doodle lauren

Practice, practice, practice

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I’m no Alanis Morissette here. And the person this subject is about is not even as cool as Dave Coulier… who as we recall was not even the coolest “Uncle” on “Full House”…  But anyways, I digress. The drawing exists, and I should be able to share anything on my own site without fears of other people being insulted.

And if you have the world’s weakest constitution, you are on the best website on the interwebs  because nothing I post is gory or even remotely scary… it’s not even Al Gore-y on this site. Oh yeah, never mind the puns… I was presenting a doodle:

 

I may even print this on business card size paper, and give it out to people so they can have “official unapproval” from me. Can you imagine, you could be thrilled to get a doodle, and then realize it’s because I think you are like 12 thumbs down. (I counted my thumbs and the surviving Jackson brothers thumbs as well.)

I actually have had this drawing drawn and colored for a while. I made it when I was madder at people, even though it doesn’t seem very ragey, I was very very mad. But I kept telling myself, that it’s too not nice to post. However, lately I have felt a change in myself  that I rather like. I’ve been sharing that change with the good people who come to my site for some giggles and with my close friends in my everyday existence.  And darn it, this drawing wanted to be shared.

I hope you enjoyed it and remember, never tick off a girl who can photoshop and doodle up a response in a matter of seconds!

♥Lauren

The Secret Dancer

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Hi, it’s Lauren. You know the giggler, dreamer and constant doodler. You come here to read about my zany adventures and mishaps of adulthood? Yeah, it’s that Lauren.

It’s Friday and I’m creating a landscape rendering at work. Where my computer is busy making pixels into magic… I’m just waiting about ready to make that picture look better. But in the meantime that doesn’t mean I can’t take sometime to open my Sketchbook of My Secrets (What my coworker the Dab calls it) and share some good times with everyone.

Now I’ve been fluctuating about my nervousness about things changing and my incredible joy for all the good things that are in my future. Not only is it frustrating to read about, it’s worse living it. Like for example in one day I can go from a morning of  sunshine and lollipops, to an afternoon on the Noah’s arc of my tears, back to an evening of happiness/concern for crying about something stupid. For example, yesterday I cried watching John Krasinksi act in emotional scenes, because he seems like such a nice guy. On the other hand I get so incredibly happy when I see mustaches in 50 cent machines, that I could hug strangers. I would like to say this makes me a charming mess, but no matter what is going on I never want to stay down for long. So I don’t, that brings us to today’s shiny new doodle:

And this is the song that I’m dancing to:

Have a wonderful weekend. And Amber be careful with the dry ice… it can be spooky dangerous.

♥Lauren

I’m no Superman

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Today I’m out in the world away from the old computer, and even more so away from the office. It’s not like I don’t like work. I just needed some time to be away, recharge. I foresee some trying times ahead, and well I might as well have fun before I have to face those problems like I’m a Spartan in the  Peloponnesian War.

I’m sorry to burden the good people of the internet with my silliness… But here it is: I see all the imaginary train tracks of my problems are pointed towards each other and are poised to crash at any minute. Simply because I trusted the wrong person for too many years, never thinking someone would have bad intentions towards a-this-gal. And all I know is that I have to soldier on through this bad time, and maybe the trains/problems won’t crash at all, maybe the train full of problems will make it through in the nick of time missing the collision with my everyday good time train. And somewhere some evil villain will curse the sky.

I just know as I was told there is not going to be a knight on a white pony to save me from it… I mean seriously, how would a guy in metal and a pony be helpful in that situation… I’ll just be optimistic that Superman will swoop in and save the day, he always saves people at the last moment.

I hope Lois doesn’t get all jealous. Because I will supply him with many doodles as payments.

Maybe I need to listen to my sister in law, maybe I need a more permanent change of scenery… but for now… vacation.

♥Lauren

Excuse me Miss… your confidence is showing.

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This week I’ve been living in the future. True story. And it’s not like the Jestson’s future. I can see the good things that are heading my way. I mean I just got paid for making doodles for people. I have a client based on something I see as the most fun side project ever!

And when I met up with my good pal Christine this week she told me that I was looking way more confident than usual. And honestly, I think I am. I am not like on a Charlie Sheen “winning” high or anything. I just know that my optimism is going to get me somewhere really great. And in the middle of this icky tunnel I’m in, I see out the other end and that all the little things I can do well are really going to help me in the future, especially when I emerge from the other side. And most importantly all these things/people trying to bring me down are just temporary. In fact I have how I feel about it lusciously illustrated below:

Also I think this is the best time of anytime to share that I’m going to make this doodling thing into a side business made with heart. I want to make shirts, and bags, table cloths, pillows, and birthday party hats. I want to make custom doodles for people. I want to share my joy with as many people as possible. And I’m going to do it. Maybe you’ll pick up a bag or hat or just keep reading and smiling… stay around and watch my dream come true.

♥Lauren

The Secret Professional

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So a few people have been asking… what is going on with the professional? Why are there no posts any more guiding me to the professional promise land? This has a complicated answer… as earlier this year the professional we knew did a King Edward VII , and abdicated his professional throne. The Kingdom of Professionalism was then thrown into anarchy and professional turmoil,  after the great battle and the “Treaty of Dab and Lauren” an interesting event transpired…

I think there is a new professional in town… and her name is my name too.

And I don’t know when it happened. I feel like some sort of were-professional…

In the last week:

♥ I have been carrying business cards in my purse

♥ I was caught updating my contact list

♥ I’ve worked late 2 nights in a row

♥ I’ve had a business meeting after work hours

♥ I used the term “collated” more than once in the last 8 hours

♥ I’ve been making lists with bullet points! (Although, the bullets are love hearts ♥)

Anyways the polls are in and it looks like I’m the new professional in town:

And on a “I work in a weird place” side note yesterday Amber and I took a quiz about who we are in the office and this was my answer:

And I was not surprised. That description is my 8-5, every Monday-Friday. The only difference is I have no Jim to giggle with all day… Okay, I’m going to go CC: people on some work like things ;)

♥Lauren

My Cupcake Caper

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I realized my joy is getting braggy. And I’m not going to unpack the brag bags… because that is annoying. And my Inner Pam Beesly told me “Take it down a notch, the world knows about your joy.”

So I took a cue at not to make myself a real life Mary Sue, and to look at my sketchbook and pull a drawing from my archives that I already should have shared. (Hehe, I have archives!) A few months ago I was not feeling the joy, and much like the friendship of Turk and J.D. from “Scrubs” my Lady Turk counterpart (Nancy) told me to drag my booty to her house to experience the “WORLD’S GIRLIEST WEEKEND”. And we did, we watched teen movies until we passed out, we ate fancy hamburgers, we made crafts, we packed goodie bags for children, we went as lady dates to a wedding…

And

then

we

tried

to

make…

red velvet cupcakes…

from scratch.

Being our first go of making red velvet cupcakes from scratch we pulled out the recipes, and not wanting to risk making a horrible huge batch Nancy decided to cut the recipe… in 4s. And most impressively she had all the math all figured out, but that wasn’t the difficult part. The most difficult thing  was attempting to mix .375 teaspoons of baking soda with a 1/2 an egg. But we were in it. We were committed. Everything was going on the good side of moderately strange until I had to add the red dye to the mixer…and like most things that were happening to me at that time, the mixer decided to stage a mutiny, and it exploded in my face, and hands and all actually over my person.

My face was red… with more than embarrassment.

However the cupcakes were then baked and finished… and were fabulous except for 2 small flaws…

1. They were burgundy and pink, like a weird steak.

2. They were crunchy on the top.

We covered that stuff up with frosting like crazy! So we may not be opening that cupcake shop like the “2 Broke Girls” afterall:

♥ Lauren

The Eternal Sunshine of My Spotless Mind

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Some people are happy people. I have a confession… I am one of those happy people.

I know many of you are gasping, because your like… can that really be true? Does that mean all her giggles aren’t lies? Does that mean her sketchbook is really full of kittens and an occasional unicorn? Do you really not sit around all serious like a … professional?

The answer my dear readers is… YES!

And above all, I hope you have gleaned that I’m a huge dork, and unapologetic for it. I realize that most people who had a job that didn’t pay them much, and living with your parents after living without them for 5 years would not be as chipper as me. But sometimes we have to just appreciate it, we may not have all we want but what we have is good. And I’m not talking about settling for what we have (we all know how I feel about settling.)

But sometimes we can wear really pretty shoes, listen to some tunes that totally rock our world (Shout out to the Cure) and just appreciate a nice fall day. And that is what I choose to do today. For some reason I feel that today life is extra beautiful. Maybe it’s because I watched my favorite movie this week, maybe it’s because I’m an “adult” cherishing my new Hello Kitty wallet, maybe it’s because tonight I’m eating chicken. Mostly, it’s because I am in love with how I feel, when I feel optimistic about my future. I hope you find something beautiful today that makes you realize how wonderful the world is:

And if you need a little boost to give you some more happy read this article. Every time I do, I find something instantly to be happy about. Friends, smiling, music and sex… you really cannot go wrong reading it. It will make you want to take the boat of happiness the world sends you and sail about with joy in your heart!

♥ Lauren

 

My inner Jenna Rink

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I have some art to work on after work so I’m going to make sure I have a Lauren-y movie to watch tonight and it’s all about “13 going on 30” tonight. No matter how many times I see it, I always get sucked in to all the fun and joys of Jenna Rink dealing with being a grown up.

I always find myself relating to Jenna. I somehow feel like the rest of me grew up and left my brain somewhere else. I mean I just learned today that Shepard’s pie is a meat pie, and not a pie made by a Shepard (and I’m envisioning one of the guys who hangs out with baby Jesus here.) And that is really just the tip of the iceberg of things I don’t get, that everyone already knows.

And that dream house…

Oh, I still want it. I don’t know if it’s because I’m working on being a licensed architect and I love movie houses… or just because I want some of that wishing dust, and to have a slumber party with my girlfriends where we sing Pat Benatar songs until we pass out.

Anyways I have some art to make and some Mark Ruffalo to watch. So just remember:

♥Lauren

The Love Triangle

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I am a clumsy person. Just ask anyone who has ever met me in real life. I fall while walking,  drop everything on myself (today a bucket of rubber bands)… and once almost poked out my eye with an x-acto blade because I had an itch in my hair and forgot I was holding it the sharpest of all blades.

Today I was quite happy to wear this really cute retro style polka dot dress (polka dots are my thing!) And in my I’m a hot mess lifestyle, I actually thought I was looking rather dorky chic. I went to the bathroom adjusted the top, and then it happened I realized that my full circle dress, perfect for spinning around in was actually stuck in my underpants. IN THE UNDERPANTS!

This has never happened before, and what can only make it better is that my coworker caught me correcting the problem. I felt like saying “Happy Monday everyone, my underpants are pink hearts today!” But instead I turned red, and sat as low in my seat as possible.

 

 

I caught my dress being stuck the next 2 times it happened in the remaining 4 hours of the day…. before I showed my coworkers my underpants.  Tomorrow I wear pants with pants on top of that.

♫Lauren