I’m taking part in NanoMangO this year, so hopefully you’ll see at least one post a day containing a short comic. Which means I’m taking part in NaBloPoMo as well. Here goes nothing I say.

The Family Menagerie consists of Nikki (me), Ash, Spunky, Snarf, Zane, Akima, Merlin, Cleo, Satsuki, Nate, Drake, Chunky, Morgan, Meetu, Tum-tum, Toodles, Twinby, Athena, Artemis, Galileo, Aristotle, Phoebe, and Kendi. We have a crazy life; welcome to it.

It has been a long time since my last post. Ash’s birthday actually. That was over two months ago. I didn’t mean to let it go this long, but what with the big move from Tennessee to Austin, and starting my new full-time web design job, I have had very little time to do anything. Ash and I usually have things planned for the weekends, and on weekdays I come home and crash for the night. Not a very good excuse, but there you have it.

Anyway, I have several posts in the works, so Snailbird will be back in action soon (hopefully). Keep checking back and you’ll start seeing some brand new content (including, but not limited too, new wallpapers, an article combining the fine hobby of knitting with web design, and a great list of some very cool eco-friendly packaging).

Since this past weekend has revolved around comics, our artist showcase of this week is illustrated storyteller (aka comic artist) Erika Moen!

I have been a close follower of Erika’s popular comic series Dar: A Super Girly Top Secret Comic Diary since I was in high school (that makes it a total of 8 years). Basically, Dar is Erika’s autobiography in pictures. Each strip is a scene or event that actually happened at some point in her life; they range from serious to funny to the absolutely bizarre, but each one has a punch to it. On a personal note, when I was in high school and just starting college, I found solace in her words, especially when she spoke of her own experiences wrestling with her sexual identity. It helped me not only find myself, but her comics helped me to explain it to my family. My coming out letter to my mother contained two of Erika’s comics (one and two) that explained to her what I was going through better than I ever could (by the way, thanks for that Erika).

Besides Dar, Erika is a very talented illustrator, with artwork published in several different books and anthologies and a large number of gallery exhibits under her belt. She has been employed by the likes of LAIKA where her talents were put to work on the feature-length new movie Coraline. She lives and works in Portland, OR where she resides with her husband Matt.

You can more Erika Moen art and info here:
Portfolio Site: Erika Moen
Comic Series: DAR: A Super Girly Top Secret Comic Diary
Livejournal: erikamoen
Twitter: @erikamoen

I totally lied. I am not camping, nor did I ever leave town for that matter. We got about twenty minutes into the drive and changed our minds. We’re going camping in two weeks closer to home, but for now, I’m here. Hi. Expect a large amount of blog posts soon as I catch up on my “To-Blog” list.

I have been working on something though… have a peak:

Coding is in the works. Hope everyone had a great Monday!