Thursday, July 30, 2009

Memorization

Sam Jinks is a sculptor in Melbourne. He specializes in super realistic (that is a technical term) sculptures of people that come across as creepy and disturbing. Google him, and you'll understand exactly what I mean.

As striking as his work is, he is not some new amazing artist on the rise. He has been around for quite a while. There is a small section about him in my art history textbook, and everybody knows that textbooks are always outdated. I bought this textbooks two years ago.

So would artsy blogs please stop writing about him? It's getting beyond annoying.
Thank you.

On another note, I am going to Seattle tomorrow. I really want to go, because it's been a very long time since I have been to Uwajimaya's. I've been planning the trip for maybe a week, and I'd have gone sooner except that my friend going with me has been out of town. Now, we are both a little reluctant to go because of the weather. Yesterday the temperature got up to 105˚ in Seattle. It set a new record. It wasn't quite as hot today, and it will probably be a little more bearable tomorrow, but anything above 90˚ is pretty much unheard of in this area. It will definitely be above 90 tomorrow. And we will most likely be walking.

I figure we will go to Uwajimaya's, buy things and generally shop, eat lunch there, and then trek over to Pike's Place like tourists. It'll be a Friday, so it'll be crowded, but not as bad as a Saturday. And then we will want to eat some nice cold gelato, head that way, only to find that the tiny tiny shop is completely packed. Then it will be just too hot (for me) and we will head home tired.

Anyways, what I'm trying to get at is that I need to wake up kinda early tomorrow in an attempt to beat the crowds and heat, so I am going to sleep now.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Bibliophrantic

So I really want that Sony Reader. I spent so much time today just researching it. I've decided that I want the 505 version. It doesn't have the touchscreen or the backlight, but I'm fine with that in the end. There's supposed to be a new version of the reader coming out within the next couple months here, and it's supposed to have wifi capabilities. If a new version comes out just after I buy one, I'll be a little sore. But at least I can be smug in the fact that the one I'll be buying is still cheaper.

So I picked up Twilight again. (Shut up.) I tell people that I've read the first book, but the truth is that I got just about halfway and then quit. So I thought I'd give it (yet) another chance. It continued to be boring and disappoint me. It continued to have Bella be self-centered and Edward be creepy. The book picked up a little bit of speed about when the two finally had their first kiss. It took until page 282, which is a little bit over half the book. God... why did it take so long?

A lot of things confuse me about the book. Like how Bella compulsively lies to everyone. Does she lie because she thinks she's better than everyone? Or the way Edward reacts sometimes. He had his face really close to Bella's, and Bella nearly kissed him. So Edward ran away, ran around a meadow a few times, and broke some tree branches. What? Why did he run around? He kissed her just a few pages later when Bella was sick and about to barf... Why didn't he kiss her during the romantic moment in the meadow? Why did he pick such a horrible moment?

I've decided it's okay for Edward to be a creep, though. After all, he is a monster. But Bella has no excuse for being a bitch.

So I've been playing the 10 Days in Google Books game. It's really neat--You answer the five questions they give you, using Google Books to search up the answers. It's really easy, actually. And then you write 50 words about what you think the book experience will be like in 100 years. Every day they pick 3 winners to receive a free Sony Reader(!!!). And then the first 2,000 (or was it 20,000?) entries win bumper stickers, or some other booby prize similar to that. The next day there are new questions and a new chance to win.

So nobody else enter, okay? I have a lot of luck with raffles, but not so much with contests. If nobody else enters I'll have to win at least once. And then instead of writing entries about how badly I want a Reader, I can write entries about how much I love my Reader. And then I'll continue to be a spoiled brat about it until I move off to college and have new things to talk about. You want that, don't you? You want me to be happy, with my Reader... don't you?

So don't fucking enter.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Reiteration

I keep thinking that I'm writing posts daily, but I'm not. It's like there's some alternate reality where I'm going off and writing all these posts. But whatever--I'll allow myself to take weekends off. That's what I do during the schoolyear, anyways.

So I'm back to wanting an eBook Reader. And I'm back to being unable to decide which one I want. Dad keeps raving about the Kindle on the iPhone, but I don't like reading books on my iPod. The back-lit screen strains my eyes, and because the screen is small I tend to hold it a bit too close to my face (That habit combined with the DS is probably the reason I wear reading glasses). I've never been able to finish a book on my iPod. In fact, I've started books on it, and then either gone out and bought the real thing or downloaded it onto my computer. Not to mention the poor battery life; after having my only source of entertainment die at the beginning of an airplane flight, I've been against reading books on the iPod.

I suppose it's my fault for not charging it all the way before my flight. But if I had charged it, I would have been tempted to play Katamari and dry the battery in less than an hour.

But still. I want an eReader, and the best two out there are the Kindle and the Sony.

I've been kinda eyeing the Kindle for a while. It's obviously better... seemingly. It's much more popular, and it gets a lot more press. But I can't really figure out why. What sets it apart from all the others? I would think it's the ability to browse the web and the bookstore straight from the device. It's a really nifty feature, and sometimes just that idea almost has me sold on it. But when you get right down to it, it's still an e-Book reader, and it's harshly crippled because it can't read PDF's.

In fact, after downloading a bunch of books in the PDF format, the Kindle's inability to read them has become a dealbreaker for me. It's tough to read so much text on a computer screen, and I want to be able to put it on my eBook Reader. So then, I guess the Sony Reader is ideal for me, yes? But the Sony is incompatible with Mac. Which is a huge WTF for me and makes me angry at so many different things in so many different ways. I could probably write a five-page essay on why that makes me angry. Though, there's supposed to be this way to get it to work with your Mac, but it still makes me angry on principle.

And I'm not even a Mac. After owning one and really not loving it, I've realized that I am a PC.

I was going to reserve a space here for how most of the books I want to read are in the public domain. Kindle has them for free from their store, and Sony makes you pay $1.99 for the same books. But then I found out that Sony claims you can download the public domain books for free through Google, and the point became moot. Besides, I'm pretty sure that if it's in the public domain I'll be able to find a PDF of it anyways.

I still want to talk about how the books I want to read are in the public domain, though. Recently, I've been interested in reading the classics. You know, the sort of books they make you read in high school. And I want to read them while I'm still young. So it doesn't much matter to me that Sony's library is much smaller than the Kindle's. I'm probably only going to read books I can find for free anyways. By the time I'm interested in new releases, both libraries will probably be massive (or my reader will be obsolete).

So I think I've decided on the Sony Reader. It can do PDF's, and it has a touchscreen now. It also has a (sucky) built-in back-lit display. Even though I don't want a backlit screen, I want the option, in case I feel like reading at night without bothering someone else. Like, say... my roomate. It's also about $20 cheaper, and I don't have to wait for shipping. I can just go down to Target and buy it. Or Wal Mart. Or, probably, some other chain store in my area. Not to mention it comes in more than just one color. While the red one is nice, I think I'll prefer that special edition dark blue one, it contrasts nicely with the screen to make reading a bit easier.

What's interesting is that I've just gone and listed all the things the Kindle doesn't have and can't do. The only bonuses for the Kindle, really, are the wifi, keypad, and book selection.

Yeah. When my dad comes home, I think I'll discuss buying the Sony Reader with him. I want his opinion on this before I plop down a few hundred dollars. I know that ever since I brouht this up to him last December, he's been mulling on it the same way I have.

Friday, July 24, 2009

Win A Mac

So I was fussing around in the pink room, browsing our geeky selection of books and games, when I noticed that we had Spore. When did we get Spore? Ah, whatever, I've been meaning to give the game a go, and now I have a computer that will run it. It started out fun enough. I was actually kinda excited to watch my LeamJag grow up on the planet Leamony. The first part of the game didn't last very long. I kinda wished that it would last a little bit longer, because I wanted to add another set of mouths. Then I evolved, and my game crashed. Ho hum. I had to start over completely, but at least the game registered that I had made it to creature mode. I re-made my creature similar to what I had originally, and let loose!

God, what a boring game. Is that all there is to it? Fighting things and making allies with things? I chose to make allies with most things, because it didn't run the risk of dying. As much. Sometimes they'd ambush me in the middle of a song. After running around making allies with everything that didn't try to kill me for a couple hours, I've given up the game for good. I'd like to get to the next stage, but it's way too boring. No wonder it got bad reviews, it's a chore to play, and really repetitive.

It took them how long to make this game? And they forgot to add in the fun factor?

Mum is in the mood to get me ready for college, so today we went shopping for the sheets for my college bed. I wanted kid sheets with some cartoon character on them. I was thinking it was totally time for some Batman sheets, but the Batman sheets were really ugly and stupid. Instead I picked out bedding that had airplanes all over them. They're quaint, and they're made by Disney, so they still have a little-kid feel. This brochure the college sent me suggested that I bring my own plates and silverware, so I wanted little kid plates and things. But all the store had was Hanna Montana or some really ugly Transforers, so I gave up on that idea. I'll just pack a few mugs with me and maybe take along a few bowls from the camper's set of plates. I just want to eat cereal and drink tea, so I don't need a lot.

I always get a little sad looking at the sheet music I've printed out over the years. I had such high hopes when I printed them, but most of them I attempted, failed, and hid away. Or left on the piano to fade and bend. Even the songs I loved and practiced a lot would get warped. So today I put some time into putting all the pages into sheet protectors, front to back. I then clipped them all into this half-inch binder I've never really used. It looks like a proper music book, now. I can flip through it and see all my music arranged in a pleasing manner. The binder is absolutely full, though, so if I print anything else out I should probably move all my music into a one-inch binder.

I finally had the chance to practice that Ico sheet music today. The melody is so simple, but so pleasing. I felt accomplished just to play through it. Then I tried to play through the song, just as I should. I noticed a problem right away with the music. I had to hold down a note with my right hand, but partway through I needed to hit that exact note with my left hand. My solution to this was just to life up with my right hand right before I needed to hit it again. But as I kept going, I noticed a lot of problems like that. Twice on the first page I needed to hit the same note with two different hands, and twice the melody becomes indiscernable from the left hand because the notes are too close together. In all fairness, the beginning I am just playing a scale that moves through both hands, but there are times when the two sounds need to be seperate.

I gave up when the real melody was supposed to start. The scales that I was playing with two hands at the start of the song I need to play with just my left hand during the melody. I don't have the skills to move my left hand that fast and far and still maintain a fluid sound. So I gave up. But I blame the sheet music on this one, because it made some ridiculous mistakes. I youtubed the song, hoping to find some more links to other Ico sheet musics. All I could find were a lot of people playing Xald Balghostriped's arrangement, which is the one I hate with a passion. I was actually interested to see how they managed to fix his mistakes, but they all angled their cameras so that I could hardly see their hands. Man I just... I really hate the way Xald puts a beat between "You were" and "There." It ruins the grace of the entire song.

There is supposed to be another version of the music out there. I've found a few other people playing different versions on Youtube, but none of them have posted any sheet music.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Inner Lining

I keep meaning to write up that post with all the pictures of my mask-making process, but I keep forgetting my camera downstairs. And since I usually write these posts well after the parents went to bed, I'm not really able to go get it. Not without waking them up and having them fuss about it the next morning.

I finally found sheet music for that Ico song I've been wanting to play. It's supposed to be really simple, which is a plus for an unskilled player like me. I've encountered two problems, though: The printer won't connect to my computer so I can't print it, and mum won't get out of the house so I can practice the piano.

I really really really hate playing instruments when other people can hear. Especially when I'm learning a new song. I miss my electric keyboard. I could just plug in some headphones and go~ But no, my parents decided to spoil me and bought me a real piano (consequently selling my keyboard to help pay). Then they complained often that they bought me this nice piano/are paying for my lessons, so I should give them their money's worth in music. This is why I love the ukulele so much; I can just wrap my fingers in felt and play really quietly. Nobody has to hear but me.

What I really want right now is to go downstairs and play the piano, but that would wake my parents up. And last time I played piano in the middle of the night my neighbors complained the next morning. I'd just buy myself an electric keyboard (I have the money), but I'm afraid it would offend my parents. I won't have my piano with my in college, though. And I kept an eye out for all of the pianos around campus. There are a few scattered about, and I asked a guy who said they're for student use. But they're all in open and public places, which is exactly wrong for me. I didn't find out if there was a music hall, because if there is there might be practice rooms I could use with pianos in them. But I know from experience that you can still hear from outside these rooms pretty well.

What I'm getting at is, if I can't find any piano related accommodations, I'll have an excuse for an electric keyboard. Then I could totally take a trip down to Ohio and buy this paino. I've never actually seen a paino before, it would be worth the trip.

Or, if either of my two readers happens to know where I could get a cheap used keyboard, I'd be happy to listen. I'm looking for something with 61 touch sensitive keys and a headphone jack. It'd be neat if it could plug into the wall as well. I don't care about the other fiddly bits, so long as it can sound like a piano.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Central Market

Urp oh God I'm suddenly feeling really nauseous. I think it was that applesauce I just had. Urgh... I don't wanna barf with my bands still on my braces, that would be gnarly. Be strong Kelly, be strong...

So back when I used a PC, I was in the habit of collecting midi files. I'm out of the habit now, but I still value midis a lot higher than other music formats, and I began to wonder why. I also recently decided to sign into my Deviant Art account for the first time in forever (50k+ deviations and 42 messages were waiting for me), and took a glance over my old submissions. I looked at what my desktop used to be, and saw the lovable ol' application NoteWorthy Composer.

NoteWorthy is great. It lets me import midi files and translate them into readable sheet music, which I can then fiddle with all I want. I can also compose my own music on it, but who wants to do that? Once I'm finished fiddling, I can print out the music and actually play it. A vast majority of songs I was trying to learn came from doing this. So I was collecting midis in the same way one might collect books of music. And since you couldn't import MP3 files or anything else, midis were simply the best.

I stumbled across two midi files for You Were There, that Ico song. I remember searching long and hard for sheet music for that song, and could only find it written for strange outlandish instruments. It's such a pretty song, and it doesn't sound very difficult, so there was no way I was going to let this one go. So when I found those files? I was all FUCKING RIGHT JACKPOT.

But then I realized that NoteWorthyComposer doesn't work on a Mac, and I was all

FFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUU

And GarageBand is crap, I don't care what anyone has to say. It's like MS Paint, but bloated and handy-capped. There was no way I could make it do what I wanted.

I spent some time searching for programs that might work on my Mac and do the same thing as NWC. Apparantly, this is a big problem for Mac users that are also musicians (I doubt there are that many of us, so it's not like this program is in huge demand). The two suggestions were Aeria Maestosa and Finale Notepad. Aeria started out really promising. I imported the Midi file, and figured out how to get it to display the music as sheet music, and not it's funky line and bars system. I was all happy until I realized it could not print. MOTHERFUCKER HOW USELESS. Fine then, I'll just use Finale Notepad. This is why I download things. But Finale doesn't have the option to import midi files. ALWIRGTIHNABEOTH--Wait. It does have the ability to print music, and it displays things on the screen in a very easy to understand manner. I know! I'll just use Aeria to translate the music into something I can read, and then stick the notes one by one into Finale. It'll take time, but I'll get my music in the end, right?

Right?

FUCKING WRONG. I spent an hour and a half just trying to put in the simple melody. First, I couldn't figure out how to do rest notes. I was bravely soldiering on without it until I realized that I needed fucking rest notes, and had to spend all this time yelling at the program to display the correct toolbar. Then I thought that maybe learning the keyboard shortcuts would help things move along. But SURPRISE, the keyboard shortcuts are traps. It says press five to switch to the quater-note tool, but really all it does is cause notes to stack up on top of the most recent one you placed, creating a veritable tower of shit. Same with the number 6, which is supposed to give you half-notes, not tower-notes.

I needed to slur two notes, but the slur tool wasn't working. I consulted the help menu (AGAIN) to find that I needed to double-click and drag to make it work. Double-click and drag? I've never actually had to do that before, in my life. Especially since double-tapping is how I click-and drag on this laptop, so that means triple tap, or what? And once I finally got the slur in there, the program didn't recognize it as a slur, and ignored it all together. Because I used the wrong slur tool. WHY ARE THERE TWO SLUR TOOLS?!

And why is one of them fake?!

After fighting with the program to remove needless punctuation, add more pages, play the music at an audible level, have a time signature, keep in key, stop bending the space-time continuum, add the correct notes where I put them, and just overall work, I got the first page done, saved it, and started hitting things with a baseball bat. There has got to be a better way. One that doesn't involve me turning on my PC, because I am planning to wipe it and sell it (or donate it to a friend) soon. And I want to still be able to play music after my PC is gone.

... I just wanna play music.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Best Value


I'm considering this mask to be done. I made a DTB mask for my mum back when the show was still new, but it turned out really, horribly ugly. This one is a little better... but still not perfect. I'll make another one in two years. Maybe that one will be perfect. And then she can have three DTB masks.

I will do my mother proud!

So today I am sick. I woke up with excruciating pain in my jaw, caused by my orthodontist's last ditch attempt to super speed my teeth. I then spent about five hours just lying on the couch, hardly able to gather the energy to stand up. Also, everything smells and tastes like beef bouillon. I have no idea what is wrong with me, but it really sucks.

But despite it all, I have taken a bunch of pictures of my process of mask-making. Because I know all of you (the both of you) are really interested in a long strong of pictures of partially completed masks with commentary as tomorrow's Ubiquity entry. Unless something interesting happens tomorrow. Then I might end up blogging about that instead, and completely forgetting about all the pictures I took.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

60 Years Ago

I have another mask drying at this very moment. I still not have painted the other successful mask. Tomorrow, I need to clean up my mask stuffs, because the parents will be coming home and will want their kitchen back. Every mask I make I get a little faster, a little more successful, and a little more experimental.

I just need to... steady my hand before I paint these guys. Maybe I'll make stencils? I suppose I could also pencil it on first. After all, it's just paper.

I feel like mentioning that my mask mold is getting puffy and is bulging in some spots. I don't think it's mould, though. (Heh, a mouldy mold.) I'm thinking it's just steam. I took a razor and poked some holes into the puffy spots, and scraped the paint off as well. The newspaper underneath was completely wet. So I'm leaving the paint off, and I set it in the weak sun this morning. We'll see how it is tomorrow. I may just throw it out and make another one, but this time I'll use masking tape instead of pounds of paper mache.

I went to the orthodontis, and we discussed my options for my braces. They have been on way too long (mum thinks they're experimenting on my highly unique teeth), and now they won't be off before I move away to college. The last little problem is taking forever to fix... We've been doing pretty much the same thing for six months now. And I'm pissed about it, because it's a problem they caused when they were dinking around with my teeth. Anyways, my options: I can sign a release form and have them take my braces off early, I can switch to a new orthodontist when I move to Montana, or I can return every two months just to see the orthodontist.

But no matter what I choose to do, it seems that removing my wisdom tooth was completely useless. I got it pulled so that my teeth would move faster, but I guess we got it pulled too late. I could have had that tooth for the rest of my life, and it would have been extremely useful considering the fact that I already have a ridiculously low number of molars already. (They just keep yanking them!) But whatever. I guess I can switch from being an omnivore to a carnivore. They have all pointy teeth, right? Yeah. So do I.

I miss the days when the only thing I had to worry about with my teeth was flossing daily.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Reason

I keep nearly flagging my blog by accident. I'm worried that I will cause myself some problems one day.

My mask! It turned out... not so great. It was covered in the little orange and yellow spots caused by the glue mixing with the paper. It wasn't this bad on the other mask. I made a fresh batch of glue (I... re-used day-old glue I kept in the fridge) and put on a new layer of white. Problem solved! I hit it with a blow dryer and let it dry a bit on its own. Except for painting it, it is pretty much done and dry now. And it looks pretty alright, I have to say. I want to cut it down to size a bit (a lot) so that it'll go under my hair line, and not over.

Now I just need to figure out how to wear it. I can't see through it or breath very well.

I found out something today: I like Seinfeld. I think it is funny. I enjoy every minute of it. I need to go figure some things out about myself.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Eat Street

The storm that started lasted night continued today. Or really, the lack of storm. There is no wind, it's just white clouds and really heavy rain that lasts for three minutes at a time. Oh, and thunder. Lots and lots of thunder. But the lighting is really far away.

So there was no sun to dry my mask in, and even now, 24+ hours after making it, it is still kinda wet. I considered hitting it with the blowdrier for an hour or so, but then I played the Sims for a bit. So there you go. I'm letting it dry some more until well into tomorrow, but I'm eager to knwo how my mask turned out. I want to know everything that's wrong with it to I can make the next one even better.

So far, I don't like how this one is turning out. I used only one layer of white paper this time, and I think that affected the color. The first mask turned out seriously white, and all of the things that were problems when it was wet became unnoticeable when it was dry. If it had kept its shape, it would have been a success (minus the painting job). But this new mask isn't nearly as white, and has yellow and orange spots all over it. I was sure I had wiped those off, and now that it is so dry it is too late to remove them. We'll see how it is tomorrow. I may end up adding another layer of white before I consider it dry.

I made pancakes today. I set the batter down to rest, and it fluffed up really bug. I was surprised. I pulled the whisk from it so I could get the ladle in there, and a chunk of the batter went with it, leaving a huge gaping hole. I had made pancake mousse. Same recipe as always, but for some reason it was light and fluffy to the extreme. I pushed it down and made my first pancake, and while it cooked the batter fluffed up again. While I suppose a light and fluffy batter like this would be delicious, it held it's shape to well to do things like pour. It sat on the skillet like a lump of butter, slowly melting in the heat. I beat down all of the batter until it stuck to the liquid form. How very strange. (It still fluffed up a bit after, but not as much.)

Oh, now I'm hungry. Those pancakes were really good.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Kettle Corn

Masks masks masks! I thought this summer would be all about reading books and doing puzzles, but I think I might end up making a bunch of blank-face masks. I don't even know what I'm going to paint on all of them... I know I want to make Hotaru's mask from Natsume Yujincho, and maybe I'll make the bird's mask as well. I could also make that mask from DTB for mum (and this time not crappy), but I just don't know.

I've been on the internet all day looking at different ways to paper mache. I just keep finding the same children's crafts over and over again, all glossing over problems you might encounter and offering no helpful tips. Finally, I found the blog of somebody that makes masks proffesionally, and it was a bit of an eye opener. Of course, I don't have the supplies to make masks the way she does, but it's nice to see the end result of a paper mache mask not being utter crap with bumps and wrinkles. It's inspiring to know I'm not doomed to make an ugly lump of paper. Though, her blog still offers no helpful advise for what I am doing. Oh well.

I need to find a way to get ahold of some brown paper bags. I want to use strips of thicker paper in the middle of my masks. Four layers of newspaper is still wicked wicked thin, and I want to add some thickness. I noticed with the mask that I made that two layers of white printer paper was just a smidge thicker than five or six layers of newspaper, and it made me sad. If I can't find some paper bags around the house (so far, my search has failed) then I think I'll just go down to the craft store and buy some of that brown paper. It's kinda sad thinking about paying for it, but it's either I buy the paper or I buy the groceries.

Oh! I should talk about how my mask turned out.

It looked alright when I woke up this morning. It felt completely dry, so I popped it off the mold, pulled off the plastic wrap, and took a picture with my laptop. Checking on the mold, I noticed it had gained weight, and that it's underbelly was covered in condensation. So I've learned to prop up my masks while they dry, or else risk the mold will get wet again. Anyways, I fiddled with the mask for only a bit, then put it down and went to lie on the floor until I woke up. My low blood pressure means I don't really wake up until about noon.

Then about noon, I hopped up, stretched, yawned, and enjoyed the bright sun. I went to check on my mask, because I had little recollection of it from a few hours earlier. It was taller and thinner than the mold I made it on. I guessed it warped a bit and hadn't actually finished drying that morning, but I shrugged it off. Now, when I put it on all I had to do was breath in deeply and it would stick to my face. I noted how awesome this was, and tried my hand at painting a kanji on it.

My hand shook so bad. My heartbeat sped up. I practiced a few times on the newspaper protecting the counter, but I still couldn't steady myself. Also, my black paint was really chunky for some reason. So I messed up really bad on the character on the mask. If I end up going to the craft store, I will be buying one or two more paintbrushes that are really thin, as well as some black paint.

I checked on it hours later, and my mask was destroyed. It had warped itself into a tube-like thing. I don't even know how that was possible, since I put it out into the sun after painting it. But I'm hesitant to leave it on the mold for more than 24 hours, since I don't want to ruin the mold itself with the moisture, despite all the steps I keep taking to protect it. So my first mask is an ugly dud. I've already started the second mask.

I'm making this next one a bit smaller, because the last one turned out kinda big. I'm also making it a bit thicker, and I'm hoping that'll help it keep its shape. I'm also going to blow dry its underbelly tomorrow morning and let it dry until evening, hoping the blowdrier will help protect the mold and the extra drying time will help the mask keep keep its shape.

And while it's drying, I have a commissioned hat to crochet! Hooray!

Friday, July 10, 2009

Caloperation

I decided to count the number of ants in the kitchen today, and there were only three. This is a much smaller number than yesterday (upwards of twenty ants), so I guess my ant-killing rampage is working. Fingers crossed.

I woke up this morning and noticed it was a hot and sunny day. So I put my mask form outside in the sun. And voila! It dried most of the way. It's much more rigid now that it's kinda dry, and it weighs less. I painted it because I'm all excited about painting my first mask, so now it's a lovely solid white. I went to check up on it after the paint had dried to find all of these tiny hairline cracks in the paint. I guess I put the paint on too thick, and the form hadn't finished drying yet. Oh well, it doesn't need to be pretty.

I put plastic wrap on it, and paper mache on top of that. I read that you can use white copier paper to give your paper mache a white finish, so I tried it. And I don't like how it turned out at all. The paper is too thick, so you can see each individual piece of paper I put on there. I'll compare it to the white paint on the form, and decide if I should pant the newspaper white or use white paper. Maybe I can buy some thinner paper somewhere... But I don't exactly want to spend a lot of money on paper mache.

If it's sunny again tomorrow, I'm putting it out in the sun again. Otherwise I have a long day with a blowdrier ahead of me. Once it's completely rigid I'll take it off the form and cut off the extra bits around the edges. Then I'll play around with it a whole bunch, and wear it like a mask on and off. I'll put it down, look at it, and pick it up again. I'll wear a large smile, and then put my mask on and suddenly have no expression at all.

I'm trying to convey my excitement through boring sentences.

Now I'm gonna go eat candy and watch Willy Wonka. And then poke at my mask thing some more. Oh man I'm so excited! It's turning out decent! There is so much potential here!

Thursday, July 9, 2009

The Word

Oh, it is eleven something! I have less than an hour to write today's post. Maybe I'll actually do this one before it become 11:58 or 11:59. Or 12:52 am.

I am having a problem with ants in my kitchen. They were here a couple weeks ago, coming in from the garage. Then dad bought some ant poison (the liquid stuff), and the problem seemed to go away. But today, I keep finding ants on the counter tops. I checked the garage, and they are not coming from there. I can't actually figure out where there coming from. I just pick something up and an ant happens to be underneath it. There was one on the stove, and even one in the sink. None at all on the floors, though. I squash all of the ants I find, hoping that maybe they're just scouter ants.

But I'm pretty sure we've got a colony of ants in the walls.

(Also: According to this, liquid ant poison just makes the problem worse. Ugh.)

For no reason at all, I took off my Shark Shirt today and put on some normal clothes. And I think I look damn good today, so I had to find a reason to get out of the house. And I went to the craft store and picked up some supplies to make masks. I've suddenly decided to make masks, I guess. Out of paper mache. I spent about an hour today working with one of the plastic masks you can buy at the craft store and piling on paper mache until it became featureless. So now I have a featureless blob of paper, flour, and water, and it will probably take a month to dry because it is so thick. It is also really heavy. Too heavy to use as a mask.

But there is nothing to fear! My plan all along (I swear) was to just use this as a form to make other masks on. Once it dries all the way, I will seal it. Then I will put a layer of plastic wrap over it, and paper mache over that to make thinner masks that will actually dry in a reasonable amount of time and can be worn. I'm so excited. I really hope this works out.

Tomorrow, if the mask form is dry enough, I want to try making a mask on top of it. Because I'm really impatient, and I want to know it if will work right now.

I hope the ants don't try to eat it while I sleep tonight.

Pragmatious

I woke up today to the sounds of vacuums, and then a scared cat hiding on top of my head. I went to the oral surgeon, and a doctor different than the one what yanked my tooth stepped in. (At least, I think it was a different guy. I was knocked out. But he wasn't the guy that told me he'd be yanking.) He looked like he was from a soap opera/looked like Dr. Suresh from Heroes with handsome implants. He told me that my tooth hole was healing perfectly, and then I left to go laugh at his good looks while driving home in my car.

I'm pretty sure he's an underwear model on weekends to pay for his mortgage and student loans. And I kinda miss the old guy with a beard that I met, because having a bit of food stuck in the corner of your mouth is an obvious sign of medical wisdom.

I sat around a bit more at home, and then the parents waved goodbye and left for Hawaii. I texted some friends, but they're all out of town. Then the cats went outside, and I shooed a few flies out the window.

Crushing loneliness.

My neighbor came over, and we discussed my cat. She's been lovable to the neighbors it seems. Then we discussed her husband's ill father, and she left me with some of her beloved plants to take care of while they vacation until the end of the month. So they will be out of town as well.

I went outside today, and gave the cats some catnip so that they'd follow me around. I threw some rocks at my own house, because I'm trying to scare the birds out of my roof. There is a nest with two hatchings in it, and they chirp until about 11 at night. I then ventured into the woodsy part of my backyard to go look at the derelict tree house thing that a previous owner built. I haven't hung out back there in about 8 years, and things have overgrown quite a bit. And in the right light, the tree house thing is actually kinda pretty, so I think I'll take some pictures.

The cats were afraid to follow me into our own backyard. Tricksie meowed at me until I went back onto the lawn, Stormy ran to the neighbor's yard and had the time of her life running back, forth, and up trees. She was really high.

The cats are inside now, and are doing what they can to sleep near me, because they are lonely. I can relate.

But at least I'm wearing my Shark Shirt!

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Shark Shirt

So mum and dad are going on a trip to Hawaii, and I've decided not to go with them. Obviously, this is because I'm a spoiled brat, and I am too good for Hawaii.

But really it's because I don't like Hawaii. It's so... immodest. The cities are loud and smelly, built for tourists with way too much money. And the small towns where people actually live are all boisterous about their heritage. Yes, I get it, you guys have a rich and colorful culture. Yes, your history is both beautiful and tragic. I know. And there is nothing relaxing about lying on a crowded beach. Though, I rather like the ukulele.

In fact! I'm gonna go practice my ukulele right now!

I've been waking up at 11am. This is different from my usual waking up at 8am, but lately I've been having some terrible insomnia. Even if I go to bed at 10, I don't fall asleep until 2 in the morning. Not that I've been going to bed at ten, that is nearly impossible for a teen on summer break.

AUGH WAIT forget what I was going to say! My long-lost shark shirt has returned to me! Fuck yeah! It's totally lying on my floor in a pile of clean laundry. When did that get there?! I haven't seen you in almost a year! Yes, I love you shark shirt... It's an XL shirt, so it keeps finding its way into my dad's laundry. He never notices it until he runs low on shirts, and then he goes "Wtf, this isn't mine," and puts it in the laundry to be washed. Where it will again go into his pile of clothes. But this time, it has returned to me! I am going to be wearing this shirt all week.

That shark shirt is baisically the only good thing to have ever come out of Hawaii.


Shark Shirt!

Monday, July 6, 2009

Ask Me Now

I'm watching Nosferatu with my mum. We had to stop partway through since it was time for bed. But so far, it is exactly like the book. Maybe I should cram the book in all tomorrow and try to finish it before we watch the movie some more, so that I can continue to know everything that happens. Otherwise I may just find myself watching something completely new.

Craig came over as promised, and we played PS3 games as planned. Finally, I got to play Little Big Planet. Man, I think I might suck at that game. But it's hard to tell, since I was playing with Craig, who has beaten the game about 10 times over just for the fun of it. I died all the time trying to keep up with him. But a lot of the time, after I died and tried it a second time, I'd have no trouble getting it. Or when Craig'd be dead I could usually do that part on my own, just at my own pace. So maybe I'm actually pretty good at that game. Who knows.

I should get a PS3. I think I'll just wait until the PS3 Slim is out, and then buy one second-hand.

I finished the sky in my puzzle. I'm pretty happy, since that means I'm maybe 30% done. But the rest of the puzzle is going to be ridiculously hard, since the rest of it is all the same green color. Not even kidding. The same damn green color, with some spots of other color thrown in all over the place. Just a green field, with random flowers. Ugh.


Now if you'll excuse me Sean's grieving about his relationship problems, so I'm gonna go give him some POWER OF LOVE advice.
NO WAIT NEVER MIND He just upset me by reminding me of where Griffin lives. Dick.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Crackapow

So Craig and his family came over and we had dinner and shot off fireworks. Good company and the fireworks were pretty good. The neighborhood is still a war zone, though, and will probably still be booming into the early hours of the morning. A few of our neighbors are pyrotechnicians, so it's to be expected that they'll blow up a lot of stuff.

They blow up stuff year round, actually. Boom, all the time.

I talked Craig into bringing his PS3 over sometime this week so that I can finally get my mitts on Little Big Planet. I'm not sure I've ever really even played a PS3, come to think of it. I know I've played Rockband on one, but that doesn't really count. It'll be nice to finally play a current-gen console that isn't a Wii.

Ugh, there are a lot of booms at this specific moment. Whistlers, too. Despite our guests, I felt particularly lonely during the actual fireworks. I think it might be because the company last year was so good it just can't be topped by a few old friends.

I know it's lame, but during a fit of insomnia last night I decided to sign up for that Evony game I keep seeing advertised all over the net. I like how it advertises that you can play it at work or school, and then in the game it gives you the option to change the name of the window. I've got it set to some explicit words right now, just because I think it's cute to see my tab bar cursing at me. The game itself is pretty boring. It's certainly one of those games you keep running in the background. It's mostly waiting around for upgrades to finish (which can be anywhere from a couple minutes to a couple hours) and reading ahead in the quest list to see if there's any multitasking you can do. Because you can only build or upgrade one thing at a time.

I'm going to submit this post without re-reading it like I normally do. Just because I know that I'm making a lot of weird typos tonight. My hands must be cold, or something. (There were seven typos in that sentence before I fixed it.)

Friday, July 3, 2009

Insepid

The birds have moved into the space above my ceiling again.

Chirp chirp!

Chirp chirp!

CHURP CHURP.

Motherfucking birds.

Stormy caught a mouse today. It is her second mouse ever caught. She wins the prize for Biggest Mouse ever caught by a cat in our family. Usually the cats only catch little baby mice, but Stormy hunted down Mama Mouse. Sparkle has the gold for Biggest Bird with the wookpecker she caught, and Wedger has the prize for Biggest Thing since dogs would chase him into the house all the time. Trixie just hunts flies, but I've never seen her catch one.

I would like to send Stormy after the birds in my ceiling. She's never caught a bird, but I'll bet she'd like to.

And then?

Then there'd be no birds in my MOTHER FUCKING CEILING GAHH WHY DON'T THEY SHUT UP.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Piggy Wiggy

Books books books. I am so tired physically, but fine mentally. It's like having mono, I hate to stand up but I'm really bored and would like to do something. So I've been reading books (daytime TV is made of the stuff that rots your brain).

I finished The Time Traveler by H. G. Wells. I liked it, but not as much as Invisible Man. I chatted with mum about it, and we put the Hollow Man on our Netflix list. It seems the movie is based off the book.

Then, following mum's suggestion, I am reading Kafka. She thinks I'd like him because we think in the same way, but so far I feel he writes liked a bad playwright. Metamorphosis is everybody's favorite book of his, and I found it in my favorite eBook reader, so that is the one I'm reading. I hope it gets better soon, because right now it flat out sucks.

Yeesh, what a poorly written book.

Everything I've been reading lately has been digital, so I grabbed a paper book for when the electricity gets to me. It's one of the Disk World series. It doesn't matter which, it's pretty funny all the same.

I woke up today to a multitude of phone calls. I couldn't really see well this morning, so I had no idea who was calling. Thinking each of the five phone calls might be from my parents, I answered each of them. Three were automatic spam messages, one was from the doctor to see how I was doing, and one from the parents. I couldn't get back to sleep, though, because someone on the street was doing some major yardwork involving heavy machinery. Every 15 minutes or so a resounding BOOM would rattle through the house. Followed by RIIRRIRRIRR of some sort of macine, and the occaisional odd clank or crash.

What I'm trying to say is that I had a rough morning, and I am really tired.

Dad threw a party today. I didn't sleep during that, either.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Asjdfhagf

So I said I would make a post after getting my tooth pulled, and here it is.

This backlit screen is giving me a headache. And I'm getting that weird thing where amputees can still feel their lost limbs, except with my missing tooth.