done by a professional?

Also I cleaned the killer whales, which had gotten a bit mildewed. I guess I ought to clean the carpet too; it's probably just as mildewed without showing it. I need to get a soft scrub brush and the right cleaning product -- dish soap and a sponge just doesn't cut it.

I got a huge order from American Science and Surplus, with which I am inordinately pleased. There was only one dud in the order -- little plastic action figures called "Sewer Rat," which are supposed to be a scuba diving man but it's hard to tell that from looking at them. Other than that, all the stuff I ordered from them lived up to expectations.

Also made a small order from Archie McFee. They have really cool stuff, but are generally too expensive for a project like this, with so much area to cover. Still, I ordered a few "devil ducks" from them because they were just too cool to pass up. The best part is, the white ones glow in the dark.

I hear from other art car folks that the sun sets too slowly for the effect to work most of the time. But it looks really cool if you drive out of a lighted parking lot. Depending on how long the glow lasts, I suppose you could also use a flashlight to juice them up before arriving somewhere.

I'm starting to get comments from people in parking lots, at work, etc. People are always really friendly and encouraging. (Well, not always, but it's easy to ignore the few rude people since most are so nice.) The questions are exactly the same as I remember from Pig Boy: why do you do this, what does it mean, is it permanent, etc.

My stock answer is "it's just something I do for fun," which seems to satisfy people even if it doesn't really tell them much. There's a tone of voice I hear a lot, "oh okay," which sounds like they're saying to themselves "is this chick some kind of kook?" It's too funny!

So far the most amusing comment I've received, from someone who works in my building, was that "it looks like a professional did it." At first I was really flattered, but by the time the elevator stopped, I was wondering, professional what? What kind of professional makes a living gluing stuff to cars? And where do I sign up?