Just a Personal Update

I know that last week seemed a bit odd, since I pulled out some older writing of mine to share with you. But the thing is sometimes it's fun to look at the old pieces and compare them to the style of the new ones. The same goes with some of the crafts I've been working on for the crafts swaps I'm participating in on instagram. I thought maybe you'd be interested in seeing some of the pieces I've been working on lately, I'm a little proud of how some of them are progressing.

So one thing I have finished lately is a necklace that I've titled Greenman #2. I started this piece over a year ago, along with another that I have yet to get a good photograph shot of. Both pieces are different, but feature the metal greenman face pendant.

I found the pendants in my travels, and picked up what few were available at the time squirreling them away until the inspiration would hit me. When it did last year, the piece I'll call Greenman #1 dragged. It wasn't cooperative, and it felt stagnant to work on, so I stopped putting them all away until a later date.

But now my muse is back and my inspiration has let me finish not just #1, but #2 as well. I think I have 2 more of the pendants, but one is already spoken for. The one seen here is mine, because while it may look very long, it's shorter than I intended for it to be.



Another project that I'm working on is something that is completely new to me. You can see my progress to the right. (Don't mind the needle and thread in the picture) It's a Nightmare Before Christmas inspired wreath, sort of.

While I may not usually be the sort to make wreaths this one has been coming along a little bit at a time, slowly. There's little details that you can't exactly see clearly in the image, such as the pinking sheared outer edges of the Burton-esque toe pincher casket shape.

The current status of this project is unfinished though, I still need to add a few more flowers, and maybe a couple of large bells if I can get my hands on any. Unfortunately as far as I have found so far, they're not in season. Not the large ones anyway.

 The last project I'll share with you today is my cheshire cat painting. While I know it appears to be non-traditional, I did my best to try and utilize the source material in a manner that would let the character be seen.

I tried to merge the grey and blue version of the cat from the live action films with the purple and pink cat from the classic animated film that Disney had released. The result as you can see is a bit odd. But I'm happy with how it's come out.

It's not just paint though. It's actually a mixed media painting. There's sharpie, acrylic, pencil, and watercolor used in order to express the image I had seen in my mind. It's not a perfect expression of what I imagined, but I find the result pleasing enough. Not that it's something to worry about I suppose. I still need to seal it to prevent any possible running.

There are some other projects that I am working on, but as of yet they're incomplete and I don't feel comfortable sharing them with you. Thank you for your interest and patience, hope you're having a magical week!

Music Monday : Think Outside The Box

This weeks challenge is to think outside the box. Don't let the choices of the people around you limit your decisions. Be unique and special. Don't be a square. Not that being a square is a bad thing. But by being creative you may find something you thought you were missing.

I hope you have a magical week, and the song choices this week are fun and hopefully they help break up the monotony of your day.

Van Stephenson - Modern Day Delilah

Patty Smyth - Goodbye To You

King Charles - Bam Bam

My Chemical Romance - Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na)

Carrie Underwood - Starts with Goodbye

From The Archives : Lenore Part 1

Sometimes it can be fun to pull something out of the archives, just to see what people think of it. Sometimes this can have positive results, or it can have negative results. But either way, this is something I was working on for one of my livejournal accounts eons ago. I hope some of you enjoy it, and who knows, maybe in the future there will be more of it to read.
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There's always a minute in which I wonder whether or not what I do is wrong. But tonight it doesn't really matter that much. But i could feel the nagging little voice starting in on me as I dipped my hands under the faucet to meet the warm rushing rivulet that was being pumped through the pipes. I rubbed my hands together enjoying the sight, as the soap bubbled and helped rid my skin of the damning red stain of her blood.

It's never easy when i set to, taking a life. But everytime... I hear that small voice escaping them as they plead for mercy that they have rarely shown themselves it thrills me to the very center of my black soul.

But even that at times... rarely, but at times has been enough to stop me.

But tonight I couldn't help myself.

She had been standing in the rain as I drove along in the rain. It wasn't even a light rain... it was heavy icy rain that hit my windshield with a thud, mocking me with the idea that it could turn into sleet or hail at any moment. I barely even noticed her on the corner as the light changed to red and I was forced to stop. That was when my death instincts hit me.

Looking through the water splattered glass I saw her standing in the rain, positively soaked through. her hair was plastered to her head, and her clothing hung from her like loose sails on a sunken ship in the ocean, flapping in the icy rain as the wind drove it against her body and my car.

I didn't recognize her right away... but as my "training" kicked in i realized that she was listed to be...dealt with. So i rolled the window down a bit and peered out, turning on the overhead light so she could see inside.

"Hey... you want a ride?" I inquired softly through the barely cracked window as I reached over to unlock the passenger side door.

"Well... i'm waiting for the bus...." She sounded uncertain as she shifted in the rain and wrapped her arms around herself in a futile attempt to get warm. she most likely didn't see me as a threat.

"Yeah...well the next one isn't for another hour." I stated it flatly, because i knew the bus route around here well. Call it one of the curses of my job. I have to know how to find people.

"You don't mind? I'm awfully wet..." She looked inside my car and looked a bit uncertain.

"Aww they're just pleather seats." I laughed realizing she was worried about the seats inside my car.

"Oh.. ok." She smiled brightly at my laughter and reached over and opened the passenger side door and slid in, dropping her purse with a plopping sound, almost like adding a water balloon to a pail of its fellows, at her feet.

"Buckle your seat belt... Where ya headed..." I gave a command and a question as I pulled away from the curb as the light changed for the second time. In a way I suppose i was lucky that there wasn't anyone else out in that awful weather.

"the bus station..." her words, few as they were were heavy and acted as a weighted question. She was hoping for some direction, someone to tell her what to do now.

"you don't sound certain." I knew why... she was running. She was running and didn't want to be caught.

"I don't have anywhere else to go..." She said it with a little waver, and I wondered if she even suspected that I already knew everything she had ever done... both good and bad.

"You can come home with me then." I shrugged and smiled at her as I flipped the overhead light back off.

"Thank you." she sounded small and a little defeated as she said it, like she was relieved to have someplace to go besides the bus hub. I couldn't blame her. I reached down and turned the radio on to some old music and we rode in silence until we reached my home.

Video Gaming isn't For Everyone

But there are reasons for many of us to utilize video games.

A video game is an interesting thing for a number of reasons. They can be educational, challenging, as well as entertaining. Personally I never considered myself to be a video gamer. But there's been a lot of changes in my life the past few years, and I think now I would fit into the classification of a video gamer.

The past few years I've come to find a enjoyment in the distractions offered by video games. They're often completely different from day to day life, and the ones I've had a preference for weren't considered gamer games. I really only played things like Second Life, a little bit of Bubsy on Sega Genesis (barely) and a few other games that merely flitted through my life. They didn't really hang around long.

Well, Second Life did. It's held on fairly well, and if I had a regular connection to the internet I could reliably connect by I'd likely still be a regularly player. But unlike the first person shooter games, or other challenges offered by other games, Second Life is more of an interactive social platform. I feel the best description of the game is Barbie Dolls for grownups.

But over time I have evolved. Now I spend a little bit of time almost regularly playing Final Fantasy Online. I've finished a few games, Journey and Dream Chronicles. Perhaps not the most challenging games available but they challenged me while being low on intimidation levels.

But over the years I've realized that video games aren't really for everyone. Some people have creative talents that flourished amazingly well without the hindrance of preprogrammed entertainments. You can argue that video games aren't preprogrammed, but they truly are limited to the scripts that the designers provided to them. Some people are full of stories and ideas that are amazing, they only need an opportunity to share their unique talents with the world and to feel free to do so.

Video games shouldn't be used as a replacement for life. Instead they should be used as a supplement for the things that we may feel to be lacking in our lives. There are for example desires in some of us to travel, but our circumstances may not always enable to do so. Games can offer the opportunity to explore and entertain ideas that our daily lives do not let us experience. This does not mean that they are for everyone. But they are something people should consider more.

Games are not just games anymore. Games have become social environments in which kinship and friendships blossom without the boundaries created by societies unrealistic expectations. But this should not be a replacement for reality. It should merely be a supplement, an opportunity to spread mental wings and gain insight without the confines of our personal boundaries. Personal Boundaries include : Social status, appearance, health, disabilities and many other things that may make it difficult at times to get a fair shake.

But again video games aren't for everyone.

But I've come to the understanding that I can appreciate them for the art form they are, as well as for the opportunities that they provide for different people to explore ideas and thoughts they may otherwise never have the opportunity to enjoy.

So don't judge someone just because they play video games, or any other kinds of games. There is often an underlying need or desire that is being fulfilled by the opportunities offered by the game.

Music Monday : Be Friendly

This week I wanna challenge you to be friendly. Not that I think you're not. But go ahead and smile at someone, say thank you for someone's common courtesy. Hold the door open for a stranger. Give up your bus seat to someone that needs it(especially if your stop is coming up soon).

Enjoy your dose of music for the week, and remember we're always curious about what you're listening to.

Remember as the week goes along, that smiling and being friendly in general makes magic easier to come by. So make some magic today and have a great week!

Joey Ramone - Don't Worry About Me

System of a Down - Old School Hollywood

Sum 41 - Over My Head (Better Off Dead)

MGMT - Time To Pretend

The Pretty Reckless : You Make Me Want To Die