Was flipping through an old notebook, flailing for an idea and instead found these, written while wasting time at work about a week before Halloween in 2004. I could have sworn that I posted them then, but searching my own websites for keywords like “bobbing for apples” has yielded no results.

So here they are. They kind of cracked me up. They’ll crack Bee up and they’ll entertain my mom, who sends me a package for Halloween every year, even now.

Yeah, we’re entering my favorite season. Here in New York, the fall is getting glorious. I can’t remember when we last had a glorious fall, so I’d say we’re due.

a fairy princess
“Want some candy, little girl?”
voice much higher now

tonight is Halloween
little kids in their costumes
where are my glasses?

orange, black and purple
Halloween has many shades
this vomit looks peach

trick or treat at night
empty pillowcase at dawn
intense tummyache

mean old neighbor man
toilet paper running low
“Hey! Get off my lawn!”

bobbing for apples
i spike the tub with whiskey
little ghost passes out

Anyone who has been following along for a while knows that I’m a hardcore nerd for all things paper (yeah, okay — and yarn). So. Let’s have a look-see at Five and a Half, shall we?

1. Handmade notebooks of recycled paper, made to order
2. Extensive blog with notes on creativity, paper, and tons of notes on how to run a crafty business
3. Brooklyn
4. Cute

Found by way of Make It, another ridiculously useful craft and small business blog that I’m so bleepin’ thankful for.

The ladies of Endicott had so much good stuff for the journal that they bided their time and now they have a double issue.

Tons of amazing stuff there, like these crazy-like-a-fey-fox sketchbooks featuring work by Ian MaCaig, Alan Lee, Charles and Terri. Do check it out.

Also, Boorman and I have a short-but-awsome SCHEHERAZADE update; that was from yesterday. Please have a look if you haven’t already!

Wait a minute… I told you about that last night. Aye yi yi; I’m losing my mind.

New SCHEHERAZADE bit up for ya here. Go see. As this story is doctor-ly, I enlisted the help of my big brother, who is a doctor of emergency medicine and, well, knows a thing or seven. You don’t know it now, but SCHEHERAZADE has hardcore doctor-ly components, so I will probably lean on Mike a lot. Or Angela, my sister. Or Helen, my mom. All are health care professionals.

Not much to report other than that. Same old, same old.

Actually, I think I did have something to report but I forgot what it was.

I apologize for the dearth of updates, guys. Feels like I’ve just barely been keeping it together… god, how much longer am I gonna keep saying that?

Now that Publisher’s Weekly has broken the news, I can at last tell you that Leland has a three book deal with First Second in the works. This is a pretty big deal. And how fun it is that Jane Yolen’s graphic novel is in the same announcement?

I’ve been up since 3 am, so I’m going to sleep now.

1. Apparently I completely forgot to tell you all about the new pages that went up last week. Bad E. Bess, no protien shake. Especially as Boorman busted his chops, yet again. Ah, well. I did hit MySpace and the Engine and my LJ, so all promotional opportunities were not lost. Still, my bad — have a look if you haven’t already.

Also, if you want to keep up with the Chemistry Set through your LJ, friend this.

2. The next FROM THE LIBRARY is up, with one of my all-time favorite favorite writers, Ed Brubaker. Read.

Making zines is one of my favorite things to do in this world. And since you can take the girl out of the zine (by loading her plate up with tons of other projects) but you really can’t take the zine out of the girl, from time to time I’ll be offering special “one shots” that you can download, print, and even distribute if you want. Here is the first:

SCHEHERAZADE promo #1

And here’s a Flickr tutorial on how to put it all together — also includes a diagram or two so you can make one of your very own design:

This first one’s a little something that I’ve been using to spread the word about SCHEHERAZADE. Feel free to download it and read it, or, better yet, give it away. Others in the series will be self-contained stories, both comics and prose, with work that you won’t find anywhere else.

And do make some of these yourself, with your own words or art or whatever. They’re easy as pie and incredibly satisfying.

FYI: from here on out you’ll find a link to a promo page with all of my one shots and other goodies in the left sidebar with the rest of this blog’s static pages.

Up for consideration: making one of these for Leland:

Whaddaya think?

(”Maybe you should make that in black for when we sneak into the cemetery,” he says.)

Lea Hernandez, creator of RUMBLE GIRLS, CATHEDRAL CHILD and co-founder/editor of Girl-A-Matic, lost four pets and half her possessions in a fire yesterday. Gail Simone explains it all here:

LEA HERNANDEZ’S HOUSE BURNS: HOW YOU CAN HELP

I can’t even imagine how terrible that must be. If you’re a comics reader, or even if you’re not, please reach out.

As reported over on Endicott (which I will contribute to this week, I promise), Charles has a blog. Check him out on the STARDUST set!

Eee!