I'm not THAT bad. Am I?

A big part of this summer has been teaching my son the rules of the road. Both husband and son say I need to CALM DOWN when being the passenger in the car. I can’t believe they don’t think I’m calm. If they only knew what a tight rein I have on myself. And I think I’ve been VERY calm, actually.

I remember when I was learning to drive. My mom actually got into the front seat WITH me so that she could reach the brake.  ACK! And she made me learn stick-shift, too. I fought that like crazy at the time, but now I must admit that I’m glad I know how to do it.  I will be forcing my kids to learn to drive stick-shift, too.

My mom wasn’t my only instructor, though.  I went to a driving class that was held in one of the classrooms in the Montgomery Wards store in the mall. My mom likes to say that she bought me a drivers license at Montgomery Wards.

Do you remember learning to drive? Was it a good experience? Have you ever taught anyone else to drive? Would you say you were a calm teacher? Would your student agree?

My Favorite Socks

Since my graphic pads aren’t working, and doing the comic the traditional way is an exercise in frustration, I thought I’d do something totally different while we’re waiting. Little panels of journal comics entitled “Real Life’s a Witch” about things in my real life. Hopefully, you will enjoy them and be inspired to answer the questions that the entry may bring to my mind.

Today, I am focused on feet because I have to go buy shoes for my daughter.  I was thinking that she should have clean socks to wear to try on shoes in the store.

In Life’s a Witch, I have depicted Zelda wearing pompom socks before, but mostly she wears pink fuzzy slippers around the house.  I chose that because it just seems so cute to be dressed as a witch and to wear pink fuzzy slippers.

In real life, I do not wear pink fuzzy slippers nor pompom socks around the house.  In cold seasons, I wear these plush socks/slipper things… they do not have a hard sole and are not for walking around.. they are just made to keep your feet warm while lounging.  I sleep in them and like them much better than sleeping in socks in the winter! I call them my “booties.”

In summer, I wear flip flops or mules.  Or socks.  I don’t like going barefooted anymore, though I ran around barefooted whenever possible when I was younger.

SO, what do you wear on your feet around the house?  Do you have a special pair of slippers that you wear, or do you prefer socks? Do you go barefooted?  Why or why not? Post your answers or comments on “Real Life’s a Witch” below! I’d love to hear from you!

• One of my favorite sandwiches is made with bananas, mayo and potato chips (preferably bbq or sour cream & onion flavored). What is one of your favorite snacks that make your friends wonder if you’re actually human?
• Speaking of food, I don’t like fruit.  I mean, there’s a handful of fruit that I like, but as a food group fruit and their sticky juices are icky.  Here are the fruits I like: red grapefruit (with a little salt), apples (with salt), watermelon (salted), tomatoes (with salt) and strawberries (no salt).  What do these fruits have in common? They’re RED.  Are you picky about a kind of food too? What kind?
• I’m the oldest of 3 and have a brother and a sister.   My husband is the oldest of 3 and has a brother and a sister.  Do you have any siblings? Where do you fall in the birth order? Do you wish it were different?
  
• I think it’s a sound assumption that most people reading this like reading comics and maybe even make one themselves.  So as a group of creative minded people, we probably spend a lot of time daydreaming/imagining.  I know I do!  I need to spend a little less time daydreaming and more time cleaning the family room and balancing the checkbook! What practical chore, skill, necessity do you neglect because you are being creative?
  
• Do you like me prefacing the questions with my personal examples, or would you rather me just ask the questions  without me putting ideas into your heads?

Every Wednesday, I’ll ask questions of readers and answer any questions readers send in (it doesn’t have to be about the comic)! If you have a question (or question suggestion), please email me at samantha(at)witchytech(dot)com.

Q:  Tina has wings but we’ve never seen her fly! CAN she fly?

A:  Tina, like all fairies and pixies, can fly.  She can’t fly any faster than she can walk or run, though.  She also can’t fly very high, maybe to the roof of a house or so…flying is very tiring.

Q:  Does your daughter really have purple hair?

A:  It’s more of a magenta…it’s fading now, but here is a picture taken soon after the do was done.

NOW HERE ARE MY QUESTIONS FOR YOU

• Do you have a set bedtime? Or do you just decide you need to be abed by a certain time and go then? Or do you wait until you are tired?
• If you suddenly had the money to buy one thing that would make your life a bit easier, what would you buy?
• What is the best present you ever opened… the one that stands out in your mind from childhood?
• I need ideas for fun ways to get more exercise. What do you do to “move around” a bit more? Any suggestions for someone who LIKES sitting on her rear in front of the computer?

Please post your answers in the comment thread! And be sure to send me any questions (or question ideas!) for next week!

The Lamp

Well, considering it was an awkward way to draw (I had to back far away from the table to get the angle I wanted, so I had to draw with the sketchbook on my knee) I am decently pleased.  I am disappointed that the proportions are so off but I am satisfied with the pencil work.

The line in the middle of the pic is the binding of the sketchbook (I used my Moleskine, which has yellowish pages. I love it!).  You can see the rounded corners of the book’s pages  in the upper left of the scan.

Have you joined the Sketch Out? We need more active members and we’d love to have you.   You can do any exercises at any time and a new exercise is posted at the end of each week (Friday, but sometimes Saturday).