Amber & They're Coming

Jimmy just sent in this evidence that the Ape Revolution has started.

Fitting that I should be wearing my Amy t-shirt today. This is actually the oldest novelty shirt I own, dating back to at least 1997, when Kevin bought it for me after immediately recognizing that Amy must have modeled for it. The printing is a little cracked, but it's still in pretty good shape.


This December, Amy will have been in my life for 29 years. I can't tell you how much joy she has brought to me throughout our friendship.

I wonder what will happen when Amy and I choose sides in the Revolution.

Amber & Novelty T's

I have decided to make this Novelty T Week and feature, on my person, a different novelty t-shirt from my extensive collection. Really, I had started this theme week without thinking about it, but it's working so well for me, I decided to run with it through Friday, especially since crew necks cover up the fact that my odd anti-antibiotic rash has moved down my neck to my chest and upper arms.

I love novelty t-shirts. Back in the Avenue B Days, CRD and I used to come up with different slogans that we thought we should put on shirts. They were super witty and funny. But, I can't remember any now. And, I used to make t-shirts featuring illustrations of Amy drawn with crayons: Amy as an astronaut, Amy wearing a birthday hat, Amy as a chef. Etc. (If any of those still exist, I would love reader-owner photo submissions. I would also be pleased to feature reader submissions of your favorite novelty t-shirts.)

Yesterday, I wore this great shirt from BoyGirlParty that Nick gave me for an occasion.

This shirt does what every great novelty shirt should do: it raises questions. Where are the kitty's legs? What's he doing with that yarn? What's he looking at? Why is he so cutie and round?

Today's shirt was a birthday gift from CRD.


I don't know if you noticed, but that's a raccoon buddy playing the drums! But his drums are garbage cans! And he has a crazy look with pink eyes and some of the sound effect illustrations say "BOOM." ! What's going on there?

Of course, you've already seen some of my collection featured on this blog. My very third post ever featured CRD and I wearing our matching brown smoking bird shirts on a DC edition of Awesome Club.And, I added this timely one to my collection in January 2009.


I had blogged about that one before it was given to me by Nick on a trip to Boston. At the time, I even made a crack about not wearing novelty t-shirts to work. (Those were the old days.) I bet you can't wait for tomorrow's shirt!

Amber & the Borrell Family

I am super-excited to see the Berner Family today. It has been months since I have seen Amy, David and Young Miss Hazel. I am meeting them today at the Dan Zanes concert at The New York Botanical Garden. I am working the event, but I will get to meet up with them and present them with their craft gifts.

Amy is getting a granny square scarf. Here is Amy C. modeling it.


It has holes in it, as Jimmy would point out, so it is obviously for fashion not warmth.

Hazel is getting a poncho I ridiculously knit for her before she was born, forgetting that babies don't come out the same size as adults. Here is Mikey modeling the poncho, with some recently added crocheted flowers.
David is getting a backpack. Not one I made but one that I saw on Kevin and thought would be nice for me, forgetting that I am not the same size as adult Kevin.

I sure hope they like their gifts!

Amber & Quilting, Step 1

Yesterday was a big day. First, I had brunch with Kevin and Diana, then I got my hair-did with Jacqueline (just a trim since I am on the road to perm, but much darker color for fall), then Diana and I braved Hanna to journey to City Quilter. There, Diana helped me pick out the fabric for my very-first-ever quilt.

Here, Amy is examining it. She liked the combination of pinks and greens with the more subtle gray and biege and thinks it will go nicely in the room.

I am going to use this Brick Path pattern from the Amy Butler website, only I am doing the slightly less busy variation using only six fabrics instead of twelve.


Here is Woody demonstrating what he will do once the quilt is made: lay on it and groom his belly.

Amber & Amy's P.S.

P.S. Merry Christmas!

Amber & Gorilla Heads

ALH is running around like crazy, so it's me, Amy, guest-blogging for her again. She worked at the ape house from 7 to 3:30 and now has to wash off the lemur poop in her hair, bundle up, and race back to Zoo Lights from 5 to 8:30. It's a very zoo-y day.

She shouted to me as she rushed into the shower that she learned today about why the older gorillas have such high head-backs. It's called a sagittal crest, and it's where the gorilla's powerful jaw muscles anchor. Older gorillas have more powerful jaws, and there's a part of the skull that sort of expands as they get older to allow for the muscle growth.

Silverbacks, the dominant male gorillas, have the most prominent sagittal crests. It's a secondary sex characteristic meant to impress the lady gorillas. Orang utans and my family, the Bili apes have them too.

Mrrow. Look at the head-back on this babe.

Amber & Lazy Saturdays

Hi. I'm Amy and I'm guest-blogging for ALH because she has decided to sleep in today. It has been really hard to wake her up all week; not even the tempting scent of a fresh pot of breakfast congee prevented her from oversleeping this week. She even slept through the flash this morning.

ALH has to wake up pretty soon because she needs to buy cat litter from the cat store which only ever seems to be open on Saturdays and then she's doing another night of Zoo Lights tonight. There was the threat of a winter storm earlier which threatened to cancel the event, but it looks pretty clear outside now. I sure hope she's up by 5.

(Photos by Amy, including self-portrait in mirror)