Hola, everyone! I've been quite busy lately. It seems that simply creating a baby is not enough. Unbeknownst to me until recently, there's also quite a bit of preparation needed before The Heir makes its debut.

Yeah, that's right, I used the "it" pronoun. I'm tired of the "his/her" business.

Anyway, part of the prep is having a place for The Heir to sleep, eat, and poop. And as a baby, all three can be accomplished in the same room. I tried that once and all it got me was a threat from my wife to spray me with a hose.

The Heir's Chamber required quite a bit of work. First, I was evicted because that spacious room was my office. Then it had to be cleaned out. Then we ordered carpeting. No furniture yet, though. I maintain a milk crate, a couch cushion, and two bungie cords would do the trick, but apparently that's not fashionable. Or responsible. Or legal. But it's easier than painting a mural. I should know, I just painted one.

The Heir's Chamber now has this on a wall. Huzzah!

Here are some close-ups of some of the characters.

The Gill Gang: Don't let their smiles fool you. These fish are hardcore. I painted a shark one night, and the next morning, all that was left was a painting of a shark skeleton and a red tint on half the wall. Plus, the fish were smiling, but I didn't paint them that way. I painted over the scene of the crime and just let them be. I just let them be.

Pinchy: The Host loves crab rangoons. It's the only seafood she'll eat. Which makes me wonder why she wanted a giant crab to be painted on the wall? I hope she realizes that if she's hungry, she can't just carve Pinchy out of the drywall, mix in some cream cheese, deep fry it and then eat it. ... Hm, that sounds pretty good. I know what I'm doing for lunch (just before I call a handyman to fix the drywall).

Soopah: He's an up and coming celebrity, so if you're a paparazzo, take some pics of Soopah. In fact, seeing as how this is a candid pic of Soopah, I might even be a paparazzo myself. Next stop, embarassing photos of Lindsay Lohan. Eh, nevermind, that market is saturated. For now, I'll just stick to pictures of Soopah Star. --Hey, I just got that! Clever.

Dr. Otto Octavius, M.D.: Yes, he has the same name as Spider-Man's archvillain Dr. Octopus's real name. But the octopus people see past Doc Oc's villainous ways and revere him as a hero, a bridge builder between the quadpus (as they call us) and their kind. As such, Otto Octavius is a common name for them, much like Americans like Bob Smith or Terry Bradshaw. I know about a dozen of each! And now we all know at least one Otto Octavius, and he's a doctor to boot!

And please, be polite and don't point out that he only has four tentacles. The Host did that when I painted Otto and it took seven coats of purple paint to completely wash out the octopus tears because their ink glands are also their tear glands. Little known, but true, fact. Well, maybe.