Friday, April 30, 2010

State of the Neko address: week 10, part 2

song+ On A Night Like This- Kylie Minogue- Light Years
book+ Red Pyramid
scent+ chocolate
quest+ saving to visit Roro
upper+ i made the second Rosalie payment!
downer+ FCBD stress
attire+ green tee and jeans
drink+ milk


the FCBD 2010 stuff is all taken care of and at our stores. i don't want to hear the word “free” for the next while. X.x i'm so exhausted i'm amazed i'm still upright at this point. Tuesday we had so much come in i was here from 8 to 7, yesterday i logged another 45 minutes getting the stuff distributed with Tiff, and today i had to be here an hour early to ensure i'd get all the time-sensitive tasks of myself and my boss done (she had yesterday and today off for medical stuff). so today i'm working a half hour into when i normally take lunch, then going home for the day. that'll put me at pretty much exactly 40 hours for the week.

speaking of today HAPPY JAMES' BIRTHDAY! ..although he doesn't read this. xD so in a more selfish vein, happy my half-birthday! his cape isn't done, it's not even started, but the fabric arrived this week, so when i 1) find the right cloak pattern, and 2) beat my sewing machine into a functional state of obedience, i'll totally get it sewn up for him. xD i at least told him about it today, since today it's no longer a spoiler, it's a statement of intent.

tonight is jingly scarf dancing night with Moose, but i think we're both so tired we're gonna power-nap beforehand. i could totally just go home and sleep from like 3 till about 8 tonight.. at which point i'd get up and eat dinner and pick out my clothes and stuff. xD you know, responsible adult-y things.

i also need to figure out when i'm forcing social interaction on people this weekend, probably Sunday. i have a cheesecake kit and some cherry pie filling waiting to be used (for cherry cheesecake, obviously) but i don't wanna bother making it unless people will be there to eat some. xD i only bother messing around in the kitchen with there's adulation in it for me. *totally a selfish attention hound*

Monday, April 26, 2010

State of the Neko address: week 10

song+ Bittersweet Goodbye- Kylie Minogue- Light Years
book+ Born in Fire
scent+ nothing- allergies flaring up
quest+ saving to visit Roro
upper+ i made the first Rosalie payment!
downer+ FCBD stress
attire+ plain black tee and jeans
drink+ dr pepper


this weekend was pretty awesome, i did next to nothing and reveled in the laziness. xD i made the first payment on Rosalie, and then i alternated between sleeping, staring into space, listening to music, and reading random Wikipedia articles. xD sometimes i just keep following links for hours on end.. it's pretty distracting. i felt unburdened and well-rested and all-around amazing, then i woke up this morning and didn't anymore. X.x ugh.

this week is a super-heavy workload, even without the remainder of the FCBD stuff happening. bleh. at this point i keep reminding myself i can get through this, and once i do i'll be a little closer to my vacation time. when summer rolls around, that's how i get through it, i tell myself “only X weeks until time off!” so this summer's not really any different, except that i'm taking my time a little later than normal, mid July rather than mid June.

this restless feeling is a prime factor for my predictable bouts of excessive summer spending. it hits every year and i frequently lack the willpower to keep from buying stuff to distract me from how i'm feeling. in spite of going for Rosalie, i'm actually doing much better this year. xD ..but honestly, i'm only doing better because i know i have to save up to go see Roro. if i didn't have that to go for, i'd be even poorer than i am, likely hovering just this side of debt. i've always had strong cases of summertime want-something-different-itis. xD intellectually, i'm aware the different-something isn't a physical something, but more a change in my routine, but i can never bring myself to do anything drastically different enough to satisfy the itchiness.. so i buy stuff instead and pretend it'll help. lame, i know. *shrug*

i guess being self-aware about my flaws and weaknesses does no good if i still lack the willpower or conviction to change anything. i'm still a kid, i guess. in some pretty important ways at least.

so far as distractions go, i got more music this weekend, based on recommendations. no idea how much of it i'll keep, but i'm working on giving it all a fair listening-to. i got the discographies of Beyonce (so far still not a fan, but her Ave Maria was nice), Rihanna (growing on me- i really like the songs with the heavy dance beats, like Pon de Replay), and Kylie Minogue (TONS to go through since she's been recording since '87, but i'm loving the Fever album from '02 with Come Into My World and Can't Get You Out Of My Head) most of this week will be spent listening and re-listening to just this new stuff and deciding what'll stay and what won't. it's a lot to go through. xD i'm enjoying the selection process though. i've learned from experience that i need to listen at multiple points because i've discounted things before, then heard them under different circumstances and loved it, so i figure using a whole week to try it all out is plenty fair.

i dunno, maybe with my recent focus on dance music and the excess energy i've got, i should go dancing with Moose this weekend.. i thought about asking if i could go with her Friday night, but decided she might need some solo time since we're together like all the time now. xD i think with enough forewarning it could be okay though. who knows, maybe we could both wear our jingly coin scarves at our hips and make all kinds of noise flailing about all spazzy-like. xD it could be pretty fun.

i think it's kinda funny that i ended up with a coin scarf in mom's signature color, and hers is in mine. i didn't even think about it until like now. xD i just got mine in red since it'd show up best against my green skirt. i can totally see myself getting more in different colors though. for now though i've just got the red with silver coins, like Moose has plummy purple with silver coins.. we both prefer silver to gold. xD

i just have to figure out an outfit that'll go with it reasonably well. i'm thinking most likely one of my Wonder Woman tees (i have like 9 of them) but i dunno what i wanna put on with it, like shorts or a skirt or whatever. i dunno, i guess there's time before this weekend, it's just nice to think about things other than work while i'm working. xD the best part of going dancing (other than the sense of absolute freedom brought on by dancing, of course) is getting to wear combinations of things you normally wouldn't dare, because it's part of the experience. it's more fun to swish your hips when you feel a tutu ruffling, or a coin scarf jingling. it's like it completes the action. and i guess no one really gets it unless they too have danced in something outrageous. Kyu sure looked at us like we were crazy when we did the tutus, but that could have been because i spent so much on them, i didn't ask. tutus are expensive, in case anyone was wondering. xD

i think i need something mindless and absorbing to distract me from thinking when i'm at home. all the games i've been playing lately are think-y games, i think i need some more mindless (possibly physical) ones to mess around on and really RELAX which i haven't been able to do lately. weeknights i don't have enough time to relax doing nothing, so i'll have to figure out how to relax doing something.. cause i'm getting closer and closer to the kind of workplace violence that makes the news. -_- it's a bit easier to avoid now that the MEGA dummy isn't ours anymore, but this time of year even people i love working with (normally) fill me with the urge to bash them with common office supplies.. or the things they leave lying around: empty food wrappers and takeout cups, discarded pants (don't ask) or hoodies, things randomly left WHEREVER with no thought of who'll have to clean it up. that kind of thoughtlessness has always bothered me, but when i've also got additional seasonal stresses building walls of obligation and pressure around me, it's elevated from Annoying Laziness to Stress I Don't Need. *sigh*

i get SO stressed at this Almost-FCBD, still Not-Vacation time that i crunch and pop with disturbing consistency whenever i move. my spine sounds like microwave popcorn today.. well, not quite, but seriously? eerily close to bubble wrap. *nod* the only upside to it is seeing the look on people's faces when they pass as i'm crunching especially loudly. xD they can't usually accept that it's a human body making the noises. i'm so broken..

Friday, April 23, 2010

State of the Neko address: week 9, part 2

song+ So Happy I Could Die- Lady Gaga- the Fame Monster
book+ You Have Killed Me
scent+ dust?
quest+ saving to visit Roro
upper+ i made the first Rosalie payment!
downer+ FCBD stress
attire+ Wonder Woman logo tee and a black skirt
drink+milk


so the bulk of the FCBD prep for this year is done. yesterday we labeled another 12944 pieces, and Tiff helped me get it distributed properly. only another 7275 to go. yay. X.x this week my speed improved though, i went from 7.42 pieces a minute to 11.37 which is a pretty good bump in productivity. Our goal is 10, so yay me. getting the last bit done next week should go pretty smoothly since i'll have Tiff to help me, though the other guys really need to get it together. i'm almost to the point of bribing them to pull their weight, then i remember that intimidation works so much better. xD so threats have been levied, we'll see next week if they improve. technically Minion #6 did improve, but going from 5.78 to 6.64 isn't good enough. not when the goal is 10, and before lunch i was hitting 15.14 easily. i only slowed down in the afternoon, when i was doing multiple smaller titles and having to get up more often to shift things around.. and also i stopped for a snack, but i still did pretty awesome overall. xD

on an entirely different note, a while ago (like early March) i decided to hold off on ordering Real Skin Tania to be Rosalie since it'd strain my finances a bit. luckily for me my finances are in better shape now, and a girl who bought one (with the exact options i was going to!) has decided she's not right for the character she had planned and is willing to sell to me. the first payment went off today, and i should have her by the end of May, sooner if what's-her-face sends me my refund on that split that died, so i'm very excited. i'm already re-thinking her wardrobe, and how i'll blush her and do the faceup, and how to make a pair of antlers-on-a-headband, since Moose actually has several pairs that get worn. xD i think i wanna re-do FaithAnn's blushing too. i'm just convinced i can get an even better likeness out of her when i'm not feeling rushed or impatient. I think this time i'll take reference photos, and give the sealant time to dry between layers. I didn't before and now FaithAnn's tattoo is smudging. so since i need to re-do it anyway, i may as well re-do it better all around. with the scars, tattoo, and faceup -and all the same things for Moose too- photos to reference will really help me out.

i'll also need to buy properly colored eyes (she shipped with green) and glasses, and the wigs i found that very closely resemble our real hair. xD there's some other stuff too, but it can wait a bit longer. i can handle this and saving to visit Roro, i can't handle much else, so just the basics will have to do. even though i'm not expecting it, i'm kinda hoping i miraculously get my refund from the Eliv/Iv debacle soon so i can use that to pay off most of Rosalie. again, i'm not counting on it, but it'd be nice. *sigh* i suppose i should be making a list, so i can keep track of what i need now-ish and what i'd like later. i do love to make lists. xD i've made lists to organize my lists before.. it's a compulsion almost. *shrug*

i'm looking forward to spending this weekend blissfully doing nothing. there's been a lot of Somethings lately, so i think Nothing will be a nice change of pace. i dunno, maybe i'll plug in the Wii and play some imaginary Sports. i could try to not totally suck at the Tennis and Baseball options.. maybe. it's kinda a long shot with how abysmal i am now. xD

Monday, April 19, 2010

State of the Neko address: week 9

song+ I Don't A Care (Machine Shop Mix)- Fall Out Boy- Folie a Deux
book+ Magdalena
scent+ fake cheese
quest+ saving to visit Roro
upper+ i ordered the stuff for James' cape
downer+ FCBD stress
attire+ Mario tee and jeans
drink+ dr pepper


mom's birthday party at Jen's was awesome. i think it was the most fun i've had at a family gathering in a long time. doing the Wii bowling made me want to hook up my Wii for the first time in about 2 years, and maybe get a second controller to better do two player games. xD i could get Wii Play, Wii Sports Resort and Wii Fit (since i kinda never play anything but Wii Sports on it, and pretty much only the bowling is fun with one player) and compete with Moose. i still have my GameCube for older games, and i already beat Mario Galaxy, so there's no point replaying for the billionth time.. and it's definitely a system that's more fun with someone else, so i've neglected it for the Xbox. Moose says if i keep it hooked up and easy to get to, she'll buy a controller and we can do some two player, so that could be pretty fun.. when she's home, which isn't very often since she works so much. xD

i had tons of fun at Scarbie on Saturday, but it made me realize that as much as i love it, i couldn't handle going every weekend. it's too exhausting and expensive, so i'm kinda glad Moose isn't working out there after all.. xD it was pretty awesome making it out twice in one season though. i didn't feel rushed to fit EVERYTHING into one day. plus we plan to return for the last weekend in our elemental costumes, which should be pretty awesome.

that's what the dryad costume evolved into- four elementals. me as Earth (in the dryad costume, brown and green), Moose as Water (in a similar thing in blue and purple, with kelp and seashells instead of leaves and flowers. Maybe some water lilies), Jesse (most likely) as Fire in oranges and reds, and someone else (as yet unassigned, but possibly Kim) as Air in pastels and silver with feathers. with a set date to wear them established, i'm sure i can manage to get them done on time. xD i need to work out specific designs for each though, Jesse's with pants of some sort, since she's not really a skirt-wearer. i don't want us to all be wearing the same thing in a different color anyway, i don't think that if the elements were people that they'd dress the same at all.

first up though is James' cloak. i ordered the perfect fabrics for it Friday night. i found them on the JoAnn's website and got all the stuff for less than 30 bucks after shipping, so that's awesome. yay sales! as soon as it makes it to me i'll get to sewing.. i hope i can coax my machine into working again. it died a few months ago when it tried to eat a few yards of a skirt i was helping Moose make for a dancing costume. i think i'll have to go at it with a screwdriver to come close to getting it cleared out and in working order. if i can't, James gets to wait while i hand-sew (which i don't enjoy doing, being an incredibly impatient person) and save up for a new machine. this one's JUST out of warranty. *sigh*

if i have to buy another machine (potentially the third in 5 years) then i'll save and get a GOOD one from somewhere other than Walmart.. i've had plenty of those cheap ones, it's what i've been dealing with up till now. X.x it's almost always a case of “but i NEED to get this done NOW! I guess this'll do..” knowing full well it's a stop gap solution and not an investment. i'm kinda sick of wasting my money that way though, so i'm gonna try to fix this one, but either way i think after visiting Roro i'll start saving for a good machine. maybe even one with fancy stitch functions. xD we'll see what's available, affordable, and appropriate when i get to that point.

i'd like to announce that i finally got around to formalizing my request for time to visit Roro this summer. xD we decided on the week of her birthday, so i now officially have the whole week off, from July 12th through July 16th . i already get weekends off, so there was no reason to request those. yay Roro's birthday! i still have no idea when in that time frame i'll actually fly out there, but the important thing is that my bosses know i won't be here. i figure that picking departure and return dates can wait until a bit closer to that point in time.. especially since they'll be effected by anything going on up there that week, if Roro's too busy to meet me at the airport, i obviously won't be flying out that day.

it's exciting! and now that i'm for sure not gonna be spending every penny i earn out at Scarbie, i can finally save up what i said i would for my visiting-Roro fund! (un?)fortunately when i projected what i could conceivably save, i factored in bouts of OLS screwing what i had, so i'm (sadly) still on-track.. with the NOTHING i've got now. X.x

Thursday, April 15, 2010

State of the Neko address: week 8, part 2

song+ Fever- Michael Buble
book+ Sandman Mystery Theater
scent+ glue
quest+ saving to visit Roro
upper+ Kyu's Chloe came in
downer+ FCBD stress
attire+ WW tee and jeans
drink+ water


and so it begins. today started this year's FCBD (Free Comic Book Day for those not in-the-know) prep work. today 4950 items got labeled.. only 21175 to get done in the next two weeks. yippee. We were supposed to have it all by the end of next week, but since there's so much this year, we'll still be getting it the week it has to go out. meaning up until the day before it's due in the stores, we'll be busting our butts to finish it all. when we thought we'd be done pleasantly early, Jacinda arranged to have the 29th and 30th off. FCBD is May 1st this year. now we know that i'll essentially have the 29th to try and get everything labeled and properly sorted for the needed distribution to our stores. Even if i call in Tiff to help, it NEEDS to be done by 10:30 Friday morning or it won't go out. that sounds okay until you think about me having other Friday-run tasks i do from 4-6 Thursday afternoon and from 9 until about 10 Friday morning. so really, it all needs to be pretty much done and dissed out by 4 or 5 on the 29th which could prove to be exceedingly difficult. granted the bulk of our leftover labeling should get done next week (14350 items) leaving less than 7000 pieces (plus distribution) for the last week, which seems a lot more manageable, but that makes next week a total nightmare. ugh.

i expect my shoulders to ache pretty much nonstop for the next few weeks.. it happens every April. it'll only be worse if i actually make it to a fabric store so i can start on James' cape. two different shoulder-stressing repetitive motions to deal with until the end of the month. wahoo, i can hardly contain my excitement. X.x

so things are obviously very exciting for me. just a bit less fun than i'd prefer.. xD

Monday, April 12, 2010

State of the Neko address: week 8

song+ I Don't Care (Machine Shop Remix)- Fall Out Boy- Folie a Deux
book+ Magdalena TP
scent+ raspberry pastry thingy
quest+ saving to visit Roro
upper+ Kyu's Chloe came in
downer+ less Scarbie time..
attire+ WW tee and a comfy skirt
drink+ dr pepper


so this weekend went pretty well. i got a costume for FaithAnn done Saturday at Grandpa's. She wore it adorable to the faire Sunday too. i'm definitely gonna have to do another wig for her though. this one's okay when she's absolutely still, but the slightest movement at all, and the color bleeds all over anything it touches. most of her right side is stained green now. i'll have to do some pretty heavy cleaning this week to fix it. i met some awesome doll owners at a few of the shops, so i'll be taking up some of the other kiddos this weekend when i go back. specific requests have been made to see Eve (cause she's never seen an EiD in person), Xavin (for the modding i did), and Nemesis (again, for the modding). xD it's nice to be appreciated for a special skill, and my capacity to mod tinies is apparently kinda rare. *shrug* who knew? there's also a girl looking for a local faceup artist to redo the face she'd like to get modded. i can't really help there. i'll do faceups for me and mom, but i don't think i'm good enough to charge for my services, and it's not so fun i wanna do it for other people..

anyhow, next weekend should be pretty interesting. i won't have made any progress on my dryad costume, or on James' gift, but that's cause i'm broke. xD i bought new costume pieces. I stayed within my budget, but only by about 5 bucks. X.x

the downside to packing so much awesome into one weekend? i'm dead tired today. you can see when you look around up here who spent the weekend at the faire. it's not a telltale sunburn or anything, it's a pleased weariness. we all feel like zombies, but it was worth it because we had tons of fun! Susie seemed to enjoy her first trip out there, and has expressed a desire to make a costume of her own and come out again, which would be pretty awesome.

i totally spaced though, i forgot to take the free tickets with me, and ended up paying to get in. xD it's okay since they'll still work this weekend, so that's when i'll be using them. i also forgot to take my camera for first-visit pictures, or my ipod to listen to anything beyond highway noises for the drives out and back. X.x i'll be better prepared this weekend for sure though. this weekend Saturday will likely be Xavin & Nemesis day, the lady who owns a hat shop near Moose's leather shop has offered to put them upstairs with hers to keep them away from sunlight in exchange for seeing the awesome. Sunday i think i'll try to fashion a sling for Eve to lounge in so she can go with me. she's so gorgeous i think i'd like to carry her all day, but she's heavy, so a proper means of dignified lugging is needed. xD i think she also needs something a smidgen more Renaissance-y than her current robes, so i'll probably do that evenings this week (after i've done my combos- yay store credit!) to pull it together in time. whatever she gets is likely to still be robey and flowy, but hopefully a bit more accurate to the general era the faire strives to emulate. i'm thinking possibly red and pink. maybe an Eastern costume, like a belly dance getup or something. i have some pink shimmery sheer stuff, and some red stretch velvet, so i think with that and my bajillion beads, i can probably crank out something pretty decent in the next few days.

oh.. hmm.. so apparently Scarbie passed around new employee guidelines on dress code Sunday (in an effort to better adhere to the desired era). all tattoos must be covered, no facial piercings can be shown, and hair must be a natural color. since Moose was breaking all thee rules, her boss had to let her go. there's just no way she could work around them all with the merchandise offered at that shop. as she put it “that stuff's not really designed to cover” and they don't sell hats or anything, so we're going this weekend as guests, then things will be about back to normal with her returning to her old weekend job, and me returning to being a hermit who never leaves the house. xD i'll actually have time to play video games again! of course, if James decides he wants to go for his birthday i'll totally buy a one day pass and go, but since Moose won't be working there, i'm losing my every-weekend ride, so buying a season ticket no longer seems like a worthwhile investment.. *sigh* it's really too bad, since i do love going to Scarbie. at least i still have a guaranteed ride out/good time partner for this weekend. that makes me even more determined to get something pulled together to really show off Eve since i'll really only have this weekend to do so.

maybe i can get started on it tonight, depending on how many combos i have to get done. if it's just two or three boxes i can do them easily tomorrow night and work on costuming tonight, if i have like 5 or 6 boxes to do, i'll definitely have to start on them during my viewings of HIMYM and BBT, totally some of the funniest sitcoms in the history of EVER! xD but yeah, actual incentive to get sewing for the world's heaviest doll.. she's seriously SO heavy, like i think she weighed in at about 4 (4 1/2?) pounds when i absently put her on the scale at my work desk when she was still mom's. X.x Eve is SO heavy that it's a bit tricky to sew for her since she doesn't stand too well without shoes, and shoes get in the way during dressmaking endeavors.

Friday, April 9, 2010

State of the Neko address: week 7, part 2

song+ Feelin' Good- Michael Buble-
book+ FFXIII strategy guide
scent+ something Kyu ate.. :P
quest+ saving to visit Roro
upper+ i'm feeling creative again
downer+ well obviously..
attire+ pajamas (yay naps!)
drink+ milk!


Wolfie had a heart attack late late Wednesday night. he was rushed to the hospital at like 11 something. we called Nate to drive us (me, Kyu and Susie) up to meet him at MCA. they kept him overnight for observation, then let him go with no conclusion. saying he should visit his cardiologist to see if anything can be determined. we (me and Kyu) made it home at about 2 am. loooong night. because of the not being able to sleep well, we both stayed home from work and slept all day yesterday (Thursday). i was cleaning the bedroom when i got the “quick! Wolfie's just collapsed!” call, so after making it home, i had to clean up after the cleaning to clear off the bed enough to sleep for the few hours until our alarm went off and we could call in to work. i did try to go in, but i tripped heading down the stairs and whacked my head on the wall when i forgot the staricase turned. X.x i pretty much realized if i couldn't successfully navigate a staircase i use multiple times a day, the odds of making it safely through the workday were slim.

Moose and i finally got around to redoing my hair color, so no more inch and a half of dark roots against faded green. xD huzzah! i also chopped it to about half as short, summer's a good time for minor makeovers, i think. I left it long enough for a ponytail or braids because wearing my hair down drives me nuts. xD

going to grandpa's for Uncle Bill's birthday is still on for Saturday, and i'm still heading to Scarbie, but i'm not sure where Susie stands. understandably, she may choose to stay home with Wolfie. if so, i'll totally get it and we can reschedule our going-together day. i did finally find my costume though, during the cleaning. i still need to buy some new pieces, but i have the bulk of it found.. i need a new belt. my old one's too small, and my bigger one's falling apart, and my every day belt is WAY not even close to historically accurate. xD it'll work this weekend, but before long i want a better matching one. i also want a new tunic and underskirt. the ones i have now got screwed up in one of the moves we've had, so that's my goal for this weekend. that and souvenirs of Susie's first visit, if she chooses to go. my weekend budget has some wiggle room, but it's more or less split 50% costuming, 25% food, 25% fun shiny things. xD if Susie doesn't go, i'm sure i'll rope someone else into it with relative ease. i'm pretty good at guilt-inducing wheedling, but i try not to abuse it. after all, with great power comes great responsibility. xD

anything i don't spend this weekend will go either to my visiting-Roro fund (which i accidentally emptied a few times- oops..) or toward making my dryad costume/ James's cloak. i'm very close to having a tiny version of my own current gypsy-in-progress costume for FaithAnn, so i'm probably gonna work on that tonight and at Grandpa's tomorrow so it's ready to go Sunday. *spazzy happy dance* i think it'll be totally fun to have tiny versions of my own costumes for her whenever i go. xD i have her underskirt and blouse already, so i just need to make a corset and over skirt for her and we're good. also a belt and some accessories, but that'll be fun finishing work. ooh also flip flops! xD for me, they're a Scarbie staple! because historically accurate shoes are ugly and look uncomfortable. i wonder if a hip scarf would be a better addition than a new belt. it could still anchor a purse/pouch/bag and also be more versatile for costuming options. and more fun to shink to doll scale! imagine tiny gold/silver beads to emulate the coin trim. i do want more options than just the standard switching out a skirt, blouse, or corset. i figure if i have my gypsy pieces for now, and my dryad costume, it'll give me a few choices to go between while i figure out what else i wanna do next. more accessories will also expand my options, but i like what i have for now, so i'm not in a huge rush to buy more dead weight for my hips. xD toward the end of any given faire day, that's how i feel about my costume parts. though that really depends on how the day goes, the weather, and the company.

i think now that i'm older and working (therefore unable to spend hours upon hours at the pool) faire season is the best part of summer or spring. it's especially nice since spending any time at all at the pool is kinda impossible. Willows had a great pool, and they opened it as early as could possibly be expected, but since we moved, i haven't seen an open apartment pool. maybe the new place will have a better track record, but i'm not desperately hoping for it or anything. last time i went swimming at all was actually a few years ago when i paid to get me and Moose into the pool at Vandergriff park. we had SO much fun being spazzy losers that day. xD i do miss swimming, but again, it just hasn't been worth pursuing for a while now. I'm only free on weekends, and there's usually other things i'd like to do, plus a complete lack of convenience.

but yeah, tonight and tomorrow, my keeping-entertained project will be making FaithAnn a costume to match mine. it should be pretty awesome when i'm done with it. i'm trying to cobble together a list mentally of everything i'll need to take with me to get it done at Grandpa's tomorrow.. i'd hate to forget one thing and be stuck trying to finish it in the car on the way out or something. xD that would suck so much. i can already imagine wretched carsickness resulting from it too. so yeah, preparedness is the name of the game!

Monday, April 5, 2010

State of the Neko address: week 7

song+ Amerca's Suitehearts- Fall Out Boy- Folie a Deux
book+ FFXIII strategy guide
scent+ chocolate-dipped rice krispie treats
quest+ saving to visit Roro
upper+ i'm feeling creative again
downer+ so little time..
attire+ work clothes
drink+ milk!


this weekend not much happened. still no progress on anything costume-related. played more FFXIII- still awesome. Mostly i slept and tried to make my left shoulder feel better. i dislocated it in my sleep Thursday morning, then AGAIN Saturday morning. not fun. It hasn't happened since, but it's still sore today. X.x i woke up every time i rolled onto my left side because it hurt so much, but i guess it kept me from dislocating it again..? so it could be worse, i suppose. only having one fully functional arm seriously impeded anything i attempted this weekend. i never realized how much i need my left arm until this point. ugh. i mean, most things i do with my left arm can be done with my right, and vice versa, but two-handed tasks leave me essentially screwed. it's doubly strange for me since i'm totally used to my left side being the side more resistant to injury. xD most of the time i hurt my right side and my left gets to compensate. this reversal is bizarre and a half. I'm hoping to feel fully recovered soon.

Scarbie opens this weekend, very exciting! Saturday is kyu's uncle Bill's birthday so we'll be with the family, but Sunday is totally our first visit of the season. kyu, Suzy and i should all be going out Sunday for a wicked-awesome time. xD i think it'll be Suzy's first time. i'm probably gonna rent her a costume too, for a fully comprehensive first time visit. if she really likes it and wants to return, we can work on building her one of her own, but for the first time, renting is totally the way to do it. man now i realize i really need to get working on moving the pile of junk keeping me out of the Costume Closet. xD i only have so long to get my stuff pulled out and sorted (possibly ironed, it's been a while) and ready to be worn. xD

hmm okay. so apparently Scarbie Sunday is just me and Suzy. she apparently feels that she doesn't know me well enough (you'd think 8+ years would be plenty of time to get to know me, because Kyu and i were friends before we were dating) or that i don't like her or something. so it'll be a girl-day and Kyu's first day this year will be a little later. possibly the James' Birthday trip, but maybe sooner, especially sine i'm not sure i've talked James into doing a birthday trip at all. xD Kyu wants to do a birthday barbecue for him. I figure we could hit up Scarbie then return home for barbecue.. apparently that never occurred to Kyu as a possibility. we'll see how things shake down in the next few weeks, i guess. if he'd rather not do either thing, we'll just do something else. it is his birthday after all, and only my half-birthday. xD

for a few days i was freaking out over what to do for mom's birthday this year.. then i remembered- after Cuprit i'm covered for the next few years beyond a cursory call or text. if she wasn't so busy, i'd offer to have her be my +1 at Scarbie that weekend. mom has a life though so that weekend is probably already pretty much booked. XD if i'm wrong though, you wanna go mommy? it could be pretty fun, and it's been a long time since we went together. i'm thinking i'd like to do a season pass this summer, but i'll want someone to hang out with every visit. i'm not the kind of person who can be content to wander on my own. i need someone with me as a buffer against conversation with strangers. xD even thinking of having to talk to people i don't know is a terrifying concept.. STRANGER DANGER! xD

also re: Jen also listening to Fall Out Boy, i recently got most of their discography including the old indie stuff, and some of it's better than the new stuff! xD if you want, at some point we can trade some music. <3

Friday, April 2, 2010

State of the Neko address: week 6, part 2

song+ XO- Fall Out Boy- From Under the Cork Tree
book+ FFXIII strategy guide
scent+ nothing currently. stupid allergies
quest+ saving to visit Roro
upper+ i'm feeling creative again
downer+ so little time..
attire+ work clothes
drink+ dr pepper


i've totally been sick lately, it sucks majorly. i'm at work again today though since i need money to pay bills and stuff. lame. :P yesterday both Moose and i were out sick though. we slept till noon, then got up and ate and spent the afternoon watching reruns of America's Next Top Model (cycle 4 is totally my favorite) and doing beaded necklaces with things we bought months ago and never got around to messing with. i made an awesome necklace from black cord and green and bronze glass beads to go with my eventual dryad costume. it'll be a while before i can make it since i still haven't made it to any store where i can buy the fabric, and i can't afford to get it this week, with bills and all. i'd like to have it done by the end of the month though, for the potential James' Birthday scarbie trip, which i'd like to do first weekend of May. i dunno yet if that'll work for him and Naku, but i've thrown it out there as an idea for festivities. xD

i also need to get his present made by then.. man i REALLY need to get to the fabric store. his present is something he wants for his costume, but can't justify spending as much as he'd have to on it. i'm making it from lower-cost materials, and in a lighter-weight fabric since it's so freakin hot here, but i think he'll really really like it! it'll be one of the most complicated costume pieces i've ever done (easier than making a corset though) and i'm looking forward to it, but also wondering if it'll get done in time. X.x between my machine spazzing, me not having the stuff yet, and the pattern being SO difficult, it could take a long time to get done. especially since i'm gonna be pickier quality-wise than i am for anything i make for myself. I dunno, maybe i can get started on it this weekend, if i can get a good deal on the fabrics i'll need. I'll need blues and greys and a few awesome purples.. and maybe a smidgen of silver for the moon. i'm doing him a cloak based on one he saw (in suede) of a cloudscape in blues and purples with the moon shining down from the top onto a grey mountain range at the bottom. it was awesome, and a few grand, so i figure if i do a similar thing in cotton, it'll still be awesome, and MUCH cheaper, and more appropriate for the weather around here. Since he doesn't read this, there's no worry of him finding out either. xD i was also thinking of doing a coordinating one for Naku (for Christmas though, her birthday already passed) in browns (mountains), oranges and yellows (the clouds) with the sun in gold or a pale buttery creme. she does lots of warm earthy tones for pretty much everything, so it could look really awesome if i did a day and night set for them.. i'm thinking i'll do the lining in the same colors i end up using for the mountains. i think if i used quilting fabrics i could play with fun textures within the design too, and also get pretty good deals, since all the quilting cottons i've ever seen sold MUCH cheaper than any costume-grade satins or linens. It seems to me that saving money, getting interesting designs-within-designs, and having something lightweight and breathable are all great reasons to go for it. i just need to get to Hobby Lobby or JoAnn's when i actually have funds to spare and get crackin. xD i'll get to teach myself appliqué too, so it'll be a learning experience in several ways. i wonder what i should use for clasps? i'll have to see what's available and what goes with the themes.. i love shopping for notions and the finishing pieces. I think that's what really makes a project come alive.