Category: Uncategorized

I’ve finally done it. I’ve finally managed to get a digital camera into my hands (via Fry’s Electronics’ 15-day lease program 😉 :wink:), and I’ve begun taking pictures of my paintings and posting them online in a new section for art that I like to call “Modern Evil: Art“. Everything I post is available for purchase, and all prices are negotiable (within reason). Right now only Iain and myself can post in it; if you’d like to be able to post your own art, please let me know (oh, and Iain, email me for help getting thumbnails to appear in the outliner on the homepage).

I’ve only just begun to put them online, so if there’s a particular painting you’re looking for – don’t worry! It’s on sale, and it should be online soon! I’ve also already determined that several of the pictures I’ve taken need to be re-taken, but I think sunlight is key to capturing some of them properly, so 5AM is not the time to start re-takes. Photos of already-posted paintings (such as ‘best intentions‘ and ‘bleak‘) may be updated without warning. I still haven’t igured out quite how to capture the blacklight effects that some of my paintings have; the digital camera I’m using doesn’t seem to be sensitive enough in low light. Any recommendations on digital cameras that are great in ultra-low-light would be great; I’m not set on this camera yet. (I won’t be set on any camera until I can earn at least its cost back through paintings and posting stuff on eBay.)

Also, don’t miss out on the painting I just finished this weekend, ‘too much baggage‘. Some of you may recognise the inspiration for this painting. Five points to whoever links to the actual origin of the phrase quoted in the painting first!

“Forget About It

Don’t keep rehashing old worries. It could harm your health.

A recent study revealed that recalling a past trauma or emotional event may cause an emotionally driven increase in blood pressure that is just as intense as the spike that occurred during the original event. Over time, chronic spikes in blood pressure could place undue stress on your heart. “

Today Modern Evil, for the third month in a row, broke its own record for unique visitors in a month, and there’s an entire week left! So far in the month of October, Modern Evil and its blogs have been seen by 3090 people, with some days nearing 200 people a day! Now, Hitbox still hs no idea how to figure out how many more people will visit us this month, but at the current rates, it can’t be less than 3700 total, and may be as high as 4000! Take a look at this snapshot of Daily Unique visitors for the year:

It’s just going up and up and up, and I can’t thank you all enough for visiting the site and especially for coming back again and again! With any luck I’ll be employed soon, and my life will be a little more interesting then. Also in the cards soon are continued Photoshop Ping Pong action with a possible new player, a new comic strip I’m working on, and I’ve just dug up some of my old poetry which I am currently reviewing to determine it’s suitability for posting online.

(If you guys would like to see my bad poetry, please comment. Otherwise you may see nothing at all.)

Thanks again for visiting ME, and I hope I can keep you coming back for more for the rest of the year, and for years to come!

So, I was trying to wash the dishes and read my 2D Design homework assignment at the same time, and of course the 15-pages fell into the dishwater. I pulled them out as fast as I could, my saoking hands beginning to melt the one dry corner I was holding the pages by, and without even having to think about it went straight for my dryer. it doesn’t have a “dry out papers” mode, but I put in the shelf it came with for drying things without tumbling them, and told it to dry until the contents were “very dry”. Ten minutes later, my homework assignment is dry again, and although crinkly (ironing would fix that, but I don’t mind), totally readable. Since I leave for class in half an hour, doing anything but drying them in the dryer would have left them a soggy, runny mess by classtime. Little things like fast drying and being designed for a non-tumbling shelf are great. Hoo-ray, Maytag Neptune!

I’ve been learning the ropes with Primerica these last few days, but that’s a gig that doesn’t pay penny one until I actually earn commissions, so for right now it’s not something I trust to be more than part-time. I’m trying to get a job with the After Market Company, but for some reason they only ever train people from 4-10PM, M-F. This is bad because I’m in class from 4-8PM, M-Th, and can’t miss class. Now, they’re glad to schedule me to come in early mornings with no conflict with my classes whatsoever, but not until after I do their training. Which I can’t do.

I have a friend working there who’s been there a while and is trying to influence them to offer the training at a different time, and the HR person I just spoke to thought that perhaps their Mesa facility (no idea if it would be feasible to work there, since Mesa is friggin’ huge, and I ride a bike to work) might be hiring; I guess that facility does morning trainings. So, now the job that I know I can do and I know will pay enough is not so much of a sure thing anymore. I still need a job. If I don’t start somewhere by the end of the month, I won’t start getting paid in time to stay current on all my bills.

No one seems to be hiring on technical help desks right now, and while I’m looking into other fields, it’s hard to find something that pays enough that I have appropriate skills for. Still, I’m getting along.