Sock Monkey Monday: More Fred!

 I really like Fred. Being the first Zombie, I have a soft spot for him, and I'm going to miss him when he's gone. However, he's going to a nice home all the way on the other side of the world and I'm sure he'll like it there. He's a lucky little Zombie!

I took lots of Fred photos on Thursday, so I thought that the best way to celebrate the return of Sock Monkey Sunday would be more Fred!*

The sock monkeys weren't very fast runners. When the zombies attacked, they didn't have a chance. Fred was the first victim.


Poor Fred, never stood a chance.


Looks like the zombies got a bit of his brain.


I think the worms got the rest of him though.

These ones were my favorites from the day:

 Gratuitous Monkey Bum:

 Okay, not as much a bum shot as a brain shot. Fred didn't want to sit facing the wall. I don't know why.

Now, this monkey maker has to get back to reorganizing Monkeyville (again, we have a better plan now) and cleaning up the house. Swiffers are good things.

*If you want a lot of attention on deviant Art, post a photo of a zombie sock monkey!

Still No Jack...

Laptop Jack is still sick, so unfortunately I can't do a really good Sock Monkey Monday today. All of the photo editing software is on Laptop Jack. Almost every major component in Laptop Jack has been replaced, with no results.

Thankfully, the guy from the repair company is very nice about having to repeatedly come to my house, and have none of his work actually do anything. He's also cool with Boo getting in the way while he's trying to work. This would annoy me, especially when a kitty tail knocked over the box holding all of the screws, but Scott the repair man doesn't seem to mind too much. I've been saying this for about two weeks now, but the end of this week, Laptop Jack should be up and running again. If he is, there will be a good Sock Monkey Monday next week.

I do have some photos to share. Unfortunately, I haven't had much time to get out and take photos in the areas around Monkeyville, so please excuse the desk background. A clean desk is a sign of someone who doesn't work, just remember that!

First up, Belfry:

I really like the way Belfry's face came out. He's just so expressive. I think that style will be showing up on many more monkeys to come!

Next up, Sebastian:

This is silly, but I don't have a clue where that photo was taken. I know it was in my house, but I don't have anything black and that height... weird.

Sebastian is completely traditional. I was worried that Sirus Monkey might get a bit upset, and think that since he's not native to Monkeyville, he's not as special (okay, so I'm way too attached to my toys). However, Sirus gave his approval.

Sirus Monkey, looking bashful, but happy posed with Sebastian. I think they're cousins. There does seem to be a strong family resemblance. Also, it's very rare for Sirus Monkey to actually look happy in photos, so I'm glad that he didn't look sad in this one!

Even though Laptop Jack is sick, there are still orders to get out. The Ninjas and I named this little guy Waldo:

He was for a friend from work's granddaughter (he was a birthday surprise!) He's been renamed Red Monkey by his new best friend.

I have had four fish named Fishy. Red Monkey sounds good to me!
Now, the Ninjas and I have been fighting against the Evil Pirates of the world for a good year now. Some days are easier than others, because the Evil Pirates are very good at trying to put a stop to Ninja Time (9pm, every night) by slowly attacking the Ninja computers one by one. In Laptop Jack's case, they got him good. Not only did they break his memory, but when Laptop Jack wouldn't let that stop him, they also broke his motherboard (twice)! Sneaky Pirates, they put a defective graphics card in him, which has made Laptop Jack Very Sick.

Not all Pirates are evil though. Sock Monkeys aren't evil, so Pirate Sock Monkeys certainly can't be evil. The Sock Monkey goodness wins out over any possible pirate-y evilness.

The cannon is about two minutes up the street from my house. It was all gray stone colored, but it was just recently painted. When I drove by and saw it, I just had to use it for a SoMoPho! Pirate Monkey, cannon... it just had to be done.

The cannon happens to be outside of the VFW, and while I was shooting (and trying my best not to squish their flowers), a woman walked up to me and said "I drink, a lot, but not enough for this to make sense. What are you doing?"

I think she got a good laugh when I explained that I make sock monkeys, and when I saw the cannon, I just had to stop and use it for a photo with a pirate monkey. She shook her head and walked away. Sometimes, I forget how silly it looks for an adult to be photographing sock monkeys in random places.

I also finished the Very Big order I was working on. I wish I had more time to get more photos of these guys, but I didn't. I had to get them in their boxes before the holiday.

It's Dog the Bounty Hunter and his crew. I really like how these guys turned out. I have to say, I'll always have a soft spot for Beth now. She was the one that I spent the most time with by far. Sewing that chest was a challenge, but I was so happy that it came out symmetrical! I got to try lots of different thing with these guys, and expanded beyond my normal materials of socks and felt.

This fall, I'm hoping that I can get a spot in one of the local fairs the Village Artisan's Collaborative will be having. Since these will be in October and November, I've been trying to think of seasonally appropriate monkeys. Not just the typical Monkeyville ones, but some monkeys that would really make Monkeyville stand out from the other sock monkeys out there. The monkEmos like Laertes are part of that. Then, there's this guy:

Here lies poor old Fred
A great big rock fell on his head.

 Fred should have a headache from that rock, but I don't think he needs to worry about headaches anymore, because Fred is the very first....

 Monkeyville Zombie Monkey!!! Who knew that guts and mold could be so cute?

Now, there are some things all good zombies must have.

1. Exposed Brains:

Brains-- check!

2. A blank, nobody's home stare:

 Dead looking stare-- check!

3. Some missing flesh:

 Missing flesh, and exposed organs-check! Bonus for the moldy lung!

4. Last but not least, mold. All zombies are a bit moldy. 

 Moldy lung and moldy tongue-- check! (I feel the need to mention that the little red thing in the background is my desk vacuum. It's a robot, just like my calculator.)

 

Fred was going to go to the Monkeyville Shop on Etsy, but he's been adopted already! In fact, instead of going into the shop, Fred will be going all the way to Australia. That sort of makes me wish I was a Zombie Sock Monkey.

However, Fred is just the first Zombie, and definitely not the last. I have lots of socks that are more colorful, and that look even more like diseased zombie flesh, so there will be plenty more zombie monkeys to come.

Hopefully, this will be the last improvised Sock Monkey Monday, and Laptop Jack will be back next week. At least, I REALLY hope it is. I'm a bit lost without my Laptop Jack.

Oh No...!

Tragedy has struck Monkeyville.

Laptop Jack has fallen gravely ill. Laptop Jack is my laptop, who I love more than a person should love a lump of wires, plastic, and metal. Laptop Jack is very special, he's an artist edition HP, massive hard drive, lots of RAM... a writer/monkey maker's dream come true.

I've had him since October 2008, when I had him overnighted from NewEgg so that I could get him before I quit my last job to start my new one. He arrived just in time, and ever since, I've been practically attached to Laptop Jack by the fingers. I have a computer at work (sort of, I share) and it can't hold a candle to Laptop Jack.

Yeah, I'm a wee little bit attached to my laptop. I can't help it, it's awesome! However, for the first time since I got him, Laptop Jack started having problems. It started last Friday night. iTunes seemed to have gone all wonky. The song I was listening to got stuck on one note, then I couldn't move the cursor at all. Oh no! I restarted, and he'd do okay for a while, then the problem would happen again. Not Good!!!

The following Saturday morning, Laptop Jack showed me the Blue Screen of Death. He still wasn't completely dead though. A call to the warranty company (thank God I bought that!) and he had a scheduled appointment with the computer doctor. Then, he turned on, worked long enough for me to copy most things from the hard drive, then showed me the blue screen of death once more, and now won't turn on at all.

The computer doctor looked at him yesterday, and the diagnosis wasn't good. It wasn't just the memory like they thought. No, it's the motherboard is fried. The part is on order, and once he gets a new one he should be better, but until then... I'm relying on Laptop Toeshi, who is a good little workhorse of a laptop, but he's not the Laptop Jack.

There isn't a laptop out there that can compare to Laptop Jack, because for $650, I got a computer that had literally everything. Laptop Jack was made for lots of difficult multitasking, where Laptop Toeshi is not. Also, as stupid as it sounds, it's easier to be creative on a computer that looks creative. Laptop Toeshi looks like every other laptop out there, and just isn't Laptop Jack. Like I said before, I'm way too attached to that laptop, and having the things that were on there on the flash drive doesn't make me feel any better, because those things belong on Laptop Jack... not on google docs or a flash drive. Laptop Jack is where I store my soul!

I wrote three novels and started a fourth on him, started Monkeyville with him, and he was my computer (and constant companion) when I wasn't able to do anything because I was still recovering from almost dying from chemical exposure*. Laptop Jack working was, until Laptop Toeshi got here, the means of communication with the Ninja Flock as well.

Slowly, Pirates (the sworn enemies of Ninjas) are trying to block us Ninjas from communicating. First, Ninja Muse's computer was hurt in an power surge, then Imaginary Ninja's computer Lenore started to act funny and is now spending time in the Gateway Hospital for Sick Computers, then Laptop Jack falls grievously ill. At first that was okay, because there's always Mini Mac to fall back on, but within two days of Laptop Jack falling grievously ill, Mini Mac lost his identity and now won't turn on! He's showing the Flashing File Folder of Death... which is fixable if someone could remember how or find the manual. Mini Mac is elderly though, so this is not entirely unexpected.

Not a single computer was harmed by a virus, so it's not file sharing within the Ninja Flock that's the problem (especially since no one has shared anything with Mini Mac), it's Pirates. Pirates are trying to prevent the Ninjas from communicating. They are getting nervous because recently two more Ninjas have been added to the flock-- Quizzical Ninja and Shiny Ninja. The Pirates must have gotten nervous and are now resorting to desperate measures. You won't keep the Ninjas down Pirates! The flock is strong, and Warm and Fuzzy Ninja Land will prevail over Cold and Pointy Pirate Land!**

Okay, this is rather hard to explain to people who don't know me well. I have a group of friends that I adore, and each one has a Ninja name. Why? Um... because it's cool? I don't know. I can't remember how it started, but it stuck. Each one of my closest friends (mostly) get a Ninja name, and that's what we go by when we talk online. Imaginary Ninja is a Real Person (her blog is here!) as are the rest of the Ninjas. Though it does make people look at me funny when I say "oh! Ninja Muse said..." in regular life.

The world is just chocked full of Pirates. Who are Pirates? Pirates are anyone who is mean, has a case of schadenfreude, or is an abstract concept that Ninjas are against. Ninjas stand for good, for Warm and Fuzzy, and for creativity and knowledge. Anyone against those things (you'd be surprised how many people there are), is a Pirate, any idea that is not consistent with the Ninja Philosophy is a Pirate. Racism is Pirate. Computers dying can only be caused by Pirates. The list goes on. Anything that isn't quite Ninja, but isn't bad enough to be Pirate, ends up in the Pinja category. Someone who takes care of sick animals, but is horrible to people would be a Pinja.

Should I point out that the whole Ninja thing started when I was taking heavy doses of medications to try to recover from the chemical exposure?

Either way, functioning computers for all Ninjas is Very Important to Ninja Time (9pm, EST every night). Without Ninja Time, Ninjas go into withdrawal. This is the real reason that Laptop Toeshi has joined the family. Ninjas need Ninja Time so they don't get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of Pirates and Piracy in the world. Laptop Jack being ill is definitely work of Pirates. However, the true Ninja Computer that Laptop Jack is, he allowed me to get almost everything off of him before succumbing to the Pirate's damage to his insides. He's a valiant computer, and once he's back up and running, everything will be much happier here in Ninja Land.

Until then though, I can't do Sock Monkey Monday. I have all of the photos for it, but I can't post them, because all of the information for them was on Laptop Jack, as was the camera software. I had an 8GB memory stick-- over 6 when to music, the rest went to novels, and a couple other things. I don't think Toeshi could handle the extreme amount of multitasking that it would require to do all of the work for Sock Monkey Mondays either. The good news? A squeaky new motherboard is on it's way for Laptop Jack, and he should be feeling better by the end of next week.

Hopefully, there will be no more Pirate attacks on computers.



*That is a Very Long Story. However, it has a happy ending, because I'm still alive (that was iffy for a while) and I now have Monkeyville.

** I can't for the life of me remember what this was going to say. Probably that cows come in herds, lions in prides, crows in a murder, but Ninjas come in flocks. Ninja Muse says so!