Allies

10:44 pm - Job interview in the morning
Wish me luck, everybody! All I need is a little income, and then, oh the evil plans I can set in motion...such dastardly, diabolical plans you have never seen...

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December 26th, 2009

10:23 pm - I love you, Dave Barry
The Year in Review, 2009

It's been an absurd ride, that's for sure. Here's looking forward to 2010's weirdness!
Current Mood:

amused
Current Music: God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen

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mewd

12:18 pm
I should write about my Christmas later. It was a least a little interesting, if exhausting.

MY HAUL:

20th Century Boys (Manga)
Phoenix Volume 2 Future (manga)
Phoenix Volume 3 Yamato (manga)
Pluto volume 6 (manga)
Pluto Volume 6 AGAIN, because I just can't get enough of Hercules scowling.
Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut (Best book)
Super Mario Brothers Pajama Pants (NOW YOU'RE PLAYING WITH POWER)
Fallout 3 Game of the Year Edition (Best game ever)
Persona 4 (Game, still enroute)
Gargoyles Season 2 (Best Cartoon Show)

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December 25th, 2009

09:20 pm - A good Christmas
See my icon here?

teahound made it for me a while back, and she sent me the original with her Christmas card. That was so sweet of her. I love this icon to bits and pieces. I have lots of silly and spazzy icons, but this is the closest thing to a content, relaxed one I have onhand. It really describes my mood right now, too. I am very content.

I had my concerns that this wasn't going to be a very good Christmas. Almost 2,000 miles from my family, away from

razzek until after New Year's, with few guests, no huge feast, and (let's face it) few presents, I thought this might be a depressing year. I'm very glad that my worries turned out to be unfounded.

djinni and I had some guests over (his girlfriend and her sister), we played a game, ate some cookies and cupcakes, he and I watched BBC nature documentaries and I talked to friends and family on the phone. Laughter, some tasty food and snacks, and some fun times...that's what makes it all worthwhile.

Currently I'm sitting here, illuminated only by the screen in front of me and the lights of the tree behind me (there's something magic about Christmas lights in the dark), and I have a warm, purring kitty in my lap. I think those are a pretty good recipe for a good Christmas.

Merry Christmas yet again, you guys. I hope yours was as good as mine, if not better.
Current Mood:

content

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December 24th, 2009

03:33 pm - Wow.
Slow is as slow does.

Anyone played any SFW flash games on SFW websites lately?

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01:42 pm - Merry Christmas
Mmmm. I wish I didn't have to go to work today, but it's more an "ahh, I'm relaxed and comfy and don't want to do anything" instead of "Man I feel terrible and I'm not looking forward to work today."

It'd be nice to be able to not go to work today, but work should be OK. :) I imagine it'll be slow. Tomorrow's what's gonna be busy, but I *will* be off of work tomorrow.

People seem to be a bit discouraged or depressed today. It's been a difficult year for most people...but that's what holidays are FOR.

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas. A safe, and happy one.
Current Mood: [mood icon]

calm

December 23rd, 2009

10:08 pm - Christmas Eve Eve
Is nice and quiet and sleepy.

djinni's girlfriend was over, and that was a lot of fun. She showed us a lot of cool things in town we hadn't seen before. We went to an old, local bookstore, which was very awesome, and wandered around on a rocky beach grabbing shells and looking under rocks for crabs, which made

djinni deliriously happy, as he's been on a bit of a crab kick lately. The two of them were pretty cute together. Made me wish

razzek was home, but that'll be soon enough.

In the meantime...Christmas! Tomorrow we're planning on hitting up an Indian buffet for lunch, then coming home and decorating the tree with paper crabs (see?) and other silly stuff. We have construction paper and crayons, Lord only knows what will happen. There will probably be hot sauce too. I bought all the ingredients, and it's high time I made some.

I thought I would be lonelier without Razz here, and being away from my family and all, but so far, I've been perfectly content. This is going to be a great Christmas. I'm really feeling it.

I don't know if I'll be online much the next two days or not. Actually, knowing me, I probably will, but in case I'm NOT...Merry Christmas, you guys. I hope each and every one of you has a good one, whether you're home, or with family, or traveling, or whatever. ^_^
Current Mood:

content, but kinda tired
Current Music: "The Night Santa Went Crazy"--Weird Al (I blame Dingbat for this)

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12:58 pm - Oof
Feeling ill today. I can't call in sick, though. x.x;

I've been toying with doing art without so much skeleton under-drawing, it seems to help me not stress over the technical aspects. Only just enough for the idea to stick...

Edit: Feeling better, I think I found out what was making me sick. And at last, Panda Express...mm, orange chicken.

Also, special thanks to

mewd for being entirely too generous for his own good. That made my day yesterday.

...

I WILL FIND OUT YOUR SECRET, MEWD.
Current Mood: [mood icon]

refreshed

December 22nd, 2009

07:18 pm
I feel like I'm having some aftershock from recent Bad Things Happening. Things have calmed down, thank God, but I still feel badly in the mornings. I don't have much motivation to get up. I'm still wasting a lot of time.

Special thanks to friends who have been encouraging to me over the years. I haven't made it an easy job, but I am thankful.

I wonder what I can do to make things better.

Believe it or not, I spoke to someone named Dara today.

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12:05 am - This comic...
...reminds me of SO many conversations I've had with

jonaswins.

http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=1620
Current Location: HUGGA BUBBA HERE
Current Mood:

HUGGA BUBBA LOVE

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December 21st, 2009

06:51 pm - Ahhh.
I feel pretty good today
This time I can feel it
This time when I see her face
The words will come out right.

I comb my hair
Put on my favorite shirt
I take a deep breath
And I go, outside...

- Five Iron Frnezy(From the album Cheeses of Nazereth, a collection of B-sides and other mischevious music tracks)

The prayer request I've made is to have a good week this week. Thank God, so far so good.

Dad and I had our Christmas gift exchange yesterday. I got him a "Blu Ray" Rewritable drive for his computer, and the movies Cars and Ratatouille also in Blu Ray. We watched Cars. Dad was happy, and I'm glad--he takes the holidays pretty badly. I've been having a lot of good times with him lately. I'm thankful.

Dad got me a leatherbound pencil case. I like it a ton, and it's a bit more stylish and professional than the other one I had. He also got me some Faber-Castell water-based varnish pencils(smooooooth) which I also adore, and now don't have to worry about running out of them.

I feel blessed, and am happy. I hope and pray it lasts.
Current Mood: [mood icon]

happy

04:49 pm - Job interview!
Next Monday! I think this is pretty much a sure thing. It's not a GREAT job, but it'll pay the bills, and it will free me up to pursue things which are More Relevant to My Interests. YES!
Current Mood:

excited

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12:35 pm - Art Rip-Off Blog
Figured the artists on my list might appreciate this link.

http://youthoughtwewouldntnotice.com/blog3/

You would be amazed how absolutely shameless some of these ripoffs were. Some people have absolutely no scruples at all, I swear.

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December 20th, 2009

11:25 pm - scam reporting
You guys are a smart and varied bunch, so I thought I'd posit this question to you.

I responded to a job listing on Craigslist recently (after carefully weeding out the ones that reeked too much of scams and other tomfoolery) and got a reply back. In the reply, I was requested to take a credit report on a site they recommended and send back my score, because they had had "bad experiences" with an employee in the past. The site they linked to wasn't one I recognized, so I did a Google search for it and found that it only returned two hits. Figuring that no legitimate credit reporting site would have such a small presence on Google, I looked up its registration info and found it was registered by a guy in Vegas using a most unprofessional-sounding email address about ten days ago.

I think it's fairly safe to say we have a scam on our hands.

I was going to report it on Craigslist, but as the posting has already been taken down, I think someone else must have beaten me to the punch. But honestly, I'd like to see the site taken down and the dirtbag(s) who created it busted. So my question is this:

Who do I report attempted credit fraud/identity theft scams like this to? Should I call the police, email someone, or what? I'd like to see this one nipped in the bud before somebody actually gets taken.

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04:11 pm - Christmas Art Cards!
By Tod!

http://djinni.livejournal.com/202807.html

They're only $10, which is pretty cheap for an art card...but there's a twist! Tod is doing these "white elephant" style. That means you give him an art prompt (along the theme of "sword and sorcery"), he draws it, and randomly gives it to ANOTHER player in the game, whereas you randomly receive the card someone else prompted.

Doesn't that sound like fun?

It's going on for the rest of the day/evening, so if you're interested, check it out!

Oh, and Tod's holiday weekend sale is still going on too.

http://djinni.livejournal.com/202047.html

02:02 am - In our heart, Mr. Ando will always be a penguin

Because I felt it should be shared.

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December 19th, 2009

06:08 pm - 2009 Year in Review Meme
Because everyone else was doing it and dammit I wanna be popular.

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?
Moved almost 2000 miles across the country to start a new life in a place I'd never even visited. I THINK I WIN THIS ONE, GUYS.

2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I didn't make any resolutions last year. I have a number of goals for 2010, but I don't know if I'll actually call them "resolutions."

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Not this time! Edit: WAIT HANG ON, I just found out that my longtime friend (since high school), Clint, just became a daddy again yesterday. Congrats, man!!

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Thank God, no.

5. What countries did you visit?
None yet, but once I get my passport sorted out, I shall be checking out Canada!

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
Money would be nice. XD Some progress on my goals. Nicer clothes. A more cohesive look. Better health. More time to hang with ~~groupies~~ friends.

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
The day we hit the road, October 30th. That was...so many emotions. Pain, exhilaration, fear, anticipation...that was one hell of a day.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting here, man. Getting here.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Not being employed by now. :/

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I never go a year without getting some kind of sick. This year was the first time I ever had an illness that made me lose my VOICE, though. In fact it's still not 100% completely back to normal, though it's almost there.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Our Garmin nuvi, "Christina." My gosh, guys, I wish I had had this GPS for every friggin' road trip I have ever been on in the past. It has truly made all the difference.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
A number of friends did awesome things this year, dealing with personal issues, confronting inner demons, improving their lives. Too many names to name.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Those jerks who kept bothering

dingybatty. Grrr. >:[

14. Where did most of your money go?
Money?

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
MOVING! Seriously, guys, this was a rather tremendous event in my life.

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder?
Happier, definitely. Even with all my current troubles, I'm a lot better off here than I was there.
b) thinner or fatter?
Thinner! I'm gettin' SEXAY.
c) richer or poorer?
Most ASSUREDLY poorer. >.>

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Creative stuff. Writing. Performing. Anything productive, really.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
...internet. x_x

20. How will you be spending Christmas?

djinni's girlfriend will be coming over and we are going to eat Christmas cookies and decorate the tree with paper crabs and consume yummy individual cereals.

21. Did you fall in love in 2009?
No, not this year.

22. How many one-night stands?
No comment.

23. What was your favorite TV program?
Venture Bros., what little I saw of it.

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
There are several people I dislike, but I don't actually HATE anyone.

25. What was the best book you read?
This year? Probably How to Win Friends and Influence People. Amazing insights in that ol' thing.

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I...discovered I don't hate Britney Spears and Lady Gaga? XD Please don't judge me.

27. What did you want and get?
Freedom.

28. What did you want and not get?
A job. ;p

29. What was your favorite film of this year?
Coraline, oh my gosh. That was a movie that lived up to EVERY expectation I had of it.

30. What did you do on your birthday?
I drove. XD I had some fun birthday times with friends along the way here, though! *waves at

kulhain and

neverwench and

jonaswins and

dingybatty*

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
*sigh* Money. I hate to sound like a broken record, but being broke is getting old. ;p

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
Needs moar retrogoth.

33. What kept you sane?
Keeping my eyes fixed on a better future.

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I'm not really into celebrities that much.

35. What political issue stirred you the most?
I've grown to loathe politics.

36. Who did you miss?
Too many to mention. My family, my nieces, my far-flung friends across the country and the world...I wish we could all live closer together.

37. Who was the best new person you met?
Too many to name!

farellemoon,

arphalia,

ayadolly,

seso...honestly, trying to list all the awesome new people I've met this year would leave me in the awkward position of missing someone!

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009:
If you want something, you can't just wait around for it to fall into your lap. You have to go out and get it. That's been my mantra as of late, and I still need to learn how to apply it better. But I'm getting there.
Current Mood:

okay

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December 18th, 2009

06:16 pm - Discount art from a top notch artist!
Hey guys! The exceedingly talented Tod Wills (http://www.ninjahijinx.com) is having a holiday commission sale, these are some of the cheapest prices he has EVER given his art away for before. Seriously, given the quality of his work, he is almost criminally undercharging here.

You can read all about it on his Livejournal: http://djinni.livejournal.com/202047.html

Go check it out! I promise you'll never live to regret it.

(And really, I'm not just saying all this because Tod's my roommate, you guys. My icon and the Seraph were both his work, so you know he does good things!)

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03:10 pm - I need a good week.
Things have come to a crawl in my life again, and I'm having a difficult time of things at work and elsewhere. I was thinking of cancelling sending cookies, but I've decided they'll simply be late. It may be sometime in January, but everyone who's requested a shipment will get some. I really want to do this. I'm sorry to all my commissioners, this is an unacceptable delay. This is one reason why I don't accept payment up front, though, I hate owing people art and having too much of a delay.

I'm toying with some simple things for Chibi Q while I'm at work, and hopefully I can get a few surprises to everyone here before Christmas. It's going to be hard though.

It's all been hard lately. I feel I'm looking for a break that won't come.
Current Mood: [mood icon]

okay

December 17th, 2009