The Sketchbook:

On NaNoWriMo, house hunting, and bushy hair.

2009-11-19T14:40:20Z

So here we are, finishing up the third week of NaNoWriMo, and I'm only about 11,000 words out. Not the best prognosis here, but it's not exactly like I didn't expect to be about 30,000 words behind by now. I'm still sitting down with my pen to write whenever I get the chance, and that's an accomplishment in and of itself. I suppose NaNoWriMo is more about fostering your creative habit than actually pushing out 50,000 words in one month. Once you've done your first 1,666 word evening, I don't know anyone who thinks, "Well, that was easy! I can totally see myself doing that every single day without any interruptions from my job/family/real life for the next 29 days! Piece o' cake!"

While we're on the topic of real life, Mike and I are house hunting. This has been the most time consuming thing I've ever been a part of, and I'm only happy I don't have to do it alone. Mike has his system down to an art - we basically sift through the listings our realtor sends us and narrow the list down to houses we really want to see, at which point Mike turns into a veritable county sherrif and weeds out which houses are in high crime versus low crime areas by going through district crime records through the month of August and noting where there is a high concentration of burglaries, rapes, assualts and (*shudders*) murders. We had a couple of instances where I saw something I liked and Mike came back with, "Well, there were fifteen burglaries down the block within the last three months. Now we know why it's so affordable."

There was this one house we were sort of in love with. We almost put an offer down on it until we discovered someone had beat us to it. Talk about sour grapes; there had ne'er been such sinful, covetous thoughts in my head until that moment. Apparently that sort of thing happens a lot, so I'm chalking it up to experience, and we're just gonna have to be a little bit more efficient at our decision making process from now on. (It was probably a crappy flipped house anyway.)

Lastly, it is a crappy, humid day here in DC. My hair has expanded significantly as a result of this, and considering I'm in for a long work day that will end at roughly 9PM tonight, there is little hope of taming it at any point with some concoction of mousse, gel, or flat iron. I tried putting a clip in it to flatten it out, but there is a resulting balloon animal effect that I don't quite appreciate - like the clip is cutting off the circulation to my enormous fluff.

So. What's up with you guys/gals?

NaNoWriMo. Some ideas just won't die.

2009-10-21T18:58:20Z

So I just started a new job this week. Again. And I think this one's a keeper. :) It's a marketing position for a good cause (making sure guardsmen, guardswomen, and their families all get financial, medical, emotional support throughout the entire deployment cycle), and it puts me back in the building with all my Air Guard friends. So far, it's been really nice being back at the Guard Bureau.

Not to mention, it's quite the relief to work with people who are not criminals... *ahem*

While I wait for my government clearance to be reactivated I will have no computer or phone at work, so I've brought my laptop to surf the net on my downtime of which, regrettably, there is quite a bit. To stave off idleness, I've been researching some potential marketing avenues while also mulling over my ideas for - you guessed it - NaNoWriMo.

I didn't finish last year. This is primarily due to losing the entire document when my thumbdrive died, and I was so destroyed by it that I decided to put it off indefinitely. As a matter of fact, while my original intent was to pick it back up this year, I've abandoned the entire storyline from last year's NaNoWriMo because I can't seem to get past the seething anger of losing my first attempt (which, I might add, weighed in at about 20,000 words) due to a mystery malfunction of a gadget roughly the size of something that could clip my nails. Nothing quite stifles inspiration like a good facepalm for not backing up your damn document. That said, I'm starting from scratch this year, and with a new-fangled strategy to help ease the flow of words: I'm actually planning ahead!

Taking some tips from "Writer's Digest", I've been jotting down anything and everything that creeps into my brain at any given moment - character traits, plot points, funny scenes and the like, and sticking them all onto a chart that represents the storyline. Naturally, I keep changing it, but the basic story is close to my heart. Yep, I'm finally writing The Temp.

The Temp is basically going to be a rehashed version of my life as a temporary employee in DC, only with a quirkier main character who, I guess, bears an amplified version of my own vices. She runs on a much shorter fuse than me, and she's pretty vengeful towards her nutty coworkers, which isn't like me at all... or, rather, I never actually ACT on my vengeful thoughts! Of course, she'll be a much more interesting individual when I place her in a number of comical corporate situations, all of which come from my real-life experiences temping in a variety of DC area agencies and businesses. There is so much CRAZY in this town, it can't NOT be exploited for literary gain! Note the capslock enthusiasm!

We'll see how it goes. Taking on National Novel Writing Month might be really dumb when I'm starting a new job and planning a wedding, but whatever. If I don't make it, I don't make it. At least I'll be writing. :)

Are any of you doing NaNoWriMo this year? What are your tips for getting through 30 days of marathon writing?

Jim, Pam, and other Wedding Developments

2009-10-09T15:49:17Z

You guys watched "The Office" last night, right?

There are so many reasons to love last night's episode of "The Office", from Pam starting a puke-off before the beginning credits, to Michael Scott decorating his OWN car for the wedding (and tying full soda cans to the bumper, no less) to Andy's now-infamous break dancing which broke his balls. For an event as anticipated as Jim and Pam's wedding, you had to sit in front of the television with a healthy expectation of being made completely and utterly uncomfortable by virtually every member of Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, so I was somewhat prepared in that sense. What I didn't count on was the horrendousness that occured when you involve Jim and Pam's family members! Three words have never instilled such fear, such disgust.... Dwight. Gets. Lucky. UUUNNNNNGGGHHHHHHHH...

Anyway, I LOVED the entire episode from beginning to end. From a TV writing perspective, they did such an awesome job countering the chaotic energy of the event with the stability of Jim and Pam's relationship, which culminated in the unforgettable wedding sequence at the end. Punctuating snapshots of the formal wedding circus were shots of Jim and Pam's secret nuptials on Niagara Falls. And did you catch it: that final shot of Pam's head on Jim's shoulder with Jim's smile to the camera as they overlooked the seascape was the perfect little reference to that time Pam fell asleep on Jim's shoulder in a staff meeting, when he was still crushing on her and she was engaged to Roy! My heart!!! It melts!!!!!!

Oh, man. Oh, NBC. I died from the lols. I wept from the lurve. You guys better keep the show interesting after that display of romantic comedic fireworks.

I gotta say, when you're planning your own wedding, you can't help but be particularly tickled at prime time comedy's take on nuptials. I was watching with Mike and throwing in the occasional, "Yes, I probably would cry if my veil ripped," or, "thank GOD, we're not inviting idiots to the wedding," or, "cash is always a good idea." And then we had a long discussion about how neither of us actually knows what the difference is between a shower present and a wedding present and when to get what and how.

Luckily, we've gotten through some major planning milestones this week. Rev. Sharon Burrell is going to be our officiant (yay), and our friend's friend Edward has agreed to be our DJ.

Which leads to my next question. He has asked us for some music recommendations, and I'm interested to know what you guys think. I already have a couple of songs in mind, but I'm open to suggestions!

View Poll: What Song Would You Pick?

Fare thee well, September. :)

2009-10-06T15:16:22Z

I love me some creative YouTube. (Also, you agree that the muppet getting thwapped on the drumkit is the best part of this video, right? ROFL)

Pensieve on Domesticity: Sweet Banality

2009-09-27T00:30:00Z

My fiance is sitting behind me grading a seemingly never-ending stack of essays from his senior-year English students, which leaves me a bit of space to sit and do what I've not had time to do since before new jobs, deaths, and moving out of the apartment I shared with Bevan: a pensieve post. Occasionally, he interrupts my stream of consciousness to ask my opinion on prepositional phrases or how I would grade a student who writes well but didn't exactly meet the criteria of the writing assignment, and I try to answer with some modicum of authority, although I'm not ashamed to say there is a reason why Mike is the teacher and I am not. Satisfied with my blessing on the C- grade he will bestow upon his student, he returns to this meditation, and I return to mine. In the interim, I resist the urge to walk over and snog him silly for being so - so fair.

To the unspoken chagrin of my mother, my fiance and I have been roommates for nearly two months. In August, I made my final departure from Arlington, VA for Laurel, MD on a weekend when Bevan was not around - an arrangement that providence mercifully prepared for us, as I'm sure we would both have suffered through much hugging and hiccup-laden sobbing. Since that day, Mike and I have termed our foray into living together as an "adjustment". We share a one-bedroom apartment in a town with little to boast of in the way of recreation apart from a one-block historical strip called "Old Towne Laurel", which consists of a post office, a tailor's shop, and an antique shop that houses a collection of bizarre and unusual nick-knacks and paintings.

One day we'll take the half-hour trip and walk up and down it. One day. For the time being, we are happy to enjoy the Adjustment for what it is: the synchronization of biorhythms. The monitoring of ticks and habits and moods. The absorption of critical information about the other person so that we may know what to do or say either when sparing one's feelings or when one's button simply must be pushed. To say I'm enjoying myself is truly an oversimplification of the matter.

For instance, I wake up at 6AM now. I know more than a few people who would be shocked, stunned, astounded, and appalled to learn that I was getting up before dawn for no good reason. But Mike and I discovered after a number of nights had passed that it's about as much fun going to sleep alone as waking up alone, so I've taken the opportunity to wake up early and use the extra time to prepare myself for the day ahead - making lunch, doing yoga, getting a shower, and catching up with Meredith Vieira on the Today Show. At the day's end, I return home to find Mike strumming clumsily on his guitar in an effort to learn a new song, which means that he is primed to hear my latest jaw-dropping account of workplace shenanigans. We generally follow this up with crawling into our relaxed clothing (which, for me, consists of jeans or pajamas, and for Mike, consists of underwear), cooking dinner, catching up on an episode of "Battlestar Galactica" or "Flight of the Conchords", and hitting the hay.

It is the hay-hitting part that I enjoy the most. Before your minds catapult straight into the gutter, I'm not referring to any naughty dealings that happen after the lights go out, but rather about the pillow talk. You have never heard more banal conversation. We lie in bed and contemplate lesson plans, American politics, and what happened to the girl from Yale who got strangled to death. More than once, one or both of us has been tired enough to be giddy with sleepiness, laughing maniacally in the dark at ourselves making really bad jokes. Eventually, we turn our backs to each other and drift to sleep - a bit of body language that, I believe, springs from the security of knowing that your back is already covered. You want to be facing the outside of the bed if something's about to surprise you in the dark, ya know?

It's not been perfect, of course. My feathers get ruffled about, of all things, making the bed. He sees it much the way comedian Jim Gaffigan does: "Why should I make the bed? Do I retie my shoes after I take them off??" Whereas I am eternally afraid of bugs and dust and clutter, and - more practically - enjoy using the bedroom as a place of introspection where I can write and muse without getting my thoughts tangled in bed sheets. For the most part, the bed-making thing has been resolved. Driving habits, however, are an entirely other issue...

Mike pauses in his marathon grading to come up behind me as I'm typing and ask me if I want to eat dinner with him. He places a light kiss on my lips as I tell him I'll be right with him. I'll have him read this in a moment in the hopes it will inspire some fun conversation at that special time of day when we're chatty and all I can discern of him in the dark are a pair of strong arms around me and his voice.

So much of my daily existence is the epitome of ordinary. But in writing this down for all Pensieve-dom, my hope is not only to impart some small slice of my happiness with the world, but to remind myself later on, when I begin to believe in the ordinariness of it all, how special this all is. Like everything that gets put in text (which, as a marketer, I must emphasize that EVERYTHING important originates with written words) I hope to retain this snapshot of me at 28, snugly positioned between being single and married, so that when I'm 58 I can remind myself that nothing in my life is or ever has been ordinary - least of all life with my beloved Mike.

*Touches wand to her temple, draws out a silvery strand, and watches it fall into the glowing basin*

Oh, Interwebs, you are too much.

2009-09-10T19:08:55Z

Get Your Sexy Name

How funny is that! lol

Anyway, I'm making a concerted effort to be around a little more. Yes, I know I've said that before and will likely get slapped with another life-changing event/work assigment, but right now, TODAY, I'm tryin'!

Really, I just wanted to take an extra second to thank the people to whom I could not return a comment for simons_flower's picture. It was an emotional time for a lot of people, and for whatever reason, the picture I drew became a focal point for a lot of people's remembrances of Trisha. I'm truly happy so many of those who commented on the picture knew her and loved her. Though I couldn't reply to everyone, I read everyone's reactions with no shortage of tears. Just... thanks for reminding me why fandom is such a powerful thing.

In other news, I've got a bit more DIY wedding stuff to share! Mike and I have decided that we wanted to go with a game theme since we enjoy playing board games together whenever we have an opportunity. Now, the back story begins when we had decided that we wanted to donate to charity in our guests' honor instead of supply our guests with useless knick knacks that would do little other than collect dust on their shelves. Unrelated at the time, I was also interested in finding a creative way to present the escort cards. However, it wasn't until recently that I had an epiphany. Wny not engage my uber-creative Dad (who created my sister's wedding favors) in putting together a lovely game-themed escort card holder that guests could also bring home? I asked him about it, and he seemed ecstatic to do it, asking me to put together a concept for him to work from:

Whaddaya think? The die would be translucent red, with a clear acrylic bottom, wire for the memo-holder, and my mom's and my calligraphy on the platform. I can already feel the family bonding!

So that's pretty much all the updates I've got. I'll be sure to update with photos once the pieces are in production!

No blood diamonds, thank you very much.

2009-09-08T18:36:37Z

I just realized that, no matter how I write this, it's gonna sound like an ad. But the truth is I think proliferating this information could be a really good thing considering how big the diamond industry is (and how corrupt).

Anyway, I try pretty hard to be globally minded person. I recycle. I buy local/organic when I can spare the nickels and dimes for smaller apples and "Seven Whole Grains on a Mission". I make the occasional donation to decrease my carbon footprint and am moderately obssessed with checking world news on the interwebs.

So, when the discussion came up about what my engagement ring should look like, I had a major moral dilemma. I'd read about the diamond trade and how difficult it is for the Kimberly Process to ensure that diamonds actually come from conflict free zones when blood diamonds can be trafficked into those areas so easily. I didn't want my ring to in any way have so much as a possibility of funding a bloody war in Africa!

I'm also pretty darn traditional. And before I'd read anything about wars and diamond trades, I dreamed of a beautiful solitaire on my left hand to mark my betrothal. Insert the sad face.

But then, my sister and brother-in-law told Mike and I about Moissanite. It's a gem that had been originally discovered in a meteor that fell to earth decades ago, and science has since discovered how to recreate it in a lab. And here's the kicker:

It's as hard as a diamond.
It has more fire than a diamond. ("Fire" is just an industry word for "OOHH SPARKLY!")
No one can tell it's NOT a diamond. (Even the diamond experts have trouble telling them apart!)

And the best part: It's less expensive!

My solitaire ring has a 1ct Moissanite stone in it, and I've received nothing but compliments on it anywhere I go. I love it especially because I feel like I'm wearing something that says more about me than "I'm going to be married." I get to tell everyone who marvels at it that it's a manmade star - a little piece of heaven on earth, which is exactly how I feel about the man who gave me my beautiful ring.

You may recognize the close-up:

Photography by Susan Solo at http://www.susansolo.com

If you're curious, you can find out more about moissanite here: http://www.moissanite.com/. I will now be getting off my soap box.

So how are YOU guys doing? :)

PS: I saw myrafur in VA Beach this weekend. She and her beautiful family make me ridiculously happy. She also inquired about my engagement ring and when I said it was Moissanite (pronounced MOY-sin-ite), she burst into a fit of gutter-induced giggles. This, just after she handed me a plush yellow toy in the shape of a sunny-side-up egg and said, "Now you have Herpes."

For simons_flower.

2009-08-10T21:23:00Z

Just fedexed this pic to WA today in the hopes it will make it in time for the memorial service tomorrow.

"The Forest Again" was Trisha's favorite scene of HP. At madam_minnie and tqpannie's request, I have replaced Harry with Trisha, and dressed her in her Ravenclaw robes.

I wanted her to look like she finally arrived home - to a welcoming embrace.

Really wish it hadn't taken a tragedy to bring me back to the tablet...

Trisha Masen
1971-2009

is astonished

2009-08-05T20:41:24Z

I met simons_flower at Phoenix Rising, and knew her from then on as a snarky, funny, extraordinarily talented fandomer. She was frequently an encouraging voice on my LJ, and one of the beautiful, indomitable women of The Quidditch Pitch. Her writing was exceptionally expressive and courageous.

And she passed away today. A bright light in HP fandom has gone out.

My heart goes out to her family, and to all of her close friends at TQP. For more information, see tpqannie's post here.

Engagement Photos!

2009-07-26T23:12:51Z

Susan Solo is an amazing photographer in the Northern Virginia area who I've been fangirling in secret. And now we've been fortunate enough to get her as our wedding photographer! As part of the wedding package, she includes an engagement photo shoot.

I'm so truly astounded at what she produced. Just... see for yourself.

http://www.susansolo.com/blog/?p=725

I might just have to do this at my wedding.

2009-07-23T12:49:43Z

This is the most incredible entrance I have ever seen. ETA: Thanks Adrienne & Bevan for the link!

The Original Smooth Criminal.

2009-06-26T13:53:39Z

MJ, you took the music video and turned it into an artform. May we all learn to dance and sing with as much passion as you did when you reigned the Pop world.

Rest in Peace, Michael.

And so it begins... the Wedding Planning Posts.

2009-06-24T17:03:28Z

I'm getting married in a little over a year (July 24th 2010), so there's a heap of time before we really have to get into the weeds on wedding planning.

Naturally, this means I have designed the invitations, bought the wedding dress, put a deposit on the venue, and had my first argument with my beloved over the guest list. W00T!

Anyway, when I have the opportunity to post stuff on here on how it's all going, I will do so - especially because I had a heap of questions going into this, and who knows if someone out there might be able to benefit from our experiences, right?

So, in the hopes that I will not absolutely bore every male on my flist, here's the first tidbit: Wedding Sneakers.

Now, granted, I already have my shoes that go with the dress, which look like this:

(My dress is, in part, champagne colored; hence my shoes are not white.)

The thing is, I love wearing heels... but my ankles do not. So while I had a gift certificate to DSW, I secured myself a pair of these babies to keep my toes happy while I dance my bum off:

Cute, no? The have just enough of a heel to keep me from stepping on the dress, and all the comfiness that usually come with a pair of Skechers. I'm extraordinarily content, notwithstanding the fact that I will not be able to wear them for a year, and I love them.

So yeah. Hooray for the first wedding post (even if it's not terribly interesting)! There will be others that may be f-locked (like the one in which I post the picture of the dress because I'll be darned if Mike sees it before I walk down the aisle), so just let me know if you want to be added to the filter.

Catch you guys later!

PS: Can anyone direct me to a good wedding-themed LJ icon?

We're all okay.

2009-06-23T11:49:39Z

Thank God, no one I know was on the Red line yesterday when the trains collided. Bevan was regrettably stuck on her train for a little while, but she managed to get home just fine. Thanks and hugs to everyone who dropped me a note to check in.

Between the train crash and what's happening in Iran, I've got a lot of prayers to say tonight.

cracks knuckles

2009-06-16T16:53:23Z

Of late, I have come to discover the following formula:

new job + wedding planning + moving out of apartment = no time, no money, no brain cells left to accomplish much of anything

So many people left wonderful congratulatory replies on my engagement post, that it's my hope to reply to everyone this week. I only wish I could have gotten my act together sooner, but given how many life changes have happened in a very short span of time, I'm glad I got on here at all! (All I need now is a kid and a dog, and I'll have hit just about every single momentous change I can possibly hit at 28 years of age.)

There's lots to say, and I'm going to try to be better. I miss you guys, and anyway, this is the perfect place to document the wedding planning process, which is already riddled with lots of crafty, artsy stuff since I've been suffering from the biggest creative drought since high school. (I've even forced my fiance to pose for me so I can prevent myself from losing the ability to draw altogether.)

That said, a preliminary thank you is due. I'll be back on here with open posts again soon once I've gotten to comments. In the meantime, hope you're all having a great summer!

Birthday 2009: "HOLY CRAP, I'M ENGAGED"

2009-05-04T01:18:21Z

Mike gave me the best birthday present ever.

And he got it on tape.

I am so totally overwhelmed and in love and grateful and I CAN'T STOP CRYING EVERY TIME I WATCH THIS.

On Death and Decluttering

2009-04-08T23:24:04Z

Really wish I had a happier reason to be on LJ. Tata passed away last week. Not much else to say about that except maybe that I'm so sad that I'm not motivated to do much else apart from be sad. She was my grandma, but she was the primary focal point of the nuclear family that I grew up with - she raised me alongside my mother. There isn't an LJ-cut that could contain all the wonderful things about her I could write. So like most abstract things that can't be contained in words, I'll just leave a blank space, since at the very least it is an accurate representation of the gaping hole that's left in my heart now that she's gone.

*blank space*

As a probably psychotic side effect of a death in my family, I've been cleaning house. I've stuffed bags upon bags filled with books and clothes and shoes. I don't know exactly why this is making me feel better, but I think it has something to do with how claustrophobic everything is in the days following the death of a loved one. You're surrounded by people who are also grieving, and they're hugging you and telling you they want to help and while you're really thankful that they're there... it's a little suffocating. Add to that the problem of ultimately going back to work for people who, while they send their condolences, don't actually care if you're grieving so long as you're still meeting your deadlines. More reason to quit my job, I think.

Anyway, make a long story short, I'm having a clearance sale. Everything must go. My closets are cluttered with art and I believe it will make me happier knowing someone out there might want it and put it somewhere where it can make others as happy as I was creating it. Someone out there is going to tell me I'll regret getting rid of everything. I'm certain that won't be the case. I like to think that I know enough about the folks that read this LJ to know that whoever wants some artwork will take care of it because they love the subject matter as much as I do. (Tata, at 93, was a Harry Potter fan.)

So yeah. I won't clutter up anyone's flist here. I'm going to use own_a_mb428 again and put everything up over there. I'll be giving them up one at a time (since I'm only one person and can only carry stuff to the post office one at a time). On the advice of friends, I'll be auctioning the original pieces, and I've got a limited amount of leftover prints for anyone who wants one for the cost of the shipping only. More details to follow on own_a_mb428.

Sorry if this post seems a little weird and disjointed. I'm not quite myself. I'll check back in soon. All my best to everyone.

Briefings on life.

2009-02-26T17:04:43Z

Just dropping a note to say a long-overdue hello now that I've got a day to regroup after a work trip to Colorado. :) I know I've been completely MIA, but (as usual) it's not my fault!

With a new administration (YAYOBAMA!!), work has had me under the gun more than usual. Since December, all of us in every corner of the Dept. of Defense have been putting in a heap of overtime trying to account for and justify our programs; it's the easiest way for new folks in charge to get read in on what happened before they showed up. Actually, it's kind of neat to be working for the fed in Washington, DC during a time when so much change is happening. Some interesting tidbits that show that Obama's administration is already at work to revamp the way the U.S. Government does business:

- We've all been given direct orders to conserve energy by turning our computers/monitors off every day
- Unless it's a briefing for one of the bureaucratic bigwigs, all printing must be double-sided to conserve paper
- Documentation explaining and justifying our programs must include return on investment and "Way Ahead" (ie. the next steps that will improve our results)

More work is on the horizon, no doubt. It's only been a little under 2 months since Obama's been in office, and while we've sort of had to derail for a bit, I'm certain it'll all be for the best. If anything, someone's going to look at all the paperwork I've been producing for our department and realize that the Army Guard has all our money. ;)

And then, In the midst of all of this stuff, something totally unexpected happened: I fell in love.

It wasn't entirely serendipitous. I was sickened by memories of last year's New Years Eve debacle, so my sister encouraged me to get on eHarmony. Being an eternal skeptic when it comes to internet dating, I had little faith in the success of an online dating service in which I had to detail all of my "Must Haves" and "Can't Stands" and answer questions like "What's your idea of a perfect date?". And to be fair, it wasn't exactly easy to navigate the sea of people that turned up on my list of matches. A good many were evidently the awkward type, which, being the sort to dread a conversation in which I do all the talking, provoked my closet social anxiety - I even had one date in which the guy told me upon my arrival at the coffee shop that he had not given me his real name, but rather the alias he uses to protect his identity in foreign countries where he would bail out international criminals.

Yep. My finger hovered over the "Delete profile" button. My sister told me I hadn't given it a fair shot. I told her she had not been single for longer than a day in her adult life and therefore didn't have the authority to prevent me from giving up the hunt altogether.

But just before New Years' I got pinged by Mike. His eHarmony profile indicated he was an English teacher, and in a series of rapid-fire exchanges, he and I decided to meet by the end of the week. Our first date consisted of early dinner at his brother's restaurant on M Street in Georgetown and a trip to the movies to watch "Slumdog Millionaire", which had us both misty at the end. Then, not wanting the evening to end yet, we decided to go to Karaoke together. The man has a singing voice that belongs on Broadway. Kid you not.

Our first date lasted 8 hours. He walked me back to my apartment, and not exactly knowing how these first date things are supposed to end when things are evidently going well, I thanked him for a wonderful time, lingered for a split second, then inched away towards my front door. What did I know? Thankfully, he had the wherewithal to close the three foot gap between us and kiss me. :) We've been virtually inseparable ever since. I adore him.

It's the short version of what's been going on in my life lately to keep me off of LiveJournal, and while it doesn't look like I'm going to get too many breaks in the immediate future, I can say for now that I'm thinking of you guys and hoping you're all doing okay. This weekend, I'm going to do what I should've done a while ago and clean out my Yahoo email account, so if you've written me there and I haven't responded, please accept my apologies for not writing back immediately and hang in there! (When you're getting 100+ emails a day for work, it doesn't leave too much time to check my fandom account, if you know what I mean. However, I resolve to be better.)

All that said, happy winter to all! In the words of John and Hank Green: don't forget to be awesome.

A Word on Borders (or "An Unofficial Endorsement")

2008-12-29T00:45:14Z

In these tough economic times, it really makes me sad when I read that my favorite companies are suffering. Today, I read that another Borders out west is shutting down. So in the effort to both vent and say a thing or two to an audience of people who love books as much as I do, or maybe just for posterity's sake, I'm putting down some very quick thoughts on why I love Borders Bookstore more than any other bookstore franchise.

I could talk about how you don't have to pay a red cent to be a Borders Rewards member, while you have to cough up $25 a year to be a Barnes & Noble member. I could probably also say that a cafe doesn't make a bookstore (although if we really want to address the issue, Seattle's Best coffee is better than Starbucks anyway). But what I really want to say is that I am a Borders Bookstore customer because these folks have, in my experience, extended themselves further than B&N to integrate their customers into a tight-knit community of readers. They cater to our schools, host storytime with local kids, and throw the usual blowout events for all of us fandomers that love HP, Twilight, Jodi Picoult, or whatever else gets us excited and decorates the bedside table... only they seem to do it with more style.

Obvious Case In Point: The Borders near me found out I drew Harry Potter stuff, and instead of just letting me continue to do my thing in their cafe unnoticed, they asked if I wanted to do an art show. They promised me the entire top floor. Invite my friends and family, they said. On my birthday. And then, in return for the art show (although I insisted that THEY were doing ME the big favor), they presented me with a free copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. A year later, they asked if I was interested in joining other local artists and photographers in decorating their upper level with prints of my artwork - not necessarily because my art is so great (there is a huge art community in Arlington/Alexandria that they could have easily tapped into), but because they have maintained a relationship with me and other creative people in the NOVA area. We recognize the unique environment that our Borders creates for its customers, and we want to be a part of it. Heck, I send the staff at Bailey's Crossroads a homemade holiday card every year, making sure to mention that I drew the picture on the cover in their very own cafe.

So yeah. I don't care about big name alliances. I also don't care that B&N is more popular and has extra knick-knacks for sale that have nothing to do with books or reading. It matters more to me that I can always find an obscure book at the last minute or a version of Pride and Prejudice with the original illustrations in it. I care that the staff is made up of poets and writers and people who don't just want to shake me off if I've got a question. I care that the folks at the front counter make conversation about the latest academic periodical someone is about to purchase. Maybe that's location specific, but if that's the case, our local B&N needs to reexamine their hiring processes.

In an age where technology threatens to make face-to-face customer service obsolete, I'm grateful for my local Borders and ardently hope that they continue to thrive. And that's pretty much all I wanted to say. Back to belated Christmas Card writing. :)

[/rant]

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-25T16:05:27Z

I am WAY behind on the holiday cards this year (my Christmas will be spent filling them out and mailing them), but I figured I'd preempt the post office by posting this little greeting. :)

It's not Harry Potter, I know. I had all these fantastic plans of making an HP-related one, and who knows if I'll just make it a Valentine's Day project or something, but my job sort of got really intense over the last few months what with our new incumbent president and all (YAY OBAMA!). So I had to stick with one that I could give to everyone, because most people on and off of this LJ know that I work for the Air National Guard.

That said: I wish you and your families all the joy and blessings of this holiday season!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Title: Santa's Brand New Ride
Medium: Pen and Ink
Characters: Santa, Rudolph
Rating: G
Notes: This card pokes fun at the fact that our F-16 fleet is being gradually phased out and replaced by the superior F-22 (featured in the card below). I mean, with a bird like that, who wouldn't trade their sleigh?

Playing For Change: Song Around the World

2008-12-11T04:49:04Z

I won't even spoil it for you. Just watch and prepare to be happy. :)

"I'm Already There"

2008-12-06T06:01:49Z

I learned how to use GarageBand tonight. :) I needed a pick-me-up when I wrote this song. Link is below if you're interested in hearing what I churned out.

"I'm Already There" on Putfile

I'm Already There
In my mind, there is a memory
from a time long ago
of a young girl, whose life was a fantasy
a fairy tale someone wrote

I used to be a different me
and then I realized
life is not a storybook
and if I open up my eyes

Refrain:
I can do what I want to do
be who I want to be
I don't need some prince charming
to come and rescue me
I can dance like no one's watching
sing like no one cares
keep your happily ever after, darling
cuz I'm already there

Bet you think I'm waiting
all night by the phone
but call me any Friday night
you'll find nobody home

I confess this is a test
so tell me what you see
don't look back, I'm miles ahead
and I'm on a different frequency

Refrain 2:
I am who I am
not who I used to be
I don't need some white knight
to come and fight for me
I can live in my tomorrow
and love because I care
don't ever say I lost my way
cuz I'm already there

Interlude:
I'm sick and tired of waiting
for answers to arrive
and thinking that someday I'll get a sign
why look all around you
when the answers are inside
and everything I want's already mine

Refrain 3:
I can do what I want to do
Be who I want to be
I thought I had to hide away
but now I'm breaking free
I can stand with both arms open
feel the wind blow through my hair
don't tell me it's gonna be all right
cuz I'm already there

I'm already there (repeat)

As you were.

Black Friday Updates

2008-11-29T01:47:02Z

Let me start off by apologizing for that incensed post I left regarding the whole art theft thing. leviathan0999 frequently talks sense into me, and expressed that I probably shouldn't make a snap decision when I'm angry, so I'm currently exploring other options so that I don't have to shut down my art site or lock up my LJ art posts. (Granted, if I can't find a way to disable that little right-click "save as" do-hickey, I probably have to shut it down, but only because there isn't another me that I can task with tracking down my artses.)

That said, I'm on it. And I'm sorry I got so mad. Between the DeviantArt thing, and various other issues that probably started when 2008 began, I've been feeling a bit like an open wound, but a good reality check certainly helps put things in perspective.

Anyway, I hope you guys are doing all right. I'm at work on a commish for naiad8, finishing up a piece for lunalovepotter, and working on this year's holiday greeting, so all things considered, I'm fully engaged in teh fun. (Thanksgiving festivities with family, notwithstanding...) I've picked up most of the Christmas gifts for my family, and I'm looking forward to knocking that completely off the to-do list. In other news, I am getting to know my beautiful niece, Anna, as well as enjoying some extra time with my nephew, Michael. Hooray, Aunt-hood!

Finally, I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! And to those whose many, many birthdays I've gone and missed, I hope you all have a wonderful year ahead and celebrated it right!

Friends in India

2008-11-28T22:28:04Z

I pray you're all okay. I hardly know what to write that would aptly express my horror at what is happening there, but please know that I'm thinking of you and hoping for swift justice and peace.

I give up.

2008-11-09T19:10:11Z

It's a Sunday - a day off when I never get days off - and I've spent the last hour and a half of my life going through the imposter's gallery on DeviantArt posting a violation for every piece of my art this person put up there. They've even put up my restricted stuff for the world to see. It'll take me the rest of the day if I get every last picture/story that they posted there without my permission.

I'm so upset I can't even describe it.

Not to be dramatic or anything, but I don't have it in me to deal with this crap anymore. I can't police my artwork because I don't have the time or energy to run after assholes with nothing better to do than impersonate me. The only thing that's making sense right now is to take it all off the web for the purpose of preserving my sanity.

I'm giving it to the end of the year before I shut down Mudblood428.com and lock up every art post on this journal.

Enough is enough.