Yeoman Rand + Jason., originally uploaded by Alliegee.

This is me and Jason.... this might be our best pic together so far. This is also probably the best pic I have of my Yeoman Rand wig!!

Maryanna thinks, based on the pictures of me in the wig, that I should go blonde! Oh, my!

Gilligan, originally uploaded by Alliegee.

My dear little pufferfish is named! I have gone with "Gilligan." :)

It came down to McMuffin vs. Giligan, and my pal Aly had a very good suggestion that helped me make a decision. She asked, "If you had a child, and God forbid he/she passed away, would you name the next child after him/her?" I replied, "No!"

And then I had my answer.

You see, McMuffin would have been a direct homage to McNugget, but do I really want this fish to be a "second" McNugget? While I miss McNugget terribly, I do not want my current fish to have to live up to the legendary McNugget. He is special and awesome in his own right!

And so, I give you Gilligan! He is a darling little fish. :)

My new fish checks out his mermaid, originally uploaded by Alliegee.

A new dwarf pufferfish has joined my family!!! Meet him!!

Would you like to help name him? I have some ideas, but also could use some additional suggestions. I believe it is a boy. Ideas I have so far:

*Gilligan
*McMuffin
*Peanut
*Kilgore Trout

He is delightful already! Very alert and interested in his surroundings. He has been interacting with lots of his decorations, as you can see here. He is super-curious, which I think means he is liking his tank!!!

I have learned from my last experience with McNugget (my puffer that passed away). I began immediately treating his tank for internal parasites. Most puffers have them, and that's what eventually took McNugget. I hope to banish them before they impact this new fish's life.

Love him already!

Susan and Bob, originally uploaded by Alliegee.

Yesterday was the big day! Susan and Bob, two of my nearest and dearest, have gotten married!! The ceremony was in the morning, and took place beside the Japanese pond in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (where Susan and Bob had their first real date)! It took place in a tiny little ampitheater that I never even knew about -- although I have been to the Garden many, many times. It was a perfect spot for a wedding. The weather was spectacular! It was very sunny, and not too hot!

The day before the wedding, Susan, me, her mom, and the four other bridesmaids met up at Dashing Diva to get manicures and pedicures. We then attended a rehearsal dinner, sans rehearsal (does that just make it a regular "dinner"?), hosted by Susan's parents at Scottadito. It was lovely! We had the "wine cellar" room to ourselves! It was a lovely dinner, and Susan presented me and the other people who had taken a part in the wedding with gifts. I received a really beautiful jewelry set including earrings and a matching necklace, handmade out of pennies!

Me, Susan's mom, and the bridesmaids slept over at Susan's house. Together, Lizzie and I practiced designing a hairstyle for Susan. (Two small twists came around the sides and met at the back for a side-bun, then a flower comb fastened around the bun.) The hair accessory was worn by Mari at her wedding last year! It was "something borrowed," along with the earrings Susan wore (also worn by Mari at her wedding).

We went to sleep and woke up early the next day to get ready. I got up first, to plug in my hot rollers. Then I set my hair. Mari was right behind me, applying a facial masque! (I did one, too!) We rushed at the end, trying to get everything done. Lizzie and I styled Susan's hair, and it came out great! Susan looked beautiful in her dress and sandals ("something new")! In case you're wondering about "something old," it was her engagement ring, which was her grandmother's. "Something blue" was her eyes and her underwear!

Danny, who is Susan's friend and the wedding photographer, came over to take pictures of us getting ready, then the troupe of us headed to the farmer's market at Grand Army Plaza to pick up flowers! We got six bunches of gorgeous, colorful assorted flowers! Mari and I brought ribbons, Susan's mom had shears and supplies. We made the flowers into beautiful bouquets -- each one different! Then we headed to the Garden for the ceremony!

At the Garden, I found Bob and got ahold of the ring (as the Maid of Honor, it is my job to give Susan Bob's ring when it is time). I saw my parents and got to say hello! We learned that the celebrant was running late, so Danny took out photos before the ceremony. It was such a nice setting in the Garden to take photos. I learned that you need complete shade for the best photos. (Spotty shade looks weird!)

When the celebrant --Bob's cousin, Bari -- arrived, we moved pretty quickly getting the wedding started. We were worried about sticking to the schedule set by the Garden (although no one from the Garden bothered us!). Bob and his groomsmen assembled at the front of the ampitheater, and I started the procession in, followed by bridesmaids Merry (Bob's sister), Lizzie (Susan's work friend), Julia (Susan's childhood friend), and Mari (Susan's dear friend). Then, Susan's dad escorted her to the front.

The ceremony was performed. Bari did a beautiful job! Every part of the ceremony was personal and relevant to Bob and Susan. There were lots of personal stories and anecdotes. Susan's mom did a reading of poem, followed by excerpts from a speech Susan gave in high school, tying the themes together. It was lovely, and a real tearjerker! I had to really focus to not cry! Mari did a reading from the "Velveteen Rabbit" which was also beautiful!

When the wedding was over, we headed to the reception brunch at Flatbush Farm restaurant. The reception was located in the outdoor courtyard of the restaurant, which was great since it was such a nice day. We had a menu to choose from several delicious selections! Bob's brother Larry was the Best Man, so he gave a toast. After that, I gave a toast. I think it went well! We all hung out and mingled, and it was really casual and nice! Bob's cousin Ariel made the wedding cake, which was made of cupcakes, all decorated together to form two "sheet cakes." The cake topper was the one that had topped Susan's parents' wedding cake!

Overall, it was a wonderful, beautiful day to celebrate two very special people to me!! I am so, so happy for them!

My graduation, originally uploaded by Alliegee.

Today I graduated from graduate school with an MA in art education! I am sooo excited! My parents were there, as was my pal Aly!

It was a HORRIBLE, nasty day, raining the whole time. I sat under my umbrella trying to not get soaked. My fam and Aly were real troopers, coming to an outdoor graduation ceremony in the rain!

I am very proud of this accomplishment! :D

One week, one day old, originally uploaded by Alliegee.

This is Helia. She came to grad school today. Isn't she just the cutest!?

What a genius! At 8 days old, she is already going to grad school!!

She was a very good student - appropriately eating and sleeping her way through three power point presentations.

I was excited to get two days of holding Helia in a row. Man, she is cute. You can't tell in this pic, but Claire dressed her in the octopus onesie I got her as a gift when she was early into her pregnancy! SO CUTE.

Cute cute cute.

Crocheted octopus baby blanket for Claire's baby, originally uploaded by Alliegee.

Today was a lovely day! It was my friend Claire's baby shower! She had it at a YMCA in Summit, NJ! It was really nice! The baby, a girl, will be named Helia -- which means sun, and is after the Latin name for sunflowers. So there was a big sunflower theme! Very cool!

I went with my friends Jaime, Arthur, and Lizzi. Arthur drove us to Summit, and we enjoyed the AWESOME onesie-making activity (there were onesies and fabric markers!). We are all art educators, so of course we were all over that! :D

There was really yummy vegan food, and a BELLY DANCING LESSON!!

Then, Claire and her husband Eric opened gifts... here is the crochet baby blanket I made for them, featuring an octopus (Claire loves octopi)! They LOVED it, and they also loved the Cleo Dee custom squid onesie!!

Overall a great day with friends! I came home with three extra sunflowers that had been decorating the tables. :)

My Altoid tin first aid kit, originally uploaded by Alliegee.

So I made a mini first aid kit out of an Altoid tin, and I keep talking about it and showing it to people. For some reason, I think it is the best idea ever. As you can see here, I am prepared for all sorts of "everyday" emergencies.

YESTERDAY, I actually got to USE IT! I was enjoying a nice happy hour at a bar with my friend Desiree. Suddenly, the bartender came over to us. He said, "Excuse me, ladies, but would either of you happen to have anything for a headache in your purse?" I was like, "YES!!"

I whipped out my tiny first aid kit, and everyone was impressed. I was able to offer the bartender Tylenol OR Ibuprofin, depending on his preference (he went with the Tylenol). The man accepted the two tablets, saying, "You are a lifesaver!"

I KNEW my tiny first aid kit would come in handy!!!! Now all it needs is some decorations on the outside. I'm thinking I'll paint it white and put a red cross on it.

Marty's Christmas present, originally uploaded by Alliegee.

My largest crochet project ever.... this is an afghan I made for Marty for Christmas. Unfortunately, it was not complete by Christmas day. I finished it and gave it to him in January!

McNugget and his mermaid, originally uploaded by Alliegee.

I miss you, McNugget!!! :(

I am planning on making a tiny pocket shrine devoted to McNugget. I'm thinking it could be inside one of those mini Altoid tins (to reflect the smallness of McNugget). In the shrine I will include some of his actual gravel and possibly a clipping from one of his artificial plants. I think I should probably find an appropriate saint to represent a fish or a lost loved one. Hm...

Ginger Grant, originally uploaded by Alliegee.

Well, I like to think I pulled it off! Here I am as Ginger Grant from "Gilligan's Island." I sewed the gown myself, from scratch. The day before Halloween, I was up until 2 AM sewing those sequins on the bosom one at a time. I'm super happy with the results, and as I see how shiny and glam it looked in all of the pictures, I feel like it was worth the trouble!

I also made the life preserver... it's made out of a foam circle from the craft store (a base for a large wreath). I used newspapers to round it out, and wrapped the whole thing in masking tape. Finally, I stencilled on the "SS MINNOW" lettering. I think it was a nice touch, and it was passed along among the castaways as a prop.

The shoes... Ginger had a SHOE CRISIS on Halloween. I was expecting a pair of vintage pumps to arrive from an Etsy seller. They did not get there in time! (OH NO!) So I actually left work to run out and grab a pair from the Atlantic Center Mall. I knew Atlantic had a Payless and a DSW, so I thought there was a good chance it would work out. Payless barely had any beige shoes. There was one that I decided "could work" - it was a tan version of some shoes I already have (kitten-heeled flats with pointy toes). They were on sale for $14, so I thought if I struck out at DSW, they might work... THEN I went to DSW. Their current collection featured hardly any beige (it's winter after all). I looked in the sale section and there was nothing in my size (8). I looked in 8.5 and 9... still nothing. I thought I'd look in 7.5 too. And there they were. Upon closer inspection, they were misplaced 9's. They were quite large on me, but the look was perfect!! They were also 70% off of an already marked-down price!! Ultimately, they were $11! I just stuffed the toes with paper towel and they were fine (although uncomfortable).

My wig was the same one I got in the spring... I decided it was perfectly fine to use, and I think it was made even better with the addition of the diamond headband. Truly the jewelry enhanced the whole costume!

MY FELLOW CASTAWAYS.... I recruited all 7 of them! Just as I did so long ago in high school. It was AMAZING! Kristen and her husband Patrick were the Howells. Aly was Mary Ann, Colter was the Professor, Jim was the Skipper, and Jeff (Marty's neighbor) was Gilligan! Everyone did such a GREAT JOB putting together costumes! UNFORTUNATELY I do not have any of the group pictures featuring all of us yet. I hope to have some pics SOON. I took a bunch of pictures on my Diana camera, so I will scan any good ones!

I had an amazing time, and everyone was really complementary about my costume! People couldn't believe I made it! :)

My favorite photo of all time, originally uploaded by Alliegee.

My parents, May 1974.

They were 22 and 20.

(Aren't they cute?)

I feel like it's not just a photo of my nearest and dearest, before they made me (heck -- before they even got married), but it is also sort-of a photo of the era.

Self Portrait as Marilyn Monroe, originally uploaded by Alliegee.

So... you know that I HAD to do this! :) Having dressed up as Marilyn Monroe for Halloween in the past, it was not hard to get the wig and makeup (no costume necessary!) together to pull off this look!

I am trying to channel my inner Marilyn, without trying to replicate any one particular photograph of her. I thought it was a better way to make a more personal and interesting image. A lot of pictures of Marilyn are taken of her in bed with white sheets. I thought this was the perfect solution in lieu of a true costume. Pictures are taken in the nude but they don't show anything (sorry, fellas).

This "Marilyn" shoot was possibly the easiest one. It's comfortable being in bed. I had the camera placed such that I could reach it without having to get up out of bed to advance the film and take the next shot.

With almost all of these, the makeup and any set, costume, hair preparations seem to take longer than the actual shoot itself. That was certainly the case with this shoot! I took about 40 photos in little to no time!

Another "Marilyn"/self-portrait image is available on my Flickr page.

Self Portrait as St. Lucy, originally uploaded by Alliegee.

Do you know about St Lucy? I took her name when I had my Confirmation. St. Lucy is a martyr, and allowed herself to be tortured rather than to marry against her will (she had an arranged marriage to a pagan). During her torture, her eyes were put out. God took pity because of Lucy's bravery and faithfulness, and restored her eyes. She is often seen in religious imagery carrying her eyes in a dish.

There is another version of this image (and some other new ones) on my Flickr page. Do check it out!

Can I just say how much I enjoy posting to my blog from Flickr? It is pretty awesome! This makes it very easy for me to share my projects with you.

Claire Hula Hooping, originally uploaded by Alliegee.

You know how I keep talking about my classmate, Claire, the gal who showed me her amazing, collapsible hula hoop? Here she is, in all of her hula-hooping GLORY! You will also note that she is sepia-toned. :)

Claire was one of my first friends from my Art Ed cohort, since she was in the summer Printmaking studio with me. I adored her right away when she complimented me on my squid monoprint, saying that she loved squids and especially octopi. In fact, the tattoo that you see on her leg is actually a giant octopus that winds itself around the left half of her body.

Claire's printmaking project was really cool; it was a series of very detailed etchings of a pregnant woman with an octopus inside the belly. Currently, her photo work is kind of like a "modern pastoral" theme, and it depicts the activities of her nearest and dearest (her husband, her closest friends, herself) in their natural environments (outdoors, in their home, etc.).

Claire is a total and utter sweetheart. She is sensitive and brave and strong and also full of win. She is also a special ed teacher who works with kids who are multi- and severely handicapped (mentally and physically)... and you know how I feel about special ed teachers!! They are amazing human beans. :)

Claire often has new hair colors. When I met her, she had a blonde/blue/purple gradient. Recently, she has had green, and just this weekend she dyed it jet-black! Now she looks very mod. I think when this photo was taken it was a blonde/green shade.

Claire has invited me to go with her to visit her father in PA one weekend. There is going to be swimming and maybe boating!! I think for sure since we are two gals with collapsible hula hoops, it might be safe to say there will be some hula hooping involved!!

Sideshow Carnie, originally uploaded by Alliegee.

Here's another shot, this one comes from my "Circus Sideshow" shoot. It was shot on Monday morning at 7 AM on my rooftop. I put a striped sheet over something on the roof to form the background. Then I would do my double-jointed thing in various ways and angles for each shot.

The timer gives the photographer kind of a lot of time to get into position. However, for these poses, I was often not "ready" and just had to hope that the poses looked good (or "creepy" as the case may be) when the camera decided to capture the photo.

There were lots of things to think about ("My wig is in my eyes!" "Am I far enough away from the camera?" "Am I in the frame?" "Is my corset bulging out our staying tucked in?" "Do my arms look creepy enough?" "Am I making a stupid face?") and there was no way I could address all of these things in every image.

Surprisingly there are a lot of good ones from this shoot. I had a hard time picking what to print. There is another version on my Flickr. You can access my Flickr by clicking on the picture. Check it out! :)

Gypsy Fortune Teller, originally uploaded by Alliegee.

The first example I have to share of my recent "gypsy fortune teller" shoot. This is NOT a good quality print because I got finger prints and dust all over it. However, I was SO excited to just see the image I printed it at the very end of the day, very hurriedly on Monday so that I could see how it came out. I am thrilled with the image quality!

Self portraits are HARD. I really do not know what I am going to get when I set up the camera on the tripod and shoot away using the timer. For instance, many of these were out of focus. I wondered, "How could that happen? I was so careful!" I'd made my roommate sit in the chair so that I could focus on her. Well, as she sat in the chair she was leaning back in it. When I was photographing myself, I was leaning forward, out of the chair, acting out these different poses! So, of COURSE I was leaning out of the area of focus!

Anyway, here is a sneak peek. I will send another shortly. :)