From the Desk of Lela Lee

the war within is over

2008-05-09T19:47:00.000-07:00

Some of you may recall a comic I drew of Kim sitting on a chair (in the 2nd book, Still Angry Little Girls) saying "I must war with the evil within!" Well, that comic was really me expressing my own war with the way I think. I really have to work to be positive as I constantly look for fights. In my brain, tiny slights become huge offenses as I stew on them and then it brews and the poor person who had no idea that they slighted me gets an earful a year later after I've made a molehill into a mountain. I drew that comic a few years ago. And while I am who I am and have to embrace my quirks, I also want to find some balance. But just this week as I was washing dishes, a strong statement came from within. It said to me, "the war is over." I put the sudsy plate down and listened again. "the war is over." Hallelujah. F-i-n-a-l-l-y. It feels kind of nice, like I'm a bit lighter. Now if the statement from within would also help me figure out what the hell's going on over at a certain cable network that doesn't know what to do with ALG. Grrr...

No cheese for me

2008-05-04T21:51:00.000-07:00

I put my scale away because our son has a potty in the bathroom now. There wasn't that much room in the bathroom, so I put the scale away. Well in that time, my weight crept up. I couldn't tell right away. But I realized when I put on pants with buttons, that yes, my pants are tight. I'm so sad. I thought it'd be liberating to not have a scale, but checking it every so often does have its' benefits, I can cut back on the cheese right away. Sigh, no cheese for me for the next few weeks. And more walking. =0(

Awesome weekend

2008-04-27T20:51:00.000-07:00

I had an awesome time meeting folks at the UCLA book festival! I haven't been out face to face with people since the days when I used to sell ALAG shirts out of the trunk of my corolla station wagon back in 1997. I actually went to the UCLA book Festival in 1998 to pass out stickers and sell shirts, but security kicked me off! And today, today was so amazing and different. I had my own booth, and had 3 of my book titles, bags, wallets, shirts, dvd's and buttons and it was amazing to see the reaction and to have people read my comics out loud and laugh. Truly, that means so fricken' much to me. All my mean angry thoughts that keep me from a peaceful life, I make into comics for my own therapy and then to see people understand it and LAUGH, that is an amazing feeling. Gosh, I'm so grateful and lucky for the people who like my stuff. I'm really glad I got the chance to meet people this weekend. It was so awesome, I'm planning to go again next year. I thank everyone who came out to the festival and stopped by my booth. It was great to meet everyone!

Sweat shop again

2008-04-24T22:11:00.000-07:00

(click on the comic to see the 2nd panel)

I'm making my poor husband do sweat shop again. Not since we were dating has he had to sit and pack ALG stuff. He thought those days were over, but alas, in preparation for the book festival, I have made him work again. I wanted to make button packs and found some candy bags from a local cooking store. So there are 5 buttons in each candy bag and then it has to be sealed with scotch tape. That's what he's doing. They are very colorful and look like little bags of candy! I found an OG box of buttons and since it is spring, I thought it's time to clean. I don't need to hang on to all of it, I am keeping some though. Anyway, thought you guys would like to know we are preparing for the big weekend. See you at the UCLA book festival!

UCLA Book Festival this weekend

2008-04-22T20:01:00.002-07:00

the UCLA Festival of Books is this weekend. I'll be there at booth #705 in zone G near Dodd Hall. Please come by! I'll have books, bags, wallets and DVD's. Cash only as there will not be a credit card machine set up. See you there!

Earth Day

2008-04-20T20:50:00.001-07:00

(you have to click on the comic to see the 2nd panel)

Lately, I've been getting marketing emails from dept stores (I admit it, I like cute stuff, and I want to know what's going on. But I am a careful shopper, and I try my best not to accumulate.) So a certain dept store (rhymes with Arney's) sends me newsletters with subject lines like "Green is the new black" and "Don't Panic it's Organic" with fancy smancy uber-expensive organic cotton jeans for or some fancy schmancy bag designer hawking an overpriced organic bag. It's so damn annoying. I suggest, that for Earth Day, April 22, we do the Earth a favor and don't buy anything. Not gas, not clothes, not anything. That's what we should all do. Only buy food and water. And maybe, we could all try planting a tomato plant and see if it will produce any. When we see how long it takes for a tomato to grow, we should be all the more thankful for the bounty of produce we have access to at our grocery stores. We have to stop consuming so much and buy what we need. I'm not saying you can't have a little fun and spend on a fun item, but let's not forget Earth Day is a day to think of the chain of events our act of consumption has on the Earth.

And another note, the above rant may blow my sales this coming weekend, but that's okay, because I only have a select selection. Come visit me this Sat and Sun at the UCLA Book Festival Booth #705. I'll only have a select amount of books, bags and wallets, just the stuff I get samples of, so think of it as my own personal ALG sample sale. Cash only. And it's perfectly fine if you don't buy anything. You can just say hello.

UCLA Book Festival

2008-03-18T15:37:00.000-07:00

I'll be at the UCLA book festival Sat and Sun April 26 & 27.
Come visit me in the new comics area, zone G booth #705.
I'll be signing and have my books and select bags and wallets for sale.
Cash or check only. (The booth won't have a credit card machine.)

expectations

2008-02-24T22:05:00.001-08:00

keep 'em low and you won't be disappointed.

fear change

2008-02-17T21:02:00.001-08:00

Sometimes I fear change. I want something, wish for it, desire it with all my might. But then, when I get the opportunity to have it, I freak myself out and don't let myself have it. What would life be like if I have what I want? I wouldn't be able to complain anymore. And then what would I want and strive for? It's a cycle I can't stop. Oh well. It's 9pm, I'm sleepy. Goodnight.

I was at peace, but then grrr!!!

2008-02-03T22:34:00.000-08:00

The other day I was really angry, maybe because I hadn't eaten yet and was cranky because I was hungry. But I snapped at someone I love dearly. And thank goodness they put up with me! Because anyone else would just snap back. But they didn't. I felt bad, and still feel bad and then thought, it's too much work being mad all the time. I just want to be at peace. Being angry is not a peaceful thing. So today I was letting it all be peaceful and then I saw a sticker on someone's car in the 805 area code. A black sticker with white outlines (reversed white and black) and it looked like Kim's head. Same hair, same drawing style. It's very annoying when someone steals your work. So then my peace was gone, and I became very mad and will now have to hunt the source down and do a cease and desist. Grrr!!! I was hoping to be peaceful but it seems like life won't let me.

Replacing my thoughts

2008-01-22T07:18:00.000-08:00

So to continue the blog entry about my angry thoughts--when I have an angry thought, I replace it with a thought of gratitude. It really works! I am actually feeling better and lighter and happier. Thought I'd share. =0)

Rain?!

2008-01-20T21:05:00.000-08:00

I drew this when it was raining. But then I had to add it to the queue of comics to get posted on the website. (I draw way ahead and am drawn up until May.) And now because I drew it so long ago, it may or may not rain. I live in So Cal, so it hardly ever rains. When it does rain, I have mixed feelings. Happy to have the rain for the plants and people who need h2o, but then it's kind of a drag because we all get wet and have to stay inside. But what am I complaining about? It so hardly rains in CA and global warming is making the earth more dry, so I should just thank the rain gods when it does. Thank goodness for irrigation and that we don't live like the days of Little House on the Prairie when no rain meant moving away. But then who knows, maybe that's not too far off with global warming. Shit, I hate thinking about global warming, that depresses me. Shop with reusable bags people! The average person uses enough plastic bags requiring 4000 barrels of oil. Try to remember those cloth bags. And they don't have to be ALG reusable bags. Reuse your plastic bags for goodness sakes! Sorry, I went off on a tangent. Sort of related, but a tangent nonetheless.

Angry thoughts in my sleep

2008-01-18T06:23:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning thinking angry thoughts. this makes me wonder, am I wired to look for conflict? Do I dwell on the negative? I think so. But how do I change? I guess I can replace my angry thoughts for happy ones. But then will I drastically change my personality? Am I stuck in being a angry thinking person because I don't want to change my DNA of my personality? What if I can't think of Angry comics anymore. You see, I am stuck. I cannot not be angry.

Exercise

2007-12-31T10:50:00.000-08:00

I need to exercise again. I ate 4 chocolate chip cookies this morning. My friends make such good cookies. Darn the holidays! Now I gotta exercise. Like the comic says, my idea of exercise is jumping to conclusions and pushing my friends around! Ha ha ha!

Christmas trees

2007-12-21T22:03:00.000-08:00

Christmas trees are a funny thing for me. I feel bad buying a live tree, the cheapside of me doesn't want to spend the money when I could get a plastic one that I can reuse each year. But then, I don't like plastic trees because who has the space to store one? And then I don't want the tree to take up too much space when it is out for the holidays. But I do want to have some festive decor though for Christmas, so I came up with an idea. I'd buy a huge bolt of green felt fabric and cut it into the shape of a big long triangle and hang it up on my wall. Then I could velcro on ornaments. It would take up less space, I'd not have killed a tree, and I didn't use plastic. When I'm done, I can just roll it up and it stores away compactly. I found a big 8ft green bolt of felt on ebay, but alas it has not come. And it's Dec 21 already. So I guess it's no tree for me. But on the bright side, I have a head start on next year. Oh well. Enjoy your trees-whichever kind you have!

change your...

2007-12-09T21:22:00.000-08:00

This comic is based on the time a college boyfriend gave me some f-ugly shoes because he thought my shoes were too masculine and unattractive. (I wore Doc Martens) So for Christmas, he bought me a pair of the exact same shoes his ex-girlfriend wore all about campus. Might I say I was annoyed? But trying to be a good new girlfriend, I wore the f-ugly shoes around, about 4 times, and they gave me bad blisters. I tossed them in the closet and never looked at them again until I took them back to Nordstroms (they had a "we'll take it back if you bought it here regardless" policy back then) and got a hundred or so bucks. Yeah, that was bad of me, but I was in college and college kids need book money. Anyway, it should have been a sign from the first time I opened the box of shoes, that I should have known he was a lame-o! Hindsight is always 20/20!

Sale on Gallery Prints

2007-12-03T05:02:00.000-08:00

Hi ALGs!

All gallery prints are on sale. 25% off. Enter code 25OFFPRINT and you'll get 25% off the price and free ground UPS shipping. Sale ends Dec 8 because we want you to get your prints in time for the holidays! Happy Holidays!

New ALG Shop!

2007-11-22T11:44:00.000-08:00

Hello my peeps. I'd like to announce the new and improved online Angry Little Girls Shop has been launched! www.algshop.com. Yes, the t-shirts are back! And I've put the prints I had at the Gallery showing on the shop as well. So if you didn't make it to the show, you can still get a print. No longer is there the clunky 2 shops one for shirts and one for bags, it's all in one place. I hope you like the new shop!

ALG Art Show Gallery Nucleus

2007-11-11T19:53:00.000-08:00

The show was so much fun! Thanks to everyone who came out. I had my hubby take pictures and he posted them here. Here's also a video too. I met some really wonderful people and I have to say it made me feel really good to meet so many people who like my comics. I usually draw and work by myself. I don't get out very much, so it was super nice to meet the people who read my work. So thank you very much for a fun fun night! It was a great turn out and by the end of the night, I was pretty tired and ended up falling asleep in the car ride home, but don't worry, I wasn't driving! thanks again for a great evening!!!

Art Show Event

2007-11-02T07:23:00.000-07:00

Hey people in Southern California! I'm having an art show Nov 10-13 at Gallery Nucleus in Alhambra. I'll be there opening night Nov 10 which opens at 7pm until 11pm. More details are posted here www.gallerynucleus.com. Click on the calendar on the left Nov 10 and you'll see the dates and more information. For the first time, I will have oversize color canvas prints for sale. (I can't part with my originals, sorry.) But these prints are really awesome! They are 16x20 inches and will be on display at the show until Nov 13. Hope to see you there!

Halloween-y

2007-10-25T09:57:00.000-07:00

What am I going to be for Halloween? I dunno. Maybe I'll dress up as Kim and win my own contest for a tote bag and 2008 calendar. I'd email to contest@angrylittlegirls.com.
But wait, isn't there some rule that employees and relatives of the company can't participate? Darn it, I guess that rules me out. If anyone out there going to dress up for Halloween, send a jpg pic and enter the contest. you can get a tote bag and calendar!

Bacon makes everything better

2007-10-22T14:21:00.000-07:00

So I thought I had a fabulous software to make my new store, but the software blows. I'm soooo annoyed that I wasted time waiting for it and then working on it, and I found out it's completely inefficient. I am so annoyed. I found another software, so we will see if that works the way I want it to. But for now, and for lunch, I had to put bacon in my sandwich. Bacon makes everything better. (even though it will make me pudgy) =0[

Greeting Cards at Target Stores Oct 15

2007-10-03T14:00:00.001-07:00

Some new ALG greeting cards will be hitting the Target stores on Monday Oct 15. I wish they would tell me which stores are carrying them, but they don't know, so all I can say is, be on the look out. I'm sleepy. I need some coffee. I drew the most perfect apple today. That deserves a cup of coffee. Yay coffee!

My neck hurts

2007-09-27T18:51:00.000-07:00

gosh dang does my neck hurt. I look down a lot and I heard a person's head can weigh 10 whole pounds. SO I guess my neck is holding a 10 lb weight. Well let me tell you, my neck is tired. I tried to do yoga, it helps a little but not much. I guess this is the hazard of drawing on the drafting table and working on the computer. Sigh, ouch my neck.

My new website!!!

2007-09-12T00:28:00.000-07:00

Look! It's my new site! I love it! It was time for an overhaul and so here it is. I didn't make it myself, I had Jesselisa a really cool web designer make it. I don't have the time these days to do much. My young son (7months) is quite demanding and doesn't let me do much. But I am working on my new book about LOVE. It's in the works and I 'll tell you more about it when it's time! Talk soon! xoxo Lela