josie

Sold a couple more prints. I am SO close to breaking even on costs now... after that it would be pure profit for awhile. Which would be so damn nice. I'm going to try to paint up a bunch of things in the off season here when time allows so I'm ready to go when October rolls around.

Yeahh. What I want is enough badass woman movies where they DON'T have to freakin' carry the complicated expectations of society, and can just be good, bad, stand on their own, like most movies... The last female superhero movie before this was... Elektra. Oof. Unless you count Suckerpunch. Also oof. And yeah, second half... bleh. However, I'd just watch the first half and the Amazonian battling over and over for a week straight pretty happily. Claire Underwood as a classical fighting general? Yes please. Watch out, Frank.

This is wonderful. I'm very happy for you guys! I know someone using it for Crohns as well. She has a hell of a time getting it, but it's what keeps her going. I find it absolutely criminal that it's criminalized. Doesn't work for me, but it helps so so many- I'll fight for it.

We had our performance today! It went pretty well. I'm effing tired now.

I had one bf whose mom hated me. Dad loved me. I couldn't figure out why. I had a reputation as a good girl, top of my class, all the things these people liked/went on about. I decided it was because I was slightly older than her son. She'd call me a wh0re to my face. Nope. Wasn't the right religion. They were part of some crazy cult. Eventually they got into some kind of federal trouble, and they moved to the west coast. Didn't work out for a lot of reasons, one of the biggest being his sister and I sharing the same name... and his weird relationship with her... yeesshh. Had another ex's parents hug me, the mom nearly sobbing (first time I'd ever met them as they were from Utah, post breakup) about how she wished her son wouldn't make this mistake. That was hard. I think I get along with d4rk's parents better than my own!

Depends on the scenario. Is it a huge deal/dinner/stuffy set up? Could be a red flag. Buuuut most the time, roll with it, if it's casual it's no big deal. D4rk surprised me about a month in. I'd just graduated from RIT that morning and was going to a party in Buffalo with him/meeting all his friends for the first time. Which was already overwhelming. I wasn't exactly dressed conservatively, and we're in the car, "oh by the way, gotta swing by my parent's house, they want to meet you". WHAT. DUDE. MY BRA IS HANGING OUT, MY SHORTS ARE TOO SHORT, I AM NOT IN 'MEET THE PARENTS' MODE RIGHT NOW. Course, they couldn't have cared less, they were super nice and it was very chill, and we all got on like a house on fire. I think d4rk met mine before that, as they were up for all my graduation stuff. I think my art shows they all met. Again, super casual. So yeah. You know her, we don't, you know the vibe. But most the time, it's no big deal. Most likely just means she really likes you and trusts her parents' opinions, and wants to see if they do too.

What are we doing on that mountain, Chz???

I'm in. I'm a huge alpinist fan. I read/follow that sh!t even though I'd never really do it. Unless of course there's something really important on the top of that mountain. Depending on the mountain.

What kind of question is that? Yes, duh. According to Wiki, Goodhart argued that humans are relatively hairless today compared to our ancestors because women who were sexually selected for their "hairless trait" passed it on to both their male and female offspring.[12] So essentially, cavemen wanted to bang something that didn't look like other cavemen. Just something about hormones/chemicals as to why xx chomosome people grew less swarthy than xy. But that's not always true- lots of women are super duper hairy. I have a good friend who could grow a full beard if she wanted. Black, wiry hair. But she shaves/waxes everything off. And yeah, I'm sure keeping the women who were mostly gatherers/upkeepers at camp tending to hairless vulnerable babies while wrapped in animal skins made the need for heavy element protecting hair less necessary. Funnily enough, despite these sorts of things, women are actually physically better suited for things such as high altitude mountaineering. Energy efficiency. Pretty fascinating stuff.

haha I appreciate it!! And yeah, just let me know!! Apologies if I didn't reply, I'm not sure which twitter handle is yours! Just poke me again and I'll follow. I've got 200 new people watching now thanks to all the RT's and help. Social media is so odd. I'm still figuring out twitter etiquette. I'm going to make a bunch of portraits this summer and have them ready to go by the time the season starts. Again, I'm not ungrateful, I"m overwhelmed with the awesomeness, but I had a convo with the Columbus Blue Jackets poster guy (anthony Zych) and we were just lamenting that as awesome as RT's and likes are, they don't keep the lights on. Better than not having it though!!!

I had an awkward encounter with a former professor once after college. Got in the car, that damn song came on. Then I taught (his old job, actually). Had a student who would play that when I came in the room sometimes. Yeesh. Still a good song, even if it makes me go "bleh" a bit haha This is my song, at least for the last several years. Though sometimes it's more this:

Pretty minor but still frustrating. So my PK Subban painting went effing viral on twitter after PK RT'd it. Over 2k likes, hundreds of RTs. It's still going. I had a ton of people ask for prints. I spent a good deal of money I don't really have to get prints working and a shop (etsy) together. Not a sale. Found out most wanted huge sizes and canvas. We can accommodate up to 2 feet on my friend's massive pro Epson printer. But I opened a Society6 to do canvas. Grand total of 2 PK prints sold now, 3 others to friends. I need to sell about 13 to break even. I'm glad about the sales I've made, but definitely was led to expect more. Bleh. Had a few people tell me they'll buy if the Predators win the Cup. SO I guess I'm hardcore rooting for Nashville now (I was anyways, eff the Pens). .. . . .. And I will be ready next time with prints if something explodes. The internet is fickle, and running a tiny business is a butt.

B-52s tomorrow at Kleinhans. Brian Setzer Orchestra at Artpark Jun 27 The Shins, July 11th at the Rapids Theater Flaming Lips, Sep 20, Rapids Theater Phantogram July 31st, too. Town Ballroom. Reel Big Fish, June 30 at The Woods at Bear Creek in conjunction with a brewery festival. All I can say is, whoever is doing promo work with the Rapids Theater is doing a helluva job.

Wonder Woman. First half was amazing. I was loving it. Loved the Amazons. Loved the humor, everything, was identifying hard with Diana (I've done a lot of male dominated sports, I know about that macho but feminine balance. Plus, cossack/trick riding- used to do that!). Second half... well, maybe more the last third... A lot weaker. Not without some great things, but... some really hard letdowns and stupid things shoved in and a constant reminder it's a DC film in quality (the final battle). I won't post spoilers, but one of the castings was absolutely abysmal in my opinion. Took me right out of the experience and had the whole theatre laughing when there shouldn't have been laughter. But overall, it's a superhero flick, even the whole "Love is the answer" trope fits here, because that's Wonder Woman's thing- goodness, justice, fighting for those who cannot fight for themselves, and love. A lot of other movies have trampled that trope into the ground, and it makes it harder to not roll eyes for this film. It was fun, it was mostly really beautiful, Chris Pine was fantastic, Gal Godot was better than I expected. I had fun.

Hey! This is digital- Photoshop. It's my go to. Someday I'd love to get back into traditional media like acrylic again, but I'd need freetime and sustainable income for that. It's also a lot easier to make prints of a digital piece rather than trying to get a pro photo of a tangible painting. I find a lot of people today confused between the two, and I admit it makes me feel like a bit of a fake that many seem to assume this is a hardcore oil painting and not done on the computer. If she's got Photoshop/likes painting, I can recommend some brushes and such that I love. I have a set that I mostly use for skin/hair, and then a billion that imitate real traditional stuff like charcoal, oil, watercolor, etc. that cost a few bucks for a giant pack. Between a few specialized brushes and lots of playing with opacity/finesse, I build up areas to final.

Just deleted my post because I didn't scroll up and realize d4rk'd already talked about it haha Here's the full version:

I'm so sorry. My condolences to you and yours <3

I have and thus far it's really only ever resulted in heartbreak. I thought I had some good experience/decent skills. Apparently not enough for this city. I've been searching for over a year now. I don't know what to do anymore. My considerable savings are almost completely gone. Freelance isn't steady pay. Selling prints won't be enough to bring in the difference. Wouldn't dream of going back to my last job though... Just the fact that the amount of women there has now dwindled to 3 (8 were left when I quit in December) tells me I made the right decision there. Should paint my struggles and sell it on hoodies I guess. Followed my dreams, led to nowhere.

I know how you feel. I just got a rejection letter for a part time I thought I was well qualified for. I badly needed that money. I'm really hurting now. I will be broke soon. That's what I get for pursuing a career I enjoy.

Oh no. The worst. Let me know what you think- I have heard nothing kind about that film so far :(

Had a phone interview to be one of the instructors for those Paint Nite thingies. Yes, the things I've maligned and joked about in the past. For a part time gig, it actually pays pretty darn well if I get it. So, if you're in Buffalo and you or the missus have pals who want to hang out at a bar, drink, and paint something like a sunset or sea turtle (their choice, not mine), you might just get little ol' me as your host for the evening. Definitely not the job I had in mind, but... I have steady bills to pay and freelance pay is too sporadic for my nerves.

The last few movies are so damn dark, literally, that it's tough to make out detail on a crappy TV. Like, I get that it's basically the wizarding world holocaust, and there is very little joy, but good lord art directors, you didn't have to dim and desaturate everything. Compare the first movie's color palette to the final 3. Pretty amazing. The last few books are dark/depressing too. I love the idea of desaturating a bit, but they go so extreme with it. just get a laugh out of the cinematographers' solution. Also, neither here nor there, but good lord, I never liked Dobby. Sorry.

I learned pretty quickly to pretend to be a dude. You can only take so many rape/slut jokes before you get sick of playing. Played a bit of COD in college but it always just got sh!tty and I gave up. I would like to try Overwatch, and Rocket League looked like a blast. Story games are my speed. But I never have time to sink into anything of substance anymore, so I pretty much just play Animal Crossing. It's beautiful and wholesome and calming and mindless.

Yeah, I recall some outraged hollering at that. I'm with you. Not a Watson fan. And Rupert Grint is just... not at all what Ron should be. Harry was pretty well cast...except all the closeups of his big beautiful blue eyes with voiceover intoning "YOU HAVE YOUR MOTHER'S GREEN EYES, YOUR MOTHER'S BLAZING GREEN EYES, GREEN EYES GREEN GREEN GREEN"

I can't fairly say, since I watched them through the lens of knowing the books. Maybe someone who's never read the books would really dig the movies. I can say the books are enjoyable. Yeah, I was the optimal age as the characters, growing up with them. But I reread them last year for the first time since I was a kid and they were really great, just in an entirely different way. It's amazing how my own maturity level really painted that series. I still enjoy the movies, although they irritate me somewhat (esp. the final battle/book/movie. Blurgh) with some miscasting and such. LoTR- I admit I'm not a huge fan of the books, but I do love the movies *dodges thrown objects* Star Wars is great and all, but I've never been the diehard fan most people claim to be these days. A class in college broke SW down into Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey monomyth template and it kind of ruined it for me :( Evil Dead- best enjoyed with a beer, pizza, and some friends. Haven't seen the new one, have no desire to.