Hm. When the question is, “How many spiders is too many spiders?” the answer is usually pretty clear. I’m thinking about re-doing it with maybe just one dangling spider. Thoughts?

For the most part, it’s all documentaries and because it was started by a couple of guys out of a theater called the Ragtag, it’s always been scrappy and weird. I love this fest. I started going in my sophomore year and I’ve gone back every year since.

In the beginning, it was just a wee little fest, but now that it’s hit its 10th year it’s started to attract some big films. I saw about 10 (I think – things start to go fuzzy after your eighth movie in two days) great documentaries, from a chilling one about the Afghanistan war called Dirty Wars to a wonderful doc about back-up singers called Twenty Feet From Stardom. I like seeing tiny docs filmed on a shoe-string budget, but the nice thing about seeing big films is that I know they’ll actually get a theater run and other people will be able to see them and love them, too.

This year, I got to participate in the fest a little. I submitted a design for a T-shirt and it was accepted! I nearly died when I got the email, I’m telling you.

The T/F box office on Friday. The theme of the fest this year was (among other things) “the collective architecture of the impossible.”

My T-shirt design! Those are bower birds.

These are just a few of the marchers in the March March on Friday. It’s a scheduled impromptu march that anyone can join. This year there were fire-twirlers!

This was part of the T/F scavenger hunt put together by my friend Lauren. I understand that it’s making fun of hipsters, but I still unabashedly enjoy participating in some of the things on that list. The big question among our group: How much flannel is gratuitous?

Usually, there are Q&As with the directors and subjects of the films right after the show. Here’s one in the lovely Missouri Theater.

Ushio “The Boxer” Shinohara rocks a punch painting outside the Missouri Theater after a showing of his film “Cutie and The Boxer.”

Noriko Shinohara, awesome artist and the “Cutie” in “Cutie and The Boxer,” wore my shirt to her Q&A after the film. Pretty much a highlight of my life so far.

Here’s a photo of my favorite T/F tradition, the Buskers’ Last Stand, when a bunch of bands that played all over town for the fest get together to rock out one last time. That’s the lead singer of Run On Sentence right there. You should go check them out, if awesome music is important to you.

Riusuke Fukahori goldfish from thisiscollasal.com

It’s a painting. Japanese artist Riusuke Fukahori paints goldfish in layers of resin. This Is Collosal did a feature on him last year and they’ve got a video of his process on their website. It’s amazing how delicate they look. Even in the photos, the fish look like they’re moving. Painting on resin is something I’ve always wanted to try, but after seeing Fukahori’s sculptures, I’m just like, “Nope, that’s done. He did it the best. No point in anyone else doing it.”

A Cup of Flower by Riusuke Fukahori, photo by Dominic Alves

If you want to see more, Dominic Alves has a ton of photos of Fukahori’s London show, Goldfish Salvation.

That, folks, is a wolf riding a motorcycle. Specifically, a wolf riding an Indian Scout. I slapped it on the back of tank top for a certain motorcycle-y someone’s Christmas present. I can’t really offer an explanation for why a motorcycle-riding cartoon wolf, except to say that it was exactly what he wanted.

Here’s the little design I put where the breast pocket would go, if tank tops had breast pockets. Yep, it says “motocycle.” That’s how Indian used to spell it. Nerd fact!

Here is a wee tired owl, part of the decorations on the Canadian Christmas tree at the Frederik Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids. There were other notable photographic opportunities, such as the dozen other traditional Christmas trees, the fairytale railway or the tropical gardens. But I feel it’s most important to document the owlish details.

It’s a very rainy day here in Michigan, so I drew this. There’s nothing like a crazy person’s riddle to spice up a day spent indoors. (The riddle’s from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. I like Sam Lloyd’s answer best: “Poe wrote on both.”)

Dad: “In Estonia, felt, or wool, animals are selling for a pretty penny.”

These little owls are cute and creepy in nearly equal amounts, just like real owls. I shall now move to Estonia, to pursue my dream of felting owls full-time.

I was browsing through the $2 purses at one of my local thrift store establishments. I saw this little leather number and thought, “Who would give this away? A quality leather purse with just a few scratches on it. Oh, consumerist culture that makes people throw things away simply because they’re not new, how I will profit off you today.”

Then I bought me a quality leather purse for $2.

It wasn’t until I got home that I realized both of the purse’s straps were nearly snapped in two. I tested the strength of one and it pulled apart after a light tug.

There are lessons here. First, beware the affliction of Thrift Store Smugness. It’s distracting. Second, thoroughly check all your possible purchases for damage, even if they’re only $2.

But! Now I had this purse, and the body was still good even though the straps were shot.

So I cut off the broken straps. Then I took some multicolored yarn and cut eight strands around the length I wanted. I braided the strands into two four-strand braids.

I knotted an end to each purse loop and voila! A functional purse.