Fiber Monday: Shawling Behind...

In Which I Work Hard Despite Being Sleepy

I haven't found the 2.25mm hook yet. Sorry! I have, however been working on a few things!

A bad photo of a sewing pattern I'm working from

I found a really cool vest pattern that I want to make, but since it's a pain in the tuchus to get to a fabric store, and really, I cannot afford nice fabric right now. I have plenty of crochet thread, though, so I'll be making what amounts to a mockup from crochet.

Why?

Because I'm insane.

Another terrible photo

So it's a huge pattern.

There are several pieces to this pattern, though I won't be crocheting the lining, so that'll cut things down lol.

Rough cut sections of pattern

I still have to fully cut out the patterns (probably a tomorrow pattern), but first, let me tell you why this is going up so late.

I fell asleep around 4am this morning because I suck at sleeping. Unfortunately for me, the weather decided to be very rainy. And unfortunately, something somewhere couldn't handle a lil downpour at 6AM and the power went out with a sound like a bird hitting my window.

So suddenly, I was awake in an electricity-free home, wondering when the power would come back on, two hours of sleep under my belt, and trying to light the stove with a lighter (the wand kind, not a Bic) so I could have coffee. Thankfully the power eventually came back on, but I just wanted to sleep, so I finished my cup, took a shower, and then went back to bed.

Two hours late, my cat shoulder checked her way into my bedroom and woke me up by rustling around in some of the boxes in my room. She power-stared at me for a moment and I went to go grab another cup of coffee. After that I gave up on sleep and just began working on my shawl.

Magnificent Marge shawl, Part II

You may have noticed I've switched over to a dusty rose color. This is for a very simple reason: I ran out of the beige spool I was working from and the pink was the same weight lol.

Regardless, I plan to take this as far int Part II as I can, and then I should be able to switch over to a different beige thread.

But not for a while - this is only the first 5 rows of Part II

Hope you guys had decent days! Sorry I'm late lol.

Go Enjoy Something!
FC

Filmic Friday 327: It's Not A Mall

This week on "what did I just watch, no seriously?!"...

Once upon a time, someone decided that there needed to be a musical sitcom, that it needed to be set at a shopping plaza, and that it needed to co-star Allison Mack as a chipmunk-voiced child. Predictably, something that sounds that fever-dreamed and nonsensical did not make it very hard of you'd have immediately known what I was talking about. Since you probably don't (unless you're my partner, who showed it to me, or you're part of a very small subset of Internet People), let me tell you about Shangri-La Plaza.

This show was created and run by the guy who played adult Michael Myers in the original Halloween, Nick Castle, along with Mark Mueller. You might not recognize Mueller's name, but he's the only reason I sat through the show. See, Mueller is the guy who wrote the themes to Duck Tales and Rescue Rangers. As you might have guessed, the show has an incredible theme song.

If only it weren't utterly destroyed by the cast, only three of whom (Melora Hardin from The Office, Carmen Lundy who sang jazz, and Broadway staple Terrence Mann) could sing, but who only get... okay songs.

Speaking of the songs, except for the theme, most of them are choppy little songlets that just appear and vanish as soon as they begin. It's... It's not good guys. One or two songs actually get off the ground - one about making donuts poorly is Lundy's big piece. The rest are basically sing-spoken and it's not that great to be honest.

And the story! What a half-imagined thing! Basically, Hardin and Mack are a mother and daughter who have inherited a donut shop on Shangri-La Plaza, but Hardin wants to ditch it and move to Paris with her kid for a fresh start. That's the story. It doesn't show up until about 1/3 of the way through the pilot! Instead, we open with a pair of mechanic brothers who, unfortunately, are our romantic leads.

Oh, and if you're wondering why there's a slightly racist street punk Chorus like a modern-vintage Shakespeare play, I don't have answers. I can, however, tell you they took one of the world's best tapdancers at the time and put his character on crutches.

Now, if you're wondering how this "show" went, I'm going to paste it in here for you so you don't have to clutter up your YouTube recommendations extra hard by both looking for and watching it. "Enjoy".

Final note: Allison Mack went from being obnoxious here to being kinda cute in Smallville to being a legit monster thrall in a monster cult. That is all.

Go Enjoy Something! (Preferably something better)
FC


Oh, and:

Arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor.
Black Lives Matter.
The current method of policing America cannot, on the whole, be rehabilitate, therefore it should be completely overhauled and funds largely redistributed over multiple highly-regulated organizations who are hyper-specialized while being dispatched by a highly-regulated dispatch office so that we don't have armed and fearful officers beating in the heads of mentally ill people on "wellness checks" or shooting unarmed social workers for no reason.

Thursday Art Walk 327: It's still Thursday... I think

In Which I Am Making It Just Under the Deadline...

I promised artwork, but I am afraid I'm not... technically delivering.

Instead, you're getting a work in progress. Literally, I'm still making the background for this piece!

"Noir 01"; digital WIP 2020

Doesn't look like much, does it?

Those blobs/dots/etc are going to eventually form a misty background upon which I shall make a scene from a noir story I've had percolating, but for now, it's just a strange collection of color and shapes.

I'm using a 1986 edition of The Novels of Dashiell Hammett, which I picked up for a song at a local bookstore that's closing soon.

I've been working on that all day. You wouldn't think it'd take so long, but there's a lot of math and delicate work involved. Also, I've been busy with a thousand other things (like every other living person under the sun) like self-maintenance, laundry, and making sure the cat doesn't literally claw the house down around us. Whee.

But now, I shall post this unfinished first step, and I'll get ready for bed.

Go Enjoy Something!
FC

Talk About Tuesday 327: Keys Spider Doors and Pizza

In Which I Derp

Today was a fairly good day, high in the upper 70s (~25℃), partly to mostly cloudy, breezy, but humid as heck. All in all, a very good day to be productive with my partner in the Writing Camper. But as often happens, I managed to botch things in a new and surprising way.

It's been about a decade since the last time I was locked out of my house, but I made 2 fatal errors today:

1) I left my keys upstairs in my bedroom instead of bringing them out with me, and

2) I neglected to mention that our door sometimes decides it wants to be locked if you turn the knob all the way.

At some point during a bathroom break, the handle got turned all the way around and the door locked. No problem, right? Just have someone else unlock the door!

Everyone was out of town.

My keys, as I mentioned, were far beyond my reach.

So I tried everything I could think of to get inside.

I should mention that I was in a semi-panic because of a few reasons:

1) It looked like it could rain any minute, and I don't trust the 1997 pop-up camper with tarps bungied over the canvases because they're rotted.

2) We'd just eaten a very beautifully cooked Philly Steak & Cheese pizza from Dominos and the American cheese was doing terrific things to our innards that required speedy resolution.

3) I hate looking like an idiot in front of my partner.

So I probably looked like I was breaking into my own home for the better part of a half an hour. I went from door to door, opened the bulkheads, but no dice. I couldn't open a screen. My folks were over 40 miles away having a nice dinner with one of my siblings. That pizza wanted out.

So I tried all the doors again. This time, I grabbed the sickle from the toolshed and used it to cut the rope that holds the front door shut (the screen door slaps open with a stiff breeze, I should get on that).

But no, the front door, a steel behemoth as old as me, was firmly locked.

While I congratulated my family on their security, I also really needed to poop.

So I went back to the bulkhead doors.

Anyone who knows me knows I have a horror of spiders. It's a reflexive fear, but one I can manage if I need to and have space. The bulkhead doors are a literal nesting ground for arachnids.

Why was I going back to the cellar?

Because once upon a time, my father really had to take a dump and had become locked out in much the same way I had, so he had figured out a way to bypass the hefty frost door we installed. Five minutes and much grunting later, I was back inside and hastily shutting the spider doors so that my cat couldn't escape. I repaired the minor damage I'd had to cause to the frost door, and thus was able to unlock the door from the inside so that we could finally, finally purge the American scourge.

Morals:

1) Always remember your keys even if you aren't wearing anything with pockets (which is why I'd left mine inside)

2) If you're going to eat Philly Cheese Steak Pizza, make sure you have access to a bathroom.

3) Have a dad who's really determined to poop in a toilet, rather than try to defecate in the bushes or the woods...

So I'll never be leaving my keys inside while I'm outside again.

Also, I need to remember to put the sickle back tomorrow.

And I probably need better neighbors because I was literally marching around my house, talking to myself, clearly trying to get inside, carrying a freaking sickle, like, the things peasants used to use to harvest wheat, and NOBODY ASKED ANY QUESTIONS.

There were probably a dozen people out there for a birthday party across the street and not a glance was spared us lol.

Probably for the best - it would be difficult to explain that I was under the influence of Dominos and just wanted to go inside my own home.

Which I couldn't have proved it *was* my home.

Because guess what? I also left  my wallet and ID inside.

:|

Still, all's well that ends well, and my home is once again secure.

Also, I managed to write about 500 words while we were in the Writing Camper, so it's basically still a win :P

On a less humorous, yet still highly entertaining note, what do you guys know about Scott Joplin? Because I was thinking about the Father of Ragtime a lot today.

As for the blog:

• I may have plans for tomorrow, but I'm not sure yet - wrestling is a bit of a dumpster fire atm
• Thursday will definitely be art!
• Who knows about Friday, but I may have an idea...
• The weekend is very up-for-grabs
• Next Monday I'll show whatever I'm working on lol.
• Next Tuesday, hopefully I won't lock myself out again, but I'll be back to blather.

On that note, I bid you adieu

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Fiber Monday 327: Laaaaaaaaate

In Which I'm Posting Late

I meant to have this up at around 3pm EST, but as we all know, I suck at posting things on time lol.

Regardless, I'm still looking for my 2.25mm hook, and until I find it, I'm stalled on the DA Lady Sibyl, so I've kept up on the Magnificent Marge Shawl with my 2.75mm/C hook!

I'm 99% done with Part 1: Beautiful Hydrangeas.

I'll probably be starting Part 2: Marge's Handmade Curtains soon!

The weather this weekend was really hot on Friday, but Saturday and Sunday were cooler, with today being more of a standard early summer day in the mid to upper 70s (about 23-26℃), started foggy but cleared off and now it's pretty toasty in my room while I work. Also, I received a nice gift today of Love and Other Wounds by Jordan Harper, a short story collection! I really loved Harper's book She Rides Shotgun, which is a fantastic Grit-Lit fiction about a father and daughter on the run from white supremacists. I took it out of the library literally the day before the Lockdown began up here :|


I think I'll go grab a night time cuppa coffee (at the big-time) and settle in for the evening, probably play a little Breath of the Wild, watch a bunch of fun vids on the Tube, etc.

Stay safe, stay well, take as many precautions as you can, and above all,

Stay Cwispy

Uh, I mean

Go Enjoy Something!
FC

Thursday Art Walk 326

In Which I Do The Work

In my continued quest to learn more about digital art, I've begun a larger-scale painting! This was a friendly request I received - a scene from my yard:

"Chippy" base sketch and blocked-in colors; digital art; 2020

It's not, I'll admit, even quite approximating what I want it to look like, but I think I can get there! The canvas, by the way, is HUGE - possibly 20" x 20". Usually I'm working on, at max 800 pixels square.

Colorstudy 3; digital, 2020

Now the second piece I started on a 50"x50" canvas, but it turned out I needed way less than that. Think maybe 10 x 24...

Regardless, I like the peaceful green and purple tones to this semi-grayscale painting :)

My final thoughts on today: it was hot outside. Like, 80℉+ (26.7℃+), slightly more humid than I like, so it was banaaaaaaanas. I could barely concentrate, and I just now realized that all I've eaten today were a handful of animal crackers and a couple of umaibo snacks... thank goodness dinner is coming up soon lol.

That'll about do it for me, today!

Go Enjoy Something!
FC

Talk About Tuesday 326

I am so delightfully tired!

Today was a very good day for me. It was a beautiful day, with a high of about 76℉ (24.4℃), a light breeze, not much by way of clouds, and not very humid. In short, it was perfect out there. My partner and I retired out to the 1990s pop-up camper my dad's restoring and did some writing work on our respective novels (I can't wait to read my partner's novel!!!). We were even able to share a meal outside with some friends (social distancing was in effect, but we were super happy to see each other.

We were trying a new place that offered bahn mi sandwiches and bulgogi beef tacos (among a lot of other things) and it was all extraordinarily good.

But more than the food, it was nice to be outside with people I like, and while I doubt that'll happen a ton over the next few weeks, it was nice :)

So yeah, today was eating, socializing, and writing. I also did a little inking on some art I'll photograph for Thursday. You'd think I'd be wide awake.

I could nap at any moment. And by nap, I mean sink into the mire and delightful dredge that is true sleep until the first stinging rays of dawn swim through my window and prick my eyes awake.

I'll be working more on the book this month, so regularly scheduled updates are... unlikely, you may have noticed. Apologies.

But I think it'll be worth it when the book is done.

Go Enjoy Something, guys :)
FC

Fiber Monday 326: Shawl For All

In Which I Am Going HAM... ish.

So, I kinda missed my weekend blog. Oops. In my defense, I was writing up a storm. I've been writing today, too, but I also have been working on a new shawl!

A closeup, upside down. Bc I'm fancy like that.

But FC! What about the DA Lady Sibyl?!

Uh... I have to find my 2.5mm hook again. It must've fallen out of the project bag either across my room or somewhere else! Until I find it, I'll be working on the Magnificent Marge Shawl! So... keep your eyes peeled for that, I guess lol.

But yeah, I've been super busy with my novel and stuff, so it looks like my kind-of-a-hiatus-but-not-really will continue. After a whole year of almost 0 missed days, I think 2020 will be a return to my original schedule of "when I get to it" for this blog.

But fret not - I think Tuesdays will be a 100% guarantee, though they'll probably pop up later in the day (like this one did).

For today, here's a weird dream I had:

Where I live, there's a lot of abandoned factory buildings, and in this dream, someone had taken one of those factories (a woolen mill, actually) and converted it into a creative space for people who were making cloth and fiber related items. It was called the Fiber Factory, and there was a small museum dedicated to the history of the mill and its lifetime on the first floor with a fairly large gift shop as well. The gift shop was where the people who worked there sold their wares - rugs, blankets, clothing, skeins of hand-dyed yarn... it was pretty cool!

There were offices and common areas on the upper floors where people were working on things and even producing YouTube videos and stuff.

The cafeteria (yeah, there was a cafeteria) was basically an automat.

I can clearly remember the faces of everyone I saw on what was essentially a guided tour, and they were all people I've seen at local craft fairs.

It'd be pretty cool if something like that existed.

Until then, I'll just have to finish setting up my Etsy shop and sell the Pumpkin Set I made last year and hopefully this shawl I'm making right now.

If you're looking for things to buy from me in the meantime, though, feel free to check out my Redbubble store!

And if you're just gonna head on out now, go ahead :)

Go Enjoy Something!
FC

Thursday Art Walk: Digital Inclusion

In Which I Have Continued My Experimentation!

I don't think I've rendered Dedbert in Digital yet, so here you guys go: my attempt at a Dedbert digital painting.

"LGBirbTQ"; digital, 2020

I'd like to return to this idea when I'm a better artist in digital - some of the balloons are really wonky, and I want to do more shading on Dedbert, but since this took all of my hand strength and patience, I think that's a very good first go for the Birb Himself.

Check out some more art today, if you're feeling down in this rainy nonsense (it's really gross here right now, I'm sure it's lovely where some of you are and I won't lie, I'm jelly as heck), and even if you're not feeling bleh, still look for good art wherever you can find it!

Art is awesome.

Go Enjoy Something!
FC

Also, this design is available on my Redbubble!

Talk About Tuesday 325

In Which Today Was Better

Okay, I was a grumpy Gus yesterday. And I started today very much the same. I woke up in a foul mood, snarking and whining my way around. I tried to calm myself down with a shower - it didn't work - had my first cup of the day (I'm drinking my second now), and settled in to read some stuff on the internet.

Which certainly didn't help my mood, but now I am in awe of French firefighters. Holy crap. I also learned about Robbespierre, which was fun and a bit terrifying. I knew the French were kinda Extra, culturally, but not how freaking EXTRA they are!!!

Which again, not helping my stressy mood.

I started making food for when my partner would show up. I didn't time it right (though those five-minute eggs were INCREDIBLE and I wish I'd taken a picture...). I was in a tizzy for the first hour my partner was here, which didn't improve Z's mood either.

But I have to say, working together, we turned my mood around.

I almost certainly have ADHD. I have never been tested or diagnosed, but I literally have every single symptom. ALL OF THEM.

And it's been really bad lately. I can't focus, I'm always tired, I can't sleep, I forget to eat, if I didn't have a very strict bathing schedule I'd forget that too, I lose track of time, I forget to exercise despite having an abundance of energy, I lose all of that energy as suddenly as it appears, I lose track of my sentences as I write or speak, I forget names and times and dates, and so much more goes on...

It's been hellish. I haven't been functional.

But with Z's guidance, I was able to put together some plans to work on.

So here's this week's plan:

• Tomorrow I'll write about something in wrestling, but I'll also be working on some other stuff
• Like trying to figure out how to weigh things so I can make an Etsy shop available to you guys to buy some of the stuff you see me make!
• And figuring out how Discord works so I can maybe learn to stream some games on that.
• And possibly uploading some more art to my Redbubble shop!
• Thursday will be an Art Day
• Which means that if it goes well, there should be more art on the shop on Thursday, too...
• I'll probably be a bit more aggressive about sharing my shop link on Twitter and FB, so if you follow me in either place, it should be easier to find every time I upload something!
• I will also be looking up how one goes about making a repeating pattern. There have to be resources to teach me this - otherwise no one else would be able to do it lol
• I might be switching over permanently to the "Weekend Warble" approach. I hope that doesn't disappoint anyone too much.
• Guys, it's hard to write 7 days a week, but it's really just a lack of content.
• I don't watch too much TV or too many movies right now. My brain fog keeps me from following narratives for the most part.
• I miiiiiiiight be able to talk about books again soon, though...
• I'd love to write more about writing in the future, too.

This is not everything I'm planning to do this week, though. I have Three Major Goals:

1. I want to walk at least 7 miles by Sunday - I know that's not much, but I haven't been exercising enough. We have a treadmill. I just need to be shown how to use it.
2. Gotta put at least 1 square foot of crap away in my room. It's getting ridiculous. I know I can't clean it all at once, but I have to start. It's worsening my symptoms.
3. I own a flute. I haven't played it in years. I want to start practicing again. Maybe I'll record some for posterity lol.

Those don't seem big to some of you, but they're important to me. I have been letting my health, my room, and my skills slide for too long.

Maybe if I get good enough at my flute again I can panhandle a bit this summer? That might be fun. I'll have to look up the rules on public music.

Anywho, I'll also be looking up some info on local craft fairs (if any will be happening this year...), and I'll be trying to tape and cut the pattern I printed yesterday. Worst comes to worst, I'll just draft it out on some wrapping paper or something...

I hope you guys are okay.

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Fiber Monday 325: It's A Washout

In Which Today Is A Study In Frustration

I usually have some sort of good news for you guys regarding my projects, but I'm not going to lie today.

This is one of the most frustrating Mondays I've endured in a long while.

It started with not being able to sleep, then became a struggle to wake up, and after that we were out of half-and-half and milk in my mocha is absolutely not the same. Fortunately, my mother is also a coffee fanatic, so she picked some up on her way home.

This is all to say that I was in an already pretty garbage mood even before I opened my project bag to find my 3.25mm hook missing. It must have fallen out somewhere around my room, which is basically one big Gordian knot of clothes and yarn right now. So I'm cranky and crestfallen and generally not a happy camper. Whatever. I have other things I can work on while I wait for the hook to resurface during one of my cleaning attempts.

So I start to print off a cool pattern for a vest that I downloaded ages ago. It's a sewing pattern, but I wanted to try to freehand crochet each piece and then sew them together that way.

It won't print correctly.

I've tried everything. I turned off "fit to page", the zoom is at 100%, I turned off auto-center, etc.

It prints either without the important guides to tape it together correctly because it prints with margins despite being told not to, or it prints smaller than full size within the margins.

So there's that plan also shot down.

So now I'm tired, cranky, undercaffeinated, missing a vital hook, and deeply frustrated.

So of course one of my relatives has decided to drop by today.

Don't get me wrong, I love my family, and I'm always happy to see my grandma safe and sound, but...

she also brought her large, poorly behaved, barky dog with her.

Which means that even though everyone's outside, all I hear is the dog.

And I can't go downstairs for water or I'll get roped into a conversation and the last thing I am today is social.

This Monday is officially a wash.

I'm going back to bed.

I'll give better updates tomorrow.

Go Enjoy Something,
FC

Weekend Warble 324

In Which I Blather About My Weekend

This weekend has mostly been filled with writing, but I've got some video game, food, and other thoughts to share lol.

I'm watching some shows to help with research on the wrestling book, but I'm also watching other shows to help with another project. If you've been hanging around me, you probably know that I don't believe in ghosts (or, at least, not in the idea of a physical spirit which is released from the corpus upon death). I believe fully that there is such a thing as a haunting. I believe that people have seen and experienced some stuff. I don't believe in angels, demons, ghosts, or spirits. Hauntings are your brain trying to cope with an overload of information. We only have limited experience, limited instinct, and limited understanding, so when, say, a house we know people have probably died in makes weird noises or has strange shadows or drafts, our brains fill in the details with something like ourselves. We're social animals. We look for other humans, and when there aren't any, our brains try to make people so we don't die of loneliness. That's why we personify everything from bloodstained volleyballs to pets to toast with unusual burn patterns. We want other people (yes, even introverts).

We also don't like things we don't recognize.

So we add our innate desire to see other people, our dislike of the unknown, and our innate understanding that literally anything can kill us at any time including our own bodies, and you get a bizarre set of reactions and overreactions to external stimuli, simulating what we call "haunting".

I'm sorry. It's probably not really your grandma you're seeing. It's probably your memories replaying and trying to form new connections, craving what is familiar. It's probably your mind and heart trying to heal from loss.

That's all to say I've been watching a crapload of Ghost Adventures and Ghost Brothers. Mechanically, GA is a far better-constructed show, but if you're going for entertainment, you cannot beat GB.

And the only reason I'm watching them is so that when I write about the ghost hunting group I've got on the back burner, they're believable.

So far, it's looking like I can pretty much do whatever I want. I've learned that with few exceptions, the leader is usually pretty sanctimonious and deeply paranoid, there's one guy everyone craps on who follows along for whatever reasons, and there's someone who should probably be on meds because no one sane drinks in that much woo.

It's always dangerous to write about people you find annoying, though, so here are some of the things I like about these shows:

• These shows tend to increase tourism whenever they go somewhere, so they can be a great economic stabilizer for these "haunted" towns
• I've never seen them litter
• There's at least a surface-level attempt at learning and disseminating real history from locations, without pretending that lynchings aren't murders or saying that a supposed Native American haunting targeting white people (usually middle-aged or older, I've noticed) aren't warrented.
• While there's an overuse of outdated terms (like Indian :|), there are attempts being made to not be dicks about other people.
• Actors are getting paid to do reenactments, and that's always good.

Now, I'm also watching a lot of wrestling to work on my wrestling novel, and someone on YouTube has just added a bunch of vids of behind-the-scenes stuff and satellite feeds from WCW! This is great, because now I have a better grasp on what goes on before the cameras are beaming out to the public. It's also really fun to watch Mean Gene get annoyed with unprofessional crew behavior.

That's my tv habits from this week.

For gaming, I have a few things to talk about!

First of all, I suck at the Trials of the Sword quest in Breath of the Wild. I've gotten to the next to last floor, but... it was all for naught. Dead. Every time, dead. I gave up and now I'm going through Hebra. I'll get Revali's Gale and then blast off to the desert to grab that sweet, sweet lightning (and to finish leveling up my armors...), maximizing my hearts along the way, and then I'll try again. If I can get the upgrades to the Master Sword, then I'll try to go for the Champion's Ballad DLC. I'm pretty sure it won't end well for me lol.

I've also been playing more idle games on Kongregate, including a fun little game called Loot Loop Loot. You play as a character going through a map until you die, gaining skills and loot as you go. It's fairly straightforward, but if you get good at it quickly... it can be pretty short. It took me a week to beat, and that's with me barely paying attention to it.

Since I play a lot of Breath of the Wild, you can probably guess that I've also been greedily consuming all those multitudinous Zelda Theory videos you can find on YouTube. You'd be right. I'm ravenous for them. Here are a few things I've been noticing, myself:

• Yes, if you play the teaser for BOTW2 backwards, the singsong voice is singing "poor Hyrule, for Link has found the body/Poor Hyrule, for Link is gone". And it's freaking me out
• Have you noticed that part of the Castle theme towards the end of BOTW is kind of a variation on the theme for Link's Awakening? Because I swear, it is. The low brass that comes in sounds like a dark version of the theme. Which makes sense, since you're "awakening" both Calamity Ganon and Zelda...
• Do you think that the Stables are modeled after Malanya, or is Malanya modeling himself after the stables? Also, if Malanya is a god, does that mean the Great Fairies are also gods? And is the Horned Statue one of these Old Gods who was naughty and got locked away? Is it going to be a part of BOTW2? How will the fairies and Malanya fare in a World of Malice (which is what BOTW2 is rumored to involve).
• Speaking of the World of Malice theory, what if, instead of being just the same Hyrule, blanketed in evil jam, you're literally transported to a straight up Malice Hyrule - kinda like Lorule or the Dark World or something, where you have to cleanse that realm before returning to save Hyrule? I mean, Ganon would get a kick out of chucking both Hero and Princess out of Hyrule as has been done to him before...
• Since there's a new Zonai theory out right now, here's a thought in addendum to it: what if there were multiple "barbarian" tribes? The Zonai were clearly warlike, but their worship at the Spring Of Courage tells me they were likely closer to Courage than Power. The Lomei were clearly Wisdom-based (their labyrinths!) and likely comrades of the Ancient Sheikah (or perhaps they had housed their own shrines or something in each labyrinth), but who were the last Tribe? The Tribe of Power? Were... were they the ones who became the Bokoblins?
• Uh... Zonai armor is made from Lynel bone. The Zonai were badass enough to slaughter Lynel for armor like we would slaughter cows for hide armor... What were they protecting themselves from??

That's my Gaming Thoughts for this week.

And for food...

Guys, I like food.

I really, really like food.

But I only really like to cook if no one else is home here, and that's not really feasible during Lockdown, even with regulations lifting.

That being said, I'm working my way slowly through a bunch of snacks my partner gifted me, and boy, do I have one thing to tell you:

I do not like fishy fish.

Give me tuna any time, but if I ever so much as smell a sea bass snack again, I'll hurl. Not my thing. Not even the cat's thing - she picked it up, spit it out, and kicked it across the kitchen.

That being said, I really, really liked the mentai-flavored corn snack I had (mentai is cod roe). It kinda tasted like sweet Doritos.

So aside from gorging on tasty Japanese snacks and drinking way too much coffee, I haven't done much food-wise. I've baked some bread twice for my partner, and if you know how to make a quickbread, that's what I did. If you don't, then just look on the internet - it's almost as easy as a box mix, I promise.

I have been watching a lot of YouTube vids on Thai food, so the urge to cook Thai food is strong. Perhaps one day soon... Regardless, I have seen a lot that I want to try making, so here's the easiest recipe I found on Facebook this week:

WENDY'S FROSTY TASTE-ALIKE:

• 1/2 gallon chocolate milk
• 14oz can of Eagle Brand milk
• 8oz tub of Cool Whip

Blend together until smooth, then place in freezer. This mixture should not solidify fully, but remain constantly at Frosty consistency!

That'll do it from me, guys!

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Thursday Art Walk 324: Digital Color

In Which I Am Learning More!

Today is a momentous occasion! I attempted my first 100% digital bubble art!

Color Study 1; Digital; 2020

I will be experimenting further throughout the day with different colors, layering, backgrounds... I don't know where I'm headed, but I'm really enjoying the journey. Anyone with experience in digital art - what size canvas do you start with, usually? Because that right there is 9"x9" (1152x1152 pixels). I don't know if that's large or small for someone's work?

Anyway, any suggestions you guys might have would be greatly appreciated!

Go Enjoy Something!
FC

Wednesdaymania 324: COMMISION Great American Bash 2004

The Great American Bash, 2004
Scope Arena, Norfolk, VA

This week I've been commissioned to do a review of the WWE's Great American Bash from 2004.

Let me lead in with this - I don't really watch much from this era. There's not much to hold my attention. I hate the jingoistic bullshit we were lapping up in a post 9/11 world. I don't like how the focus was entirely off of the wrestling and entirely on the (usually pretty racist and sexist) "storylines". I'm not a fan of Thugganomics Cena. I don't like JBL. I am not interested in Sable.

So this was a pretty hard watch for me.

Was the PPV truly awful? No. Let me run it down for you:

The intro is garbage. Hilarious garbage. The kids performing the pledge of allegiance? Yikes. Cena defending his right to whitewash black culture? Yikes. Both yikes elements together? Hilarious… oh yeah, this the one with the horrid cement thing where we could easily have lost Paul Bearer because of a really stupid stunt no one remembers…

John Cena opens with his worst, dumbest theme and the poorest choice of a jersey (Michael Vick) a stupid chain, and a very stupid visor. He looks like, and sounds like, an utter tool. Here are some gems from his monologue, which lasts for an eternity:

• "I’m gonna beat 3 dudes like Kurt Angle’s hand" (hj gesture)
• Calls out RVD on his pot usage, which... fair enough. Dude is always stoned. Always.
• And is disgusting about Booker T, who is already dealing with several manure piles in suits pulling racist shit on him backstage (like Vince and Hunter...)
• Gets gross about Renee about his dancing and loving being surrounded by seamen (navy)

MATCH 1: CENA VS RVD VS RENEE DUPREE VS BOOKER T

• Renee comes out with Fifi, a black poodle. Poor Fifi is terrified.
• Booker T deserved infinitely better. He’s the best guy in this ring, but, spoilers, black guys don’t get ahead in the WWE
• Match starts with punching. I guess it’s the World weak-ass punch Federation.
• Taz is on commentary, and he’s doing alright. I’ll admit, I’m already bored.
• HOORAY WE HAVE OUR FIRST WRESTLING MOVE (nearly a minute 30 in), suplex by dupree vs cena.
• Dupree is the only one wrestling so far. He looks like an extra from FRIENDS.
• Cena did an atomic drop.
• This match suuuuuuuuuuuuucks
• You can smell the Axe body spray from here – this crowd is very 2004
• RVD is stoned – his spatial awareness is off. Dupree is too big to flip to the floor.
• Cena failed to protect RVD from his flip-dive
• Cena is too bulky to do fancy pins on. RVD, obviously stoned, is the only one with any fluidity to his moves.
• Booker looks like he doesn’t even care anymore, but he’s still selling like mad.
• Booker has great chemistry with Dupree, who lands a fantastic slam
• looked like RVD’s frog splash ended with his knees in bookers face
• RVD is selling that 5-star like mad
• Cena sneaks in and eliminates RVD
• Cena is 100% elbows, and that Throwback is not pretty.
• 3 minutes later, Dupree is eliminated
• You can definitely feel the shift in who they’re playing to. This is definitely wrestling for kids.
• Dude in crowd with a fluffy white hat is very distracting
• Cena wins via FU, which feels like an FU.
• That crowd is shockingly white.
• Meh

Sixty replays later, we get a dumb backstage segment with flirtation with Miss Jackie (not to be confused with Jacqueline, a black female wrestler who was better looking and a better wrestler than every other woman on this card) and Kurt Angle introducing Luther Reigns and Charlie Haas from his wheelchair as a mondo heel GM.

There's a moment with Sable in a hot tub being bland and catty. Pretty standard stuff.

MATCH 2: CHARLIE HAAS (W MISS JACKIE) VS LUTHER REIGNS

• Boy, Vince likes the last name Reigns. I guess he just really liked the show Renegade...
• Reigns pushes Kurt’s wheelchair down the ramp like an orderly, Kurt is channeling Don Callis by slapping Luther
• Luther looks like a compressed Kurrgan.
• Oh look, wrestling
• Charlie sells well
• aww, they still think Kurt can’t wrestle anymore
• oof, Charlie lost his brother Ross in 2001. Russ was only 27, but he died of heart failure in his sleep. He’d had a heart attack in September, and he died in December. Oof.
• Kurt looks under the influence
• The match is pretty decent, good emoting from Haas
• Reigns has a toque. It’s supposed to be a mohawk, I’m pretty sure, but he’s losing hair from the top of his head
• Michael Cole Fears Puberty sign lol
• Luther is a decent power guy. Winner.

JBL gives a smarmy bullshit promo bragging about beating Eddie Guerrero, a far better wrestler. I wish they’d fire this jerk. He’s so boring and annoying. It’s not even effective heel work for me, I just don’t like him as a person. He’s also covered in acne. What a loser.

MATCH 3: CHAVO GUERRERO VS FOR REY MYSTERIO CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMP

• Chavo’s music is great
• Love Mysterio, even when he’s got a lil roid belly
• “WINE ME DINE ME 619 ME” sign
• I think this match will be the best one so far
• BRING BACK CHAVO CLASSIC sign
• Taz… doesn’t understand how Rey’s mask works? Thinks he’s mute? But they did commentary together the previous week? WTF?
• Rey’s mask is too loose – he keeps fiddling with it.
• Taz is talking fast, probably because he feels like he has to fill silence or he’ll get let go. He’s so much better on commentary today.
• Taz can’t tell the difference between EDDIE GUERRERO’S COUSIN AND REY MYSTERIO WHAT THE HECK
• Is this ref Charles Robinson? Yes.
• Heckler in the crowd hollering “CHAAAA VOOOOOOO” ugh
• Maybe a knee injury on Rey? No, but it is a great work.
• This is a really good match
• Mysterio wins after a long, hard-fought match. Best match so far!

Oh man, I actually like the Cruiserweights in the hot tub with Torrie lol. They're obviously obsessed with her, trying to vie for her attention, and then she gets up and leaves.

Funaki: “God… bless… America”

MATCH 4: KENZO SUZUKI VS BILLY GUNN

• Suzuki is on a litter accompanied by a geisha named Hiroko? I have no memory of these people…
• This should actually be fun lol.
• Who is Kenzo Suzuki?
  • That’s his name
  • he’s an ex NJPW guy
  • Currently freelance with AJPW
  • Hiroko is actually his wife! And that is… also her name.
  • Oh boy, she’s in a bra & panties match with Torrie./s
  • She was elected to Funabashi city council in 2005 – she appears to be a progressive politician who values education and social welfare. Nice!
• This is a decent match :) Good storytelling in the match. Hiroko is an effective valet
• Suzuki wins

Not much to talk about with the Suzuki/Gunn match (not to be confused with the Suzuki-Gun in NJPW lol), just a really solid enjoyable match.

Which is what makes it stick out like a sore thumb in this PPV lol.

Cut to Paul Bearer, bound and gagged as Heyman taunts him creepily. “I want to hear you scream for the Undertaker as that concrete comes up around your neck...” - an effective promo for a match I'd rather be watching than:

MATCH 5: SABLE VS TORRIE WILSON

• Sable is wearing a weird sequined one-piece in black & red with red fur or maribou around the hood and wrists.
• Torrie is Red, white, & blue in short-shorts and a halter bra with fishnets.
• I’ve never really liked Sable matches, so this will suck.
• Sable’s lazy kicks, three moves and Torrie looks at death’s door
• Women’s wrestling was boring as hell and sloppy to boot
• If guys were this bad they’d be fired.
• Taz: “So, who’s got the blonder hair? Sable, Torrie, or Charles Robinson?” lol
• lol Torrie kicked Sable in the buttcheek
• This match is boring and sloppy, but it’s not as sloppy as most women’s matches I’ve seen from the 00s.
• Sable is still pretty bad – her half-assed launch off the ropes to “collide heads” with Torrie is pretty bad.
• Sable wins, despite there not actually being a pin. Bleh.
• Boring match.

Backstage with Undertaker and his Sara tattoo - great lighting. In the arena, the cement mixer is running.

Backstage, Renee is trying to flirt up a lady backstage Dawn? Some guys I don't recognize come up and flirt her away with jokes about boot size. It’s amazing how many of these guys became nobodies

MATCH 6: MORDECAI VS HARDCORE HOLLY

• Mordecai could’ve been so much more than he was, but boy is the crowd DEAD when he comes out.
• DO YA?! Holly is all business on his way to the ring, instant slap fight
• Hardcore is very unhappy, but when was he ever happy
• Mordecai’s stupid staff is gonna kill someone.
• I usually ignore double axe handles, but… Mordecai puts a lot into them. They may be his best move.
• Mordecai wins a fairly okay match.

Was it the best match on the card? No way. It didn't utterly suck, though, and there was great energy in the ring. Even if both men look like they'd rather be flossing at the dentist's office.

Did we need such a long ad for the Bullrope match? It’s a very simple storyline. JBL is a racist who hates Eddie Guerrero. Eddie will cheat to win. The end. That’s all you need.

MATCH 7: EDDIE GUERRERO VS JBL IN A BULLROPE MATCH FOR THE WWE CHAMPIONSHIP

• This match took way too long
• JBL sucks
• Eddie is a genius in the ring and almost made me care about a bullrope match. Almost.
• What was the point of this match. Just give JBL the belt for his pointless 10 month reign and don't put us through watching him beat Eddie via GM reversal of the Referee's decision.
• Way to undermine your refs.
• Best part of this match was the fact that they put lights on the ring posts.
• JBL bleeds, but it's still boring.
• BORING BORING BORING match.
• Frustrating, too, because every single time Eddie is on the offense you can almost enjoy it. Almost.
• Just a crap match.

DUDLEY BOYS VS UNDERTAKER

• Like the pyro for Undi
• This match will also be stupid
• I’m so bored after the bullcrap reverse decision that I don’t care about this match
• Undertaker’s entrance takes more than 65 seconds, after which, Heyman dumps some cement in Paul’s “crypt”. What a terribly dangerous gimmick.
• Heyman hollering at Undertaker that he's a BAD DOG BAD DOG BAD DOG BAD DOG LAY DOWN! is amazing and is probably one of the best parts of this match, though it's a pretty decent match considering who's wrestling.
• The Concrete is filling up fast lol
• I like Bubba trying to win vs Undertaker and preserving Bearer just a lil longer
• This is way more enjoyable and entertaining than the stupid bullrope match
• Undertaker wins, Heyman threatens Bearer, lightning strikes the cement truck as Heyman approaches
• Undertaker approacheth, but is he to be trusted?
• He kneels, raises his hand, looks up slowly…
• “Paul, I have no other choice. Rest. In. Peeeeeace.”
• AND FREAKIN DROWNS BEARER IN CEMENT LOL
• Why? lol

Overall, I'd give this PPV a 2 out of five. It's only got a couple of good matches, but worse, the whole air of the PPV is the same as the rancidly jingoistic too-cool-for-school garbage as the time it came from. I hated 2004 just living through it, and I'd hoped that maybe wrestling had been an escape, but nope. More of the same crap I would've been trying to avoid - blatantly racist nonsense, jingoistic blather, "patriotism", and bad taste.

How do you make me wish I could forget an Eddie Guerrero match? I love Eddie Guerrero matches!

At least there was Mysterio vs Chavo and Suzuki vs Gunn - those were fun matches :)

I may be biased towards Cruiserweights.

That's because Cruiserweights don't just stand in the middle of the ring gasping for breath like a fresh-caught halibut after one or two sloppy open-handed strikes.

So all in all, not really a PPV you have to go back and watch, and not really all that enjoyable if your tastes are similar to mine. If you thought that the last 5 Undertaker matches (not counting the Graveyard Match, which was basically a short film) were highly stimulating, you'll love this.

I hope you enjoyed this review, and if you feel like watching the PPV on the Network, don't let me stop you. Everyone enjoys wrestling differently and that's a good thing!

Enjoy what you enjoy.

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Blackout

You've probably come here expecting me to either be utterly silent or a black box or something.

That won't help.

No, today, I'm going to go around the internet looking for black voices to share with you.

LongBlackFingers - This guy makes incredibly good perler art (those plastic beads you fuse together), makes fun composite images of himself using Pixlr, paints, and raises some really gorgeous houseplants. His blog is actually where I learned about baking your soil before you put your plants in so that you kill any of the fly eggs that may have gotten in there.

Krissy Diggs - once known as "That Chick With The Goggles", she's gone on to be an illustrator in Japan and is all around fun (and gorgeous) to follow

Dandy Wellington - Do you like old fashioned music? Do you like vintage style? Do you like cool people? Then follow Dandy Wellington, because he's got all three on lock. This man will probably become known as the Father of the New Harlem Renaissance. He's that good.

TL Yarn Crafts - I love crochet, but I don't live near a yarn shop anymore. When I want reliable info on what new yarns are like or if I just want to see a crafting video, these videos are really helpful. Toni is awesome.

Jamal Igle - I love comics. I was lucky enough to be part of a cartooning club in middle and high school that was run by Jon Bogdanove, and because I was following his work, I found Jamal Igle's. The man is an artistic genius and he has some of the best ideas in comics.



So if you've found yourself wondering how you can help if you can't donate to charities and you aren't able to join a protest and place your life in danger in the name of justice...

Just support black creators and businessfolk. Does your town have a restaurant owned by a person of color? Order food from them. Do you have a shop nearby that sells stuff and is owned by a black woman? Buy something.

But if you're on a strict budget and you can't inject your dollars into the black economy, then look for people who are creative. Turn your ad-blocker off, go to their website. Read their blog. Watch their YouTube videos. Talk loudly online and offline about how awesome that movie with the black cast is. Talk about how much you love that black author's books. Listen to music produced by black people and listen to it loudly.

Protest by supporting black lives wherever you can, and if we can ever get this under control, solidify the right of black men and women to live unmurdered in our society, we can shift our lens to the next group. Our lives are not ruined by the repair of other's lives. They can only be enriched.

Go Enjoy Something,
FC

Fiber Monday 324: Ever Onward

In Which I Continue Making

Sometimes, it's hard not to get lost in the repetitive motion of a simple multi-row-repeat project like the DA Lady Sibyl or this soft rectangular something (will I have enough yarn for a shrug? Maybe?) based on a towel pattern from Lady Jay. So that is exactly what I've been doing this morning - progressing through soft garments and thinking about the next part of my book. Yesterday, I wrote just over 1k words, and I hope to get just as much done tonight, though we'll see. This might be a characterization day rather than a scene-to-scene day...

But today's not for writing (that's tomorrow lol), today is to show you my work with a hook and some yarn:

This is some sock yarn I found somewhere. Maybe it's Heart and Sole? I don't know.

I'm slowly increasing along one edge with every repeat because if it does become a shrug, it needs some body to it or it will only really fit my forearms, and I hate having open sleeves to the elbow. That sucks. I have another ball of the yarn, too, so it's a distinct possibility that Size 2 yarn + 4mm hook = a wearable garment. Even if said wearable garment is in bizarrely Eastery colors...

And the Lady Sibyl still grows slowly

I've added another half inch, but we'll see how much longer this takes...

I love the Red Hotdogs color on the lace weight yarn I'm using for the Lady Sibyl, but I do kind of wish I had a nice cloud gray or a sage green or a warm umber to make other versions out of. Maybe a silver color would be nice? Regardless, I'm very into rectangles-you-fold-and-sew-to-make-clothes right now.

I'll keep you all up to date on my progress with my silly little projects, and hopefully someday soon you'll see an item or two up for sale somewhere on here. I'm workin on it ;)

How are all of your guys' projects going? Are you sewing masks? Are you stitching clothes? Knitting socks? What's up out there?

I'd love to see or hear about the handcrafted projects you're working on, so feel free to tell me about them in the comments or something.

Go Enjoy Something, guys
FC