errands and thinking about expanding my skills

Had a toast and two cups of tea breakfast. Even woke up at a fairly reasonable hour.

Ma, Holly, and I went for walkies at Scenic Beach State Park. It was a nice beach walk, though Holly tried to pull me into the branches. We only saw one other person at the park.

I returned Mom and Holly to Seabeck, and headed into Silverdale to run some errands. I deposited my Bitch Magazine check. Whooo! Now to spend it! Just kidding (not really). I went to Best Buy to look at tablets. I don't have a good one to produce digital art with, and while I am generally a traditional artist I should be well versed with the computer, and be able to do computer art. A mouse, hell the touchpad on my laptop, doesn't cut it. So a tablet would be a good buy in regards to my career and move and all that. So I looked at tablets. Don't know which to buy though. Bamboo Create or Intuous4? I'm leaning toward the Create...or maybe the Capture. Hmmn.

After Best Buy, I went to Kinkos to look at their Business Cards. Even without shipping they cost more than some of the online card companies. And they only have three kinds of paper, none of which I really like. And you have to buy like...250 cards. Ehhh. I think I can do better. Need to design a card first, of course.

On the way home, I swung by Kristen's old place, where my hair straightener and book apparently is. Neither Randy or Anthony could find it though. They'll get back to me about it, I'm sure. I should have been more on the ball a few months ago in regards to my straightener.

Back at home, a salad was waiting for me. We watched a bit of Of Gods and Men, but none of us were feeling it.

Mom is resting and listening to American Gods. It is early in the night for me to blog, but I don't see anything else happening.

Tomorrow I shall lay out my business card. That is my tomorrow goal.

old stories, new listens

Got up super early, 5:30am!!!, because I had to run errands with mom. Special mum errands. Drank two cups of black tea. Tasty tasty. Got me going. I'm a bit tired now, but I don't feel dead. It is good to be young, eh?

Drove mom around, then headed home. Ma and I spent a good part of the afternoon listening to Neil Gaiman's American Gods. Damn good story. I'm remembering more of it than I thought I would. It has been so many years since I last experienced it.

Hot dog and ramen edibles today. Tomorrow I'll help make a fancy meal.

Finished editing the photos that I have on hand. Time to take more photos. I think my website is just about done.

bonus artwork!

Today's goals, as I wrote on Tumblr, were to finish editing the work I documented. Which I have mostly accomplished. The next goal was to edit my website and put up said work. Which I also accomplished. Then to work on layouts for business card. Which I didn't quite accomplish. And also Laundry which, oh crap I have my third load in the dryer still. Oops.

Anyway, editing took a while but I got it edited. Listened to American Gods. Such a good story. Listened to Odd Owl. Such a good band.

I snacked all day so I wasn't hungry in time for dinner. Tomorrow we'll make a nice dinner.

Have to get up early to drive Mom to an appointment.

I think I can finally take my website off its "under construction" status. It is pretty well formed, and I am happy with it. It just needs MORE work. Lots more. Fill it up with art. I do like the way the art sits in the website though.

Now I need to move on to my resumes. Get those looking spiffy. It is all starting to take shape once again. I was out of the game for a while, but now my focus is narrowing. The beginning is nigh!

But now to go and sort my laundry. And listen to more stuff. And try to sleep, even though I probably had green tea too late in the day. Hmmmn.

...I'm also snacking on seaweed

Another rather do nothing day. Well, after noon it became a do nothing day.

Got up at about 9:50ish, showered, and took my antibiotics. I have a heart murmur you see, and with that comes having to take antibiotics before surgeries and things. Things like the dentist. I had a cleaning to go to! I got a call yesterday saying that they had an opening and that it was time for another cleaning, so I went for it. They scraped and flossed and used a water jet and filed away a little bit of my filling (like a bump or something) and I was good to go. Hurray!

Spent the rest of the day doing nought what I need to do, and all that can be done later. Like watch TV and read articles on the Internet. I need deadlines. I can work with deadlines.

Dad made me a sandwich for lunch. It was good. He also made dinner, potato and corn and chicken, and that was good. Mom and I watched Raising Hope. It had one two many plotlines.

Now I'm chilling and watching Real Humans and wondering just how to start my life. Well, I'm not wondering too hard. Just hard enough I suppose.

easy Monday

Made another nice fire. It took a while to get going, but get going it did. Mom made a stew for dinner. Tasty stew. We watched a bit of Bron/Broen. Walked Holly. Ate chocolate. Read Habibi. Watched things. Played it mellow.

Pa came home late from looking after Grandma. It isn't easy.

Tomorrow I have a dentist appointment. A cleaning! Whee!

last day with Nate till every day is with Nate

Dad went off to Mats Mats in the early afternoon. Mom stayed behind and made breakfast. Yum! Though she soon followed. Then it was my responsibility to look after and entertain Nathan. So we watched Adventure Time. And he read comics. And we watched more Adventure Time. He also showed me some games. Soon enough 4pm rolled around and it was time to drive him to Sea-Tac. Vroom off we went. We listened to Cabin Pressure (though Nathan didn't laugh as much as I expected him to, boo! Though maybe that was because he was listening to them out of order? Who knows.). Anyway. Got him to the airport on time. Said goodbye. On the way back, I got some Jack in the Box and drove through the sunset. Got back at around 7:10ish, and have been chilling out. No ma and pa. Just Holly.

Time to get a move on with my life. Time to kick it into gear and get the move on. Yeah.

Spencer Fest

Ma made a Dutch Baby, and I don't really eat that...I sort of selectively decide what I do and don't eat and that can change on a whim.

Anyway. Had some toast and tea and bacon, and that is good.

The four of us headed up to Mats Mats for the day. We packed up the new Prius with things and games and off we went. Unfortunately a piece of gravel chipped the windshield! A little chip, but still a chip.

Grandma was napping when we arrived. We walked out on the dock. Joyce gathered some oysters. I sorted through photos, but no intensive sorting. Just sorting by size and stuff. Found an embarrassing photo of young Scott, though I shant scan it. We played the Tetris game and Mom beat Joyce by one.

The first course of the day was oysters wrapped in bacon. Delicious.

We drank some wine and looked at pictures and played Apples to Apples. Nate and Scott tied. Grandma picked out a few cards as well, and apparently according to her Antarctica is not that cold. Hummm.

The second course was clams dipped in butter. Scrumptious.

The third course was a crab salad. Magnificent.

The fourth course was salmon. Moist perfection.

The fifth course was homemade ice cream. Yum.

We played Settlers of Cattan and Mom & Nate won. It was a slow starting game, than didn't have that many major developments. I drew on some of my pieces. Of course rubbing alcohol will get rid of any sharpie, should Mom decide she wants her Cattan pieces NOT drawn on anymore. Heh.

Grandma was in better spirits, and kept mostly in reality except for a few step backs to quilting. Midday we went out for a walk. Well she was in her motorized cart...so we walked and she rolled.

Back at home, Nathan and I finished up the last two episodes of Garth Marenghi's Darkplace and then watched a bunch of Adventure Time. I should dress as Lumpy Space Princess for Halloween. OH MY GLOB!

shopping as a family

Dad made Nathan huckleberry pancakes. Dad made me egg and toast. Good Dad.

I called Barnes & Nobel and it turns out that they DID have issues of Bitch Magazine in stock. The ones that have my illustration in them. I am legit published. So awesome. And my peer, classmate, friend Jenn Hayes is in the issue as well. Go girls! We go. And you should go buy the issue. Because I'm in it.

So the whole family hopped in the new Prius and went into town. Ma bought three issues. Good ma. We went to World Market and got sweets. Yummy sweets. And some hard cider, because ma likes it. And this time she didn't try to foist the asking of the cider onto me.

Then we headed to Costco. I got my precious fruit leathers. Nothing beats those. Also got clams and crab and drinks and more fizzy drinks and other Costco things. We got hot dogs after, and mom gnoshed on ours instead of buying her own. After Costco we went to Trader Joe's and got treats and a bottle of wine and more treats!

At home, diner was rice, salad, bread, and panko crumbed chicken. We watched Portlandia and popped open the Bordeaux. After dinner, we played Tetris and all of Nathan's moves were made to block me. Mom won.

Then we watched Indiana Jones. Well, as I write this we are watching Indiana Jones. Mom went to bed. Dad will probably go to bed soon. Then Nate and I will probably watch more Garth Marenghi's Darkplace.

Memorial for Grandpa Joe

Today was the memorial for grandpa Joe. Nathan was flying up from California, so it was my assignment to pick him up at the airport. This required a 5:45am alarm clock, followed by leaving the house at 7:20ish instead of 7:30. I got caught up in some traffic, as today was also the memorial for an officer who was killed in the line of duty. There was a procession on the freeway of sorts. I arrived at the airport at around 9ish. So about thirty minutes late to pick Nathan up, but that gave him a chance to eat in the airport. We swung by Jack in the Box and I got a sandiwich and a much needed caffeinated beverage. We sat and chatted. When Nathan looked up the directions to the church for the memorial, it ended up that it was only seven minutes away. It was 10am and the memorial didn't start till 1pm. So we drove down to the Des Moines waterfront and sat in the car and played on our laptops. Totally normal behavior for two adults in their twenties to be doing early on a weekday afternoon.

At noon, we were the first to arrive at the church. But Burt and Banetta (?) arrived shortly after. Then Ma, Pa, and Grandma. Then it was a steady stream of distant family relations. Cousin Annie. Joyce, Dick, Scotty. More Moerhles. Rolfe and Alison. Hans. Lots and lots of people that we largely unfamiliar. Alicia and Phoebe couldn't make it due to Phoebs being sick. Nathan agreed to do the second reading in her place, and I switched to doing the first and longer reading. Everyone seated and the priest did his thing. We sang, and Nathan and I were comrades in tone deafness. I saw we, I mean everyone attending. No one would ask either of us two to sing solo. I must thank the PNCA thesis oral process for giving me the strength to speak publicly. It is a big fear for a fair number of people, but not I. I'm not the best at it, but I don't mind doing it.

I do not know the Catholic traditions, and thus did not know when to speak in unison, what prayers to say, and so on. But that was okay. It was about half Catholic, half not, so it balanced out. The priest did the body of Christ thing.

Dad's eulogy was very good. Emotional, moving, and very much true to Grandpa.

After the service, we moved into the hall below and had snacks and drinks. A slideshow of scanned photos played. We all chatted with one another. Scotty recalled many tales of grandpa. I drank tea and chatted with distant relatives. All was good, and the flowers were plentiful.

At 4pm, things were packed up. Flowers into Joyce's truck. Scottie got some cookies. Grandma went back into the Prius to be delivered back to Mats Mats. Nathan and I returned to Seabeck. We raced Ma and Pa and Grandma a bit, but soon lost them. Ha ha!

I stoked a fire, Nathan showed me games, we ate soup and bread, we hot tubbed, I stoked the fire further, we watched stuff online, talked about future living arrangements, and all was good. Ma and Pa didn't get home till 10ish.

leap day, bonus!

Remember when I said I would accomplish something? Hhaha. The snow was still around, five inches of it, but it wasn't hazardous. It should melt pretty quick. I stayed inside. Ate food. Went on the Internet. Read Habibi. Tomorrow is Grandpa's memorial. I have to get up early and pick up Nathan from the airport. Early. Fahhh. Big day.

go away snow, we don't like you

Really, Washington? Snow? Again? And four inches! Stop it. Just seriously...stop. And four inches? Who can sled in that? That sucks! It is just an inconvenient amount of snow. Now the streets will be icy, but nothing will be cancelled. Totally lame.

Anyway. I spent the afternoon working on a pamphlet for Grandpa's memorial. It took a lot of Microsoft Word jiggery pokery, but I did it. Part of it required positioning the text off the page itself, so that it would show up when it printed. I dunno. It was odd. But it worked! I even did an insert that was the obituary. It featured a young photo of grandpa, while the outside had a recent photo. It looks quite nice, though the ink started to run out in the printer. So the photo is black and white, instead of color. Still, it looks good. I used some of my left over thesis paper to print it, so it is thicker than regular printer paper, which is nice.

So I did that, and that was good. I also spent a while in front of the fireplace keeping warm. Didn't venture out into the snow. It was dark by the time it was really accumulating. Mom got home safely, so that was good.

Lunch was hot dog sandwiches, and dinner was salmon burger. Mmm. Ma and pa watched The Flinstones. I watched Nordic television. I hope the snow melts soon.

What will I accomplish tomorrow?

bismillah

Did a bunch of driving today. Well I sat in the back seat while dad drove. I started reading Habibi, which is simply wonderful. The art is beautiful. The story layers are...just unbelievable. It is so well conceived, and I'm just starting! It really does the comic thing so well. Couldn't be done in any other medium, and I love art like that.

We picked up Grandpa's ashes in Sequim, then swung by the cafe that Celia works at. Had a delicious lunch with lots of tasty treats. Dad and I shared a tuna sandwich and there were pastries galore. Celia spoiled us. We swung by a lavender store and picked up a present for Joyce. Ahh lavender stores. They are so smelly in a good way.

Stopped by Mats Mats for a little bit as well. Grandma seemed in better spirits, and her health had improved since the last visit as well, which is always good. We gave Joyce her present, and there was some sorting out of the memorial arrangements.

I wonder how I could spice up my blog. A joke? What's the difference between a well dressed man and a tired dog?

...

...

...

One wears a suit, the other just pants!

Anyway, back at home, I did the Internet thing and Dad made me a hot dog sandwich. It was quite good. Well, I put the mustard and ketchup on myself. I'm a big girl.

I think there are some tasks that need accomplishing tomorrow. Suddenly, Tuesday has arrived.

err uhh

Didn't get a whole lot done today. Got absorbed in the Oscars.

Still, had my tea and breakfast. Watched stuff. Stoked the fire. Watched the Oscars. Sad Gary Oldman didn't get the win, glad Plummer and The Artist did. Made popcorn. Wore my new trousers.

Yup. That about sums it up.

pants!

Slept in. Had an egg salad sandwich for an early lunch/breakfast. Had some tea.

Ma came home from a busy day doing exercise stuff at the Y. We all chilled out.

Then after several walks with Holly, we went into town! First Dad got some car parts, then we went to Old Navy. I tried on a bunch of pairs of pants and discovered that I am down a size! How great is that? Some of the pants were just ridiculously tight, but that was more the style. Anyway, found two lovely pairs. Didn't get anything else, though some of the shirts looked nice. I have enough shirts though. Way too many shirts. I don't have many pants. I sort of cycle through the same three pairs. I really need to sort through my clothes in preparation for my move. Maybe I'll do that tomorrow? Listen to audiobooks and sort. My room itself is a clothing pile mess. It wouldn't take that much effort to set it to rights.

We did some food shopping afterwards. Mom said to one of the Albertson's workers that I was wondering where the hard cider was. ME! Put it on me! How could you mom? Ask for your own booze. Hahah. We also got doughnuts, and we ate said doughnuts while on the Anderson Hill trail. Mmm yum.

Back at home, we ate some clam chowder, popped open some of the cider and watched Bird on a Wire on Netflix. It was cute. Lots of yelling from Goldie Hawn.

Gotta scan. Gotta sort. Gotta get shit done.

london and iraq

AHhh woke up this morning to set photos from the Star Trek sequel. I am so excited for it! Benedict Cumberbatch is playing the villain most likely, and it is going to be good. So good.

After a hash brown and egg breakfast, we three lounged around a bit. And then we went into Silverdale, got some take a way, did some grocery shopping, and off we went to Mats Mats!

Grandma was ill, so we mostly chatted with Joyce. I grabbed some more photos. We took some stuff to take to Goodwill. We had the take a way Chinese food for dinner (beef with broccoli is both auntie's and my favorite). We got caught up on the status of things. Threw out some ideas. Admired Joyce's cleaning of the kitchen. Cleared out some of Grandpa's things. Visited with Grandma a little bit, but not much as she wasn't feeling well. The new Prius was packed full of stuff and off we went back to Seabeck.

Ma and Pa watched Portlandia. Then it was beddy bye time.

2002 was 10 years ago

My Grandfather's memorial will be March 1st.

I did not called in for Jury Duty.

Now the time is nigh to really get everything together so I can head on down to California. Daaaamn.

Anyway. Slept in. Had a little breakfast. Watched Bron/Broen. Mom napped and read. Dad did Dad stuff (car repair). I scanned in a few more pictures. Now I just have to do the wedding photos! All though I'll be visiting Mats Mats again soon, so then I'll probably collect more photos to scan...ahhh. Still, I got a good chunk of nice photos scanned. Go me!

After a chicken salad dinner, we watched Moneyball. It was better than I was expecting it to be. I liked Chris Pratt as Hatteberg. That was a lovely little piece of casting. Not a movie I'll watch a second time, but not too shabby considering I would never have picked it for something to watch. Baseball isn't my thing.

So now I think I'll watch more Danish/Swedish murder mystery. It is good stuff. Thankfully there are only ten episodes to be watched.

Eleanor Dorchester

business time

Scanned more photos. I think I'm about half way done...though there are more photos at Mats Mats. Plenty more. So many more. So I'm about half way done with the photos we have on hand here. So I worked on that. And I sorted them. And sat in front of the fire. And watched Danish/Swedish murder dramas (Bron/Broen)...

Dinner was fish and potatoes and....I forget the vegetable.

Then we watched a few episodes of Dream On. Such a cute show.

I'm on call for Jury Duty this week, though my pool hasn't been called yet. Hmmm. I need to start getting my stuff together for California. The time is nigh. Should make and order some business cards. What makes for a stunning business card? Color. Lots of color.

scanning the day away

Spent the middle part of the day scanning photos. Photos of grandpa, photos of grandma, photos of dad, photos of auntie. And I have more photos to go! Had some Doctor Who and Oz playing in the background while I worked. Tomorrow I'll do it again. It's fun to sort and organize and get digital copies of photos. It is also good because, in scanning, I can adjust the contrast and make some photos better in appearance.

Dad made awesome burgers for lunch. I should have him teach me how to make them before I leave.

Chicken, potato, and broccoli for dinner. Mmm.

Glee was relentlessly serious and dramatic and pulled the heartstrings. They really didn't have to go and do what they did with the end, but they did it anyway. Boo. Raising Hope was hilarious. One of the best episodes they've had in a while.

no more nights in Mats Mats for a while

Oh right, didn't write up Sunday. Because I was at Mats Mats.

Sunday:

Forget what I had for breakfast. Mom came home to rest and regroup and tend to house things. We headed back to Mats Mats together for the night. Grandma was a bit discombobulated when we arrived. Dinner was a stir fry. I talked to Nathan on the phone for a while. After Grandma went to sleep, we watched Rise of the Planet of the Apes. It was better than I expected it to be. Sorry, don't remember much about Sunday.

Monday:

Dad found some bacon, so breakfast was an eggs, bacon, and toast extravaganza. Grandma was in a better state. I sorted through more photos. Aunt Joyce arrived! So now one of us doesn't have to be in Mats Mats every night. A break. Which will be nice. I got through, what I hope, the last of the old photographs. The Alaska, Joyce and Joe childhood, young Grandma and Grandpa photos. There are more photos, but glossy ones of quilts and grandchildren. I won't be scanning those. Just the ones of Grandma in a hula skirt, Grandpa gnawing a crab, and my dad as a young cute dork.

Ma and I headed back in the Prius. We soaked in the hot tub, and that was nice. February is so mild. Dinner was left overs. Dad came back in the small red truck. We watched Willow, and I played the MapCrunch game where you turn off location help and get dropped off on a random road in Google Earth (using the MapCrunch program) and try to find an airport. It is fun. I got lost in Tokyo and gave up after hours of wandering.

Tomorrow I'll put on an audiobook and scan scan scan. Sounds like a plan plan plan.

holding down the fort

It was nice to be back in my bed. The Mats Mats twin beds get a bit unnerving what with how small they are.

Dad came home for the afternoon. I made myself a scramble for breakfast (two eggs, left over turkey, onion) and toasted an english muffin. I helped dad haul up fire wood and fix the handle on the woodstove. Pop left to go back to Mats Mats, and I kept the fire burning, and kept Holly doggy company. Gave her lots of cuddles.

Tomorrow I'll go back to Mats Mats. Going to look through our photo albums and look for an empty on in which to put family photos. Not sure if I should scan and then put them in albums, or sort them and then scan...probably should sort than scan, just to make it more organized.

the passing of my grandfather Joe Sr.

2/15/2012 Wednesday

My grandfather, Joe Spencer Sr., passed away in the night.

Mother and I packed up the car with snacks, clothes for overnight, and Holly, and off we went to Mats Mats to say with Grandma Eleanor Spencer. Mom, well versed by now in the practices of the affairs of the departed, set in on making the calls and arrangements for cremation and otherthings. I kept them all company. I pulled some photo albums from upstairs, and Grandma told me who this person and that person were. There were photos of a ski trip, where everyone shoved snow into each other's faces. My grandmother still has her yearbooks from when she attended Stadium Highschool in the 40's. She also has the yearbooks from the school my dad and aunt Joyce attended int he 60's. I plan on scanning the portraits, because some of them are amazing.

It is fairly quiet out here in Mats Mats.

My grandparents always remembered birthdays. They also made up candy bags for the kids (my parents counted as "kids") on Halloween and Easter, even though they were not particularly religious concerning the latter. They were also avid readers of this here blog, and often when my parents mentioned my achievements to them, they would reference my blog saying that they already knew. My grandmother is mostly electric chair bound, but carries on some lovely conversations and is not lacking in wit. Joe and Eleanor were married for sixty five years. How amazing is that?

Auntie Joyce is in Colorado, and Dad is in Houston, but is flying back tomorrow morning. Celia came by for dinner, and brought some treats from the bakery she works at. I sorted through so many amazing old photos, but most of the people I don't recognize. What does one do with photos of unknown people who are probably long gone? Grandma dozed off while we were watching Pretty Woman on ABC Family. Nothing says family like the movie Pretty Woman. Tomorrow, we'll pick up Dad and continue with everything.

2/16/2012 Thursday

I slept in whie mother tended to breakfast. Grandma was up and at them, and conscious of what had transpired the previous day.

The Hospice caregivers came over, one to keep her company, the other to give her a bath. Dad was flying in from Houston, so Mom and I drove to Silverdale to pick him up from the airporter. We had some Burger King for a late lunch/early dinner, and then we returned to Mats Mats. Grandma Eleanor can't be left alone. She doesn't require much care, but she does need someone else around.

I have been sorting through so many photos, and I've barely even started sorting them in a way that prepares them for life in albums. I keep finding boxes, and I know there are more. Still, it is a good project. Found a wedding photo of my Great Great Grandmother Nellie Pratt. I should do a family tree.

Dad went to sleep at around 7:30pmish. Mom and I stayed up a bit and watched stuff quietly on my computer. It has been a major bonding experience with my mother, these past few days.

2/17/2012 Friday

More calls are constantly being made. Joyce won't be in Mats Mats till Monday, so one of us needs to be there at all times. After tea and sandwiches, Mom and I departed to take a break in Seabeck. Dad stayed behind to help and work on paperwork and this and that. Nothing can really progress till we get a death certificate.

Mom took a nap, and I checked what has been happening on the Internet. I also scanned some photos. We snacked a bit and rested. Mom has headed back to Mats Mats for the night, but I, and Holly, are staying in Seabeck. Just three days into it all, but it feels like much, much more.

progressing onwards, getting that artwork on my computer

Documented my monotypes and my intermediate illustration portfolios. I think I'll put monotypes as a project on my blog. There are enough nice ones to give it its own category, and it is good to not say I'm a monotype based illustrator. Haven't edited them for internet yet, but I'll do that tomorrow, and document more of my work. One of the portfolios was full of other people's posters, so I don't need to document that.

More leftovers. Glee managed to be cute and had some good numbers. Raising Hope was funny. Did you know there is a website that has every episode of Whose Line Is It Anyway? Well there is!

A gray day. No rain. Just grayness. Meh, whatevvver.

reminiscent of days gone by, hopeful for the ones to come

Mom bought me doughnuts! Good mom! She was running errands all over town today. Dentist, doctor, getting Holly washed. I watched my telly and ate doughnuts. Holly came back all nice and clean and good smelling. I gave her many cuddles. Then we took her for a walk and she got muddy, and when she started to roll in some leaves in mud we both went, "HOLLY NO!". But she didn't get that dirty, and she cleaned herself up.

I downloaded the free image editing software GIMP, and that combined with finally figuring out how to light my pieces (HURRAY!) and some helpful advice from my friend Petra, I am successfully documenting my artwork! That is until I realize that it isn't a good enough format for print...but I think it should be fine. I'm not resizing them to be that small. They just need to look good on the screen, which they do! I've gone through three of my eight (!!!!!!!!) portfolios of various artwork made whilst at PNCA, and documented what I think need documenting of those three. It is going good. I've just edited about four pieces and put them on my website (under illustration). Tomorrow I'll edit the 16 or so pieces that need color correction, and document a lot more. Finally on the ball. Got over that hump! Whoo! Go me.

Going through these old portfolios, which contain work from 2008 and 2009, I can really see how much I've grown in technique, confidence, style, and just all around...artistry. It is heartening to see how much one grows, especially knowing how much further one can grow. I need to organize these properly for storage. I want to take some prints with me, as gifts for those who house me in the Bay Area, but some things can be filed safely away for a decade or two.

Banana Slug

11" x 11"

Screen print.

2009.

did something! I did something!

Today I mostly worked on my website and the organizational system of my art folders on my computer. The folders on my computer were a mess. I kept finding folders called "new art" that contained work from 2009! I also had to dig through my backup discs to find all the stuff I've done for Odd Owl, because that was scattered. No point in documenting things, if I just put the files somewhere that I can't easily locate. I should have been more on the ball years ago. Gahh.

But my website is looking better! www.trilliantrillian.com! Mostly the sketchbook and Odd Owl sections have been updated, though the Illustration has been reorganized a bit as well. Weebly is so easy, if a little bit inflexible. Tomorrow I will throw myself at documentation. It, once again, got too dark before I could make real progress. I think the lights plus natural light might provide some results. Once I figure it out...ahh yeah.

I want to expand the borders on my website, make it a little bigger. Need to figure out the part of the html that corresponds to that.

Mom was gone all day at the Flower & Garden Show in Seattle. We watched 101 Dalmatians. Holly wasn't bothered by all the dogs barking.

I'm amazed at how much a trap the internet is, well not really...

Promised mom that when she gets back, tomorrow, from the Seattle Flower and Garden Show tomorrow, that I will have made some progress in my portfolio. Some way, some form, I will do it! Today was another unproductive day.

Made myself a scramble for lunch. That was good. Ma and I soaked in the hot tub. That was also good.

Dad will be back in less than a week. With him around, I'll probably be more productive. I'm rubbish at being productive when people are not around.

Kiera, Fass, and Viggo

I found out that there is such a thing as too much Nutella on toast. Well, not really.

Ma and I left at around 3:30 for Silverdale. Got some suet for the feeders, and then we drove off to Bainbridge Island to see A Dangerous Method at the Lynwood Theater. One thing I like about the long drive back from Lynwood, is that it gave mom and I plenty of time to discuss the film. There was a lot to discuss too! About the differences in privelage between the portrayals of Jung and Freud. About Spielrein and her growth. About the sets and what they denoted. All this stuff. It was a good movie. Well acted, nice costumes. I think the trailer makes some parts of the movie to be more dominant than they really are.

Back at home, I made burritos for dinner. Yum! Then mom tucked into bed.

I spend so much time in bed, and so much time doing nothing. The problem with a blog is that it really makes it evident how little I'm focusing on certain things. Gah.

get yo' self together already!

(an image from one of Grandpa's textbooks)

Damn! Blast! Hoots! Crikey! Cripes! What did I get accomplished today? NOTHING! Boo, Trillian. Boo. I had so much fun but then WOOMPF back into nonproductiveness. GAAH.

Sent off a letter with a portrait in it.

Watched Oz. Totally addicted to that show. Thankfully the seasons are short, and the show has stopped running, so once I watch it all, there will be nothing more.

Kept the fire going. Cuddled Holly. Made myself a sandwich. It was good. Watched someone live draw online. That was cool.

Mom went to her Audobon Meeting and was gone most of the night.

new day, different hair

A picture of what my hair looks like, now that I've dyed it. A bit more auburn, and even. No light bits. No brown bits. I dig it. Am I just posting filler because I didn't do much today? Yeah...maaaaybe. Kept the fire stoked. Talked online with friends. Ate food.

Ma made spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. We watched Beetlejuice. Good night.

telly & stove

Ahhh back to the usual. No long drives, or unfamiliar beds. Just Seabeck and keeping the fire stoked.

Caught up on my telly. Jeffrey Wright was on House! Love that actor. Skins was good. Oz is good. Call the Midwife is good. Kept the fire hot. Snacked on this and that. Lots of snacking. Bundled up in a blanket.

Glee was borderline (okay, actually) offensive. It was an uncomfortable episode to watch at times. Raising Hope was silly. Not the best episode. Ah, oh well. Nothing is perfect.

Ma said she'd help me with a lighting set up. Going back to the photography stage of things.

Eglantine & Emelius

I went to bed before 11, and then woke up restless at about 5:30am. My body wanted me to watch the sunrise, so I indulged it. I wish I had brought ma's new camera. There were some great photo opportunities as the sun came up. Breakfast was the rest of the eclair, some tea, some chocolate treats courtesy of Celia, and something healthy (hahah nope).

Ma and I spent the rest of the morning cleaning the over garage space. Sorting books for Goodwill or for shelves. Dusting the books. Stirring up dust and mold. Found some lovely books among the stacks, and found some rather outdated ones. We watched two more episodes of Hamish MacBeth. Mom isn't that keen on it. I like it all right. Eventually we got many boxes filled for Goodwill and for our personal shelves, so we called it quits on that project. Celia came over and we three (plus dogs) took a walk and cleared the trail a bit. It was a clear, blue, brilliant day. Not all that warm, but very beautiful.

After the hike, we packed up the car, and I drove us into Silverdale. We made a recycling run, then a Goodwill run, then filled up the car, then went to Walgreen's and I got some shampoo and hair dye, then we realized we had another box for Goodwill, and dropped that off. Then we finally went home.

The dye I put in my hair was a lovely mahogany shade. Very similar to what mine looks like now, just a little bit more on the auburn side of things. Not a big change, it just evened it out (no more lighter bleached bits on the end). And now I begin the permanent dye cycle again...well, we shall see what it looks like when my roots grow out. How big the change is and all that. Haven't dyed it since August. Time flies! I was thinking about going darker, but I like it like this.

Ma and I watched Bedknobs and Broomsticks. Love that movie! Adding Eglantine to my baby name list. Hahaha.

ach aye

Up at Pulali Point for the night. I've done quite a bit of travelling these past few days. Going here and there, instead of just staying at Seabeck. Tis nice.

I slept in today. Slept way in. Didn't even set my alarm clock. But eventually I did get up, shower, and eat some food. I packed an overnight bag, we put Holly in the kennel in the car, and off we went in the Old Prius to the land across the water.

We stopped by Mats Mats and visited with Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt Joyce. I took some quilting supplies. Joyce has been cleaning the quilting room and it looks really lovely. That is a lot of hard work! We watched part of the Super Bowl, and departed after the Half Time show (which was quite good). On the way to Pulali, we stopped at a lovely little market and got some fixings for dinner. Fancy sausages! Mmm!

Pulali is nice. Bryan, who stayed there for a couple weeks, rearranged some things but it is otherwise fine. He didn't set anything on fire or leave rodent carcasses on the grill. Overall, a good guest.

Ma cooked up the sausages and with those we had pasta and apple juice and carrots. Lovely dinner. Celia came over with some sweet treats and we watched the first episode of Hamish MacBeth, starring Robert Carlyle. I enjoyed it, even though they kept making comments about how it was different from the books.

Guess I'll tuck into bed early. I left my headphones at home so I can't watch anything. Oh wellll.

nuns!

Had some doughnuts and tea for breakfast. Yum. Good ol' Madeline's house. She, Jackson, and I watched the first episode of the Granada production of Sherlock Holmes. The series. Yeah. Madeline totally dug David Burke as Watson, but who wouldn't? He is fantastic!

At 11:20ish, I bid the Conn housefold adieu. It was a lovely visit with them. I drove down to 14th and Stark and found parking on Alder, and met Heather and Daniel at the very Portland named food place: Meat Cheese Bread. Or was that Meat Bread Cheese? Anyway. I ordered the steak and egg sandwich, with a Coke. I managed to eat most of it. Daniel presented me with TWO lovely drawings of Martin Freeman, and Heather gave me a lovely owl charm that I can't wait to turn into a necklace. Ahh such lovely people. At 1pm I hugged them and then hopped in my car, told the GPS to go to Seabeck, and then off I went.

It was hardly any effort at all to get onto I5. I was right near Morrison, and that practically turned into I5 and then I was zooming my way up north. Filled up just past Vancouver. Twenty bucks got my tank near to full, which was awesome. Love driving a Prius. 40+ miles per galllllooooon! Makes popping down to Portland affordable.

Got home ten after four. Just over three hours from Portland to Seabeck. That is rad. Closer than it seems.

Stretched. Unpacked from the car. Hugged Holly. Talked to mom.

At a bit after five, we hopped in the new Prius and headed to Port Orchard. We met Auntie Brynne and Dan at the Bay Street Bistro (or something to that title). Later on, two of their friends joined us. The appetizers were yummy. I drank plenty of wine. We had our meals boxed because we ran out of time to eat, and had to get to a play. Still, the food we had was yummy. And the wine was very good. Mmmm.

The play was Nunsense at that little Port Orchard theater that I saw Guys and Dolls at. And it was HILARIOUS. So well performed. So well hung. Just utterly delightful.

At home, ma and I watched Portlandia and Parks and Recreation. Then it was beddy by time. We might go to Pulali for next night.

Lovely wonderful minibreak. I had much fun and loved hanging with my pals.

Friday in Portland

BT, Karen, and Phil's couch is quite nice. And they have a super warm blanket. And since they have no pets, I don't suffer from allergies. Not that allergies keep me from pets. Some cats and dogs make me sniffle is all. Hardly what I'd call a serious allergy. Just take a Benadril and all is well.

Anyhoo, I am writing in the morning from the couch of those three. It is 9:41am. Setting my alarm for 9am, no matter when I actually get up, is a good thing. Keeps me in a slightly better sleep schedule range. Don't know why I'm starting today's blog in the morning. Maybe to just get a jump on things so I don't spend longer in the evening working on it?

Madeline will call me in a few and we'll figure out when we are getting together. So either I'll hang with her in the day and then go to Dom & Serenity in the evening...or hang with her all day and night and head out. Who knows? Well you reading this will know when I finish and post this entry. Yup.

*****

Karen made me a breakfast of tortilla and eggs and spicy goodness. We watched the first episode of Sherlock season 2, because she hadn't seen it yet and because Sherlock is awesome. Then we watched the features for The Hobbit, and then half an hour of the second episode of Sherlock. But I stopped myself, because if I didn't, I would just watch it all with her. Hahah.

Called Madeline. Got her address. Put it into my GPS and off I went! It was a brilliant day. Very blue with clear skies. Quite windy though. Madeline and I took her dog Pepper for a walk, and it was very gusty. The dog stayed on the ground though.

We spent most of the time hanging around and chatting. Jackson, her little brother, joined us as well. We gabbed about Cabin Pressure and did some word games and caught up and it was awesome. I joined her on a quick grocery run, and I assisted her in dispensing of some left overs. Yum!

At 8pm, I went to Beulahland, on my own, and met BT, Karen, Phil, Dominic, and Serenity. I had a whiskey sour at the start, and it twas lovely. I ate everyone elses left overs. I'm such a mooch. Did some photobooth photos with Karen, and with Serenity and Dom. We all drew in sketchbooks and in each others sketchbooks. I just drew on a loose leaf of paper, because I neglected to bring supplies. At 10:30ish we departed from the bar. I gave them all plenty of hugs, and BT is a great hugger, then I fled into the night.

Drove back to Madeline's. Now we are chilling. Tomorrow I am having breakfast with Madeline, then Lunch with Heather and Daniel, and then I shall get back on I-5. I'll need to get some gasoline first. Still, this has been a very affordable trip. Lots of food has been provided for me. Huzzah!

Portland Mini Break

Suprise! I decided to go down to Portland for two nights! Have car with good gas mileage, will travel.

Had oatmeal, packed some clothes and jammies, had tea, packed the car, hugged mom, and at 1pm I departed Seabeck for Portland. I need some practice with long distance driving if I plan to drive to California and start my life there and stuff. I stopped just after Olympia, and just before Portland to stretch my legs and, ahem, relieve myself. Still, the drive was good! Not all that stressful, I don't feel too tired from it. I just wish there were better stations to listen to.

I felt a little bit anxious pulling into Portland, as I'm really unfamiliar with city driving. But the streets were familiar, the traffic was light, and all was well. I found a parking spot on Johnson, between 22nd and 23rd, and parallel parked. I haven't parallel parked in yeaaars, and I did it flawlessly. Go me, go me. I put on cooler shoes and this smashing jacket I found in the closet, and trotted down to PNCA. Like a boss.

Danny Frazier was at the front desk. Said howdy to him. Hugged Asha, who became an American citizen yesterday, in the print lab. Also hugged Heather and Heather. The lab has been updated and it looks nice and pretty. New table tops, new shop vac. Real swell.

Daniel Williams had quite the mustache. Surprised Serenity and Dom in the library. They gave me lovely hugs. Chatted with Martin French a bit as well. It is First Thursday in Portland, so lots of people were milling about. More unfamiliar faces than familiar though. Ahh how time changes.

Heather, Daniel, and I went to Bridgeport for dinner. Drank some tasty beer, I finished their remainders. AHh I am such a mooch, but I adore them. I kept it pretty secret that I was coming here. Those two knew I was coming, and I texted a couple others. But made sure to have people not let on to Karen that I was there. That was the big surprise! To see her at her Courier Coffee Art Show.

And surprise her I did. She went "AHHHH!!!!" and hugged me, and went "AHHHH!!!" again and hugged me again. She was so enthused. It was awesome. Feels great to be so adored and to have my company appreciated like that. Coming to Portland was a very good idea. Feels really good to be here, and to be around so many great lovely wonderful supportive people. Saw BT, Jim, Phil, Andy, Morgan, Jon, Sivonna, Lacey...got hugs! So many hugs! I just drank water because I knew I'd be driving later on.

Jon, Sivonna, and I walked to the Hellion Gallery and looked at the stuff there. Some nice collaborations and wire craft. Saw Morgaine and got more hugs. Saw Chase. No hugs from Chase, but that is okay. Went to Grass Hut and met Bwana Spoons and chatted. Went to Compound...or no the gallery at Upper Playground. We were not that impressed. Swung by Pony Club, and the show there was quite superb. And the artist was very cute. Erin McCarthy was there, and we chatted.

Sivonna dropped me off at my car, which was good because my cool boots were starting to hurt my footsies. Drove to BT, Karen, and Phil's house and parked. BT clued me in to their wifi. Karen was asleep already. BT and I had a lovely conversation, and he went to bed.

Now I'm blogging and unsure what tomorrow has in store. Madeline? Dom and Serenity? Who knooooows? But it is rather exciting. Randomly showing up in Portland has worked out very well for lil' Trill.

something is in the works

I'm scheming. Something is in the works. Ohh la la.

Today I deposited my ye olde savings bonds. Whoo! Then I went to Office Max and looked into how much scanning would. Answer: way too much. And how would I know I was getting good scans? It also only goes up to 11x17", after that I'd have to roll my pieces through a large scanner, and that would likely be bad for the art and who knows the quality of that scan?

Anyhoo. Went home. Ate some microwave food. Watched telly on my computer.

Ma came home and we watched Cold Comfort Farm. Really charming movie.

Mmm hmmm.

progressing bit by bit

Tidied up my website a bit. Worked on my photo set up and took some pictures. Some sort of decent pictures. I think tomorrow I'll go to Office Max, or the equivalent, and look into the scanners they have on hand. Would be easier, but need to see how much it costs.

Ma was off at work. Didn't have to keep the fire stoked.

Toasted my sandwich today. It was good. Very good. MMmm.

Had ice cream and cucumber open face sandwiches for dinner.

Glee had some great routines with fun dancing and nice singing. Some plot, but no one really cares about the plot anymore. Hahah. During the break, Ma and I watched music videos. Raising Hope was nice and silly. Just as we like it.

ho hum

Mom had a tea lunch thing with her friend. I mellowed at home and ate some oatmeal and tea.

Proof read some of Ma's legal document stuff. Gave her feedback. We watched Galaxy Quest and ate ice cream.

Hmmm. Odd to write a daily blog when not much happens in my daily life these days. Need to change that. Simply must change that.

Flora Book and Friends

Today was an outing day! Had some toast and tea and then off Ma and I went to Tacoma. I drove today. Gotta get used to all the long distance driving I'll eventually be doing.

It was tempestuous. Rainy. Stormy. Really not good to drive in, but I did it!

It was a free day at the Tacoma Art Museum. Hurray! The Mexican Folk Art exhibit had a lot of various items, but it didn't have a lot of breadth within the different art themes. A couple skeleton sculptures, some milagro, some jugs, some puppets. Really cool stuff, I just wish there were more. Lots more.

There was a little Flora Book, among others, jewelry exhibit. That was lovely. Really dynamic silver pieces.

And then there was the At Home Across America: Scenes from the 1930s to 1950s in Print exhibit. And oh how it was beautiful. Detailed, varied, intense prints. Etching, lithography, engraving, wood carving. Emotional and sweet. Just really great art work. Really various. Ahh. I got so close to them to see the work. Albert Winslow Barker, Thomas Hart Benton, A. Hugh Fisher, Karl Max Schultheiss, Otto Wackernagel, Peggy Bacon, Henry Pitz, Doris Lee, Gene Kloss, Reynold Weidenaar, and Douglas Warner Gorsline among others. So damn good.

Then mother and I walked into the final exhibit. The biennial. The goddamn inevitable contemporary art exhibit. Guuhh. There were some...interesting pieces. But neither of us were really intrigued. We just love illustrative art too much.

After the museum we went to Two Koi for dinner. Sushi for both of us, tempura for mom, tempura udon for me. The sushi and tempura filled me up, so I couldn't finish the udon like a good udon eater would. Without Dad to finish our leavings, we have to adjust how much we order at places.

Annnnd back to Seabeck we went. I drove, and did a good job of it. Go me!

We watched the first two episodes of The Mitchell and Webb Look. As always, there are some great skits and some sort of awkward ones.

Mom is planning various things for us to do. Museum trips. Plays. Stuff like that. S'all good.

but Holly loves me

Watched the American version of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo...and I'm going to be one of those "I liked the original" types. Sure it was good, but it was sort of..by the books good. Exactly the type of film making you'd expect from Fincher. Well shot, good actors, tense scenes. I think Rapace was the better Lisbeth Salander. Mara played her a little too vulnerable. Also I think it was a little bit kinder than the Swedish original. Less brutal, if one would think that is possible.

Had tea and doughnut while I waited for mom to come home. We watched a very weird episode of Portlandia. It does have some good scenes, but it is a bit stretching for the humor in this second season.

Did my nails. Kept the fire warm. Mom went to see One For the Money with Celia. I stayed home.

Another sad sack day. Guhh. How does time just go on like this? Totally bizarre.

have a doodle

Tried to work more on the lighting set up, but it just isn't take photos like it ought! I have put out the call to my photo friends for tips and advice. Slept in again. Need to get back on the before noon ball. Ma watched Mr. Popper's Penguins. I watched other stuff. Kept the fire stoked and toasty. It is only 8pm, but it feels much later. Day sort of drifted by me. Every now and again I look back at some of my during college posts, and I wrote so much more about the goings ons, even the mediocre and little things.

bang!

Ended up not fiddling with the lighting set up. Slept in a bit more than usual. Had my toast and tea.

When ma came down from meditating, she made me a grilled cheese sandwich. What an awesome mother! The weather has warmed up just a bit and it has been raining, so almost all the snow is gone. Just a few packs here and there, but it is safe to drive. We still took the old Prius when we went in to town though. It has a tape deck, so I can use my adapter to play things from my MP3 player. Eventually I will leave and ma will have no choice but to drive the new Prius. Put some miles on it.

We ran some errands in Silverdale, then off we went to the Historic Lynwood Theater on Bainbridge Island. Haven't been there in a good four, five years. I saw Pan's Labyrinth there, and Kinsey, and Half Nelson. All sorts of great movies. Absolutely wonderful little one screen place. Seventy five years old now, too! Appropriate to go to such an old theater to see a movie like The Artist. A modern movie, but a silent one. Mostly silent, except for a few fleeting moments. Just sound track and great actors. Who needs a heavy script when we all know the lines. Just beautiful. Well shot, great actors and characters, talented dog too. All around fun.

Afterwards we went to the Treehouse Cafe, next to the theater. We shared a That peanut chicken pizza and it was absolutely fantastic. Perfect blend of textures and flavors. Highly recommend it, if you are ever at that restaurant. We had dessert too, though neither of us could finish ours due to being properly full.

I drove home and we listened to The Unbelievable Truth. Funny show, many laughs were had on the drive.

Back home it was time to retire in a relatively cold house.

the show had a character named Oregon, though it wasn't her real name

Worked on the lighting set up. Dad rigged an old door to rest at a diagonal, so it would catch the light, but not lay flat in such a manner that the camera shadow would show up in the photos. Anyway, worked on taking pictures and stuff, but I need to do it when the lighting is better, and not so late in the afternoon.

Did my laundry. Put my laundry away, instead of leaving it in the basket. Well I put most of it away. Slowly tidying things up. Need to do more tidying. My rooms a bit of a mess.

It is a good thing that British shows have so few episodes. Really easy to watch whole seasons and not feel like you've lost that much time to them. Been enjoying Fresh Meat. Though now I've watched it all. Time to get cracking on other stuff then. Yup.

here are some cute photos

Today wasn't all that eventful. Lots of rain. Kept the fire stoked. Ma and I watched Mary Poppins. I need to start making goals for myself.

movies with ma

I just realized that mom will be gone for most of tomorrow. Aww. All alone in Seabeck. Oh well.

Got up. Had some toast and tea.

It was just ice outside. Guh. Melted and then froze all over. That sucks.

Had some cucumber in rice vinegar. Made popcorn. Ma and I watched Beginners. Absolutely lovely movie, through and through. Nice sets, well acted, just all around wonderful film. It never got too melodramatic, or twee.

Another unmagic day. Need to write a list of goals and the order in which to do them.

snow 2: go away!!

Dad escaped to Houston and then more snow came in. Mom got a Costco trip out of the way and got home just in time. The new snow stuck in a slushy inconvenient way. Sort of trapped us, but tomorrow Mother shall break free.

Had some tea and a sandwich for a lateish breakfast. Mellowed around the house.

Watched this fanmade version of Star Wars where people reenacted all the scenes in 15 second increments. Different people. It was amazing, though a bit visually overwhelming.

Ma and I listened to some Unbelievable Truth. Ate last nights chicken and cake for dinner. Talked to Nathan.

Read some Petrograd. Yup.

twenty fooour

The difference between today and yesterday, and today and what tomorrow will likely by, is that today I got cake and presents! A very relaxed and quiet day. Opened presents slowly through the day.

First up, before I showered, I opened the thing that seemed like a shirt. And it WAAAS! The Kate Beaton Sherlock Holmes shirt! Love it. Showered. Put it on. Opened the present that seemed like a mug. And it WAS! The Kate Beaton Glam Breakfast mug! Ohhh yeah. Things are good.

Dad's Dalek cake was awesome. I posted it on the Internet and bragged heartily about it. Took us all day to work up the nerve to cut into it.

The first book I opened was the Sterling Hundley art book. Really well designed. He is such a phenomenal artist. Then the Scott C. Amazing Everything art book. I love his work because everyone is smiling in it.

We three took a walk to the valley to take a gander at the stream. I took lots of pictures. Having a fancy camera is nice. One can take many pictures and play with settings to make the pictures look even nicer. Mmmhmm! I probably take too many photos, but I like having more instead of less when it comes to documentation.

Dinner was salad, then chicken, then steak for the steak eaters. We watched Portlandia and Red Dwarf. Then a bit later we cut into the cake. Yum! So good. I look forward to all the cake I'll be eating in this coming week.

OH! I also called summoned for jury duty...a month from now. A month to get everything in order. Once my duty is served, I'm out of here! I have a dead line. Lets doooo this thing. First up: document my art. Though right now I shall enjoy what remains of a lack luster birthday day.

My Dalek Cake!

Thanks pa!

good bye 23

Last day as a twenty three year old! 2012. 24. BRING IT!

Got up at around 11. Typing from my bed, instead of the computer desk in the other room, makes me doze off at earlier hours. And if I go to bed at 1, then I getup at 11. Only 10 hours of sleep! Hahah.

Toast and tea for breakfast. Lounged for a few hours. The weather was warmer and rainy, so the snow is fast turning to melted slush. So we made a break for it!

Hopped in the old Prius and off we went to Silverdale. Went to the recycling center and deposited our recycling in the proper receptacles. Snow won't stop us from recycling!! Swung by the bank and made some deposits. I forgot my ID, so I couldn't cash my savings bonds. But I will soon! Then we went to Grocery Outlet and did some shopping. Baking stuff. Vegetables. Meat. Stuffed clams. The selection was spotty, but the prices were cheap. Yup. And then, cabin fever eleviated, we went back to the house and made a multi course dinner. Clams! Broccoli! Chinese salad noodle stuff! Apple juice! We were thinking about having steak but we were quite full up.

Watched Fringe. I'm not liking this season change so much, because now all the characters are slightly different thanks to it being an alternate ALTERNATE universe. It was really on a roll, but now things are different. But hey, like seeing Jared Harris back as a villain. That is cool.

Tomorrow. There shall be cake.

promoting some pals

More snow! Lovely snow. Well, now it is a bit crunchy due to melting, a bit of rain, and then freezing. But then we got a nice extra layer of snow on top of that, so everything was lovely looking again.

But hopefully it melts soon, because I think everybody is getting cabin fever. Especially mom. She is almost done with her big book! I keep telling her to read more of A Song of Ice and Fire. But no go on that.

We walked doggy. We sledded copiously. I went off into the ditch on the sled. Got covered in snow. But all such fun.

My friends Lacey, Asha, and Heather are all doing projects in 2012. Lacey is teaching herself how to write cursive with her non dominant hand. Her project can be found HERE. Asha is typing out her thoughts every night, her project can be found HERE. And Heather is doing a quilt a month. Her project can be found HERE. The regular project stuff is spreading! Yay!

I should do a thing a month once I eventually get settled in my new life. Whenever that happens. It will happen though! Promise!

first real good snow in a long while

Snow! It snowed! Six inches! It came down softly in the night and it was lovely perfect snow. Had a poached egg on toast with melted cheese. Frolicked. Sledded a bit. I pulled Holly into the sled, and went down a run but had to bail her out. She didn't seem to be too effected by the whole situation. What a lovely doggie. We also took a hot tub bath. 30 degrees doesn't feel so bad when the hot tub is 103! Hahaha. Sometimes living with your parent pays off.

Took many photos with ma and pa's lovely new camera. It is a fancy one, but dang if it don't work like a charm. Need to play with it more to figure out just how awesome it truly is.

I ate salmon loaf for dinner. It was good. Had some roasted almonds as well, with some three buck Chuck.

We played some board games. I watched some Sherlock Holmes (the one with Brett and Hardwicke). It was a good, relaxing day. Hard to feel motivated when the weather is so...snowy. Tomorrow I plan to sled more. Take more pictures. Eat more. All that good stuff. If I am going to be legitimately trapped, I shall enjoy it!

no Darkplace for the parents, only happy place

Ma took the Prius with the snow tires, so I remained at home.

Kept the fire warm. Kept myself warm. Kept myself fed and entertained.

But didn't keep myself productive.

Need to figure out how to do a lighting set up for my artwork, so I can redocument it, so that it will look nice and proper on a website AND in a portfolio. Mom's new camera will be perfect for this. I just need to think what would be the best set up to rig. Hmmn.

Dinner was Chinese chicken salad. It was very good. Glee is slowly drifting back to being just....sort of awkward and crummy. Raising Hope was hilarious, as always. Tried to get mom and dad to watch Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, but to no success.

Last night I went to bed at midnight, and tossed and turned for ages trying to get to sleep. Gah. When I try to be good and get on good sleeping schedules, my body resists! Still, got up today before noon, so that is an improvement.

I think I'll take a bath tomorrow. That would be nice.

T, J, J, M, & E

Set my alarm, but woke up at 11:30ish aware that I promised to call Jared at 11. There was snow outside, but not much. We agreed that, when his Grandma visited for a bit, she would relay the road conditions and then I would go if the roads were good. They were!

At 1pm I headed off to Indianola, Washington. Just past Kingston. It was a good drive in the Prius. It doesn't have the vroom like my Contour, but its a peppy little car. And I can't help but feel a bit special in it.

Anyhoo! I had Japanese class with Jared, years ago. Back in 2004. Haven't seen him since around 2005. Since then he has gotten married to a lovely lady named Jamie and had a son Marlowe and a new wee daughter Eleanor. And I met them all! Jamie is super nice. The wee babe is cute. Marlowe is spirited and ticklish. I have no idea how to relate to children, but I tried. It wasn't the longest of visits, as I wanted to head out before it got too dark and cold. But it was a good visit. We talked Rubik's cubes and what they symbolically represent. We talked about fur and fashion. Art, school, life. All these things. It was nice. If he always comes to this neighborhood during the holidays, I'll probably see them again next year. That would be a great tradition!

Got some milk on the way home.

Chilled on the laptop. Ate a salad and some McVities. I'm typing from bed, even though its just 10pm. I'm getting tired at reasonable hours once again. So that is good.

the fall

Got up early. Got my toast and tea, and then waffles. Got my livestream of Sherlock. The finale episode of this three episode season. I can't believe it is over already. Damn amazing finale. The livestream cut out though, near the end. Just about had a heart attack. I found a working one, but the ending was still boggled for me, and I had to wait a while to properly finish it. STILL. DANG. AMAZING. What a show. So well made through and through. It doesn't waste a single minute.

The day got icy and it snowed where my friend Jared is, so we delayed our plans till tomorrow. Hopefully it doesn't snow over night, and it warms up enough where Jared is. Talked to my friend Darren a bit as well. Going to hang with him on Tuesday, provided it doesn't snow and trap me in Seabeck then.

Ma and I went into town for shopping. Bird seed and Trader Joe's and candy for my cake. Wheeee!

Drove the old Prius. My Prius. Tough I can't call it mine. Mom is still having separation anxiety about the whole thing.

Dinner was a stir fry and wine. And we watched the new Sherlock episode. Second time today for me. I'll probably plan a whole marathon, when I feel like I won't feel guilty for doing so. Hahha. But yeah, I'd feel guilty if I did that now. I have stuff I need to achieve. Need to get on with getting on.

DO STUFF TRILLIAN! DO IT! DO IT!