Congratulations Baby!

I am soooooo proud of you. I told you that you could do it. I am ecstatic and I can't wait to celebrate with you. Hmmmm maybe we can make the celebration last the rest of our lives. I think that would be the best. You and I know what this means to one another. I always say that I can't wait to start out life together. But it's already begun, all we have to do is relax. I believe in you as much as you believe in me. So once again, I love you and Congratulations! You deserve it more than anybody.

I'm Amazed

Yes, I'm aware that I'm posting a lot today but it's OK. This is what a blog is for.

Every day, I am amazed by J. I believe that we are meant to be. I saved him from somewhere he didn't want or need to be. I believe that without each other, we would have fallen. If we had never met, we would have never achieved the happiness that we needed to be whole, to be ourselves.

I realize this is quickly becoming a shrine to J but that's a good thing. He is my life and my future. I'm so mad at myself for not having realized this earlier. And I hate that it took someone else to convince me but it was needed. And I should be thankful that I realized it now. Our relationship is deep, oh so deep. We have reached a special place where only we know.

He amazes me. Every second, of every hour, of every day. He is perfect for me. He listens and understands me. He gives advice but doesn't nag. And he's brilliant. He downplays his genius but I know it. Every day I expect the dream to end, it just goes on and on. I can't wait to be married to him. He is the light at the end of the tunnel. And I believe that everything happens for a reason. All of the events in my life have led me up to this, to meet this perfect person.

I have to thank World of Warcraft and as lame as that sounds, it's true. This game is where we met, got to know one another, and decided to move it off game. It's a special place for us and we are a testament to show that WoW relationships do work out. (Danny and Shanna are another testament, grats you guys!).

So World of Warcraft has been a blessing to our relationship and many others. I'm glad that I have J. He is meant to be with me. And I am meant to be with him. Any problems that come along the way, we will work them out with honesty and openess as we always do. Thank you so much, J, for you love and your presence.

They Think They Can Dance...And They Can

As I watched the last couple dance on So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) last night I was enthralled. It was a Bollywood routine. This is the first time they have ever had Bollywood and I loved it. J is worried that the newness might skew peoples minds and there is nothing to compare it to. Therefore, it would seem excellent no matter what. He might have a point and I may be affected by this but I loved it anyway.

I think seeing world dance is refreshing after American styles over and over (not that I don't love some of the routines). Even the Latin dances like Tango, Paso Doble, and the Cha Cha are Americanized. I hope to see more world dance on the show. Shake things up a bit. And like Nigel said, dance is all one language, as corny as that sounds. That said.....the hip hop routines on the show are a step down because there is no Shane Sparks this season. He is the most phenomenal hip hop choreographer I have ever seen on the show and I really hope he comes back next week.

I think I love the show so much because I can tell the creators have a deep down love for dance and hate to see people making a fool of it as witnessed at the audition shows when Nigel would go off on a dancer who obviously just wanted to get on television. This show is so different from American Idol in that way. I have a respect for the show. A respect that keeps me watching week after week.

The 20 Healthiest Foods for Under $1

View this item.

Food prices are climbing, and some might be looking to fast foods and packaged foods for their cheap bites. But low cost doesn’t have to...




This article is pretty darn good. I could definitely live on these...and some grilled chicken thrown in there. I have to remember this on my next trip to the store.

Radda Radda Radda!!!!

Radda radda radda radda. Radda! Radda radda-radda radda radda? Radda radda. Radda radda radda. Radda radda radda? Radda....radda radda? Radda radda? Radda radda radda. RAAAADAAAAAA!!!!!

Shnitzel FAQ

So to ring in the new year, I thought I'd take a few minutes to answer some questions about Shnitzel.

Q: What is he?
A: He's a big, strong rock monster. His job is to help lift and move stuff, along with other grunt work, around the kitchen.

Q: Why a rock monster?
A: Well, here's a little history on him. Shnitzel originally began as a drawing I did in the late 90's as an exercise to see if I could clean up a character in Adobe Illustrator. I was even going to try and animate him in Flash, so I did alternate pieces of him. Back then he was called "Tapiocaca." He was supposed to be sort of like a big rock tiki monster that was always on fire. I even made a cool logo for him. Well I didn't really do anything with him after that, but I still liked the design. So when I was forming the world of Chowder, he seemed like a good fit. I like to think of him as a living menhir from the Asterix comics.

Q: What're all the lines in his pattern supposed to be?
A: The idea is that he's covered with scratches and grooves from all the abuse he's taken over the years. In the pilot (Froggy Apple Crumple Thumpkin) his pattern is swirly. But I felt it looked too much like hair, so I changed the lines to straight criss-crosses.

Here's a very early scribble of Shnitzel from 2000. He was a bit stubbier and didn't have his apron yet.

Here's the way to construct him now.

Q: Why does he have ears?
A: To hear things.

Q: Why does he have chest hair?
A: Because he's a MAN, and real men have chest hair.

Q: Why "Radda radda"?
A: It sounded funny. No real reason. Casting for his part was surreal - Hearing dozens upon dozen of actors saying those words then trying to decide just from some gibberish.

Q: Who does his voice?
A: In the pilot, he was voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson. But Kevin was unavailable when we started the series, so John DiMaggio (Bender on Futurama) jumped in and saved us, doing an amazing job.

Q: Will he ever say anything other than "Radda radda"?
A: I'd rather he didn't. It's like asking if Chewbacca will ever speak English. You can pretty much say he won't, but you don't want to rule out any weird alternate universes or anything.

Q: Is it hard to write a character that speaks in gibberish?
A: The key is context. If other characters repeat back what he said then you'll always know what's going on. Like if he says "Radda radda radda," Mung says "No, we can't chuck him in the furnace!" It gets really hard if he's alone and you have no characters to translate for him.

Q: Is he married?
A: Originally in my head he was. He had a wife that we'd never see, like Norm's Vera on Cheers. But it never came up and didn't really give us anything to add to his character. Plus it's more fun to think of him as the swinging bachelor. So he's definitely single.

Q: Will we ever see his private life?
A: I like his life outside of work to remain a mystery. He's the guy that clocks in, does his job, and goes home. He doesn't share a lot of personal info. Occasionally we'll get glimpses. Like in Gazpacho Stands Up when we saw him doing stand up comedy and he was horrified to be caught by Mung and the rest.

Q: Why does he stay with Mung, Truffles, and Chowder if they make his life hard?
A: They're like his family. Your family can drive you crazy, but they still love you. We're making a special half-hour episode right now that answers that very question. Watch for it in about a year.

So that's it. I'll put up some more history and early doodles on the characters soon. Happy new year!

**From http://nerdarmada.blogspot.com -- The creator of Chowder**

PS3.....Drool?

So I have the PS3 bug. And your asking why I got it so late? Well I've been out of console gaming for awhile but I recently got back into it. Plus the Extra Life comics did it to me. Granted, they don't have a big library that I'm excited about. But they have Grand Theft Auto IV....and Metal Gear Solid 4. So I think I'd buy it just for that. I'm aching to get it now but I can't afford it along with everything else I'm doing so I just have to wait. Plus I think I can get a special deal in Nebraska when I go to visit...maybe.

I just really want to play again. It's been years since my previous GTA and I miss it. It was soooo much fun. But it's a lot of money and I guess I have to think how much I'm really going to play the PS3. I hate being an adult sometimes. I can't just buy without thinking of the consequences.

Edit: So my desire for PS3 is waning. I think it was the initial...I want! I want! I want! But now I'm like....$600 for a PS3? or $600 for a wedding...yea....think about it.

A Classy Lady

This weekend, I really started to miss my grandmother. She hasn't been with us for a couple of years but every now and then I think about her and it tears me up. I wish I had lived closer to her and got to see her more as she grew older.

She was one of the strongest and kindest women I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. She spoiled her grandchildren and great-grandchildren rotten but she knew when to lay down the law and you better listen. When she liked you, she gave her all to you. I remember when I went to see her for the last time before she passed, she kept saying my name over and over with tears streaming down her cheeks. She wasn't fully aware of everything then but she was totally aware of me. Tears come to my eyes as even I write this.

I think I just miss her. She was an awesome grandmother and a beautiful woman. I'm glad I have the pictures of her to remember and the best part is, I see the endearing qualities that she had arise in my own mother. She is even getting some of the same mannerisms which she might see as a bad thing but I love it. I feel her presence and I know she is looking down on me and sending her love to me. Yes, I'm sad. But I know she's proud of me.

Mary Ella "Mayrella" Huntley, you are the epitome of a classy lady and I miss you.