Yeah, so…Karper suggested that I upload my videos onto YouTube…believing that a person could put up an hour long video on it. Nope. Maximum was 15 minutes. So, in playing with the different effect options I had on the program…I found I could cut the time in half by doubling up the speed.
Yeah…so…Who wants to play “Name that Song!”? I know there’s at least one of them in the first clip you’ll never guess, considering it’s more than likely never debuted on any public radio station…if any radio station EVER. XD
WEEEEEEE!
And for those of you who’ve seen the original 11 clips from the first video, you’re not allowed to play along…cuz that’s just CHEATING! ^_^
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Changes and Inspiring Friends.
Moving is a big and major change. The one I embarked on earlier this year was probably the most stressful one I’ve ever endeavored. My best librarian friend was at first visiting me down in Savannah, and little did either one of us know that on his way back to his brother’s house, he’d be toting me with him. I was jobless and emotionally a wreck; I knew what needed to get done, but felt too numb to make any concrete decisions. When I started to move into the house and start my new job…I was determined to stay in my shell; that same shell that my Lady in Red had managed to pull me out of 15 years ago.
Taxim has managed to help me grow comfortable in my skin again with our late night video chats and role playing with our various characters on our favorite site. When I started to lose all desire to draw and paint, my best college friend suggested that I take a sabbatical, and reminded me when even though they maybe not be nearby, the friends that love me the most will always be around to lift me up again.
Whether I’m capable of thinking rationally or not during times of change and stress, I knew from the start that after living 30 years amongst nothing but rooms stacked high with clutter, I definitely needed to clear out some space to breathe. I remember the first year I lived with my last boyfriend; my sisters were coming to visit for St. Patty’s, and we still had yet to clear out any walking space from the front door to the living area. And the ex wondered why I was frantically going through my stuff to clear out, throw away, and simply remove it from my sight when we had a week before my sisters arrived. “Calm down, you don’t have to get rid of anything, let‘s just think it over before you do anything you‘ll regret.” We had a whole year to think it over, and nothing got done. How much more thinking did we need to do?!
And since I tend to be a great respecter of leaving other people’s stuff to their own devices, I left his junk alone and continued through the process of weeding out my clutter. My clutter, my past…everything that has been filling me with frustration as I piss and moan about moving it around and it all getting in my way. No more. I think I’ve successfully gone through roughly 1/3 of my stuff if not more, and a majority of it is in boxes in the dining room ready to be taken to Good Will or the Salvation Army. And if they’re not willing to take any of it, due to whatever new restrictions they’re putting on donations, well…then…guess it’s going into the trash!
It’s a cleansing process to me, one of which I believe has helped me clear away some of the emotional clutter that tends to keep me from opening up. I’ve got more open space in my bedroom, but am still working on clearing stuff out of the office. I think depending on how much stuff I have in the end will determine whether or not I turn the office into another guest bedroom. I know that I’m still hiding myself in my room most of the time, and I think having a secondary room like an office will help to get me out of it a bit more often. Or maybe I should claim one of the downstairs rooms for myself and turn the office into a guest bedroom. Then, if that hutch desk I want is still available, I won’t have to figure out a way of getting it up the stairs. Hmm…either way…I suppose that shelf unit will have to be moved again…
Really…this house is just too big for me. I either need to find a smaller place, or find me a roommate with a TV and gaming system to get me to get more interested in being around the rest of the house.
But…I think there is still hope for me yet. Karper…you remember him right? He wants me to illustrate his book. (Scratch that…he NEEDs me to illustrate some awesome children’s books he has in mind now. You see that? I‘m NEEDed! Or…at least my drawing skills are.) I’m not entirely sure how that’s going to work out, but he‘s actually got me excited about it! That’s a feat in itself! But getting to know him and the rare times I’ve had the chance to hang out with him have been…well…inspiring.
Taxim has managed to help me grow comfortable in my skin again with our late night video chats and role playing with our various characters on our favorite site. When I started to lose all desire to draw and paint, my best college friend suggested that I take a sabbatical, and reminded me when even though they maybe not be nearby, the friends that love me the most will always be around to lift me up again.
Whether I’m capable of thinking rationally or not during times of change and stress, I knew from the start that after living 30 years amongst nothing but rooms stacked high with clutter, I definitely needed to clear out some space to breathe. I remember the first year I lived with my last boyfriend; my sisters were coming to visit for St. Patty’s, and we still had yet to clear out any walking space from the front door to the living area. And the ex wondered why I was frantically going through my stuff to clear out, throw away, and simply remove it from my sight when we had a week before my sisters arrived. “Calm down, you don’t have to get rid of anything, let‘s just think it over before you do anything you‘ll regret.” We had a whole year to think it over, and nothing got done. How much more thinking did we need to do?!
And since I tend to be a great respecter of leaving other people’s stuff to their own devices, I left his junk alone and continued through the process of weeding out my clutter. My clutter, my past…everything that has been filling me with frustration as I piss and moan about moving it around and it all getting in my way. No more. I think I’ve successfully gone through roughly 1/3 of my stuff if not more, and a majority of it is in boxes in the dining room ready to be taken to Good Will or the Salvation Army. And if they’re not willing to take any of it, due to whatever new restrictions they’re putting on donations, well…then…guess it’s going into the trash!
It’s a cleansing process to me, one of which I believe has helped me clear away some of the emotional clutter that tends to keep me from opening up. I’ve got more open space in my bedroom, but am still working on clearing stuff out of the office. I think depending on how much stuff I have in the end will determine whether or not I turn the office into another guest bedroom. I know that I’m still hiding myself in my room most of the time, and I think having a secondary room like an office will help to get me out of it a bit more often. Or maybe I should claim one of the downstairs rooms for myself and turn the office into a guest bedroom. Then, if that hutch desk I want is still available, I won’t have to figure out a way of getting it up the stairs. Hmm…either way…I suppose that shelf unit will have to be moved again…
Really…this house is just too big for me. I either need to find a smaller place, or find me a roommate with a TV and gaming system to get me to get more interested in being around the rest of the house.
But…I think there is still hope for me yet. Karper…you remember him right? He wants me to illustrate his book. (Scratch that…he NEEDs me to illustrate some awesome children’s books he has in mind now. You see that? I‘m NEEDed! Or…at least my drawing skills are.) I’m not entirely sure how that’s going to work out, but he‘s actually got me excited about it! That’s a feat in itself! But getting to know him and the rare times I’ve had the chance to hang out with him have been…well…inspiring.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Meet…
…and this is where I’m at a loss; primarily on how to spell this little darling’s name. The first time I saw it spelled was from Karper, when he was excited to hear from his mother that this sweet and adorable little bundle of fur instantly connected with me. However, upon looking at the vet records, the name is the correct spelling of the word she was named after. So…which would you prefer, Travellar (from the writer/English major) or Traveler (the correct spelling)?
I think I’m going to stick with Travellar. It actually gives it a more personal name feeling to me than the actual spelling of the word. That, and it gives me one more thing to pick on Karper about later down the road, along with not getting a hold of me for a whole month for apparently no good reason whatsoever. That’s right, buddy! I’m never letting you live that down! MWAHAHA!
She, along with her three sisters, were named after Karper’s cousin. The others are Shenanigan, Fluffy, and Rosa! Travellar was originally considered the leader of the litter, gathering up her sisters and directing them to where she wanted to go. She also had everyone fooled into believing that she was actually a boy! I was delighted at this fact, only because when I was little, I really wanted to be a boy so bad because boys got to do ALL the cool stuff! We were kindred spirits from the start!
When we first met, Karper’s mother was telling me how skittish and squirmy she tended to be when she would take her out of the cage. However, once she was in my arms…she was calm, relaxed…completely chilled out as she laid back and examined the barn from her view point. We were baffled, and I was in complete aw! It was like love at first sight, only she never really looked at me the entire time.
I wasn’t able to pick her up for another two week, though…because a certain sister of mine decided to highjack me for painting project she had in mind. It’s not entirely completed yet…but it’s getting there.
When Mom drove me up to pick Travellar up, Karper’s mother was beaming over the good bill of health all four of the kittens received, amazed that all four were girls, and ecstatic at how Shenanigan and Fluffy warmed up to my mother. Needless to say, they were grey…which Mom has a soft spot for…and they were all purrs in her arms. In fact, we hope to pick the two of them up later this week! Yes…they managed to worm their way into her heart, which means Travellar will get to visit her sisters every so often!
Her first night at my place was…well, scary! I live in a house that’s too big for me, and all the rooms besides my own are virtually barren. Yes, there’s furniture in them…but the minimal amount that makes it livable, but not cozy. Considering that I don’t use the rooms that often as it were, I suppose there isn’t much need for the cozy aspect…but I think the vast amount of space just put the poor thing on edge. She found a hiding space atop of a bench that was beneath a table in the living room, and gave me quite the scare when I couldn’t find her after eating my dinner while I let her explore!
So, I took her up to my room, put her in a bassinet that Mom had dropped off for Calista (because she used to sleep in it at her house, but hasn’t touched it since) and let her hide for the rest of the night. And trust me, she hid in it all of the night, and anytime I was away from the room the following day. She purred out of fear and stress, and as far as I could tell, didn’t leave the bassinet all night. Come morning, I scooped her out of the hiding place and showered her with affection, cooing quietly to her and bundling her up in the warmth of my embrace. It was then she remembered why she wanted to come home with me to begin with. Ever since, she’s explored every inch of my room, and has dared to venture out of it whenever I’ve given her the opportunities to.
She likes to fall off the edge of the bed, roll around all over my lap whenever she’s feeling affectionate, lets me rub her belly while she blissfully chills out, and otherwise runs amuck chasing after the toys on the floor. Travellar eats all of her food, uses the litter box often, and comes running to me when I open the bedroom door when I get home. Despite Calista’s hot and cold temper towards me about the kitten, I am truly delighted…happy…excited…and completely in love with the little motorboat as she brightens up my day with her endless energy!
Thank you, Karper and K-Mom!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
R.i.P. General…
I went to bed early last night so that I could get plenty of sleep before getting up at dark-thirty to go to Harpers Ferry with my dad on my day off today. General YumYum woke me up 4 hours early, crying out and clawing at my face. He had been doing that for the past couple of days…pretty much since he got his vaccination shot. But I continued to keep him close until he decided he wanted to leave the bed, or lay down at my feet.
When we got back into town, I checked up on him before heading over to my parents’ house to move a headboard. Since Dad and I were heading over to the ski resort to look at this…unbelievable view…Mom offered to watch over the General while we were gone. Heading back to my house, I wrapped him up in the blanket he was delivered in to me when I first got him. Upon the leaving the house, he wriggled and squirmed, trying to lurch out of my arms. I caught him…and next thing I knew…he was gone.
We thought there were signs that he might revive, the way his body twitched, his mouth opening as if to try and breathe. The vet had me check for a heartbeat and movement in his eyes. He figures, though without a proper autopsy we can’t be for sure, that he might have had a pre-existing heart or liver condition, which might have been the reason why his mother abandoned him.
We buried him in my parents’ backyard.
It was just only two days ago I was saying how lucky it was when I took him in, or else some mean dogs might have gotten to him in my manager’s neighborhood. The few good things we could say is that he was cared for…happy during the short time he had…and didn’t die alone.
When we got back into town, I checked up on him before heading over to my parents’ house to move a headboard. Since Dad and I were heading over to the ski resort to look at this…unbelievable view…Mom offered to watch over the General while we were gone. Heading back to my house, I wrapped him up in the blanket he was delivered in to me when I first got him. Upon the leaving the house, he wriggled and squirmed, trying to lurch out of my arms. I caught him…and next thing I knew…he was gone.
We thought there were signs that he might revive, the way his body twitched, his mouth opening as if to try and breathe. The vet had me check for a heartbeat and movement in his eyes. He figures, though without a proper autopsy we can’t be for sure, that he might have had a pre-existing heart or liver condition, which might have been the reason why his mother abandoned him.
We buried him in my parents’ backyard.
It was just only two days ago I was saying how lucky it was when I took him in, or else some mean dogs might have gotten to him in my manager’s neighborhood. The few good things we could say is that he was cared for…happy during the short time he had…and didn’t die alone.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Meet General YumYum!
And this here would be the picture I sent to my friends and family over the phone the first day I got him! HE’S SO TINY!
He’s relatively 6-7 weeks old, and he was found by my assistant manager. While we were busy busy busy stocking up this week’s inventory, she calls out seeing if anyone wanted a kitten. She had found him in her cat’s cubby, and the little dear wasn’t coming out for anything. Her daughter managed to get him out, but he wouldn’t eat…probably intimidated by the other cats that wanted to sniff him. Even though my baby girl Calista has been very happy with the fact that she hasn’t had to share me or the house with any other felines, I caved and said I’d take him in.
I can’t help it! Where my sister goes and gets two kittens at a time from co-worker’s litters, I have to take in the singled out strays that appear out of nowhere! And for a lot of them, it feels like destiny. They found their way to people I know, be it friends, neighbors, or co-workers, only to wind up under my care.
And ooooooh how he is a charmer! Get down to his level, and he’ll come up and nuzzle in beneath your chin! Let him tumble around in your lap and he’ll fall asleep once he’s tuckered himself out. Then there’s his purrs! Endless! And he loves to hide! Usually beneath the dressers, but he’s managed to burrow into the folds of the blanket and hide in there while keeping all good and warm at the same time! He’s fur is super soft as well! He’s amazingly adorable, and kneads a lot…but I imagine that’s a kitten thing…to get milk and such. And he likes to nibble on my fingers! SO CUTE!
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Carved Candles.
I’m telling my friend Keni about my carved candles, and eventually had to show him a picture of one just to give him a better idea of what the hell I was talking about. The first impression most people seem to think is…”Oh neat! Could you carve me a wolf?”
No.
Those are molded candles, for the most part. I’m sure there’s someone with the skills to go take a chunk of wax and go about carving the figure of whatever’s heart’s desire and all…but since most 3D related art and sculptures have never been my forte, I can guarantee that I will not be making such candles without the aid of a prefabricated mold. End of the discussion.
However…THIS…the image above…is what I’m talking about. Carved ribbon candles! This one up above in fact was carved by myself probably about a good six or so years ago. The white wax unfortunately has started to fade at the bottom, but time will do that to anything that involves dyed colors. BUT THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO DO WITH THE REST OF MY LIFE.
Karper came over one time and took a look at one I had managed to have unpacked at the time, and instantly wanted to learn how to make it. He’s got a lot of energy about him, wanting to learn and teach…but it was good to see the enthusiasm in his eyes when I talked to him about the processes that go into making these candles. Even one of my managers was happy to hear that I have a plan…or a hope, or a dream to work towards. She says too many people don’t have them around here; that…or don’t express them so openly.
And I honestly wouldn’t mind teaching other people how to make them! It’s really a beautiful and relaxing craft to learn, and great for someone like me who wants to get things done quickly…as you don’t have much time to mess around with it to begin with! Back in the day I was the one teaching the roommate I used to work with at the time. The company I want to order my supplies from does things just a little differently from what I learned, but only to be conducive towards not using full length wicks, but instead using oil wicks…which in my opinion is a lot better because then you don’t have to worry about accidently burning or melting the design. I learned that as much as you can give people instructions on how to care for your candle when burning it, they never pay attention to what they’re doing.
BUT OH! When you do light them up! The way the colors glow! It’s the most enchanting thing! I swear, I could get lost just watching the flames flicker from deep down inside a well burned candle and just marvel at the way the colors light up. Truly a beautiful sight to see, but not so well captured on the camera…at least not by myself. And there’s so much more you can do with them! If the well inside is deep and wide enough, you can plop a smaller candle, like a tea-light or votive, inside and let it burn…even the scented ones! It becomes a candle holder! How many candles do that and still look just as pretty, huh?
Do you see what it is I’m saving my money up for? I heard there’s a shop in Hawaii that sells them, but there isn’t one in Savannah anymore! I left the shop I used to work for roughly 2-3 years before they closed down. That place had stayed open for…roughly over 20 years. And then…the original older sold it…to which it was given as a wedding gift by the bride’s father. Apparently the husband and wife who I used to work for used to work for the original owner. I was told it was thriving back in those days, before they were given ownership of it. And somehow, they ran it into the ground! How sad, right…but it was primarily because they never got anything shipped out on time. How do you expect to keep happy customers if you don’t get their order done in time, right? Plus…you don’t see these kinds of candles everywhere. Scented candles, you see them all over the place! But these? Hardly anywhere, right? I’ve searched online, and can’t find a place that carves a decent one. Always someone’s attempt at them, but nothing as well crafted as what I’ve seen and made.
I plan on starting out small. I won’t be able to open a shop right off from the start, but my sister’s been telling me that as a female making less than the average yearly income, I should be able to get some grants to help start a business up. But all the research I’ve done in the past has left me rather confused as to how to get it. Honestly. Something always made me hesitate in taking that step forward; probably all the legal mumbo-jumbo that’s written in such huge and complicated words that I can’t understand what it is that I’m reading. Why can’t lawyers and government officials use laymen terms?
I think I need to have a garage sale…get rid of the crap I’ve got stored away with absolutely no use for.
No.
Those are molded candles, for the most part. I’m sure there’s someone with the skills to go take a chunk of wax and go about carving the figure of whatever’s heart’s desire and all…but since most 3D related art and sculptures have never been my forte, I can guarantee that I will not be making such candles without the aid of a prefabricated mold. End of the discussion.
However…THIS…the image above…is what I’m talking about. Carved ribbon candles! This one up above in fact was carved by myself probably about a good six or so years ago. The white wax unfortunately has started to fade at the bottom, but time will do that to anything that involves dyed colors. BUT THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO DO WITH THE REST OF MY LIFE.
Karper came over one time and took a look at one I had managed to have unpacked at the time, and instantly wanted to learn how to make it. He’s got a lot of energy about him, wanting to learn and teach…but it was good to see the enthusiasm in his eyes when I talked to him about the processes that go into making these candles. Even one of my managers was happy to hear that I have a plan…or a hope, or a dream to work towards. She says too many people don’t have them around here; that…or don’t express them so openly.
And I honestly wouldn’t mind teaching other people how to make them! It’s really a beautiful and relaxing craft to learn, and great for someone like me who wants to get things done quickly…as you don’t have much time to mess around with it to begin with! Back in the day I was the one teaching the roommate I used to work with at the time. The company I want to order my supplies from does things just a little differently from what I learned, but only to be conducive towards not using full length wicks, but instead using oil wicks…which in my opinion is a lot better because then you don’t have to worry about accidently burning or melting the design. I learned that as much as you can give people instructions on how to care for your candle when burning it, they never pay attention to what they’re doing.
BUT OH! When you do light them up! The way the colors glow! It’s the most enchanting thing! I swear, I could get lost just watching the flames flicker from deep down inside a well burned candle and just marvel at the way the colors light up. Truly a beautiful sight to see, but not so well captured on the camera…at least not by myself. And there’s so much more you can do with them! If the well inside is deep and wide enough, you can plop a smaller candle, like a tea-light or votive, inside and let it burn…even the scented ones! It becomes a candle holder! How many candles do that and still look just as pretty, huh?
Do you see what it is I’m saving my money up for? I heard there’s a shop in Hawaii that sells them, but there isn’t one in Savannah anymore! I left the shop I used to work for roughly 2-3 years before they closed down. That place had stayed open for…roughly over 20 years. And then…the original older sold it…to which it was given as a wedding gift by the bride’s father. Apparently the husband and wife who I used to work for used to work for the original owner. I was told it was thriving back in those days, before they were given ownership of it. And somehow, they ran it into the ground! How sad, right…but it was primarily because they never got anything shipped out on time. How do you expect to keep happy customers if you don’t get their order done in time, right? Plus…you don’t see these kinds of candles everywhere. Scented candles, you see them all over the place! But these? Hardly anywhere, right? I’ve searched online, and can’t find a place that carves a decent one. Always someone’s attempt at them, but nothing as well crafted as what I’ve seen and made.
I plan on starting out small. I won’t be able to open a shop right off from the start, but my sister’s been telling me that as a female making less than the average yearly income, I should be able to get some grants to help start a business up. But all the research I’ve done in the past has left me rather confused as to how to get it. Honestly. Something always made me hesitate in taking that step forward; probably all the legal mumbo-jumbo that’s written in such huge and complicated words that I can’t understand what it is that I’m reading. Why can’t lawyers and government officials use laymen terms?
I think I need to have a garage sale…get rid of the crap I’ve got stored away with absolutely no use for.
Monday, September 13, 2010
So Easily Discouraged.
Which is not something that my sister Statler wants to hear about, as she knows too many people who express the negative side of things so often that she herself is having a hard time keeping positive for them. And yet, I’m the same way as I convince my friends to vent it all out in hopes that at least expressing their frustrations will help to ease a weight upon their shoulders that simply listening is the only way that I can really help. Then an intense force drives me down as things start turning sour in my direction…
This month’s First Friday was a rather low blow. The past couple of months, sales had increased by a little bit, but with the lack of anything new to show and still no real interest in the character prints or comics (except for the two guys that want me to draw up their stories for them, which I’m still quietly excited about), I had a gut feeling that things would go well this month. I really need to listen to my gut feeling more often. One could easily blame it on the weather this time around, though I honestly think that last month’s location was rather ideal over where they normally hold the show. They tried to make it better by blocking off one of the streets to help deal with vehicle traffic…but that’s neither here or there right now. This time around it was rather windy, which grew to be so strong that it not only managed to knock my canopy over, but the display wall, easel, and table over. It was a mess…but on the bright side, my windows didn’t break. I lost a stein, which no one seemed to have much interest in anyways, my framed prints need to be cleaned up a bit…and after trying to set things back up again and helping my neighboring booth deal with her canopy and other things that had fallen, my stuff got blown over again. “I think it’s time we pack it up for the night.” We only had a half hour before the show was over anyways, and by the time we got home…it started to rain. I suppose the gods were just looking out for me and didn’t want my stuff to get wet, but did they have to cause such a mess?
I’m sure I wasn’t alone in being discouraged by the evening, as the cute blond guy I shall name Karper sat with me at my booth for a good portion of the show when people who were suppose to speak at his reading and discussion at the library canceled on him. We talked about it…he bought a couple of comics, who’s proceeds went to buying my lunch the next day at work…heh…that’s twice now that he’s paid for lunch. I really ought to return the favor sometime. Hmm…right, so then I got to meet his cousins, and when things just fell apart on me, he and his family helped to clean and pack things up. I attempted to read the first poem in a book of poetry he had left at my booth when he went off to chat with people, but I kept on getting interrupted by the wind; first in helping the food vendor cleaning up some chips that had tried to make an escape, and then by my booth deciding that flying away was on its agenda as well. For what little of it I read, I liked the point of view of the poem!
Karper is one of the two guys that want me to draw up their stories for them. The other is ET, who amazingly is unable to stay awake through the movie by the same name, and thus has been unable to see it in its entirety. The same movie that I cried through the ending of because I didn’t want ET to go home! ET has a great story idea that just puts me in a fit of giggles every time I look at the synapses, however…I’m finding that I’m having difficulty figuring out what the characters are suppose to look like. I don’t know if it means that my imagination is broken due to years of…? I honestly don’t know what the problem could be. The idea behind it is neat, and I think it would be a fun read…but…I have more questions behind the development more so than ideas of how it could look. I’m taking this as a bad sign. My dad suggested to just draw up something that first comes to mind to see if it goes along with what the guy wants…but I can’t even do that. I look at the list of characters, and then at the drawing of the vehicle he sent me…and everything just goes blank in my head.
But I’m trying to use such developmental inquiries on yet another project that my friend Keni wants me to write with him; a three book series on the adventures of two of our characters that we play on a game. But even this I found myself getting annoyed with because while he focuses on developing the two main characters (which is fine and important ), I’m trying to get him to focus on developing the world! I can’t think about what a plot or character might be if I don’t know what the world is like? What’s my character’s views on this…well how the hell should I know if I don’t know what this is?! Heh…but I went and took him by surprise by shooting off a bunch of none descriptive questions/options to him over text message while he was on a house hunting trip. From this, I’ve created the skeletal basis of a world for him to peruse when he gets internet access again. Here’s hoping I can get him to focus on that for a bit.
The lack of sales in my shops is discouraging as well, though I half expected it. I don’t have any ideas on how to cheaply advertise a bunch of products online, and the grapevine seems to have shriveled up and died on me. I should forewarn Statler of this before she has me painting anything wine related…out of fear that such ventures will look rather desolate.
Anyways…how do you like the random, old and new art that I have floating around on my computer. Some of them are projects I picked up from friends and family, others were just random things that I might do something with later down the road. We’ll see.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Elderly Man…
…heh…he’ll get the joke.
Though really, my dad isn’t elderly. Far from it, having survived a heart attack and does his best to walk every morning, test himself on the fitness trail at the local park, and continues to work and play with his trains; along with help me go about maintaining a house.
For those who don’t know me, I’m a Daddy’s Girl! I adore him to no end! Why? Because somehow he understands me enough to make me laugh at my own quirks. He’ll occasionally call me his son, vaguely due to the fact that in high school I picked up a nickname of the male gender; because…well…I’m not all that feminine personality wise! When he bought the women in his family porcelain pendants, he was so dead one with the dragon (as I’ve seen them around before but couldn’t decide which one I wanted if I ever could afford one) that I haven’t taken it off since. And though he occasionally forgets that I understand logic and physics (a class I should have taken in high school instead of chemistry), it’s fun to see the delight in his eyes when he’s reminded and reiterates how I’m not all that girly.
I LOVE MY DAD! And I have some really fun memories that even revolve around his previous birthdays!
I spent my first summer as a SCAD student at home with my parents. By the time Dad’s birthday came around, I was working the graveyard shift at a nearby gas station. It was pretty fun, despite being left in the sub-station making coffee and muffins in preparation for the morning rush that I was normally gone in time for. I had worked the night before and into the morning of his birthday, and had asked for his birthday night off so I could enjoy the day with him, Mom, Statler, and Kermit’s godparents at…HERSHEY PARK! Why there? BECAUSE WE LOVE ROLLERCOASTERS! Mom doesn’t, but Dad and his girls do! OH THE FUN!
So I get home from work at around 6am, wonder into my room to find…!!! A computer game I had been obsessing about (I can’t wait for Dungeon Siege 3 to come out next year!) all summer and a DVD drive for my computer! That’s right! Dad gave me gifts for his birthday! How awesome is that?! My friends still can’t figure out how that works, but I’m not going to question it. All I know is that when it comes to his birthday and X-mas, all he ever wants is to spend time with his daughters. No other gifts really matter as much.
Excited about the DVD drive because I had gotten a movie that I couldn’t watch because…I didn’t own a DVD player; I accidently woke him up trying to install the damn thing into my computer. Sadly, I couldn’t remember how to open my computer to install it. He had been hoping to wake up to find me playing the game so he could watch me play it…just to see what it was like, but of course…that wasn’t the case. “Go make breakfast and I’ll have it up and running by the time you’re done!” The computer was put back together and the game was up and running like I said it would be! And I was overjoyed when I got to get past the part where the DEMO I had normally stopped me. Basically, my convincing argument for getting the game: I work overnight hours. None of my friends are up that late to chat with, and I don’t want to keep you and Mom up watching TV. What better way to keep my sleeping schedule in tact by playing a video game on my nights off?
Now, I know what you’re thinking, as my sister didn’t understand why I worked the night before Dad’s birthday and not ask for it off along with the night after. I didn’t want to risk for asking for too much time off then. Heh…I knew what I was doing. Basically I took a catnap on the drive up to the park (hour long), to which we went around riding roller coasters, including a kiddy one that was like taking a trolley around a western themed area that helped to settle our stomachs for lunch. Seriously…it was that tame. Then there was the original Mighty Mouse that Mom rode because it didn’t have any loopty-loops; she can’t handle the good stuff. And after some disappointment in waiting in line for a coaster ride that had been on and off all day, they went to ride the teacups with Mom and then drove home. Hour long actually dead asleep nap in the car again, and then I was up all night playing my game. That’s right! I had the college student stamina back then to endure being up over 24 hours, take a short nap, and stay up another few hours…all to spend time with my dad and play a video game! WEEE!
But the best birthday was his 60th! It was the first time visiting my current home town, seeing their new house, and going to the local tavern. And the way Mom set it all up was amazing! Two weeks earlier we were all in NYC to watch a Yankees game for the last time in the old stadium. Dad with all three of his daughters, one of which lives in NM while I was living in GA, so he really didn’t expect to see either of us for his birthday. The boyfriend at the time and I drove up with the cats, cause Mom said we could, with the money she gave us to cover gas and food.
Before that, she had been emailing a close friend of Dad’s about coming up to visit, and he, the Giant Leprechaun, changed the title and format of the email to make it look like he was up and coming for a visit, kind of like a last minute decision. There’re plenty of Civil War battlefields to visit in the area, and he and Dad are into the history of it all, so it made sense. Dad was excited; he got to hang out with his buddy for his birthday. Passing the house in the car, GL parks it up the street and meanders into the yard…knocking on the door when he says Mom through the window. So he and Dad go to the tavern for a drink and don’t get home with his car until JUST after me and the bf start unloading ours of the cats and luggage. “What a surprise! What are you doing here? And you brought the mangy beasts?!” “Mom said we could!”
We were in the middle of talking about something in the living room…as we normally do…later that evening when the bf goes to put a can in the recyclable bin out back. As Dad has his back to the doorway, and the bf just so happens to be out back in time to let her in, Kermit quietly sneaks in with her newest baby...who is sleeping so he’s obviously not loud enough to draw Dad’s attention. She stands there for a minute or two before announcing her presence; to which Dad nearly has a heart attack! It surprised him so much to see my sister there, because she lives so far away! Again, Mom fronted the money for her plane ticket…just to have the three of us there for his 60th! Statler picked her up at the airport and let her borrow one of her cars to drive into town.
The following day, GL, bf, and Dad go walk Antietam Battlefield and later go to the tavern again for a beer and oysters. On and on Dad talks about this Beer Tasting Dinner that they occasionally have and how he’s never been to one but they sounded great, with good food and beer from all over the world. Five course meal cooked fresh with produce from the local farms and a different kind of beer to compliment each course. Oh! I can’t remember everything we had, but the dessert was my favorite! Flakey kind of pastry with cream and fruits! I wish I could have it again…
Low and behold, the next day, for Dad’s birthday, more people show up by surprise, and not only that…they’re there for a BEER TASTING DINNER Mom had arranged for the big day! He’s declared it the best birthday of his life. Mom really outdid herself this time around, with all the surprises and having his daughters there to share it with. Hee!
Happy Birthday, Dad! Can’t say today is going to be as good as two years ago, but I’m sure you’ll love it either way!
Though really, my dad isn’t elderly. Far from it, having survived a heart attack and does his best to walk every morning, test himself on the fitness trail at the local park, and continues to work and play with his trains; along with help me go about maintaining a house.
For those who don’t know me, I’m a Daddy’s Girl! I adore him to no end! Why? Because somehow he understands me enough to make me laugh at my own quirks. He’ll occasionally call me his son, vaguely due to the fact that in high school I picked up a nickname of the male gender; because…well…I’m not all that feminine personality wise! When he bought the women in his family porcelain pendants, he was so dead one with the dragon (as I’ve seen them around before but couldn’t decide which one I wanted if I ever could afford one) that I haven’t taken it off since. And though he occasionally forgets that I understand logic and physics (a class I should have taken in high school instead of chemistry), it’s fun to see the delight in his eyes when he’s reminded and reiterates how I’m not all that girly.
I LOVE MY DAD! And I have some really fun memories that even revolve around his previous birthdays!
I spent my first summer as a SCAD student at home with my parents. By the time Dad’s birthday came around, I was working the graveyard shift at a nearby gas station. It was pretty fun, despite being left in the sub-station making coffee and muffins in preparation for the morning rush that I was normally gone in time for. I had worked the night before and into the morning of his birthday, and had asked for his birthday night off so I could enjoy the day with him, Mom, Statler, and Kermit’s godparents at…HERSHEY PARK! Why there? BECAUSE WE LOVE ROLLERCOASTERS! Mom doesn’t, but Dad and his girls do! OH THE FUN!
So I get home from work at around 6am, wonder into my room to find…!!! A computer game I had been obsessing about (I can’t wait for Dungeon Siege 3 to come out next year!) all summer and a DVD drive for my computer! That’s right! Dad gave me gifts for his birthday! How awesome is that?! My friends still can’t figure out how that works, but I’m not going to question it. All I know is that when it comes to his birthday and X-mas, all he ever wants is to spend time with his daughters. No other gifts really matter as much.
Excited about the DVD drive because I had gotten a movie that I couldn’t watch because…I didn’t own a DVD player; I accidently woke him up trying to install the damn thing into my computer. Sadly, I couldn’t remember how to open my computer to install it. He had been hoping to wake up to find me playing the game so he could watch me play it…just to see what it was like, but of course…that wasn’t the case. “Go make breakfast and I’ll have it up and running by the time you’re done!” The computer was put back together and the game was up and running like I said it would be! And I was overjoyed when I got to get past the part where the DEMO I had normally stopped me. Basically, my convincing argument for getting the game: I work overnight hours. None of my friends are up that late to chat with, and I don’t want to keep you and Mom up watching TV. What better way to keep my sleeping schedule in tact by playing a video game on my nights off?
Now, I know what you’re thinking, as my sister didn’t understand why I worked the night before Dad’s birthday and not ask for it off along with the night after. I didn’t want to risk for asking for too much time off then. Heh…I knew what I was doing. Basically I took a catnap on the drive up to the park (hour long), to which we went around riding roller coasters, including a kiddy one that was like taking a trolley around a western themed area that helped to settle our stomachs for lunch. Seriously…it was that tame. Then there was the original Mighty Mouse that Mom rode because it didn’t have any loopty-loops; she can’t handle the good stuff. And after some disappointment in waiting in line for a coaster ride that had been on and off all day, they went to ride the teacups with Mom and then drove home. Hour long actually dead asleep nap in the car again, and then I was up all night playing my game. That’s right! I had the college student stamina back then to endure being up over 24 hours, take a short nap, and stay up another few hours…all to spend time with my dad and play a video game! WEEE!
But the best birthday was his 60th! It was the first time visiting my current home town, seeing their new house, and going to the local tavern. And the way Mom set it all up was amazing! Two weeks earlier we were all in NYC to watch a Yankees game for the last time in the old stadium. Dad with all three of his daughters, one of which lives in NM while I was living in GA, so he really didn’t expect to see either of us for his birthday. The boyfriend at the time and I drove up with the cats, cause Mom said we could, with the money she gave us to cover gas and food.
Before that, she had been emailing a close friend of Dad’s about coming up to visit, and he, the Giant Leprechaun, changed the title and format of the email to make it look like he was up and coming for a visit, kind of like a last minute decision. There’re plenty of Civil War battlefields to visit in the area, and he and Dad are into the history of it all, so it made sense. Dad was excited; he got to hang out with his buddy for his birthday. Passing the house in the car, GL parks it up the street and meanders into the yard…knocking on the door when he says Mom through the window. So he and Dad go to the tavern for a drink and don’t get home with his car until JUST after me and the bf start unloading ours of the cats and luggage. “What a surprise! What are you doing here? And you brought the mangy beasts?!” “Mom said we could!”
We were in the middle of talking about something in the living room…as we normally do…later that evening when the bf goes to put a can in the recyclable bin out back. As Dad has his back to the doorway, and the bf just so happens to be out back in time to let her in, Kermit quietly sneaks in with her newest baby...who is sleeping so he’s obviously not loud enough to draw Dad’s attention. She stands there for a minute or two before announcing her presence; to which Dad nearly has a heart attack! It surprised him so much to see my sister there, because she lives so far away! Again, Mom fronted the money for her plane ticket…just to have the three of us there for his 60th! Statler picked her up at the airport and let her borrow one of her cars to drive into town.
The following day, GL, bf, and Dad go walk Antietam Battlefield and later go to the tavern again for a beer and oysters. On and on Dad talks about this Beer Tasting Dinner that they occasionally have and how he’s never been to one but they sounded great, with good food and beer from all over the world. Five course meal cooked fresh with produce from the local farms and a different kind of beer to compliment each course. Oh! I can’t remember everything we had, but the dessert was my favorite! Flakey kind of pastry with cream and fruits! I wish I could have it again…
Low and behold, the next day, for Dad’s birthday, more people show up by surprise, and not only that…they’re there for a BEER TASTING DINNER Mom had arranged for the big day! He’s declared it the best birthday of his life. Mom really outdid herself this time around, with all the surprises and having his daughters there to share it with. Hee!
Happy Birthday, Dad! Can’t say today is going to be as good as two years ago, but I’m sure you’ll love it either way!
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Phone Calls…
I have an extreme discomfort when it comes to talking on the phone. More so when I’m in a work/business situation where you’re forced to sound professional…but in my case, am not able to answer quick enough to satisfy the person on the other end. When it comes to friends and family, I can be a little more relaxed despite constantly getting interrupted, but with customers and operators from whatever utilities companies…the conversation is strenuous, uncomfortable, and rather frustrating.
What’s worse is when I’m in the middle of working on something I have a deadline for, and get interrupted by some survey call from such-n-such-a-company who are asking me questions that I can’t honestly answer because I haven’t been a customer with them long enough to know what the hell they’re talking about! “Can I just say 10 for the rest of these questions because I’m busy and hate taking surveys?” To which then...because I’m annoyed and frustrated in knowing that said person had no account information on me and thus asked me a bunch of stupid questions she could have answered herself if she just opened my file…I have to completely stop what I’m doing, piss, moan, and rant to myself while I pace throughout the house until I get completely fed up with it all…and wait until I can calm myself down again before picking up the brush and continuing with the project at hand.
And people wonder why I don’t like deadlines…or talking on the phone for that matter! It’s enough to make me determined never to sign up with and Bell/BellSouth related phone landlines ever again! Why? Because every week they’d call wanting me to change my plan…saying that this new and improved one with all these features I have no need or use for is so much better, for just a couple dollars more than what I’m paying now. “I don’t need long distance. I have a cell phone for that.” or the ever popular “Why would I need to make international calls? I don’t know anyone outside of the country. Are you going to give me your number so I can call you when it’s most inconvenient?” One night, after having put up with the calls for a month, I tiredly consented to whatever plan the guy from India was trying to sell to me…granted, I couldn’t understand a word he was saying because the only two relatives I have from India speak far better English than any operator I’ve spoken to. I thought it was done and over with…whatever long distance or international calls would generally be free since neither I or my roommates would be making such calls…I hung up the phone, and hoped to move on with my evening. Not even a minute later the guy calls back. “You didn’t pick which country y-“…to which I went ballistic on him. In between a variety of cuss words un-creatively used as nouns, verbs, and adjectives, I told him that all I wanted was a landline for local calls and the security system. I didn’t need voicemail, caller ID, long distance or international calls, and wished that the phone company would get it through their thick skulls that every time they call about changing my plan, that it’s a form of HARRASSMENT, and I was about ready to quit my service with them and sue their asses if this kept up. Poor guy…I think I shook him up some, because his broken English wavered as he profusely apologized and promised to never call the number ever again.
I know I should have been more civil…but even during the times I had been more so, they still called back. Is really blowing up the only way of getting operators to leave you alone? I think it would have been nice if they had reimbursed me on my bill for the inconvenience, but a part of me believes that those phone calls really aren’t being recorded for customer satisfaction. If they were, then they would have surely stopped calling after the first time around.
So what project was I working on that got so needlessly interrupted? A call for artists to submit paintings of anything historic concerning Chambersburg, PA. My interest in this project: Zilch. Dad took me around the historic areas he knew about the city, and I occasionally stopped him when I thought I had an interesting shot. I chose a photo out of five or six, and started on the preliminary work for it. And the more I looked at it, and the more I inked in the lines and with more frustrations that kept on piling up throughout the week started cluttering my head…I tore the paper from the block and stormed out of the house to clear my head. Took some nice pictures along a road that heads out into the farm land…but I’m still frustrated, and still have no interest in painting anything. Sorry Dad, it’s just not happening this time around. You just can’t feel good about doing something you were never thrilled about doing to begin with, and trying to force yourself to make something good out of that negative feeling only adds more to the frustration. Not a good idea considering how I’m trying to stay positive and upbeat!
But after some careful consideration, talking with a friend over another project for my CafePress shops, and doing some major price comparisons, I found that my first shop…is robbing me of any possible profits I could be making, and robbing my customers of money that they could be saving. Did that make any sense to you? Basically, after comparing some prices for specific items that are available in the first shop, I realized that I could sell them in my second shop at a cheaper price than the first…and still make a fair profit. So, I started out with the mugs, bags…other little accessories and such, pulling out the cheaper versions of one or two items, and putting them up for sale in my second shop. Over time, I’ll be adding more to the second shop, including a wider variety of shirts (there’s so much more than what they’re offering in the first shop) at the prices I am able to lower for you. And once I get these specific commissions done for the shop, I’ll be adding another section for people to find their requested image in, amongst a variety of products I thought they’d look good on.
So go check out the changes! Maybe now there’s something you’ve been meaning to buy, but didn’t want to pay for at the first shop’s prices!
http://www.cafepress.com/CerynitisD
Oh, and to add some more randomness to this entry…along with something actually visual to look at ( I would have had some videos up, but they were too fuzzy to see what anything really was), I was given the pleasure seeing my friendly neighborhood spider play with one of his late evening meals. The area is apparently SWARMING with spiders, and I’ve got too many for comfort residing within the walls of my house. Luckily, the one who was spinning his stinkbug dinner around is on the outside of my hall window, and so I wasn’t getting the willies when I was capturing him on video. Just watch…the spider is all like “I spin you right round, baby, right round. Like a record, baby, right round round round…” And Mr. Stinkbug is still kicking and wriggling and all like “Nooooo! I don’t want to be spun right round round round!”
But then the spider was all “Ok, I’m bored with this, and some freaky looking chick won’t stop watching me while I play with my food, so I’m gonna go over here and ignore you for a bit.” And I was all sad. Every so often I checked back to see how things were going. Either he was playing with his food again, or ignoring it completely.
Come morning, though…Mr. Stinkbug was decapitated…
What’s worse is when I’m in the middle of working on something I have a deadline for, and get interrupted by some survey call from such-n-such-a-company who are asking me questions that I can’t honestly answer because I haven’t been a customer with them long enough to know what the hell they’re talking about! “Can I just say 10 for the rest of these questions because I’m busy and hate taking surveys?” To which then...because I’m annoyed and frustrated in knowing that said person had no account information on me and thus asked me a bunch of stupid questions she could have answered herself if she just opened my file…I have to completely stop what I’m doing, piss, moan, and rant to myself while I pace throughout the house until I get completely fed up with it all…and wait until I can calm myself down again before picking up the brush and continuing with the project at hand.
And people wonder why I don’t like deadlines…or talking on the phone for that matter! It’s enough to make me determined never to sign up with and Bell/BellSouth related phone landlines ever again! Why? Because every week they’d call wanting me to change my plan…saying that this new and improved one with all these features I have no need or use for is so much better, for just a couple dollars more than what I’m paying now. “I don’t need long distance. I have a cell phone for that.” or the ever popular “Why would I need to make international calls? I don’t know anyone outside of the country. Are you going to give me your number so I can call you when it’s most inconvenient?” One night, after having put up with the calls for a month, I tiredly consented to whatever plan the guy from India was trying to sell to me…granted, I couldn’t understand a word he was saying because the only two relatives I have from India speak far better English than any operator I’ve spoken to. I thought it was done and over with…whatever long distance or international calls would generally be free since neither I or my roommates would be making such calls…I hung up the phone, and hoped to move on with my evening. Not even a minute later the guy calls back. “You didn’t pick which country y-“…to which I went ballistic on him. In between a variety of cuss words un-creatively used as nouns, verbs, and adjectives, I told him that all I wanted was a landline for local calls and the security system. I didn’t need voicemail, caller ID, long distance or international calls, and wished that the phone company would get it through their thick skulls that every time they call about changing my plan, that it’s a form of HARRASSMENT, and I was about ready to quit my service with them and sue their asses if this kept up. Poor guy…I think I shook him up some, because his broken English wavered as he profusely apologized and promised to never call the number ever again.
I know I should have been more civil…but even during the times I had been more so, they still called back. Is really blowing up the only way of getting operators to leave you alone? I think it would have been nice if they had reimbursed me on my bill for the inconvenience, but a part of me believes that those phone calls really aren’t being recorded for customer satisfaction. If they were, then they would have surely stopped calling after the first time around.
So what project was I working on that got so needlessly interrupted? A call for artists to submit paintings of anything historic concerning Chambersburg, PA. My interest in this project: Zilch. Dad took me around the historic areas he knew about the city, and I occasionally stopped him when I thought I had an interesting shot. I chose a photo out of five or six, and started on the preliminary work for it. And the more I looked at it, and the more I inked in the lines and with more frustrations that kept on piling up throughout the week started cluttering my head…I tore the paper from the block and stormed out of the house to clear my head. Took some nice pictures along a road that heads out into the farm land…but I’m still frustrated, and still have no interest in painting anything. Sorry Dad, it’s just not happening this time around. You just can’t feel good about doing something you were never thrilled about doing to begin with, and trying to force yourself to make something good out of that negative feeling only adds more to the frustration. Not a good idea considering how I’m trying to stay positive and upbeat!
But after some careful consideration, talking with a friend over another project for my CafePress shops, and doing some major price comparisons, I found that my first shop…is robbing me of any possible profits I could be making, and robbing my customers of money that they could be saving. Did that make any sense to you? Basically, after comparing some prices for specific items that are available in the first shop, I realized that I could sell them in my second shop at a cheaper price than the first…and still make a fair profit. So, I started out with the mugs, bags…other little accessories and such, pulling out the cheaper versions of one or two items, and putting them up for sale in my second shop. Over time, I’ll be adding more to the second shop, including a wider variety of shirts (there’s so much more than what they’re offering in the first shop) at the prices I am able to lower for you. And once I get these specific commissions done for the shop, I’ll be adding another section for people to find their requested image in, amongst a variety of products I thought they’d look good on.
So go check out the changes! Maybe now there’s something you’ve been meaning to buy, but didn’t want to pay for at the first shop’s prices!
http://www.cafepress.com/CerynitisD
Oh, and to add some more randomness to this entry…along with something actually visual to look at ( I would have had some videos up, but they were too fuzzy to see what anything really was), I was given the pleasure seeing my friendly neighborhood spider play with one of his late evening meals. The area is apparently SWARMING with spiders, and I’ve got too many for comfort residing within the walls of my house. Luckily, the one who was spinning his stinkbug dinner around is on the outside of my hall window, and so I wasn’t getting the willies when I was capturing him on video. Just watch…the spider is all like “I spin you right round, baby, right round. Like a record, baby, right round round round…” And Mr. Stinkbug is still kicking and wriggling and all like “Nooooo! I don’t want to be spun right round round round!”
But then the spider was all “Ok, I’m bored with this, and some freaky looking chick won’t stop watching me while I play with my food, so I’m gonna go over here and ignore you for a bit.” And I was all sad. Every so often I checked back to see how things were going. Either he was playing with his food again, or ignoring it completely.
Come morning, though…Mr. Stinkbug was decapitated…
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Life is a Mirror-
-if you frown at it, it frowns back; if you smile at it, it returns the greeting.
I received this little bit of sagely advice from a fortune cookie I had one morning. Strangely enough, it’s the type of advice I’ve been trying to give a friend of mine every time he comes to me depressed. And I understand a lot of what he gets upset over, because I’ve traveled a similar road myself; but I haven’t found the right way of telling him that it will be ok, and when he gets older it won’t be as bad as he thinks. So he’ll go on believing I don’t understand him just because despite all the stress, uneasiness, and depression I’ve gone through during the first half of this year I’ve managed to remain…upbeat.
I would have to say some of it is due to being around a rather supportive family, and the fact that I was able to see some friends. No…not just some friends, but more like extremely important friends to me. I don’t think I would have managed so well through my high school and early college years if it weren’t for their inspirational support. So in a way, in being able to see them for just the brief time that I have, I was able to pull through the first half of this year better than I expected. You guys know who you are, and if you ever get around to reading this, know that I love you with all of my heart, and am eternally grateful that you’re a part of my life.
And I am trying to be a bit more upbeat about it all; moping about how bad it is really doesn’t get me anywhere I want to be. I’m sure during the more stressful back to school times I wasn’t as ‘cheerful’ as I could have been with the customers from my last job, but I find myself smiling most of the time at my new job as I’m greeting them. I’m still getting to know my managers and co-workers, but thus far what little quirks I have seem worthy of a good humored joke to them; and I’ve proven myself at being quick and efficient during my first morning after truck day…managing to unload more loads than the one guy that works there, while finding where things go better than a girl that’s been there a month longer than I have. Not bad, considering how little of the layout I knew just then. I still get lost on certain items, because they’re placed somewhere different than where you would think to find them…but I’ll muster through it in the end. Oh! I also feel very official now that I have my very own box cutter! Complete with a clip to attach it to my pants and a cord to keep it from being separated or lost from the case! I was so delighted to receive it! Really! I WAS! I made myself laugh at the thought of it!
I received this little bit of sagely advice from a fortune cookie I had one morning. Strangely enough, it’s the type of advice I’ve been trying to give a friend of mine every time he comes to me depressed. And I understand a lot of what he gets upset over, because I’ve traveled a similar road myself; but I haven’t found the right way of telling him that it will be ok, and when he gets older it won’t be as bad as he thinks. So he’ll go on believing I don’t understand him just because despite all the stress, uneasiness, and depression I’ve gone through during the first half of this year I’ve managed to remain…upbeat.
I would have to say some of it is due to being around a rather supportive family, and the fact that I was able to see some friends. No…not just some friends, but more like extremely important friends to me. I don’t think I would have managed so well through my high school and early college years if it weren’t for their inspirational support. So in a way, in being able to see them for just the brief time that I have, I was able to pull through the first half of this year better than I expected. You guys know who you are, and if you ever get around to reading this, know that I love you with all of my heart, and am eternally grateful that you’re a part of my life.
And I am trying to be a bit more upbeat about it all; moping about how bad it is really doesn’t get me anywhere I want to be. I’m sure during the more stressful back to school times I wasn’t as ‘cheerful’ as I could have been with the customers from my last job, but I find myself smiling most of the time at my new job as I’m greeting them. I’m still getting to know my managers and co-workers, but thus far what little quirks I have seem worthy of a good humored joke to them; and I’ve proven myself at being quick and efficient during my first morning after truck day…managing to unload more loads than the one guy that works there, while finding where things go better than a girl that’s been there a month longer than I have. Not bad, considering how little of the layout I knew just then. I still get lost on certain items, because they’re placed somewhere different than where you would think to find them…but I’ll muster through it in the end. Oh! I also feel very official now that I have my very own box cutter! Complete with a clip to attach it to my pants and a cord to keep it from being separated or lost from the case! I was so delighted to receive it! Really! I WAS! I made myself laugh at the thought of it!
Sunday, August 8, 2010
A Long Awaited Return…
I was expecting to be back on after my birthday, maybe a week or so afterwards when things with the new how were falling through. But the bank got its act together, and low and behold, another couple of weeks blew right by me and landed me moving again. I swear, once I turned 30 everything came crashing down on me; new house, new job, now new internet and the prospect of new projects from two different writers. My prints, windows, and merchandise might not be selling well at the shows (though I was excited to sell my beloved dragon throw pillow to a young girl who seemed quite smitten with it, how giddy with joy I was at the thought of it having a good home! ), but the idea of other people liking the various styles I have to offer to put a visual aspect to their stories gives me hope; hope that maybe my Illustration and Sequential degrees will actually be appreciated.
My cat is still coping with the move, having stayed with my parents and their two cats for so long, filled with empty promises of a place of her own only to finally be fulfilled. The only problem she finds is that she’s completely alone when I’m away at work, or out doing something. She pines for attention and affection when I get home, purring ceaselessly, and rushing up the stairs in hopes that I’ll follow her to the bathroom to turn on the faucet. That’s a habit that really needs to be broken.
And so I look back in the past few weeks to see what I’ve done. Artistically, I’m working on three designs for my sister and a few friends to put up on my second CafePress shop.
http://www.cafepress.com/CerynitisD
I know that I will be constantly updating and rearranging this shop for a long while…as right now it is split into three different sections, soon to be four different sections, which will eventually be split into their own sections as I organize the types of images and artwork I put up on there. All in all, I hope it makes it all the easier for people to find what they want and understand the concept behind the images I put up there. Or…it could just turn out to be futile and nobody buys anything in the end. Either way, I’ll continue on with my own progress.
I have been thankful for the part time work I’ve picked up, as thus far it’s given me plenty of days off to attempt to work around the house, go visiting with family, and work the First Fridays…thus far. The hours seem to be pretty descent, and if they keep up as they are I should be able to scrape by with what I make. Means I probably won’t be saving much money for my candle venture, but I suppose that’s what tax returns are for. If they’re anything like what I got back from the past couple of years, it’ll be seven years before I get the money saved up for my candle business; that really disheartens me as I was hoping to get started on it sooner before I start losing hope on the idea again.
I was saddened even more when I came to the realization that, except for my favorite librarian who checks up when he remembers to and a girl I role play with when I remind her to, none of my friends really read my blog. They don’t look for the art, don’t read my updates on my personal life…nothing in my feeble attempt to try and keep in touch with them. If it’s not on FaceBook, then I guess it’s not worth looking at…? I hate thinking like that, believing that my friends don’t care for me because I’m not chasing after the latest and greatest fad…which to me, FaceBook and MySpace are just that…one more thing to get needlessly excited about only for it to get ignored later one by Twitter or the next best thing that has yet to come. LiveJournal turned out that way back in the day, right? Even my librarian admitted he doesn’t keep up with that as much as he used to. So I kind of have to wonder if it’ll be worth joining up with it in hopes to reacquaint myself with my friends again…or if it’s just a trap to be easily found by others I have no desire in getting to know all over again. For whatever reason, I really enjoyed the idea that I can manage to disappear, as I found out when my high school couldn’t find me to send my 10 year reunion invite, and my ex-comic partner thought I had disappeared from the face of the earth…just because I stopped playing all the expensive games that she required everyone to play in order to keep in touch with her.
Ah well…it was bound to happen. I knew it would happen, actually. Life goes on as you venture out on your separate ways, and the people you once cared about get pushed to the wayside as you create new friendships…caring more and more about them until the time comes where even those relationships become less and less active as well. It makes me wonder what new bonds I’ll make here in town, though at the moment I can feel the bond between family strengthening now. After living with Statler and helping her prepare for the quarter auctions, she keeps me up to date with when such events are in hopes that I can help her some more with them, arranging gift baskets and such. I need to get her to come into town sometime and take her to Hobby Lobby…I think she’ll find a lot of what she’s looking for there. She also wants me around as we both learn how to run her tea business, in preparation for when I open my candle business; filing and keeping up with taxes and such…
Kermit and her crew might be temporarily moving into the area for her husband’s job, which means the little Muppets will be closer to our parents. This in turn makes my dad EXTREMELY happy, because he misses having his daughters so close to him. However, Kermit also has plans for me in helping to tutor her kids in the various forms of art. First and foremost, I need to teach them how to draw. My eldest nephew showed interest when he asked how long it would take him to be as good as I, and my niece is already taking after her namesake in leaps and bounds. I’m excited for them, honestly…and already have an idea of where to start…first by teaching my sister how to draw. This will surely be an amusing experience to add to all the rest…but at least I’ll actually be contributing something good to the kids.
All in all…I think this is a good start into my thirties. It’s fresh, it’s new…which was what I was hoping for, and as long as I keep a positive outlook on what may happen…then surely I’ll be rewarded with nothing but good memories. Actually, if you think about it…it rained on my birthday; and though walking through town on that day stirred up a lot of sadness in my heart, I believe that it helped to wash away the old and prepare me for the new. I’ve got nowhere else to go now but forward.
My cat is still coping with the move, having stayed with my parents and their two cats for so long, filled with empty promises of a place of her own only to finally be fulfilled. The only problem she finds is that she’s completely alone when I’m away at work, or out doing something. She pines for attention and affection when I get home, purring ceaselessly, and rushing up the stairs in hopes that I’ll follow her to the bathroom to turn on the faucet. That’s a habit that really needs to be broken.
And so I look back in the past few weeks to see what I’ve done. Artistically, I’m working on three designs for my sister and a few friends to put up on my second CafePress shop.
http://www.cafepress.com/CerynitisD
I know that I will be constantly updating and rearranging this shop for a long while…as right now it is split into three different sections, soon to be four different sections, which will eventually be split into their own sections as I organize the types of images and artwork I put up on there. All in all, I hope it makes it all the easier for people to find what they want and understand the concept behind the images I put up there. Or…it could just turn out to be futile and nobody buys anything in the end. Either way, I’ll continue on with my own progress.
I have been thankful for the part time work I’ve picked up, as thus far it’s given me plenty of days off to attempt to work around the house, go visiting with family, and work the First Fridays…thus far. The hours seem to be pretty descent, and if they keep up as they are I should be able to scrape by with what I make. Means I probably won’t be saving much money for my candle venture, but I suppose that’s what tax returns are for. If they’re anything like what I got back from the past couple of years, it’ll be seven years before I get the money saved up for my candle business; that really disheartens me as I was hoping to get started on it sooner before I start losing hope on the idea again.
I was saddened even more when I came to the realization that, except for my favorite librarian who checks up when he remembers to and a girl I role play with when I remind her to, none of my friends really read my blog. They don’t look for the art, don’t read my updates on my personal life…nothing in my feeble attempt to try and keep in touch with them. If it’s not on FaceBook, then I guess it’s not worth looking at…? I hate thinking like that, believing that my friends don’t care for me because I’m not chasing after the latest and greatest fad…which to me, FaceBook and MySpace are just that…one more thing to get needlessly excited about only for it to get ignored later one by Twitter or the next best thing that has yet to come. LiveJournal turned out that way back in the day, right? Even my librarian admitted he doesn’t keep up with that as much as he used to. So I kind of have to wonder if it’ll be worth joining up with it in hopes to reacquaint myself with my friends again…or if it’s just a trap to be easily found by others I have no desire in getting to know all over again. For whatever reason, I really enjoyed the idea that I can manage to disappear, as I found out when my high school couldn’t find me to send my 10 year reunion invite, and my ex-comic partner thought I had disappeared from the face of the earth…just because I stopped playing all the expensive games that she required everyone to play in order to keep in touch with her.
Ah well…it was bound to happen. I knew it would happen, actually. Life goes on as you venture out on your separate ways, and the people you once cared about get pushed to the wayside as you create new friendships…caring more and more about them until the time comes where even those relationships become less and less active as well. It makes me wonder what new bonds I’ll make here in town, though at the moment I can feel the bond between family strengthening now. After living with Statler and helping her prepare for the quarter auctions, she keeps me up to date with when such events are in hopes that I can help her some more with them, arranging gift baskets and such. I need to get her to come into town sometime and take her to Hobby Lobby…I think she’ll find a lot of what she’s looking for there. She also wants me around as we both learn how to run her tea business, in preparation for when I open my candle business; filing and keeping up with taxes and such…
Kermit and her crew might be temporarily moving into the area for her husband’s job, which means the little Muppets will be closer to our parents. This in turn makes my dad EXTREMELY happy, because he misses having his daughters so close to him. However, Kermit also has plans for me in helping to tutor her kids in the various forms of art. First and foremost, I need to teach them how to draw. My eldest nephew showed interest when he asked how long it would take him to be as good as I, and my niece is already taking after her namesake in leaps and bounds. I’m excited for them, honestly…and already have an idea of where to start…first by teaching my sister how to draw. This will surely be an amusing experience to add to all the rest…but at least I’ll actually be contributing something good to the kids.
All in all…I think this is a good start into my thirties. It’s fresh, it’s new…which was what I was hoping for, and as long as I keep a positive outlook on what may happen…then surely I’ll be rewarded with nothing but good memories. Actually, if you think about it…it rained on my birthday; and though walking through town on that day stirred up a lot of sadness in my heart, I believe that it helped to wash away the old and prepare me for the new. I’ve got nowhere else to go now but forward.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Good News & Bad News…
…but I’ll let you decide what you think is good and bad.
The move to the new house…is yet again delayed. If this keeps up, it might just not happen at all. I’m not going to complain, as I’m still on the job hunt…but a part of me is still relatively tired of living out of my suitcase; and I feel horrible because it seems like I’m continuously breaking my promise to my cat about her having a domain to claim as her own. A part of me feels that it would be beneficial to her weight health.
However, I might…just maybe…possibly landed myself a job. I submitted my application, immediately requested to see the manager about an interview…and despite having all of their positions filled, he wanted to talk to me the following day. HOW AWESOME IS THAT?! I managed to positively express my experience, reflect my knowledge on the day to day work situations, and though he expressed that he couldn’t give me a lot of hours right away, he did feel the need to have someone with two defining qualities that is hard to find in one person; detail orientation and creativity. And here I thought I wasn’t good at multitasking. HA! I proved myself wrong!
Now, raise your hand if you remember that lovely painting commission that kept this blog oh so busy while I fretted and squirmed and squealed over for about a month or so! Guess what?! I’VE GOT LAYOUT PICTURES!
Before my handy work with a paintbrush…
Aaaaaaaaaaaand after my handy work with a paintbrush…along with more detailing work on the owner’s end.
Commence grinning and squealing like I’ve lost my mind again! Doesn’t it look awesome?! I’m so excited! AND I HELPED! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
The move to the new house…is yet again delayed. If this keeps up, it might just not happen at all. I’m not going to complain, as I’m still on the job hunt…but a part of me is still relatively tired of living out of my suitcase; and I feel horrible because it seems like I’m continuously breaking my promise to my cat about her having a domain to claim as her own. A part of me feels that it would be beneficial to her weight health.
However, I might…just maybe…possibly landed myself a job. I submitted my application, immediately requested to see the manager about an interview…and despite having all of their positions filled, he wanted to talk to me the following day. HOW AWESOME IS THAT?! I managed to positively express my experience, reflect my knowledge on the day to day work situations, and though he expressed that he couldn’t give me a lot of hours right away, he did feel the need to have someone with two defining qualities that is hard to find in one person; detail orientation and creativity. And here I thought I wasn’t good at multitasking. HA! I proved myself wrong!
Now, raise your hand if you remember that lovely painting commission that kept this blog oh so busy while I fretted and squirmed and squealed over for about a month or so! Guess what?! I’VE GOT LAYOUT PICTURES!
Before my handy work with a paintbrush…
Aaaaaaaaaaaand after my handy work with a paintbrush…along with more detailing work on the owner’s end.
Commence grinning and squealing like I’ve lost my mind again! Doesn’t it look awesome?! I’m so excited! AND I HELPED! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
Monday, July 5, 2010
A Day Late and a Dollar Short.
Framed prints of pretty scenery sell. Painted windows have shown interest and promises of buying next show around…but I’m not holding my breath.
And so I hope to be focusing more on my ink projects in the near future while I look for a means of steady employment and fattening up my cat. I swear, she’s too skinny for her own good.
Why I’m late in updating by a day? I only just got my main computer connected to the internet at my parents’ house…and spent that time updating my shop. I’ve got it nicely organized now in three different categories. Drawings pertaining to mythical and legendary creatures…something that I’ll be putting more time into as I get closer to saving up the money for my candle business. Then there’s just the random character drawings…which may or may not be updated at all…depending on what inspires me; which hasn’t been much as of lately. Then there’s the ink drawings, which show cases the pretty scenery pieces I’ve been working on, which will be updated whenever I’ve got a new piece finished.
Plus I’m not sure when I’ll be updating here again. Yes, I’m living with my parents now, but without a job, internet is not a luxury I’ll be able to afford once I’m able to move out of their house. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind me coming over and using my laptop to check up on a few things, but…sadly, CafePress doesn’t seem to like my laptop, as they refuse to let me view my sales summaries on it. Don’t know why, and I’m sure I’ll never understand it, but I’m not going to stress over it. It is what it is, and I’m simply tired of arguing over anything these days. My dad and sister are finding me overly agreeable as of lately, which I’m not entirely sure if that worries them or not. Meh.
But I’m at least closer to my family now…most of my immediately family, that is. Dad’s been taking me to various places to walk, like Harpers Ferry, and when I was living with my sister, I became her guinea pig for so many seafood related recipes; it made her oh so giddy as her husband isn’t a fan of fish. I can honestly say I’ve tried and like swordfish steak and learned that I don’t like cilantro. I’ve also confirmed with myself that I’m not a fan of handling raw meats…and so will more than likely find myself eating fish and chicken from the can more often than fresh when I’m living on my own; and if I ever find myself cooking from scratch, it will be something that’s more or less involving a vegetarian style meal. Though really…with my lack of knowledge when it comes to cooking and what to use for cooking…oils and spices and butters and such…I more than likely won’t be cooking from scratch that often. It’ll be back to the pasta/rice + canned soups and veggies and meats + Mrs. Dash shakers again! Weee! That’s what I call making Tuna Helper from scratch! For that, I just need a big pot and lots of storage dishes, and then a pan to cook up my grilled cheese and tuna/chicken salad melts on! I’ll be good to go there, since my dad has stated that my house warming gift from him will be stacks of frozen American cheese he can’t eat! Just means I’m not cooking for my family anytime soon, especially with their dietary needs and allergies that seem to be piling up a lot as of lately.
Now all this talk of food has me hungry…now, I saw some cheese, and I saw some bread down there yesterday. Dad talked about tuna…tuna melt sounds really good right about now…hmm…so does chips and dip still…commence licking of chops.
Show your support!
http://www.cafepress.com/CerynitisD
http://www.cafepress.com/CeryntisDReichardt
And so I hope to be focusing more on my ink projects in the near future while I look for a means of steady employment and fattening up my cat. I swear, she’s too skinny for her own good.
Why I’m late in updating by a day? I only just got my main computer connected to the internet at my parents’ house…and spent that time updating my shop. I’ve got it nicely organized now in three different categories. Drawings pertaining to mythical and legendary creatures…something that I’ll be putting more time into as I get closer to saving up the money for my candle business. Then there’s just the random character drawings…which may or may not be updated at all…depending on what inspires me; which hasn’t been much as of lately. Then there’s the ink drawings, which show cases the pretty scenery pieces I’ve been working on, which will be updated whenever I’ve got a new piece finished.
Plus I’m not sure when I’ll be updating here again. Yes, I’m living with my parents now, but without a job, internet is not a luxury I’ll be able to afford once I’m able to move out of their house. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind me coming over and using my laptop to check up on a few things, but…sadly, CafePress doesn’t seem to like my laptop, as they refuse to let me view my sales summaries on it. Don’t know why, and I’m sure I’ll never understand it, but I’m not going to stress over it. It is what it is, and I’m simply tired of arguing over anything these days. My dad and sister are finding me overly agreeable as of lately, which I’m not entirely sure if that worries them or not. Meh.
But I’m at least closer to my family now…most of my immediately family, that is. Dad’s been taking me to various places to walk, like Harpers Ferry, and when I was living with my sister, I became her guinea pig for so many seafood related recipes; it made her oh so giddy as her husband isn’t a fan of fish. I can honestly say I’ve tried and like swordfish steak and learned that I don’t like cilantro. I’ve also confirmed with myself that I’m not a fan of handling raw meats…and so will more than likely find myself eating fish and chicken from the can more often than fresh when I’m living on my own; and if I ever find myself cooking from scratch, it will be something that’s more or less involving a vegetarian style meal. Though really…with my lack of knowledge when it comes to cooking and what to use for cooking…oils and spices and butters and such…I more than likely won’t be cooking from scratch that often. It’ll be back to the pasta/rice + canned soups and veggies and meats + Mrs. Dash shakers again! Weee! That’s what I call making Tuna Helper from scratch! For that, I just need a big pot and lots of storage dishes, and then a pan to cook up my grilled cheese and tuna/chicken salad melts on! I’ll be good to go there, since my dad has stated that my house warming gift from him will be stacks of frozen American cheese he can’t eat! Just means I’m not cooking for my family anytime soon, especially with their dietary needs and allergies that seem to be piling up a lot as of lately.
Now all this talk of food has me hungry…now, I saw some cheese, and I saw some bread down there yesterday. Dad talked about tuna…tuna melt sounds really good right about now…hmm…so does chips and dip still…commence licking of chops.
Show your support!
http://www.cafepress.com/CerynitisD
http://www.cafepress.com/CeryntisDReichardt
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Ballpoint Pens and Ink Brushes
As I’ve mentioned before, ballpoint pens don’t get enough credit as an artistic tool. And while I was playing around with some colored pens I had on an armor design I thought would be fun for a character of mine, as seen below…I came to a dilemma when it came to skin tones. There are no browns and yellows in my pen set, so…I became very limited in what I could do in comparison to what I used to do before with those big fat click pens that had 11 different colors in them. You know the ones…they were a must have to any junior high and high school student back in the early 90’s! They came with two greens, two blues, a pink, purple, yellow, orange, brown, red, black…no individual set can compare to those; especially since my current set is missing the light green, yellow, and brown colors. And I sigh…
So I had to figure out how to fix this problem, to which I look at an ink brush pen set I bought myself a year or so ago…and smile. Well…there aren’t any flat RED reds in there…all these pink and purple shades of red, but that was ok! As you can see above, she really isn’t wearing anything red anyways! But the brush pens seem to work out quite nicely with the ballpoint pens…yes indeed they do! This little test excited me…a lot! And with this in mind, I thought…HEY! Why don’t I work on some other media pieces along with the window paintings? I’ve got two more of those completed at the moment, but am currently unable to get such lovely photographs of them onto my computer at the moment. Maybe next Sunday, eh?
So here we go! I started out with just a flat black and white ink drawing, and then later added the color to it! What do you guys think? Looks nice, right? And I’ve got plans to do more for the shows! Hey hey hey! Look at me go! Making pretty scenery pictures of places around towns and such to make the non-student RPers/anime buffs possibly interested in my talents! WEEEEE!
Should I be considering myself a sell-out? Mm…not really. I learned early in my illustration training that I was really good at replicating from photographs. And it’s probably something I should have allowed myself to pursue further into instead of being the stubborn selfish bitch that I am in wanting to continue drawing up and writing stories about characters that pop in and out of my head…only to burn myself out while learning about the art of comic books and learning that if I’m working on something I’m not overly thrilled about myself, then I’ll wind up not wanting to draw, paint, or do anything remotely artistic-ly creative for a long period of time.
And don’t think that I’m not passionate about what I’m doing now. I’m actually enjoying being able to paint again, especially on something as wishy-washy as glass…it’s challenging my knowledge of light and colors. Which is good because I need to remember how to make such challenges work for me when I start candle carving again. Dipping a candle in red wax and then yellow wax does not make the candle orange! And with finding a way of putting the ballpoint pens and ink brushes to good collaborative use, I can promote something that isn’t seen very often…or…at least I haven’t seen it very often, and I saw a lot of art coming through the shop I used to work at to be shipped. Some were ink drawings, yes…but if it was colored, it was normally through watercolors! So there!
Yeah…so…yeah. Heh. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT! Please!
http://www.cafepress.com/CerynitisD
http://shops.cafepress.com/CeryntisDReichardt
So I had to figure out how to fix this problem, to which I look at an ink brush pen set I bought myself a year or so ago…and smile. Well…there aren’t any flat RED reds in there…all these pink and purple shades of red, but that was ok! As you can see above, she really isn’t wearing anything red anyways! But the brush pens seem to work out quite nicely with the ballpoint pens…yes indeed they do! This little test excited me…a lot! And with this in mind, I thought…HEY! Why don’t I work on some other media pieces along with the window paintings? I’ve got two more of those completed at the moment, but am currently unable to get such lovely photographs of them onto my computer at the moment. Maybe next Sunday, eh?
So here we go! I started out with just a flat black and white ink drawing, and then later added the color to it! What do you guys think? Looks nice, right? And I’ve got plans to do more for the shows! Hey hey hey! Look at me go! Making pretty scenery pictures of places around towns and such to make the non-student RPers/anime buffs possibly interested in my talents! WEEEEE!
Should I be considering myself a sell-out? Mm…not really. I learned early in my illustration training that I was really good at replicating from photographs. And it’s probably something I should have allowed myself to pursue further into instead of being the stubborn selfish bitch that I am in wanting to continue drawing up and writing stories about characters that pop in and out of my head…only to burn myself out while learning about the art of comic books and learning that if I’m working on something I’m not overly thrilled about myself, then I’ll wind up not wanting to draw, paint, or do anything remotely artistic-ly creative for a long period of time.
And don’t think that I’m not passionate about what I’m doing now. I’m actually enjoying being able to paint again, especially on something as wishy-washy as glass…it’s challenging my knowledge of light and colors. Which is good because I need to remember how to make such challenges work for me when I start candle carving again. Dipping a candle in red wax and then yellow wax does not make the candle orange! And with finding a way of putting the ballpoint pens and ink brushes to good collaborative use, I can promote something that isn’t seen very often…or…at least I haven’t seen it very often, and I saw a lot of art coming through the shop I used to work at to be shipped. Some were ink drawings, yes…but if it was colored, it was normally through watercolors! So there!
Yeah…so…yeah. Heh. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT! Please!
http://www.cafepress.com/CerynitisD
http://shops.cafepress.com/CeryntisDReichardt
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Because She’s Gone Batty…
ISN’T HE JUST THE CUTEST LITTLE OLD CRANKY BATTLE SCARRED DRAGON YOU’VE EVER SEEN?!
And because a friend of mine REALLY wanted to hug him to death, I made him available as a Throw Pillow at my shop here below! Throw pillows and other items are not available in my original shop…but you can find them at this new one that I’m still tweaking. EEEEEEEEEE!
http://www.cafepress.com/CerynitisD
And I never thought that I would see the day where I would hear from my sister and brother-in-law would tell me how his coffee mug at work braking would lead to a memorial service and flowers would show up at a shrine made for said coffee mug the next day. Who would have thought that their co-workers were so awesomely weird?!
And because a friend of mine REALLY wanted to hug him to death, I made him available as a Throw Pillow at my shop here below! Throw pillows and other items are not available in my original shop…but you can find them at this new one that I’m still tweaking. EEEEEEEEEE!
http://www.cafepress.com/CerynitisD
And I never thought that I would see the day where I would hear from my sister and brother-in-law would tell me how his coffee mug at work braking would lead to a memorial service and flowers would show up at a shrine made for said coffee mug the next day. Who would have thought that their co-workers were so awesomely weird?!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
One Down, Nineteen to Go.
Only one person who reads this blog might possibly recognize the scene in this window painting. Two or three years back, my friends took me up to a cabin in the mountains north of Atlanta, GA for a gaming weekend. Though I can’t say I’m as fond of the rule/dice/feats/skills/and so on based Role Playing games as much as I used to be anymore, but the view, the serene feeling of being out there in the middle of nowhere without traffic and sirens and everyday life bothering me is a bliss I dream of returning to.
And so, with a photo I had saved on my computer from that first year the gaming weekend retreat was started, I painted this scene upon the window. My aunt and uncle are buying it from me, as it didn’t sell at the craft show I set up a booth for.
Yes, I’m doing shows again, not comic book conventions like I used to, as that’s something I don’t think I’ll ever be able to afford again, nor am I wanting to go back into that industry so much. I’m still in the process of moving…my stuffed stored at my parents’ place while I live with my sister as I apply for jobs and figure out where the hell to settle down. At least the venues I’m going into have thus been free of charge, which means for the first time ever I made even at my first show at Mercersburg’s First Friday this month. That’s right, I didn’t sell a thing! But hey, I got a ton of compliments! Let’s give me two thumbs up and a forced grin while I try to think positively of this venture!
I think I need to change my game plan. I still have the same goal, starting my own candle carving business. What do I need? $7,000.00 to buy the equipment. I might haggle this price, asking to exclude certain items in the package deal as I’ll see if I can’t convert this company’s way of carving candles to what I’m more familiar with. I originally hoped to earn this money via a steady job, but considering that stupid me can’t bring myself to lie on an application questionnaire because I’d like to think that companies would want to hire an HONEST employee instead of one that they only become disappointed with when they don’t live up how they answered a question…I don’t see myself getting hired by the neighboring art supply stores anytime soon. Let’s not look at how much experience I’m bringing with me to the job! PLEASE! I have a feeling I’ll be making subs at the local Subway…and I was so hoping to stay out of the food business after working the overnight shift at the gas station so many years ago.
So…with that said, I’ll again have to rework the plan to reach my goal using a different source. My parents saved me 20 windows they had replaced in their house for me to paint on. So I’ve been going around taking as many pictures as possible of what I thought would be interesting to see through a window; like looking through a window into another world…only sometimes it might just be a scene of my own backyard. I received compliments on the painting above, and with the idea of having more options up for sale, there’s the hope that they will sell better than my character prints and old comic books.
My personal goal is to phase out (as in sell all back stock) my comic books and character prints to in part help pay for the candle supplies. In doing so, I want to push the window paintings and some of my personal art (ink and pastel drawings, paintings, mixed media and random stuff I’m ready to let go of and empty out my portfolios) to help make up the difference. Once I can start making my candles, the window paintings will be phased out so I can focus more on what I have planned for the candles. However, I do plan on upgrading and keeping my CafrePress shop for those people who still like the character art, and will be updated on a random basis depending on commissions and personal inspiration. In fact, some design plans I have for the candles will more than likely be included in the CafePress shop once my experiments prove to be as successful as I hope them to be.
I am confident that my candles will sell well and even better than my artwork. The business I used to work for had done well under its original management for roughly 20 years, more so than that if I remember correctly. It’s all a matter of keeping your new customers happy by getting the product done in time so that they will become regular customers and their word of mouth will bring in more new customers; and I am positive that I can manage that once I get my supplies.
A part of me wants to try and boost my sales at the shows by holding a fund raiser raffle. Promote my plans to start my business, and with each purchase made the customer would write their name, address, and number down to be picked once I’ve reached my $7,000.00 goal. Makes sense, right? I’ve got candles available to show as demos, and the raffle prize would be a free candle. I believe a good incentive is not a small candle of my choosing, but the largest size candle of the molds that will become available to me, colored and carved to a design of their choice. So, if they wanted a double bow design in a green and yellow color scheme, that’s what they’d get for their prize.
Sounds simple enough, but of course everything is easier said than done. Time will tell if anything ever works the way I hope it will, though past experiences have always proven me wrong.
To say the least, I’m keeping myself busy and attempting to stay positive. I am still a firm believer that this year will be a good year for everyone, as we’re only half way through it. Of all the bad and hectic things that have happened thus far, it can only mean that the last half of it will wind up better than anyone dared to imagine. New jobs will be found, businesses will be started, homes will be made and settled, and the bonds between friends and family will be strengthened. All will be right with the world.
Wondering what shows I’m looking to participate in? Here we’ve got:
Mercersburg’s First Fridays (PA) http://firstfriday.mercersburg.org/
Mercersburg’s Town Fest (PA) http://mercersburgtownfest.com/
Ellicott City’s Second Sundays (MD) http://ellicottcity.net/gallery/second_sunday_market/ (looking into as we speak)
Possible Quarter Auction (MD)…not entirely sure on this one as of yet.
And so, with a photo I had saved on my computer from that first year the gaming weekend retreat was started, I painted this scene upon the window. My aunt and uncle are buying it from me, as it didn’t sell at the craft show I set up a booth for.
Yes, I’m doing shows again, not comic book conventions like I used to, as that’s something I don’t think I’ll ever be able to afford again, nor am I wanting to go back into that industry so much. I’m still in the process of moving…my stuffed stored at my parents’ place while I live with my sister as I apply for jobs and figure out where the hell to settle down. At least the venues I’m going into have thus been free of charge, which means for the first time ever I made even at my first show at Mercersburg’s First Friday this month. That’s right, I didn’t sell a thing! But hey, I got a ton of compliments! Let’s give me two thumbs up and a forced grin while I try to think positively of this venture!
I think I need to change my game plan. I still have the same goal, starting my own candle carving business. What do I need? $7,000.00 to buy the equipment. I might haggle this price, asking to exclude certain items in the package deal as I’ll see if I can’t convert this company’s way of carving candles to what I’m more familiar with. I originally hoped to earn this money via a steady job, but considering that stupid me can’t bring myself to lie on an application questionnaire because I’d like to think that companies would want to hire an HONEST employee instead of one that they only become disappointed with when they don’t live up how they answered a question…I don’t see myself getting hired by the neighboring art supply stores anytime soon. Let’s not look at how much experience I’m bringing with me to the job! PLEASE! I have a feeling I’ll be making subs at the local Subway…and I was so hoping to stay out of the food business after working the overnight shift at the gas station so many years ago.
So…with that said, I’ll again have to rework the plan to reach my goal using a different source. My parents saved me 20 windows they had replaced in their house for me to paint on. So I’ve been going around taking as many pictures as possible of what I thought would be interesting to see through a window; like looking through a window into another world…only sometimes it might just be a scene of my own backyard. I received compliments on the painting above, and with the idea of having more options up for sale, there’s the hope that they will sell better than my character prints and old comic books.
My personal goal is to phase out (as in sell all back stock) my comic books and character prints to in part help pay for the candle supplies. In doing so, I want to push the window paintings and some of my personal art (ink and pastel drawings, paintings, mixed media and random stuff I’m ready to let go of and empty out my portfolios) to help make up the difference. Once I can start making my candles, the window paintings will be phased out so I can focus more on what I have planned for the candles. However, I do plan on upgrading and keeping my CafrePress shop for those people who still like the character art, and will be updated on a random basis depending on commissions and personal inspiration. In fact, some design plans I have for the candles will more than likely be included in the CafePress shop once my experiments prove to be as successful as I hope them to be.
I am confident that my candles will sell well and even better than my artwork. The business I used to work for had done well under its original management for roughly 20 years, more so than that if I remember correctly. It’s all a matter of keeping your new customers happy by getting the product done in time so that they will become regular customers and their word of mouth will bring in more new customers; and I am positive that I can manage that once I get my supplies.
A part of me wants to try and boost my sales at the shows by holding a fund raiser raffle. Promote my plans to start my business, and with each purchase made the customer would write their name, address, and number down to be picked once I’ve reached my $7,000.00 goal. Makes sense, right? I’ve got candles available to show as demos, and the raffle prize would be a free candle. I believe a good incentive is not a small candle of my choosing, but the largest size candle of the molds that will become available to me, colored and carved to a design of their choice. So, if they wanted a double bow design in a green and yellow color scheme, that’s what they’d get for their prize.
Sounds simple enough, but of course everything is easier said than done. Time will tell if anything ever works the way I hope it will, though past experiences have always proven me wrong.
To say the least, I’m keeping myself busy and attempting to stay positive. I am still a firm believer that this year will be a good year for everyone, as we’re only half way through it. Of all the bad and hectic things that have happened thus far, it can only mean that the last half of it will wind up better than anyone dared to imagine. New jobs will be found, businesses will be started, homes will be made and settled, and the bonds between friends and family will be strengthened. All will be right with the world.
Wondering what shows I’m looking to participate in? Here we’ve got:
Mercersburg’s First Fridays (PA) http://firstfriday.mercersburg.org/
Mercersburg’s Town Fest (PA) http://mercersburgtownfest.com/
Ellicott City’s Second Sundays (MD) http://ellicottcity.net/gallery/second_sunday_market/ (looking into as we speak)
Possible Quarter Auction (MD)…not entirely sure on this one as of yet.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)