1. My first thought on unpacking yesterday, upon arriving here in Vacationland, was, “Oh, thank goodness, my bottle of ink didn’t leak.”

2. I had a dream before I left that something ended up broken in my luggage. That thing? My nib.

3. One of the things I was most looking forward to (aside from four days with one of my best friends, which is number one) was time to sit and draw and write. I’m very much in that mode right now; I love it.

4. I’m thinking about the rigorous drawing schedule I need to get on when I get home, and I’m very much looking forward to it.

5. What did my friend present me with, once we were finished unpacking? Notes on Furlough.

6. What did I do tonight, once we got home from eating out (Italian and – mysteriously, in Arizona – Tasti D-Lite) and shopping (Nordstrom Rack)? I inked.

That’s Escape Pod coming in through those headphones.

I had two penciled drawings I did at work this week, and I finally got to work on them some more. I probably won’t paint them until I get back, though… although I did bring watercolors, it was just my dry palette, not my tubes. I’m not sure I trust them for work I consider more detailed – and certainly not for flesh tones.

Being in this area of Arizona is odd; in any given room, my friend and I are usually the only people under 50, and possibly the only ones under 70. I got here yesterday and I’ve been carded three times. That’s more than usually happens in three months. I think it’s a good antidote for us, though – we both suffer from the malady of feeling and acting like we’re a million years old, when we’re still pretty young, by the scale of our day. Feeling past your prime, acting like your useful years are behind you? Have I got the tonic for you: visit a town in the southern US in snowbird season! You’ll feel spry and nubile again in no time.