Delicious Consolation

A while back, Dave's cash was stolen out of his wallet while he was at the gym. He felt really terrible, so to cheer him up, I got some special cupcakes with a poker theme from Cupcakery. They are so freaking good. Imagine gourmet frosting and cake that tastes like it's made from the finest ingredients you can find. I'm sorry I ate one before I took the picture. These cupcakes are delicious, and I can't wait to go back.

Angry Birds Conclusion

I emailed Angry Birds' legal counsel and explained to them that 1. my Naughty Devil Penguin bared little resemblance to their designs, and 2. that I have had my product online longer than their game has been out and longer than their trademarks have been in existence in the US, and I received a reply that my penguin is not "confusingly similar" to their birds and that I was free to continue to sell these.

I'd like to thank Dave for all his help and my fans for all their support.

Seriously, Angry Birds?

Etsy has just informed me that I have violated Angry Birds' copyright by creating my Naughty Devil Penguin from the Gates of Hell. They have removed my listing until further notice. What I'd like to know is why my listing was removed before anyone bothered to do any research on it. Etsy has access to everything in my account that I do. If they had bothered to look, they would have seen that I have had Naughty Devil Penguin since 2009. I sold my first one in March of 2009. I quote the first line from Angry Birds' Wikipedia page:

"Angry Birds is a puzzle video game developed by Finland-based Rovio Mobile. Inspired primarily by a sketch of stylized wingless birds, the game was first released for Apple's iOS in December 2009."

Hmm, seems like from the time I sold my first naughty penguin to the time Angry Birds came out, a human fetus could have developed and been born. I wonder why I don't contact Angry Birds and tell them they are copyrighting me? Oh, I know why not. Because that's stupid.

Oddly enough, the only reason Angry Birds' developers found this out was through a Treasury on Etsy. Geez, when did Treasuries get to be so evil? They removed the Large Devil Penguin, and I am not allowed to relist until this is resolved. They didn't remove the Small Penguin, though. I don't think it's fair that I am not allowed to relist since I am making a pittance compared to Angry Birds' developers. And since it's clear that my devil penguin doesn't give a damn about knocking green pigs off structures.

Red Rock Canyon Adventures

Jodi models the multicolored rocks at the canyon.

See that mountain behind her? We had to climb that sucker.

Standing om the edge in a windy day.

I do the same, but I'm a little more daring and a lot more freezing.

Baby New Girl

This is our new ferret that we adopted about a month ago. She's a rescue from the California border patrol. We called her New Girl for a long time, but I think her name is going to be Madison. We haven't made it official yet, but I have been calling her that for a few days.

She was named Madison because of her love for splashing in water bowls. Dave and I wanted to name her something water related. Dave thought of a name from an old movie called Splash. There was a mermaid named Madison in that movie. Since no other water names really stood out to us or sounded feminine as well as super-cutesy, we are calling her Madison. Of course, Dave once had a ferret for six months before her name stuck. I'm referring to Ivy who he named Oink for six months because she was a little pig. So, who knows if he'll change her name. I'm going to be firm and keep Madison's name unless something genius strikes us.

I'm Turning It Loose

Karaoke is the best. I can't sing at all, but I always get on the stage and act like I'm singing into my hairbrush in my bedroom. This requires that I jump around like I'm a rock star, and the other spectators at karaoke really like this and don't care that I can't sing or that I forget the words. If you give them a show, they'll appreciate your effort. So, I encourage anyone out there to hop on stage and throw caution to the wind. We all gotta sing our hearts out and dance our souls out.
These photos were taken at Ellis Island Casino's karaoke bar. I sang "Footloose" and performed the classic Cajun line dance. I looked around for a video of this line dance, but I couldn't find the true Cajun one I learned at summer camp, so perhaps I will have to create one!

Fun at the Bellagio

This is the ceiling at the Bellagio by the hotel check-in desk.

This is the butterfly habitat currently in their flower garden area.

This is dessert...a chocolate waterfall!

This is Dave and me outside the Bellagio waiting for fountains to start.

He decides he's bored and wants to throw me overboard.

Then he gets too serious about it, so I make him put me down. I have a serious problem with being picked up like a child.