Oh. My. Gosh. It is so DEAD around here. Even my peppers died, so I tore them out by the roots (my room mate accused me of planticide). But, my bougainvillea is divine. I’ve named her “Isabelle” and I haven’t the heart to tell her that she only has four more months to live (they don’t do winter very well).

Speaking of winter, it’s hot around here. Even Pugsly is close to the edge. No worries - I won’t tear him out by the roots. It’s NOT a habit of mine, trust me.

Hang in there folks - the action is bound to pick up this next month. I’m preparing some reviews for next week just to keep your interest piqued.

Pugsly likes your feet.

My room mate didn’t realize that Plexiglas bends under the pressure of a La-Z-Boy chair in 90 degree heat, so I had to replace a special cut for a framed bit of beaded animal skin this past week (don’t ask). After a bit of searching, I came across eStreetPlastics and emailed them about the price of a rather large sheet. I was met with a quick response and great service, and the sheet arrived this past week - all done within a few days.

What was great about the whole deal was the way they packaged the Plexiglas for shipping - when I unpacked it, it was spotless, not a scratch on it, and it was better and less expensive than the one that we purchased originally. So kudos to eStreetPlastics.com! Thank you!

Have a great weekend. Purdy Boy and I are going to clean all the windows so we can see what’s going on out there. Mainly chipmunks and rabbits, but we still feel like we’re missing something…(he spots a rabbit now…)

At least, not this summer. So remove that silly outfit - you look pitiful.

But, it is summertime, and I’ve learned this past month that 1/3 of my readers must be students. I know this, because they’re missing. Plus, the supply of contests has dwindled to a mere trickle. But never fear, I’m not going on vacation.

With that said, a few months ago I began tracking my visitors…not down to the name and street address, mon cher - oh no, just the city. California’s way ahead, with 1,441 visit this past month from LA, San Fran, and San Diego, among other cities. New York is running a second with 935 visits from 69 cities. New York, Albany, and Buffalo head the list.

I want to say hi to those singular individuals who dropped by from Mililani, Kihei, Kalaheo, Kailua Kona, Honokaa, and Lahaina. Thanks for stopping by, and next time bring a friend! I wish I were there!

Have a great weekend and don’t blow your collective heads off with those fireworks.

It pays to offer hefty prizes for contest rewards, and pays even more if you enter and win. Take the Graniph T-shirt design contest, for instance, where the first prize was 1,000,000 yen (about USD $9,000). That contest received over 15,000 entries worldwide, and with that many entries the contest judges are bound to find a true piece of art (yes, T-shirts can be art - as well as a political statement or just something that tells people how idiotic you are).

You’ll find cats, elephants, squirrels, birds, pandas, a sheep, and a few dogs among other subject matter on the winner’s page at Graniph. My dog didn’t like the dog shirt that spelled ‘God’ with the ‘d’ backwards. He said that was old hat. But, then again, he thinks he’s a rabbit.

Have a great weekend!

Thanks to Terry at Adobe for bringing several new contests to my attention! They’re listed below.

Red Bull Illume - the first-ever international action and adventure sports photography competition – “illuminated” the sands of Huntington Beach, California with a larger-than-life surfside exhibition featuring 50 of the best raw moments in action and adventure sports from across the globe. If you happen to be in the area sometime through 17 June, you can take in the 25 eight-foot glass and metal cubes that illuminate the beach at night and that reflect seaside views during the day. Take a look at the crazy cubes and the winners’ names.

Did Tony Soprano die? No, but I thought my cable died at the end of the last Soprano’s episode. Admit it, you thought your cable died as well. My poor dog still isn’t over the shock.

Added Note (18 June): See Zoilus for a deeper meaning.

Nothing, nothing, nothing but winners this week all across the board. Alexa Malone was the grand prize winner for the Art Institutes and Americans for the Arts Poster Design Competition 2007, theme “Life is Better with Art in It.” As grand prize winner in the competition, Alexa will be awarded a $25,000 tuition scholarship to study at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Take a look at Alexa’s poster, as it’s a nice combo of pencil sketch and computer graphics.

You also might want to see the winners of the Graphic Design Bloopers Competition, or learn more about the winners of the Free Fur Alliance Poster Contest. I’m partial to the bunny purse, but the stomach hairs are awesome. I’m not sure I’d wear them.

This has been a great four-day week, but I keep thinking it’s Wednesday instead of Friday. Dog is deconstructing, too. Have a great weekend!

If you’re into photography and you can face Mondays, you might be interested in Plataforma Humana’s 100×100x100 project. The idea is to take pictures from when you wake up until you go to bed, taking on an average a picture every 10 minutes. Pictures of everything, anything that comes up, the bread (muffin, bagle, scone) that you eat for breakfast, the car in front of you, the old lady in the bus, your boss, your computer, your pen (pencil), everything or nothing, depending on what you do. The perfect excuse to take pictures of all that you wished you can take a picture of at some point in your life, but never had a good reason to do so.

The idea behind the project is to be able to see through a web page how many different people around the world spend a MONDAY. The project began 2 Oct 2006, but it appears that they need more entries. Go for it. I want to see what YOU do on Monday.

See what my dog did this past Monday? If you happen to see a love-crazed canine and a gold-digging feline hanging around your neighborhood, let me know.

Hey folks - thanks for hanging in there with me these past two weeks. The big move is done, and all my party gear is unpacked. You can tell, because the dog’s wearing it.

Not much going this week anyway - I’ll be catching up with any stray press releases on Monday. In the meantime, you might want to check out this interesting article at Free Geekery - “Top 25 Geekiest Free Fonts (And Where You Can Get Them).”

Check out the how-to article below by Pariah S. Burke, former trainer, Photoshop MVP, and InDesign, InCopy, and Illustrator Technical Lead to Adobe’s technical support team. And when you’re through reading the article, have a great weekend!

It’s been a quiet week on the contest front, but I have a gut feeling that things will begin to ‘hot up’ shortly for fall contest entries.

Happy birthday to my “little girl” who turns 18 today! I’m so proud of your accomplishments and I love you because you’re YOU!

Lumpy is sad. He didn’t win anything this past year despite numerous paws and run efforts on various digital computer programs. I’ll take him out for some uncontaminated treats, no worries.

Have a great weekend!

You might have noticed that my postings were a little erratic this past week. Expect a little more of this spotty behavior for another week, as I’m in the process of moving. But, the news has been slow as well…it will pick up this next week I’m sure of it.

In the meantime, check out this position: The Neighborhood Empowerment Network Association (NENA) in New Orleans 9th Ward is seeking qualified applicants for the position of Design Director for the NENA Design Center. The NENA Design Center is a community design studio that will provide design assistance to Lower Ninth Ward residents whose homes were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. If you think you have the “stuff” for this job, learn more.

I’ve had a lot of hate thrown at me this week, so I’m going to go play with a nosy little dog, watch the Derby, and try to feel loved. You all have a great weekend!