Thank you blog readers

I decided to look back through my entire blog tonight and could scarcely believe all of the things documented within it. It made me realize how fun its been to write this blog, even if it sometimes becomes difficult to keep up with everything I want to write about.

Then I realized that if no one read it, I'd have little motivation to collect all of these thoughts, images and videos into one document.

So, thank you to everyone who reads this. You give me a reason to write.

These Kids Rock!

I'm working on a story about the Paul Green School of Rock Music in St. Paul. Here's a photo I made Saturday straight out of the camera. I love the movement and light; it's even better than what I was imagining when I set up the shot, waiting for the light to be eclipsed by her figure. By the way, she's 14!
More photos.

Land Snorkeling

My sister in law, Nikki sent me this photo this morning from an October trip to the Minnesota Zoo. I always feel a little strange when Joe's wearing our camelbak and I start drinking from it, especially when I'm walking.

It's kind of like land snorkeling...

Introducing Clocky

Despite the fact that I am a dismal doodler, I often find myself not only doodling, but showing off my doodles. Once I even printed one of these "cartoons" in my college newspaper as art with an opinion piece about blogging. After some teasing, I had to make a personal rule not to publish any more of my "artwork."

Nevertheless, I'm letting my doodles back out today.

About eight months ago I created a new mascot for the newspaper where I work named Clocky. He is loosely based off of the clock clip art that sits on the header of each of our front pages, as seen below:



Although our online news may never stop, the news in our weekly papers so obviously does stop (every day but Saturday) that I've always found the tag line and clock ironic.

And so, when we were thinking of ways to market our papers in parades Clocky was born:


Since, I've been doodling him here and there, giving him thought and word bubbles when appropriate and even naming my fantasy football team "Tick-Tock Clocky."

He has quickly become one of my best-loved doodles.

But I hadn't thought about Clocky much recently until I saw Mr. Goodcents beaming from the side of a Mr. Goodcents sub shop in Mankato on Friday. It was as if, finally, someone else appreciated my concept of placing goofy arms, legs and eyes on an inanimate object to create a nearly nonsensical mascot.

Here he is in all his glory:


I was so impressed with the mascot that we stopped to get a sandwich there. The sandwich was okay, but the endless mascot branding all over the packaging and napkins was what made the meal. He looks like Clocky's long-lost penny-shaped cousin.

New Year, New Laughs

We had a pretty low-key new years eve at home last night with James and Nikki playing games, eating quesadillas and laughing ... a lot.

My favorite moment from the final hours of 2007:

Brooke: "Thanks, Joe for cleaning up that milk I spilled on this chair."
Joe: "Uh ... I didn't clean up that milk."
Brooke: "Um ... Well, thanks to whoever cleaned up the milk on this chair."
Joe: "No one cleaned up the milk."
...

Brooke: "Thanks to whoever's butt cleaned up the milk on this chair."

Happy new year to all!