Hi there. I'm looking for a couple of good to help me with a project. I'd really like to find someone who's willing to draft a few sketches for a character concept I'm playing, and I don't know of anyone in Rochester or the nearby areas. Suggestions/commments/raspberries? Thanks.

Hey all,

I'm trying to think of how to incorporate either LEDs or fiber optics into a costume design. Does anybody have any experience with this OR have a suggestion as to what websites I might be able to look at? I've already contacted our local costume shop (Arlene's), and they were less than helpful.

Thanks.

Anybody know of someone who could do character concept sketches? I'd like to get a few done for my Changeling character.

Gaming - Gaming is a wonderful escape from reality. I've also used it to explore new concepts or ideas that I would never consider in real life. Primarily, though, it's a way to explore new worlds without actually going there. Let's face it, travel is bloody expensive and I don't have that kind of cash.

Books - I've been in love with books since I was a kid. Primarily I read sci-fi or fantasy, but occasionally I'll branch out into mystery or the odd non-fiction (mostly history or mythology related).

Beer - This is a recent conversion for me, recent meaning in the last 5 years. Up until I was around 28 I hated beer. Hated it. Smell, taste - ugh. A good friend of mine took a lot of time to explain to me that I probably hated it due to what I'd always drank. I've since come to understand that he was most correct, and I not only enjoy a wide variety, I brew my own (or at least hard cider). Note: American and Canadian domestic imports are NOT beer.

Nature - There are times when I simply have to get away from the city and people. I was born and raised in the country, and too many people/things/cars/buildings get claustrophobic and noisy on occasion. Besides, beautiful scenery and waterfalls are not to be found in cities.

Comics - I got hooked on comics when I was a kid (even earlier than books). My dad and uncles had an old, beat-up collection from when they were younger and I read them at pretty much every opportunity. Same kind of thing as books, but a lot more escapism. 'Will Captain America defeat the Red Skull? Tune in next month to find out!' Nowadays I still read, but I don't buy. Yes, I'm evil for not supporting the industry - but I can't justify the cost. Three bucks for a 32-page magazine printed 12 times a month, or eight bucks for a book that I'll enjoy for several days and keep coming back to years later. Hmm - no, I can do this math.

Damn Butcher.

Woke up this morning (kinda) to crazy turning-into-a-vampire dreams visualized by me and narrated by Jim Butcher ala reading it in a book WHILE 'living' the experience. Needless to say it wasn't me, just a character I happened to be, but still...

Weird, exciting and...creepy and scary as hell. Game doesn't creep me out that much, yet part of it was...thrilling. Sensual. Danger-on-a-stick adrenaline boosting, yet I woke up only slightly tired. And before my alarm, which rarely happens.

Interesting thread the Cam had today - real-world superpowers.

Like...never getting lost, Google-Fu, that sort of thing.

Anything you've got that could be considered a talent/superpower?

Who to be next?

That is the question I'm asking myself (character inspiration). Any thoughts?

Just because I'm curious (Lissa, this is your fault).

If you saw ME in a police car, what would you think I got arrested for?

Zzzzzzz.

*mental note: do not overtax on the exercise before going to work. Also do not eat too much sugar-laden stuff at lunch. Both induce coma at ~4pm.*

*returning to regular...ly....shc..*...zzzzzzzzz.

Opinions?

http://www.wptz.com/news/17539127/detail.html

Never subscribe to a personals service.

Never.

I keep telling myself that it's always a bad idea, then I received an email that required (of course) a subscription to one of these sites. Silly me, thinking that someone might actually be interested in talking to me, I signed up. Upon opening said mail, it was spam! SPAM!

Now being thoroughly annoyed, I called the service's support line. Unfortunately (right) I can't get back all of my subscription fee. I was able to recover some of the fee, but since I doubt very much that I'll EVER use this service again I feel like I just got royally screwed.

Guess this classifies as a personal lesson. Sigh.

I'm not sure if "style" is the right word to use here...

We've all got particular character roles or styles that we like to play. My personal favorite has to be the person who gets stuck with fantastic abilities and is then forced to determine how to use those abilities (ala the Flash). It's a concept that I've always liked. What do you do, especially if there's nobody around to help you? Do you tell anyone? How do you use those abilites/powers/talents?

Anybody have a particular favorite role/style they'd like to share?

Ugh. I hate being sick. Well, that's like the vast majority of people out there (minus a certain percentage of masochists). Mild fever/chills, headache, runny nose, etc...I first thought it was a cold, but now I have to wokder if I found a mild flu. The next day or so will tell.

And, dutiful and masochistic me, I still have to pop into work for a little bit to finish up some work that cant wait. Why oh why did I do that?

*duty duty Duty DUTY DUTY*

Yes, yes, I get it! Why can't I have this kind of force of will when it comes to women?!?

*whine*

I do believe the most recent batch of hard cider has finished fermenting. After one night with the metabisulfite to kill the yeast, I think it'll be ready for bottling (figure tomorrow or Thursday night). Lemme know if you're interested in sampling, and I'll make arrangements to get it to where you are.

Well, the things I always carry...

This has a couple of different possible answers. I always carry things like my wallet, keys and glasses. Of course, I'm not mentioning things like what I ate and drank last or the most recent set of emotional or stress-affecting experiences I've gone through. All in all it's a matter of perspective.

Powerful...not something I usually feel. If I had to pick something that DID make me feel that way, however, it would be the times of driving really, REALLY fast on the road and being firmly in control of that much metal moving that fast. I imagine it might be something like fighter pilots feel when they're flying supersonic speeds (or something like that).

And the armageddon clock ticks forward again...how do people actually believe this crap as fact? Perhaps we need a new division in the United States...Creationists are denied the right to anything that has been produced with science, as it clearly cannot exist without being spontaneously created by God. The rest of us, who believe in science, are allowed to reap the benefits of rational thought.

No, this probably doesn't make much sense, but then neither does the Oklahoma House of Representatives.


http://www.badastronomy.com/bablog/2008/03/09/oklahoma-one-step-from-doom/

Hmph.  I'd have to say that I'm too blunt...ahem, HONEST.  Also too shy, too unwilling to deal with unexpected change...in short, I've become an old man too soon.  Perhaps not the answer you were looking for, but there it is.

 I've never really posted thoughts before, and don't expect a ton of really personal stuff.  Still,  maybe if I write it down I'll actually DO some of this stuff.  I really need to buckle down and work on a few of my hobbies, things I've always wanted to do, books I've meant to read...that sort of thing.  I'm focusing on work so much lately (good and bad) that I've allowed other things to slip through the cracks in my life.  Granted, some of them require effort....perhaps why I haven't gotten around to them yet!

Anyway - 

1.  Make some progress in home-brewing - I've done a few batches of hard cider, and I think I know what I need to do now to give it a bit more flavor.  I'll be adding white and brown sugar in the next batch to give the yeast more of a carbon source so the cider isn't so dry-tasting at the end of the fermentation.  I also got a kit for Christmas that I need to pop open and start brewing.

2.  Get some non-fiction read.  This is harder than it sounds, since almost any non-fiction I read winds up putting me to sleep.  I have no idea WHY this is, it just occurs!

3.  Get back to the gym, work out.  REALLY hard to self-motivate on this one.  I know the benefits, but I also know how much it's going to hurt to get back to where I'd really like to be, and I don't want to go through with the torture!

4.  Learn to SCUBA-dive.  Hand in hand with 3, really.  I've always wanted to learn SCUBA, but if I'm in crappy shape it won't matter since I won't enjoy it.  Spring/summer project here.