5min Sketches

For whatever reason, tonight I had this massive need to draw something. And that something was a very fast and very impressive (to me anyways) body sketch. Rare is it that I leave my characters naked, but this one needed it. I figure its good for me anyways to try and work on bodies. I always do such a wonderful job hiding anatomy flaws under their clothes, or with hair or props. 


And if its one thing I'm amazing terrible at, its the male body. Females are so much easier to draw. Theyre curves, and smooth lines. Guys though tend to be much harder for me. Theyre too blocky, and the places things go on them sometimes doesn't make sense in my head. And muscles? Forget about it. Unless you want me to come up with something that looks like a geriatric Son Goku. 

So, I quickly entertained myself with a quicky nude sketch of Nate.

And then I tried to color it.

I think I'm a bigger fan of the sketch...

 

Baby Betta Fish

My new "baby betta fish". I just had to give this a try. Me and Barb sat there looking it over and have come to our guess that it will most likely be of the Crown Tail variety. We're not so sure on the gender though. We think because it has the horizontal stripes on its sides, it'll be a female. But, its bottom fin looks too long to be a female. So, time will tell! 

I should probably look up the time span of betta fry showing what they are....

Athena's Dog Food Trial

So I'm a member over at this site called BzzAgent. They have people do trials and test products out to help the companies better their products and such things. Recently I was sent my first "invitation" to join up in one of these test panels and it was for dog food. Science Diet to be exact. Since I work for Petco, I knew about this food quite some time ago. 


The "All Natural" crowd is getting bigger, and better. Dog food has come a long way and some of the kibbles and wet foods are made with such high grade ingredients that a human could probably safely ingest this stuff without problems. I'm a big advocate of getting people off of Kibbles and Bits and onto Merrick, Blue Buffalo, etc. The health of my own dog at nearly 5yrs old, being fed nothing but exceedingly high grade food and treats, is a great example of how these foods do work.

Science Diet though, has never been on my list of "Things I'll feed my dog". The ingredient list is loaded and littered with corns, fillers, and who knows what. It boasts a "#1 vet recommended" label on the bags, but thats only because they pay the vets to push it. I personally have my vet tell me "You feed way better foods than Hill's". So when the new bags showed up on a pallet one night we were slightly confused. Taking up the bag, it says things like how its first ingredient is real chicken, there is no corn, and no artificial colors. Well thats nice, at least they're actually putting real meat in their food for once. Their site also goes on about how it has so much "more" than brands like Natural Balance, Innova, Blue Buffalo. Then why are you still being stocked in the "essential" section and not the Holistic or All Natural aisles? 

Athena has been fed a rather large mix of All Natural and Grain Free foods all her life. Everything from Merrick Before Grain to Innova EVO, Natural Balance Alpha to Blue Buffalo Wilderness. Currently she's eating the Lamb-Chicken-Rabbit Alpha formula and loving it. 

Yesterday I took a small sectioned dog food bowl and poured her regular food on one side and the Science Diet Balance on the other and set it down in front of her. I got a very confused look from her before she stepped forward and smelled the bowl. I'm guessing she might of thought that the "new" kibble was a treat and went for it first. She took up a mouthful of the kibbles and promptly spit them all over the floor and gave me a very nasty look. She then nosed the pieces around the rug before going to the side of the bowl with her Alpha in it.

The second test, later that night, was to mix the foods together in one bowl. I've done food mixes before and have seen her nose through it picking out only the kibbles she likes over the other. So I thought, well, if she goes through this bowl and leaves one or the other, then we'll know. She did what I thought she would do, and quickly dumped mouthfuls on the floor and picked out Alpha and left the Science Diet on the rug.

Tonight when its time to feed her again, I'll fill her bowl with nothing but Science Diet and see how long it takes her to try it, if at all. But thus far, I think I know who the winner is between the two foods.

Skyward Sword

Yesterday was the day I had been waiting almost 2yrs for. Skyward Sword, the next game in the Zelda series, finally came out. My brother and I were promptly at the mall by like 1130am, just after opening, to get our copies. I lucked out quite a bit with mine, as I had a pile of trade in games and my newly acquired employee discount. I managed to get about $50 in trade in value from a pile of old ass games, and then my discount on top of that. So for a $70 game and a $40 guide book, I only paid $9 out of pocket. I call that an epic win. 

Other than that, how has the game been so far? Pretty damn good. I'm only as far as the boss door in the first temple, and have a loooong way to go before the game is beat, but everything I've seen so far has been wonderful. This game seems to move more fluidly than past games. And even though the graphics aren't as shiny as say CoD MW3 or the like, I think it looks pretty good. The whole world is very colorful, and there are tons of things to look at. I spent a good chunk of the 12hrs I played yesterday just looking around Skyloft. I wandered around just checking things out, going into houses and looking at all the towns people. 

The controls took a bit to get used to. You spend most of your life with a joy stick and buttons, and then leap into having to actually swing your arms and block with a shield. It's a little tedious at first, but once you get the hang of it, you don't even think about what you're doing. Flying the giant Loftwings took a few tries before I was able to move them around the skies more gracefully. I almost got the feeling of waving a conductor's baton while making it fly around. 

The equipment screens will take some getting used to. They're completely different from any other Zelda game I've played. But once you get the hang of it, it too gets very easy to use. I think the only thing I'm not a fan of are the shields. Usually you get a wooden shield which is quickly upgraded to the awesome Hylian Shield. But because this game is the "beginning", there is no Hyrule to make said shield. So all through the game you get a basic shield that you have to upgrade. I've spent about 300rupees buying brand new shields as mine keep getting destroyed. There IS a way to get the Hylian Shield, but its not until the very end of the game, and is, apparently very hard to get at all. So I better get used to these other ones. The swords work the same way. You start with a basic sword, and use that until you get the Goddess Sword. And from there it keeps upgrading through out the game until you finally see the Master Sword created for the "first time". But that too is far into the game. 

The cast of characters have been great. They're all new, not reincarnations of the old ones. Even Link and Zelda look a bit different, but still recognizable. I have to say that I think I know who my least favorites are though already. Groose, this big, jerky, ass from the Knight Academy Link goes to, and Girahime, the main villain. Groose makes me nuts because hes just so... Stupid. He's your typical big, muscle headed, oaf who wants the girl all to himself and will bully everyone around him to get it (even if the girl doesn't want him). Also, his hair style makes me want to shake him. Girahime, the big bad guy in this one, has since been renamed "Emo-Lord". He has the worlds most epic of Em-overs, and talks about how he feels in the most epic of emo ways possible. He dresses in a leotard, and wears what I'm assuming is 45lbs of mascara on his eyes. He sort of gives off this Marilyn Manson sort of vibe, only in spandex. I really can't wait for the end of the game when I can shove the Master Sword through his body.

As for characters I like, Fi stands out the best. She is the guardian soul of the Goddess Sword, and the one to get Link moving on his adventure. I think what I like about her is the way she talks. She's incredibly intelligent, and talks almost like C-3PO. She's so damn blunt with everything that sometimes, it's actually pretty damn funny. Where Navi (in OoT) was obnoxious and really should of ran into a giant bug zapper 30seconds into the game, and Midna (in Twilight Princess) was cocky and self serving, Fi refers to Link as Master. She is always helpful, and doesn't constantly demand things. She will offer help only when you ask it of her, or if it is seriously needed. Otherwise, she hides in the sword and waits to help. I've added pictures at the end of this of post of the bigger things I've mentioned.

As I said up there, I'm only nearing the end of the first temple. So when I've gotten much farther in, or beaten it, I'll give a much better review of the game. As for now, I'm loving every minuet and it was well worth waiting for.

Fi, the spirit of the Goddess Sword who helps you though the game

Girahime, the Emo-Lord. I don't think his mommy loved him very much...

Groose is the red haired twit. I think he has a "my head is too small for my body" anger complex.

The Loftwings you fly around in the game. Link in the only one who has a "Crimson Loftwing", as they were thought to be extinct.

There once was a book like no other

I think one of the things I pride myself in is my ability to dream like a champ. I've always been into dream reading, and own multiple dream dictionaries. I also keep note books by my bedside to keep track of certain things that come and go from my dreams. I recognize people and things from other dreams that show up every now and then. And there's even a small mountain town that makes visits quite frequently into my head at night. I have, to date, 6 dreams that have taken place in that town.


This dream though.. When Mike woke me up to let the dog out last night, I had to write down before I forgot it. It was so different, and had such a mix of things that it sort of threw me off a bit. The only part I really remember in absolute detail was the very end before I got woken up..

I'm in a car, alone, in the drivers seat, but the car is driving itself. I'm watching the wheel turn and the pedals move, but I'm not doing any of it. I think to myself "oh, this must be one of those new smart cars". It drives me to this building that looks both run down and very nice at the same time. Old, big, covered in ivy, but very fancy. Lots of towers, and archways, and big windows.. So I get out of the car and look up at the building wondering where the hell I am, look back at the car and its not there. I get a good look at what I'm wearing and its like a weird mix of steam punk and the girls school uniforms from Ouran Host Club. My hair is longer, but in ringlets tied up to about the middle of my head.  

I head into the building and it gives off the feeling of a school. There's lots of doors on either side of the hallways, and weird looking lockers.

For whatever reason, I really pay attention to how it all looks, everything has this... almost sepia tone, sunset light coming through dusty stained glass windows look.

So I'm walking, just looking around and I see some people coming at me. A girl with wild black hair, glasses, dressed like a boy, which my head seemed to register as "Vriska". She actually sort of scared me. And a boy was with her. He was shorter, looked scared of her, dressed very plainly.. I remember my head gave him a name, but I cant remember it now. 

 

The girl sees me and comes at me yelling and wanting to know why and how I got there. I back up into the wall with her still in my face. She starts like... petting my hair laughing... while the boy just stands behind her watching me with this "I'm sorry I can't do anything look" on his face.

 

Then everything blinks away and now I'm just with that boy. I'm holding his hand walking with him and I get that weird overly strong sense of love towards him. We seem to be walking in a basement.

 

There's pipes over head.. And we're heading for a locker.. He asks why and I say "I need to talk to Vriska..."

 

We get to this random, stand alone locker, open it and I start pawing around in it.. Then theres a loud "Get of there now" behind us. we look up and that crazy girl is up in the pipes watching us. I push the boy behind me and try to talk to the girl but she screams "why does everyone call me by Vriska? My name is Donna".. For whatever reason, Im trying to like... calm her down. So I give her my name and she gets this head tilty, confused look.

 

She comes out of the pipes in the ceiling and grabs my hand. I try to pull away but she gets really close and asks if I like card games. I say yes, if I know how to play. She starts dragging me through the basement till we see a group of really.... odd looking people.. I remember one girl specifically. She was very tall, skinny, long black hair, eyes so light blue theyre nearly white. She looked like a creepy gothic doll. She smiles at me and all that I can think of is that shes insane... 

 

The Vriska girl pushes me into a chair and hands me a pile of these Pog looking things. She says to start matching up the symbols before the timer runs out. All the little pogs have things like fairies, and magic type stuff all over them. So Im trying to match them up, and everyone is laughing like a bunch of lunatics at me.. And it blinks out... Now im up in the hall near the front door again.

 

I see a stretcher with a white sheet covered body going out the front door. A guy walks up next to me and hes incredibly tall, thin.. Hes got shaggy auburn hair, like the color of fall leaves in the sun. Blue eyes that sparkle almost green. He's amazingly handsome. I start following him and listening to him talk, which is in like silly rhymes. Then he stops me, takes my hands and says "There once was a book like no other, and my 2 favorite pages were about a girl of the ravens and her love of a man of the doves".. Then he kisses my cheek.... And mike woke me up to let the dog out...

A Retail Rant

As some of you may know, I recently acquired a holiday gig at GameStop. For the non-gamers, GameStop is a video game shop that specializes in selling tons of pre-owned games, systems and such things. Sounds like a job I could get into, right?

I'm starting to think that might be wrong. I've been there for 3-4ish weeks now and have to some amazing conclusions about this job. And They all make me wonder a few things. Like, am I really that much of a gamer? I like to think I enjoy video games as much as the next person. I love certain game series to the point that I will get them as soon as they're out. I own trinkets based on said games also. Hell, I even have a tattoo for one of the games that I grew up playing. But I go into this job and listen to the staff and customers talking and I think "jeeze, maybe I DON'T know much about games.."

I'm also coming to the conclusion that I HATE rewards/member cards. I understand what they're generally good for. I get that companies can see how business is doing by how many people use these cards. But you know what I hate? And I've said this a million times for Petco also, I HATE that I am forced to stand there and force these cards down people's throats. Specially when they cost money. I've been buying my games at GameStop for years now, and in all those years have never owned one of their Power Up Rewards cards. I don't want to spend $14 a year on a card I'm never going to use. "But it comes with a year subscription to the worlds most popular gaming magazine!" argues my boss. Yeah, and I could write a short story, print it and put on the cover "world's best short story", doesn't mean its true. And the magazine is mostly compromised of things around Sony and Xbox. I don't own either, and never plan to. Also, I'm lucky if I buy one or two games every two or three years. How often do Pokemon and Zelda games come out? So no. I'm not going to force silly cards down people's throats that I myself really have no interest in. 


The speed at which they expect you to learn things is another thing I'm getting irritant with. I understand the holidays are around the corner. This is not my first retail holiday season. I like to think I'm a retail vet when it comes to Xmas. I understand you need me and the other girl to learn pretty fast. But, if you want me to learn this shit, would it not be prudent to schedule me more than 4hrs a week? And during those 4hrs, don't expect me to learn to run your terribly set up register system, how to sort, gut, and file all the games in the store, pay attention to every person in the store, and then throw manager-type end of the day paperwork at me and expect me to just know it like I'm Kreskin or something. And don't give me "oh its easy" when it's really not. Why and how am I supposed to know what the year to date percentage of your trade in value is? Why is it that I need to know near calculus to do something that is obviously the manager's work? You know what "Take the YTD Sales ÷ WTD Pre-owned x The % of Sales - Yearly blahablahablaha" means to me? Absolutely nothing. Nothing what so ever. So don't give me a snarky attitude when I look at it and then you with a most lost and confused expression.

So all in all, working for GameStop is going to be a massive test of my patience. As much as I need a 2nd job, or well, a single full time job, I really don't want to stay after the holiday. I have to say, I pretty much hate this job and I've only been there 3 days. So a warning to all you nerds out there who "OMG I wanna work at a video game store!", It's not all standing around playing games and talking nerdy with each other. You better be able to do 15 things at once, and perfectly on your first day, or you're out. The perks are pretty nice, I guess, but not worth it for the level of stress you will have to deal with, not due to customers, but due to the work environment. I've been with Petco for 4yrs, and have dealt with some pretty dumb shit in that time, but GameStop has made me much more frustrated in 3 short shifts than Petco has made me on its worst days.

Late Night Drawing Fits

So its going on 1am, I'm tired beyond normalcy, and no amount of chocolate ice cream topped with pepsi is going to keep me going. "I should go to bed" I tell myself. "You are pretty damn tired after all."

"No!" says my brain. "You want to draw something! You know you can feel it in the back of your skull"

"So that's what that is. I could of sworn it was an exhaustion induced headache..." I say back. And then I realized I was talking to myself again. Which at 1am usually isn't very odd.

"What should we draw then? If you're so smart up there." I said to myself.


"Why don't you try and draw Rini a little less cartoony?" My brain demon chimes back.

And so I did. In about 15min I had a pretty good looking sketch. A bit messy, but thats how it works. Nate was still online so I start ranting at him to look at my pretty picture. He said, other than it being a smudgy mess, it was pretty good and should get colored.

Problem there in, is that my wacom only likes to work some of the time. Usually I cant get very far into a drawing before it starts lagging, or skipping. So I tried my luck, and behold, for this one night little wacom thought it would work with me, rather than against me.


After a half asleep, blurry eyed attempt, and 45min of work later, I had something that looked pretty damn good for my mental state. 

A midnight release

 

This is my first mobile post. Apparently Blogger has a mobile app. Wee.. Now I can blog on the go.

Anyways. Tonight was my first midnight release with gamestop. Modern Warfare 3 came out tonight. It was a complete mad house, but at the same time completely under control. People started lining up before I got there at 7pm.

I and the other new girl got to pass out free gifts to the early people. There were hats, shirts, dog tags and bumper stickers. I got a shirt and tags for myself, so that was cool.

Photography Rainbows

Was bored and felt I needed something to keep my occupied today. Even if for a short while. Went onto deviantart and found this lovely photography meme that seemed easy.


Obviously, the point was simple. Take a camera around your house/neighborhood and get a photo for each color of the rainbow. They had to be brand new shots, no recycling old ones. For the most part this was pretty easy, until I got to the end. Mike is a bit of a purple-phobe, so there is almost nothing in the house within the shades of lavender and plum. I had to get crafty with indigo and violet. Luckily, Napoleon is pretty close to indigo and I have loads of markers.


In case someone needs a list of what each color is:
Red- oil lamp on my dresser full of spice scented, red oil
Orange- lamp shade with the light on
Yellow- close up of one of my tanktops
Green- anacharis plant in my rasbora/shrimp tank
Blue- cobalt glass bottle and vase
Indigo- Napoleon, my male betta
Violet- markers

Dia De Los Muertos

I don't think I have ever really drawn something for a holiday that isn't massively US related. And thats if I draw something at all for ANY holiday. This though was completely out of the blue thanks to Nate. He sent me a link to a doll that is, apparently, very popular for Dia De Los Muertos. Its called a Catarina Figure.



I don't really know much about this holiday except for the fact that everyone paints their faces in very cool looking skeleton-esque ways, throw huge parties, and celebrate all their dead family and friends. Sounds like a blast to me. So, here's Nate and Rini showing off their skull faces, just a few days late.