That was one of the most relaxing weekends I've had in a while

[exatron]

Finally, I'm completely back to normal, my scanner is working, and so is my sound card.

I hope I didn't scare off all one of the people who read this thing. (The huge delay between replies probably doesn't help, but I feel like I have to be invited to use other means of communication.) I'm not normally angry like that, and wish I hadn't posted half of what I did. Those items remain only because deleting them would be like pretending that they didn't happen.

The sad part is that I fell into the whole obnoxious livejournal rant thing, and I was trying to avoid that.

My weekend was very relaxing, and the rest of this week looks good too. I'm basically housesitting for my parents while they're in Hawaii for a friend's wedding, so I have lots of peace and quiet. I also get days off on November 8th and November 14th due to client holidays.

I did some research on customizing Livejournal's appearance and found that a lot of things can be customized. There's only one problem- free accounts can't really use any of them. At least I learned more about the technical side of webpage design. If I had an eye for layouts, I could do some really cool stuff with this new knowledge.

Other than needing to increase the cardio portion of my workout, things have been going very well at the gym.

Art was impeded somewhat by Looney Tunes Golden Collection volume 3, and I feel like I rushed the newest thing I tried to draw.

First, the old business. I tried revising my more recent image of my character, but didn't get as far as I would have liked. I hope I fixed the problems with the arms and I started working on his head. The only thing that's missing is the mp3 player, which is kind of ironic since it inspired the drawing in the first place.
http://pics.livejournal.com/exatron/pic/0001240b/g3

Now for the new business (Yes, I know. Old business is old business, and new business is new business. And we don't discuss new business until... :::flips rapidly through calendar::: ... Next Quarter! But it's kind of pointless to post this after halloween.)
I tried putting my character in Elmer's costume from "What's Opera Doc?", but realized that it wouldn't really fit his weird cheetah proportions. Eventually, I worked around that by having him point it out. The shoulders really need work, and I should draw his spots for once.
http://pics.livejournal.com/exatron/pic/00013h7y/g3

I am concerned that I am losing my desire and ability to draw. I know it takes practice and hard work, but I feel like I also need a goal to keep me going. No, that doesn't mean I'm giving up. I just need to listen to my creative impulses and keep trying.

Later this week, I'm going to have to try recording a joke a former coworker told me. It will require a bit of webspace, but that shouldn't be too hard to find for one file.

Comments

Reposting the reply..

[exatron.livejournal.com]

I'm taking the risk of replying from work because I feel it's important to start replying to you more quickly. Please let me know if it would help if I started trying to contact you by email (I don't actually have your email address, but I'm guessing that your username is the same as the name in the link to your AOL Page).

Glad to hear that I haven't scared you off. Over the years I subconsciously drove almost all of my friends away (It's one of the reasons I identify with Cody), and I tend to worry that I might do that to my few remaining friends.

Most of November will be relaxing, with the possible exception of Thanksgiving. I need to practice deflecting my grandmothers' attention so they don't start double-teaming me like they tend to do. The "we only have your best interests in mind" thing gets old really fast.

Actually, that's one of the premade custom looks. It's called Nebula, IIRC. I was trying to find a way to make the RPing threads easier for you to track. I know you said that it wouldn't be worth the trouble, but doing something for a friend is always worth my time.

Glad to hear that you hired a trainer, and it sounds like you found a good one. Sorry to hear that you won't be able to visit the gym early in the morning any more. I know you're a morning person, so I hope that won't be too hard on you.

Being told that I inspired something is one of the three nicest compliments I've ever received. (The others are being told that I have a positive attitude [by my former coworker who had a lot of problems no less] and a friend from high school describing me as "Someone who would be calm and content, even if the world were coming to an end.")

Even if you don't feel comfortable giving that advice, I still appreciate that you try. The complexity of that area makes me want to work even harder to get it right.

I figured you would get the reference, but I had to make sure to mention what it was just in case anyone else ever reads this journal.

Just having someone to talk to is help enough. I know that what I need has to come from within. (The foolish seek strength within others. The wise seek it within themselves.)

Your support is greatly appreciated, and I hope I'm able to reciprocate properly if you ever ask for the same from me.

Re: Reposting the reply..

[kylet.livejournal.com]

Eh, I only really reply twice a day (although I read more frequently than I should). Don't get yourself in trouble at work cuz of me o.0

Interesting o.0 Well, suffice to say, I was a Cody too, so hang in there...some people can be more tenacious than you think ;-)

Yeah, holidays. I've often been annoyed that they stuff so many into a short time period. I'd rather spread my family out in smaller doses, too.

Oh, this IS custom? Huh. Well, thankee. I do appreciate the thought, but I don't think it's worth you trouble since I don't need it TOO often.

Well, you're welcome. I was very nervous about signing up for one, just because I was worried who I'd get stuck with. But it'll be worth it, I just needed a kick.

Your support (particularly on i.s.o.) has been equally appreciated, which is why I try to reply here as much as I can. Plus I can't deny I have a vested interest in seeing hawt art get yummier ^.^ I always feel like a hack tho, cuz I *know* there's stuff I'm not doing correctly (it's been stylized over time, and if you look at real bodies you can tell how off I am), and I feel funny advising people towards stuff I'm not always accurate with either.

But it's always good to talk to you. Thanks for always takin' the time to chat up with me :-)

Re: Reposting the reply..

[exatron.livejournal.com]

I think I'm just being paranoid about doing fun things from work. It took my mother being in the hospital near the end of last January (I probably should post something about that since it's an interesting story) to get me to check my gmail account from work, even though my coworkers did that sort of thing regularly. I actually set up a system to read peoples' replies by turning on email notification and setting my gmail account to forward messages to my cellphone. It doesn't let me reply very quickly though, and that makes me feel like I'm boring people because my usually rapid pace is reduced to a crawl.

Yes, I remember you saying that and I picked it up from the various things you've posted. Talking to you helps a lot, especially since it normally takes me a while to get used to people (I've been looking at/reading your stuff practically since you first put it online, and it took until this year to finally be able to actually talk to you here), and I know how important it is to be tenacious. One of my oldest and closest friends was very tenacious in becoming my friend. Ironically, he hasn't been around much recently due to his schoolwork and his new nephews. (I miss the way he drops in unannounced at the worst possible times.)

It's not so much smaller doses as it is keeping certain combinations of people to a minimum. Both of my grandmothers can be really fun when separate (even if one doesn't seem like it on the surface). I like having my relatives around because they keep my wits sharp and I usually end up with interesting stories to tell (some of them feel like they were pulled directly from Gneech's fictionlets).

It's 99% premade, so I really can't take credit for it since I just pointed my livejournal at that look and messed with some of the widths a bit. Making that customization for you really is worth my time no matter how little you may need it; however, it isn't worth your money since only paid accounts and communities can use the changes I would make.

I was nervous too. It took me a while to get the courage to find a place to go, get a membership, and then work up the nerve to say that I didn't really know what I was doing. Please keep me updated on your progress.

Thanks. Being helpful and supportive seems to come naturally to me. (Who knew?)

Seeing hawt art is fun, isn't it.^.^ Art is becoming an ingrained part of me. If I let things sit for a little while, I can tell that I'm making progress. Slowly, but surely, I will move on to drawing things like backgrounds, other characters (Just drawing "me" all the time makes me feel egotistical), and hopefully speed up a bit so I can finish something in less than a week.

You aren't a hack. You're humble enough to admit that you aren't perfect and try to improve. In my mind, that makes you a pro.

I'm glad to hear that you like chatting with me as much as I like chatting with you. I always look forward to hearing from you.

Re: Reposting the reply..

[kylet.livejournal.com]

I should be more discreet at work than I am, but it'd take quite a bit to make them fire me ;-) Heh, and I never use my cel phone o.0

Oh wow, yer old skewl then? Dangit, I need to make myself more approachable. I've noticed some artists like The Gneech always seem so easy to chat with. I guess I've got that tiger-loner deal going on ^ ^;;; Yeah, I've got a friend like that now too.

Ah, I see, yer relatives are totally different than mine; mine are all boring. No, REALLY boring. Other than my direct family, who I've mentioned are irritating and overbearing. Family like yours sounds like more of a fun challenge. Heh, what'd you think of that CM Thanksgiving story? ;-)

Huh. Well, I do have a paid account...

EXACTLY. I was so nervous about what kind of guy I'd get. I think this guy is a good fit. Esp since he's not so cute he's distracting XD

Take your time. :-) Long as you're enjoying it and, as you said, it's becoming a part of your life (rather than a hassle), you're on the right track. But hey, Dan's hot, nothing wrong with being egotistical XD

:::blush::: Erf, well thankee. I guess I should stop arguing the point, the more I say, the more blushy you make me ;-)

Likewise, although I've done what I didn't want to do and now my friends list is so long I have trouble tracking all people's replies. I gotta work on that x_x

Re: Reposting the reply..

[exatron.livejournal.com]

I try to exercise discretion at work, but I figure that they will excuse the occasional indulgence since some of the client's higher-ups think I'm doing a really good job.

So far, I've used my phone more for the text messaging and the occasional instant message than I have for actually calling people. The number of wrong numbers I've answered is actually greater than the number of people I've called.

Yeah, I guess I am old skewl. You are approachable. I just proceed at a glacial pace when dealing with people I like because of some bad experiences. Reading usenet regularly probably doesn't help matters since it's basically one big, infectious ball of mean.

The weird part is that I've never actually called him a friend until now, and I've known him since like the fifth grade. I just wish I could help him find a girlfriend who will look past his physical problems, but it's kind of hard when the concept of an attractive female is academic to me.

My family can be a fun challenge, especially if my uncle and cousins are involved. I need to pick out some fake names so I can share some of the stories while protecting the corrupt.

The CM thanksgiving story was fun and made a nice point. Rereading it also made me notice that my mother uses the kitchen as a shield, leaving my sister and me to lob my grandmothers' attention at eachother.

That's a good point, even if it doesn't solve the problem for your ISO community. If you let me know what sort of changes would make the threads easiest to read, I'll make whatever customizations I can and provide directions so you can use them.

Good idea. Let the other cute guys at the gym handle being distracting. :) That happened to me once when a guy was talking with my personal trainer about how his left arm was bigger than his right. (Both were a decent size.) The funny thing was that nobody seemed to realize why I spaced out for a few seconds.

I plan to take my time, even if I do sometimes have trouble remembering that results won't be instantaneous.

Dan: "Cool, somebody with high standards thinks I'm hot."

Spoilsport. :-P I'm only telling the truth. Being critical of one's own work seems to be a natural phenomenon. (Be-do-de-do-do Do-do-do-do. Sorry, I tend to do that when that word comes up.) I find it helps if I can define what I don't like about my drawings as things I need to improve on instead of calling them flaws.

I thought you were having trouble with that, and miss hearing from you when it happens. I did, however, find two features which might help.

Livejournal recently launched a page called My LJ. It's a bit cluttered at first, but it has a section for the most recent comments. You can get rid of the boxes you don't want by clicking the X's in their upper right corners.

Custom friend groups might also help, but I need to work with them more before I can say for certain. It may not be possible to apply them to comments.