Sketching, not sketchy; hotels

I guess one good thing to come out of the last week is that my muse is back. I’ve been sketching and drawing…and realising just how out of practice I really am. I’ve been enjoying myself, though, and happily sharing my works with others.  Specifically one of my guildies who keeps me supplied with ample music to draw to…

I even brought my sketch book with me to South Dakota, where Jeff and I will be helping my sister’s family move into their new house.  I’d be drawing right now except for the fact that it’s the 5 o’clock hour and Jeff is asleep. The whole room is dark, and I’m writing this from my phone.

It’s actually a shame that I’m up, but it couldn’t be helped. It’s the 3rd or 4th time I’ve been up over the course of the night. This time my back and hips made it too insufferable to go back to sleep, so here I am.

The alarm is set for 6:30am… Then I’ll be able to be productive. Even then I won’t be breaking out the pencils and paper… Oh no.. then I’ll be breaking out the fit deck and getting some stretching in.  I’ll get plenty of exercise today, but I’m hoping I won’t be in pain for most of it.

After that, breakfast is in the 7 o’clock hour, then we’ll head over to my sister’s apartment to drink coffee and wake up with the rest of the crew.  See, we could’ve stayed at my sister’s house–it was an open invitation and they’d make room.. but see, with me in my condition and getting up all night long, I opted for the comfort factor of a hotel.

I had searched on kayak and booking, as well as other discount sites, but it turned out to be cheaper to just call the hotel and ask for cheapest rates.  The hotel we originally wanted to stay at cost about $200/night…they had raised the prices for some reason compared to online.  Plus, they didn’t have anything smaller than a king suite and we really just wanted a place to rest our heads.  The reservation clerk actually referred me to a sister hotel. They had an efficiency suite, including breakfast, for less than $100/night.  I didn’t expect there to even be a refrigerator, let alone a stove!

We likely won’t have a chance to use it on this trip, but it’s nice to have the option.

It’d be nice to have the option for a nap later, too, but I don’t see that happening… T^T at least if I get too zonked, we can retreat to the hotel instead of waiting for everyone else to wind down. There’s that, at least.

K. Time to wrap up before diving into the day. Be well!

Zen Box Izakaya

deep fried buckwheat cracker/stick

Takoyaki!

Takoyaki uncovered 😀

Tuna Poké

Chicken Yakisoba

It was a great night in Minneapolis.

I belong with you, you belong with me, you’re my sweetheart.

So, at the moment, I’m keeping my stomach settled by sheer will power.  Must’ve eaten somewhat that didn’t agree with me 😦 ugh.. 

Prior to that, though, I’ve been having a fine day.  I finally threw out the old vacuum cleaner in favor of the shiny new one we bought.  I took down a couple bags of recycling and a bag of rubbish while I was at it.  While cleaning today, I also came up with a bag and a box full of stuff for the donation bin.  I think I’ll take it on over to the DAV on the morrow and let them have a go at it. 

Mm.  I’ve just realized there are a few terms slipping into my vocabulary that probably don’t belong there.  Somewhat. Rubbish. Morrow.  Have a go.  That’s probably a sign I’ve been watching too much Dr. Who.  I LOVE David Tennant and can’t bear to think of another doctor after him, but friends say that this Matthew character grows on you.  I dunno.. something about his hair and that bowtie sets me at odds and makes me think he’s a just a bit off.  Dunno.

I thought I’d be gaming more but there simply hasn’t been time.  I am designing the programs for the wedding and for a few moments there, considered skimming vector art from google images and just blotting out the istock logo.  Now, before you start a big row over this, know that I, too, am an artist and respect people’s work, so all it took was a brief confession to my bestie to put a stop to that.  “Not only is that illegal, it’s unethical, too!”  Aand, how right she is.. 

So, instead, I’m crafting Dollz from free-to-use bases.  Does anyone remember Dollz?  They were big in the early 2000’s?  I used to be way into them and so I guess by incorporating them into my programs, they’ll be even more personal and reflective of our past.  

I’ve been working on them all weekend and so now I’ve got 4/5 of my bridesmaids done, plus my flower-girl.  Here, you can see the finished dollz along the top and the bases that they started from below: 

The real fun starts when I try to make the Groomsmen using the same base… oi. Credit for these bases (in case you’d like to try your hand at making your own) goes to Mariii’s Dolls House. 

The more I work on them, the more I think I’ll like it.  It’s so much more personalized than the silly silhouettes.  I have made each one reflective of the style of the woman it’s representing, and I was able to illustrate the bridesmaid’s dresses as well as the dress my little flower girl is going to wear.  I think that turns the programs into keepsakes for the people featured on them 🙂 

Jeff and I have gone over the ceremony, the program, etc.  He figured out groomsman gifts today and we got a lot of the requirements wrapped up for the tux rentals.  Tomorrow, I’ve got to call the tux shop because we paid for shoes and left them at the store.  We’re just a touch scatter-brained, I suppose. We are comfortable with each other, though–we’re not arguing one bit over wedding details–not like on the shows.  Yes, it’s stressful trying to get everything done, but at the end of the day–it’s just a party.  It’s just a grand celebration so that we can shout to the rooftops that we love each other, and then dance around with our friends and family. ❤ It’s not worth fighting over. 

 

MegsFitness has opened an Etsy Shop!

So, the cost of wedding planning is getting kind of steep and so I am seeking ways to contribute to the fund (so to speak).  I figured I could put my crafty skills to work and open up an Etsy shop!  So far I have just a few magnets and a couple paintings, but I am quickly looking to add more.  This week, I made a token/magnet with my fiance’s guild’s logo on it:

I am looking to do more food/fitness themed ones over the weekend, too.  I found some pretty great paper to use to make a strawberry magnet, broccoli, a bag of groceries.. I also have the pieces needed to make a water boarding one, and a running one.  Lastly, I found a bunch of neat patterned/colored paper that I would like to use.

The magnets themselves are pretty reasonably priced – $5-8 for most, $10 for custom made 🙂 I’m really hoping to get some traffic through the shop, but I know that I’ll probably need to diversify a bit more and work on my photography, tagging, and advertising.

Have you checked out the shop?  What do you think?  What types of items would you like to see?

Hanging Stuff on the Wall!

So, I know that the pictures are not the highest quality… it was kind of late in the evening and I did not take care with the lighting.  I just *had* to let you know, though, that in 1 week, I have gotten far enough with the unpacking process that I could actually start hanging things on my walls ❤  This first frame is showing some of my original art work.  Left to right: Anna, Circus, Opeth (top) – by my brother, Taz (bottom), Kawaii Not t-shirt cut into wall-hanging, and a fairy sketch.

These cutting boards were made by my mom when she was younger than I am now and they make my (tiny!) kitchen feel so home-y.  I can’t decide which one I like the best.  It’s probably the puppy, though, because I want a dog and have two cats instead.

They are LOVING it, by the way.  They neglect the cat towers in favor of the (awesome) windowsills.  I swear they were BUILT for cats.  Here’s a pic of Taz exemplifying how perfect they are for the feline variety:

I think that best of all, we actually have an office now.  I have been sleeping *so* much better now that the computer is not in the bedroom.  I would love to say that I am better able to study as well, however, I am still as much of a procrastinator as ever in that I am writing this entry instead of working on my English homework…

The best part, is that my office can showcase some of my nerd geekery:

My desk is nowhere near finished and does not even have a computer set up on it, so please excuse the mess in the bottom of the frame.  Instead, feast your eyes on these fab internet marvels:

(counter clockwise from top left:)

• http://www.sourcefed.com
• http://www.youtube.com/user/sxephil
• http://www.girlswithslingshots.com
• http://blankitcomics.com/2008/06/08/blankit-0001/
• http://www.thedreamlandchronicles.com/the-dreamland-chronicles/welcome-to-the-dreamland-chronicles/

Ones that are not hanging in my office, but are definitely worth mentioning are:

• http://www.kawaiinot.com/ (You can see one of these comics framed in the first pic, it’s just not in the office)
• http://www.collectedcurios.com/sequentialart.php
• http://www.collectedcurios.com/sketchbook.html
• http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/index2.php
• http://www.agirlandherfed.com/
• http://dreamless.keenspot.com/
• http://flakypastry.runningwithpencils.com/
• http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/index.php
• http://www.lfgcomic.com/
• http://requiem.seraph-inn.com/

It kind of makes me sad to list all of those out… mostly because I haven’t had time to keep up with hardly ANY of them.  In gathering the links, I found out that Blankit Comics kind of stalled out, but I was happy to note that flakypastry updated just yesterday.

If you’re looking for something to do, definitely check out some of those links.  There’s something for everyone 🙂  If you need kid-friendly stuff, check out dreamland chronicles.  If you need adult-friendly stuff, check out girls-with-slingshots.  If you just want a great story and not necessarily humour, check out requiem.seraph-inn.com  Sarah Ellerton is quite the talented writer.

Okay 🙂 Off to study before I run out of time.  Have a fantastic weekend!

Perception as Reality

I am enrolled in a program through work called the Inbody230.  It is a 16 week program designed to promote weight management and a healthy lifestyle.  For my initial assessment in may, it was a caption of my body “as is.” A baseline to measure my progress against.  For the past year and a half, I had been working on my own to lose weight and get in shape and I had lost about 50 pounds, and regained 20, for a net loss of about 30 pounds.  Still, though, the results–the most accurate screening I’ve had to date–made me cry my eyes out.

Female, 24 years, 5’6″ | Dry Lean Mass: 32.2lbs, Body Fat Mass: 103.0lbs, Weight: 222.5lbs | BMI: 35.9 | Percentage of Body Fat (PBF): 46.3%

The weight was evenly distributed and I had a good proportion of lean mass in my limbs and in my torso–I wasn’t bottom or top heavy at the time.  On the other hand, I didn’t need to lose weight fat from one place, I needed to lose it from everywhere.  I was completely overwhelmed, and rather than giving me the motivation to continue my weight loss progress, it actually kind of kicked me into a negative spiral because “why bother, when my efforts aren’t paying off anyway?” 

I didn’t drop out of the program and I told myself that I was still trying, but when I went back for my 2nd assessment in July, the results were even worse…

Female, 25 years, 5’6″ | Dry Lean Mass: 31.8lbs, Body Fat Mass: 105.3lbs, Weight: 223.6lbs | BMI: 36.1 | Percentage of Body Fat (PBF): 47.1%

What happened to me?! Why did I rebel against… myself? If the first reading made me cry my eyes out, this reading just made me go quiet. It is a complete and direct illustration of the impact of my choices.  MY CHOICES, not anyone elses.  I am the only one responsible for the way that I spend my time and the things that I put into my mouth.  It’s easy to fall into a pattern of excuses, and I’m sure it’s not the last time that I’ll vote for chocolate over carrots and cuddles over muscles, but I really need to get out of the negative spiral and make sure that I’m choosing the carrots more often than the chocolate, and the muscles more often than the cuddles.  The next assessment is in about 1 month.  I’ve gotten “more active” than I was in my rebellion, but I’m not as active as I still need to be.  I think the key to changing my numbers is going to be incorporating more strength training and keeping the walking/running inclusive.

This is an illustration of the strength training that I did yesterday… 3 rounds, 15 sets per round, 30 minutes total.  I like my strength training to be short and sweet.  It was an upper-body work-out for the most part, which means I really need to challenge my lower body this weekend.  With any luck, infection and injury will stay at bay and I can take the next four weeks to really improve myself and see that reflected in the next scan.  I know I can do it.