All my other journal entries are ancient. This is a place-holder journal entry to hide the rest.

HOW'S IT GOING Y'ALL

So since I've been MIA, I took a drawing course at my uni to raise my GPA (yes, my field is agriculture...although it did fulfill a general education requirement and was an easy A :D), and other than that I haven't touched anything artwise in 9 months, especially photoshop.

AND NOW I THINK I FORGOT HOW TO DRAWWWWW *runs around in circles*

Fuck this. *kicks tablet* MAGICALLY PRODUCE BEAUTY YOU DAMN MACHINE, WHAT DO I PAY YA FOR.

Apparently I got unbanned at some point.

Uh.

Those of you who knew me, err, I was an admin like a year ago when my account got jacked when my computer was infected with a hostile virus.

And...here I am again!

NOT AN ADMIN ANYMORE.

Also, I had, like, ALL of the messages when I logged back in, so I just deleted em all. If you need something from me, please let me know!

Ooookay! Got a bit more feedback than I anticipated on my last journal, so my commissions are temporarily CLOSED again until I can catch up. If you've already sent me a note or we've discussed something over comments you're still fine, but no new requests please--I'm flooded.

mjfklgjisfdgfh.

For the first time in...forever, actually, on FA, I'm opening for all types of commissions. Rough and negotiable price list is posted in my gallery; feel free to haggle.

Detailed full digital paintings are currently over 50% off! Can't beat that.

...Also, if you want a female character (or characters) drawn, you get 10% off your total price ticket. :D Cause I'm a fag that way.

Okay, I want y'all's opinions on a little somethin somethin. Again. XD

How far into a relationship is it okay to move in with your partner? How soon is "too soon"? Does it make a difference if you have different bedrooms?

(Also, out of curiosity, it'd be nice if you'd maybe throw in your own sexual orientation and current relationship status, if you don't mind my asking. I find that this seriously affects peoples' responses to this question, curiously enough.)

GO GO GO :D

Okay, anyone who's a fag and is curious as to why they're a fag is probably already familiar with the not-so-recent studies regarding prenatal androgen exposure and the length of the fingers on the human hand...and how this effects your sexual orientation. Those who haven't heard about it...google it.

Basically, if you're a straight chick, your index finger should be longer than your ring finger, and if you're a straight dude it should be the opposite. If you are gay, these proportions are frequently reversed, or your fingers are the same length.


SO NYLAK IS A CURIOUS ONE, and she must take a sample of her own. HELP HER OUT AND ANSWER THE FOLLOWING:

Your gender:
Sexual orientation:
Which finger is longer:


For the record, I've already checked this on many of my friends, and so far it lines up pretty well; I myself have lesbo-hands, as well. For those of you who are trannies, please feel free to participate, but do specify your biological sex if you would for the sake of clarity. :3

Don't you hate it when a program or system you're used to using feels the need to undergo an "upgrade," and suddenly everything sucks?

At work I do dog health/temperament evaluations and exams, and I have to enter all the exams, treatments and vaccinations into our online management system. Which usually takes me about 2-5 minutes per dog. Now, since the system (PetPoint, for you other shelter/vet/rescue workers out there) has undergone an "upgrade," it takes me about 30 minutes per dog, and it frequently crashes my laptop to boot. To put in the exact same information.

And no, this isn't a learning curve thing. I took the tutorials, I talked to the live IT guys; it's just way more complex and takes longer to load.

Fuck you, upgrades. Seriously. Why the fuck must we complicate things to make them "better?"

*goes back to grinding exams into the computer* e__e

...Yeah, I totally just got a MedicalRecord Object is not setObject reference not set to an instance of an object. message, and just lost 30 minutes of work. Someone shoot me now.

Oh, you silly animal rights activists.

Okay, question time: What is your personal opinion of the organization PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals)?

Since I work in animal rescue, I occasionally get people coming to me bragging about being affiliated with (or even working for) PETA. They assume that this instantly earns them a gold star in my eyes, and that they can do no wrong.

And yet, I have only had HORRIBLE interactions with them in the past, whether it's protests at a horse event I was competing in or having a member of PETA steal one of my rescue's dogs (yes, that's what I said: PETA stole one of our puppies, and then left it in a hot car on a 102 F degree day for 45 minutes; ironically they got a ticket for animal cruelty when I pressed charges). And everyone I ask claims they think they're idiots at best, and a malignant force of evil at worst. X3

So, comments? Opinions? Anyone ever had any good interactions with this group of interesting folks?

Because you are stupid.

As many of you know, I'm co-founder of a statewide pit bull rescue (which is becoming a huge pain in my ass, and this is one of the reasons why). I've had my foster dog Xavier/"Kaiser" for about 9 months now, and he's crazy but a sweetie who's about to get his CGC.

So when I was over for a visit, my mother was teasing him and my own pit bull with a weed whacker (yes, you read that right). My own dog thought this was great fun and was dancing around barking at her, but my foster dog decided to take offense and after a few warning nips took a good bite out of her leg when she did not stop. She's now convinced he's dangerous and should be put down.

Now, I agree, he should not have bitten under any circumstances. But seriously, people: do not tease pit bulls with large, loud machinery. I mean, come on now. Keep in mind: this is not a pit I raised myself. He was chained for his first two years of life, and was poorly socialized. Even though he has improved significantly, this is not an ideal dog. DON'T TEASE IT.

Either way, I might be adopting him myself, since I don't want to place a pit with a bite history into a new home, except for one with lots of bully experience. We shall see.

PAIN IN MY ASS.

I was able to get the serial number for my student copy of Photoshop re-validated today, thanks to some advice that was given to me last night. I got so many messages with advice and help that I can't thank you all individually, but I really appreciate how much feedback I received.

There are many things I love about FA and the furry community as a whole, but what really makes me appreciate y'all is your response to those in need. Whenever I panic (read: flip the FUCK out XD) and need advice, I always get a rapid and useful response from the people here, and I adore all of you for it. Thank you so much for being fantastic people. <3

I mean, seriously. Where else on the internet can you randomly screech "I NEED THIS PROGRAM TO WORK" and have 30 people just drop what they're doing and reply "HANG ON I'LL SEND IT TO YOU"?

I love you guys. XD

I hate them. :[

[/elaborate, in-depth and insightful journal]

I'm broke as all hell and am finally getting off my ass and getting back to drawing, so I'm taking one more commission slot. Same battle plan as usual--$200 USD, half due by the time I get the initial sketch done, half due upon final approval. Paypal only!

$200 USD will get you:
+ A detailed digital painting of ONE character. See gallery for general quality examples.
+ Can be full body, torso, portrait; whatever you want. The less body showing, the higher the overall detail/quality, so it's your call.
+ A stylized/atmospheric backdrop or a or simple environmental background. Nothing excessive.
+ I accept adult material, but nothing TOO out there. If you're wondering what my limits are, just ask.
+ I specialize in females and canines, but I'm flexible and a quick learner. ;D Anthro or feral, plantigrade or digitigrade are all fine.
+ As always, I check in with you at every major stage of the drawing process, and you can make comments and changes at any time.

Alright, y'all. I finally got my industrial piercing that I'd been putting off for five years, and I'm having a bit of a debate with my friends regarding the nature of the healing process. I have four other regular cartilage piercings, all of which healed normally in under a month with no complications whatsoever--maybe a little lymph discharge in the first couple days, but nothing else. But this piercing is causing me a shit ton of pain (comparatively), and has been bleeding/discharging a bit almost on a daily basis (it's only been a week, but this has never happened for me before).

Friends/acquaintances tell me it can take up to six months (goddamn!) for an industrial piercing to fully heal, but I'm skeptical. Is it really that much different from the healing process of any other cartilage piercing?

For the record, I'm just rinsing/soaking it with a sterile saline solution for cleaning, as I've done in the past. Any other recommendations?

Why is it that when I lose weight, it always goes out of my chest first? I'm just saying, I wasn't that well off to begin with. >_> I'm starting to need a new wardrobe, and the first thing on my shopping list are some smaller bras. Fanfuckingtastic.

Also, new jeans are fucking expensive. (I love you, eBay.)

Bawww.

I've asked for help about this everywhere without getting any help, so since you furfags have been awesomely helpful in the past I'm trying here now.

Okay, so I've always bummed off my friend's Xbox. Finally got my own, and now none of my old games for the original Xbox are working, including those that are supposedly supported by the 360's backwards compatibility.

I have a 360 slim with a 250 GB harddrive; it's a new system, not a refurb. I've downloaded every update available, including attempting to transfer an update directly from the support website to the console via thumb drive (it said it would download automatically but nothing happened, and since Xbox is retarded I can't force it to do it manually). Everytime I put in an older disk, it says to try downloading it again or to contact support.

Okay, I admit I'm a complete idiot when it comes to Xbox; I'm a PS3 fag, and so far Xbox's interface and support have made me even more so since it's been nothing but an unorganized clusterfuck and a huge pain in my ass. But how the fuck am I supposed to "download" the game from the disk, or is it seriously just being a dick? >_> Because I am not paying to download the game off Xbox Live again.

So I went out of town for "work" for about a week a couple of weeks ago...and I'm just now getting back in to the swing of my normal life. God, it wasn't even like I was on vacation or anything. But it was so nice not to deal with my normal day job or the complications of my rescue or all you FURFAGS and your DRAMA. <3

Don't you hate coming back to the reality of your day-to-day life after getting away from it all for awhile?

Anywho, I'm back. Feel free to resume complaining at me.

Okay, another journal, sorry.

Alright, I want your opinions. Do you prefer plantigrade or digitigrade legs in anthro art, and why?

If you really feel like thinking about it, consider it applied to modern characters who would wear normal, "everyday" clothes in a normal urban setting. Would digitigrade legs make shoes look completely awkward, and make going barefoot necessary? How would having digitigrade legs change a character's clothing choices? Would having digitigrade legs emotionally distance the viewer from the character by making it seem too "inhuman"? Any examples of how you've liked this portrayed by yourself or other artists?

Personally, I've drawn both. I'm more comfortable with the anatomy of plantigrade legs, but I really admire the "animalistic" feel of digitigrade legs. My default setting is plantigrade, but am thinking about experimenting. Can't decide myself. :I

I swear I'm my own worst enemy artistically. >_>

So I have this comics Acts of War, right. Well, the OTHER main character (not the damn border collie that I keep drawing) is a female Doberman pinscher. AND I CAN'T DRAW DOBES TO SAVE MY LIFE. T__T On top of that, they're EXTREMELY hard to make look feminine (look at em--they're so boxy and angular and muscular that it just doesn't work on a female anthro without stylizing them way more than I'm comfortable with, considering my style). Have considered changing her "breed," but it fits her personality and occupation too well.

Seriously, my inability to draw THE MAIN CHARACTER consistently because of her BREED TYPE is the primary reason I'm not churning this thing out faster. RARGH.

Not the first time I've sabotaged myself this way. I CAN'T DRAW OTTERS, AND MY FURSONA IS AN OTTER. WHY DO I DO THIS TO MYSELF. X_X

I'm making everything into a wolf forever. Fuck this noise. D:

Okay, so it's a week since the release of Dragon Age 2, and a lot of my friendles know I was mindlessly obsessed with the original. Well, I've played through DA2 three times now, and am COMPLETELY SICK OF IT. WHOO. But here's my quick review of the game for those of you who are thinking about maybe trying it out who haven't yet. >_> My final rating is 3.5/5 stars.

THE GOOD
1. ALL THE FUCKABLE ROMANTIC INTEREST NPCS ARE BI. And I mean ALL of them. I thought you furries might like that. I know I do. :D
2. They somehow managed to make fighting as a mage not horrible. The basic fighting cycles for all characters are pretty fun.
3. I'm a Mass Effect fan, so I like what they did with the player character. S/he now has voice actor, and actually talks and shit. The female voice actor pissed me off for awhile, but now I'm used to it.
4. They simplified a lot of things, like lock-picking and armor/weapon upgrades. This may also be a "bad" thing, depending on your perspective.
5. Like the original game, there are a LOT of ways it can end, depending on your choices throughout the game. SO DON'T FUCK UP. :D
6. The Black Emporium expansion is pretty priceless, and if you preordered the game you get it FREE.
7. They brought back like all of the characters from the original Dragon Age for longterm positions in the plot, or just for cameos!

THE BAD
1. Had hoped for better graphics.
2. Character and relationship development is definitely down compared to the original game. Think more along the lines of Mass Effect--"hit it and quit it".
3. Let's face it; the storyline is weak. It's basically just a lot of random quests barely linked together into a semblance of a plot.
4. Killed off the Arcane Warrior specialty, which I personally liked.
5. They went the way of Final Fantasy (kind of?) with the ability upgrades. It's now fairly annoying.
6. It's a fairly short game, and is definitely not "epic" in scope of plotline. Takes maybe 25 hours to finish if you're not nitpicky, maybe 30 if you're playing on Nightmare level or are a perfectionist.
7. They brought back a ton of characters from the original game...and then they fucked them up, either appearance-wise or personality-wise. What the hell, man.

THE UGLY
1. If you get as emotionally involved in roleplay games as I do, just fuck romance in this game. Seriously, they ALL end in horrible goddamned drama. You cannot win. The characters in this game make furries look sane.

So Dragon Age 2 is released tomorrow. >_>;

I pre-orded it online, and it's going to arrive at my doorstep tomorrow at around 11 am. :D

I always get Tuesday/Wednesdays off work (since I'm on call for Search and Rescue), so I asked for Thursday and Friday morning off, too. So I could play my new game and just get it out of my system. >__>

My boss thinks I'm insane. But he gave me the time off. <3 He agreed I'd just be sleep-deprived and distracted anyway.

If this game sucks, I'm going to cry. Or, you know, stab somebody.

Also, if I get called out on a search, I'm going to flip the fuck out. SO ALL YOU FURFAGS IN MISSOURI: IF YOU'RE GOING TO GET MURDERED AND BURIED OUT IN THE WOODS, YOU BETTER FUCKING WAIT UNTIL I FINISH MY DAMNED VIDEO GAME, BECAUSE I'M NOT GOING OUT AND FINDING YOUR BODY UNTIL I DO. That is all. :D

One day, I'm going to write a book about my job (in middle-management at the missouri humane society).

Last night a beagle was brought in by animal control. It had a collar with a name ("Kisser") and ID tag, but the phone number was outdated, so couldn't contact the owner.

Beagle was fine when I left for the evening, and I was the last one out. First one in in the morning, and I find the beagle dead, having tried to push through the bottom of the chain link front of the kennel, and got stuck, strangling himself trying to get back out. Got to take pictures and pry him out with pliers myself.

Which was bad.

Later this afternoon, nice guy and his kids came in looking for his lost beagle named Kisser. Yeah, I got to tell him why he wasn't getting his beagle back. Because our old stray runs suck because we have no budget, his dog died on my property, in my care. We spend the money making the adoption runs pretty and shiny with plexiglass fronts and all, and leave the stray runs in horrible disrepair, and shit like this happens.


...Sorry. Feeling emo.

Go on about your business. >>

YEP. I'm giving it up. It's like a bad drug that furries can't seem to get enough of, and I'm dropping it cold-turkey.

Seriously. I work in management at an animal shelter, so I get enough bullshit at my day job without coming home to a different flavor of it. So fuck the shelter drama, and fuck the furry drama. I'm just going to ignore it and go about my business and get my job done, drama-free.

WHO'S WITH ME Y'ALL. ONLY YOU CAN STOP FOREST FIRES DRAMA. SAY NO TO FURFAGGOTRY.

Okay, have this dog, a male lavender and white pit bull. Needs a show/registration name that includes the word "Eastern" (call name is "Easton"). NEED SUGGESTIONS AND OPINIONS ON WHICH IS LEAST LAME. :D This is a list of what I've got so far, but new ideas are definitely welcome:

Eastern Philosophy
Eastern Shore
Eastern Horizon
Eastern Mysticism
Eastern Culture
Eastern Skies
Eastern Monarch
Eastern Tradition

THANKS IN ADVAAAANCE. <3

(No, Eastern does not need to be the first word, and it does not need to be a two-word phrase; that's just how the list turned out.)

Just got a raise/promotion at my dayjob, and am now gonna be a support-admin-in-training around these parts.

YAY NEW RESPONSIBILITIES.

My social life is totally going down the drain. Yay me. XD