Lock Stock and Two Smoking Tendrils

Hello there internet!

I have been really busy, with being the maid of honor to my sister and her quickly approaching wedding. Seriously, its like 10 days to that thing and I’m running around like a bull in the streets of Pamplona…But, that doesn’t mean I should neglect you. I think today I’m going to tell you a story that could make any girl relate.

You know when you are just trying to have a good time, and you put a little extra effort into looking nice, and you feel like a million bucks (that’s a lot of deer’s, btw.)  And then you realize you are in the presence of an avid drinker of Haterade, their favorite flavor in this case, “Rain on Lauren’s dreams”. Well not too long ago I found myself in this situation, and I was not as drunk as I wish I could have been to have to be around this person.

I decided that with a little help of the B.F.F. I could completely ignore this person. I mean like totally ignore them, like a  CBS comedy. So then as my luck so has it, I found myself not 10 minutes later in a conversation that includes this certain person… Shoot me in the face, right? And then much like the 1993 hit of Tag Team, “whoomp, there it is” an insult out of nowhere.

“OMG. Her hair is a weave.” And that her mentioned… was me!

Just like that, like its just a fact. I was so insulted, that I really had no response. I touched my not fake hair and felt a little bitter pang. Ouch, usually I don’t put a lot of effort into myself. But I put my hair in hot rollers that day. Hot Rollers!!! I was trying to look nice!!! And then I thought if I had RuPaul was actually my fairy god mother, she would have all the words to make me feel better at that moment… all the wisdom I so desperately needed. I think she would have told this person to “Sashay away, and untuck back stage.”

Sashay away! Courtesy of: RuPaul's Drag Race Tumblr!

But this time, I really did the right thing, I think. I responded, “My hair is real, thanks.” And I ended it, I dropped the conversation and really felt like a big girl. And left to bigger and better conversations… (So I later OMG’d about it with my friends, and told my sister*, but in the moment… acted I totally acted like an adult.)

But, I’m not so much an adult that I also didn’t take the time to draw about  it:

I just used hot rollers, thanks for your casual hatred!

And I realized that this person and I shall never be friends, and that is WAY OKAY with me. I could say something like I learned to be a better person because of this situation. But I really just realized I like myself, and I’m so glad I don’t have to be in Horsetown with that Naysayer all the time! So you know what, I’m going to go on being 5 feet of tangible sunshine over here. And next time I will have a guard Kenneth with me:

Haters to the left, indeed!

♫Lauren

*Side Note: Now my sister wants a weave.

The Mostly Sunny/ Partly Cloudy Conundrum

I just checked my phone for the weather.

It responded “72 degrees and mostly sunny.”

This made me laugh because I just tricked Amber into the half full/half empty game. She said my drink was half empty. There is nothing wrong with thinking a drink is half empty. It leads to hilarious results, like causing her to think every time Professional Eric cracks his neck that he’s going to burst an artery and die… but I digress.

This leads me to my current brain query. Where is this line we create to differentiate things like… is the drink really half gone or like my response “still pretty liquidy in there”? Will my phone ever tell me that it’s not longer mostly sunny, and is in fact partly cloudy? What is the difference between yellow-green and green-yellow? When will I go from moderately wanting to hit someone with my car to rolling over them?

The mind is a mystical thing.

I’m going to go contemplate life now… and draw some bathroom details.

♫Lauren

Have A Spicy Little Christmas!

I hope today you are having a wonderful Christmas. Even if you are not a celebrator of Christmas I still hope you are having a rad day!

I hope you have a blast spending time with your family, eating pizza, watching Sandra Bullock movies… whatever you do (I’m so not judging.)

But whatever you are doing and where ever you are, I hope that this doodle makes you laugh just a little bit:

From Provocative Cactus to you: Have yourself a Provocative little Christmas Day!

♫Lauren

A Viciously Sweet Guide to the Holidays

I will be the first to tell you I am the luckiest girl pretty much ever. Every day I am surrounded by my super fabulous family and deliciously awesome friends, and since I care not about my awkward-ness I will talk to anyone at anytime (usually about 30 Rock) but I digress. There is usually nothing that can rain on my lady parade…  Except there is a thing that happens a this time of year that people call the Holidays… and although I am all for sweet tiny baby Jesus and staring at Isabel, and all the beautiful lights… I am not down for all the non-magic of the “Holidays.”

Firstly, all those wonderful fabulous people you adore all year-long turn into crazies during the Holiday Season. Where they will on a drop of a hat go bat-sh*t crazy all over your face for putting a snow man decoration in the wrong place, or taking artistic liberties with sugar cookies. Now even strangers who will usually send a hello and a smile your way will literally slash your tires, because you want to park your car near a store that they want to buy some sort of moose shaped cheese, or underpants for their significant otter.

 

I find this aggressiveness hard to deal with since my usual response is to shut down and disarm people who have tilted to madness on the crazy scale. There is something about this cut-you-in-the-face-and-then-give-a-hug time of year that makes me want to retreat unto myself, and hide until all the people and things are normal.

Another thing that totally blows about the holidays besides that fact that you actually have to spend time outside your tent of solitude is… dealing with people you don’t like. Seriously, maybe the reason we don’t see each other 98% of the year is because we don’t get along. And even though I can try to find something nice about you, maybe your complete lack of maybe even being a human makes this hard. And maybe I will just eat a gingerbread cookie and cry inside while you are around instead of telling you, because this is the time of “togetherness”.

Now I’m not all about complaining without trying to figure out a solution (this is my kind of science)… So what can we do about this? I have been told by friends, and family that actually hiding in a tent in my parents backyard may not be the answer-

So I have come up with 3 fabulous conclusions:

 

1. Maybe it’s time to dawn a fluffy hat, or fake eyelashes, or even develop a RuPaul fixation… anything you can use as a crutch to get you through this time:

I'm going to be all Jolly Hollers!

2. I’m also thinking that I may try to interpretive dance until everyone leaves me alone. Because there is only so long one can see you “feel” the music like that one super wasted lady at any concert.

 

 

3. This is the one I always try the hardest at… stop caring. My sister tells me this every year. And every year I fail, and end up crying covered in tamale fixings while watching a Sandra Bullock movie. But this year I’m dedicated…Oh the roast needs to be put in? Um I think I’m going to go watch Spongebob, because he doesn’t yell at me for putting up twinkle lights when obviously the stair banister wants multicolored lights.

 

Have a fun Holiday time everyone. Please don’t cut me.

♫LAUREN

 

Is Lauren Interested? A Handy Guide to Figure Out How to Make Me Listen to You

Have you ever wondered when you are talking to me if I am interested in what you are talking to me about? I must tell you that if you are wondering you may already have your answer. Am I looking far away into space? Am I giggling in the middle of your words? Sorry about that friend, my brain goes at approximately 234 miles per second.

Lauren's Note: Sorry that this doodle scares you, Amber.

Now venture into the next zone carefully:

Firstly, ask yourself  is this really news I need to hear? Be honest with yourself. If the answer is no… walk away, until you made your story into an awesome concoction that I can’t live without.

If your answer is yes, I need to know about it instantly. You may want to use some Lauren convo traps. (I have a feeling that giving away my secrets may be a huge mistake, but I want to hear about new and exciting things, trap me into learning!)

The bait was something shiny!

1. Have you mentioned “the Cure” in any way? Mentioning Robert Smith and his brethren of musical accompaniments may help me  completely tune into what you are saying. Friday I’m in… totally listening to you.

In my imagination we could totally go get gelato and buy matching lipstick...

2. Have you thought of mentioning 30 Rock? If not you should! You may just blow my mind grapes with your witty repertoire.

I would wolf my teamster sub for Floyd.

3. If you may be losing me in conversation don’t fret… bring up chickens! Be they fried, doodled, free range, applying for drivers licenses in Arkansas… I’m there.

Chicken its the best food, and your best friend

4. Art, lets talk about it.. Mondrian, Hopper, Munch, Shag, Bob Dob, Utrillo, Kahlo…

Also Lets make famous art into chickens... combining numbers is muy bueno.

5. Am I going to get a present at the end of this conversation? Just give me a present. People should really give me more presents anyway.

Today the Dab gave me a rubber band, a paper clip and a binder clip... I was overjoyed.

6. Lets talk architecture. This is separate from art, because it is kind of my real profession and all.Tell me about your favorite building mid convo, I want to know about it. And if you can weave that into the story your telling… all the better.

Architectural PUNS!

7. This thing you are talking about…  are you super passionate about it? Does it drive your existence? I love to hear that kind of stuff… I mean if you are really into your story… How could it not become a classic for all ages?

I hope you love it when I talk about gelato

8. Are you talking about an instance that happened to someone I know… that always helps, so I can imagine… I’m usually hoping for a funny circumstance or something… But if its someone I don’t really like- like at all, lets not tell the story. Let’s instead talk about #1-7.

I need an owl to help me out in this situation

And that is really it. Help me become a better listener! I really want to hear all about that really cool thing that happened to you that one time when that other thing happened.

♫Lauren

P (to the ) S: that was a lot of doodles.

Isabel Stare-A-Thon 2011: Back to Clay-sics

Good Stare-A-thon Monday to you world!

With 9 tender official days of the stare-a-thon left I decided to find out how Clay Aiken (Isabel’s truest love) feels about the stare-a-thon:

The answer is… he has never heard of it.

PSYCH!

He loves it! He ordered his periscope early and has been watching her from Clay’s La Jolla bar/grill/ Isabel Stare-Zone

Really a Real Place. You should go there.

He is one of the founding members of the Gingers-For-Staring-At-Isabel-Initiative (GFSAII), which is not 200 members strong!

 

In fact today he’s even introducing an official Isabel Stare-A-Thon song, which you can hear on his latest Heart-Aiken album:

So today be just like Clay Aiken, keep some Isabel in your heart!

♫Lauren

Isabel Stare-a-thon 2011: Statistically speaking

Today on the Isabel Stare-A-thon 2011 aka the best thing you are doing today we look into Isabel with numerical data!

And since Isabel’s life is all about data, let’s get into this. With the assistance of the Stare-a-thon League the following chart was created:

That has been a question we’ve all been wondering for weeks now. The Chicken population has responded well to this years stare-a-thon… And, I’m really glad to see the growth of the sea creature population, nearly tripling in the last year. I think this may have a lot to with the popular use of periscope this year….

But I digress, as interesting as I find the steady rat viewership they at the The Stare-a-thon League are more interested in how people are staring this year and this brings us to chart B:

Now remember to stare everybody! In any which way that makes you the most comfortable!

♫Lauren

Professional Quote of the Day: December 2nd

It has been far too long PQOTD’rs!

I bring to you a new chapter in the PQOTD…  Professional Quote of the Day: Holiday Edition. From now until the Merry End of the Year you can share professional tidings with the most treasured and yultidy Professional in the San Gabriel Valley…

Onto a Christmas Season full of gold, frankincense,and Professional Quotes!

Have yourself a merry little Quotmas!

♫Lauren