terrify my nieces– Great Mouse Detective… probably not interesting to a 4 year old.)

Anyways, I have a friend who is really actively decided to change their life majorly. And I super respect that… it’s just makes me think that maybe I should be doing some things in the world. More than helping cashiers find a pen, or sending thank you notes to people who cut my hair and sell me flowers for my hair. I just don’t know what to do first… get my architecture license? Work on selling my doodley-crafts to people? Become an entertainer at children’s parties? Hire a private investigator to find every Waldo (just to get my bases covered)?

There is just so much to do. But tonight, I think I’m going to try to learn how to use my new camera… so I can take unblurry pictures with it.

 

(Bonus Points for people who know where I borrowed that background from!)

♥Lauren

The Big 10,000

| Viciously Sweet

Okay I was super prepared to make another post. I was in it, I was going the distance.

And then I didn’t hit post. Because it just really wasn’t happening in my gut. I felt like there was something better I could share.

And then when I was driving home I realized what it was. Last week in my silly adventures I ended up on this Date Duration Calculator… and I found out today is my 10,000th day!

Because you know I’m a bit of a sappy girl I bring you this doodle:

I’m so happy I got to share some of my 10,000 days with you. Also thanks for making my days super amazing.

And in my super 10,000 day knowledge I have decided I totally am going to live my next 1,000 days like Dolly Parton. Who I have always adored… but the more I learn about her the more I see her as a force of absolute goodness in this world. And really don’t we need more of that? I want to help with that!

Also thanks to Jonathon who understood my joy of 10,000 days. Just to let you know I ate Ice Cream and wore a very sparkly necklace to celebrate it… and did I mention there was a new Mindy Project? Well there was, and my whole day was just wonderful :)

One more thing. Use the calculator and calculate some of your special days. I’d like to see some of your numerical triumphs!

♥Lauren

 

Stress, Potato Salad and Happiness

| Viciously Sweet

Happy April Fools Day/ First Day of April/Kris Marshall’s birthday/ 88th Anniversary of the Formation of The Royal Canadian Air Force.

Today I have had a lot to deal with:

-really stressful deadlines! I mean I was already running late today and then I come in and everything is the worst and due at the same time… Um give me a moment to panic:

I already didn’t take a lunch! I can’t find extra time!

-Trying to set up appointments so my car can look less crunchy from behind. Never a problem for a Kardashian… but, it’s a problem from my car’s rearside.

FUN FACT: I drive a candy bar. And… well summers are very sticky.

-making my stapler fancy:

It’s costume is so cool it’s now in the Justice League in the corner of my desk… The Scurvy Stapler of Justice is here!

– Defeating the evil in my general area. It’s a real affliction over here. And for a few weeks I’ve retreated… but there is only so long I can be pushed around until I get all well Warrior Princess on you.

Your Nonsense: I will shut it all down! All of our office supplies will have faces!!! BWA HA HA!

-eating my potato salad while it was still cool from refrigeration .

It’s been out of the fridge since 9!!!!! And now it’s lunchtime!!!!!

(The last one was much harder than it sounded. It took about 45 minutes to get to eat it between all the work I was doing, and our office fridge is still not functioning.)

 

But today is just not a day I want to remember being stressed out for. Because, I choose no to! There has to be a silver-lining to this Garfield grumbling of a Monday! So now that I’ve finished 2 deadlines, some mildly cool potato salad, and set up an appointment for my car to get some reconstructive surgery… I can share something really wonderful with the people who read this blog:

“San Francisco” from the Mowgli’s- this song is like sunshine and love had a baby, and their baby became musical.

This song according to Amber is very hipster. It probably is, but I think it is 100% fun. And you can hear it blaring out of my car everywhere I drive lately. And I even have a horrible Polynesian/ belly-dance dance for it!

 

And here’s a little doodle to go along with all the joy in this post:

It is because you make it that way!

♥Lauren

(All images, besides mine are courtesy of the rad people who host thangs on IMGUR)

 

The Pajama Game

| Viciously Sweet

I’m going to make a confession.

It’s been kinds chilly at night so lately I have tried to make sure I go put on pajamas before I go to bed. In true California fashion I usually just tanky top and pajama shorts. But sometimes I have to pull out the real serious stuff…

It’s like having my own personal Christmas every evening.

I feel like I should be more ashamed of this but…. they are just so so comfy.

♥Lauren

Another slice of Cake(s)

| Viciously Sweet

Hi internet!

Today I had a kinda crunchy day. No, that was not a typo. I was rear-ended when trying to get an affordable lunch. All  I can say is neither me or the girl have any serious problems, just some achiness. Also,the lunch didn’t really taste like the majesty of savings I had anticipated.

But… there is always a brighter side. So I tried to think of something I could draw on my salvaged work paper… Something that would make me smile as I drew? And then I thought of pretty much the best thing ever… I could draw an extra fancy drawing of one of my readers!

And today that person is the lovely, hilarious, and well written Cakes McCain of “Pasta For One”!!!!

Although I have never met her in real life, I feel like Cakes is a sister in the world of girly activities. I think she’s super amazing for running away from North America for that sunny peninsula of a country… Italy! In the land of the Pope, she set our to find love and fortune. I mean how romantic of a notion is that? Who does that nowadays? Answer: Awesome people. And although she has now re-graced the soils of America, all of her Italian adventures serve as a hilarious anecdote in the world of dating and being a young woman of the world. Some other quick reasons I adore her… She understands the importance of “13 going on 30” in a grown up woman’s life, she knows how to Wang Chung, she has given me some stunning advice about enjoying my own life… and most importantly, she shares her world in a Bridget Jones like fashion, with hilarious results.

I do suggest you READ HER STUFF! It’s really funny, and sometimes the visual aids she uses to describe things will make you snort in your cubicle, at lunch, or even while you are sitting in bed with a cat. It’s really happened. And it’s happened more than once.

Also, I have been trying out a few new drawing styles and I’m testing it out with this doodle. It’s a little fancier than my usual blog stuff… So, I hope you like it Cakes! It was very fun to draw. And it’s been really nice knowing you in type.

Illustrated Cakes was the best part of my afternoon!

Now that I know all of you have read her blog, and marveled at her illustrated spaghetti of love. I hope you totally get why I have such a good time reading and knowing this fabulash lady. And maybe the next time I doodle a reader it may be you!

♥Lauren

I got carried away…

| Viciously Sweet

I find myself prone to flights of fancy more than others. I don’t know if it’s a problem, but it happens every once in a while.

You look at me, and you realize I’m currently not totally there.

We were just having a striking conversation and I was just talking about Sandy’s shoes from ‘Grease’. Or how adorable Paul Rudd is and then… BANG it happens. I’m gone. Where am I???  I’m not exactly sure, but it is the place that all the doodles I draw live at. It’s a really great place, I actually highly suggest everyone should go there. But since you probably cannot I’m going to kind of give you a quick tour.

So picture it, I’m sitting right next to you… Someone interrupts and starts talking about tree triming…

And then I get really quiet… You look at me, and I don’t respond. Where in the world is my brain? My mind has made a daring escape to avoid all the boring you are now listening to. I may even be at the circus eating kettle corn and staring at the sparkly outfits of the trapeze artists. Just wishing I was flying through the air with the greatest of ease:

*smile, blink… continue to stare into space*

Then it shoots into space lands smack! I’m on the moon. I’m looking at the stars from here and boy do they look different. Is that a Jack in the Box all the way down there on earth? ***Checks breifly back into reality***

Are you engaging in this conversation about tree trimming? I have now reached a new level of not paying attention… is there any chicken on the moon?:

*giggles*

And basically if you are still in that conversation I’m ignoring…. let’s chart a submarine and splash into the briny deep. Yep there are fishes down here? I wonder if I could make a space helmet for a merchicken?

*Stares to the left of you*

I’m going to say my lack of attention for really boring things is not my fault… well maybe it is. I just have so many thoughts they all just jumble around until…

*fiddles with paper*

Oh my cats are just so fluffy. But we must return from my brain trip before I am committed. How long have I been gone? Oh, how did we get on the subject of politics? Wait, what? You are going to have to backtrack a little bit for me…

I’m so sorry I just got carried away with my brain thoughts

Annnnnnnnnnnnnd that is what happens to my brain at least once a day.

♥Lauren

My winter coat

| Viciously Sweet

I know weather is a different story everywhere. But bear with me.

But really the best thing that has happened this week is  pope hats on all the things in my office SPRING.

As a resident of California, I find my Rainbow Brite lifestyle very much aided by the weather. We may only have 2 seasons here (fall and summer)… but boy, are they glorious.

Spring has arrived and brought with it some very missed sun. I was beginning to get a little bummed because I was in major need of some Vitamin D.

Via: Tumblr & the Lennon-McCartney catalog. And quickly on this subject if I were a Beatle I would most definitely be a Paul.

And then all of a sudden here comes the sun (another Beatles reference so soon) most gloriously, when I needed it the most. The sun has returned and I felt very animalistic about the whole thing, I have wanted to be outside so badly being ion my office nearly brings me to tears. I was so lost in all the gray days, I was beginning to think I could warm myself from the yellow on my stapler.

This yellow stapler of my heart is available at POPPIN. I suggest you get one in every color.

But sadly my stapler emits no warmth. All it can really do is bind paper and make me smile.

Okay now that I have talked about the sun I feel like everyone reading it is probably like:

And with that out of the way, I bring you to today’s doodle:

Let’s just take them right off and throw them into the ocean!

And happily share I only have 1.5 hours before work is over… Then I’m off to the desert to get lost until Easter…

Oh no… hold up. I’m just visiting my sister for the weekend.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone. Hopefully your work week is over and even if you are in 2 feet of snow… I hope you get to see even a little sun.

♥Lauren

If you have nothing nice to say…

| Viciously Sweet
*cricket sounds*

Right now I’m going through one of those if you have nothing nice to say kind of moments.

And dear Internet, I need some help before I get really mad.

I am really at the end of my tether with this bad time coworker of mine. Everything is everyone else’s fault, everyone is undermining and being mean to them. They can say mean and rude things, but no one can say anything back without basically being the anti-christ.

Actually, no Internet. I will correct myself… I don’t work with Taylor Swift… but there is a special place in hell reserved for me according to this person. And, as long as they are not there… I will take it.

The worst thing is lately, I have been having such a great time in the office. Let’s just say… practically all of our office supplies have homemade top hats, or pope hats.

And then it happened. Today was the last straw when the fun police swooped in, and my personality became the issue. My personality! I’m sorry I’m too cheerful, and try to make the office a nice place to be in. I’m sorry I leave little notes and happy things around the office.

Actually, wait  a minute. I am not sorry. I am not sorry for a damned thing. And for the risk of becoming really mad I will say nothing else. I’m going to retreat for the rest of the day, just to maintain some cheer.

Snarky side note to said coworker: Why don’t you just go talk about tree trimming for another 20 minutes? Everyone found it really captivating last time… and by everyone, I mean no one.

But don’t think I”m giving up. I will survive. And  tomorrow I’m coming at you with the sparkly fury of Rainbow Bright. And you will be my murky dismal.

♥LAUREN

It’s Alright

| Viciously Sweet

Okay I’m going to give everyone a break right now.

That email your’re typing- stop it.

That show you’re watching- pause it.

That excel spread sheet- I’m not even going to say anything about that, because that window should already be closed.

I’m only going to steal about 3.5 minutes from your day anyways!

Now, since I have your attention. As we all know I try to live my life as a bit of sunshine in this weary ole world. I can’t do it all alone so I rely on friends, and music, and anything super joyous (I’m talking to you 50 cent mustache machines). I am a big Matt & Kim fan because their music just shouts joy of the roof tops, it hands out flyers for frees sandwiches on the street, it is like the prize in a cereal box. Their songs, in short, can make your day. And when you are in a great mood you can help others get to rad places too.

Just trust me watch this video.  And…

1. Try to stop yourself from wanting to do this at home (it’s really hard, as a constant tosser and turner I wish I was doing something this cool.)

2. Find me those underpants Kim is wearing. They are so my style.

3. Enjoy it because everything is going to be alright:

Oh and wait… don’t think I forgot the doodle:

This is my present back to Matt & Kim for all the joy they gave to me!

♥Lauren