These are a few of my favorite things... Favorite Artists Yes, I have MANY...I want you all to know about these amazing people that I visit again and again to learn from and enjoy. Here are the ones I have permission from (either via their FAQ or via email) to share with you. Michael Whelan. It was this man's cover paintings of dragons that got me into dragons myself. He is Da Mastah! (With apologies to Supergreg for using his catch phrase. Supergreg is also one of my favorites...hehehe) Meilin Wong - This artist's etherial style and choice of subject matter are fantastic. I cried for two days after seeing one of her pictures, 'Hush'. I really want to learn how to do transparent/light work like this, too. Gorgeous! Stephanie Pui-Mun Law - I bumped into this artist when doing the Del Rey 30 Years of Pern(r) contest. She won the 'young artists' division and I won the 'old, over the hill artists' division. Her stuff is consistently amazing -- and, on top of that she's also a programmer! Wowza. NeonDragonArt - the Art of Jessica Peffer. The horrid jealous competitive part of my brain says I shouldn't link to her, since she's the one who BOOTED me off hte top Google Spot when you put in 'Dragon Art' so long ago...but she's too nice and too dang GREAT at art for me not to mention her work here. Anyways, I've been surpassed on Google now many million times over. But it was Jessica who pushed me off the top of the mountain - may she reign long and well! She works her buns off at art. I don't. :) Plus, she rescues Guinea Pigs. That's unspeakably cool. Kid Stuff! Arsco Custom Radiator Covers Along the lines of child safety -- kids often end up with bad burns from steam radiators. I have steam radiators, and a very active little girl, so I got these easy to assemble radiator covers custom made for my house. They're beautiful, and create a nice shelf (insulated) over every heater. Ed Hemmert was excellent to work with, helping me via email to figure out what custom cuts I would need to fit these beauties around my weirdly shaped and placed radiators. Three cheers! PositiveParenting.Com A great online resource for those of us raising the wee baby primates known as kids. :) The Black and Decker Dustbuster Plus 350 - I know...it's a gizmo that almost everyone has, but it is the unsung hero of our household. Able to swallow cheerios in a single bound, able to leap tall piles of cheese and suck them up without even making a peep. Gizmos that have REVOLUTIONIZED MY LIFE! People who know me, and gizmo makers everywhere, know I am a gizmo-gal. I like toys. Not just dragons... Here I recommend my favorite organizations, gizmos, thingies to make life better all around. TIVO - This is what the VCR was *meant* to be. It has totally revolutionized TV watching for me, which is a good thing, because as a new parent, I miss a lot of TV and I need to be able to watch when I'm free to watch...and not when the networks want me to. Wacom Graphics Tablets (Intuos, Graphire, ArtPad) - Without these nifty gizmos, my art career would be in the virtual crapper, because I would not be able to do my computer art. The Litter Maid!!! - Although my (human) baby used to think this is 'A nifty sandbox with a handy entrance ramp', so I spent all day keeping her out of it, it is a lifesaver for having cats (feline babies). My boys have never been happier, and neither have I! No more accidents next to the box because it's not clean. And, these days with the l'il one, I don't have time to clean litterboxes all the time. If I could, I would have three of these. Or four. Two for each cat! Also, this little Gem is 'Littermaid on the Cheap' in my book: The Omega Paw Self Cleaning Rolling Litterbox. Oh, and don't mess around. Get the big one. I have three of these things since I couldn't swing a Littermaid in every room, and they're FABULOUS! Use this with the flushable 'Worlds Best Cat Litter', and litterboxes are a 10 minute non-odious chore. Now all I need is the Omega Talon Rolling Henhouse and I'd be all set... Roomba - Now that we have our big gorgeous hair factory, Blue, the Golden Retreiver...our rugs have never looked so canine. Until...we run the Roomba! Thank you, Irobot...Thank you!!! I have two of these babies -- the older Blue Pro model, and my Discovery. I lend out the Blue to convert people, and I use the Discovery to attempt to keep my rug clean. These things work! Garmin Quest GPS - I get lost in my own backyard. (We have 10+ acres...it's easy.) But worse than that, I HATE DESPISE LOATHE getting lost while driving. And it used to happen...often. Until I got my Garmin Quest!!! Worth every cent. If you get lost and hate it, get this, or something like it. Your heart and blood pressure with thank you. Plus, it makes it much easier to get to pickup locations if you're into FreeCycle like we are!! Try out Freecycle, too. It rocks. .. .. .. .. .. .. Okay..if you got THIS far, you must REEEEEAAALLLY want to get to know about me, eh? Well, I do keep a L i v eJ ou rn al. (hehe..even search engines won't index that one right.) It's incredibly personal, so I don't advertise it. But, if you want to witness the horrors of my daily life with me, see if you can find it. I'm not going to make it easy, though, by giving you the address. You gotta work for it, baybeee! For the intrepid fan (or stalker) who wants a challenge, I look forward to bearing my soul for your amusement. :) Good luck!