imerei

Concept Art Quandry and Tropical Storm Possibilities

2008-08-17T18:09:26Z

When you draw concept art and don't want to show it, does that make you smart or just a freak of nature?

Seriously, I drew some concept art for a fairly well-known series...and was surprised at how little time it took me to do the full-body shot. But now, I'm not so sure I want to share it -- I feel awkward for the recommendations made. Don't get me wrong, the idea I had was...er, interesting, but I'd rather have a professional tell me whether it's viable or not.

Now to the more serious business at hand, Tropical Storm Fay is heading in this direction and so I might be down for a few days. I haven't received an e-mail from work, but I suspect we might not have work on Tuesday. So, I'm going to be stuck at home with my mother most likely. *cries*

Apparently she's having one of her bad weeks, because she came home quiet and grim-faced...so after I said 'hello' and overheard the speech about bills (which I offered to pay half of anyway), I retreated back up the stairs. It could have just been the natural disaster, but no -- I get Chief Sourpuss, too. Great.

Wish me luck this hurricane season...I'm gonna need it. D:

Awkwardness And NaNoWriMo Preparation

2008-08-14T15:21:59Z

Today started out fairly awkward...and that's being nice.

Everyone has one person at their job which is about a hair's breadth from getting told off by you or someone you know (and D.L. Hughley is right, if you don't know who that person is at your office...it's you). In my instance, it's someone I never talk to and have never seen; so this is actually pretty awkward, I usually try not to hold a grudge against someone I've never met.

But this guy is a nit-picky jerk who doesn't like to read, especially the e-mails where we address any problems with his work. After about a month of this, he must have hated my last message because he cried to his boss, who has cried to mine.

Long story short, I was actually told I need to ease up in my e-mails because he felt like I was "talking down to him". Now I've written instruction manuals before, not at the best time of my life (in a really ugly part of college actually) but I know how to simplify text. Hmm, perhaps I should dumb it down a bit...if only to make my boss happy. <-<

Still, my largest problem is my vocabulary -- it's on the light side of your average pocket thesaurus. I would call it a mild side effect of my old hobby, which was reading the dictionary. Lexicographer I wasn't, just a book-obsessed freak with no friends and a love for the written word.

I still love the written word, enough to begin the warm up for NaNoWriMo this year... That's right, I'm going to try again this year and I'm actually chomping at the bit this time. I might have lost my old story line, but thank God I have several others milling about in the back of my mind. I'm going to use the next month to bang out some character trees and finalize a plot...then the real fun begins.

Can't wait. :3

Report On Projekt Revolution 2008 - Tampa, FL

2008-08-04T00:31:57Z

((WARNING: There are going to be a lot of blurry camera phone images :p))

Well, I'm back from Projekt Revolution in Tampa and let me say it was quite an event.

The hotel room was disappointing (and let me say, never go to the Embassy Suites in Tampa...it sucks DX), but everything else about the trip was pretty awesome. I arrived about 1:30pm and had the pleasure of being greeted by a man missing a finger and a half...please, don't ask. D:

After moving around to the pedestrians' area, my ride dropped me off to begin the trek to the amphitheater entrance and I folded into the crowd. On the way to the entrance, we passed the Projekt Revolution bus (to and from the concert) and encountered a checkpoint -- I've never been frisked before, but it wasn't as insulting as I thought it would be. By this time, it was 2pm and the event kicked off on the Revolution Stage with Armor For Sleep.

Roughly twenty minutes into the first set, a man punched someone in the face and was thrown out of the concert. For the record, when the lead singer of a band heckles you, you've really screwed up ("Did you see that guy? He was like forty and balding. What an idiot!").

Hawthorne Heights came on shortly thereafter, during which I sat under a tent and was joined by several dozen people, a radio emcee, and the infamous humidity of Florida. To compare Florida's humidity to something tangible, imagine being smacked in the face and shoulders nonstop by foam bats saturated with boiling water. With that lovely mental image in mind, the rest of the day rendered many of us sweaty, thirsty heathens -- I know I had to have lost some 10 pounds of water weight alone and experienced the sight of my own sweaty butt print (I was actually impressed...though not enough to take a picture).

With food starting at six bucks per hot dog and drinks starting at four dollars per water bottle, heat stroke was almost an acceptable alternative...but I paid almost $90 for my ticket, so I wasn't going home early. I stretched the water and pizza as long as I could, actually leaving with $40 so I was proud. It was a learning experience and, after collecting myself from a bout of heat stroke, settled down to listen to 10 Years and Atreyu from a distance.

It wasn't until 5 that security let us into the seating area of the main stage and I was pleasantly surprised again. My seat was about a section and the mosh pit back, so I could actually see facial features and the stage hands scrambling backstage to prep the equipment for the next set. The largest problem was a half-drunken moron some six-feet tall two rows down...I hate being short. -_-;

The first band, Street Drum Corps, actually reminded me of a combination of Stomp and the Blue Man Group, but rock-oriented...and I've never seen Stomp use a metal grinder on a steel drum. It was an odd cacophony of sound and visual, but it tickled my fancy though the guy in the gas mask just made me laugh -- obviously one of those gents that enjoys his job. Lucky bastard.

Ashes Divide was next and they were pretty decent. I was glad that Projekt Revolution gave them a chance to perform in a tour setting, good practice for when they have their own tour dates, which could happen given a bit more practice and a longer set. Five songs and about thirty minutes were allotted to the groups, but they made good use of it -- the mosh pit got drum sticks and guitar picks galore.

Next came The Bravery and the bright yellow, tie-dye background was an interesting change from the backgrounds of Ashes Divide and Chris Cornell. They sang Honest Mistake and Believe, which was the more appropriate song because I know a few people there were drunk and needed their drinking song. A few people got hosed down, received water and a few tossed towels...must be nice being in the mosh pit.

Busta Rhymes was supposed to show up between the Bravery and Ashes Divide, but I didn't see him. I'm willing to bet he appeared when I went to the bathroom...in the gap of time after The Bravery's Honest Mistake. Dang it. DX The good stuff always happens when I disappear. Sorry, Busta. I suck.

Afterwards came Chris Cornell's set and that was a ton of fun. Personally I think he had a little relaxation therapy before going on stage, he was quite laid back and had let his hair grow out a bit. At first I wasn't sure about the pink shirt and green pants paired with brown combat boots, but then I remembered a furniture store nearby painted the same colors and decided to let criticism go -- I wasn't being paid to criticize his wardrobe.

There was a lot of horse play and guitar pick tossing on the stage, but the picks eventually found their way into the mosh pit...and so did Chris Cornell. Unfortunately, security wouldn't allow him to surf back, but it was still interesting to watch. He did a few Audioslave songs (Like A Stone - on guitar, Show Me How To Live) and Chester from Linkin Park even came out for a duo with Chris Cornell during Black Hole Sun.

(Like A Stone solo)

<-- Chester and Chris duo (image sucks!)

We were keyed up after that and endured the twenty-minute wait required to switch the equipment on stage and do a quick sound check. Then the Street Drum Corps came out to do a lead-in for LP and they lived up to their name. Wearing UV paint and a variety of drums, they were a formidable trio and hinted at a bit of salsa before Linkin Park took over and rocked the stage.

I would have gotten a better image, but the drunkard two rows down decided to stand up and my phone decided to drop to the last bar in the battery level. *cries*

Still, I got an amazing concert and this was the first time I've ever been able to sing at the top of my lungs and no one cared -- it was liberating. Despite being low on battery power, I was able to get a few additional pictures of Chester, Mike and Brad.

Phoenix, Mr. Hahn, Rob...I'm sorry fellas, I swear I'll get good pics of you guys next year. ;-;

Chris Cornell actually came out to do a song with Linkin Park and it was quite a sight to behold. There were a few solos: Phoenix and Brad had their guitar solos leading into One Step Closer and Papercut, Mike had a rap solo/Petrified sample leading into Lying From You, Mr. Hahn had a synthesizer/turntable solo (improvised Cure For The Itch), Rob was a literal machine (not hard to see how Faint wound up with 129 beats per minute instead of the intended 68), even Chester played a little guitar during Shadow of the Day. Now that man has a set of lungs... D:

We chanted after Rob performed with Street Drum Corps, and LP came out with another trio of songs before the Drum Corps sent them out with a salsa-based march. Linkin Park distributed drum sticks, guitar picks, towels, bottled water, a glow stick, and Chester tossed his shirt...needless to say, I'm gunning for a seat in the mosh pit next year. Still, my haul wasn't too bad: a t-shirt, bumper stickers for everyone in the office, a program, a downloadable CD, and a good lesson in what to expect from future outdoor concerts I go to.

I would like to apologize for the quality of the images here...this was the first time I seriously used my phone's camera. xp But still, I hope you enjoy the few pics I have up...provided they don't burn out your retinas. D:

I'm Actually Happy This Week...

2008-07-17T05:03:12Z

Greetings, citizens... [/Space Ghost impersonation]

I come to you from the land of the half-sane and highly-entertained. Hmm, I must be in a good mood because the last sentence rhymed.

Anyhoo, let's start with the top reason I'm giddy at the moment: The Avatar. Poor Zuko, he finally got a break although Katara still hates his guts since the Ba Sing Se incident. And the hour-long episode this evening made me feel both happy and sad, Mai finally let Zuko have it...and yet, Azula paid the price. Though now it begs the question: Who will Zuko hook up with? Katara and Mai are both pretty pissed at him right now, and you guys know nothing is worse than having two women mad at you.

We'll find out by the end of this week...and I simply love Mai. ^-^

On to more good stuff. I gave Reservation Rewards a kick in the gonads because the bank has returned my money and canceled the vulture's claim to my funds. Sweet! Now, that's one less thing to worry about. *dances*

Work is going fairly well, although my sanity is fleeting and I'll probably have pronounced gray hairs by the end of the year. I've also managed to get into an "e-mail war" with a company rep, but then again nothing worth doing is ever easy, right? All I know is, my boss told me to write the new procedure for a five-year long fiasco...and I delivered. And I know it's only a matter of time before the tears start, but I don't care -- they weren't doing right in the first place.

I have three movie reviews for you all. The list includes the promised Wall-E, but also two other movies that I saw this Monday: Hellboy II and Wanted.

To be honest, Wall-E is actually one of the darker Disney movies -- much in the same fashion as the original Bambi when the title character lost his mother. It was paired with a short, which I missed but know involved a rabbit (Alec Kazam) and a magician. Anyway, the main feature occurs 700 years in the future, when mankind has abandoned Earth and the robots left behind for clean up have all broken down, save one -- the title character.

Wall-E is pretty much a good imitation of Short Circuit (movie from the 1980s), but computer-generated, partially in outer space and with a female robot (E.V.E.) as the love interest. E.V.E. looked like she could have been a product from Apple -- glossy, white finish and a hidden weapon capable of blowing a hole in an abandoned tanker.

Of course the title character can't help but falling in love and his ultimate goal was to hold her hand. *slides off chair* No, not even kiss (they didn't even have lips), but just hold her hand. Still, I thought it was adorable and I can relate, because sometimes all we need is that minor acknowledgment. But the robots weren't the only characters in the movie, despite being the main characters.

After 700 years in space, humans have degenerated into infantile creatures barely capable of walking. Only four humans had significant parts, but they were so minor it frightened me...and that's when it hit me just where this movie was aimed. Technology had overtaken everything to the point that simple tasks were laborious and the captain's job had degenerated to a breakfast commercial.

It's hard to explain the mental angle without completely giving away the plot, but let's just say that the autopilot was the one really in charge and as a result we were little more than talking slugs. Another irony is AUTO, the autopilot of the ark mankind used to escape Earth, was played by an Apple MacIn Talk speech program...so I suppose this movie truly does qualify as an underlying ad for Apple products. *shrugs*

Anyway, I give this three out of five stars. It wasn't the best Disney movie I've ever seen, but it was good enough to make me think. The graphics are great, but the story could have been a little more interesting...though it did make me think. I suppose this is only proof that it doesn't matter how good something looks, the story is the most important part of the film.

Our favorite son of Darkness returns, but a few things have changed since the end of the first movie and the beginning of this one. The most notable of which is the absence of John Myers, which was caused by Hellboy...though exactly why we have no idea.

There's a brief flashback to Hellboy when he was just a lad and the Professor was still alive. It is during this recollection that the premise of the story comes to light and we learn that the Golden Army was commissioned by elves to defend themselves from mankind. After the elf king had a change of heart, the army was put into storage and his son went into exile. Hmm, almost sounds like a rejected chapter from the Lord of the Rings books, doesn't it?

Anyway, after this explanation we fast forward to present day where Liz and our red hero have been having their respective problems as a couple. Thankfully, Abe gets more time and development as a character in this movie...they even gave him a love interest. It was pretty cute and hilarious to watch Hellboy and Abe fall apart over a six pack, singing drunkenly at the top of their lungs and gills.

A new character is Johann Krauss and Seth MacFarlane is his VA; same guy that plays Peter, Stewie and Brian Griffin on Family Guy. So to give you a good idea of this character, imagine Ludwig von Drake from Disney shorts and DuckTales as a disembodied smoke cloud stuck in a glass jar. It was hilarious, even as he beat Hellboy's butt in the locker room before floating off.

It wasn't too bad, though I felt bad for Abe. I almost thought he had a girlfriend and then... *sigh* Anyway, Hellboy gets a massive surprise at the movie's end and there's enough leeway for another sequel. Huzzah. D:

Three and a half out of five stars. Drunken singing and disembodied German scientist save the movie.

As far as I'm concerned, Wanted was the true crown jewel movie out of the three. Not just because of action, because technically all three movies count as action movies by content alone. But Wanted has the additional benefit of starting from a place that the average person can relate to -- a horrible job, a cheating significant other, and the promise of more of the same the next day.

But then Wanted throws out the question: What happens when a tragedy of insane proportions is the best thing that ever happened to you?

Now I love Morgan Freeman, in fact, that was the primary reason I went to see this movie. But after watching this clusterfuck of visual and plot, I loved pretty much everything the movie brought to the table. It was like being smacked in the back of the head with a "Look at me!" sign of sheer awesome and violence.

This movie is loosely based on the comic miniseries of the same name; unfortunately, I can't tell you just how loose it is because I haven't had the pleasure of reading the comic, but I am aware that the comic focuses on a league of super villainous assassins in a hero-less world as opposed to elitist assassins killing for the sake of mankind. A true comic-to-movie film would not only have carried an NC-17 rating, but probably wouldn't have been allowed to be shown in many countries.

If that alone doesn't pique your interest in seeing the film, the last line of the film literally sent shivers up my spine. How often does a movie end with the lead character turning to look at the audience and saying "What the f**k have you done lately?" Did you just get a chill? I got a chill...and I'm going to see it again after the Dark Knight this weekend.

I loved this movie, though I think it's sad when you're so used to living a certain way you'd rather die than see it compromised. But the realization is what makes us human and the most invincible person all the more fragile because of it. Four and a half stars out of five.

Warnings About Reservation Rewards

2008-07-12T14:25:24Z

This just happened to me this morning, so I thought I'd write it down and warn as many people as possible. Perhaps you might even save yourself some money too. If you've ordered something on-line, or are thinking about it, you may want to read the following very closely:

The Enemy
Reservation Rewards, a subsidiary of Webloyalty.com, Inc., but an entity of that company nonetheless. The company purchases your credit card information from the companies you order from, or secures information via pop-ups, and then charges a monthly fee of $9-12 dollars to your account under the guise of free rewards for your patronage. This is a scam.

Companies are required to inform you of any applicable charges to your account, or potential fees in writing at least 15 days before the charges appear -- which officially places Webloyalty's 'scam' in the fraud category. As a part of this fraud, Reservation Rewards has been helping itself to the credit card/bank accounts of many an unsuspecting person -- monthly and without informing anyone.

Officially, this company has no right to your money and you can -- and should -- do everything in your power to prevent them from getting it.

What To Look For
If you don't know what to look for, review your charges and search for anything that says RESERVATIONREWARD 8007327031 or something similar. What this is the company's name and its phone number (don't bother calling).

How To Keep Them From Getting/Keeping Your Money
If you find a charge listed under the above heading or record, call your credit card or bank (depending on what you paid with) and file a dispute claim as soon as possible -- within two business days of the charge is when the best results occur. The sooner you find this charge (in my case, during the bugger's pending period), the easier it will be to have the charge reversed and your money returned/protected -- credit card companies find issue with anything over 120 days (typical). Be sure to inform the card company or bank that the charge was unauthorized and you've discontinued service (both should be true at this point).

Please note that some banks, like Bank of America, will not be able to file a dispute claim until the company's charge goes completely through (no longer pending). In the meantime, they will give you the phone number for Reservation Rewards (something painfully obvious on your account already) and have a recording of your request to dispute recorded via the phone call. To be honest, I don't recommend calling Reservation Rewards -- they took your money without your permission and will ask for more information about you during the call. (After this headache, why waste your money and set yourself up for another potential scam down the line when they try something else with the data they've collected? The hell with that, I say...)

If your bank or card company has a similar policy about pending transactions, wait twenty-four hours and check back regularly until they can file a dispute claim (when the charge is processed), then file one immediately. The point of filing a claim is giving both FDIC a heads up about the company and to force Reservation Rewards to foot the bill for the entire mess. In the meantime, I strongly recommend writing the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and your state's Attorney General, letting them know Reservation Rewards is committing fraud; they've done nothing to earn your respect or your money, so tell everybody exactly how you feel.

If you need more leverage, say that you request assistance in accordance with Federal Regulation E and you will not stop until you have been reimbursed.

Unfortunately, there is no previous precedence for this and as such Reservation Rewards has been getting away with this for a while. But no longer, because I refuse to be a victim and I will never lie down when faced with a challenge -- they picked the wrong woman. I have a list of a few websites that have been in hunting grounds for Reservation Rewards, but this is by no means all of them:

Buy.com
LiveNation (where my charge came from)
Expedia.com
US Airways
UBid.com
Geeks.com

Summation
You can choose to avoid the listed websites altogether, or still purchase from them, but I still felt obligated to share this data with the world. Watch where you click and stick it to anyone that tries to commit fraud against you, whether it be for $12 or anything else. You work hard for your money and in this time when we're being squeezed for every last euro, dollar, pound, peso, and rupee, your paycheck has never been so important. Don't let Reservation Rewards, or Webloyalty,com, Inc., take away what's rightfully yours.

I Miss My Sanity

2008-07-11T01:20:27Z

Once upon a time, I was a sane person that did sane things...now I flirt with insanity in odd and wondrous forms.

My promotion is assured but the hours are late, as in 6pm to 2 in the morning. Needless to say, my mother isn't pleased (though when is she ever?) with the idea, but the idea of doubling my income is helping me take the idea with a grain of salt and an introspective expression. Also, I was woken up at 4am by the screeching of a fire alarm which needed the batteries to be changed...

Guess who had to get on the ladder and change all nine of the buggers? That's right, me. And there's nothing worse than having something screeching less than four inches from your forehead when you try to unplug it and change the batteries. It gives a nice feeling of urgency to the constant idea of breaking your back with an accidental fall...and makes sleep near-impossible at best.

So it is perhaps this lack of sleep that has inspired me to work on a website, and no...it's not the one I've linked to here. It's a brand new creature -- one that has a better direction and darker (perhaps more evil) layout than Jericho's Den. Don't worry, when I finish I'll be sure to put the link somewhere.

In the meantime, I have some sleep to catch up on...and a design to come up with. Later.

What A Week... D:

2008-07-03T01:38:55Z

While further elaboration probably isn't needed, I'll elaborate anyway.

Someone at my job became the unfortunate victim of a personal coup, but I don't know specific details. All I know is that our workplace has a policy about felonies...and what he did resulted in one. So the work place is one worker short and we're trying to make up for his absence.

Even though I know I had nothing to do with the situation, I still feel badly -- especially now that I'm being promoted to fill the space that he left. So it's a bittersweet occasion for me, perks with a side of guilt and a reminder of how expendable we really are and how blessed we can truly be.

That's not to say the job isn't without light-hearted moments, as a matter of fact yesterday was a prime example. Getting a wrong number can be fun, but it can also be a little awkward. A gentleman of a 'different orientation' called and -- while the news he had was meant for someone else -- I let him finish the story (with his permission, of course).

Honestly, I'm glad he enjoyed his night with the hairdresser, although I have to admit I've always been more of a listener than a talker...at least his night was exciting. I wished him the best after that and we hung up, though I'm sure we were both a little red in the face from the awkwardness of the moment.

My art block has actually lessened and I'm starting to sketch more often. I actually updated my website, so it's no longer purely MMM-related...though I still couldn't bring myself to completely delete the MMM sections. ;-;

Hopefully it's compatible with everyone's browser...and I'll finish the bonus materials fairly soon. I hope. o-o;

P.S. I'll do a review on Wall-E soon.

Remembrance and Review

2008-06-27T02:12:46Z

The year is about halfway over and the world has experienced three great losses: Metal Machine Music went off-line and Stan Winston and George Carlin have both passed away. D:

It hurts when the greats leave us, but I suppose that it's only when things are gone that we fully comprehend how great they really were. For those of you that don't know (and I don't see how), Stan Winston was a 'creature creator'. Most of the greatest creatures/characters of the most-memorable movies (Independence Day, Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk to name a few) were animated/sculpted/inspired by this man. He was even working on a few movies that will be coming out in the next few years, so he was -- and always will be -- an inspirational person.

George Carlin is probably best-known for being a smart-assed, counter culturist with a sizable amount of zingers and good points in his acts. Some people love to hate him, I personally enjoy watching his comedy acts -- the "Seven Words You Can't Say on TV" bid is priceless and a perfect example of his brilliance.

While I am sad, I have managed to put several things into context over the past few days...and it has helped me cope more or less. I understand that life waxes and wanes, ideas are formed and lost with the birth and passing of great minds. Even then, we that are left behind are still charged with continuing the flow...a flow started or re-directed by the people or activities that are no longer a part of our daily lives. Perhaps it is this twist of life's stream, or the proverbial fork in the road of thought that is the greatest gift bestowed upon those of us that remain.

This inspiration drives us to draw, to write, to think; gives us the drive to live in our own way...or at the very least makes us continue in a way that pays tribute to those that have come before. Your path is your own, but remember even after you're gone there will be those that remember...

...let them remember the best things about you. And for the record, I agree with George Carlin -- they really should put bulls-eyes on Kleenex so you can compare scores.

And on that note, on to the movie review. I promised a review of The Incredible Hulk...and so I shall deliver.

Alright, I -- like most people -- have seen the first movie and realize that this movie has a lot to make up for in terms of story. New actor (though Edward Norton is quite good), a few guilty pleasures (elastic can be comedy), and a shorter movie time assist the enjoyment factor...and the tie in to Iron Man doesn't hurt either. But to truly enjoy this movie, you must push aside the first Hulk movie -- a complete flush of memory -- and think in terms of the comic books so you won't go "WTF!"

Okay? Good...

The movie starts with quick memory flashes and newspaper clippings, which is good enough to offer some revised backstory and weave a new path to the direction this movie is headed. If you don't like science, then perhaps a couple of scenes in this movie might not be your cup of tea...but the transformations from Banner to Hulk are nicely done and visibly painful.

Compared with the first Hulk movie, the Hulk character has more emotional depth than merely anger and annoyance. Lou Ferrigno, who looks amazing by the way, makes a guest appearance on top of playing the voice of the Hulk. That's right people, the Hulk actually talks in this movie...enjoy it. Seriously. D:

Also, there are a few 'mrrr' moments I had, mostly because I'm a bit of a special effects geek. The biggest moment was the first appearance of the Hulk, when the insane commando shoots the elevated metal catwalk to use it as a makeshift brake for a life-threatening object. The 'disheveling' rods implanted in the floor to make it seem like the bullets are shooting through it are blatantly visible, which annoyed the dickens out of me. <<;

Otherwise the movie is pretty good. Shorter than Iron Man and without the extra footage after the credits...which is where I felt cheated the most. I give this movie a four out of five.

And on a personal note, I have to wonder...is Marvel the whore about Hollywood now? Spider-Man was a Sony Picture feature, Iron Man was done with Paramount, and the Incredible Hulk with Universal.... So who's going to get the next crack at her?

And for the record, I think Paramount did Marvel the best of the three...and you can take that word play any way you want it. But I hope Marvel sticks to using Paramount the same way for the Avengers (2011) as they did for Iron Man. I'd insert a witty play on words here...but I think I'm done for the night.

So...This Is It.

2008-06-18T00:46:33Z

Tonight is officially the last night that Metal Machine Music will exist and I have mixed feelings about the event. I'm sad that such a great place had to go, I met so many wonderful and inspirational people there; yet at the same time, I know it would be unfair to force the site to continue if we lack the time and energy.

So I will be content remembering the good times I had on the site, and continue to keep in touch with some of the amazing people I met while competing and playing there. I know there's a backup board and I intend to drop in from time to time...but it will never be the same as it once was.

As a last tribute to the fallen, I created a wallpaper/icon pack. Well, honestly, it's not so much a pack as a couple of papers and icons to remember the site by. It's here -- LiveJournal doesn't like to embed deviantArt links. D:

So, I guess this means my website is no longer strictly based on MMM stuff...which alludes to the fact that I should probably develop other facets of my personality in lieu of the RPG. That's fine. Tough, but fine. I usually need to do something to get my mind off of being sad anyway, so coding is a good outlet.

I intended to have a review of The Incredible Hulk also, but I'm really not in the mood right now...perhaps tomorrow.

Watching The Exodus

2008-06-11T21:32:56Z

For the record, it sucks being the neutral party. You don't know who's side to take, especially when you know the pain and disregard paid from one side to the other and vice versa. You respect everyone and know it would be both cruel and unfair to ask them to stay, make a decision which clashes against their benefit.

And so you sit, watching the exodus happen....

This sideline is a fine one -- rivaling a knife's edge in sharpness, a cliff in fatality, and a black hole in potential dispersal into non-existence, or existence in a new form (who's to say?). Perhaps it is just human nature to grow up and grow apart, much the same as it is human nature to grow close to others and seek their companionship.

So, I don't believe it is the intention of anyone who decides to leave to break another's heart -- well, most people don't mean to, though there are those bastards that will do it intentionally.

But even as they do so, I must ask of all parties connected to ponder a single question: Did I do something directly to cause them to leave? Sometimes asking the question is far harder than finding the answer, and when this is the case you must consider what can be changed to prevent a new, and potentially more-devastating exodus from occurring.

For those people who can ask the question easily and find no answer, just let me be the first to say "It probably isn't you." As you grow, your relationships will change and toxic relationships -- as in the body -- will be expelled naturally. Don't try to keep it, move on as needed to take care of yourself.

To those people who have a difficult time asking both the question and finding the answer to said question...I can offer no viable solutions other than patience. Eventually you will be forced to sit down and consider the question and the answers, though it will hopefully be at a time of your choosing. If the time is not of your choosing, then perhaps you must reflect on whether or not there were signs that you should have considered earlier.

Once again, I am not a psychiatrist, nor am I a licensed physician; I am merely a person making observations on the aspects of daily life. I will not claim to be right or wrong, because I have made countless mistakes and will continue to do so for as long as I draw breath...but I hope to learn from every one of them. And I hope that others will do the same....

Art School and Kung Fu Panda

2008-06-10T03:00:41Z

Lately I've been have the recurring desire to go to art school, or at least take a few art classes to rein in my wayward perspectives and composition. It seems easy and many would argue, "Why don't you just go ahead and take the stupid courses?" Well, it isn't that easy...

Given the rising costs of everything, my job tightening restrictions on who gets paid for what, and a limited amount of funding, I'm currently prevented from taking classes. I would produce artwork for money, but I honestly can't see someone paying for less than the best that can be given, can you? It almost feels like I'd be cheating. D:

And it's been a while since I had a movie review (darn rising prices <<; ), so I've got another one coming:

Admittedly, I'm a sucker for a good CGI movie, but Kung Fu Panda isn't only CG as displayed on the television. It's one of those rare instances where CG, hand animation and concept artwork are used hand and hand -- a combination that forms something truly unique and adds to the story.

The premise is pretty common: villain seeking vengeance escapes from prison to reclaim that which he believes is rightfully his. The characters could be considered common if not for 'anthro' construction, though a couple probably could have been more anthropomorphic and remained acceptable. Still, it was a kids' movie, so the characters were acceptable and the fur/feather rendering was wonderfully realistic.

If this movie were converted to a live-action deal with humans, I'd feel sorry for the wire teams because there was a considerable amount of action sequencing. The heroes (Master Shifu, Po, Tigress, Viper, Monkey, Mantis, and Crane) each have interesting fighting styles adapted to their body type, but the real spectacle -- in my opinion -- was Tai Lung. I don't know whether it's the good girls liking bad boys stereotype, or the fact that I completely empathize with the character, but I can tell you I loved Tai Lung.

Believe me, anyone who can make a prison break like that deserves respect (and perhaps a bit of therapy), but like any character he's flawed despite being a major bad-ass. The relationship between Tai Lung and Master Shifu, love and hate, was surprising and believable -- something I believe was more for the parents in the audience than the kids. The final battle? An interesting combination of martial arts mastery and comedy...I was personally proud of the butt drop and stomach block by Po -- slow-motion moves were never so comical.

I rate this movie as having four stars out of five. It would have been higher if not for the abrupt ending and the lack of explanation for what happened to Tai Lung. And no, not even staying until the very end of the credits -- where there was a little extra -- explained Tai Lung's fate. Still, it was nice to see the production art in a combination of Western and guó huà (traditional Chinese painting) styles...so hey, eye candy for all.

P.S. Yes, I got Tai Lung in the personality training test on the Kung Fu Panda website without trying to cheat and by answering honestly.

.

All in all, I believe Mondays will be my movie day from now on, not only because I have that day off but because those are the cheapest movie showings I can gain access to ($7 a trip before refreshments).

does the Obama dance

2008-06-04T04:08:23Z

Alright, alright...back to politics before bedtime.

It's official, Mr. Obama is the Democratic nominee for the President of the United States. I've made no beans about how I feel -- I really do like Mr. Obama, I respect Mrs. Clinton though she needs to go someplace and sit down, and can't vote for McCain (he can't even lift his arm above his ear...watch him). D:

For the people still complaining about Michigan and Florida votes not being counted for Hillary, I say: "Shut up and get over it!" Now as a native Floridian (and middle-class, working woman), I remember back in January we were told the voting date could not be moved before the 21st or else the votes would not count...and they moved it anyway. Now forgive me for being blunt, but isn't that breaking the rules and potentially the law?

I know that neither I, nor anyone in my family for that matter, went to the polls when they were moved up because we were told our votes would not count if we went to post them; Michigan didn't even put a viable candidate's name on the ballots (pfft, yeah, that's fair); and now these rule-breaking sissies are upset because the Democratic committee -- in a rare instance of fairness and compromise for which this country is supposed to be known for -- split the delegate votes down the middle?

I have two words as a response, but due to the nature of censorship I can only type euphemisms: Screw you guys. Seriously. D:

Let me go back to Hillary because McCain, despite his great service, is literally too old to handle a serious event. At this point in time, Hillary is starting to become an annoyance to me. Before, she was great and revolutionary, a welcome reprieve from this male-dominated society and herald to women everywhere...and then she cried during a speech. No offense ladies, but we need to stop crying to win an argument.

The final speeches were actually quite well done with respect to the subject matter: McCain's was okay, at least he was focused on his opponent; Clinton came across as slightly whining, a love letter to herself, and a huge turn off to me; and Obama was the most humble of the three, referring to the public and thanking them for their votes, giving Hillary her props and acknowledging McCain as an opponent.

Because I have to go to work in less than seven hours, I'm going to truncate the end of this journal entry. I once heard a saying that a 'real lady' knows when to leave, but from what I've seen Hillary hasn't been a lady since early May. If she really wanted to help her party and make herself more presentable for a potential 2012 election -- provided Mr. Obama doesn't run a second time -- she should have conceded and announced that she was preparing to run at a later date. Please support my competitor against the other party, unity is key...or something to that effect.

No, didn't happen. In all due honesty, I now see her as a spoiled brat that has resorted to locking herself in her room to pout and scream and make a general ruckus in an attempt to disturb the balance. I can't stand that. True, we can't always win graciously, but at least we should appear to do so for the sake of the people and not oneself. But then again, I'm not running for a political office...

...So what do I know? <<;

Well, It's Official...

2008-05-19T13:25:42Z

...I'm a World of Warcraft whore. o-o; The Burning Crusades to be precise.

I love the dranei and blood elves, not to say there's anything wrong with any of the other races -- I'd pick up a Tauren or Troll in a heartbeat. But no, the dranei tug at my heartstrings because there's a combination of guilt and service purposefully involved with their appearance. It's a brilliant twist to the game, attempting redemption while realizing that your people are dying out and need to survive.

The blood elves are a slightly different story. I haven't played as one (yet), but I see that there's a loyalty to the kingdom as well as a sense of duty -- as off-base or potentially corrupted as it may be. But once again I, speaking as a person who hasn't played as a blood elf yet, might not be correct or accurate with my assessment...

And in other news, the IRS is anal about name changes and spelling. DX Buncha pricks.

Okay, that's enough ranting. X3

Buh...?

2008-05-13T03:00:08Z

What is it about losing access to the Internet that causes nervous twitches and spasms of a deteriorated mind? I mean, it's only our brains reacting to visual stimuli, things which we have never seen before. Would someone who's only been exposed to the Internet for a day be more or less dependent than someone who's been exposed for a week?

It is these questions and more that I've pondered for Friday and the entire weekend -- the time during which I switched ISP providers. If you've never changed providers before, I can attest that the process is akin to an attempted removal of your own back teeth using a mirror, a screwdriver, and what you hope is some prime Novocaine.

Granted, I got the new modem working, but only after four days of cursing -- minus Sunday, of course -- fidgeting, discs, and plugging in cables. The only real difference I see so far is download times, some pages still won't load on my desktop, formats seem fine, and now my sound card is oddly silent. D:

But there is some good news: I've installed my new graphics card -- an XFX 8600GT XXX. It's pretty loud, but very responsive to graphics and overclocked by the factory. Personally, I loved the do not disturb door sign that comes with it, though I know it won't work in my house.

IronMan...Whoo!

2008-05-05T20:58:40Z

Yep, I saw it today...and let me say I loved it. ^^

I'm going to give a quick review and hopefully keep myself from giving away anything significant.

Okay, I know some people that say the beginning was boring, but I found it somewhat intriguing...and a little sad. It gives an odd combination of flashback and present-tense storytelling, which helps the story because at least you have some background information to the start of the movie.

I'm used to Robert Downey, Jr. having a crazy haircut, though it took a bit to get past the facial hair -- about two seconds after the first explosion, to be honest. The CGI was awesome and I'm not just saying that because I'm a computer-animated graphics whore, but I almost drooled when I saw Stark's personal computer system (the ultimate geek reaction...I want one *sobs*). For the record, testing is painful when it's happening to you...and funny when it backfires on someone else.

Anyhoo, the acting was fairly solid, though I wish they could have found a replacement for Gwyneth Paltrow -- there were scenes when she made me cringe because it was noticeably sub-par. She wasn't bad the whole movie, but there were some scenes when she didn't even try -- I thought. Jeff Bridges was solid and a little shocking, you could've hit me with a brick and I would've been less surprised. Terrance Howard, the military friend, was also pretty solid although I feel he could've gotten more time. But all in all, this was Downey's movie...quite possibly his best in my opinion.

Stan Lee does make an appearance in this movie, so that's rather amusing.

And for the record, you're really, really, really, REALLY going to want to stay until the credits finish rolling. o-o I won't tell you what's there...but it helped me give this movie a 5 out of 5 despite Gwen's performance. That's right, biznatches...a perfect score.

Need a preview of why I'm raving...and doubly excited about the possibilities for Transformers 2? Lookie here: Iron Man Website.

And you know I'm going to go see it again, right? *dances out* ^^

AAAAAHHHHHH!

2008-04-29T21:32:44Z

I think I need a vacation.... xox

Being honest sucks.... -.-'

I think I'm too nice and having a dyslexic day. TAT

Truth And Consequences

2008-03-12T00:17:22Z

Alright, I know that politics is usually a bad subject to talk about because it starts arguments, fistfights, and hurts feelings the world over. To my admission I agree with my mother on one thing: "Three things you never talk about are politics, religion, and stem-cell research." But tonight, I would like to bend the first part of the code, if only a little bit.

Now, I am an Obama supporter; however, I found Mr. Obama's comments this afternoon highly distasteful and quite out-of-character when compared to all of his previous speeches. I think it's fair enough to say he exhibited no enthusiasm for this speech, which makes me think two things:

1. He did not write this speech to begin with and felt in his heart that this speech was not the way to go, but did so because he was advised to take such an action.
2. Whomever wrote this speech was so desperate to cater to the population Obama had the least influence over they were willing to offend just to win a few additional votes.

Now I'm going to stop here and leave additional comments aside because I neither want to unjustly influence anyone else's point of view, nor do I want to undermine what was said. I do, however, wish to say that formal apologies -- while hard to issue -- are due from Mr. Obama.

This close to deciding a nominee, it is imperative to watch what you say -- now more than ever before in this arena. And to be honest, it would be best to minimize any potential damage by not only apologizing as quickly as possible, but by saying "I apologize for anything I have said which may have been taken out of context, or any summation that may have unnecessarily altered the meaning of the excerpts I have taken."

Hell, he can use what I have written here verbatim...and I have all of you as witnesses. As for the person who took those 'quotes' and convinced Mr. Obama is was okay to read them, well, they need to be given a pink slip and one of those "what were you thinking", V-8 slaps upside the forehead.

Now that all of this has been said, I'm going to sign out now...before I say anything else to stir the proverbial pot. *scampers out*

Progression

2008-03-04T05:02:58Z

And so I've started writing scripts for my webcomic...

It seems that I was focusing on the art before the story and that was apparently my greatest problem. I was so mired in art that it choked the story and stymied all potential progress, some pretty lethal stuff when it comes to developing a comic. The good news is it shows some semblance of maturity; the bad news is it also shows how much I have to go in terms of progress. :p

My first computer going down was a setback, but I refuse to let it be a major one. The biggest thing I'll have to do is re-work the character sheets and appearances for the comic. It won't be too bad considering I never really began in-depth character appearances, but it's going to be a challenge.

The goal right now is to get ten scripts written and then start on the artwork -- I have five written as of now. Push comes to shove, I can edit the scripts once I hit snags in the artwork and vice versa.

Sometimes all you need is a different angle...remember that, kiddies.

Before Bed...

2008-02-28T04:21:51Z

I honestly think I'm losing my mind... D:

You know how you were growing up you believed you'd be doing something incredibly awesome and awe-inspiring. Well, in my case I always figured I'd be smarter than I am -- the only things I've really learned are: the ten-second rule is the fastest way to get food poisoning and never trust anyone else to drive in or around your car.

Despite these things, I'm finding I like to draw during downtime at work...although I should probably go back to reading during those breaks. Eheh. It's getting hard to explain sketches of Murdoc (Brastle Tiger) and Kil-DOS-e (King Liger)as opposed to my Organoids and Jericho pics.

I'm thinking about the webcomic in terms of duration now. I am going to be honest here: I currently lack the patience and talent to pull it off. That doesn't mean I'm giving up -- there are places I can go to learn and sketches I need to do. Patience will be my friend here...

Wish me patience...and perhaps common sense. D:

Wow...This Is Still Up. o_o

2008-02-14T17:34:54Z

It's Valentine's Day...

Does anyone even care? Not really, it's an over-commercialized holiday intended to sell more chocolate and incite guilt trips for those people that can't afford expensive gifts.

Am I single? Yep. And strongly influenced to write this journal entry by some chocolate rum cake sent from the Caribbean. Captain Jack Sparrow would have been proud, or jealous...although someone came and hacked off a major piece of cake when no one was looking.

[Begin performance of GLaDOS - Jack Sparrow interaction]
GLaDOS: Uh-oh. Somebody cut the cake.
Jack: [whispers]Hide the rum...[/whispers]
GLaDOS: ...no more rum. *pauses at Sparrow's horrified face* Oh boy...
Jack: *starts sobbing* But why is the rum gone?
GLaDOS: The rum was in the cake. First you will be baked, then there will be cake.
[End performance] o:

Anyway, it's been forever since I've written to the LiveJournal, so I guess it's time for another refresher. I am currently reviewing drawings that will look good as merchandise and have a couple that should look good on dark shirts. A part of me is skittish, the rest is wondering why I didn't start doing this a long time ago -- I guess that duality is the nature of being an artist (partially hypercritical, partially outlandish bravado).

Webcomic...mrrr. *flings dust of forgetfulness at* Been distracted, waiting on recovery of whatever I can salvage from the old hard drive to get down to work on the comic. Sorry Vista, but you treat my graphics tablet so bad it's not even funny. ;-;

A new work is over at my DevianART account, so it's not like I haven't been working.

Final Thought: I need to stop procrastinating. I hate only having enough money to cover the car note, bills and a poor-woman's lunch. ._.'

Catching Up...And Future Plans

2008-01-20T20:05:25Z

Okay, it's been a while since I posted here, so let's not waste anymore time....

I updated my website, so it looks better than it did before. I'm also reworking my desktop computer, but I just need to swap out the motherboard -- micro ATX boards require skinny fingers and lots of patience. And yesterday, I purchased a product so great, I must give a review of it...

Modular power supply units (or PSUs) are a new breed of creature in the modding world, but they couldn't have come a moment too soon in my opinion. For those of you that don't know, a modular PSU is a supply where you can plug in the connectors you need for the components and leave off the other cords. So say you have a DVD drive, a floppy drive and a hard drive -- instead of dealing with a jumble of wire, just plug in two cords and you have leads for your drives. No fumbling with the ten other unused cords attached to the supply, you have better air flow through the case, and plenty of room for expansion and reserve cords you can leave in the bag for future use.

Now the price tag is rather steep ($179.95 before tax), but I had an electronics store nearby going out of business so there was a deep discount. Installation is actually slightly easier than previous power supplies I've dealt with because there are fewer wires to futz around with, just a singular cord for the motherboard with a 24-pin plug and three SATA plugs bundled together. The cords to the drives are in a separate bag, so it's fairly dummy-proof after you get over the shock of the black rounded cables. Great part about the cords is that they can plug into one another, so the floppy connector plugs into the same power line as the normal hard drive/DVD drive.

The fan is pretty darn huge compared with some PSUs, it literally takes up 95% of the bottom, and has LEDs inside -- a feature I didn't know about when I bought it. Perfect for someone who has a case with a window, or a mesh case so the lights will shine through. What makes the fan especially great is the noise...there isn't any, or at least the DVD drive makes more noise than the power supply with the sides of the case off.

The webcomic is coming along pretty well between case upgrades and thunderstorms -- odd for this time of year. The intro should be out in February or so...and for the record, coming up with rhyming prose that makes sense bites. Still, drawing the panels is a learning experience, so I feel I can make a few mistakes as long as I gain something for future usage.

I've already been told I need to make some merchandise from drawings I've done in the past three weeks -- so that's a project waiting to happen. There's a bit more research that needs to be done, but I have a couple of designs that would probably appeal most to people at a con, video gaming event, or something.

And the random thought of the day is: bubble (boba) tea. I've heard so much about it and yet have never tried any, though my interest is piqued. Hmm, I guess I'll just have to change that...now where's that Asian food store?

American Gangster and Potential Future Projects

2007-12-29T05:50:11Z

Okay, I literally just walked back in the house from watching Denzel Washington in the movie American Gangster and I have a few things to mention...and hopefully won't ruin the movie for those of you that haven't seen it.

For the record, Denzel hasn't scared the crap out of me like that since Training Day. Never has villainy been done so well, though I didn't like how the character had to use his own community to further his ambitions at the cost of lives and families. What made this movie particularly painful was the fact that it was based on a real man's life -- though in much the same way as the Humvee is based on the Model T.

Some moments were obviously blown out of proportion, but the fact that the man Denzel portrayed actually put 75% of New York's DEA in jail frightens me. However, I will go on the record as saying this: I do not condone violence and I have the utmost respect for the areas of enforcement, but this movie will show the highs and lows of both sides of the law.

My biggest problem with the movie was the ending...it felt so abrupt. Granted, there's not really a nice way to end an almost three-hour movie where you see people executed and defiled in some of the worst ways possible. Truthfully, there probably wasn't a good way to end that movie short of a Law & Order-esque black screen with text...though it was fairly close. All in all, the acting was well-done and the movie was pretty good, just don't go if you have a weak stomach for people mistreating each other. Four stars out of five.

Now on to potential future projects. I have a list of things I'd like to do in 2008 and I've managed to establish a decent foothold for a few of them.

Webcomic: Coming along much faster than before, the first few inserts should be ready for viewing early in the year -- January or February.

Art CD: Thinking about it, have the equipment to pull it off, but face the traditional dilemma of what to put on the disc.

Website Update: In progress, but might take a while...

Writing: For some odd reason, now that NaNoWriMo is over I have more to write than ever...I'm up to Chapter Three in my 'Methuselah' story and have more direction for it. o-o

End of the Year Movie Reviews...

2007-12-25T00:42:48Z

Using the good ol' desktop for this entry, quite possibly the last of 2007...I think. o-o'

The color calibration between my laptop and the desktop is off, so I use my desktop for color picking and now use the laptop when I want to work downstairs...or in bed. It stinks, but at least I'm learning it now for future projects so I won't always go "Why's the color so damn funky?" D:

And yes, I actually saw movies today...so we have the return of *cue fanfare* movie reviews. The featured flicks are Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and Alvin and the Chipmunks. To keep some of you from being too annoyed, I have links to the individual review so you shouldn't be too annoyed; and forgive me, it's been a while since I've done a proper movie review.

For the record, I only went to see Alvin and the Chipmunks because I grew up watching the cartoons as a little girl -- much the same way I went to see Transformers and will probably see Ironman, Gatchaman, and Voltron (if it ever becomes a CG film).

All in all, it wasn't that bad. The CG was decent and I appreciated the physical accuracy of Alvin, Simon and Theodore to real chipmunks (in terms of size and appearance). Biggest detriment to the movie however was the audience (mostly under the age of twelve), but then again it was made for little kids to enjoy -- though I must note there was a significant population of people over the age of nineteen without minors in tow. I didn't feel out of place in the theater since a third of the people in attendance were my age and the most-embarrassing moment for me was almost tripping on the steps. So it's okay to go if you're a college student...

As mentioned before, this movie is mostly aimed at little kids and partially at those of us who are old enough to remember the cartoon, so don't expect overly complex plot lines or anything. As a matter of fact, they didn't even have Miss Miller in the darned thing which means one thing: look for a sequel in a couple of years. All in all, I give it a three-point-five out of five. It has its funny bits and prods the ups and downs of the music industry while doing it, so I guess it could be a deeper movie if you sit down and think about it -- you just won't be doing it in the theater.

By the way, the remix of the Witch Doctor song...priceless.

Once again we are faced with a movie that throws Johnny Depp and Tim Burton back together in a dark (seriously, the film was mostly at night and in shadows D: ) and dismal world -- this time it's late nineteenth-century London...and a *gasp* musical.

Alright, alright. It doesn't inspire in me the breath-taking lavishness and melodic ecstasy of The Phantom of the Opera, but to its credit Sweeney Todd does a good job of integrating music and madness into a fun and oftentimes nauseating movie. I'm quite sure I will not be the only person to find a song entirely about turning people into food items based solely on their occupation highly amusing.

The movie edged two hours and would have been better (and longer) if more explanation were put into the film, but there was enough to make the grounds for the story plausible. It's also a bit bloody, but the blood is openly fake -- there's a reason though: if the blood were any darker, you probably wouldn't be able to tell what it was on the screen (ink or oil perhaps?). Anyhow, it seems Burton is a closet Harry Potter fan because some of the main cast from the recent and future Potter movies are in this flick too: Alan Rickman (Snape), Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix), and Timothy Spall (Wormtail).

The story starts tragically and increases in twists and turns up to the very end...where the ultimate price for vengeance is revealed and my jaw dropped. It would seem that Mr. Burton has created a movie for the sake of slapping naysayers in the mouth, or at least annoying them with the fact that he's still alive and capable of making a decent movie. I give this three-and-three-quarter stars out of five -- the ending made the tragedy all the more tragic and probably explains the childhood of Jack the Ripper.

So this weekend I'll try to view American Gangster because Christmas, work and family gatherings won't have me in a chokehold. I'll also have some good candy in reserve for the movie...mmm, Hot Tamales.

So I'll end this entry by saying: Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, or congratulations on making to a new day for those of you that celebrate neither (hey, I don't want to leave anyone out).

I'm Not Dead Yet!

2007-12-14T18:30:36Z

Mrr, yeah...

It's been a while since I've posted here, but I've had so much awesome stuff happen and some less-than-awesome stuff happen -- still, we're doing great. ^-^

After garnering some new ideas, drawing techniques and software, I'm going to give my idea for a webcomic another shot. It might not be anyone's cup of tea, but as soon as I have the first panels done I'll give a link. I'm determined not to give up since there are things I've always wanted to do and that is one of them. For now, I'm almost done with the website revamp -- it looks much better.

So, what resolutions do you have for the New Year? For myself, there are only five major ones:

1. Try to keep everything clean.
2. Work on my weak areas artistically (perspective, line work, color theory, etc.)
3. Try to write at least an hour a day.
4. Get a new apartment...or at least a better workspace.
5. Attend art classes (need 'em...seriously.)

Kind of tame, to be brutally honest...and I've already gotten everything I really wanted for Christmas. Except underwear...yeah, I'm weird like that.

I also think it's best if I don't go to France. Despite the invitation (and boy is it tempting), I need to take care of things at home before I agree to go abroad. Maybe next year, as soon as I get some additional vacation days from my job I can think about a trip. For now, I'll just read the books and websites and hope that things get better -- until then, no regrets. I am so sick and tired of going on and thinking I wish I did this, I wish I did that.

And that will be my motto for 2008: "No regrets..." I hope you all break free of your regrets and try to start the new year with a new lease on life. It's just too short to put up with all the crap we encounter.

Oh Well

2007-11-29T02:44:57Z

Well, I guess I won't be hitting the 50K mark on my NaNoWriMo story attempt, but then again I wasn't expecting to make that goal. I'll merely be happy hitting the 10,000-word mark, which I'll do tomorrow evening, just to close out November and add a special sense of accomplishment to the end of an interesting year.

The good news is, I now have a completely new approach to an old storyline...and I think that more than anything else was the primary goal of making an attempt. I'm back to writing on an almost-regular basis, at least a page of handwritten text a day and some of it is actually decent. I'll get around to sharing some of the snippets I did manage to produce during the month, some actually related to the story I was using for "NaNo."

In other news, I am now in possession of a sweet new laptop -- a Toshiba Satellite A215. *dances* While it's going to take some getting used to, I can honestly say I'm pleased with this new acquisition. The keys are large and easy to see and the widescreen feature is awesome, especially when paired with a graphics card and dual-AMD Turion processors -- can we say, hardcore graphics machine? :3

I tested the wireless access this evening, it works beautifully although finding a wireless point will be a bit of a challenge since the nearest one is a Panera's and I don't have the funds to go daily. However, with some good comes some bad. The speakers are nominal and drain the battery faster, so use headphones and you'll be guaranteed almost a full half-hour of additional battery usage plus better sound quality. Also Vista makes me gag a bit... Xp I've already had to download plug-ins for Flash and Windows Media Player 11 (stupid considering the OS and program are made by the same company) and McAfee doesn't play nice with the ZoneAlarm firewall (won't even let me install the program). Still, it has a 160 GB hard drive and RAM expansion to 4 GB...considering how jacked up Vista is before patches, I'm grateful to Toshiba for giving the OS room to function in. Somehow, I think I'm gonna need it.

I haven't been to the movies recently, but there are a few movies I want to go see: American Gangster with Denzel Washington, The Golden Compass, and the Bee Movie (for the CGI and Chris Rock mostly). If there are any other movies I want to see, I'll let you know...it's about time for a movie review, isn't it? ^^