Nothing is Ever Easy...

Move-in Update

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 03:00:13 GMT

Ugh... big move is big. Holly and I are FINALLY mostly moved in. We ended up spending a fuckton on furniture since we had to get rid of so much before leaving NC. But my office is now set up (dual monitors, baby!), and the sofa gets delivered on Tues. Yay, I guess.

I'm currently attending AWA, AnimeUSA, EXPcon, NekoCon, and KuzuriCon before 2009 is out. Gotta get my ass in gear in a few days and really start pumping the artwork.

In other news, it's FUCKING HOT right now. Our house has no AC, so we're left with window fans. Still, today was the worst, with it being a constant 90 degrees indoors. Yes, I said indoors. This heat wave sucks balls. Ask me again in a month or so, I'll be bitching about the cold instead. Beh.

I haven't had any time to devote to much of anything except house cleaning, putting furniture together, and running errands. However, I do believe Heather's outfit will arrive in the mail this week (finally), so minus her boots, she'll be complete at long last. Pics will come, time permitting.

Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll be taking a cold shower right now. Ugh.

Life, with the works, please

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:01:50 GMT

Status update-ish thing:

We've postponed the house-hunting trip to OH until the week of the 20th due to conflicts with Holly's Greensboro job. I have no idea if that means I'll be going to the Raleigh meet or not. I'll have to see closer to the event.

Holly is also in talks with a man in Japan about going over there (and taking me in tow) to work on a show in Tokyo for a week in September. Flight and board paid. Yes, I shit you not. I need to start learning more Japanese pronto. I foresee a trip to Borders/B&N's in my near future for language books and/or CDs.

My birthday was pretty nice. Holly and I went to the NC zoo for the day and came back to bowl that night. Sucked at bowling due to my gimp ankle, but the zoo was great. Plus yay for friends showing up at the alley just for me. :)

I sent off Heather's head to Leah yesterday for her faceup. I'm REALLY excited about that! She does such amazing work, and I'm sure this will be no exception.

Now I'm lining up a crapton of conventions for the rest of the year. Sadly, several of the ones I wanted to book already have full artist alleys. Seriously, they fill up 5-6 months in advance?? WTF.

Scary/exciting things are coming. On one hand, I'll be doing my artwork fulltime and going to conventions year-round. On the other hand, I'll now be doing said artwork to help the two of us survive. It's something I always wanted to do, but that doesn't mean it doesn't scare the hell out of me. It really does. Sometimes I feel like a poser compared to so many other great artists.

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:14:30 GMT

www.etsy.com/view_listing.php

DO. FREAKING. WANT!! WANT WANT WANT WANT!!!!
But... it's a lot of monies... T______T

And lol, I realized when looking at the seller that it's the same one who makes the hat Blyss wants! Such a small world we live in...

Oh joy

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:16:57 GMT

Okay, well... my plans to go to the steampunk ball this Friday may be cancelled, seeing as I badly sprained my ankle this past weekend and I'm hobbling around on crutches. BUT! The doc says I should theoretically be able to hobble-walk within 10 days. We'll see. I will, however, get to the Greensboro meet one way or another. *semi-epic pose*

Next, Iplehouse sent me my shipping notice this morning!!! However, their EMS number (or "waybill number", as they seem to call it) doesn't work. The EMS site tells me no such thing exists... Anyone had experience with this? Saige, I know you're the EMS guru, any words of wisdom?

Perhaps they simply haven't updated their system yet and it's actually there. I dunno. I just want to make sure someone will be around when it gets delivered. So yeah, there's the possibility of having Heather before this weekend's meet! *insert gushy excitement here*

That's my life at the moment. Fun stuff (literally and sarcastically).

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 02:26:23 GMT

1. You can ONLY answer 'Yes' or 'No'.

2. You are NOT ALLOWED to explain ANYTHING unless someone comments you and asks— and, believe me, the temptation to explain some of these will be overwhelming. Nothing is exactly as it seems.

Been arrested? No.
Kissed someone you didn't like? Yes.
Slept in until 5 PM? Yes.
Fallen asleep at work/school? Yes.
Held a snake? Yes.
Ran a red light? Yes.
Been suspended from school? No.
Experienced love at first sight? Yes.
Totaled your car in an accident? No.
Been fired from a job? No.
Fired somebody? No.
Sung karaoke? Yes.
Pointed a gun at someone? Yes.
Did something you told yourself you wouldn't? Yes.
Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? Yes.
Caught a snowflake on your tongue? Yes.
Kissed in the rain? Yes.
Had a close brush with death (your own)? Yes.
Saw someone die? No.
Played Spin the Bottle? Yes.
Smoked a cigar? No.
Sat on a rooftop? Yes.
Smuggled something into another country? Yes.
Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on? Yes.
Broken a bone? Yes.
Skipped school? Yes.
Eaten a bug? No.
Sleepwalked? Yes.
Walked on a moonlit beach? Yes.
Ridden a motorcycle? No.
Dumped someone? Yes.
Forgotten your anniversary? Yes.
Lied to avoid a ticket? No.
Ridden in a helicopter? No.
Shaved your head? No.
Blacked out from drinking? No.
Played a prank on someone? Yes.
Hit a home run? No.
Felt like killing someone? Yes.
Cross-dressed? No.
Been falling-down drunk? No.
Made your girlfriend/boyfriend cry? Yes.
Eaten snake? No.
Marched/Protested? No.
Had Mexican jumping beans for pets? No.
Puked on an amusement ride? No.
Seriously and intentionally boycotted something? Yes.
Knitted? No.
Been on TV? No.
Shot a gun? Yes.
Skinny-dipped? Yes.
Given someone stitches? No.
Eaten a whole habenero pepper? No.
Ridden a surfboard? Yes.
Drunk straight from a liquor bottle? No.
Had surgery? Yes.
Streaked? Yes.
Been taken by ambulance to a hospital? No.
Tripped on mushrooms? No.
Passed out when NOT drinking? Yes.
Peed on a bush? Yes.
Donated blood? No.
Grabbed electric fence? No.
Eaten alligator meat? Yes.
Eaten cheesecake? Yes.
Killed an animal when not hunting? Yes.
Peed your pants in public? No.
Snuck into a movie without paying? No.
Written graffiti? No.
Still love someone you shouldn't? No.
Think about the future? Yes.
Been in handcuffs? No.
Believe in love? Yes.
Sleep on a certain side of the bed? Yes.

....Geez, according to this, I seem a lot more interesting than I really am. Who'da thunk it?.

Something to look forward to

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:31:09 GMT

The doll bug has struck. HARD. I cannot freaking wait until Heather arrives! Come on, Iplehouse!! Just ship her! She doesn't even need a faceup!

Yeah, I know. These things take time, and most people don't see their dolls straight from the company for at least several weeks. But oh man. I've got Leah on board to do her faceup, and eyes coming from Lyzrd. I haven't had this much anticipation for a doll in a looooong time (I keep checking my status on IH every day to see if, perhaps, she shipped and they simply didn't tell me...yeah...). I'm totally geeking out about it.

Anyway, I don't think this could've come at a better time. As hard as things are right now with moving from place to place and job hunting, I know that there is a doll on the way. And that makes everything tolerable.

I'm being gushy, I know. Sure beats being depressed, though. ^_^

OH! And before I forget... to any of you who own slim mini's (Unoa, MiniFee, etc.), look on ebay for clothing for TY Girlz. They fit, and they're uber cheap!!

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:38:27 GMT

Why can't I sleeeeep!!??? WTF is my problem?

BBQ meet pics up

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 01:43:35 GMT

Yeah, so... I'm a slacker (or so I've been told), but the pics Holly took at the BBQ meet are now up in the thread. Go see. And don't kill me for my utter lack of punctuality. x_x

www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php

Staircon 2009

Tue, 26 May 2009 02:35:29 GMT

Sooo... yeah. Holly and I had a great time. It was probably the busiest I've ever been in Artist Alley, and probably the most social as well. Things sold very well (not as well as last year, but still enough to be happy about), and holy crap Caramelldansen badges!! I sold all but like 4 of them.

The Mariott hotel room was niiiiice, with a big flatscreen HD TV that made me JIMP. Not very noisy, but the damn kids on the elevators were dumb. And so many stairs. Don't even get me started.

Pre-con Karaoke was fun, and special thanks to those of you who were there to cheer me on! :3

I haz werk tomorrow, and then I'm off the rest of the week to move out of the apartment. Apparently we've amassed a large group of people to help us with the lure of free food as their reward. Rock on.

Whew.... I'm almost through this. The hard part, anyway. If I'm off the intarwebz for many days, it's obvious why. So please don't get offended if I don't respond to you. Plus you can always text me. :)

Peace.

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 16:55:00 GMT

Good gawd... I just wanna get out of work today and PARTY! Why oh why aren't there any good dance clubs in Winston? I'm desperately missing my industrial/goth club back in Tampa right about now. Need. To. Dance. Now. *flail*

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 20:38:07 GMT

www.newsweek.com/id/189763

...Requesting permission to vomit, sir. Bleeeerghhh!!
I hate fundamentalists. So very much.

Stricken again!

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 02:01:55 GMT

Dammit to hell. Just when I think I've made up my mind, a new doll jumps out at me. As adorable as Mayu is, I think I might've found a damn good match for Heather (Silent Hill 3 for those that don't know/forgot). Here be the pics:
Official Site: www.iplehouse.net/shop/step1.php
Some owner pics: www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php
And a reference pic for Heather: i151.photobucket.com/albums/s135/ghostecho_2007/Silent_Hill_3_Heather2.jpg

What do you folks think? Am I losing my mind? Should I just shut my pie-hole and get Mayu? I mean, Mayu's absolutely adorable, but she definitely looks younger than Tatiana. And since Heather's supposed to be... what, something around 19 I think?

Harken to me, enablers. Now's your time to shine! Er, gimme some feedback, please?? *___*

Bootlegs? In MY BJD hobby?

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 18:22:32 GMT

For anyone who hasn't seen it yet, go to this thread on DoA. http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?t=281148

In a nutshell, a "company" in China is blatantly ripping off the entire BJD community by publicly asking which doll sculpts potential buyers would like to see recast and sold on the cheap. I need not remind you all what repercussions this will have on the entire hobby, especially the secondhand market.

Now you know. And knowing is half the battle. G. I. Joooooeeeee!

Doll conundrum - Need assistance!

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 14:36:10 GMT

Okay, I need some help from all you enablers out there. I've searched my feelings and decided against buying a BF Olive. However, I do still want to have a BJD of Heather from Silent Hill 3 (one of my favorite characters in the game world). Problem is, I'm having a hard time finding a sculpt that would suit her. I'd like to still make it MSD size, but I'm not completely against SD as a last resort.

For those that don't know what she looks like, this is a pic of her: www.gamespot.com/pages/image_viewer/frame_lead.php

Can anyone give me some ideas here? Closest I've found is Souldoll Katie A, but I don't know anything about their bodies and whether or not their fingers are chunky or elegant. The owner pics on DoA have proven useless. :(

Somebody stop me!!

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 17:45:13 GMT

I need to GTFO DoA right now. SRSLY. My willpower is slowly waning, and it doesn't help that my income tax return is on its way. Why did I have to see Bluefairy Olive!? WRYYYYY!!! Good thing is, they're completely sold out. So even if I went to press the buy button, I can't. Good for my wallet!

Also... I'm having strong urges to make Heather from Silent Hill 3. Dunno which sculpt I'd use, but the urge is there. And it is strong. *___*

No!! Don't need another one! 3 is enough!!!
Probably...

Political Rant warning

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 16:58:54 GMT

Let's see... where to start...

John McCain: STFU. Your whining about Obama's "lack of bipartisanship" means nothing when you yourself didn't expend any effort to try and contribute to the stimulus plan. I'll get off your lawn when you get out of my Senate.

Sarah Palin: Please... just go away. Next time you see a camera, just run in the opposite direction. You seem astonished that everyone is verbally "beating you up", as you call it. Cry me a river, you brought it on yourself. Let's not forget your perfect daughter, and her little interview recently. Your parenting skills seem more "maverick" than your political views.

Mainstream Media: How about covering actual facts instead of speculating or mudslinging? You brought up the fact that "Obama has done more in the last 2 weeks than the Bush administration did in the last 2 years", and you make it sound like a bad thing?? Are you just hoping he'll fail so you'll have more juicy headlines?

Obama: I do not envy you, man. You're damned no matter what you do. But my hat's off to you, at least you're trying. And you're getting out in the field instead of stuffing yourself in the 'cone of silence' that is DC.

Nancy Pelosi: You're a moron, but I respect your stance on abortion rights, regardless of what the Pope tells you.

Burris: You fail. GTFO the Senate.

"Big 3" Auto Dealerships: No, you can't have more money. You drove yourselves into this mess, now you get to face the music. Nice knowing you.

Banks: See above.

I'm sure I'm leaving some people out here, but that's all I can think of for the moment. *deep breath*

Yolk = glue

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 13:45:26 GMT

I go out to my car last night to run an errand, and Holly makes the comment, "Wow, some bird took a huge crap on your car." Meh, whatever, I thought. I get in the car and look through my rearview mirror, and my entire back window is covered in... something. We get out and look at it. And what do we find? Someone egged my car. Yeah. Bear in mind, I don't have any enemies (that I'm aware of) in this town, and I've done nothing to anyone to warrant this. Seriously, WTF. I've GOT to get out of this apartment.

That, and after taking my car in last weekend to get a new timing belt, the damn thing now makes a god-awful screeching noise while it's idling. So I have to take it back in and tell them to fix it.

I'm gonna need something a lot stronger than coffee to get through this hellish Monday.

100% Emo! Inquire Within!

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 20:58:35 GMT

*sigh*

I honestly wish I knew where the heck I'm going to be in about 6 months. All of this talk of moving and such is grating on my nerves simply because we don't know when/where we're going, not until Holly gets word back from some of the places she's sent resumes. And it could be anywhere! New York, Chicago, Toronto, Timbucktoo! At least if I knew, I could start preparing myself. Moving is a big deal to me, and for once, I have a good group of friends that I don't really want to leave. Sucks. The only plus to all of this is our agreement that we'll get a house. No more freaking apartments. Yay for that.

Then, we're trying to figure out what to do about health insurance, dental, and maternity. Guess what? No one wants to cover ANYTHING. *seethes* Wretched, greedy healthcare system.

Dark Fer

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 02:38:10 GMT

Q World

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 21:32:01 GMT

If anyone's interested in a free, fun, and gorgeous 3-d MMORPG, check out Q World. I started playing this past weekend, and I'm hooked.

Apparently it's not very well known here in the states, because I hardly ever see anyone else on there. As such, I mostly do solo questing, but it'd be fun to have some friends to play with. If anyone joins, let me know and maybe we can game a bit!

New twin faceups

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 03:53:06 GMT

On Christmas day, Holly and I went with Cha to her family's house in the mountains of Virginia. Whilst there, we decided to take some pics of the twins with their new faceups (done by Holly). Here they be.

Isobel:

Sophie:

And (of course) Lydia, camera whoring as usual...

Fer me?

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 03:08:46 GMT

Heh, well... my self control for resin-related stuff has just failed me. Now I have this beauty on the way (the dress, not the doll)...

Mon, 29 Dec 2008 14:27:17 GMT

After many months of laziness and much scouring of the hardware stores, I present my own version of the ADAM syringe as seen in Bioshock. Now I just need to make a display stand for it... If you like it, leave me a comment, would you kindly?

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 13:34:02 GMT

Hope all of you have a great holiday!

...I just realized that I still have a few cards I didn't send out... damn. I guess it's too late now. My apologies to anyone who sends me a card who doesn't get one in return. If it bothers you, message me. I'll figure out something. -__-;

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 17:14:54 GMT

Dear Mr. President,

I'm writing to inform you of my immediate need of a bailout. My finances, while not mismanaged or bankrupt, are rather low, and in the event of a layoff, I might find myself unable to stay afloat. In this age of Wall Street meltdowns and the subprime mortgage debacle, I'm sure you can understand my worry that this might affect me, too. After all, I have student loans and credit card debt to think about. Forget the fact that I accrued said debt of my own accord and with sound mind. I say, why not let the taxpayers shoulder that debt?

Therefore, I'm asking you to approve a bill to give me $12 billion. Why that much? Well, it's not based upon any specific data point, but I thought I should choose a large number. You know, just in case.

Oh, and did I mention I'd like this soon? As in, before the end of the month? Things might become dire by the time New Year's comes around (Christmas presents are likely to wipe out even the most frugal of shoppers, as I'm sure you know), and I'd rather not leave my situation to chance. So please have your people go ahead and wire the money directly to my account. No need to go through Congress. We both know they have the interests of the people at heart, and they'd never go for such an individualized doling out of cash. Besides, when have you ever needed their support anyway?

Sarcastically yours,
M.G.