...wash or cook your veggies :3 Skip this next bit if you don't want to hear what's living on our groceries!

So a few weeks back I got an odd assignment from my employer: go to a few supermarkets to buy some fresh produce, and then drop it off with a laboratory for microbiological analysis. Well the results just came back in, and it looks like there's quite a vibrant population of little critters living on our groceries!

The ones prepackaged in plastic bags (carrots, kale and the like) came in highest, probably because the hot, moist environment during transport makes them little incubators. Bacteria numbered in the millions of CFU (colony forming units) per gram, and the coliform levels were regularly beyond testable limits. Yeast and mold were well-represented at the party too!

The good news is that E. Coli was virtually non-existent, and all the other microbes aren't really all that dangerous. People've been ingesting this sort of stuff for centuries, and our bodies are pretty well-adapted to cohabit with them. Quite a few tiny organism are beneficial even! Still... I'm definitely gonna be much better about washing veggies I plan to eat raw from now on :3 (or if you really want to play it sterile, a hydrogen peroxide solution works wonders and dissipates safely into H's and O's).

Anyway, thought some of you guys might that interesting! If you want more specifics, feel free to ask - that just scratched the surface of what we learned from the experiment ^^

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Also, figured I might toss back up the Artist Feature again there were still some slots available! You guys remember the rules, right? If you're an artist just leave a comment here saying you'd like a spot, and then make a journal like this one with the person you got this from featured in one of your slots!

1)  Fringedog
Of the Blazing Sky: Fringe has a real knack for drawing Tengus, especially in his fluid painterly style!
Werejackelope: This one still blows me away whenever I look at it. Such a unique design! It was what sold me on watching him.
Another Kind of WW2: It's got a WWII tank in it. 'Nuf said :3

2)  noben
Boobquake: Remember back when that Iranian cleric blamed seismic activity on immodest dress, and the silly experiment it prompted last year? Well I ran across this picture then and it really left an impression - honestly, it's kinda one of the few things I really remember about the event XD (in fact I just discovered that I'd bookmarked Nolen's gallery back then to peruse through later, but apparently lost it in the shuffle! oops! x_x)
The Burnt Pearl: She has so many examples of incredible lighting, I had a tough time picking one! The nice thing about this piece is that it was recorded, and shows the coloring from start to finish in under four minutes! I feel like I should have learned some new art tricks from the video, but mostly I'm just dizzy from how fast it went @_@
Dragon Luffs: Composition, texture, lighting, expression; everything pulls together beautifully on this one. It just oozes "hug" :3

3)  minimink
Fountain and the Snake: Very neat design, and that eye is just so captivating! :D
Leaning Human: I love the lighting on this, and notice that neat effect where the more distant part is blurrier than the foreground? I've gotta try that one of these days!
The End: Minimink writes, too! I found this pretty thought-provoking, both from wondering what I'd do in that situation and from the protagonist's carefree attitude toward it all. Plus, does his feeling turn out to be justified? We'll never know!

4)  nightlinez
Sunrise Relaxation: Maybe I'm crazy, but in a bunch of her art (and especially this one) I detect a lot of Southwestern influence. It makes for a really neat aesthetic, one you don't find too often 'round here!
Spare Crumbs: There's something about seeing a really well-executed piece of art on a totally absurd subject that makes for an insta-fave in my book.
Rental Car: I've always wanted to do that - she's light enough, she probably can! This pretty much sums up her great 'derpy' style :)

NEW 5)  dawkz
Space Mercenary Memento: Okay. This guy is AWESOME. I mean look at this picture. You looking at it? The sexy retro pinup of a classic VG character? Yep. This guy has perfected what I have only dreamed of doing. Lookit those textures, that vintage feel, that gorgeous pose! Just... wow ;_;
Jugs Win Wars!: If you have to ask why this is one of my favorite pics of all time, you've not spent much time hanging around my gallery.
Maybe Tomorrow (Detail): This picture's breathtaking in its entirety, but I'm linking to the zoomed in version here so you guys can see the amount of care Dawkz puts into his art. See the scale highlights even? That's some serious TLC.
(Okay, one more :3): Heh, check it out, this guy even likes the same music I do. I Remember!

NEW 6)  mikakitty
Lady Love: The subject may lack fur, but this pinup has always been one of my faves of Mika's, plus it really lets her talents shine! She has an innate understanding of color and lighting that make every one of her pictures pop, and she's regularly able to patch together simple, quick, fluid curves into alluring poses like this one.
Doggoneit! 1 and 2: Mika is probably best known for her TF art, and prolific as she's been it was tough choosing which one to highlight! They're all worth taking a look at, but this series of two is a good primer. Lots of motion, great expressions and a story told in every pic!
Pen and Ink Tutorial: Tutorials! She makes them. And they are enormously helpful, especially for people just starting out! This was the one that convinced me to try loosening up my linework a bit, and it helped foster a new set of foundation inking principles (i.e. not having to draw and connect every line) that've in large part led my art to where it is now.
(One more once more :3): Alright, so I sneaked a peak ahead of where I'm at in her gallery because this cute one caught my eye. Besides being very sweet, it is also the most unerringly accurate fursonified version of an actual person I have ever seen (short of painting spots on a photo of course ). Absolutely 100% dead on! Truly a remarkable work of portraiture.

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