Hello, anybody out there?  Is this thing on....Hello?

Ah, good.

So ,what's everyone up to lately?  Is the julibat making it up to Philly again?  Steph making it good in Portland?  Anyone interested in starting some creative exercises?  No one reads this anyway...

Me?  Not a bloody lot, as per usual.  I keep trying to sit down and make something, but I just don't have the attention.  Trying to work on it though.  I've started to keep pictures at work to remind me that this hellish place cannot destroy my soul...that is work best left to the masters.  Mwhaha!  I have us with Bruce Campbell and then in the woods back when we went picture faking (could say taking, but I was never any good).  Anyone wanna visit, huh?  Sure, gas is horrible and plan tickets even worse... but, I have punch and pie.  Not cake though... it is a lie.  I would hop the map if I could afford the money & the time. 

Oh, hell, why don't I just quit.  I'm too scared to be without a job now that I have bigger bills, that's it.  Bleh.  I can't get a credit card to help...I have no credit... actually, it's probably considered bad credit, since all I have is one mark on it, and it's a collection, whee!  Apparently, the last electric bill in Philly-land was not paid, so it goes on my record. >_<  That's what I get for not having time to change it out of my name, damnit.  Oh well, I wouldn't use a card like that anyway since I'm too strict with money. 

Look at me write instead of drawing!  Bad me, I get stabbed! 

Just a note:

If you are at least slightly happy in your current condition, consider supporting someone who is not as fortunate.  Do you like your job, feel comfortable with your life, and have a little bit of extra cash?  Buy a t-shirt from that artist that does that web comic you can't help but read everyday.  Buy that funny blogger's book/s.  Get that cute, handmade plushie that the indie girl makes.  Support the freelance artists you like when you can!  Some of us would rather die that stay in their deadend jobs, so every little bit helps.

Model Magic both sucks and rocks.  Odd.

Still out of ideas.  Then again, I don't "feel" like doing much of anything lately.

Somehow I was able to finish the Beginner Guide for warlordgamer.com last night.  That's amazing.

Forgot to say I was out of ideas lastnight.  Eh, you win some, you lose some.  But today while trying to straighten up what will eventually be a very small "studio", I found this broken clock.  Idea ensued.

This one was a bugger to shoot.  They kept floating all over the place while I was taking the pic.  And you can't really tell, but the little person IS floating.

Well, I fell asleep at 8 last night and Shannon didn't wake me until 11 something.  I was just so tired with no real reason that I should be (didn't stay up the night before, oddly) so after fumbling around trying to clean for Shannon's dad's visit today, I decided to give up and officially go to bed.  Hence, no little person.

I could actually go for some more sleep right now.  Foo.

I regret to inform everyone that I will not have a little person today.  I have been much too busy playing a little game called Rock Band. Yes, well, this game is addictive and wonderful and perfect and I oh so want to be able to play with Juli and Steph in my band.  We could once and for all create Suicidal Wormz!  Such awesomeness would it bring.  The song selection alone is great (can we say Wave of Mutilation??  !!) but it's the online features that will really make this game shine like a new dime.  Yes, indeed, it says:  I'm a dime. I'm fine. and I shine.  I'm freshly minted.

Oh, yeah, by the way...... we just got an Xbox 360 too.

So far I've been able to brainstorm and execute each picture in one evening.  This is the first of a few that I have already devised but still only executed in one night.  I think I work better if I allow myself one evening only on each with no prior prepping aside from sketches.  I hate the photography side of these, so I really wish we could collaborate on these, Juli! *sigh*

This one is very, very rushed.  I have to pack tonight for a trip this weekend (going to see Shannon's mom for an early Thanksgiving).  This means I will have to miss my first daily deadline, as I won't be able to do any more people until Sunday, perhaps even Monday night.

Sadness.

Almost didn't have one for tonight... I had to do the usual Walmart run, and my initial idea required specific items that I couldn't find there.  Oh well... I'll save that idea for later.

I couldn't decide which one I liked best...


Study 01


Study 02


Study 03


Study 04

Idea was good, but execution is poor.

Eh, this one I'm not happy with.  I should go out and use a real gumball machine.

For my birthday so many moons ago, Juli sent me a bag of 500 mini die-cut paper people.  I had no idea what I would do with them, but I was appreciative.  They sat in my box of stuffs until I felt the need today to pull them out.  Here is what I did with three of them:


The Love Lobster


Relaxing


Open up your Skull 01


Open up your Skull 02


Not very original, but it was fun while it lasted.

Now if I only felt inspired to do something...

http://little-people.blogspot.com/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/diastema

Shannon and I took a trip over to Madison today to view the 3D version of Nightmare Before Christmas (I'll get to that in a sec).  We got there hours early to be able to have lunch with his dad.  To kill time, we store-hopped with our final destination as the mall.  While walking out of Hot Topic (scored an awesome, yet sadly WHITE Foster's t-shirt) I heard a familiar chord over the mall music system.  Then another...I stopped in place, prompting a questioning look from Shannon and his dad.  I thought I had misheard, but when I focused on it, the chords all formed a very familiar, yet out of place tune that filled the whole building.  I started to laugh uncontrollably because the whole idea of hearing the Twin Peaks Theme playing in a shopping mall on a Sunday afternoon seemed so right for me, but so wrong for the rest of the world.  I was very concerned to turn the next corner, fearing that the music would end in that all too familiar sting... the one that always seemed to happen when things turn ugly or, well, strange, on the show.  The more we walked, the louder the ever-looping music got.  I found myself switching between singing the lyrics from the "Falling" version and laughing hysterically.  Before I started to question my sanity, we decided it was time to leave.

Nightmare Before Christmas in 3D was... well, there is a major pitfall to creating 3D movies.  In order to best take advantage of the 3D effect you must create a film that allows things to "jump out" of the screen.  You can see where trying to turn an already created, 14ish year old film into 3D can fall short with this effect.  Of course, due to the nature of the cinematography and framework in NBXMAS, it would seem it could hold up well in the translation into 3D... even some shots almost seem to have been filmed with that particular thought in mind.  Even with this, the effect just wasn't that grand throughout the film  Some foreground bits were digitally added here and there to give a "flat" shot some sort of meat to work with in 3D.  For me, I had to really concentrate sometimes to even notice that a particular scene was in 3D.  Not to mention that the glass Dolby provided sucked balls.  If you wear glasses, especially ones with anti-scratch/glare film, you might have trouble with these like I did.  The reflection/glare from your glasses onto the 3D glasses is very distracting, especially during bright scenes.  Then again, this could all be the 3D glasses themselves, because I did try it without my normal glasses only to find they still gave some reflection/glare.  There were many kids in attendance of this viewing, yet the Dolby company did not think to provide kid sized glasses.  That's just stupid.  I felt sorry for all the parents that had to deal with tiny heads wearing these lumbering glasses (even though I don't much like the little smudges).  Maybe it's just our particular theater that did not order them, but I overheard the manager-type person explain to a parent that they have made a complaint with Dolby for not having child sized glasses. 

In short, it was great seeing the film in theater but I don't know if the 3D made it any better, or even worked for that matter.  Some little details were great to see in 3D, like the snowfall at the end (but that looked digitally enhanced to work with the effect better).  But really, the best 3D was the little instructional intro at the beginning (which, was made TO BE in 3D, so of course, it was better) and the Disney logo.  Go figure.

A happy belated birthday to the bat.  I was saving it for if I saw her online, but I'm sure she is much too busy to surfs the electric ocean.

I bought SIng Star 80's because, well, it has Erasure on it... and I felt I needed to support the 80's.  I fear the 80's financial situation since we have not heard much of them in about 17 years.  I don't want the 80's to file for bankruptcy or anything... so, you know, showin' the luvs and stuff.

It's pretty much karaoke in a game format.  I have learned one thing through this game and one thing only:  I cannot sing worth a damn.  Okay, I lied... I've also learned it is quite fun to try to sing in a foreign accent.  You should try it.  That's right, try singing Material Girl in a Canadian accent.  This is the type of rule you would have to abide by if you play in my house.

I am sure this game is more fun in a party setting.  Unfortunately, I cannot test this theory out because there is no one I would like to invite into my chamber of horrors.  Of course, if anyone other than Shannon heard be belt out Uptown Girl (family excluded... they've heard it) I would have to make sure they could never speak again.  I won't kill you... I'm not that unreasonable.

Well, just got back from the convention and it was AWESOME.  It was so awesome, it's even on CNN.  That's right:




Okay, it says "hundreds" but it was actually 1800 for this first year con.  Pretty damn good, if you ask me.  My Warlord demo was practically never turned down (those few that did still wanted to know a lot about it) and everyone that played it seemed to really enjoy it.  I even had a few repeat players throughout the day.  Unfortunately, I had too many people asking where they could buy eeeeeeeverything I had on my demo table, meaning terrain and all.  I actually think it might have discouraged them when I said it can't be purchased... since I made it. >_<

The Paint and Take was great too...and well balanced with only 50 minis.  This was only because I had a tiny space!  I had to turn away a lot of people because all the seats I was given were taken up.  I was scheduled to have only three tables, and a Munchkin demo would have the last table.  Well, when the Munchkin people got there, they really didn't seem to think they had enough room.  I believe I heard one person complain a lot that the con or maybe I didn't leave them enough room (even though I didn't use the third table at all).  The con chairman then came in to "check up".  I showed him the open table and he said all was cool.  Still, Munchkin never came to play and I later confirmed that they moved to the Magic room.  So, I got the ok to take over that vacant table.  Yet, even with the extra space I could not handle all the interest.  I ended up left with only 1 mini by the end of the day.  Many newbs gave it a shot and liked slapping paint on minis.  Hopefully I started a few new hobbies.

I'm sure most of those very few that read this thing don't even care about the subject of this post, but I'll share it anyway.

Back story:
Reaper is a company that produces little pewter figures used in gaming (wargames/RPG) and painting.  They also make a table top wargame called Warlord.  I am a demo representative for said company.  I am a geek. 

Now, in early October there is a "geek" convention called Geek.Kon that I have set aside time to present Reaper products.  The first day I will be running a demo of the game Warlord, all day.  I have been so busy trying to crank out terrain and goodies for this demo and I'm not even finished yet.  Then, on the second day of the con I will be hosting a Paint and Take event, which means you get a free miniature and paint provided for you to paint on the spot.  When I sent in my request for minis from Reaper, there were 300 or so preregistered for this convention.  I gave another 100 on top of that for late registers and walkins.  With this estimate, I guessed I needed about 50 minis to make a good event.

WRONG.

Now they have a super duper wonderful speaker (that even I'm eager to meet) name Monte Cook (geeks know the name).  The preregisters just doubled.  Damnit to hell.  Maybe I can still stick it out with my tiny lot. :(