Icka! M. Chif:
Icka!: "I miss Megs being around. Ianuk used to call us 'Thing One and Thing Two'. Then we'd get into debates over who was One and Two."
Elinor: "Do you really wanna be Number Two?
Icka!: "I think I was."
Elinor: "Icka-ca-?"
Icka!: "CAW CAW MOTHER FUCKER! Oh, hi Tony."
Elinor: "Hi, Tony."
*Supervisor keeps walking, shaking his head.*

Megs:
Nuuuu I thought I was Thing Two
You lead into trouble, I drive the getaway car.

Icka! M. Chif:
I lead into trouble?!

Megs:
Need I remind you a certain phone call from four years ago?
Icka: “I found a giant dildo stuck to a phone pole! What do I do with it?”
Me: “Steal it.”
Icka: “Done.”

Icka! M. Chif:
And this is following my making one of the other guys speechless, because he thinks my life must be so boring because I don't drink or smoke.

Megs:
BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
ha.

Icka!: This. This right here is why I will never be a gamer, because I will do dumb shit like this WITHOUT THE ALCOHOL. http://arinrowan.tumblr.com/post/94931215203/so-last-night-i-got-drunk-and-played-skyrim
Lady Douji: lol
Lady Douji: that means you're the best gamer
Icka!: Actually, stuff like this is why I was never invited back to Star Trek video game testing
Lady Douji: lol
Lady Douji: but stuff like this finds the coolest bugs and glitches
Icka!: "Can I shoot my crewmates?"
Icka!: "Yes, but you end up in the brig."
Icka!: "Can I use my phaser to graffiti my name on the brig walls?"
Icka!: "... Yes-?"
Icka!: "Hot damn. I'm killing everyone."
Icka!: *The two way mirror suddenly vibrates as someone falls out of the chair on the other side*
Icka!: -true story

So. For context. Today my brain latched onto learning about various things you can do with felted wool. I think it started with wondering if I could needle felt poisonous mushroom replicas for hairsticks.

And I found 'Is needle felting period in the SCA' (not really, but that brings us to:) Wet Felting, Shyrdak, (a breif soujurn into felted coats and the coat of faces) making felted shoes, and felted 'stone' rug, and felted ball rugs, which I thought were cool and colourful.

Curious as to if there were different ways to make the rugs, and since Tumblr occasionally brings me strange useful stuff, I typed 'ball rugs' into tumblr.

....

Well, if I had wanted to see lots of hairy scrotums and assorted pictures of Mike Wazowski, I was totally in the right place. *facepalm*

Someone on tumblr today asked me how long I've been in the SCA and I had to stop and think about it.

Joined Southron Gaard when I moved to NZ in 2005, then moved back to Tucson in November 2006. Went to Southern Crusades two weeks after moving back, which is where I met raventhourne for the first time.

Met Megs in Jan 2007, and the first time I mention archery is November 2007, I don't seem to have it written down, but the second time we showed up is when I met Thyri, and Johannes took over the archery program.

Went on probation for the Horde at Estrella 08, Went to Scribble around May of 2008 to get measurements for the BTY sheilds which are still in use, which is when I met scribe_ari. One reference of being tracing bitch in July 08, got a Boar Vert for the sheilds in August 08, and my first Tusker Cover is Sept 2008 for Raze a Village.

Stepped down from Archery in 2011, cause I was burnt out. Don't remember when Tatiana left, but I was her Scribal Deputy, and msaimeesue's after, and Shoshana's currently. Fully took over duties for the Tusker Cover in 2011 instead of being the pinch-hit artist, and started painting when Elsa left in June 2012.

And I just laid out and painted my first Peerage scroll, less than 2 years of painting. With period pigments, no less.

Somehow, feels both longer and shorter.

I'm moving! Not this weekend (going to San Diego), but next weekend, the 15th.

Renting half of a guesthouse about a mile north for about the same amount I'm paying for my half of a room now. Have a flatmate, and I've known the people I'm renting from for years now, so won't be isolated, will have the opportunity to be social if I feel like it. Or not to be, depending on how I feel.

Getting a 3 month lease originally, to see how well it works, before signing on for something longer.

Little scared and nervous. This is the longest I've lived at one address in years, and I love MOrgan and Sean, but it's time for me to move.

So... The Japan trip at the end of March has changed to a trip to Ireland.

Couple of things prompted this. First one, Money.
Travelzoo keeps posting those great deals for Ireland. So for the same price as roundtrip from LAX to Narita, we can get roundtrip from NYC to Dublin, Hotels for 8 nights in 3 cities, plus an automatic car to drive around.
So even with the exchange rate and paying for gas, should be about a third cheaper in the long run.

Two: Logistics.
Neechan's spine. In Japan we were facing dealing with public transportation while carrying luggage with someone who can't take stairs. And Japan doesn't have a lot of elevators. Plus the shinkansen, and finding hotels, and various subtrips, and shopping...
Ireland, we have a car. No scrambling to carry stuff, we can take our time going where ever we want.
Not to mention language barrier...

Three: It's somewhere we've both wanted to go for years and neither of us have been. We've both been to Japan many times.
-And Ireland is supposed to be special for writers. Mebbe we'll get our mojo back. ^__^

Four: My gut is happier. Have not had a good feeling about Japan since it came up, and this feels right. It doesn't feel like bashing against an invisible wall in order to plan it.

-It's not without some crazy prep, I need to get an International Driver's Permit and research driving in Ireland so I obey the traffic laws, figure out places to visit around Dublin, Galway, and Limerick, but overall, I think it'll be a better trip.

Add bonus, we're flying out of NYC, so looking at booking a hotel for a couple of days in New York on the way back because of reasons. ~_^

Anyway. Driving out to San Diego this week to spend the weekend with friends, and getting ready to go visit a vineyard this afternoon, so will talk to all you lovely peoples later!

Seems like when I need to do serious thinking about RL, I'm turning back to this rather than Tumblr, which is mostly fandom squee.

So... um. Yeah. In honour of discovering that my PTO at work hasn't been rolling over the past couple of years to the tune of 56 hours, and it getting fixed: Travel.

That Japan trip I was mentioning? Looks like it's a go, all cylinders firing. Neechan's spine is deteriorating to the point that it's a matter of when, not if, she becomes paralyzed, and the third person dropped out today, so we're going for it. Last 10 days of March.

She’s currently planning a couple of days in Tokyo (mostly to see the Ghibli Museum), Nikkō, and Fukuoka. Possibly other places as well, she's figuring out where she wants to visit. I... really don't have much input to be honest, just pleased to be going. Suggestions are very welcome.

She's also going to shop for doujin to re-sale, so the current plan is that I ditch her at various Mandarake and Book-offs, and go wander the area, since we learned the hard way last time that busty redheads stumbling into the hentai department makes all the guys in the area highly nervous and us escorted back to the yaoi section. True story.

Lots of flailing on my end over the realisation that I haven’t need to speak or read Japanese in almost a decade. *headdesk* I’ve forgotten so much….

Travel for the year is shaping up as: San Diego in February, Japan in March, New York City before August, and New Orleans in October, because dagnabbit, I wanna go.

Still working funds/timing for NYC, so is very flexible at this point if anyone wants to meet up. ~_^

Timing. Timing is funny. Not really a New Year's resolution, but I do think it's time to start investing in myself again. That I'm worth investing in myself.

When I was younger, I was a lot more confident in myself and my skills, and realising now how 6 years of unemployment have ripped my self-worth into bits in a way that 3½ years of steady employment still hasn't quite fixed. I'm constantly waiting for the world to drop out again, and I need to stop doing that and look forward instead. To hope, instead of constantly fear.

And that my worth isn't solely based on what I can do for other people. That it's okay to do stuff for myself.

One of the things I like about Travel is that it makes me realise things about myself. This latest trip, it was the strange realisation that out of the three girls, I was probably the most image conscious. The only one who bothered with make up, or some days, even changing out of pjs.

It was a little strange, because I don't really think about myself as fashion conscious. The people I hang out with always seem to effortlessly look fabulous, and I'm aware that I don't.

And a LOT of my clothing is worn out and does need to be replaced, which I've been putting off because it's so damn hard to find clothing that 1: I like, and 2: Fits. It's a huge undertaking.

-it was a bit of a surprise earlier this month when someone comment about 'knowing I like my shirts baggy', when with over a 12" difference between bust and waist, it's more that I don't really have a choice. I prefer my shirts long enough to cover my stomach, which means the fabric hangs off my boobs, and isn't form fitting. Current fashion means that if it form fitting, it doesn't go over my belly, which isn't flattering or comfortable either.

But by the same token, how you dress influences how you and other people see you. While travelling, eyeliner means the difference between being ignored or being able to ask and get directions. It says a lot about you too, and from what I understand, right now my clothing says I'm a hobo instead of I'm confident and comfortable in my skin. And that needs to change.

Still mentally going over the problem of shirts, but skirts... I like long flowing skirts cause they're both modest and comfortable, but they are baggy and on the unflattering side. And after some online searching, beginning to think that the best bet is buying fabric and hiring someone to make walking skirts. Long, flattering lines, and good for, well, walking. Medium weight fabric would mean they don't get torn as easily too.

Prolly'll have to do that with shirts too, but patterning is a pain. *sighs*

This weekend, I invested in a better mattress, one that'll be useful for when I get a place of my own. Did some poking around online for that too, it'll cut into funds, but it's getting to the point think I need to move, just for my own headspace. The house is cluttered and needs repair, but it's not my house or stuff, and I can't be the only one constantly working on it.

Am getting a corset, and was talking about doing a group run to Phoenix to be fitted for more bras, since my body has shifted since the last fitting. Currently also working on getting my teeth fixed, catching stuff while they're cavities instead of flailing when it's suddenly a root canal.

Looking at boots too. I love my combat boots, but they're... combat boots. Not really stylish. Poking around at sites looking at something that's a little more classical looking, but still comfortable and can take a beating. It's one of those things where finding stuff that fits gets tricky again, since a men's 9.5 is easier to find than a women's 11.5.

Travel's still on the table, mostly for my own sanity. Possibly a trip to Japan, but I won't cry if it falls through. Big thing is NYC before August for the Poison Exhibit.

Next big thing though, is I really do need to get glasses. Am noticing that my middle range is really starting to deteriorate, to the point that TV watching is sometimes tricky. That, and I miss how I look in glasses.

The hardest part I think, is that while I know that spending the money to get good quality pays off in the long run, it's convincing myself that it's okay to invest the money in me, rather than a hobby, the house, or something else. That it's worth saving up for and spending.

*shrugs* Anyway. That's where I'm at. Getting confident in myself again.

How are you doing?

So for the past couple of weeks, whenever sitting on the toilet, have been hearing this weird 'baaaaaa' sound. But only the bathroom.

Thinking I was hearing things, I talked to Sean, who said it was goats. At least he was pretty sure. Toilet Goats, that we only heard on the toilet.

Talked to our neighbour today about the Toilet Goats and found out we were incorrect.



-It's Toilet Sheep. They're raising them in the backyard next to our joint wall, and our bathroom happens to have the only open window on that side of the house.

So yeah. Not crazy. But not Toilet Goats either.

Baaaaa.

I have a tendency to doodle on post-it notes, it's less stress in my brain to get everything perfect. Borrowing the pose and the artstyle from Hyperbole and a Half.

Icka!: And somehow the discussion went from one of the coworkers not clocking out for lunch, to the fact that the supervisor collects his toenail clippings, to dildos, to lesbians watching lesbian porn. And that's in less than 10 minutes.

Jo: Dude, what kind of work environment do you work in? XP

Icka!: We work with the military.

-Not a fan of the series, but my tumblr dash is, so I get the reactions.

But an interview with George R.R. Martin states that he based 'The Red Wedding' in Game of Thrones off the 1692 Scottish Massacre of Glencoe and The Black Dinner of 1440 in Edinburgh.

-In the interview, George R.R. Martin says that a 'Black Boar Head' was brought forth during the Black Dinner as a 'Symbol of Death', but I'm finding accounts that it was a 'Black Bull Head', not Boar. (although this would have made the next Tusker cover interesting to draw)

So something historical to muse while people are wailing over the deaths of fictional characters. ^__^

East: Hey, just got home?
Icka!: Yeah, was gathering art supplies. I think I broke the guy at Ace Hardware trying to figure out how to paint a silicone dildo.
East: XD
Broke in a goodway or bad way? XD
Icka!: He had his head on his arms, on the counter, shoulders shaking as he made these odd muffled sounds.
East: Sounds like a little of both then.
Icka!: And then was told to talk to the paint department, and the lady there brightened up immediately and started talking about her glass dildo collection on the fireplace and traumatising her children with giant blown up pictures of venereal diseases.
-she also informed a woman to be careful when holding the baby chicks, if you squeeze them, they poop.
It was a productive trip.

Left Side: Scroll how I painted it
Right Side: Inverted Colours.

Hahahahahahhaaaaaa!


-Will admit, the Green hood = Purple is a bit of a surprise (was expecting red) and had hoped the light pink vines would equal a dark green, but over all pleased with how it came out, considering I did it with no references. Especially the face! Hee! ^___^