I spent the weekend looking after my little guy (I assume - who knows?) - he is quite the eater! (And the pooper. There is no lag time, man. He eats, he poops. Immediately. Messy messy!) I am continuing to be guided by him, and to feed him every 15-20 minutes or so, from sunup to sundown. He wakes me with his squawking at about 5 a.m. and then I put him down for the night at about 8. Unlike a human baby, he actually doesn't need to be fed during the night, or else I really wouldn't be able to hack it. I hear him scuffling now and then, but other than that, no cries for food. I went out a few times this weekend and took him with me, leaving him in the car for brief periods of time, and once actually taking him into a Chinese restaurant with me. I got some peculiar looks as I was leaving, what with the racket coming from the bag I was carrying! He's also going to work with me every day this week. I will simply tuck the cage under my desk and continue to feed him every time he pipes up. I got no choice, man - he has to eat!

Anyhow... I got my Takara Blythe doll I was waiting for from Japan on Friday, and finally got the chance to take some pictures of her today. I've been trying to make some outfits for her. I'm getting closer - they're cute and all, but don't fit her quite right.

The backstory:

When I was a kid, Blythe was my very favorite doll. She was similar to a Barbie, only her body was a bit smaller, and her head was a lot bigger. This was to accommodate her eye mechanism: When you pull the string in back of Blythe's head, her eyes click closed and open in four different colors. The original colors were pink and orange (forward) and green and blue (left and right). Blythe didn't really catch on, so Kenner only made them the one year (1972). But, like mood rings, she's made a comeback, or is at least enjoying cult status with those of us who aren't wigged out by giant eyes that change colors. Photographer Gina Garan put out a book, "This Is Blythe," of photos she took of her Blythe dolls in various settings. I am sure she is a big part of Blythe's renewed popularity. (You can check out the official This is Blythe Web site here.)

Blythe is huge in Japan and China. If you look up "Blythe" on eBay, she goes for big bucks. The originals, especially, or ones that have been skillfully "customized" by artists (special eye colors and effects, sanded faces - to reduce the shine - and custom makeup, new hair, etc., etc., etc.). My Blythe was thrown away by my mother, because I wouldn't clean out the drawer she was in - something I will never let her live down. I got "my" Blythe again some years back, but then sold her (for $700 to someone in China) because my ferret needed surgery. I just got this new Blythe, made by Takara, which go for waaaaay less than the original Kenners do. She's called "Enchanted Petal," although clearly I gotta name her something else. She's a present to myself with a piece of my stimulus check. I don't have any plans right now to customize her, but just to photograph her. I love how "expressive" these dolls are, because of their eyes. Y'all may get sick of the pictures at first (new toy! new toy!), but it's also a good opportunity to "play" with my new Sony Digital SLR A200. I joined and may make some stamps, etc.

Between the baby starling, the new doll and the first season of "Dexter" that I just bought on DVD (good God, I love that sick, twisted !), I feel like I have no life outside of my apartment!

To *mistywisp for featuring Emergence in her journal