December 4, 2009
I had a great Thanksgiving. We went to my Tio’s house like last year and my boyfriend got to meet a few more of my extended family members and my immediate family came to town. I always love seeing my little brother especially so it was nice.
We immediately then left for Vegas, which was my combined birthday and Christmas gift! The bf knew how badly I’ve been wanting to see LOVE, so he took me and we stayed at the Mirage. The first night was great because we got stopped and I was offered free champagne (HECK YES). I love being a woman in Vegas, hehehe. I figured that since I was with my boyfriend I wouldn’t get the perks I did when I went to Vegas with a bunch of girls. But I did that night, so score!
Unfortunately my throat started hurting and I felt crappy the next day or so but I popped some DayQuil and Monday night we went to see LOVE. I LOVED IT. And it’s amazing to think about the Beatles entire catalog and realize that they could reinvent that show several times just by changing the song choices. I really hope they do that at some point instead of just ending the show. I would see every single one they put out. I highly recommend the show, and it’s an absolute must if you are a Beatles fan. Listening to their music can be emotional for me, depending on the songs being played. I did shed a few tears during a few of the songs… I’m thankful that it switched to songs that I did not have as much of an emotional connection with though. Otherwise I would have left that show looking like a mess!
We did a terrible job of packing for this trip though. I completely forgot my digital camera! I had to buy one of those disposable cameras and I still have 6 shots left before I can develop it. I’m a genius. I ended up spending well over $60 on souvenir photos because of NOT having a digital camera, haha. One photo is of us at the wax museum, celebrating Christmas with Hef that I plan on scanning and reprinting as Christmas cards (haha) and the others were taken by a pro when we went to see LOVE. How could I not purchase those?!
So I only have one photo of us thus far since I have yet to develop the film or scan in the photos I purchased. We went to JET after we saw the show (we got in free since we were guests at the Mirage) and Napkin Nights was there shooting photos. We look intoxicated but I assure you, we are not. It was really dark in there and the flash was SUPER bright:
click for a non-pixelated version!
I’ll post more once I scan and develop them.
I oddly started having terrible back pain last night. It feels worse than the usual type of muscle strain. It’s pain is so bad that it is crippling. I couldn’t do most normal things without crying in pain, even something as simple as reaching for an item or just moving around like a normal person! Thankfully I had a few leftover pain killers from when I had those bad burns in May so I was able to take those and mostly function so I could go to work. I’ll be seeing a doctor today so we’ll see what happens. I have a feeling it’s a very, very extrememuscle strain or that somehow I pinched a nerve. The usual stuff such as a heating bad, stretching, and muscle relaxants didn’t do a damned thing for it so I figure it has to be something worse. That and if I can’t even wipe my own butt (seriously, that happened last night, it freakin sucked) without my back spazzing out in extreme pain, I doubt that is muscle strain. Any time any weight or any type of twisting occurs, I basically fall or slump over.
Just my luck to have a freak injury. This occurs fairly often. I think every 6 months to a year I’ll get something or have an injury that makes no sense what-so-ever. Thank goodness my health insurance kicked in three days ago! And I’m thankful to have a caring boyfriend that was willing to help me dress myself and brush my hair if my pain killers didn’t work. He got up early with me this morning just in case.
So the pain sucks a lot, but with someone around like him, it’s not so bad I suppose. 
And having pain killers doesn’t hurt. Ha.
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November 23, 2009
Not that I mind being boring and domesticated, but there that is. I also have been super busy with transitions i.e. training a new person at my last job and getting used to my new job, which included adjusting my hours to work until 9pm a lot of nights. That’s not a regular thing at this job, but between that and being trained on five zillion things at once, I was busy and tired.
All those things considered, I find I am not doing anything with this blog.
It’s not that I don’t want to. I just don’t know what I should bother writing. Is it too boring to just get a “what’s going on in life” update? To see photos that most friends and family can already see on Facebook? (Which by the way, if you are reading this and not a real-life friend, family member, or woman that has her own blog/site that I enjoy, it’s likely I will not add you on Facebook, FYI… just a security/privacy thing)
Pretty much all I can think of right now is that:
A) It’s my birthday today. And I’ve been feeling the love a lot! The downside is that I can no longer say I’m in my early 20’s anymore, damn it.
B) I celebrated my birthday early with a party on Saturday and it was fantastic.
C) My boyfriend is wonderful. He’s amazing. He makes me happy. He looks really good in a jeans/dress shirt/tie/converse combo. And he is taking me to Vegas this weekend and we will be seeing LOVE and I AM SO EXCITED!
D) I dig my new job thus far. And I like that it pays me a decent amount of cash. It’s not a lot, but it’s not near the poverty level like my last job at least!
E) We now have CoD:MW2 and L4D2. I really want to try Dark Chronicles and the new Mario. But with the job/birthday/plans I have barely been able to play L4D2, let alone even begin with CoD:MW2. So these all have to wait until the hubub calms down. However, I love having a lot of games to be excited about.
F) Thanksgiving with the family should be nice. And my Uncle makes amazing turkey.
G) I had a slice of vegan chocolate cake today and it was AMAZING.
H) I am using CAPS TOO MUCH!
So if I have updates like this, but one at a time, with more detail, will people bother reading it? Should I make those kinds of updates? Or is it too happy/too boring/vomit inducing?
Be real with me, people. Be real.
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September 15, 2009
Ah yes. I took about 10,000 years to get to this. I’ve been so incredibly busy at work that I either A) Cannot goof off and blog while here or B) Am too burned out or busy with other things once I am home.
But I wanted to add a Part 2 to my Helpful Internet Dating Guide. I felt that it was important to give readers more than just the shallow part of the internet dating world. I also wanted to post this up because despite my tips about photo tricks, people still did not have good luck simply because they met the person right away without filtering them first!
So here is A Helpful Guide to Internet Dating, Part 2: How to Filter Out the Crazy
I’m going to give a list of rules. These are not flexible rules if you really do want to filter out the crazy. I’m serious, now. Listen to me.
1. Always Exchange E-mail/Private Messages/IM/”whatever it’s called on whatever particular site” Several Times FIRST.
For reals. Do NOT just say “Hey, let’s exchange numbers so we can meet up today/tomorrow/this weekend” right off the bat. You don’t know this person! You know what they look like from their photos and what they present on their profile, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the person is sane.
Get to know them a bit via messages online first. E-mails are great, so are IM’s on messengers. You can easily block them if they turn out to be crazy, so no big deal. And if they are the special kind of crazy that will make different screen names to message you again after you already blocked them, well, it’s time to either report them or use the setting that says “Let Only Friends On My Buddy List Message Me”. And aren’t you happy you decided NOT to meet them in person? Right? Right.
In addition, conversing over the net as the first step is a good way to find out more about the person. You can get a better idea of how compatible they are with you. For example, maybe they enjoy a particular type of humor that they find hilarious, but you do not. Sometimes some of that humor comes across on profiles, but not always. It’s something you really only know once you speak to them.
You can also decently gauge whether or not they still have all their marbles. Most crazy people will be somewhat incoherent online, or their thoughts will be extremely disjointed, or they will say things to you that just come off as really weird. These are all red flags. You probably don’t want to continue contact with this person.
2.If They Link to Online Profiles or If You Find Any, Look at Em.
Maybe the person has a website. A blog. Another profile on a social network of some kind. They list it on their profile that you looked over or maybe they gave it to you via a message or IM. Or maybe you google’d their email address and they popped up.
Look at it. See what they talk about, how they write, tone, etc. This not only helps you get to know them but you can potentially filter out the crazies this way. It’s a good thing. E-stalking is totally reasonable when it comes to meeting people off the internet.
3. Next: Converse Over the Phone.
So let’s say you’ve exchanged a few emails and spoken over IM a few times and have had great conversations with the person. That does not mean it’s time to meet them in person.
Why?
Some people are lot more coherent and seemingly sane in text form. In person it could be a drastic difference. Talking over the phone is a nice, comfortable middle ground to find these things out. And try talking to them over the phone at least a couple of times in case they were nervous the first time. You don’t want to blow someone off just because they were a little nervous to talk to you over the phone. Hell, I would get nervous when I spoke to someone over the phone for the first time. So cut them a little slack, and try again.
But back to the point about how someone talks online vs in person. I know a handful of people that speak very differently online then they do in person, and although those particular folks aren’t crazy, I know that if I met them with interest in dating them I would have been very thrown off or turned off.
I’ve also met a crazy person after only conversing online. I skipped the phone conversations rule and so when we hung out in real life, I realized that they were a little off their rocker. Don’t let it happen to you!
Speaking to them over the phone is also a good filter to see what kind of voice they have. Most people do not consider something such as someones voice when meeting them. But believe me, if you meet someone you find attractive but upon first meeting them their voice sounds like Urkel or the girl (but in English), you’re going to be pretty disappointed. Once again, it’s happened to me. Don’t let it happen to you.
4. Meet Somewhere in PUBLIC.
Don’t invite them over to hang out at your house. Don’t accept their invitation to come over to their house. Invite them out to a public place. It could be a coffee shop, book store, a bar, anywhere. Just as long as it’s in public. Just because they may seem nice, normal, and/or charming does not mean that they are not trying to chop you up in to little bits.
Use caution and always meet in public. If you want to be extra safe, the first two times that you hang out/go on a date with this person, it should be in public.
5. Establish a Back-Up Plan for the First Meet.
You have no idea how the meet-up will pan out. Maybe you will be completely enamored and happy that you met the person. Or maybe you’ll be scrambling for a good excuse to get the hell out of there.
Always establish a back-up plan. Always be sure to tell your friends that you will be meeting someone (just in case they try to kidnap you, I’m not even kidding). You could always make plans with your friends maybe 45 minutes after meeting the person so if it’s not going well, you have a reason to leave. Or if it is going well, you can make plans for next time and leave them wanting more. Or you could always invite them along to hang out with your friends (a good way to combine this rule with the next). Just don’t go home alone with them at the end of the night because you still aren’t really sure that they aren’t crazy.
I know that sometimes we as humans just want to get our hump on, but keep that libido under control. You don’t really know this person. They might do you and then kill you. Or just kill you. Or kill you and do you AFTER you’re dead. You don’t want any of that.
Anyhow, there are plenty ideas to have as a back-up plan. Just make sure you have one.
5. Have Them Meet Your Friends.
Now you’ve hung out with them once, maybe twice, in public and things went well. The next step is inviting them out with your friends. This is a good gauge for two reasons; 1) You can see if your friends like them which in some cases and to some people, is important 2) Your friends will snap you out of lala land if you don’t see the crazy and they do.
Sometimes it takes an outside perspective to really know what you are dealing with. If all your friends think the person is crazy, they probably are. Most of the time when we don’t recognize the crazy, it’s because we are blinded by a nice ass or a nice smile. As Bel Biv DeVoe said, “never trust a big butt and a smile.” A nice ass does not make the crazy worth it!
At this point, if they pass with flying colors it’s most likely that you are safe from the crazy. At least, for now. Sometimes it’s only after truly dating someone for a while that the crazy really comes out. I can’t help you with that. But you might want to read the 10 Types of Women You Need to Avoid and the 10 Types of Men You Need to Avoid, just in case.
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September 4, 2009
I was working on a few commissioned pieces and came up with this random idea since it encompassed both what I usually draw and an element of the client. I thought I’d share since I haven’t updated with anything in a while.
I used oil pastels & ink. And I seriously am going to start trolling Deviant Art stock model photos because I am sick of using my own face and trying to tweak it. Hopefully I find some models that I like; I just know who I am looking for when I see them for certain ideas. And hopefully those models are willing to take shots of angles I want. 
Posted in art 3 Comments »
August 21, 2009
So in the last post, I described what to watch out for when browsing other peoples photos online.
A commenter asked what kind of photos should one represent themselves with which. I thought that was an excellent question and something important to address. So to be fair, I thought I’d put myself in the position of representing a “true” photo collection of myself.
1. Make sure you are smiling WITH YOUR TEETH in at least one photo
This is something that you can do with a candid or self-taken shot because you can’t really fake what your teeth look like. Just be sure to show your teeth, period. Some people find teeth important so you might as well give an honest representation of them. As you can see, mine aren’t exactly perfect (I WISH! I gotta look up the cost of veneers, yo). But if you have not-so-great teeth you should just have a photo with them anyway. Wouldn’t you rather someone be interested in you and attracted to what you actually look like? Someone might even have a not-so-great teeth fetish. 
2. Have at least one RECENT full body shot of some kind.
Full body doesn’t have to be shirtless or in a bathing suit. But having a fair representation of what your body type and size is is important. Having a shirtless or bathing suit photo is a good way to attract pervs or people that are only interested in banging you, not dating you. So if that’s what you are going for then do that I guess. If you are interested in something more, stick to a body shot that shows you wearing something at least somewhat classy.
3. Be sure to include a “dressed down”, casual, day-to-day photo.
Usually, cameras are only around during ‘notable’ events. No one really takes that many photos when you are just hanging out at home. Which is not to say that you should be in your PJ’s unshowered for a photo, but having a photo of how you look on a normal day is good. It shows that you know how to dress up AND down.That and if you were to start dating someone there is no way you’ll be dressed to the nine’s every single day.
In my photo I’m out, but I was lazy and didn’t want to dress any differently than I would at home. Voila.
4. Have a photo with friends.
I blurred some of mine out for privacy reasons but having a photo with your friends shows several things:
- that you have friends
- that you do enjoy spending time with friends
- it’s a candid and yet another way to present what you look like
5. Have a photo with a different “view” of your face
I forgot to mention this in the last post. Do you ever notice that some people always slightly turn their face to the side in their photos? Or maybe they only have shots of their face taken straight on but nothing else? It’s probably because the 3/4 view or front view is their most flattering angle. But when it comes to dating we should be honest. Be sure you have at least a few different angles in your photos.
As you can see, I have a bump in my nose so I HATE photos of me where I’m turned even slightly to the side. Alas, that’s how I’m built. I’d have to be honest about that if I were on a dating site. Thankfully I’m not on a dating site because I have a boyfriend already. But if I were, I’d be really bothered by this rule (and I’d follow it anyway, begrudgingly).
6. Have at least one non-flash photo.
Flash can lighten and smooth out a lot on someones face. Lighting can completely change how a person looks, especially their skin. Having a photo without the flash (inside or outside) is a good way to represent yourself even further (just make sure it’s not so dark that you can’t make out anything).
As you can see, without the flash, I have dark undereye circles. It’s genetic and I can’t get rid of them and that’s that. If I were on a dating site I’d hope someone could accept that about me so I’d share this photo so they were aware of it.
7. Don’t be afraid to post a less-flattering-than-usual photo.
It’s a good idea to have a less-flattering-than-usual photo because it knocks people back to reality. It’s a reminder that we aren’t going to be a model that walks straight out of a magazine. We’re normal people. It also evens out expectations. Besides, wouldn’t you rather someone lower their expectations a bit, then see you in person and think “WOW! Photos do them NO justice!” instead of “WOW, they look a SHIT LOAD better in their photos! THAT SUCKS” ? Thought so.
This photo of me is a bad angle and frankly, not that cute. But alas, it’s me on an evening I didn’t fix my hair, put on makeup, or remember to lower my face for a more flattering angle. So that’s that.
8. Ladies, put your hair up.
In most cases, ladies with hair long enough to put in a ponytail look best when their hair is down. But when we stay at home, work out, or want our hair out of our way we’ll throw it up. There’s nothing wrong with sharing what we look like with our hair thrown casually up.
In this photo I happen to be going out, but I was lazy and didn’t want to do my hair, so I put it up. It’s not my best look*, but that’s what I look like when it’s out of my face and it’s a fair representation of what to expect.
*I do miss being that tan though, damn!
9. Show your personality.
I describe myself as I’m a perverted nerd with an artistic side. I think these photos helps summarize that description. Don’t be afraid to share your personality in at least one photo. If you’re goofy and like to pose funny with random items or statues, share it. If you are a rock climber or are outdoorsy, share photos of you engaging in those activities. It not only shows someone what you look like, but it’s another way to share what you are like (in addition to your written description).
So hopefully this helps you decide which photos to post. And just to further illustrate my point, compare all the above photos with these below:
I prefer to use these shots because they are way, way more flattering. They are good angles for me and are well lit. But neither of them represent how I look every day (I don’t dress up, show cleavage, or wear that much make up every day). Imagine if you saw me on a dating site I ONLY used these types of photos. Then you made arrangements to meet me in person and I looked more like the photos I used in the guide… it’s not exactly the same, now is it?
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