Thursday Art Walk: Year End Birb

 

In Which I Got Art Supplies And Made An Art!

At long last, it's the final day of the Year of the Dumpster Fire. I'm not going to get all hopeful and say that 2021 is gonna be any better, but I'm glad that this year is finally closing out. So today I made some art to celebrate the final day. Dang, if I was a more thinky person I'd have made a Majora's Mask-based image. Instead, I just bring you something I made with my brand new art supplies!

The Supplies in question!

Both metallic and glittery gel pens!

I haven't used gel pens since probably 2008? So after 12 years of not fiddling around with them, I'm pretty thrilled with what I came up with!

"Farewell to 2020"; gel pen on sketch pad; 2020

I'm pretty pleased with how that worked out! And I can't even see the worst mistake - a blob of black ink got stuck to my hand and smeared on the bottom of the banner where the first 2 of the 2021 is. That's why I included 2021 lol.

I'm really pleased with how the plaid came out, and I think I should thank DrawingWiffWaffles on YouTube for that, since she draws a lot of plaid on her awesome illustrations, and that's what gave me the courage to try it! I think it came out pretty cute, especially considering that I initially just scribbled it in with the metallic red and layered the glitter red and glitter black on top lol.

I hope to use these pens more often in the future and try out some of the cool challenges I see on the internet (though don't expect greatness from challenges, I'm still learning how to control my flabby fingers lol).

I hope that the year did not crush your spirit, that your creativity is intact no matter what your medium may be, and that over the next twelve months, you're able to create and share and sell your art. I want to read your books. I want to see your art. I want to hear your music and poetry. I want to walk into the buildings you design or decorate. I want to try your patterns and recipes. And I want you to know that whatever you created this year? It was worth the effort you put in! Even if it was just the outline of your novel or the barest sketch, I'm proud of you. Even if you were only able to think about your art for five minutes a day, I'm proud of you, because it was hard this year, and everything you tried artistically was important!

I love you all!

Happy New Year!

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Wednesdaymania - 2020 Was Rough

 

In Which This Year Was Rough As Heck on Wrestling

This year... man, it just clobbered the wrestling industry. Shows were canceled. Shows that weren't canceled would sometimes become Spreader Events for COVID-19. People died. People retired without Retirement Matches. The writing sometimes sucked a lot.

So here's your year of major deaths in review:

• La Parka II
• Died Jan 11 at 54 years old. Complications from a bad dive that left him paralyzed.
• Not The La Parka we all know and love - he was the La Parka AAA used in the first La Parka's place when he moved on from Mexico
• Rocky Johnson
• Died Jan 15 at 76 years old. DVT blood clot became pulmonary embolism.
• One of the first black tag team champs with Tony Atlas
• The Rock's dad
• Black Demon
• Died April 13 at 39 years old. First wrestler to die from COVID-19. If you don't recognize his name, he was a non-mainstream masked luchador from Mexico.
• Howard Finkel
• Died April 16 at 69 years old.
• Complications from a stroke he suffered in 2019
• This one hurt a lot, I'll be honest. I loved Finkel so much and it sucks that he's gone now.
• Shad Gaspard
• Died May 17 at 39 years old
• Drowned after insisting his son's life be saved first. His son survived.
• This one sucked too because it really seemed like his acting, stunt, and mocap careers were taking off and it would have been incredible to see where he was headed!
• Hana Kimura
• Died May 23 at 22 years old
• Committed suicide
• Stop cyber-bullying people. That's all I can say. Just freaking stop it. She was barely more than a kid, and she had a brilliant career ahead of her, but people are shallow and vicious. They crushed this blossom.
• Danny Havoc
• Died May 31 at 34 years old
• There is no news on how Danny Havoc passed. He died just two months after his wife tragically passed from heart failure.
• Kamala
• Died August 9 at 70 years old
• Tested positive for COVID-19 before passing after a heart attack
• He lived a hard life, man.
• "Bullet" Bob Armstrong
• Died August 27 at 80 years old
• Road Dogg's dad and patriarch of the Armstrong family in wrestling
• Animal from The Road Warriors
• Died September 22 at 60 years old
• Natural causes while on vacation at a resort
• Tracy Smothers
• Died October 28 at 58 years old
• Lymphoma
• If you've ever wondered what "a full career" looks like, look up Tracy Smothers. The man went everywhere and did everything. Incredible.
• RJ Meyers
• Died November 16 at 44 years old
• Leukemia
• If you don't know the man's name, you probably know the people he trained, like Lio Rush. A great trainer, if Lio's any indication. Cancer sucks.
• Pat Patterson
• Died December 2 at 79 years
• Liver Failure
• Do you like the WWE Intercontinental Championship? He was the first. He was also an openly gay man throughout basically his whole career. His long-term partner (I'd consider him a husband with how long they were together, let's be real) was a part of the WWE family by all accounts. It sucks that we've lost this crazy dude. He was pretty dang cool.
• Danny Hodge
• Died December 26 at 88 years old
• Natural causes
• Danny Hodge probably single-handedly (no pun intended) maintained Kayfabe in every territory he was in. He could, and would at the drop of a hat, crush apples into pulp with one hand. If you look him up on Wikipedia there's a picture of him doing just that at the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 2013. That's right, he could still do it at 80. Holy cow.
• Brodie Lee
• Died December 26 at 41 years old
• Non-COVID-related lung issues
• This one still has me reeling four days later and totally overshadowed the loss of Danny Hodge, who, let's be real, most of us didn't realize he was still alive. Brodie Lee (real name Jon Huber) was starting the climb to the pinnacle of his career. He was apparently deeply beloved by the entire wrestling community, which is not a claim most can make. Thankfully, the wrestling world at large seems to have come together in support of his wife and young children, and AEW even "signed" his 8-year-old son Brodie (yes, he named himself after his son) to a contract with a commitment to hiring him when he's 18 (if he still wants to wrestle). They even gave him a Dark Order mask and had him come out and "beat" people with a kendo stick. I'm not crying. You're crying.

In short, this year has sucked a lot, but I'd like to end this blog on a positive note, so here's 5 good things that happened in wrestling this year in no particular order:

1. Sting on AEW with Schiavone howling that IT'S STIIIIIINNNNNGGGGGG!
2. Talkin Shop A Mania 1 and 2 were both so hilarious that I ended up with sore abs and ribs the next morning after watching them
3. Retrosexual is now signed to a WWE contract that will hopefully get him where he wants to be, both financially and career-wise! I'm very excited for him, though I miss his old gimmick and am not entirely down with his new name of "August Grey". He's got the talent to overcome any stupid crap the WWE shoves on him, I think.
4. Purowave's ode to Alundra Blayze vs Bull Nakano is incredible, so listen to that here.
5. So many wrestling babies! Mox & Renee, Becky & Rollins, the Bellas, Jason Jordan, Roman Reigns (twins!), and now... Cody & Brandi! I don't want kids, but I'm so thrilled that so many of these folks who have wanted babies are getting babies. Good for them!

So that's my wrestling news for 2020. I'm gonna go chill out and listen to more Purowave :)

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Talk About Tuesday... On Wednesday

 

In Which Tuesday Was Very Busy

I am winding down for the evening (well, technically early Wednesday morning, but gimme a break lol), so I'll make today's blog fairly brief.

Today was a day of getting out of town for a bit, because I live in an area with lower-than-the-national-average risk of COVID exposure. Some friends, my partner, and myself all piled in a car and went to another town and ate pulled pork sandwiches by the ocean, and it was awesome. We wore our masks. We socially distanced.

We were not, however, immune to reality creeping in.

Tuesday morning saw the sun being lightly filmed with a haze born from the wildfires devastating the opposite side of the continent. The fresh sea breeze was slightly salted and tanged with the touch of the hurricanes lining up like abusive suitors far to the south. Political survey people tried to knock on my front door and asked for me by name, though they seem to think my French Feminine name (on a person descended from both Scotch/Irish and German stock) is a British Masculine... My mother sent them on their way (thank goodness) none the wiser that there is no such person by that pronounciation.

You'd think that would have made the day anxious, but it didn't. None of it did.

We ate too much food by a beautiful waterfront, watching healthy mats of seaweed bob in the surf near the hewn stone below. We laughed. We talked about Dungeons & Dragons, about silly movies, about that cute orphaned sea otter I watch at night, about the food, about trips we could take in the future, people's families and their adventures (or misadventures).

And then one of the myriad little sparrows that had been investigating the area for potential dropped crumbs took flight.

And apparently it needed to clear some weight before it could properly lift off.

It crapped all over my folded hands, spattering a line of cold, slick-yet-gritty asphalt gray feces all over the heels of my thumbs.

In short, nature informed us it was time to go back into the car.

After copious amounts of hand sanitizer (in the car), a return trip to the house, several handwashings, depositing my nice yellow plaid flannel shirt in the wash with a dab or two of dishsoap on what I'm hoping were just meat-juice stains and not another bird's farewell, my partner and I settled into a sleepy torpor from which we only roused briefly to order a pizza for dinner (which was delicious - spinach & feta on garlic-parm sauce), argue laughingly over what YouTube videos to watch, and then to separate for the evening.

In short, today was great.

It never got above 65℉ (18.3℃), and right now I think it's about 45℉ (7.2℃). I'm in a green flannel shirt and capris, but I've snuck a flannel blanket bedecked in owls onto my bed, so I'm still deliciously chilly-yet-cozy. The tip of my nose is like ice, but my fingers still have some heat to them, so I'll call it a 100% win!

I'll be writing all day Wednesday (not counting this blog). Thursday I'll have some more art for you. I'll be writing Friday through Sunday, and Monday next should have a much more completed bag (with a bonus one day make for you!)

I think that'll about cover my Tuesday. I'm going to go brush my teeth and sleep deeply while dreaming of loaded pulled pork sandwiches, a warm hand in mine, and absolutely no bird poop.

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Fiber Talk Tuesday Whoops

I'm A Slacker And I'm Sorry

So I had a whole blog prepped for yesterday and just... never uploaded it. In my defense, I haven't been able to concentrate for more than 10 minutes at a time the last couple days, but... yeah, I feel like a lazy moron.

So today, you get both a Fiber Monday and a Talk About Tuesday:

The Shawl

The Magnificent Marge shawl might not look much bigger, but it's got a whole new set of fans on it, and I'm pleased with how it's coming along, though I worry that the pink will run out before the second part does...

A 2.75mm hook and two different 2.25mm hooks

I mentioned that I picked up a new 2.25mm hook and then immediately found my favorite one, right? Because I did. And the new hook (gold) feels way bigger than the old one. Like... it feels and crochets like the 2.75mm hook, not a 2.25mm hook... if I can find my dad's calipers I'll measure the shafts and report back on the veracity. I am guessing it's more of a 2.35 or even a 2.5 than a 2.25 :|

The Shrug

 Oh the shrug. What a shrug. It's coming along, but boy am I not looking forward to finishing it. Making the sleeves on my niece's shrug was a bit of a trial (after all, I didn't have her available to model, and it was hovering around the mid-80s...). Not seen in the above image is how far the shawl drapes off of the sides of that nice wooden tv tray...

This is the worst photo of the color I've ever seen.

In no way does this yarn look like a flamingo in real life. It looks way more orange (though still a definite pink orange, like a salmon or a sunset). Still, that picture gives a good look at the lace stitch!


Today has been taken up mostly by writing and art. I lost my progress on the Noir background, sadly, when my laptop battery died and shut down the computer unexpectedly. I have the last battery that'll work for this and it's only at 77% health, so I will likely need to upgrade.

I will enjoy having more speed and a better screen, but there are features on this laptop that none of the ones I'd be moving to have - like a number pad for ease of color-adjusting on Paint.net and a dvd-drive for when I want to use physical media :( I don't like that laptops don't account for that anymore.

This has been a rough week in a rough month in a rough season in a rough year, and I'm pretty emotionally exhausted, much like everyone else. I think I'll log off of here for the day and write more.

Here's the plan for this week:

• Write more
• Art more
• Read more
• I'll be back on Thursday with some art updates :)
• Next Monday I'll have more progress to show you.

I think that'll about do it for me!

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Weekend Warble 323

This Weekend Was Hard

I want to state firstly that I'm gonna delve into exactly why this weekend was hard, but if you're not here for that, you can stop before the break. Compassion fatigue is real, and if you are at your limit, you shouldn't feel bad for skipping the end of this blog. Keep yourself going. You matter.

Here's the light part:

This weekend I received a few packages from my partner, who decided that I needed snacks and who I am eternally grateful to. In these packages were a big bag of Japanese snacks I'm working my way through slowly (so far my favorites were the green apple konjac jelly cup, the grape konjac jelly tube, and the Texas Corn!), a 4lb (1757.7g) container of M&Ms, and an 8-pack of homemade pretzels from Kentucky that are just as good in the microwave as they are in the toaster oven, taste faintly of honey mustard, and are bigger than my ding-dang hand! These snacks are a lifesaver, since I haven't really been able to get to the store lately. Some friends of mine also sent me a lovely cloth mask that I'll be using to pick up some bottled water and/or juice later this week, I think.

I haven't been watching much tv or many movies, though I learned a bit about a failed Gilligan's Island follow-up and I've been watching both a PPV for the blog and a lot of Ghost Adventures for research purposes (story idea). I've been writing a lot, I've been practicing my digital art, and I've been crocheting.

I've played so much Breath of the Wild lately, because it's the only thing that has been able to keep my attention. I've tried to play quite a few Kongregate games, but none of them are keeping me focused, which isn't the games' fault. There's a lot on my mind.

I enjoy cooking, and I did actually make more quickbread with Everything Bagel mix for my partner, but I didn't cover it. I might eventually make some Soda Bread for home, but between the pretzels and the fact that it vacillates between 80℉ (26.7℃) and 60℉ (15.6℃) I haven't really felt the need. Also, I have to see if I can use one of the lidded casseroles to stand in for a Dutch Oven, which I don't believe we actually have here...

So this weekend was productive, just not maybe blog productive, lol.  It's been a lot of practice, novel progress, and listening to Dandy Wellington.

***

Now for the heavy:

It's been a bad weekend across America. Our 400 year history of screwing over people of color is really coming up, and it hasn't been pretty. People are dying. Police are killing people. A reporter was blinded by police who targeted her. A very old man was shoved down by police for the crime of walking slowly with his cane. It's... not good.

I hope there is progress made. I hope the officers involved in George Floyd's negligent homicide are charged. Not stopping a fellow officer from taking a life for no reason - no one was endangered by Mr. Floyd, who was accused of passing a counterfeit $20 (a nonviolent crime that anyone could commit by accident, think about that) - is, I believe, a crime in and of itself.

Now there are protests across the nation, and just like in the 1960s, when there were righteous protests filled with angry people who were tired of being commanded to die for no reason (Vietnam), angry people tired of being beaten and abused by society (people of color), people who were tired of being mistreated for their very essence of being (LGBTQ folks), and so many more people who were crying out for justice, these protests have been met with violence by the police. Just as wretched are the people who are obviously unconnected to the protests themselves who go about committing arson and looting and acts of violence of their own - the Umbrella Man with his very suspicious tactical gear, the old scumbag with the bow and arrows (trying to murder protesters!), the white morons with their automatic weapons, the white monsters starting the riots themselves while black organizers scream and plead for them to stop...

It's a terrible mess. It's a terrible time.

I suppose we never learn.

There are good things to focus on, though.

There are the hundreds of law firms who see the protesters who have been arrested (not, likely, the actual looters and provocateurs, if I had to guess) and are offering pro bono services.

There are doctors, nurses, paramedics giving advice on how to treat the most common protest-related injuries (chemical burns from tear gas and pepper spray, bruises, light dislocations, etc), offering confidential medical assistance.

There are people passing out water so no one gets dehydrated.

There are people who are using their voices.

Hopefully there will be justice for George Floyd. Hopefully, there will be justice for the reporters who have been beaten, bloodied, one with her (thankfully non-dominant!) eyeball exploded by a rubber bullet despite her obviously not being a threat. Hopefully, there will be a disarmament of the police, because as we see time and time again, the more weapons you give a person, the more often they will use those weapons, whether they need to or not.

I have hope that the people of America will (eventually) start doing the right thing. That we will destroy the systems that allow men like George Floyd to be held down until they die, or that allow police to destroy the private property of citizens without regard, or that allow police to slaughter women in their sleep (Breonna Taylor). This has to stop.

Black Lives Matter.

FC

Thursday Art Walk 305: The Family Business

In Which Ma Boi Takes on the Work

Daily weather update: it's currently sunny and 28℉ (-2.2℃). I'm both eager and not eager to go for my daily walk (it's gonna be cold, but it'll also give me that sweet, sweet Vitamin D my body craves so deeply... yes, lol, it wants the D. Yours would, too, if you rarely got to see the sun for 2/3 of the year...)

I joke a lot about Dedbert being my son, so why not have a picture of him doing what I do?

"The Family Business"; graphite and ink on sketch paper; 2020

Dedbert here is hard at work at the ol' WordyBirdy Typewriter, click-clack-dinging his way to a proper manuscript. To be honest, I'm a lil jelly because I don't have a typewriter of my own to type on, and the WordyBirdy seems quite nice. Then again, I type a little faster than him, and that model seems to be more meant for the ol' hunt-and-peck style of typing.

I might color this in at some point, or I might start over and make a bigger, better version. For now, I'm quite pleased with this ink sketch.

The title's a bit of a brag, to be honest. I like to write (I mean, otherwise, I'd probably just make bland, ranty YouTube videos instead of a blog), and since I'm currently working on a novel, that makes writing my business. My partner, who I only half-jokingly refer to as Dedbert's other parent, is also a really good writer, so of course our son wants to join in on the family business.

And yes, we're both very proud of our boy for Doing the Work, as Cody Rhodes puts it.

Now, if y'all will excuse us, my feathery son and I need to get back to work :)

Go Enjoy Something!
FC

Saturday Casual Gaming 301: Gaming Goals 2020

In Which I Discuss Gaming

Yesterday, I mentioned 10 movies I'd like to see this year - some were old, some were new. Some were series!

I'd like to take a moment to discuss a few games I'd like to review this year on Saturday Casual Gaming.

Some will be newer, some will be older, and some will have even cost money, but I assure you: all will be fun!

• Final Fantasy Adventure (Switch)
• Peace Island (Steam)
• Secret of Mana (Switch)
• Merge Magic (Mobile)
• Trials of Mana (Switch)
• Idle Pins (Kongregate)
• At Least One Platformer
• At Least One Escape Room Game
• A Fighting Game
• At Least One Coloring Game

I know that not everyone is an Idle Game junkie like me, so I'm going to try and expand to more games this year. My biggest problems are that I:

a) suck at platformers

and

b) suck at fighting games

Maybe this will be the year I find some of these kinds of games that I don't suck at and can actually enjoy?

To be perfectly clear: I'm the problem with games I'm bad at. It's not the game design - other people have a wonderful time playing fighting games and platformers, after all! It's just my bad reflexes and poor eyesight working together with my limited attention span to baffle me and leave me with abysmal capabilities.

Also, a lot of these kinds of games require a fairly hefty monetary commitment, which I'm unprepared to make.

As for the Switch games I've listed...

Guess who had enough Amazon cards to buy The Collection of Mana when it came out?

This doofus. That's who.

So that's my gameplan (lol) for 2020! I plan to expand my gaming horizons, talk about some games that cost me money, and share my undying love for the Mana franchise. I also want to share some of my experiences with you, so I'll be trying to figure out this "streaming" thing all the kids are doing these days...

What are your guys' gaming goals for the new decade?

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Filmic Friday 301: New Year, New Films

In Which I Talk About Movies I Haven't Seen Yet

Since 2020 is all about hindsight, I thought it might be fun for today to have a list of ten movies I haven't seen yet, but would like to this year! These are in no particular order, but I hope I can look back at today's post by the end of December and say "I saw those things!!!"

• Phantom of the Opera (1925)
• Tremors
• Friday the 13th
• CATS (2019)
• In The Bedroom
• Monkeyshines
• The Lighthouse
• Pulp Fiction
• Subspecies (all of them)
• Death on the Nile (2020)

Obviously, I'm going to see more than 10 movies this year, but these 10 are ones I'm really hoping to see. I mean, if I miss Monkeyshines because something cooler came up, I'm not going to be offended, that one is mostly inspired by Twitter.

Regardless, those are my movie goals this year!

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Thursday Art Walk 301

In Which I Did a New Years Picture!

Sometimes it can be hard to figure out what to draw on my Thursday art blog, but not this week! In knew it was a good time to have Dedbert roll out the barrel!

Pencils

I really love trying to capture his expression. He's such a character!

Inks

Here's hoping everyone's 2020 is creative and awesome!

"2020 Fiesta"; sharpie and graphite on sketch paper; 2020

In case anyone was wondering, Dedbert is straight-edge. That's just some Martinelli's with a candied cranberry skewer. The blue thing is a holiday cracker, and he's waiting for someone to pull the other half!

Go Enjoy Something!
FC

Wednesdaymania 301: Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, guys.

Go Enjoy Something!
FC