Friday, December 28, 2007

An Amusing Quiz

This quiz is creative...FILLED IN on 01-06-08. Feel free to copy it to your blog...cause you know I stole it from another!!

1 How does the world see me?
I have no idea..I do enough shameless self promotion, but have not yet created enough of a persona (not that I will)to influence the world to think of me one way, or another. Plus, as well as I do Google, the "world" does not really know of me anyway.

2 Will I have a happy life?
So far, so good. I have had a few tragic events in my life and some life altering moments in time, but I try to handle those types of negatives and turn them around.

3 What do people really think of me?
Eeeeew. I have had people call me everything from "nicest ever" to "stoic" to "sociopath". I have been called things like "dramatic", "intimidating", "shy", "gregarious", "intelligent", "blond", "creative", "artistic"...I dunno. The list goes on.

And you may notice a lot of opposites in here. There is a reason for this, but I am not divulging my secret. But trust me when I say that I am aware of it and it is intentional.

4 Do people secretly lust after me?
Oh, why the hell not? Seriously, I have had some men lust after me that should have kept it secret. It makes me nervous.

5 How can I make myself happy?
Shoes. OMG. Shoes.

6 What should I do with my life?
Get out of the 9-5 and create art full time.

7 Will I ever have children?
Uh, no. I am way too busy. I have no idea how I would do it. But, I would make an awesome mom and they would have everything they need in life.

8 What is some good advice for me?
Uh...here's what the joke advice is...one of my family members urged me to "not give up" when I told them I was too tired to do something. Uh, I get tired, ok? I'm not giving up..,.I just need a nap. Another one is "get well soon". A personal fav really. I will not get into why.

Good advice is always to advise me to keep a good attitude. It is just that my sarcasm and warped sense of humor take over from time to time and are read as bad. They are not.

9 What do I think my current theme song is?
My sister thinks it should be that newer version of the Mary Tyler Moore song. "You're Gona Make it After All." That is too fucking cheesey.

Right now I will go with the Pixies "Where Is My Mind?"

10 What does everyone else think my current theme song is?
"OH my GOD, Becky. LOOK at her BUTT...." or "Shoes."

11 What song will play at my funeral?
Uh, I will make a funeral playlist on iTunes and let the executor to my estate know.

12 What is my day going to be like?
Well, I have a bit of a headache. And quite frankly, I am not looking forward to the week.

13 Why am I here?
I use to cause life altering changes to people who came into contact with me. I actually thought my purpose at one time was to meet certain people and get them from one point in their life to another. That happened with three of my friends in the past.I think that was a product of being in their twenties and early thirties.

But we do have to be mindful at not only how we manage our own lives, but also how we affect and impact the lives of those who we interact with day to day.

Bottom line is that I am here to create stuff.

14 What will people remember me for?
My art and my quirky, non-traditional writing.

15 What song will I get stuck in my head tomorrow?
With any luck, a Venetian Snares song.

16 Are there people outside waiting to take me away?
No, but that is because noone bothered to alert the authorities.

17 What will this year be all about?
ME ME ME!!!! Just like 1968 to 2007...why stop now.

18 If you reached the top of Mount Everest, you would scream:
UH, my ass would fall off because I get vertigo when I am up too high. I would be screamin' bloody murder...REDRUM REDRUM.

19 The next time you stand up in front of a group of people, you'll say:
Thanks everyone, for coming to my sweetass 40th b-day party. Let's BOWL!!!

20 Your message to the world:
If you love to hate, then hate HATE!!!!

21 Your deepest secret:
NOT gona tell ya. You must read my literature and look for visual clues in my art.

22 Your innermost desire:
Uh, see the question above.

23 Your oldest memory makes you think:
My true oldest memory was at two. I was in the hospital and the nurse was covering my crib with an afghan.

My next oldest memory is being in a highcahir and dumping my plate of baked beans everywhere. I remember liking them, though. I just wanted to see what they would look like everywhere else.

And then my next one was of my mom bathing me in the kitchen sink. Later in life I looked at that sink in wonder that I actually fit into it and it seemed HUGE at the time!!

But the next one had more of a long term, weird effect. I was old enough to walk and sit up in a chair. I was sitting on a chair in the dark dining room and looking at my family in the kitchen. They were all sitting around the table laughing and talking. There was my mom and dad, my 20 year old sister, my 17 year old brother, and my 13 year old sister. I remember trying to understand what they were saying to one another. The language was almost completely foriegn to me at the time, and I was frustrated with them. I could understand every few words, but nothing else.

24 Somewhere in your wedding vows, you'll include:
Past tense...they were all pretty standard.

25 When you wake up in the morning, you mutter:
Shoes. OMG. Shoes. Seriously, I did scream out someone's name last week. Thank god Joe was in the shower.

26 Right now, your feelings are:
I am a little blue.

27 The day you fall in love will be the day that:
Wow. I fell in love a long time ago. I fall in love all the time. It's just my nature.

EDIT: I need to explain my concept of love, in that it is a transient state of emotion that is in constant flux. I may be completely in love at one at one point in time, and then apathtic for the same person at another. The "falling in love all the time" does not translate into "I fall in love with various people"...it means I fall in and out of love with the same people. Love is goddamn complicated.

28 You scream during sex:
Ha!! Uh yeah. I am an auditory person. Quiet sex is boring sex.

29 Your farewell message to the readers of this:
Go forth and blog, create stuff, and have noisy sex.

Sunday, December 23, 2007

Bongo Drums You Say?

Why yes, thank you.

PS...Um, it is harder to play these things than you'd think. Joe is a natural drummer and just walks by and makes 'em sound like something.

But, drums and belly dance do go together.

OH yeah, Joe is a natural flutterer, which is a belly dance move where you move your diaphragm really fast and make your belly "wave". When I told him I had trouble with the move, he proceeded to lift his shirt and do it. Grrrrr. :D

Saturday, December 22, 2007

I Do Not Own Stock in Walgreens

So, this year has been completely crazy so I have not had time to shop for Christmas gifts. My solution? Walgreens. I bought hundreds of dollars worth of gift certificates. Starbucks, Borders, iTunes, Pier One, Old Navy... they have about 40 different ones. Pretty awesome. No surcharge either. Some people think they do have a fee, but they do not. Even if it had a 3% fee, I would have paid it. Just to get it all done in one spot.

One of my friends teased me about it, but I know he wanted to do it, and more than likely did.

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Tomorrow is Friday


Yeah, man. I just got my 88-key keyboard that hooks into my Mac.

And I'm drinking a 15 year old Scotch. Senecal suggested that I buy Glenfiddich Solera Reserve 15 year.

I sold another painting today...of course it is at the gallery...one more day to sell there...hopefully it will not!!! Not about the commission. More about reproduction. Eve is such a fluid piece. Well they all are, but that one in particular.

This scotch is making me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Joy. Merry Christmas. By the way, I am well on my way to reintroducing "groovy" to the language. I heard it ten times today. Groovy is such a cool word.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Where Is My Mind?

You know, so many cool things come from Boston...

Dresden Dolls...
Liam Sullivan....
The Pixies.....
The Museum of Bad Art......
Boston Market and their creamy spinach side dish. YUM.
Chipotle...Oh, I just made that up. Plus, I have no idea if Boston Market is really from Boston.

So, my mind is on Christmas now...let the spending begin.

Bought a 88 key keyboard to mix music with Garage Band on the Mac today. Complete impulse buy. I was like, fuck it. I want it. Pain and suffering. Kelly's fucking rad.

So, I am trying to be a nicer person. I felt bad because today I made fun of someone in a completely inappropriate way in front of people who did not laugh at my flip comment. And it was funny...but no one laughed. Oh well!

By the way, Vanity Fair in hand, I am about to read about the Golden Suicides.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Belly Dancing

I have been taking belly dance lessons for over a year now. I still love it, although work has been getting in the way of it lately. It is starting to get in the way of my art, too. But, it pays for these things, so I guess I will have to deal with it.

So, the art supplier in MA called Ampersand to have my order rushed. I hope to get it soon. Seems strange that no one in North America has Aquabord in stock...

Since I am randomly rambling, I think I will just go to bed.

Here is a pretty picture to look at...

Happy Day of the Ninja

Hey,
Ninjas are awesome.



New Commission
Well, I have a new commission. It is actually repeating two of my existing pieces (The Devil's Breath and I Dreamt of a Kiss...) and selling two others (Autumn's Folliage and Infiltration). But, I needed to find 6x6 cradled aquaboard in order to complete the reproductions of my own works. I found a place in Massachusetts that carries it online. Just placed the order, but they did not commit to any ship dates and did not give me a choice to have it rushed. So, I hope to god it makes it here by the 15th.

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Mysteriously Happy

I cannot pinpoint the source my current status of glowing happiness, so I guess I will just go with it.

It is not the fact that I went shopping today and bought lots of stuff...for me. I know!! It is Christmas time...I shouldn't do that!! Gasp. But oh yes, I should. Because now I am in the mood to shop and buy multitudes of presents for all the random childrens in my life. I shall go to the internets tomorrow and play a huge part in my country's economic recover. I'm a f'n patriot.

Friday, November 30, 2007

0|< |=u(|< U

UPDATE:Site is OK now. That worked. They had not hid a script on my site.

Okay, so here is the drill...the hackers got into my site through the ftp server/control panel. The exe that my virus software detected is not on my site...so they are sending it in from a different site...the one I talked about earlier. So, I had to change the control panel password. I also had them move me to a different server. If they have hidden a php script in my site, then this could continue and I have a bigger mess to clean up, which my involved deleting every file on my site. That would be fine. I am too tired to care.

I am scrubbing that site....getting rid of all the files anyway. I plan to phase it out. I will probably get my .com set up at the place Jimmie told me about. (Thanks, man) And then have the .net redirect, I guess. This is incredibly fucked up.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Viruses...yum

So, I am posting from my Mac. I am cleaning my PC. Installed a new anti-virus and am scanning the disks for little bugs...viruses and spyware. So far, so good. It'll be midnight before it is complete. LOTSA files.

Well, I am not sure how or why, but I have a hacker on my website again. Do not visit it. It is pulling something from or to damdskj.com. What is f'ed up about it is that I accidentally opened my site on my mac and saw that in the status bar at the bottom of firefox. "Transferring data from...that site". Thing is, the only things I am transferring in are from a couple of scripts that pull in data from my deviant database. I know that site is not in the javascript...I have looked at the script.

The worst is that the other day at the same moment I opened my site my McAfee detected a Trojan Horse virus. It was blocked. So, who knows what else. Like I said, I am scanning PC right now with the most up to date, highly recommended (thanks, Jimmie) antivirus.

As far as mac is concerned, I shut it down before whatever it was transferring could complete. It kinda locked up for a sec and then turned off. Seems to be OK now. I have run its updates, but do not know what to do about an anti-virus. I thought I had one on here, but then again do Macs get viruses?

So, my final step is to figure out how damdskj.com is hacking my site and why they are sending malicious programs through it. I need to contact Hostrocket and see how this is happening. I may just take down my .net and resurrect my .com via another server. I can't tell if this is my fault for not being up-to-date, or if it is my server space provider for not keeping their servers protected. It all started when they sent new password for logging into the site. I will deal with that bag o shit tomorrow. Also, I am contemplating signing into my site to get their code off of it for now. I think that if I only view the source code without the html in a browser to activate the programs I should be ok.

This is how I feel today.


This is a work by David Senecal called When We Were Happy.

So, it seems to me that there are forces in the universe that exist in order to suck the life out a person. I believe these forces are very well suited for management in corporations because they usually end up there. Actually they are not. I have only met two managers that have this trait. I am sure there are more out there, but I have been lucky enough to have two. They are both vortexes of ego and inefficiencies.

I go home at night and want to paint, but my hand hurts. It is numb and it hurts at the same time. I spend some time trying to see if I have the range of motion that I use to have. I do not.

Time to go to work.

Monday, November 26, 2007

And That's the Way It Is In Oklahoma homa....

Dig it. I need to rip this song to put on the Omnibucket site with the Amanda Palmer interview...

OH yeah, by the way, Kelly is in this video, betch.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

The Walking Dead

Kurella talked me into reading The Walking Dead, a graphic novel, and I have to say it is really very good. It explores how humanity would cope with surviving a zombie infestation. It never really tells how it begins. They use a common plot element for the zombie genre...The main character wakes up in a hospital from a coma. I can think of two other ones right away...Resident Evil and 28 Days Later (never ever to be confused with 28 Days). But in those stories, one knows how it begins. Anyway, I highly recommend the books. I am on Volume 5 of 7. I am passing them along to Senecal...may never see them again because he has hinted of a trade. He better make it a worthy trade. I am sure he will.

More on The Walking Dead...
The Walking Dead Wikipedia
By the Issue

Friday, November 23, 2007

Spam is awesome! It's like free porno...

"Dear, pmintun. Large muscular rods make women go wild!!"

Awesome! Oh, the entertainment never ends in my spam folder.

Speaking of porno...softcore. I took my new calendar down to my family yesterday...gave one to mom and my sister...Hold on! I know what your thinking. No, my calendar is not full of porn. My point is, one of my images is a very simple abstract nude. Well, my other sister made it a point to repeat over and over again to everyone that I am painting smut. She is a republican, so this sort of behavior is kind of expected, but come on. Silly republican!!!...
Here is the pic...



And the calendar...

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Upcoming Projects/Goals 2008...

1. My list of 40+ paintings (both traditional and digital)...I will not detail them here.
2. A zombie story for OLOGY...if it develops into the awesome I think it can.
3. Collaborate on a digital project with an artist friend. Whenever he gets to me on his long list of projects.
4. As soon as issue 19 of OLOGY is published, start contacting the next set of people on my list to interview.
5. Design for Celebrity Chef event (CAHS)
6. Work on a pretty large commission...a piece of art for someone's living room....we shall see how that goes. So many people proposition me and it never goes anywhere. About 50% of the time they fall through.
7. Get the Esty store set up and running.
8. Create and animation for a VS video. Would be awesome.
9. Invest $1500 or more toward art collection in '08. I have really expanded my collection this year. My latest is a watercolor from a woman in Scotland. A couple of my favs from this year are from Senecal, as well as a limited edition tarot deck from Shelly Corbett. I really need to list all of the items I have collected over the years and make an inventory. I discuss investing in stocks or art with a friend of mine, and I always say I get more satisfaction investing in and collecting art.
10. Manage an abstract club on Deviant...and possibly a Trad. Collage Club.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Absence of Color...

It is not gray, it is an absence of color.

So, happy Thanksgiving. What are you giving thanks for tomorrow...

Hello to Connor!

Thanks Connor...you are a rockin' kid. NOW quit watching Kelly's Youtube videos and do your homework!!! ;)

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Text Message Breakup

OK, now I am obsessed with www.liamshow.com.

Kelly's fuckin' rad. This video has everything...vampires, Margaret Cho, and Star Wars characters....

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

If I Were...

If I were ....

a month, i would be:
October
a day of the week, i would be:
Saturday
a time of day, i would be:
3 am
a planet, i would be:
Neptune
a moon/satellite:
Jupiter's Europa
a sea animal, i would be:
A giant squid or octopus
a direction, i would be:
East
a piece of furniture, i would be:
An overstuffed chair and a half with a matching ottoman
a sin, i would be:
Lust or Envy
a historical figure, i would be:
An Egyptian queen
a liquid, i would be:
Coffee, tea or mercury
a stone, i would be:
Amazonite
a tree, i would be:
A pear tree...er, i dunno.
a bird, i would be:
Peacock
a tool, i would be:
A paintbrush
a weapon, i would be:
Something sharp
an accessory, i would be:
A long, flowing silk scarf
a flavor, i would be:
Cinnamon
a flower/plant, i would be:
a rare orchid
a kind of weather, i would be:
Breezy and cold, but sunny
a mythical creature, i would be:
A glam vampire
a musical instrument, i would be:
Bongo drums, baby.
an animal, i would be:
A spoiled house cat
a colour, i would be:
Purple or red
a vegetable, i would be:
Red pepper
a sound, i would be:
The distant sound of thunder, or a whistle from a train where no tracks exist.
an element, i would be:
Water
a car, i would be:
A Jag-u-wah
a song, i would be:
Steel Cube Idolatry
a movie, i would be directed by:
David Lynch
a book, i would be written by:
Max Brooks...oh, I kid. Stephen Hawking...not really.
a food, i would be:
food for the soul...
a material, I would be:
Chinese silk
a taste, i would be:
Spicy
a scent, i would be:
Cinnamon
a religion, i would be:
Buddhism...and Baha'i
an object, i would be:
A canvas
body part, i would be:
Eyes
a facial expression, i would be:
A smile
a subject in school, i would be:
Art class
cartoon character, i would be:
I am at a loss here
a shape, i would be:
A sphere
a number, i would be:
8

Incompetent Phlebotomist!!!!

Ever been tortured before??? OMG. I won't even go into the details (and you know I usually never hold back) because they are gross and I may throw up. Thank Jebus she finally just gave up and had the competent phelbotomist take over. It's gona leave a mark! My next water color is sure to be a crying eye and blood squirting everywhere. Actually that happened a few times ago, and not this time. That was when I discovered you could probably kill a person with a tounaquet and a well place pin hole in the skin. What happened today was far worse to me. That fucking bitch!!!

Monday, November 12, 2007

Shoes...

This cracks me the f*ck up. OMG shoes.
Those shoes are mine, betch.



So, I think I need some new shoes now...


Saturday, November 10, 2007

Basura Blanco

I'm getting a tattoo.

So, today I was talking to one of my nephews, Chris. Well, he is a nephew-in-law...sort of. Anyway, he was telling me which tattoo artists are the best in town. I think I am going to try Kevin at Stained Skin. Or else some dude named Angelo. I think I have met both of them at one time or another. Anyway, I am going to do this by the time my birthday rolls around. Lower back. My own design.

Sí...basura blanco. Abrazo de mis raíces.

Note: I have to love Alta Vista. "Abrazo de mis raíces" started out as "Get in touch with my roots". The translation back is "Hug my roots". Love it.

PS...not that tattoos are total white trash...it depends on the tattoo. Oh yeah, and who it is on.

Friday, November 9, 2007

1. 18. 08

Earlier this year I went to see Transformers and was completely weirded out by one of the movie trailers. Time is a tickin' and I cannot wait to see what is making that horrible noise!

Check out the Cloverfield wikipedia.

Thursday, November 8, 2007

1 in 700 Remain Awake

The last time I was under a general anesthetic I woke up during the surgery. But I wasn't really awake. I was in my body, but not like I am normally...I was completely aware of my surroundings. My soul was floating somewhere around my middle in darkness. I felt exactly what they were doing to me. I felt the motion of the scalpel as it scraped. I heard the doctors discuss their vacations with complete comprehension. I could not move. I could not speak. I did not feel any pain...only pressure. I fought my way out of it and woke up completely in the operating room with the hose still down my throat. They thought I had just woke up. I didn't say anything. I told my doctor what happened at the follow-up appointment. I showed her how she did the surgery and recited the conversation she had with the anesthesiologist. She felt bad about it, but honestly, I did not care. It was just a weird experience.

I am a little worried about my next surgery. They will slice my neck open (from the side) and take out part of my spine...vertebrae 5 and 6. They will replace it with some fabricated material, or cadaver bones. I would hate to wake up during this and have that amount of awareness of the process. Especially when they remove the bones around my spine. I do not want to hear bone saws and nurses laughing.

LOVE

Hello, Fergus...



....the reason I LOVE bulldogs....who wouldn't love a mug like that???

Monday, November 5, 2007

Creating My Artist Statement

Okay, I decided to work through developing my artist statement in a quasi-public forum. I will be filling this in later tonight.

I am using materials from this site.

STEP ONE: Assemble the Ingredients.
1. Take five minutes and think about why you do what you do. Jot down short phrases that capture your thoughts. Don't worry about making sense or connections. The more you stir up at this point, the richer the stew.

How did you get into this work?
How do you feel when work is going well?
What are your favorite things about your work?

2. Make a list of words and phrases that communicate your feelings about your work and your values. Include words you like, words that make you feel good, words that communicate your values or fascinations. Be loose. Be happy. Be real. Think of these as potential seasonings for your stew. You don't have to choose which ones to use just yet, so get them all out of the cupboard.

3. Answer these questions as simply as you can. Your answers are the meat and potatoes of your stew. Let them be raw and uncut for now.

What is your favorite tool? Why?
What is your favorite material? Why?
What do you like best about what you do?
What do you mean when you say that a piece has turned out really well?
What patterns emerge in your work? Is there a pattern in the way you select materials? In the way you use color, texture or light?
What do you do differently from the way you were taught? Why?
What is your favorite color? List three qualities of the color. Consider that these qualities apply to your work.

4. Look at your word list. Add new words suggested by your answers to the questions above.

5. Choose two key words from your word list. They can be related or entirely different. Look them up in a dictionary. Read all the definitions listed for your words. Copy the definitions, thinking about what notions they have in common. Look your words up in a Thesaurus. Read the entries related to your words. Are there any new words that should be added to your word list?

6. Write five sentences that tell the truth about your connection to your work. If you are stuck, start by filling in the blanks below.

When I work with__________ I am reminded that___________.

I begin a piece by______________.

I know a piece is done when__________________.

When my work is going well, I am filled with a sense of _____________.

When people see my work, I'd like them to ________________.

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Things to Live By

I have a headache...too much shit in my head maybe... I discovered this one this morning: Never ever ever fall asleep while an infommercial is running about weight loss. All I did was transfer the sounds to some weird, distorted infommercial dream that filled me with weight-loss anxiety. I mean, I have lost almost 50 pounds...what do I want from me????

Seriously though, the most effective self help book I have ever read (aside from OSHO) has been The Four Agreements. The four agreements is not a secret. They are on the internet (I have listed them below) and they are in the cover of the book.

The Four Agreements
"Based on ancient Toltec wisdom, the Four Agreements offer a powerful code of conduct that can rapidly transform our lives and our work into a new experience of effectiveness, balance and self supporting behavior.

Everything we do is based on agreements we have made. In these agreements we tell ourselves who we are, what everyone else is, how to act, what is possible and what is impossible. What we have agreed to believe creates what we experience. When these agreements come from fear obstacles develop keeping us from realizing our greatest potential."

BE IMPECCABLE WITH YOUR WORD
"Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love."

DON'T TAKE ANYTHING PERSONALLY
"Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering."

DON'T MAKE ASSUMPTIONS
"Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness, and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life."

ALWAYS DO YOUR BEST
"Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgement, self-abuse, and regret."

Information listed on this blog came from here.
You can find the book here.

Cold November Rain

So, in the months leading up to Halloween I had built up in my mind that it was going to be a such a fun experience. And when it actually happened it was blah. It's November now. So, last night I did a Halloween tarot reading on a friend. I recorded it in the blog, then it seemed to take these unexpected and revealing turns and seemed to make to many odd speculations about him, so I did not published it.

I expect that this will be a very busy month. Next week the Bob Ross Tribute contest wraps up. That was fun. I need to think of a clever thing to do next...a contest on DA. Wad thinking of a CSS contest, but I can do that myself anyway. I have quite a few paintings planned for the rest of the year. Getting ready to enter a small work into the December show, OAL Thumb Box. Possibly The Devil's Breath:


The Devil's Breath by =peggymintun on deviantART

OH yeah. And in just a couple of weeks I am going to see the Cult. That will be cool. My friend Karan is going, too. More to follow...

Oh yeah, by the way, it is sunny outside.

Monday, October 29, 2007

Me...a Zombie...Sweeeet.



If you thought that was entertaining, then check this out. I may be an extra in a B movie...as a zombie. That is sooooo awesome. One of my life goals realized. Well, maybe not a life goal, but kewl none the less. The movie is called Book of the Dead.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

The New Venetian Snares Release...

...is pretty awesome. I have not heard one so far that is inspiring me to make an animation, but I am sure one will come across. Not that I ever get around to such things. There is not enough time.

My list of projects keeps on growing. Right now I am working on a digital one called The Vanity of the Moon. More necrotizing flesh, but in the reflected light of the moon on the model's face. My reference is wearing these awesome leather gloves and pink iridescent stripper boots. I will probably paint on some clothes (right now she is wearing a hot pink bra and black panties). Something simple and timeless. Vanity is timeless. And not hot pink. Yeah, the boots must go. The gloves will stay. The piece is about the illusion of beauty and deception. I can see where the heavy black leather butcher gloves work within the meaning. As if she needs to be protected from touching the mirror. Anyway...yawn.

Friday, October 19, 2007

Random Weekendnesses

Yesterday I finally caught up with the family and went to see my mom's new condo. It is on the small side, but will be easier for her to manage. She is beginning to look more and more like Molly, her mom. It was especially great to see Mackenzie and Gavin. They are so absolutely adorable. He will be a year old soon, and Mackenzie is three. I played chase around the condo with Mac. She is sooooo awesome and fun.

The days have been gorgeous this weekend. I went out for a little while to enjoy it. I think i missed the insect displays at the Inniswood park. Grrrr. I really wanted to get some photography in. Perhaps I will wait a week or two and go take some fall pics. I would love to take a weekend and go hiking at Old Man's Cave, too.

I did three paintings this week, but still have a couple things I want to do if possible. I feel like I need to get organized more than anything.

Monday, October 15, 2007

VS Mutant C*nt Sniffer Video

Posted here because Senecal thinks I am sending him a video of John Tesh. And I am not.

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Elegant Gore

I think I am going to write a wikipedia entry on elegant gore. A DA friend thought the phrase deserves a meme. I do as well. So, I am on to my second wikipedia contribution.

Saturday, October 6, 2007

Nick!

I love Nick. He is one of my dearest friends. I just don't see enough of him, actually. I need to call him.

My favorite conversation with Nick:
Nick: [Actually, I don't remember what Nick said to threaten me, but it was funny. It was either about some erotic poem I had written and he found on the net or about seeing someone who happen to look like me on a corner looking like a whore...in thigh-high black patent-leather stilettos...Jesus that is gross.]
Me: Are you blackmailing me??
Nick: Maybe....
Me: Kick ass!!!! (In my best Cartman voice)

Nick and I use to have this thing we called Creative Club where we would meet up around town and try to be creative. It would consist of 10 minutes of ideas and then slowly dissolve into a gossip session about everyone we knew. We would invite people to come join us, but then completely forget to tell them where and when we were meeting. Then we would ask them where in the hell they were at the next day and that they were sorely missed. This was not intentional, or to be mean…we were just very unorganized and last minute.

To be in the "club" one had to add a stanza onto a poem Nick wrote back in high school. When he was asked to write and present this poem in class he was in a particularly foul mood, so it ended up like this...

Birdie, birdie in the snow,
Had a broken wing you know.
Lured him in with bits of bread,
Then I smashed his pretty head.


Gruesome, huh? Well, Nick did not go unpunished. He was immediately sent to counseling to uncover what angst caused him to write such a horrible poem (besides just being a smart-ass kid who did not feel like writing one).

I since have forgotten my stanza...I bet its on one of my work computers from sometime in the past. Some IT guy may have found it...I sure hope so.

Feel free to add a stanza. It is rather dark, so keep it dark.

Friday, October 5, 2007

The Freeway is NOT a Fucking Racetrack

The freeway is NOT a fucking racetrack...there I said it again. Joe just called me upset because he saw a car speeding down 71S in the slow lane and then cutting over across the freeway to pass everyone. The guy clipped someone trying to change lanes at a normal speed because they did not see his deft maneuvering. Then the guy spun out of control and hit the center wall...in front of Joe. He banked (thankfully) and then spun into the front of a semi, which clipped him or her. Uhhhh, yeah.

Venetian Snares


Success. I got the questions back from Aaron Funk (aka Venetian Snares), so I that will be published in Issue 20 of OLOGY magazine. Funk is really funny and clever. Thank god the guys at OLOGY aren't an uptight bunch...
Next up...well, it is not my practice to tell, but I have a couple cool musical artists in mind.

So, I'm glad I got that one in right before Mercury goes into retrograde. That always makes for a lot of technical/communication snafus. I will probably wait about a month to begin contacting the next set. Plus I will probably research and write questions in advance in case they note me back immediately, which seems to happen when they are interested.

Sunday, September 30, 2007

Death and Christmas

When I was a child, my father spent the months leading up to every Christmas making grave blankets to sell so we could make ends meet. We lived just down the street from the town's cemetery, and my dad was a good friend with the caretaker. Local families bought the grave blankets so they could cover the graves of their dead relatives with flowers and pine needles to bring them warmth for the coming winter. I am not sure I understand this custom fully, or where it originated. It is not available on Wikipedia.
I vividly remember going to some local mom & pop store to buy Styrofoam, fresh pine branches, pinecones, fake flowers, and other supplies to make the grave blankets. My mother spent hours making giant pink, red and white bows that would be the best part of the creation. I always helped Dad place the branches in the Styrofoam rectangles. Sometimes I helped arrange the flowers. I loved helping my dad with these symbolic creations. On occasion he let me make the whole thing...well, the small ones for child graves. I never thought too much at the time that what I created was to cover the grave of a small, dead child.
As a finishing touch my father sprayed the thing (except for the bow) with either smelly gold or silver metallic spray paint, or sometimes, a fake white snow. I was not allowed to stay in the cold basement for this part of the process. The fumes were a little bit too much.
I am not sure why we stopped making grave blankets, for certain. It was either because we moved to a different state, or because of a tragic death in our own family. My memories around the time of the death of my nephew fail me. All I know is there was one Christmas season before we moved and we may have made them. If we did, then I am sure that I made one for Jeff to keep him warm that Christmas.
This may be a Christmas holiday tale, but I think it will always be better suited to tell at Halloween.

So, I plan to create a digital piece of one of these grave blankets to go along with this story...And, by the way this is a true story.

:UPDATE:

A Blanket for Warmth by =peggymintun on deviantART

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Blah Blah Blah Blahgger!!!

Blah Blah Blah...Randomness Rulz..No not rules as in guidelines. It rulz as in it oversees, or whatever. Just read it. Oh, eeer, so you knew what I meant.

Speaking as the Vast Overlord-ess of my Blogger...

1. NBC can kiss my big, fat ass for provoking Apple to take episodes of The Office off of iTunes...you greedy bastards.
2. So, my interview with Dredsden Doll's Amanda Palmer will be in Issue #19 of OLOGY.
3. I may have an interview with Aaron Funk (aka Venetian Snars)...if he responds to my message again. I hope he does...he gives interesting responses to his interview, so I hope he is into it.
4. Recent belly dance moves have been KILLIN my left hip...but I have a class performance on the 9th. Solo. Oh, if you only had a camcorder...that would only put you in grave danger.
5. AGORA is coming up fast. Saturday, October 13th!
6. I am a little off track from my art ideas list because I have been involved in a lot of contests and challenges on DeviantArt. I have been emmersing myself in digital. I have embedded some of my better ones of late in this post. I am progressing in both digital and traditional. I think my digital work is getting better, and it is benefitting my traditional. I don't know if I will ever get to the level of my friend Senecal, as far as selling my digital work. I do plan to submit them in a calendar format for 2008.
7. Getting ready for a Halloween Bash. I decided to have it the weekend after. More of a Day of the Dead party, I guess.
8. Eight is always intentionally left blank because I forget what it is for. Consult the Violent Femmes.
9. I am feeling so goth right now (god, that sounds so fucking lame...I'm leaving it)...can't wait for dreary skies and coldness. I love the fall.
10. Read up on this chick (Erzsebet of Bothory)...she is who I will be at my Halloween party


Seven by *peggymintun on deviantART

Queen of Cups by *peggymintun on deviantART

My Brain on Vast by *peggymintun on deviantART

The World Through My Window by *peggymintun on deviantART

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Insomnia!!!

OK...took this down for a time, but Jared convinced me not to self-censor.

Holy mother of GOD, I am wired as fuck!!! I think I have RLS, too. Only in my right leg, though. Sort of just in the back of my right leg, above and below the knee area. I feel like my muscles are thin rubber bands and someone is plucking them. Grrrrrr.

Anyways, today was weird. Actually, this year has been weird...no wait. The decade has been weird so far. Sometimes when I am wired like this I just think about people I know. I think it is weird how you are destined to meet some people. And I think about how all the people I know intersect and know one another from different sources. Maybe it is a professional industry thing. I'm not sure. Things just seem right at the moment. But at the same time I feel like there is something on the horizon that will change a lot of things. I am not sure if this is personal or having to do with work, though. I never fear change. I am a change junkie, actually.

I have lost 42 pounds so far...since July. I really need to step it up. I am at a plateau right now. I do need to follow a plan better and start exercising more. I just can't pull off 100% discipline. That fucking bores me. And I need a vice. No, I am not without sin, and I never plan to be. It is part of my humanity enrichment program.

Oh, this is 1 AM babel. I may delete it tomorrow. Like that sweet post about the Get Well Soon card pissing me off. OH yeah, who sends get well soon cards to the chronically ill who has a disease that has no known cure, and no pinpointed cause? Now that is beautiful irony. Yes, church ladies, I will get-well-soon as soon as these right-wing Christian fuckheads who so carefully (carelessly) blend the lines of church and state approve some much needed stem cell research. Until then, please divert your funds from Hallmark and USPS to the MS charities and pray for science that will help the masses and not just me.

Friday, September 21, 2007

Weird Noises and Other Stuff

So, I was thinking on the way to Tennessee that the skies look different over other places. It is just an observation:


This is what the outside of the room looked like. We were like 3 stories up and I thought the only way to get down was the elevator, and a ramp out to the back parking lot. Anyway, I thought the red bars were cool...
Oh yeah, we watched Vacancy while we were there. This movie must be watched in a hotel room to make it scary.


Ever have a movie piss you off? Just got done watching Premonition. I fucking hate how it ended. It was just messed up. I would bitch about it more, but I'd hate to give away the ending. Look...a tree:


Look...a spider. Joe was smoking on the deck and spotted him. He's so cute. I took 10 pics and they all turned out blurry. Oh well.


The mountains look awesome in the mornings...all the fog that has settled overnight. I got a few good shots on the road to home.


And this one is from day 2 back on the mountain. I showed one shot a couple days ago. This orb thing appeared in this shot, but nothing was on the lens, and the light was not hitting the camera. Paranormal activity, maybe???


So, I notice now that the noises around here are weird. The wailing of the sirens and then the wailing of the dogs mimicking the sirens. And the wind...wait there has been no wind. So, I am gearing up for Halloween. It ought to be a good year for weirdness.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Random Pictures...







Almost time to come home. Went to the Haunted Mansion today. I screamed a couple times. Oh yeah...just about fell over once. It was creepy, but only because I allowed it to be. Then I went to Ripley's Believe It or Not. Love that place. I have not been to one of those in a while. But, I am bored now, and ready to get home.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Hmmmm...Smells like ****...At least smells are free!

Let me preface this by sayin' Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day! Yar, matey!!! Rock on with your bad-ass eye patches.

I think when the lights go down in this town that everyone pees in the corners and shits in the creek. It is a lovely little town nestled between the mountains, but it is a little stinky. Just a bit. Smells are free though.

Having fun so far. It is very WTHB here. Just sayin'. I speak of 90% of the tourists. The locals look like they have come off a hard busy season of all things WT. They have that OMG-get-the-fuck-out-of-here attitude. A tattoo artist growled at me on the street yesterday. I was going to have her tattoo me...ok, not really I want to do that closer ro home.
Today we went to the aquarium. They searched us for guns. Poor little fishes held captive for the enjoyment of thousands of ...people. People with knives. I took pictures...





Later on we went up the mountain to take some pictures on the Outlook. It was very cool. I have vertigo. Normally I appreciate that dizzy, out-of-control feeling, but not when I think I will fall to my death...keep in mind the actual drop-off is like 50 feet away, making it impossible to fall to my death.





And I thought for a moment that I had gotten over my vertigo, but it returned full force.

Sasquatch Spotting


Better believe this...we saw a Sasquatch today. A little scary...he almost became roadkill. All right, if you don't believe me, here is proof:

Sunday, September 16, 2007

20 Random Things About Me...Plus Pics of Jared and Jimbo

20 Random (painfully interesting) facts....

1. I love to write bad, angsty poetry...the kind that provokes one to snap their fingers, crave lattes, and smoke clove cigarettes in dark coffee houses.
2. I love Indian food, especially Tandoori chicken...yum.
3. I love rockin' out to Guitar Hero, and have been known to play with 95% accuracy with the guitar behind my head. OH yeah.
4. I recently got the chance (thanks to a friend on DA) to interview Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls....!!!! It'll be in an upcoming issue of OLOGY magazine!
5. My current favorite thing to do (aside from my art) is bellydancing and I have been taking classes for almost a year now.
6. I love mountains...but I get vertigo like a bitch.
7. When I was a teenager I wanted to be a disc jockey...but my dreams took a tragic turn into oblivion when I accidentally left the studio mic on while DJ-ing one night...there's a lot more to that story that I will not tell here.
8.
9. Brainchild from Omnibucket gave me nightmares and started my love and fascination with all things zombie.
10. I hate 80's styles...ruffles, pinned pants, leg warmers and big hair. Come on people, once was too freakin' much.
11. My fav coffee house drink is sugarfree hazelnut iced coffee.
12. I love books by astrophysicists, such as Michio Kaku and Stephen Hawking, but can feel my brain overloading when I read them. Wow.
13. Sometimes when I drift off to sleep and am very relaxed I see shapes and lights that play like a music player visualization, and I also, on occasion, have hypnagogic hallucinations.
14. I love making Flash animations to music, but I never have time to do it.
15. I most identify with being a Buddhist, but I appreciate other religions.
16. One of these days I want to learn to play the piano.
17. I love reading tarot cards for people, but will not do it when I am not feeling well.
18. The last three cars I have owned have been Ford Tauruses. I don't care about cars...they serve a purpose. If I had to have a luxury car it would be a Jaguar. And I would pronounce it Jag-U-wah.
19. I only like to chew cinnamon gum.
20. I can move my eyes in different directions independently.

Okay...time for pics of Jimmie and Jared....


Saturday, September 15, 2007

Too Much Coffee

Is that possible?? I think I should have stopped at 3 cups...I had two this morning...2 big mugs at Bobs for lunch, and then 2 giant mugs this afternoon. TWEAK. I am fucking wired. Of course they each had artery clogging amounts of half-n-half.

So, I'm going down to Tennessee next week. Turns out that just over the mountain is a little town called Crabtree, NC. That is cool, given that Crabtree is my maiden name. Back when I was a young maiden...ha. Anyway, it is in the Blue Ridge in the Smokey Mountains just to the east of Cherokee land. I may have to pop over there just for a look around...that would also bring me very close to my Mom's family, too, and my current fav place to visit, Asheville, NC. I just love that area of the country.
Things I have found amusing lately:

Seth Green spoofs Chris Crocker's plea for Britney:

Thursday, September 13, 2007

The Cure

OK...listening to the Cure for an hour is not a cure for depression. Truly I am only reminded of things that make me sad. I won't go into any gruesome details. I will only make a wish, put it in a box, cast a spell, and hope that things work out like I want. I know...be careful what you wish for.

Hmmmmm....what have I found interesting lately...little kitty kitty.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Senecal's Old One! Short Story

Hello. Wrote this story for Senecal's Old One! on Omnibucket just for fun. Kind of a weird science fiction out of body experience type tale of madness. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Sunday, September 9, 2007

It's Sunday...Time for Random Things

First off, here is a blog from Bruce Campbell that I found this morning on mySpace. I have asked him to be my "friend". Who in the hell wouldn't? Bruce has a WIKI, as well. Who in the hell doesn't?
Here are two extended Old Spice videos:




IT...
If you have IT, you don't need IT.
If you need IT, you don't have IT.
If you have IT, you need more of IT.
If you have more of IT, you don't need less of IT.
You need IT to get IT.
And you certainly need IT to get more of IT.
But if you don't already have any of IT to begin with,
you can't get any of IT to get started,
which means you really have no idea how to get IT in the first place, do you?
You can share IT, sure.
You can even stockpile IT if you'd like.
But you can't fake IT.
Wanting IT.
Needing IT.
Wishing for IT.
The point is if you've never had any of IT, ever,
People just seem to know.


Interview...


I seem to be catching up with old friends this week. I just met up with Carmen yesterday...Monday is Julie and Isolde...Thursday is Samantha...and then Saturday is Jenn. Here's to old friends...Cheers!

I just finished writing a story to go with Senecal's Old One!. I think it turned out kind of cool. It needs to be linked up to the picture, then I will share it. Today I need to work on art. Seems that creative writing drains my energy, while art energizes me. It's the yin and yang of my creative cycle.

OK, I am off to watch a movie, or fold laundry, or paint a picture, or whatever Sunday brings.

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Goth Ninja Belly Dance

I began taking belly dance lessons last November, almost one year ago, at Habeeba's School of Belly Dance Arts. I have absolutely loved it every step (ahem) of the way. I joke about it a lot and say that I am Goth Ninja...when you start school they make you wear black from head to toe because the introduction of color is too distracting to the instructors and other students. This may be true. I have never shook the black, and had my practice skirt and veil made from black chiffon. I also only wear black hip scarves...well, I do have a leopard skin one, too.

It certainly has been a challenge from time to time. We have learned how to Flutter, which is moving the diaphragm in and out until it makes the fat on your belly move in waves. Yeah, that's attractive. Another one of the more difficult moves is the Bedouin Walk. This is where you shimmy (moving the knees back and forth until your ass shakes and jiggles (again, lovely sight)and then moving forward and back with hip drops in a duck walk...got all that? Neither do I...actually, I did have a breakthrough last time. Other than those two and coordinating playing the zills (finger cymbals) at the same time, I have been quite successful at learning all the moves...the "sweet new moves", as I have pegged them for Joe.

So, here are a few of my favorite videos from the web showing this art form around the world:

Rachel Brice:
Paris Performance
Tribal Fusion
Rachel Brice Tribute

Mariah, My First Instructor

Egyptian Male Dancer

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Diseases Sound Better In Japanese

Over a decade ago I was diagnosed with thyroid disease. One of my "ologists" just told me today that the condition I have is known as Hashimoto's disease. Now I can get into that...HASHIMOTO. That sounds like a cool character on a Godzilla movie, or some other Japanese coolness. So, I figure I will have all my other current and future conditions and diseases translated into Japanese...just to take the edge off and give it an air of mystery.

Monday, September 3, 2007

Artist Statements

This is something I struggle with because when I write about myself, I tend to be a complete smart ass, or too simplistic, and it comes off just weird and disjointed. So, this week one of my goals is to formulate and write an artist statement and my bio.

I found this site, which seems to be a good resource.

Another thing is finding that balance between making it personal and too-much-information. I tend to not have a filter. I'll post something, then go back and read it and change it 20 times. And then still think it's shit and go back and change it again. Then wonder if I should just delete the whole damned thing and forget about it. Or should I be one of those cool people who just say something like "My art will devour your soul and regurgitate it into a rancid, puffy cloud of smoke". You see what I mean, that's not cool. That's lame...er, when I say it. It could work for you, perhaps.

So, anyway, I'm going to get to work and see what fabulous, awe-inspiring, genius words I can string together to describe all that is me and my art and my process.

Saturday, September 1, 2007

Hey, What's Up?

MoBA
Have you ever heard of MoBA, the Museum of Bad Art? I love it. It is located in Boston, MA. Their website is priceless. The descriptions of the works really make it. All the works are really just fun...I would liken it to receiving a piece of are from one of your kids, or (in my case) friends/family kids. You know, look at that it and think "at least they are trying". And then to add on some high brow art description to describe the work is awesome (and meant to be humorous...I hope!) Anyway, you should check it out. Recently I polled people on deviantArt to see what they would think about showing up in MoBA. I think I have a couple people who want to get their work in there now. Hmmmm...perhaps a contest or challenge. We are all striving to be so good at our craft, it's like a a welcome change to be allowed to screw up and be recognized (in a tongue-in-cheek way) for it, too. Kind of a right back at ya...I'm good and I'm bad...I am versatile. Okay...here's the linkage: MoBA, baby.

Omnibucket
So the folks over at Omnibucket have been working very hard to get their new site up and running. I am just going to blatantly copy and paste their About description, rather than try to formulate a description in my own words...then feel free to surf over there and check it out...maybe set up an account if you are a creative type and want to participate...

"Omnibucket is

*A creative incubator for creators, fans, and producers.

*A platform for creators to converge, collaborate, and create.

*A space for fans and consumers to learn about the creative process as it grows and happens.

*A source for creativity scouts to discover developed and production-ready projects.

Omnibucket is a creative incubator more than a traditional publishing company.
As the founders of Omnibucket we have already defined space, built up real-world experience, and have a growing network of talent and industry contacts. These assets enable us to foster creative collaborations which yield book-based projects that are ready for mainstream production.

This web space itself is a place where contributors can work directly with each other by adding their own content. Omnibucket.com has aspects of social networking sites; the difference is that this network is comprised of people involved in the creative process."

Visit Omnibucket.

Friday, August 24, 2007

Why Hello

It is a beautiful HOT day outside...I need to leave the house before it reaches 105 degrees. But not to work...I am feeling a little under the weather today...being that is in the sky.

So, I am working on a few things right now as far as writing and art. I have laid out this zombie story trying to put a weird religious spin on it. Currently cleaning up Dawn of Her Last Day (formerly Wheatwolf) in order to contribute it to Omnibucket. I am also doing many artworks. One being a drawing called Cellar Door. It is inspired by Donnie Darko. I am working on another time travel piece called The Magic of Flux Capacitors. I have a list of 30-40 projects I am working from. I have had crazy amounts of creative energy this summer. It seems as though my brain was frozen for the longest time. So, I think it will be time travel weekend. Also trying to jump into digital. Got to love the digital artists who can create such beautiful pieces. Trying to transfer my artisitic skills to that medium, without mucking things up with my history of using photoshop for graphic design is a challenge. But I am learning, and I have a great teacher.

I am also trying to get started contributing to OLOGY magazine by interviewing musicians. One of the guys who owns it asked me about it a couple times. I just looked at him and was like dude, I don't any musicians unless we are talking local/regional. Turns out that I have a pretty good chance to interview a pretty awesome, well-known one. More to come...

Cool things...

Check out this video by Venetian Snares...I think it is inspirational.

Saturday, August 4, 2007

Hello!

I wanted to set up a blog that is outside of my DeviantArt world, and did not want to use my MySpace page. So, I am starting one here. Going to keep this short this time, but I hope to add much much more in the future.