It's been a while (nearly a year?) since I last updated this journal, so I figured, why not?

A lot has happened since my last entry, but to sum it up in as few words as possible: Life has changed and I've changed with it.

Whether or not this change is good or bad is really for you to decide. I'm content where I've ended up and that is what's suppose to matter.

Artwise I've been pretty much inactive for over a year now. I doodle now and again, but can never find the time nor the ambition to do much more. Therefore this account will probably remain dusty for an unknown amount of time still. I'll be around, browsing and whatnot, just not submitting-active.

Attended a convention back in October while spending a week with ~Eien-no-YumeX. (EXPcon)

Our wonderful cosplays. <<; Honestly, for my first one I think I did rather well. Didn't have a wig to complete the outfit, but eh. Close enough. Also went as a Skitty ginjika for a day due to a Pokemon photoshoot she was holding. Still though, it was a blast. As a thank you to her I baked her two cheesecakes and a bunch of ginger snap cookies. Because nothing says, "THANK YOU" or "Holy crap I love you for letting me stay here!" like sweets. Lots of sweets.

I suppose I should update something here... seeing how I seem to have gone M.I.A. for... a few months now.

Just letting you all know I'm still alive and kicking around somewhere in this world. Life is keeping me busy. The new boyfriend, Island friends, work and general living is taking up a lot of my time - not to mention a bout of depression settled in for a good few weeks and is just beginning to lift.

The dance I went to back in December opened a lot of social doors for me; I've made a lot of friends here, which is super nice. Most are culinary students (all out on internships at the moment, but they'll be back).

In other words, I've been anything but productive lately in most aspects of my life (reading, writing, drawing...).

On the plus side, I've started playing Harvest Moon again, which makes me happy. And I went and bought Pokemon Black (even though I told myself I WOULDN'T) and have been playing it somewhat religiously.

The cats are doing fine.
Callie got a squeaky toy on a string for Christmas and tore the squeaky out of it. So I attached the string to my bedroom door so she could play with it as she saw fit, and the other day she tore the mouse off the string and was carrying it around with her everywhere (yes, even in the litterbox). She was a proud little purr machine, that she was.
Nina is as sweet as ever. She's becoming more affectionate too. I've woken up to her sleeping right next to me, or licking my nose/arm. She'll also put a paw on you (gently so) if she wants some attention. it's rather adorable.

I finally sent in my application and received my passport, so it looks like I'll be able to make it to EXPcon (thanks again to the wonderful ~Eien-no-YumeX for offering me a place to stay for when I go). Now... to make a cosplay. Hm.

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First come, first served. Only one winner!

So, I'd started writing this entry a few hours ago and had to stop when the charge cable nearly fried Widow… Kitty #2 managed to chew through the wire enough to cause a small power surge and yeah… Bought a new one, cost and arm and a leg, but at least I can now use Widow again (no harm was done to the actual laptop… she's still working fine! Macs are epic that way).

On other notes:

NaNoWriMo is officially over, and I managed to beat it again this year. ^yay It was lots more fun this year because of the Write-Ins and everyone I got to meet. The socialization I got out of it was very rewarding and now I have friends on the island that weren't made through work!

I've been invited to a semi-formal dance next Friday with one of those new friends. She says she's gonna bring me and get me to dance with guys, but I doubt it (lol). But it will be very fun, I'm sure. Need to buy a dress or something formal-ish at some point this coming week.

My former coworkers invited me to their Christmas Party, so I'm going there tonight for some potluck, a Yankee Swap and general good times. It made me very happy that they went out of their way to invite me down that I actually drove the 6-7 hours to come home for the party and to visit people (as another excuse to come down, besides going to a party for one night).

I also now have a COUCH. Mom brought it up last week as an early Christmas gift. She bought a new living room set and so her reclining loveseat couch that I fell in love with is now MINE. Kitty #2 loves it - she sleeps on the back, and enjoys playing on it. Kitty #1 recently discovered she can hide underneath it and swipe at people if they walk close enough. It's hilarious, watching her paw suddenly dart out from under the couch.

And now… now I need to go and get my picture taken so I can get a passport. Blah.

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It's been a month since the move and I'm quite enjoying life as an Islander (made official when I changed my license/plates/health card). Everyone that I've met is nice and willing to help me along, so that's a load off.

My cats are quite comfortable around the apartment now. Nina and Callie play together a lot (so cute to watch them), sleep together and generally keep each other company. Callie is a lovebug who just adores being around you. If I sit down she'll jump up on my lap within moments, purring like a loud motor, demanding love. Only problem is she farts. Silently. And they're deadly. But otherwise, having cats around is a great experience!

November is NaNoWriMo month, in which I will be participating once more. Don't expect art for the next 30 days - my schedule is busy as is, without having to write 1,667 words per day. Luckily, I now live in a city that has WRITE-INS where I can meet new and interesting people! [Huzzah for socializing for the first time in a month.] It's at the local Starbucks, which ... doesn't interest me (expensive coffee + other pricey things), but the manager has agreed to allow us to sit in without having to buy anything (actually they seem quite excited by the prospect. Points for the NaNo-ers!).

In other news, work is going wonderfully. I had to train a new employee for a couple of weeks, which was beyond fun. Have met my fourth mother (I get adopted fast, it seems...) who's taken me on walks around town, showing me the sights while giving me useful information on what's what, whether it's good, bad, pricey, etc...

Generally I'm in a better place, both in life and mentally. The cats keep loneliness at bay, the people at work are fun to be around and I'm keeping my apartment in a better state than any of my formers (cleanliness, organization, among other things). All I have to do now is figure out how to manage my free time during the week and I'll be all set.

Did I mention I'm becoming a morning person? No? Well, I am. General wake up time has been moved from 10-Noon all the way to 7-9. For this I am quite proud.

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It hasn't been that long since my last journal, but enough has happened in my life that I feel that it merits an update of sorts. Huzzah for you. I think. Debatable.

I now live on the island. It's nice so far - the people seem kind, not to mention the slew of stores found around every corner. Coming from a small town (and always living in small areas), moving to a town that's most likely on the brink of city-hood is a massive change for lil' ol' me.

The main street is very long (5-10 minute drive long) and holds more fast-food joints and restaurants than I've ever had the pleasure of seeing on one single street. Not to mention the nice MALL that's actually a MALL (where I use to live the Mall was a laughable place… very laughable). Their theatre even has 3D.

Man, this place makes me feel like a hillbilly. Hyuck.

My apartment is nice and spacious. Lots of storage room, so when I get my bike up here I can store it inside.

The cats also enjoy it (did I tell you I've adopted two gorgeous felines? Probably. Nina and Callie) and Callie can be seen skidding by, not use to the slippery-ness of click-flooring while Nina watches from the side line, possibly wondering what's wrong with the skiddy-kitty.

Since I don't want to bother with parking meters (these are also new to me, having never had to use one of them before in my LIFE) and all their intricacies, I've been walking to work for the past week. Which is nice - lots to see on the way there and back. There's this one house on my way… their gutter is so full of GROWING GRASS and DIRT that it's kinda… beginning to lean towards the ground in such a way that the owners had to use wire cage to hold it in place. It's still leaning pretty badly, and looks like it'll tip over at any moment… but it amuses me beyond belief. Also makes me wanna see if I can plant a garden and make it grow up there.

Ah well. Moving on.

Work is lots of fun - passes by really fast every day. We're pretty busy, which is super nice. The constant flow of things to do makes time fly.

I'm also becoming somewhat of a morning person due to walking to work. Since I now have to leave around the time I use to get up, I decided a couple weeks ago to tinker with my sleeping schedule and it seems to have worked. It only involved going to bed earlier and waking up a little earlier each day until I could get up, no problem, at 8am. So now I'm working on bringing it back to 7am. I don't want to have to go to bed early each night, but at the same time… being able to get up in the morning for work without feeling like crap is a pretty rich reward, imo.

So, on my first day of work, one of my new coworkers came in and told us that his house was broken into the night before. Well. What a welcoming statement for me, on my first day (second day living here at that!). I guess he and his family were sleeping upstairs when someone (or someones) broke in and stole just about… everything they had downstairs plus their car. Creepy, yeah?

Then, the next day, we get another story from a different coworker - her friend's place was broken into and their ten month old puppy's leg was shattered by the thieves as they ransacked the place. So nice.

Oh, and then… the NEXT day… another wonderful story - another coworker's friend woke up to people talking downstairs so they went and investigated, only to find two people, one in the living room, the other in the kitchen. They claimed drunkenness while wanting to find a friend (whether or not said friend exists… we don't know) and then…. they left.

Gotta love big town life, yeah? Yeah. Great. I want a guard dog. A big. Scary. Guard dog. Preferably German Shepard or Doberman, but I won't be picky. As long as it's big as hell.

…I should train the cats to attack intruders. Yeah. Just like I should toilet train them - like that'd ever happen…

On another, completely unrelated note, NaNoWriMo starts in LESS THAN A MONTH. I'm totally stoked. No idea what kind of story I'll be writing, but at this moment in time I'm not too worried. Lots of ideas are going through my mind's eye - the problem is choosing one and developing it.



Another unrelated note this will be the first Thanksgiving Dinner I miss. It's kinda sad, but at the same time not really. The family is heading in to the hunting cottage way back the middle of nowhere, where there's no oven to cook a turkey so they'll be celebrating with corned beef.

Which, in actuality, I'm quite glad to be missing it this year.

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It feels like a lot has happened since my last entry, but at the same time it doesn't. Contradictions are lots of fun, oh yes.

My family and friends held a surprise going away party for me Labour Day weekend. It was a blast - a little chilly, but lots of fun. There was cake (chocolate with boiled icing, my fav.) and they had a sign made that I got to keep. It's now folded and packed away for all of time.

Went back to the island and found a cozy apartment that allows pets, so I've adopted two beautiful felines from the local shelter and get to pick them up when I move. <3 Can't wait.

Also got a tour of where I will be working. The building itself is so oddly laid out - I'll probably confuse myself finding my way around the first week or so.

So, after finding my apartment I began packing. My current apartment is full of boxes, some empty, full and half/half. Looks kind of like a tornado ran through the place and left boxes everywhere. Can't pack everything because I still have to live here for another 3-4 days... but it's getting so close to crunch time that I'm getting antsy.

My coworkers brought me out to lunch on Thursday, as a good bye, and gave me a card they all signed, plus a bit of money to help with the move - it was so nice of them. There's no way I can ever thank them enough for everything. Especially when I got to work on Friday and found a gift bag with Reeses peanut butter cups in it (like... a lot of them) and a massive Toblerone bar from someone else. <3

Today was actually my last day working here. Left my parking pass and keys when I finished for the day and it was such a strange sensation. My keyring is too light now... and to think that I'm never going to go back to work here after doing so every week for the past year and eleven off months...

Oh well. Moving on.

Art block is nearly gone. Got over it by ignoring any urge to draw for the past ... week or so and concentrated on writing like a madwoman.

Also have plans to attend a CON next year around this time. Nothing's solidified yet or not (can't get plane tickets this far in advance last I checked... sigh...) but it gives me lots of time to work on a cosplay. So I'm really looking forward to that, even when it's soooo far away.

It's getting close to that time again.

If you manage to catch the 30k pageview take a screenshot and show me. You will then be the recipient of a free full body picture of a character [of your choice].

The piano has found a name.

The winner of the waist-up drawing is... ~Eien-no-YumeX with the name Ivory.
Let me know what you'd like me to draw for you.

Summer's just about over but we're in the middle of this wonderful heat wave. I guess it reached 41C (105F) in the city yesterday. It was around 35-38 here. I was living in heaven for so short a time...

Went to the optometrist and now have contacts. They feel weird as hell, and I keep feeling like I've forgotten my glasses... but it's so much nicer. No cleaning of the lens five times a day, no bending my head to hide from the rain/snow... I can lay down with my head on a pillow without the frames digging into my skin. So very nice.

Moving at the end of this month. Not sure if I'm excited or not, but... whatever. I'll get more nervous or whatever once the move gets closer and closer. Packing will make me excited, since it's like... my favourite part of moving. Packing and unpacking. Dunno why, but... yeah.

Getting short tempered around Draza's neighbour now. His sister was visiting with me at my apartment and he wanted to know where she was and she wouldn't tell him. So he randomly showed up at my place so he'd know where she was. Anyway, he stepped into my apartment and the first thing that came out of my mouth was, "Get the f*ck out. Now." he had no right to track down his sister - it's none of his business what she does in her spare time and the fact that he tracked her cellphone to my place was creepy to the point that it ticked me off so very much. Now I have this massive urge to just... kinda grind him into the ground. Which is bad... but I feel like someone as snoopy as he deserves it. Sigh. I'll try my best to bite my tongue, but no promises. Supper tonight should be FUN. *sarcasm*

Painted my toenails last week so now I don't want to wear sandals to work.... I have a coworker that... seems to have this creepy little crush on me, and he has a foot fetish thing going on that's even more creepy... Every time I wear my winter boots he has to make some sort of comment about how sexy they look on me and it's just WEIRD (especially since he's married... with children). Sigh. I need a whacking stick to keep these kinds of people away from me - far, far, far away from me.

Finally reformatted Deta. Now I just need to reinstall all my apps and she'll be good to go again. Already she's working SO much fast - it's lovely and wonderful.

Other than that not much has happened since my last entry... been reading a bit, playing lots of Harvest Moon, fiddling with a couple of songs on the piano... writing now and then...

Trying to draw things, but still suffering from an art block. Working on break it down though! Wish me luck.

It's getting close to that time again.

If you manage to catch the 30k pageview take a screenshot and show me. You will then be the recipient of a free full body picture of a character [of your choice].

Mom gave me a piano (as a joint birthday/going away/Christmas gift) since she doesn't want me to bring hers to PEI once I move. Which is fine by me, because it means I now own my own. It's not as sophisticated as hers, but it works the same and the keys are a little more weighted, which is something I wanted. But it's black, doesn't have a cover for the keys or anything, but it has pedals and a bench to go with it.

It looks like this, only black.

And now it needs a name. Any ideas?

To make this more interesting, I will take down names, and then post a poll of the ones I like the most. After a week or so, the winner of the polls will receive a FREE WAIST UP DRAWING ^{Like this.} Fully coloured, of course.

You can give more than one name if you so desire - the more the merrier, after all.

GOOD LUCK!!!

First I would like to thank those who remembered my birthday. A great big thank you to all of you - it meant so much to have people wish me happy birthday.

Didn't really do very much. Stayed overnight at the cottage, went kayaking (am now sore in the shoulder/blades areas) and had a lovely supper made by Draza. The weather was beautiful (excluding the freak thunderstorm in the wee hours of the morning) - barely any wind, lots of sunshine.

Had supper with my father on Sunday. So I got to see him for the first time in four years. It was... a little awkward at first, but we managed along well enough after the first ten or so minutes.

In other news... Uhm... let's see.

I learnt that my step brother is a coward. He and his ^pregnant girlfriend were sleeping out in a tent at the cottage last week and there was something sniffing around outside of it during the night. Well, if he didn't scream like a girl and run into the cottage, leaving his ^pregnant girlfriend to follow behind... Turned out to be a mink (if you don't know what a mink is,.... it's about the size of a half grown cat... or a ferret maybe?). Anyways, he refuses to ever sleep in a tent ever again and slept on the couch in the cottage the rest of the night *shakes head at him* It was.... rather funny. I hope the friends he'd brought with him (all sleeping out in different tents, except one who got the spare bedroom in the cottage) tease him about that for years and years to come.

Macho my ass.

Other than that, life has been pretty constant, barely any changes. Work, home, work, home, Draza's... That's about the scope of my life lately. Except this week, since Triv came home and I ended up visiting her, having her mother teach me how to make rapûre (which turned out wonderfully, by the way) at the same time.

You know what would be delicious right about now? A bagel. With cream cheese. Mmmm... bagel and cream cheese.

It's getting close to that time again.

If you manage to catch the 30k pageview take a screenshot and show me. You will then be the recipient of a free full body picture of a character [of your choice].

Summer is already just about half over, which saddens me. I'm quite enjoying the warm weather (note that I said warm, not hot. I have a knack for being warm when everyone else is sweating and complaining of the heat...).

A big thank you to ~Mahira-chan for being the one who told me about Secret Garden. They have such soothing music. I've been listening to them for the past few days and it's just made life easier.
Why? Because I'm very stressed and worn quite thin at this point in time.
• The break-up has really affected me, which in turn has screwed up my sleeping, eating and other such things.
• Been getting headaches quite often, but it might be due to the lack of food and sleep.
• Fruit flies have invaded both my kitchen and bathroom (yes, you heard me) and I've been killing some every day (I clap them out of the air). Not sure how they found me, since I don't keep food out or anything like that, but they're there now and must be dealt with.

The move to PEI is now dated for some time in October. The specific day that I begin to work at the new location is still unknown, and thus the moving date is also unknown. (Let's see if they push it back again in a month or so. It's not like they haven't done it twice already.) Wish they'd make up there mind. It would greatly help me, anyway.

Sorry for the lack of art lately. But the stress of everything around me is just making it so anything that involves some sort of effort just wears me out very fast. I've been doodling but haven't saved anything because nothing has satisfied me. =___=

In other news, the step-brother's girlfriend is pregnant, the step-sister had her third child a couple of weeks ago, and my cousin is getting married this weekend.


Another WONDERFUL thing (<-note potential sarcasm) is that my foster cousin's (who was only with us for a few short years) adoptive mother was arrested a few weeks ago. Come to find out she would physically and mentally abuse the foster and adoptive kids in her care. My foster cousin tried to warn Social Services years ago, as did some of my family, but their complaints fell on deaf ears, as the woman in question had certificates and degrees in childcare. Heh. Go figure.

She was a very controlling woman. She would keep all of my foster cousin's mail and packages and not tell her about them. She would also screen phone calls and made sure that anyone she knew before she was adopted couldn't get ahold of her.

What a wonderful woman, yes?

The story is in the Chronicle Herald. She was only caught because of the two year old infant she was caring for (another foster child) was brought to the hospital due to abuse. Here is the story. It's short, but you get the gist of it.

What a negative entry this is turned out to be.

It's getting close to that time again.

If you manage to catch the 30k pageview take a screenshot and show me. You will then be the recipient of a free full body picture of a character [of your choice].

It's been a hell of a month since my last entry.

Canada Day is on Thursday, which means no work. It also means that if it's a nice day I can go to the cottage with family and friends to swim and whatnot. Probably not going to go skiing or kneeboarding, as last time I had that little accident that nearly caused me to drown...... Still have bad thoughts about that one.

Haven't done much art-wise lately as I've been in an emotional slump.

Relationship troubles that led to a break-up among other things have caused my life to turn upside down and shake violently. To say the least I'm not exactly thrilled with everything at this moment in time. My appetite has diminished to the point that I eat once a day and feel horrible afterwards (like I've eaten too much when I haven't actually).

Went to the high school graduation last night since Draza had to give out an award in her mother's place. We got all dressed up in dresses and had a blast (once the two hour long ceremony finally finished, anyway). Got a lot of second looks, which made me feel somewhat good about myself for the first time in a while... Got to meet up with some of the people I went to school with who actually recognized me, which was... weird. I've changed a lot since high school; physically and mentally. I'm not the girl who always wore a hoodie and jeans. And I'm much more confident with myself as well. Makes people from my high school days do double takes.

I also took control of the strawberry platter(s) for the after-snack-whatever-it's-called. A old classmate was going for some and I said, "Whoa, hey! Those are MY strawberries! You can't have any!"
He looked at me for a long moment and took one anyway. So I took a grape. And he said, "Hey! Those are MY grapes, go get your own!"
"That's what you get for not listening to me!"
And yeah. We're such children at heart.

Bought a PS3. Because I could, and got an awesome deal on it as well, thanks to the wonderful person in the electronics department. Big thanks to them for helping me save so much money!!! But that means I've been playing a lot of Final Fantasy XIII.

For those of you who've never played on a PS3, the graphics are beyond epic. The only problem... is my TV. It's... older than I am. And I can't read the text very well, especially in the menu. So I'll be sitting on the futon, squint at the TV saying, "Do I have 400 or 900 Crystal point thingies....?"

Put my name in for overtime at work. It's not like I do anything on my days off besides hermit myself away with the blinds drawn shut... so why not? It'll get me out of the apartment while at the same time allowing me to earn some extra cash.

And frigg I am tired. Just want to sleep the day away....

It's getting close to that time again.

If you manage to catch the 30k pageview take a screenshot and show me. You will then be the recipient of a free full body picture of a character [of your choice].

Has everyone's life been as busy as mine lately? Sheesh... Doesn't seem like I've done anything and yet things are getting done. Slowly.

I've finally beaten Final Fantasy VI and VIII. Finally as in, I've owned them for about.... oh, I dunno,.... 4 - 7 years? If not more. Yeah. That finally.

Also! I've finally read the entire Fruits Basket manga and it was such a wonderful story! The ending was beautiful and I just wish it could go on forever, even though... impossible and all that. Still. Must read it again! And AGAIN!

Coworker is loaning me a bunch of books written by Harlan Coben, so that has also been keeping me busy, busy, busy.

Piano practice is still happening and I love it more each time I sit down to play. *pats it lovingly*

Watched a bunch of movies lately as well, including Pixar's Up! which, if you've never seen, is a movie everyone has to watch. It's just the little things that make it beyond amazing.

Still have some things to catch up on (both in books, movies, series and games.... not to mention writing and art) but I'm slowly getting on top of my 'things-to-do-in-my-spare-time' pile. Yes, I have a pile for that. Doesn't everyone? <<;;; I have a pile for EVERYTHING!

Summer is almost upon us (even though it FEELS like it's already here) and I'm excited for the warm weather and whatnot. Everyone else is bemoaning it for some reason, but then again, my inner furnace has never worked properly so, instead of being cold all the time, I'll be a decent temperature! Hurray! They can all overheat while I bask in the glory of being comfortable for a month or two.

-----

To ~Aphelion-Perihelion^{(since I can't remember your new dev-name yet....)}:  I am working on ideas for those assassins you asked me to design way back when (thank you for allowing me so much time to think about it!!!!!!) and should have basic looks sketched down soon enough (gimme another week or so~). *busybusybusy*

It's simple. You comment on anything here  (which includes a shout or random hello on my user-page) or fav anything in my gallery... you get a llama. Those of you who've already gotten a llama from me, unfortunately, can't get two... But yeah.

Been in the mood to give away llamas and, by gosh, everyone deserves at LEAST a SUPER LLAMA! Because the cape is beyond cute. XD;;

Still trying out new styles, most of which will never see the light of day again. Ever. But once I try one that doesn't look half bad it will get posted for you to see and tell me how to IMPROVE, because I really want to IMPROVE!!!!

There's some good news and bad news this week.

Bad news: a co-worker had a heartattack earlier this week and has since been hospitalized. Let's all send him squiggly healing waves. *wiggles fingers*

Good news: Managed to get the job in PEI, so the trip was actually well worth it. As to when I move, salary and the actual position I'll be working in... they haven't decided. But they want me and have reserved a spot. :/ Confusing, a bit, to know that they want me yet aren't sure what they want me to do. Huh.

In other news... I have... NO idea what to get The Mother for Mother's Day. <<;;; And I work that day as well, weeeee. Maybe I'll bring her out for supper or something, I dunno. We'll see. (Any thoughts? She doesn't like jewelry or fancy things like make-up, spas and stuff... and The Step-Father always gets her flowers... and she doesn't eat chocolates usually - silly health conscious person that she is...). I suppose a gift certificate to a bookstore would make her happy.... or to Northern Reflections. :/ *UNSURE* Maybe I should just MAKE HER SOMETHING EPIC. Like a stuffed pencil. (.... yes, I've made a stuffed pencil before. It was a RED COLOURING PENCIL. Bwahahahaha).

Got off track there...

The Bry's birthday came and went and I STILL don't know what to get him. Have asked him a bazillion and a half times and he keeps saying 'nothing', so I think I'll stick with this 'nothing' :/ and just try and spoil him rotten some other way (ICE CREAM!?!?!?!). Sigh.

Erm...

For the past few months (wow, time flies) I've been going over to Draza's Tuesday and Wednesday evenings to help her cook. At first it was to teach her some things about cooking, but now it's all about experimenting with new recipes, laughing hard as hell when we screw up, and just hanging out and having fun. Her neighbours' kids even come to hang out with us (ages 17 and 19, so I guess they aren't 'kids' per-say). They're hilarious, especially the eldest, who has... almost no common sense. So funny.

Little worried about her though - this will be the first Mother's Day for Draza without her mother. Hoping she hangs through with a strong face. If not I'll have to get her some CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH ICE CREAM. Might do it anyway though, as it's totally delicious.

In other news.... Finally got a... credit card. Yup, that's right. After the car rental fiasco I decided it was high time to acquire one. I feel so... dirty now. *looks over at purse and cringes*

Hectic and stressful life is making my time and willingness to draw limited so I'm working on it. Expect something new soon enough. *works away*

...huh..... dA doesn't like me copy pasting things into my journal.... wth...

Either way.

Life's still being stressful and busy. Went to the interview in PEI a week and a half ago (... I think that's when it was.... couple days after Easter) and I think it went well. :/ Hopefully they liked me enough to employ me there. As much as moving two provinces away makes me nervous and a little unhappy.... it has to be done. : Weeee...

Charlottetown, however, is a gorgeous place, holy crap. The main street has brick sidewalks! It also has a bunch of old churches and old brick buildings that have been renovated on the interior for businesses - the exterior however wasn't and it looks so quaint and lovely. Also, everyone there is super nice. Oh, and this has nothing to do with a CHOCOLATE SHOP we went to that has some of the BEST CHOCOLATE I've EVER TASTED. Oh no, not at all.

Otherwise life's going well. Nothing's blown up or broken down, which is a nice change of pace (seriously though, the guys at the dealership were probably getting sick of seeing me there so often....). Went back today for an oil change and to put the summer tires back on... and they're like, "Anything I can get you?" "Nope, I'm good." A few minutes later... "Do you want coffee or tea or anything?" "No thanks, I'm good to go." I think they were just relieved that I wasn't there because there was something wrong... again. <<;;;

Been doing better mood-wise as well. Found some wonderful music that just lifts my spirit whenever I listen to them. Hurray for music! Jim Brickman, Jason Derulo, Adelitas Way, Saving Abel, Saving Jane, Leona Lewis (and James Corner... Avatar soundtrack love) and Kylee are wins. Oh, and one song by Orianthi. <<;;

*hums to music and strolls off with tablet in hand*

Life issues are making it hard to get things done, but I've got a bunch of things lined up.

I'm thinking... an animation maybe. What do you think?

Commission info

The last month was a busy one.

Getting bogged down with a lot of things.

Been cooking with ~Draza twice a week, since she doesn't like cooking alone very much (and she likes having someone there to help her with new recipes and whatnot). Since I have more cooking experience than she does it's turning out to be a bit of a tutoring thing, but at the same time we're both learning new things. It's quite fun. Friday we made a lasagna (my oven mitts didn't catch on fire this time...) and a spanish coffee cake. Turned out pretty well for our first attempt (neither of us had ever made either dish before).

Worked on my digital portfolio a lot in the past month, so now it looks much better than what it had. Thank you, ~EternalWillow, for your critiquing/help. Really appreciated the feedback and tips. <3

Also revamped my actual physical portfolio. Took... forever, but finally finished it up last night. Just in time for the interview *wipes brow*, which, by the way, is this week. A two day trip with lots of driving. sigh. But at least I get to drive my own vehicle, instead of having to rent one (the company's policy is that for work trips you must rent a vehicle if you want to be reimbursed on gas. However, since I'm under 25 and don't have a credit card, I'm not allowed to rent a vehicle in my name, or drive one for that matter... so they agreed that I'm to take my personal vehicle and will still reimburse my gas).  So glad they're allowing me to do that.

Been getting sharp pains in my abdomen lately. They come and go, randomly, and only stay for a few minutes. I've no idea what brings them on or what makes them go away... but it's like being stabbed with a hundred little knives. *slumps over desk* But I can't make it happen so going to the doctor won't help me much *knows this from experience*. Blah.

Depression is settling heavily on my shoulders again. Makes it hard to get much done, but I'm puttering along. Slowly, but I'm getting there. Put, put, put...

Have backed Deta up completely now. Just waiting to get my CS2 Suite discs from my mother's before the reformatting begins. I'm a little hesitant to do it, since I've never done it before... but I know that if I screw it up I can call up my brother (the computer programer) and he'll help me out. Or come over and fix it instead of listening to me whine over the phone. Either way.

Haven't lost any more weight. Actually, I've managed to finally get some back. At a more healthy weight now, which is very good. Hopefully I can keep it there.

Mom's surprise birthday bash went very well. In other words, for the first time, the surprisee didn't figure it out beforehand. Her boyfriend did a wonderful job, making rapure, seafood chowder and a fish chowder, all in the span of 8 hours, not to mention the decorations and getting everyone organized and there on time. Kudos to him for an amazingly brilliant job *applause*.

So much to do this month as well... Bry's birthday is coming up, along with a bunch of his friends', who want me to make them my Reese Cup cake.


*checks clock* Well, my aunt should arrive any time to give me my Easter candy from Mom along with leftovers from the Easter lunch I missed due to work. Mmmm.... ham. *looks out barred window and waits patiently for her chocolate and ham*

...... yes.... the windows at work have bars on them. Not sure why. Just to reach the ledge of the window from the outside involves either standing on a bicycle (not the pedals either) or a ladder... or stool of epic proportions.

*continues to stare and wait*

Working on a couple of commissions now. Thank you to those who asked for some!
I'll post a couple with permission from the commissioner(s).

Past few weeks have been hectic and busy.

Draza's mother died Valentine's Day morning, so for the following week I was busy keeping her company and attending everything. Lucky for me Work is flexible and I was able to take some time off for the funeral and whatnot.

But things seem to be looking a little better now.

Have an interview for a job inside the company in April. If I can get the position then I won't be forced to pay Widow off all in one lump sum or worry about unemployment. Huge relief there.

Also found out that the move in the company should be hitting us in June and September. If things stay on track that is. Which means if I can get this position I'll be moving around that time. The mother was ecstatic when she found out I had an interview. And I mean she probably did a happy-dance ecstatic *told her over the phone*. Now maybe she'll let up on the whole, "apply for jobs until you pass-out!" At least a little. Hopefully.

Mom's off to Disney World for two weeks to celebrate her 50th birthday. Of course, she couldn't get the time off on the week of her birthday, but that's besides the point. Here's hoping her and the step-father enjoy their vacation and come back with loads of gifts for us children. Kidding, kidding. All that matters is that she's surprised when we throw the supper for her on her birthday (yay rapure! Acadian cuisine FTW). .... and now I'm wondering who's going to take care of the evil kitty while they're away.

I've also come to the conclusion that I want a pet hedgehog. Seriously. Been reading up about them and they're a no-fuss pet, can be easily litter trained, usually friendly, clean... and are so adorable. :3 Would totally name him/her Squiggles. Because it's random. But yeah. Find job first, then new place to stay before getting a pet named Squiggles.

....on a werewolf kick. Want to draw, write, dream about them.  Been reading some Patricia Briggs books and, though they're an easy read and whatnot, have fallen in love with the characters. Not sure why, but you won't hear me complain. I also like her take on werewolves, vampires and the fae.

Now that I have my hard copy of Habitat in my possession, I'd be willing to post a couple of chapters up on here, if people are interested in seeing some of my story writing style.

Trying out a more paint-esk style with Photoshop. It's a trial run but I'll probably post it to get some critics on it at some point in time.

So, er, I'm... in a really tight spot right now.

As I've mentioned before... I'm loosing my job within the next six-ten months.
The worse part of that is the fact that I bought Widow through the company, and, once my job is terminated, I have to pay them back in full the remaining amount on the laptop at that time. Since we do a payment plan and so much gets taken off of each paycheck... well, it'll be a big chunk at one time instead of the smaller ones that I can afford. (this is what happens when they don't PRE-WARN you more about what's going on in the company)

Which I probably won't be able to afford. Because I need a bite plate/plain for my mouth *clenches her jaw when she sleeps, giving her headaches and bite marks on her cheeks* which costs... at minimum? $500. Not to mention the bills before that. :/ Still have to pay my rent for this month as well *LATE*....

My salary is enough to pay my usual expenses plus have a little bit leftover. Unfortunately for me, with the dentist bills coming in on top of trying to save enough to pay off Widow by the time I manage to find a new job or my current one if forcibly terminated is... not very promising.

So... I need some help.

PLEASE COMMISSION ME! I REALLY need the help. They're cheap, seriously. And if you don't like the price then tell me and we'll work something out. I'm desperate and flexible here.

I'm willing to draw anything. From fanart, to boyxboy, girlxgirl. Nothing sexual, but sensual sure.

I really, really need the help.

I'm working on it. Inspiration is... low due to life's problems. Blah.

Had the worse week of my life...

Computer at work crashed, as mentioned in my last journal entry, and even after a week it still wasn't ready to be used.
Stubbed my toe more times that I can count. On the same thing every time.
More car troubles. SIGH. Stupid clunking, GO AWAY.
The entire Production department at work is closing down (hurray for crap-tacular meetings). ... for those of you who don't know, I am IN the production department. Yes, it means I am loosing my job within the next year. There are positions available at PEI, where all the work is going. Hopefully I can move with the work. If not I'm SCREWED.
Bry and I broke up... and then got back together a few days later (with certain conditions... [I broke up with him for various reasons but he's willing to try and do better. He also knows he's on thin ice]).
Mom won't stop calling me and asking about my job situation, if I've applied anywhere and blah, blah, blah. So annoying, especially when I just DON'T want to think about it right now. Sigh. Frigg.

Started playing The Legend of Zelda: Master Quest. It's so much fun. The new layout for the temples is.... interesting. I don't like how they seem to be... easier though. Except the Fire Temple. I cannot for the life of my find the key I need to get the las Skulltula on the 4th floor. And then I went and beat the Water Temple... and end up with an EXTRA key. Something is totally off. Also beat said Water Temple in record time. Huh. Go figure, huh?

Want to go see Legions.

~Draza's birthday was on the weekend. We went out for supper and to a bar/dance afterwards. It's weird, but alcohol doesn't seem to work on me anymore. Four drinks and I didn't feel intoxicated in the least (this coming from a lightweight, btw. Four drinks is usually me walking a very funny straight line). Second time this has happened. Huh. Maybe it was because Nick and her girlfriend kept making out... and her girlfriend unbuttoning her shirt and showed the entire bar her bra while dancing. I think everyone exclaimed, "OMG, that's a girl not a guy!" at one point of another. Funny and yet... disturbing at the same time. No offence, woman, but I did not want to see your PDA or bra. Thanks. <<;

And now... I am going to break a chunk of the Toblerone bar Bry bought me (it's bigger than my forearm! 0.0;;; ) and eat it. Mmmmm... chocolate and nougat goodness.

Now that the revisions for Habitat and it's cover art are finally finished I can get back to drawing pictures until my heart's content.

Have also gotten Photoshop CS4. Is it EVER spiffy and shiny. So pretty.

Now the question is... what am I to draw? XD;;

Life is still confusing; more so now than before.

Computer at work died - needs a new harddrive. The poor soul just couldn't open my webmail and decided to keel over. Sigh. Had to use the supervisor's all weekend. Totally not fun as it's personalized for her and not me; was so scared of making a change to her settings without realizing it. >.<

There's also a meeting at work on Tuesday that's mandatory for everyone in my department. Not sure if it's good or bad since no-one was told what it was about, only that you had to be there. Nervous? Oh yes. It's only been four months since they last laid off some people throughout the company; we're all praying that that isn't what's going to be happening.

I LOVE MY JOB! ARGH. Will keep you all posted on how that goes.

Along with the clunking noise my car is making. Sigh. What a friggen weekend. Is it done yet? No? 4 hours to go. BLAH.

Got my hands on Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I watched the new movie a while back (with Kiera Knightly... and hopefully I spelt her name correctly) and fell in love with the plot. Which meant I had to get my hands on the books, but soon forgot about it. Then the lovely ~Mahira-chan asked me if I'd read any of Austen's books and thus... I just had to run to the bookstore soon afterwards and find a copy.

There was even a sale that included Austen's books. Ha. How fortunate is THAT? Either way, it's an epic classic that must be read! If you've never read it then at least watch the movie. But the book is much better; the dialogue is just so memorable. I love it so very much.

Went and saw Avatar again, this time with ~Draza. It was my birthday gift to her, since it's in a week's time and I've no idea what to get her. But she fell in love with the movie (as I had) and was more than happy with her 'gift'.

Mom called earlier today and we chatted for a long time. It's interesting [and nice] to have a real, grown up conversation with her. Usually it's more mother-daughter than person-person; so I enjoy when we can be just two people conversing about whatever comes to mind. Which reminds me... should probably call the father and set up a supper with him at some point, as I did promise him that much. Sigh. Amending broken ties is so bothersome sometimes. :/

Still can't seem to gain any weight, and with the CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees) strike coming up I don't know if I'll be able to go for the blood test the doctor wants me to take any time soon. Here's hoping their negotiations work out. Nurses and school teachers on strike is so not cool (though I did hear that the teachers may have figured something out, but I'm more worried about the nurses and healthcare workers...)

Well. I'm off to collect the remaining Stardust in Legend of Dragoon so I can kick Fraust's butt. Hopefully. <<;;; Cross your fingers that things start going well!

TEN ARE YOUS
► Are you single ➔ No
► Are you happy ➔ Not particularly.
► Are you bored ➔ Kinda.
► Are you sad ➔ A bit.
► Are you Italian ➔ No.
► Are you German ➔ No.
► Are you Asian ➔ No.
► Are you angry ➔ Sometimes.
► Are you Irish ➔ Nope.
► Are your parents still married ➔ Nope.

TEN FACTS
► Birth Place ➔ Nova Scotia.
► Hair Color ➔ Dark brown.
► Hair Style ➔ Short with long bangs.
► Eye color ➔ Brown.
► Birthday ➔ 10th August.
► Mood ➔ Impassive.
► Gender ➔ Female.
► Lefty or Righty ➔ Righty
► Summer or Winter ➔ Both.
► Morning or Afternoon ➔ Afternoon.

TEN THINGS ABOUT YOUR LOVE LIFE
► Are you in love ➔ Sorta.
► Do you believe in love at first sight ➔ No.
► Who ended your last relationship ➔ I did,
► Have you ever been hurt ➔ Yup.
► Have you ever broken someone’s heart ➔ Yes.
► Are you friends with your ex ➔ Strangely enough, yes.
► Are you afraid of commitment ➔ 1 year and two months... I think not.
► Have you hugged someone within the last week? ➔ Of course.
► Have you ever had a secret admirer ➔ Yup. Strangely enough.
► Have you ever broken your own heart? ➔ Yep.

TEN THIS OR THAT
► Love or Lust ➔ Love.
► Lemonade or Iced tea ➔ Lemonade.
► Cats or Dogs ➔ Cats. Meow. Purrrrr.
► A few best friends or many regular friends ➔ A few best friends.
► Television or Internet ➔ Internet.
► Pepsi or Coke ➔ Water please.
► Wild night out or romantic night in ➔ Depends on my mood.
► Pink or Purple ➔ Both.
► Day or Night ➔ Night.
► IM or Phone ➔ Again, depends. On what I want to say, mostly.

TEN HAVE YOU EVER
► Been caught sneaking out ➔ Nope, never snuck out. Living in the middle of nowhere = nowhere to sneak out to.
► Fallen off the stairs ➔ Many... many times.
► White water rafted ➔ Nope.
► Finished an entire jawbreaker ➔ Those big ones that you get in the massive machines are the BEST.
► Wanted something/someone so badly it hurt? ➔ Yep. And I actually got them in the end. Yay boyfriend.
► Prank called a store ➔ Nah. But I kept calling the same store once instead of the person I wanted to (dialling the wrong number) and I think they were getting annoyed with me...
► Skipped School ➔ No. Did not want to write my exams so I didn't miss a day (anal rules where missing one day means you HAVE to write them no matter your marks).
► Wanted to disappear ➔ Many times.

TEN PREFERENCES
► Smile or Eyes ➔ Smile. I don't look at eyes often at all.
► Light or Dark Hair ➔ Dark.
► Fat or Skinny ➔ Stocky.
► Shorter or Taller ➔ Taller. Then I can wear heels and not feel like a giant.
► Intelligence or Attraction ➔ Intelligence.
► Jock or Nerd ➔ Nerd. They involve intellectually stimulating conversations.
► Hook-up or Relationship ➔ Relationship.
► Funny and poor OR Rich and serious ➔ Funny and poor.
► Play the guitar or into sports ➔ Guitar.

TEN LASTS
► Last Phone Call/Text ➔ Mom/S.S.
► Last phone call you received ➔ Bry.
► Last person you hung out with ➔Bry.
► Last person you hugged ➔ Bry.
► Last person you IM'ed ➔ Kyazain.
► Last thing you ate ➔ Chocolate chocolate chip cookie. Yes, that is the right number of chocolates.
► Last thing you drank ➔ Water.
► Last site you went to ➔ jigzone, facebook and dA
► Last place you were ➔ Car dealership for an oil change and to fix the clunking noise. And the grocery store for chicken. Mmmm, chicken.

RELATIONSHIPS
► Are you in a committed relationship ➔ Yes.
► Do you want to be ➔ Eh.
► Guy/Girl more than anything else in the world? ➔ .....yes?
► Do you still love them ➔ Sure.
► Do you like someone right now ➔ ..... yes.

FAMILY
► Do you and your family get along ➔ Ahahahahaha. My family does not get along. They have restraining orders against one another.
► Would you say you have a "messed up life"➔ Very.
► Have you ever run away from home ➔ Threatened to, but no.
► If so, how long ➔ See above.
► Have you ever gotten kicked out ➔ I was a hermit and did not bother anyone. No reason to be kicked out.
► If so, how long ➔ See above.

FRIENDS
► Do you secretly hate one of your friends ➔ No, because I would tell them and it would end the friendship. Oh blunt honesty how I love thee.
► Do you consider all of your friends good friends ➔ Yes.
► Do you trust all your friends ➔ In different ways, yes. I usually tell certain things to certain friends and hold back some things, depending on who I speak with. Not consciously; it just happens that way.
► Would you die for them ➔ In a heartbeat.
► Who knows everything about you ➔ No-one.
► Who are/is your best friend(s) ➔ ~Vallombrosa, ~Draza, ~EternalWillow.