Working on an early morning commission… a sarcastic squirrel holding an iPhone while standing on a triceratops. Think astronauts spend their mornings doing that?
I am always available for commissions– with or without squirrels – email me for details or requests.
We’re somewhat officially at the halfway point of 2015 and it’s time to take stock of the State of Bob so far.
I’ll get back to you on that.
Today is Bob the Squirrel’s 13th birthday. Lucky or not, like Tom Hanks as Astronaut James Lovell in the film Apollo 13 says, “…it comes after twelve, hon.”
There isn’t too much more I can say about my relationship with Bob that hasn’t already been said… so I won’t spend multiple paragraphs reflecting. I was 27 years old when we met. I had no real responsibilities, no real focus and no real idea of what the future may hold. Fast forward 13 years and the only things that have changed are the age and the responsibilities.
Bob was there then, he’s there now and will always be there.
It’s all flown by at supersonic speeds. I created him in February 2002, broke the sound barrier and haven’t stopped flying since. It hasn’t always been easy, but he’s always been there. He’s my pal. He’s my brother from another species. He’s my imaginary friend with a better imagination that I have.
Happy birthday dude. Clean up when you’re done.
My beautiful wife called. Her vehicle is stuck in the driveway due to the snow dumped on our area this morning. She didn’t ask me to come and get her, but she kinda sorta did. So, I grab my coat and keys and head out to the rescue. My car is about 4 points worse in the snow than hers is. Remember that because it becomes important later on.
I get to work several hours before her…meaning there are several hours of snow on my car. I get as much of that off as I can. Freezing. Snowing. Barely make it out of the parking lot. Get on the road, slipping and sliding amid several plows and an ambulance. Yep.
Turn off the main Boulevard onto a side street. The side street is a hill. The hill doesn’t like me. I get about ten feet up it when gravity and horsepower butt heads. My tires are spinning. I’m holding up traffic. I cannot go forward, I can only go backwards. I throw my car into reverse and back into, yes, BACK INTO the Boulevard… during a time when vehicle brakes may or may not work. My heart is in my throat, all the blood drains from my knuckles… ugh.
I take the long way home. The way without any hills. I get to my house and Lez is waiting for me. The car is definitely stuck. No time to try and get it out, we need to get back to work. The streets are messy, slushy, dangerous. We’re moving at approximately -3 mph. I just need to get us back to work, let the snow die down and deal with it all later.
And my wife, the love of my life, the apple of my eye, the cheese in my sandwich…do you know what she said as I slid us to work?
“Can we stop for coffee? I really need a coffee.”
And THAT is why I married her.