A Cold New Year

First off, Happy New Year!!! I’d like to say that I spent my New Year hanging out with family or friends but it was quite the opposite. Two days before I had to leave home and head back to the college I got sick. Sadly I spent my entire New Years Eve (after I got off work) in my dorm curled up in bed watching movies. I attempted to sleep but I merely dozed. Coughing and not being able to breathe properly does that to a person. All I want to do is go home. I can’t though. I have work Saturday and even though we’re closed tomorrow I see no point in driving all the way back.

Even though I'm sick I couldn't stay in bed for long. After two movies and a book later I ended up gutting my desk and some of the closets. I even rearranged some things and cleaned. I can't help it, really. I shouldn't have done any of that because now I feel even worse. It's in my nature though. Dirty things will be attacked and purged of any and all germs and dust. I'm the type that can't live in filth, no matter how little. Call me OCD or a clean freak but regardless everything will be cleaned. MWAHAHA!!!

On the bright side my dear feral cats were very happy to see me last night. When I pulled into the college parking lot they came sprinting to me. I only shook my truck keys once too. Amazing! They apparently missed me more than I thought they would. They even tagged along when I went to throw the trash out. I ended up feeding them twice that night. Momma has a worrisome pudge to her belly. I pray to God that she’s not pregnant. I really can’t deal with that right now. I’m not Mother Nature though so in the words of Shigure “Que, sera sera.”

My brother has already called my twice today. Once to tell me that he went to his friend’s ranch and shot off fireworks of which I’m so jealous of. Fireworks were banned five or six years ago in my subdivision so I haven’t shot off a firework in a long time. I’m happy he got to though. The second time was to ask me what exactly an aardvark was. To be honest I didn’t really know. So I did a little research and discovered that they look like anteaters, are commonly called anteaters, but belong to their own family and resemble pigs. Their closest living relative is apparently an elephant shrew. I personally think they look more like a possum and an anteater decided to have offspring but whatever. I ended up sending him a picture of an aardvark.

I think I’ll go put in another movie now and hopefully get some sleep. I don’t appreciate feeling like I’m underwater but then most people don’t. I think I’ll go get some Kleenexes in the morning.

Candy Cane Poem

A significant symbol of Christmas
Is the Simple Candy Cane.
It's shape is the crook of the Shepherd
One of the first who came.
The lively peppermint flavor is
The regal gift of spice.
The White is Jesus' purity.
The Red is sacrifice.
The narrow stripes are friendship
And the nearness of his love.
Eternal, Sweet Compassion
A gift from God above.
The Candy Cane reminds us all
Of how much God cared.
And like His Christmas gift to use
It's meant to be broken and shared.

~Anonymous

Bringing Home the Bacon

............
Well, I went home for Sunday, driving through the night on Saturday... between Brady and Llano I did something I have never done before.
I hit something.
I've been driving for three years now, and have never hit anything. However, in the hill country of Texas, I came up a hill to see a gray shape in the road. There were a few thoughts running through my head- surprise at hearing my own startled yelp, noticing that the animal-shape did not have the long neck distinctive to deer- and was therefore probably a pig of some kind. (Because we do have wild pigs in Texas.) The rest was instinct. Push on the brakes, turn the wheel to try and avoid hitting the creature.
I did manage to avoid a head-on collision, I only caught it with the corner of my car. I pulled over to try and see the damage... I couldn't find my flashlight, so all that I could see in the glare of my still-operational headlights was that the section of car under my right headlight- I don't know that you would call it a bumper- was gone. Snapped away as if it never was.
I was- and am- fine. However at church the next day, my parents and friends proceeded to tell me how bad it COULD have been. Apparently, wild pigs are one of the worst things that you can hit. Low center of gravity+ High density= High probability of flipping cars.
I was also lucky that my car made it the hour remaining to my house- apparently the impact shoved an important tube up against something that spins, and a hole was being bored into it the whole time I was driving.
I just really didn't need this right now. Ah well, stella vi, right?
I did get to see my church's candlelight communion on Sunday- which I try my hardest not to miss every year- its my favorite service. I didn't even know that they were having it this Sunday!
It just doesn't feel quite like Christmas to me until I've stood in that Sanctuary, candle lit, seeing the whole room aglow just from the candles we hold, and sung Christmas songs with my church family.
Soon I get to go back home, and hopefully, get some rest and relaxation. I'm driving my mother's truck, and the last thing any of us need is for something to happen to THAT.

Burned out

So Fruit Bat and I went to go see the Princess and the Frog tonight... And only got about halfway or so through the movie. T_T
The screen started showing lines, getting blurry, and finally the film burned all the way through. We waited for a little bit, peering into the light booth, but no one was there. Fruit Bat and I left our seats to seek out an employee- to no avail. It was midnight, and Nobody was there. No one at the concession stands, or ticket booths... we called for people up and down the halls- the doors were locked... it was so weird... I mean, who leaves people behind in a theater? We could have totally messed the place up with no one there.
Eventually we found an employee-manager type person and explained the situation- he had somebody check on it, and gave us some rain checks, so FB and I are going to try again later.
For tonight, it's reruns of Danny Phantom and a very late dinner.

Snow day!

So yesterday, Fruit bat woke me up early to let me know that it was snowing outside- I got up to look, and promptly went back to bed. Sleep is a good thing, and I never feel like I get enough. When it was finally time for me to get up, I grabbed my camera and ventured out into the closest thing to a winter wonderland that I've seen in a long time. Camera clicking constantly, I walked across campus to my class. There were college students making snow angels and leaving tracks in the snow- two girls I met had tread out a heart. I myself made a miniature snowman, ate some snow, and upon arriving at my building, dropped my bags and made a snow angel. ^_^
After class I came back to the dorm, where Fruit bat was waiting. We immediately went back outside (me grabbing some gloves, because my hand had let me know during the snowman incident that touching the white powder unadorned was not appreciated.) Within two seconds of us being outside we were engaged in a snowball fight. It was fast and furious and fun- surprisingly we managed to hit each other most of the time- my aim is notoriously bad.
We made a snowman-woman-thing. We started calling it an alien because it looked so weird... Lol...
It was a lot of fun, and I was very depressed to wake up this morning and see the sun shining down on a parkinglot devoid of snow.

breakfast... or lack thereof

So this is just a little bit of me complaining. I do that from time to time, you may have noticed.
I'm on a meal plan over at this college, something that I have to pay for... then walk into the cafeteria and swipe my card so they can keep track of me... or something like that.
Well, about two weeks ago they cut down on our breakfast options. Usually, there are muffins (or at least things that vaguely resemble muffins) now there are none.
This week, I discover that they've also gotten rid of the cinnamon rolls, and the doughnuts, and neglected to refill the eggs when they were depleted.
So I had two little sausages for breakfast this morning.
I'm a bit displeased at the moment.

24

Previously on 24...
Vulpecula was invited to the 24th birthday of her cousin- however, it soon became apparent that the gathering was not one of celebration, but rather, an intense manhunt. Delegated the role of "Edgar" Vulpecula was contacted by "Jack" on behalf of her cousin "Tony"- the team was to assemble at the post office. The latest in GPS technology at her fingertips, "Edgar" soon arrived.

The following takes place between 8:15 and 9:15 pm.
It's a dark night and the post office is eerily silent- but what does that matter to a ghost of seasons past like "Edgar"?
The first to arrive, she paces anxiously in front of the building, pondering whether or not to call her teammates to confirm the location. As she pulls out her phone, a van pulls up- "Jack" is driving, a bag of tricks under his arm and earpiece secured in his left ear. "Tony" exits the vehicle as well, mere moments later the entire team is assembled- "Audrey" pulls aside a woman to give her the details, which are in turn relayed to the group.
"A bomb has been placed in San Angelo-
Float on by to your first clue.
You have 4.04 minutes to get there"
Displaying his usual clarity, Jack is the first to realize that the location is a bar- the 404. Tony takes the wheel of the van and the team screeches off into the night. With some reckless driving (after all, what speed limits apply with a bomb in the equation?) the group makes it to the parking lot in time. Tony discovers a cardboard box, with further instructions.
Apparently, the bomb is not there- but the team must meet with President Logan to get more information, while Audrey heads back to CTU headquarters. With some more "careful" driving, the group arrives at Logan's Roadhouse, and confirms their location by sending a photo-message to Audrey. No sooner had they informed the lady of their whereabouts, a threatening text message was sent to Jack and Tony- Their loved ones had been compromised!
Now they had to choose which would take priority in this deadly race.
"Torture is a Hobby of mine" read the clue- everyone knew the answer but Edgar said it anyway- "The Hobby Lobby!" Fortunately the Hobby Lobby was right across the street- True to the villain's note, President Logan's former wife was locked in a car in the parking lot- quite distraught. The door was opened and she spilled out, wailing that the assistants had placed a something, possibly a bomb, on her back, and that the other bombs had been moved to a "new location".
The "bomb" was actually a note- Tony only needed to glance at the last line to know the location- CTU headquarters! Arriving at the scene, Jack used some things from his bag of tricks to defuse a bomb wired to the door- within we found Audrey and the Terrorist, Audrey was bound with zipties, a "bomb" at her feet. With great bravery and swiftness, Tony defused the bomb.

So yeah, that's what I did tonight. The "bomb" was actually a cake with candles. Fun party, huh?

Silence Night

It's not fun for fruit bat, but she's stricken with a nasty sore throat- so tonight's been very quiet so far. It's mean of me, but every time she pulls out her pad of paper and marker- as she just did, to mock me for writing this post, I have to laugh.

Costumes

As promised, here are our costumes. Fruit bat is a "celestial sorceress" I'm the pied piper.
We went to a Halloween party on the 30th, I needed to have social credit for the honors program.
They had a photo-scavenger hunt thing, and our group won (which surprised me, because my group doesn't usually win.)
It was funny though, on the elevator ride up to the lounge, the door opened, and I saw a demon-clown with a small sycthe standing so that he was hidden from view. I had a split second in which I very clearly remember deciding not to freak out, and stepped into the elevator. Fruit Bat didn't have this wonderful moment- she saw him and freaked out a little. Hehehehe....
The scavenger hunt was a bit of a disappointment, we had nine clues in poem form that led us from place to place on the campus- that was fine. What would have been MUCH BETTER would be if there were something actually AT the locations we were supposed to find, so that we would know that we did it right.
Like the confirmation noise it plays in video game "Good Job! You got the right answer! (But the princess is in another tower....)"
Anyway. There's a little of that night.

happy halloween

Well, I had to scramble to get it colored in time, but here it is. This is a copy of our new festive doorsign. Fruit Bat is dressed as a "Celestial Sorceress" And I'm a very toned down pied piper- no way am I trying to find all the color that really ought to go into that costume.
We'll probably put up some pictures of our actual costumes, after I play with our faces a little bit. :)
I'm not very happy with the color job since i had to do it so fast, but I can color it over again later.

Brief Horror

I was SO SCARED!!!!
I went into my computer class today to work on my project (due today) and found my entire folder GONE. All of my work on previous projects and projects to come, GONE. I wasn't the only one, 7 people had their entire folders deleted, and several others had their folders gone through and documents deleted. What kind of person even does that?!
Fortunately, the IT people were able to recover our folders about halfway through class, so I was able to scurry and get the project done.
Still. Way. Too. Scary.
Picture called Happy Halloween Danny by paradoxal on DA.

On a completely unrelated sidenote, Youtube and Hulu now have Macgyver! Isn't that awesome?

Not my intent...

I want to start by saying, this is kinda sorta not really my fault- I mean, how was I to know?
It's a natural thing for me, I have certain shows and movies that I adore, and I'll try to get other people to watch them, ask anyone. But that's as far as it really goes- I'll get the urge to watch something, make somebody watch the movie or the first episode with me, and then when they never ask to watch the second, I don't really worry about it- no harm no foul. They were there for the segment I wanted to watch, and far be it fro me to force someone to watch something they don't want to.
Which is why I'm currently flabbergasted.
Last YEAR I had Fruit Bat watch the Stargate movie, and the first couple of episodes of Stargate SG-1. And after that we moved on to other things, she never asked to continue, and I never pressed. Except about a week ago she mentioned it, so we watched the first episode again. Now we are watching 2-3 episodes a night and she is a self-professed obsessive fan. So weird.
I wonder if this is how my older brother felt when he accidentally introduced me to something that I suddenly developed a rabid obsession for...

work

Just a few quick things about life at the moment. So I'm working at my new job, and it's really funny because there's a lady there with the same name as me. This is a bit unusual, I've never been involved with anyone who had the same name as me, especially not spelled the same way, since my version is a bit older and out of favor with the general population.
But this lady is constantly getting calls and asked questions because she's a senior employee- and I just jump every time I hear my name, but they aren't talking to me.
We were joking that we should write "1" and "2" on our nametags, in the meantime I just call her "Number One." which actually gives me flashbacks to Star Trek... >.<;
Also, as much as I loved working at my old job, and still love the girls I worked with, I didn't much LIKE it...
Well... that's hard to explain. See, I don't like people. I'll be the first to admit it. But this new job? The customers? I've gotten to where I think I do like people. I've had conversations with them, and they're really nice and understanding...
Oh well.
Like the picture? That's Farwing, one of my muses. He's the only guy muse, and is in charge of "character." He's kind of easygoing and ready for anything, so I thought he fit this post.

Follow the White Rabbit

I'm in two drawing classes this year, and we've been doing still life's since the beginning of the year. Some of you know me, and are worried by this statement.
You have every reason to be.

Two classes of nothing but still life for three days out of the week?
Yeah, Right.

So last week I snapped. There's only so many times I can be a team player about drawing boxes and gourds and bottles. I know why we're supposed to do these things, and I do try to be a good student, but I was sick of it. Sue me. So, I put something extra in my still life, a little bunny in the bottom left corner. It was small, and cute, and not at all part of the still life. If my professor asked me to, I could erase it easily and move on, no harm no foul.
Except... I contaminated the students on either side of me. One doodled in an octopus (which looks amazing), the other put a worm into the plastic apple.
But our professor saw it, and didn't say anything.
This is generally a bad plan- if you don't call me on something you don't want me to do, rest assured, I will do it again. Bigger.
So the small white rabbit has been followed by a huge textured dragon in my new still life. And I'm STILL not in trouble! My professor just commented that the texture was nice. ^_^
The girl who drew the octopus is now working on a unicorn, the worm-in-apple gal plans to throw in a fairy.
I can't wait for our next group critique.
Because I know, this is all my fault.
So... Follow the White Rabbit.

The picture is called Leaping Bunny by Captain Spazzy on DeviantART.

Diego

Sirens, Employment, and Crashes- Oh My!

Such an original title, I know. Might as well get cracking on the explanations- even though I'm pretty sure the only two people who read this blog are me and Fruitbat...
Yesterday I returned for the break in between my classes, I was even (for once) not focused on recreation, but on working on my assigned art project. (My teacher shows no sign of allowing us to work on it in class- he's talked through the last two class periods.) I had just finished setting up when that cursed wail- like that of a forlorn soul slipping into the abyss, sounded through the halls. The fire alarm. Usually, it annoys me, yesterday, I was quite irate- I made it downstairs only to be told that it was a false alarm and that we could go back to our rooms. Which was fine. What was annoying was that the alarm continued on and off for the next ten to fifteen minutes. Fire alarms aren't designed to be ignored, and my eardrums were ready to happily kill someone.
Also yesterday, I had an interview (my first in San Angelo, no one else even called me back!) and was hired! In the interest of paranoia, I won't be saying where. I'm so happy though. I was SKIPPING in the parking lot on the way to my car!
Today I was riding my bike to class, like I always do, and had my first collision here. I ran into some poor guy from behind. He zigged when I thought he would zag. He stumbled, I only got his calf with my tire, I think- I tried to keep balance, wound up falling off my bike, trying to catch myself in time to stand, stepped on my foot wrong in the process, and landed on my hands and knees. I was really embarrassed- they kept asking if I was alright, I was, and am, fine. I felt soooo bad! I've never run into someone like that before.... I've never run into someone before!

In other news, back at home there's been some trouble with Bella and Hannah for a while now (those are two of our dogs). They get into fights every now and again- bad ones. My older sister EvilGlare was trying to separate the two of them and wound up getting bit- as bites go its supposedly not bad (especially considering that Bella and Hannah are big dogs) but it is infected, so she's been going to the doctor. Poor EvilGlare, she's not even a dog person! She's a catperson! Doesn't that make her automatically exempt from dog-related injuries?

The picture is from DeviantART by Gabeszntx, called Wolves. I just colored it.

Fears

People have many things that they fear- heights, spiders, being alone, clowns, words spelled with the letter q... you get my drift. Well being the roommate of a Fruit Bat has brought me face to face with two of these fears in one week. Fortunately, I took a back seat for both of them- unfortunately, that didn't stop the worry. A few days ago now (I've been waiting for FB to post this story herself, but she's been busy) our school had an outdoor event featuring free pizza. College students+ free= massive attendance. The people in charge of the event were blasting music, and several of the girls were dancing. One such girl had a small white dog. I grabbed some breadsticks (the pizza was gone) and FB and I sat down. I was feeling twitchy and sulky- I don't like really loud music, and I'm not a big fan of social interaction- pathetic, right? FB on the other hand looked moderately excited, and told me she was going over to see the dog. I followed after a moment, in time to see the dog lunge toward something on the ground, and FB try to ask if she could pet the dog- at least I think that's what she said, I couldn't hear her. We started on our way back to the dorm, FB stopping to look back at the dog, which was behaving erratically. She went back to him, he was twitching, snapping at the air, hopping up a little on his leash- then his legs folded underneath him, still snapping. FB realized what was happening before any of us -that thing the dog had gone after earlier had been a chicken leg, and the dog had tried to swallow it whole. FB tried a version of the Heimlich for dogs which involves doing something to the back, and stuck her hand inside his mouth to see if she could feel the obstruction- she assures me that this is what you are supposed to do. You may recall that the dog was snapping. Here enters the first fear- Fruit Bat got bit by a dog. We're just happy that it was a little dog, not a Deko-deko sized one! She called me over to hold open the dog's mouth (which I did) while she pulled out the chicken leg. The whole affair didn't take very long, but it sure felt like it at the time. The dog's owner was very grateful to us- and yes, the dog was fine. Now, the other fear. Last night I got to bed a little later than FB, she was trying to catch up on some missed sleep, and I was more interested in reading for a little bit. I went to bed around midnight- but was still awake when FB suddenly sat up in bed, stumbled to her feet, groping for a water bottle. She was making horrible wheezing sounds, I said her name, and she responded, "I can't breathe!" I didn't know WHAT to do, what can you do in a situation like that? Pat the person on the back, that's what, feeling panicked. I knew that she could still breathe at least a little bit (in my experience, if you can talk, you can still breathe, if she hadn't told me she couldn't breathe, I might have called 911.) The attack only lasted a few minutes, but both of us were creeped out- poor FB didn't get back to sleep until 2 or so, and I was jumping every time she coughed! She went to the clinic today, and apparently she's having "bronchial spasms" which is sort of like asthma's twin cousin. Now she has an inhaler, some medicine and a vaporizer given to us by her grandmother- neither of us want the next time to be worse.
The picture can be found on DA under Destiny Island Cats or ignesfatuis- I recolored it a while back.

I Thought I Was Going To Die....

I went to ride Ariel today. Storms were building up and I could hear it thundering. Nella and Sharon came out a few times and told me that the storms were going to miss us so I didn't worry about it. You know how animals can tell if there's a bad storm coming or that something bad is going to happen? Yeah, Ariel tried to tell me but I ignored her. She tried bucking me off for the first time in the six years that I've owned her. I got on to her for it and 15 minutes later I took her to the barn to groom.

As soon as I set the brush down to take her back to her pasture it started pouring. Not a puny pour but an all out "I'm a freaking flood!" pour. "Yes, yes, of course! Why not?" I exclaimed to Ariel. "Maybe we can run to your pasture and..." then it began to hail. Okay, the bad thing about this entire situation was that the roof of the barn is made of tin, therefore, it was extremely loud, and when the wind blew it sounded as though the whole building were going to take flight.

Now at this point, if you know me well enough, I was having a freaking spazz attack. I'm scared senseless of severe or bad storms. I thought that any second a tornado was going to come down and swipe the barn from the face of the planet. I took Ariel to her stall and then grabbed the two orange kittens before going into the boarder tack room where it was much quieter. I texted Vulpecula and then went out of the boarder room witnessing lightening strike the electrical pole in one of the pastures. "I'm going to die!" I said aloud before checking on Ariel who was wide-eyed and tense. I tossed her some hay which calmed her down and got her mind off the weather.

When it finally settled down I decided to put my helmet on and dash for my truck before it started up again. Right when I was about to run I saw Nella and Sharan speed by in her van. I jogged after them knowing that something was up. Then I saw it.....my truck windows were down. I ALWAYS unroll them because my air doesn't work very well and it gets hot in my truck. Needless to say, it wouldn't have mattered if I had remembered beforehand because it had been hailing. "Dang it! Dang it, dang it, dang it!" I yelled throwing my things into the truck and continuing my jog after Sharon and Nella.

I reached them and discovered what the problem was. The wind had destroyed the water tank. They now have no water out there. Not until someone can come out and fix it that is. They're going to call someone tomorrow.

I got in my truck, determined to drive home, only to discover that my windows were fogged up. I had to wait five minutes and then I had to wipe the water off from the INSIDE of the window so that I could see out. XD It was quite funny.

There was also two humming birds trapped in the barn. They couldn't figure out that in order to get out they had to fly down and through the doors. Silly birds.

Anyway, it was quite an exciting first day back home. I just hope that it isn't so eventful tomorrow. The seat covers for my truck are currently in the dryer. Heh...

A Midnight Double?

Yes, we have a Midnight double, dubbed Zant from The Legend of Zelda game. Basically, I took my camera with me on the daily ramble that Vul and I go on yesterday. I wanted to get pictures of the two kittens we saw the day before. It just so happened that while I was trying to take a picture of Midna (a grey tortie) I looked down and there was Zant. A spitting image of last year's kitten, Midnight who was re-named Inspector by his new owner.

I know, I know. "No more animals!" Don't worry, I'm not bringing them back with me. I haven't even started feeding them yet. I will be once I have a plan. What shall I do? Hmmmm......My parents might kill me and bury me 20 feet under if I bring home any more animals. Specifically any more dogs. Dakota was the last straw. Ah well. What can I say, I have a soft mushy heart that feels like it's being ripped in two when I see starving or injured animals. At least I don't ignore them like most people do. I try to do something.

I hope I'll be able to get a Feral Cat Trap-Neuter-Return program started here. That would be the most ideal situation.

I'm still sick with a horrid cough than neither cough drops nor nasty cough syrup have been able to cure. I finally broke down today and bought some Dayquil. It seems to have calmed my cough down. THANK YOU GOD!!! Maybe I'll be able to get a good night's sleep for once.

Cough-syrup fun

Yes- you did read the title correctly. I said cough syrup fun.
You know, as children, we were generally made to take one of two kinds of medicine, liquid or chewable. Apparently, we weren't trusted to swallow things.
The most notorious of the liquid offenders is, of course, Cough Syrup. Because it really isn't replaced by anything once you get older.
Sure you can pop cough drops like it's going out of style, but for the serious long term relief, there's no real substitute.
This fact doesn't bother me in the slightest. I never had a problem with cough syrup as a child, and as a immature adult, I don't have much trouble with coughing.
This is not the case for everyone, of course. For one, my sister Evil Glare hates cough syrup with a passion usually reserved for genocide.
So, apparently, does Fruit Bat.
Now, you wouldn't really know, because she hasn't really posted, but the dear FB has had a rather bad cough for the past five days or so. After a particularly rough night, she went to the free clinic on campus today.
It's either a cold or really bad allergies, but that part doesn't really matter because the treatment is the same- COUGH SYRUP.
Now, FB informed me that she really hated cough syrup- to the point of vomiting as a child. I didn't think it was actually true until it was time for her to take it. (No, she didn't vomit.)
First, she mocked the bottle, trying to read what dose she ought to take, and nearly not taking it because "It's two teaspoons and I don't have anything to measure with." No, the cap did not have a nifty measuring thing on the inside.
Then, opening the bottle, gouging at the protective seal with a pair of craft scissors, stabbing into the liquid itself "It's BLOOD!!" and claiming that her scissors were now "tainted."
Finally, after smelling it and nearly losing it right then, she managed to pour a little into a mug.
Assuming the position by the sink, mug in one hand, treat of root beer float as a reward in the other, she stood, counting to three.
One...
Two...
Three...
And held the mug away from her face.
At this point I was getting nervous- I should be here for this, but my class starts soon. So does Fruit Bat's for that matter.
"Take it because Vulpecula's going to be late for class." she coached herself.
"Take it because a TIME PARANOID Vulpecula's going to be late for class." I corrected.
One...
Two...
Three...
Mug got too close, she smelled it and pushed it away from her face.
"Sorry. That's not enough. Wait! I got it!"
Without telling me what the magic thought was, FB started the ritual once more.
One...
Two...
Three...
And down went the cough syrup. In went the ice cream- which smeared on her face in her eagerness to get rid of the taste and consistency of the syrup.
I laughed the whole way to class.
She just told me what the thought was. Some long-time readers might remember a puppy we dubbed Gaara. Well, Gaara's a dog now, and a mal-treated one at that. He and a little corgi are confined to a small run in the backyard of their house. Neither dog is neutered, and it's doubtful that they've had any shots, neither wears a collar, even though they frequently escape. Their run has no shelter for them to go to in the hot part of the day, and their water would be deemed disgusting by a sewer rat.
Anyway, today someone from the humane society was going to come around to check on them- and FB told herself that if she didn't take her medicine, no one would come.
Something completely unrelated...
Ah well, I at least had fun today.

Where's the weekend?

FB and I discussed this only yesterday- we both feel as though this week has been longer than normal. Of course, we were discussing this in relation to the lack of call-backs for our applications. *SIGH* Anyway, here's the rundown on my classes. I'm taking two art classes this semester, Drawing 1 & 2. Apparently, you don't have to take drawing 1 to get into drawing 2, which makes no sense whatsoever to me. My drawing 2 class is first in the day, and we're learning gesture drawing, which apparently translates to "how to draw without outlines" its a major pain, and I keep feeling like I'm doing it wrong! My drawing 1 class is after lunch, and is much bigger. The professor set up a still life for us to draw (to see where we are artistically) and if I was sitting, all I could see was the back of the person in front of me's head. As interesting a drawing as that would have been, it wasn't the assignment, so I stood. I might have complained about those classes, but I really think that they're fun, the first one is just frustrating because it's something I don't know- which is the point of the class, as I often remind myself. My other classes are an English class- which I already love, my professor is HYSTERICAL. He was testing our definitions of things like critique, perception and truth, and for perception it went something like... "A piece of literature means whatever the reader thinks it means." and you had to say whether the statement was true or false and explain. When people kept arguing for true, the teacher told us that Poe's Tell-tale heart was about the secret life of bullfrogs. lol. I have a Government class with a lot of people from honors, but I'm reserving judgment for the moment- I mean, the teacher gives the notes orally, and seems to get sidetracked, so it's hard to TAKE notes, but the sidetracked information seems valuable, and I feel like I'm learning. The last class is a computer one, Graphic Design, which is not at all how I thought that it would be. I thought we'd be doing things in photoshop and stuff like that... instead we're making letterheads, business cards, envelopes, resumes... things like that. We're working with corelDRAW, which I have never worked with before. So yeah, it's a little intimidating, especially when I consider that I'm the only non-design major in the class. However, I shall prevail, I shall get a good grade, and possibly learn something that may be of use to me later. I'll never know unless I learn it, will I? Another self-made Kenshin motivational poster today- my opinion exactly.

School

Yes, that place of wonder and dread has pulled us to it once more. Or, yeah, the fruit bat and fox are back at college now. Fruit Bat and I are now dorm-mates! This will doubtless make the blog a bit strange, as we now see each other with far greater frequency, but since this blog is more for the benefit of family and friends back home, our posts should still come with the same unerring irregularity. It feels so strange to be back, it's our second year, older, wiser, and knowledgeable about such important things as which doors to open, and what days are best for laundry. The Bat and I didn't start to feel nervous until we were driving down the road to the school, about three blocks away, and then it suddenly hit us- that we were BACK. Sometimes I wonder if "Fruit Bat" shouldn't be "Pack Rat"- she brought most of her stuff with her, as I type, secure and done with unpacking, she moves things around on her desk, trying to find places for it all. She says she wants to make the place more homey- and it certainly is, we have posters on all the walls and a tv, truly impressive, I hardly recognize the old place. Within moments, we will travel downstairs to try and find out where parking permits are sold, then maybe we'll get dinner. I'm not sure if jobhunting starts today or tomorrow- as it's five now, I'm inclined toward tomorrow... but a job will be gotten!

English Saddle? Jumping?

Those are the two questions that I'm asking myself right now. Should I buy an English saddle? How hard is learning how to jump with horses going to be?

In December I plan on taking lessons out at Spiritwood. They teach English riding so I'm considering just getting an English saddle. The owner is going to teach me how to jump only I won't be able to use Ariel for that. Unfortunately, Ariel is not built for jumping. Most Arabs aren't. I will however be using Ariel to strengthen my leg muscles so that I am ready to jump. The owner said that she was going to have me stand up and forward in the stirrups for the first couple of weeks to build up my leg muscles. Ouch! That's going to be painful! It'll be worth it though. I can't wait!

I hope that the saddle will be a Christmas present.

I'd also like to say, HAPPY BIRTHDAY VULPECULA!!!!!!!

Brothers: Can't live with them, can't live without them.

If you have brothers then you know very well how terribly annoying they can be. Sadly, my older brother and I don't really get along. Every time I'm right he says that the conversation is over and won't let me finish. If I try to he starts yelling at me or leaves the room.

Now if he's right, that's a completely different story. The conversation is NEVER over until HE says so and if I try to leave he gets angry. If I do manage to escape, he'll bring the subject up again later or find my mom or dad and tattle-tale. He's 21! Who does that? Certainly not me!

Anyhow, I'm sitting in my room blaring Linkin Park because I'm furious at him! We have gotten into two arguments today and I've been right both times, which has made him mad at me. It's over silly things too! I merely asked who kept leaving crumbs in all the boxes, bags, and containers in the pantry and fridge. My younger brother said it wasn't him and my older brother told me to get over it. I simply asked him to stop leaving practically empty containers and what not for everyone to throw away. He started yelling at me and told me that the conversation was over, and to go away. Needless to say, I got angry and yelled back. Yes, I'm ashamed of yelling at him. I normally do NOT yell when I get upset but he succeeded in causing me to.

*sigh* I don't understand it. I do love him but he's such a frustrating person! Ugh! Okay, that's the end of my venting...I hope....

the fruits of wisdom

If you guessed that this was about wisdom teeth, then you're right. Monday I participated in a study that removed all 4 of my wisdom teeth and gave me some experimental medication. In the interest of not revealing anything I shouldn't, I'm not mentioning anything else about it- except that it is now two days after my surgery, and my sister says that I look like a lego person because my cheeks are so swollen. I can barely open my mouth, and chewing is a fond memory. Mom found an icepack that i can actually strap to my face, so that's what I'm wearing- I can't wait for the swelling to go down. My gums don't hurt too much, but the swelling makes everything worse.
Bleh.

vacation

Well, it was a couple of weeks ago, but I went on vacation!
Every year my family absconds from our domestic life in texas to trade it for a semi-rustic life in colorado. We go up to the rocky mountain national park and live there for a week or two- preferably two. Why is it semi-rustic? Because although we stay in a cabin which has electricity, there is no cell phone service, usually no dishwasher, and no tv. I consider these to be a very good thing for these golden weeks of the year- I've been known to get angry if one of my siblings should happen to find cell phone service and spend their time texting.
Anyway, I was going to wait to post about it until I could get my pictures of the trip from my dad, but the pictures are not forthcoming.
Weather was perfect- 60 degrees Farenhieght. Which is quite the dramatic change from texas, let me assure you. We met my aunt, uncle and two cousins up there- they live in Illinois, so we hardly ever see them. We went on hikes to Bear Lake (which is like five feet from the parking lot, and so does not count as a hike in my book) Nymph lake, Dream lake, and Emerald lake. By the time that we got up to Dream we were walking on SNOW. Of course, many impromtu snowball fights and sledding ensued. As a side note- Dream is a long lake, you hit it, and walk alongside it for quite a ways. Mom and I have theorized that the lake is shaped roughly like a crescent moon, thus prompting the name Dream.
Nymph lake wasn't quite as pretty this year, generally, it's covered in lily pads with yellow flowers, but this year it was a bit too cold for them. T_T
We also hiked to Alberta Falls, Copeland Falls, Calypso Cascades, and Ouzel Falls.
We went white-water rafting on the Cache La Pouder river- which I love. I've been adicted to rafting since the first year that we did it- there is little so exhilirating. And it's not at all like a roller coaster- in a roller coaster you just sit there and scream- on the river, there are NO passengers, you're on the raft? You WORK. We always eat lunch at the same place when we get through- and we can't figure out if the food there is any good, or if we're just too hungry to care.
It's an interesting effect, you get off the river soaked to the bone and shivering, change into warm clothes, eat a filling meal, and its as if someone knocks you over the back of the head- we always fall asleep on the car ride back to the cabin.
A lot more than this happened- but it's sort of a pain to explain without pictures.
And so, I finish with this comment,
My shoes have been higher than you will EVER be on drugs.

Seven Days in Seven Minutes!

I know, you thought it was over, and done... or perhaps you knew, because you know me, that it wasn't.
But I HAD to remake the Kenshin wolfpack! Using Kay Fedewa's art, even without getting any profit from it, was wrong. So, I used free-to-color linearts from DeviantART. The result is that some of the wolves I don't like as much, but my concience is clean.
If you want to see the original linearts, check out the colored wolves on my gallery.
http://ignesfatuis.deviantart.com/
First up is Aoshi- All the colors are mostly the same, but I'm not a big fan of his expression this time around... I do like that the scars seemed to show up a bit better- though I should have put some on his chest.

Next is Misao- again, not a big fan of her expression or pose- since I thought the other Misao was a perfect fit... but she isn't as poofy!!

Megumi's color finally came out as something close to what I had envisioned. And her pose isn't that bad, she still looks flirty and in control.

Sano looks more dangerous this time around, and his color got lighter- though that's due to me and my computer monitor having issues. And then me being lazy and not fixing them. I had the same issues with Misao, which is why she's so pastel.

Yahiko looks darker, and DEFINITELY like a puppy- he is, again, one of my favorites, because this time around I didn't have to wrestle to make a grown dog look like a puppy, he did it on his own!

Kaoru looks more and more like an oddly colored wolf than a racoon-dog... she's so fluffy! Her pose really isn't too different from the other one, she still looks alert and vaguely hopeful.

The last two are of course Kenshin and Battousai. His hair is more red now, less orange... which is again, due to my own mess up and laziness in not fixing it. I like it, it doesn't clash as badly anymore! I still like Battousai, though now he seems a lot more violent... you can see his pretty teeth! ^_^;

HOME

There has been a (not exactly abnormal silence) on the blog for the past few days- the reason being, of course, that Fruit Bat and I have returned to our respective domiciles. We are home, people! It's so good to be back- seriously.
I'm back to my Christmas-setup, with my computer and desk over in a corner with a lovely blue cord that gives me internet access stretched across the stairway, ready to clothesline some poor person.
Anyway, anyway... so the day before our last day at school, Fruit Bat worked her animal magnetism one more time for the road- she found a sweet dog! I think it was a boxer... my memory just decided to check out for the summer. Well, this nice fellow didn't have a collar or tags (seriously people, get tags for your animals) so we wound up taking him to the San Angelo animal shelter- if you live in that area, stop by, see if you don't fall in love.
We also trapped the kittens- operation cat in bag went off without a hitch. Midnight and Saul went in the large carrier, Solstice in the smaller one. Fruit Bat and I closed the doors- Midnight noticed right away- freaking out, jumping around, etc. Apparently, if your cat does this in a carrier, all you really have to do is put a towel over it so they can't see out. Worked really well!
Solstice didn't notice/care that I'd closed the door- he was more interested in the food at the back of the carrier.
Now Saul and Midnight are with their new owner- Midnight's name has been changed to Inspector, and Saul's name change is pending...
Solstice is settling in pretty well over here, I wound up giving him to my youngest little sister for her birthday (yesterday). He really dodged a bullet too, she was going to change his name to Mushu, but fortunately, he only responds to Solstice. ^_^ He's using the litterbox (no surprise to me) and he's friendly with the rest of the family- he just still gets weirded out when we're all together in groups of three or more. He and the other cat, Stassney, have met. At first Stassney was putting up a good impression of Golumn from LOTR, hunched over and making strange noises- but now they're playing. Stassney likes to pin Solstice and try to give him a bath, but after a little bit Solstice gets fed up and it degenerates into a "fight".
We still have to get him used to the dog though- poor Diego is really friendly, and doesn't understand why Solstice keeps swiping at him! Pretty soon though, I think we'll let him have free reign of the house- so far he's been cooped up in various rooms when no one is home or the dog is inside. That can't be fun.
The picture was colored by me, as per usual, lineart by Weiringo of DeviantART.

Wolf's Rain Ramble

The purpose for this post is merely to rant about an Anime that I love: Wolf's Rain. This was one of the first animes that I really got into. Can you guess why? If you said wolves then you're correct! Before I continue let me just say that they're some major spoilers in this post.


Basically this show is about the end of the world. Now normally I HATE movies, shows, etc. that are about the end of the world, but this one was actually pretty good.

The earth is dying and is covered in snow. Humans live in run-down cities protected by domes that keep the brute force of the cold out, allowing plants to thrive. Wolves are said to be extinct. They were apparently wiped out 400 years ago. Though the viewer and a select few characters know this to be false. Wolves are still alive and have taken to putting up an illusion of being human. How they are able to do this I do not know. I learned really quick not to ask too many questions when watching this anime. It only makes your head hurt more. It's much easier if you just go with it.

The anime opens with paw prints in the snow that lead to a white wolf who has collapsed. A male voice is speaking the entire time. He speaks of a place called 'Paradise' and we can only assume that the voice is coming from the wolf.

"They say there's no such place... as Paradise. Even if you search to the ends of the Earth, there's nothing there. No matter how far you walk, it's always the same road. It just goes on and on. But, in spite of that... Why am I so driven to find it? A voice calls to me... It says, "Search for Paradise."

The show then moves to a new scene and the story begins. Within the first two episodes you meet all four of the main characters. There's Kiba, the white wolf, Hige, a golden colored wolf, Tsume, a grey wolf, and Toboe, a red wolf (though he looks brown). Although all the characters are important and have their own roles to play Kiba is definitely the main, main character. He is the chosen wolf. The one that will bring about the end of the world and open the gates to Paradise. Kiba can only accomplish this with the help of Cheza (the Flower Maiden), a human that is a lunar flower. Yes, yes, I know, weird. Now Kiba doesn't know that he is the chosen wolf but it is hinted at throughout the show and eventually confirmed even though Kiba denys it.

The most confusing part in this anime for me was when Darcia (the main bad guy) turned into a wolf towards the end. I had to watch it another time in order to understand what was going on. According to legend humans were born of wolves (yes, again weird and no, I don't believe that to be true) and were the messengers of wolves. The humans broke away and became their own people and quit listening to wolves. Apparently, Nobles (which is what Darcia is) used to be wolves but most could not remember being one. They were the originals I would guess because they live abnormally long and are different from the average human. Darcia remembered that he used to be a wolf and was, therefore, able to turn back into one. I still don't quite understand that.

One of my favorite quotes from the end is after Darcia has killed all of Kiba's friends.

Darcia: You've lost everything that was precious to you.

Kiba: I haven't lost anything. Not my friends, or my pride as a wolf. Nothing.

Anyways, at the end Toboe, Hige, Tsume, Cheza, and Kiba die. Everyone on earth dies. The earth is reborn, Paradise opened, and there is no one left to enjoy it. Here's the best part; after the earth is reborn we go to a city and lo-and-behold all the wolves are alive again! In human form but they're there. Guess what, that's the end. The scene closes with Kiba running with his back to us. The end.

I was appalled the first time I watched it and the second. By the third time I understood it better and now I'm slightly okay with it. I still think that they could have done a better job with the ending though. Like maybe, I don't know, NOT KILLING ALL THE WOLVES OFF!!! *sigh* Ah well, no ones perfect.

In all it was a wonderful anime. :D