I agree with you about the gradient although I guess a good logo shoud be monocolor in order to be usable on any medium including black & white paper printing.
I have a portfolio as I am creating the flyers for a very known party here in Brussels for more than 10 years now although I don't really want to advertise about it here...
Anyway here is my last proposal, I guess I fixed all the little remaining flaws.
You just have to know if you people prefer the version with a nose, which may feel more sympathetic, or without it. I personnaly would go for the one without nose... The simpler the better !