Due Date: 13 July, 2015
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I need to work on my music collection on my iphone. I feel like half my day is spent skipping songs I don't feel like hearing, so I'll save time in the long run if I spend forever and ever and ever working on playlists and shit, right? Besides, it's coming fast upon the running season, and if I'm going to start running again, I don't want to stop the flow by skipping a song. It sucks, because most of the music are bands I love (while some are new music I've been meaning to give a listen to). I guess it must be done. Especially if I'm going to get through the next week.

This past week was a Class-A mess. I skipped 3 classes just to have a little me time. I've been skipping one set of classes a lot, and I feel really bad about it, because 1) I'm graduating this semester, and I wanted to try to be better at not skipping classes, and 2) now I'm struggling. It's hard for me to gasp for air at this point. I just HATE this one class so much (sculpture). And then I have painting right after, to which I feel I can't bring my best, because getting through sculpture just takes so much out of me. So now I'm fending for myself on one project, which I worked on all week through trial-and-error (and a lot of expensive supplies). I haven't even gotten the chance to touch my painting, and I've got a feeling it's still going to have to wait til tomorrow.

This sculpture project, other than winging it, is pretty cool, all things considered. I made a little bust out of modeling clay (I started with modeling clay that was way too hard for me to work with- I was constantly putting it in the oven to warm it up, with special directions from the teacher on how to warm it, which worked at the beginning, but ended with boiling/charred clay. So I got new, softer clay, that I absolutely love). Then I took a couple days to build up a thick coat of latex on each side, while doing the same to a backup piece (a foam skull I altered a bit with some clay). And it's a good thing I did make a backup, because 1) I messed up the latex mold a little bit pulling it off the model, and 2) I messed up the latex mold A LOT by not letting the wax cool enough before I poured it in, and it fused a little bit with the mold in places, just enough to ruin it - it also leaked out the bottom of the plaster part of the mold, and so I have a MOSTLY finished cast of a bust, with little flecks of latex all over it.

So now I have to spend FOREVER making ANOTHER latex mold for it. Ugh.

Not a lot else has happened this past week. I hung out with Ross a couple times. I bought some good books (The Shout poetry book by Simon Armitage, The Girl on the Fridge, by Etgar Keret (with an awful translator- very passive), The Captain and other stories, by Chris Leavins, which I've heard 7 stories from already, and they are great), Låt den rätte komma in (finally), AND its English counterpart, AND the Swedish audiobook... to name a few. There's a couple more I got as suggestions from others. Bought some comics- 3 back copies and the current of Saga, 2 backs and the current for Fairest, and the last two issues of Courtney Crumrin (which was supposed to be ongoing, but I guess Ted Naifeh didn't realize what "ongoing" entails and decided to end it, which I'm pretty pissed about, but oh well. And I wrote a little story-start on my tumblr.

And I have been offered a higher position (which doesn't change my duties much, and gives me a $3 raise) starting in June, which means maybe I can finally afford my own vespa or a car or something... Or at least pay back student loans on time.

Next week I'll be scrambling to survive- finishing this damn sculpture project, working on TWO painting projects, inking 4 pages of comics, drawing one comic page for an anthology, and studying like mad for a big scary test in Anthropology.

So I've been trying to do some relaxing things (like spending time with Ross, reading, writing short things, and watching some TV) in between all the mayhem. But I'm now thinking that's a bad idea.

In the next week, I plan to finish my homework/projects, write in my LJ/Tumblr a little bit more, update greenoblivion.com (end of the week), finish reading my comics stack, finish reading The Girl Who Would Be King, start reading another book (between Palempsest, Ready Player One, Gun Machine, or Warm Bodies), bake sweets, and clean up the mess.

I wanted to do weekly or monthly updates, but it hasn't worked yet. I blamed the start of the spring semester at first, but now I'm blaming my need to get into the groove of things for the semester, (which is my S.A.D. in disguise. It doesn't stick, but it does hit me hard, in short bursts).

Classes are okay. Work is blah/okay. For clarity on the terms I'll be using in the next paragraph: ELC= Electronic Learning Center, the campus computer lab. STHD= Student Technology Help Desk, in the campus library.

On Mondays and Wednesdays, I have to get up at 5:30am so I can catch a bus downtown, so I can catch a shuttle to school, so I can work at 7:30am in the ELC before I start my 9am shift at the STHD. I have a half hour to eat before I start class. Cultural/Linguistic Anthropology (with Jethro) is my favourite class this semester. Having that as my first class of the day makes my second class, Sequential Art, more bearable. I don't hate it, it's just, ugh... stressful, I guess. I don't like the professor's teaching methods during class, however once I talk to him one-on-one, he loosens up and is really helpful. So mixed feelings. I wish he'd be a little more clear in his assignments. That class ends at a quarter to 6pm *_*
My Tuesday/Thursday classes (no work - nice) begin at 9:30 with Sculpture, with my least favourite teacher EVER, Susan. And ending with Painting II, with my absolute favourite teacher, Franzie. Unfortunately, I loathe going to school those days, because the first class sets the tone for the whole day, and I feel like I'm not able to bring my best to my painting class after Sculpture, which is the opposite affect for Mondays/Wednesdays :( The fact that I have to wake up at 5:30am MW REALLY puts a strain on my ability to even get out of bed by Thursday every week. I even ditched a critique for sculpture yesterday. I felt better, though. It's the day before winter break, and I was already checked out :(

~~~~~~~~~

January was pretty low-key, but busy with the holidays and school and stuff. Mostly, I want to rest on my downtime, and I'm usually planted in front of the tv, on the bed, away from my computer, except facebook via iphone, which I've been trying to limit.

After two long years of living at my current location, I finally have a doorbell! Someone rang it the day it was installed, and when I answered, no one was there. After my first ding-dong-ditch, I felt truly part of the neighbourhood.

I'm slowly trying to get healthy (and of course, my PMS is the first time in many years that I've had INSANE cravings, so thanks for screwing those plans, uterus). I organized my fridge with clear plastic bins where I keep fresh fruit and vegetables in plain view, rather than in the drawers below, and that works! Now that I can see them (I am super lazy, and having to bend down and yank the drawers open to see what's inside annoyed me), I am eating fresh fruit daily! I have a bin for apples, one for oranges and others, one for graze veggies, and another for grains. The drawer bins are used for lettuce, cheese, and tofu and the like. And the top shelf is drinks (and leftovers). I also gutted my freezer, and now I don't get frostbite when I dig for food. Fridge renovation picture can be seen here. And I ordered my first Graze.com box today.

I wrote a long entry regarding The Big Bang Theory's downfall into the land of outdated stereotyping on my tumblr but forgot to post it here. Sorry about that.

I found out my favourite comic book shop, Park Ave Comics, is closing its doors this month (well, I thought it was last month, but it seems they're still open, so I'm headed over there tomorrow). A couple days ago, I went to Wonderland comics to start a pull list there. Ross goes there, and he said he'd let me tag along when he went for his comics. He's actually taking me there today after I get out of work.
For a year, I'd enjoyed that comic book store and the fine folks who run it. Whenever I bought stuff from my pull list, one of the guys, Dan, always commented on Ross's comic Glory, and how amazing his art is. I said he lives right near here, and told him I'd try to convince him to leave the house and come down to meet him. This took forever to achieve, and he only did it when I told him the store was closing, and this might be his only chance. We hung out for HOURS that Saturday, and the following one. I'm hoping to go again tomorrow for some comic packaging supplies, and hope Ross can come, too. We gotta stay in touch with this guy.

I tried a new (to me) Thai place with Ross, on Park Ave, and a new Ethiopian place on University Ave with Linda and Charles. The Ethiopian place was interesting. They don't use silverware, and it's hardly finger foods. Very interesting, very tasty. Very spicy. I was the only one who really enjoyed myself, since my palate prefers spicy foods.

And I bought a Kindle Fire, which I like for reading in stationary locations. I've tried reading it on the bus, but it only makes me nauseous. I think it's the light-up screen. My backlit Nook doesn't have the same affect on me. I also love the "Pulse" app, which allows me to collect my favourite news and blog sites all in one location, and I can browse them all in one place, rather than bouncing from site to site to catch up on stuff. It's perfect for me, because I can never remember to keep up with a computer anymore. anyway, for the Kindle, the books I have are The Girl Who Would Be King, which I backed, as well as made buttons for, in the kickstarter campaign; Warm Bodies, which I want to read before I see the movie, but it doesn't look like that'll happen before I miss the chance; and Me Talk Pretty One Day, which I've been meaning to read for ages. I still use my Nook. I bought Warren Ellis's new book Gun Machine for the Nook, as well as a bunch of others on my to-read list, so I'll be switching between the two, plus real books. One of my resolutions was to read more, but my depression makes it hard to even keep up on that. I should have been done with TGWWBK ages ago, but am only about halfway through :( Oh well... I'll get through 'em soon enough.

~~~~~~~~~

Parties attended:
~New Year's Eve at Joanna's, where drinks were bought, Chinese food was delivered, and Cards Against Humanity was played.
~my friend Spinach's 30th birthday party at Tokyo restaurant. Great sushi and cocktails had by all.
~my friend Tempest turned 18, and we celebrated at Sugar Mountain Bake Shop. She recently discovered Doctor Who, so I gave her my first ever prototype Friends of the Ood pendant.
~Christmavalentine with my Lolita friends at Joanna's house, where we exchanged early Valentines, and if we needed to (if we hadn't seen people during the holidays), exchange gifts.

Things people have said to me at work since the new year:
~"Hi, I'm trying to print off my friend's obituary to give to financial aid, but it's not working."
~"Can I put you on hold, so I can run to my computer and see if I can get it up?" (this guy turned out to actually be psychotic, and I had to transfer him to my boss's boss, who is a moderately sized FEROCIOUS black woman named Delovis, who was all too pleased to tell this guy where to stick it. I love all my bosses)
~(regarding using someone else's birthdate as a PIN) "I'm running out of living people, everyone's dead or hates me, and I'm trying to stay positive." O_O

~~~~~~~~~

This month, so far, nothing amazing has happened. My friend Jason and I attempted to fight a Lichtenstein (a copy-artist) who is being displayed at a bar I liked. I already wrote about that in my last entry, and sent it to Bleeding Cool News (with no reply). I backed my all-time favourite horror photographer Joshua Hoffine's kickstarter campaign. I took Valentine's day off (read above about blah moods), I burned my hand with boiling vinegar trying to descale the steamer, I'm watching Once Upon a Time, Archer, and Lie To Me (the Korean drama), and as of finishing this entry, got my period in the middle of my work shift, with no 'dry goods' or pain killers in sight.

Going to try to be better at keeping up on weekly or monthly updates.

It started when I saw that a bar I used to frequent (Lux Lounge) had posted a gallery event for two artists on their Facebook page. One of the artists, Allie Hartley, is pretty cool. I've seen her work in various places about town and am always attracted to its style. The other artist, however, hmm...

The first thing I noticed about Juda Nevadomski's painting City Girl was the familiar form of my favorite Sandman character, Delirium. I thought for sure I was imagining things, but I checked my comics anyway.  Sure enough, right there in Brief Lives, I saw Jill Thompson's Delirium realizing it's her turn to drive.  That exact pose.  That exact drawing.  Flipped, with different colors.
That pissed me off.

That pissed me off, not only because he didn't credit Neil or Jill or The Sandman, not only because he won awards for this shit, and got put into newspapers, but because since the dawn of social networks, people don't let that shit fly anymore. If I took my Sandman fan art (some of which are pretty damn close to the comic book images) and tried to pull it off as my own, I'd get the shit kicked out of me on the Internet. In fact, I did this once about ten years ago. I drew my fan art using someone else's art to help me with the poses I needed, and I got busted, even though they were totally different characters than my references, someone recognized it enough to rip me a new one. So why should this guy get away with it?

So I put up a comparison shot on Facebook.
Me: "Can someone tell me if J. Nevadomski gives credit where credit is due? Maybe Lux Bar [tagged] can answer, because I haven't seen a single mention of where he gets his content for a few of these paintings being featured."

Lux ignored it, of course, but someone recognized it right away as Delirium.
Me: "Yep! I took the picture on the right straight out of Brief Lives! As soon as I saw the one on the left on Lux's page, I did a quick perusal of his Facebook. He has more than a couple paintings copied right out of Sandman. It makes me mad that I can't showcase my fan-art as original, when my pieces are inspired by (and credited to) my favourite comics, but this guy can practically trace something out of a book and call it his own. I could have it all wrong, but I haven't seen him mention Sandman anywhere."

I got a few more "wow, that's really blatant" comments, and then my friend Jason chimed in, and the shit hit the fan. Jason, balls-deep in awesome ferociousness, took the stand. He blew up Lux's page and posted my comparison photo, but Lux deleted everything. He blew up the event page, but they deleted everything. He got into it with Lux over facebook, and we all got called unprofessional and ignorant.

(before his posts were deleted, a couple people were surprised to see the comparison picture, and a couple people defended him, saying a lot of his paintings are like this, "he's been doing this for years." Right. He's been ripping off comic book artists for years)

Jason's next Facebook post: "Dear LUX: You're showcasing the art of a plagiarist tomorrow. You also deleted my comments, unfriended and blocked me for pointing out that very fact. How fucking sad. I suppose I would be pissed too for not being smart enough to spot BLATANT copies of Sandman comic panels. I hope that anyone on my friends list that may be going to this "Art" show tomorrow, will share this." He'd also attempted to contact Nevadomski, but didn't get a (direct) response.

The responses from his friends ranged from general anger and shock, vows against going to Lux anymore, immediate recognition of Delirium, and contacting Vertigo and the original artist. In fact, I did contact Jill Thompson via Twitter (@thejillthompson). She retweeted, adding "Lichtensteined" to my tweet. Maybe she doesn't care. She probably doesn't see this guy as a threat, being someone who'll never be a real original success or make a living off his work. I don't know.

Meanwhile, on Nevadomski's page: "Word of advice to Hipsters everywhere: If you don’t know what you’re talking about, shut the fuck up." Coming from a guy who, at a glance on his page, seems to revel in hipster shit. Does this count as an actual reply? Does he know we're too old to be hipsters? Is he clumping us in with his intended audience, who are probably too young to remember Sandman in its original glory? I guess so.

And then Lux got back to Jason: "I unfriended you because I didn't think bashing his work on facebook was appropriate or professional. I am very aware of his work and I stand behind this show 100%. I appreciate your opinion, and you have the right to have it, but your nasty approach is not one I can get behind. And I don't appreciate you and your fellow "art expert" friends tainting the waters of this opening that I worked hard to put together. If you don't like it... don't come to the show. Easy as that."

Ignoring plagiarism isn't unprofessional, apparently. How is pointing out a fraud "bashing"?

And Jason's return-reply: "No worries. Your show and your bar won't be getting any of my money ever again. So, you're aware of the fact that he's just ripping off somone elses art and calling it his own? Interesting. Me and my "art expert" friends just wanted to TRY to keep the "waters" of this opening from being tainted in the first place. Showcasing his art is a cheap, sad, farce. Seems to me like you woked too hard on this and can't stand the fact that you got scammed too. How sad. Lux has certainly been tainted for me, and I'll never go back. I'll continue to put both your bar and this sham of a show, on full blast. Sorry you got suckered. Sucks that you can't just admit it. I hope it fails. I know there will be several people attending that plan on letting everyone know what a joke this guy is. Toodles!"

Jason's friend Ken had this to say: "Seriously though, this controversy provided both the bar and the artist a platform to win over conflicted minds and potentially add patrons. Had they handled it I'm a positive way they could have invited people to attend, have meaningful discussions over a few drinks, and promote themselves. Instead they handle it was abrasion and negativity? They would have done better to keep their mouths shut. I doubt it will be the end of the bar, but it certainly will further alienate art minded regulars of the neighborhood. It's sad really. Fucking cunts. I AM A FUCKING ART PROFESSIONAL, therefore i have earned my opinion to call this a sham, coupled with cheap parlor tricks, and no sense of soul."

And then we heard from the man of the hour. On the event page, Juda Nevadomski wrote another indirect response to Jason:
"Slander: In response to the allegations made.
I really don’t owe anyone an explanation or an art school lesson. This is ridiculous harassment, slander in the guise that I am somehow trying to lie and hide something, that is not the case. The person making these attack posts does not know me, does not know anything about pop art, and I have not met or spoken to him EVER in my life. This person has not uncovered any hidden truth, and is not making a new argument against Pop Art. If you don’t like my work, the work of Allie Hartley or the methods behind creating Pop Art, simply to not come to the show. I also never denied or took undue credit for anything I have EVER done.
My commission cards read: “Original Creations as well as Interpretations of Your Favorite Comic Book Characters.”
You may notice I have a Batman painting as well and never took credit for inventing the character of Batman. I have worked too long and hard to build my reputation to have it tainted by person who does not know what they are talking about.
Enjoy the show."
(He also included the free dictionary definition of Pop Art, as well as the link to the Wikipedia page for Lichtenstein)

Why yes, he does have Batman paintings in his portfolio. He also labeled them as such (one, painted on a door, called "Batdoor" and another called "Darknight Rise").

And I don't think he understands the phrase "interpretations" in regards to his commissions. Another artist making original art while using someone else's characters is an interpretation. Fan art is also an interpretation. The image is different, but it's the same character, with the same name. People draw fan art that are sometimes just copies of comic panels or covers, and they're colored differently, or have different elements, like clothes or something, and they call them fan art. Credit where credit is due. "Interpretation" does not mean trace the image, change the color, and not mention what it's an interpretation of, and try to pass it off as your own creation.

I also think he thinks Pop Art means "only ripping off other artists and calling it your own omg look at me I am Lichtenstein reincarnate." But that's just what I think.

In the end, I feel really bad about Allie Hartley's nice work being shown alongside Juda Nevadomski's, and that she has to get a little backlash from our blow-ups against this guy. She hasn't commented at all on the whole ordeal as far as I can tell. If you want to go to Lux tonight to support her, do it. I might.
She has cool art, cool stickers and pins, and she's pretty original (see? Pop-Art can be original).

There's also a poutine truck that parks outside. Best poutine in Rochester, if that helps your decision.


(this piece - "Meow" - is Allie Hartley's)

Filled 2012 with making a lot of art (almost none mentioned in this post), listening to a lot of new music, watching a lot of cool movies, and going out with friends a lot. Skip to the end for my resolutions.
I was going to include more photos, plus links, but I'm only going to include one photo per month, and very few links.



January
My year started with Banjo, my black moor, dying. From there, I attended a party at Meagan's house, where I had to quickly sober up due to one of Charle's students calling me to tell me he's homeless. I promptly gave him Charle's number, and we got guilt into letting him sleep on our couch, where he proceeded to keep us up all night with his chatter, noise, and constant rebooting of my computer. Calls from him and various people of his dubious family kept rolling in for weeks after we dumped him in Newark. This will forever be known as That Weird Kid Incident.
Later in the month, there was an internet strike against SOPA, where I put up a code to black out my and Ross's webpages for the day. I also took pictures of Ross at work in his studio, which were used in promos for Image Comics's line of reboot promo IDs, as well as 'pictures of the artist' in Glory #23 and the TPB.
My ball-joint doll Lydia arrived.
And I saw Crispin Glover perform his Big Slide Show (with new slides) and premier his second film It Is Fine! in Buffalo.


February
I started attending trivia night at the Old Toad with Brendan and Casey (where I also saw Sisters of Murphy perform later in the month). I re-discovered the band Weep, with the teaser songs from their latest album. I played an extra in a film starring Jeff (with the working title Sarah's Room, but I don't know the actual title). I bought an iPhone, a shark in a jar, and almost bought Kraftwerk tickets (Casey and I waited in virtual line for hours before we got shot down). Davy Jones (my favourite Monkee) died. I scanned through a website for a whole weekend searching for friends' artwork, which was the biggest internet art scam ever. I made a necklace based on the Hunger Games, that almost no one bought. And I met one of my closest friends Joanna at a Lolita Valentine's day meetup at Sugar Mountain Bake Shoppe.

March
Biggest news of March was when Voltaire, my personal hero and favourite singer, commissioned me to make him 400 buttons! I spent all weekend on them, and sent them off in a cool box, which he loved. I also made him extra Deady buttons on the house. Later, unbeknownst to me (due to not being able to watch his videos for a long time), he pointed out that he named me Human of the Month in his March video nooseletter! What a sweetheart!
For St. Patty's Day, I saw Sisters of Murphy at Shamrock Jack's, where I met up with my co-worker Sean and his wife Renee, and good times and good drinking were had by all. Next day, I joined my mother for green sushi at California Rollin'.
I went on a midnight adventure with Brendan and Casey, trudging through Mt. Hope Cemetery for hours, getting lost, and smoking on Margaret Woodbury Strong's grave. Next day, I wrote a paper on Margaret Woodbury Strong and her dolls while sitting at the Strong National Museum of Play. Then went to the annual Keeping Hope Strong fundraiser for Strong's Gollisano Children's Hospital. Lots of Strong going on there.
I bought Zombies, Run! which is the best app in the world, and have grown to love running because of it. I bought a ukulele. I bought many beers from Beers of the World with the intention of doing a review series (which I gave up on after the 4th or 5th review). I missed Dionysos in Long Island because the train tickets were too expensive, plus it was a weekday. I discovered penguin cam. And Jeff's movie Literally Figurative finished filming at Starry Night Cafe.

April
A short month. I bought Bird'n'Roll, Dionysos's latest album, which is splendid, despite the lack of Olivia Ruiz. I attended a Monster High birthday party for my Lolita friend Renee, where I dressed as Abby Bominable. I found the Masters of Horror series on Netflix and marathoned the whole of season 1. Watched Imprint with Ross, and found all the reasons why it was never aired. Attended Tora-Con, where I attempted to have a BJD gathering and met some cool BJD people from Den of Angels (want to try again this year, with a panel, but not sure if I'll have the time). I experienced ebay trauma, where they pulled all my sales, and I had half a dozen cases opened against me between ebay and paypal. Shipped everything the day before this all went down, plus had to front pricey-as-hell international shipping (and am too afraid to try again).
And I finished getting my teeth fixed! Still trying to track down all the pictures from my dentist, who moved away, but am still confident she'll pull through, so I can do a really big post about it.

May
Rang in May by celebrating the Old Toad's birthday. Sat next to their first customer. And got free cake and champagne. Came home to find my bike had been stolen off the porch. Reported it to the Useless-Police and promptly bought a new one. Got stuck in a car wash on the hottest day of the month. Dusted off the old bread maker and made 3 successful loafs of bread, and four failures. Made some pretty floral buttons that will end you, at the request of Richard, and some other friends. Had a fantastic adventure to the basement of the American Laundry factory, where Casey nearly broke her leg, and I wore waders for the first time due to flooding. Then went to explore the Seth Green Park cave.
And finally got a new neighbour/landlord, who sledge-hammered out his ceiling, which caused dust to come up through our vents and fill the apartment.

June
Busiest month! But I'll try to narrow it down. Started with a skin crisis, and later in the month discovered the culprit to be an allergic reaction to mango skin! Ray Bradbury died. I spent an entire day with Ross. "Watched" Euro2012 via Warren Ellis's hilarious tweets. Experienced a fierce depression. Met another Fawn, who ran a yard sale and sold me several fantastic books and a cool tote. Went to one baseball game, where I ran into Sean and his wife (knew they were there by a birthday message written on the big video billboard). Attended my first Dr. Sketchy's, which was Nicktoons themed! I bought a dress that was beautiful on the website, but showed up in the wrong color/size, which I later found out was because the place I bought it (What a Beautiful Life) was actually a front for the rip-off replica shop Milanoo. Sadly, there's very little I could do about it (and am now in the process of trying to alter it). And I bought a lot of Copic markers, which I still love to this day.
Went to Convergence 18 in Buffalo and showed up to Voltaire's panel late (yet was still only the second person there). Later, I saw him perform at The Vault, where we all were sweating our balls off, and Voltaire stripped in front of me before skull-fucking the back of my head while I helped man the ticket table.
I saw Silent Auction open for Freezepop/Lifestyle at The Club At Water Street. Freezepop were amazing, but Silent Auction were lacking. This was also Brendan's final performance as SA's drummer.
I backed three Kickstarter campaigns: Osamu Tezuka's Unico will be published in English/Colour this coming February. Kristen Bauer (Pam from True Blood) made a documentary about elephant poaching, called Out of Africa, and she tweeted me at least twice since! And Ross's friend Kelly Thompson published her first novel called The Girl Who Would Be King, which I also donated promo buttons for. My swag package was amazing!
Oh, and I also found the single greatest conversation-starter: Would you have sex with a dead person for five seconds if it meant free laundry for the rest of your life?

July
I spent the 4th of July at Lux, alone, sitting next to a guy who brought his pet turtle, and watching Team America. The yard was barely full, and those who were here had a great view of the downtown fireworks.
I tried PiYo (pilates-yoga) for the first time with Monica at the gym, which I will never do again, holy shit. That is some intense fucking shit. Wow. I attended my friend Katie's housewarming party (she'd just moved here from Ithaca), and she sold me a cute dress from Bodyline. I talked about How to Tell A Rape Joke on my facebook, which turned into a crazy shitstorm among several friends' facebook walls. I cosplayed Bloodshadow/Nanaja from Ross's and Joe Keatinge's comic book Glory. I watched a cool documentary called Undercity, which was suggested to me by my friend Ron, who I met during a Literally Figurative shoot last year. I saw Y: Last Man Rising, a Y: The Last Man fan movie (short), based on the first issue, of which I want to see more. I saw two episodes + specials of the BluRay release of Star Trek Next Generation at Regal Cinema.
I saw Meatloaf at CMAC with my mom, aunt, and sister. We started in the 50th row, but my mom knew one of the security guards, so we got bumped up to row 10! And by the time the encore came around, we were up front and personal, butted up as close to the stage as possible! That was my aunt's first time up close at a show :)
And Charles got arrested for no good reason.

August
Went to the family reunion with one of my big fondant cakes, which went almost entirely uneaten, and I vowed never to make a cake for the reunion again. Went to the rennaissance festival the next weekend. Saw Sisters of Murphy at Sticky Lips. Saw Caravan of Thieves at Lovin' Cup with Renee. Alex CF released a limited edition box set which included a print, a comic book, a tshirt, and a statue, all of which are Lovecraft, and made by him. And Ginger and Vino pitched in and got it for me, for no reason other than I wanted it. Great guys, them. I painted pottery for the first time at Color Me Mine with some lolita friends Joanna, Adrienne, and Letashia. I drew a copic commission of Rocko's Modern Life. A little girl marveled at my white hair. My little sister, a pioneer of top-free New York, was discriminated against at SeaBreeze for being top-free for all of 2 minutes while she changed from her bikini to a dress (women being top-free in a place where men are allowed to be top-free is legal in NYS).
And lastly, I had yard sale, where I made just enough money to buy my ticket to see Dead Can Dance in Philadelphia, with Brendan, Casey, and Troy. We started our adventure in Centralia - the real life Silent Hill. Camped out and explored. Explored Philadelphia. Got assaulted by a little old lady in a wheel chair. Drank Creme Brulee stout (Southern Tier) for the first time, and explored around The Stacks - the abandoned Steel Mill in Bethlehem, before finally heading home.

September
We got turned around at the border, trying to go to Canada, due to Charles's pending charges against him. Instead, we went to the state fair, where I saw a real live "freak" (the world's shortest woman, just under 2-feet tall), who was really nice to talk to. I missed out on seeing Metric, due to the tickets being too expensive. Saw Sisters of Murphy at Lovin' Cup with Kendig, who was in town on temporary leave from the army. Saw Hanna, which my friend Victoria bought for me. Saw Griff The Invisible which was one of the cutest movies I've ever seen. Saw Fox News show a guy kill himself on live TV, after a long police chase. Saw (but did not interact with) my evil ex, who I had not seen since the year he maliciously dumped me. Saw my Buffalo friends May(hem) and Drew get married.
And I went to SPX with Ross and Nick, where I met many fun artists, and snored, and was invited to podcast with them for the SPX-Men Crossover podcast.

October
Forgot to watch Suit-vs-Suit (the primaries) and was dismayed by the fact that no one mentioned the guy with the boot on his head who wanted everyone to have free ponies. Bobby's World was not as good as I remembered. Dr. Sketchy had a David Lynch theme, which I provided music (and the Diane tapes) for, and won two contests. Had two birthday parties, one great one with my lolita friends, and one flop with my guy friends. Wrote a guest article about The Old Toad for a new segment of The Thirsty Wench called "Where Everybody Knows Your Name." Went through the art/school drawer from elementary school. Saw Perks of Being a Wallflower with my sister, who shared in equal delight of the book we read so many times as teenagers. Saw V/H/S with her too, after which, we watched a live Skype interview with the producer, and she got to ask him a question. Played Alice: The Madness Returns in one weekend, non-stop, and experienced gamer's thumb for the first time since I was 15. Went out during Hurricane Sandy's weather to take pictures of a tree which fell on a house down the street. And spent a week working on my Alice costume for Halloween, only to spend all of Halloween night finishing it (no, it's still not done). Charles went out, though - he wore a yellow haz-mat suit, aviator glasses, and a date-rape mustache, and went to Lux as the guy from Breaking Bad.

November
Submitted a page to the MCC Comics Anthology - theme: urban legends. I picked the Guinness Rats story. Helped out with Linda's garage sale, and scored a lot of sweet stuff. My advisor/history teacher invited me to participate in Scholar's Day, under the influence of my awesome research & reaction papers, but will promptly be disappointed when she finds out I want to do an installation rather than a research paper. I bought Emilie Autum's new album Fight Like A Girl which is by far my favourite of all her music. I worked as costume support for MCC's production of Cabaret.
I was turned away at the election booths, because they needed me in my district, instead of the district I signed up under - it was a long, hard battle to get there, and the tears froze to my face as I walked away in the cold November wind. I dubbed this The Year of The Vulva, but I can't remember why. It may have had something to do with the outcome of the election.
I read The Night Circus, and liked it, despite being predictable. I saw The Favour, The Watch, and the Very Big Fish which was really crazy and cool. I went to the MAG to research a painting for history class, and got Joanna, Julia, and Nate in free with a pass I had lying around the office. I had coffee with Katie and Amelia, and Amelia and I went back to my place to watch Devil's Carnival which was great, but short. I bought tickets to take Charles, my mom, and little sister to see the Nutcracker. Holy penis-envy. I attended a Steampunk Social at the Old Toad with Renee, but was a little bored for the most part. I told Voltaire about my StarWarGinity. He was far more unimpressed than my two teachers who actually wrote a book about Star Wars (one of which was on the History Channel's special, the other of which didn't talk to me for a week after telling him).
And Todd and the Book of Pure Evil, a show I discovered a couple years ago last time I was in Canada, finally hit Netflix USA. And all was right with the world. I still obsess about the show. Chris Leavins (who plays Atticus) is a damn awesome guy!

December
Attended the annual George Eastman lolita gathering, which was the biggest of the year, I think. I discovered the poet Simon Armitage, through a poem called Kid about Batman getting rid of Robin. There was 12:12 on 12/12/12 but no Black and White Ball at Vertex. I ate the hottest pepper in the world in the middle of an empty Cantonese restaurant, despite the warnings of the entire staff and Charles. Saw The Station Agent which was beautiful, and rekindled my crush on Peter Dinklage. I walked the abandoned subway at night with Brendan, Casey, Sue, Ed, Megan, other Casey, and Charles, after having dinner with "Inappropriate Man" (Brendan) for his birthday. I attempted to sell stuff at Holi-Daze at Spot Coffee with Sue, but made a whopping 50 cents when a couple of old people who thought buttons were gang symbols bought one for their grandkid after I explained that they're not. There was a one-man ambush on firefighters in Webster, leaving 2 firefighters injured and 2 dead. I celebrated x-mess with the family (received a red Kitchen Aid, a red 3-inn-1 breakfast station, some apocalypse/camping swag, and some other cool stuff). Saw the Devil's Carnival 2 teaser trailer, celebrated NYE with Joanna, Julia, Niki, Carl, Jacob, and Cory.
I also had two very important events in December.
1: I submitted my Lost Head of Ganesha sculpture to Rochester Contemporary Art Gallery's Member's Exhibit. I participated in "The Days the Artists Spoke" where each artist got to talk about their work.
2: I attempted to hold a fundraiser, which failed horribly. First, it was to raise money for Charles's family dog's surgery, but that was unwanted. So I switched it to a donation to the Mental Association of America. Only two locals showed interest, plus Westboro Batshit Hate Group made an appearance at the same time to protest the Firefighter funerals in Webster, so I canceled my event.
I still shaved my head, though. I had my sister and cousin come over, and they and Charles shaved my head.

Resolutions
1. Put on deodorant.
2. Keep at least one resolution.
3. Use Loseit.com and actually work at eating healthy
4. Get to the gym over winter
5. Download Zombies, Run II
6. Become YouTube famous
7. Grow out my hair
8. Keep my home clean
9. Follow my detailed weekly schedule (which includes drawing, writing, and reading times)
10. Post a month-by-month recap EVERY month on LJ, so I don't have to spend two whole days going through my facebook to find out what the hell I've done for the past year.
plus last year's.

Ending the year with a shaved head, clean laundry, and a list of shit to do.

I want to do the writing thing again. I tried it before, but I got stuck, and it quickly drifted off into nothing. One a day. Not sure when I'll start. No, fuck that. I'll start on New Year's Day. I'll write once a day on diellowrites. I'll do a few warm-ups to start, but they won't be daily.

I doubt it will last as long as a year, and I'm sure I'll skip days, but I want a book of short stories by the year's end.

Tis nearing that time of year again. Here is my list. Now post yours.

1. Malice in Wonderland on DVD or BluRay.

2. Holiday/season cards for any holiday, or season.

3. Gift cards!!! Preferably to craft/hardware places (or places that would also sell such things) (USA-national, or local if you know good places in Rochester NY)

4. A 3-in-1 Breakfast Station, preferably in red or a retro colour, or black if you can find one, but I'm good with the cheapest ;)

5. Pretty/nice chopsticks. Can never have too many lovely re-usable chopsticks.

6. Story ideas (non-historical fantasy - I am very terrible at fairy/dragon/elf-lord/middle-earth type stories).

7. Greeting cards with one inappropriate word/phrase on the cover or inside. Preferably nice and flowery for juxtaposition purposes.

8. Clothing, shoes, or wigs for an SD13 (size 1/3) female BJD doll.

9. Art/craft by you!

10. Lo on DVD or BluRay

Summary: Comics, Coffee, Devil's Carnival, Emilie Autumn, and Ross.

Relaxed til the afternoon, put a lining down on my comic book shelves (this is more laborious than it sounds - my comic book bookcase was a dumpster find, and the previous owner decided it was a good idea to paint the lovely red wood with black latex house paint, which stuck to the bottom of every one of my books, so along with putting a lining down, I had to scrape off the paint that was stuck to the books), and then made plans to go out for coffee with friends. So at 4:30 PM, I met up with Katie and Amelia at Java's, and we had a nice chat about writing stories, watching tv, Emilie Autumn, and our respective mental disorders + medication experiences.
Around 7, Amelia and I split off from Katie, and we went to my place to eat popcorn and watch The Devil's Carnival! Same creators (and some same actors) as Repo! The Genetic Opera, plus Emilie Autumn!! 55 minutes later, we were all like, Damn, that was a short movie! And they wanted $60 for the first press DVD release??? Emilie's song was the best, by the way!
After Amelia left, I just chilled out with some comics for a little bit (finished lining the shelves, and read a couple), and then watched some TV.
About 1:30 AM, I decided to cure my boredom by texting Ross, who said he was wandering aimlessly around the city. I joined him for about five minutes, before we went back to my place to hang out. We ate the last of my fudge, and perused the various worlds of Alice: The Madness Returns (I started playing again).
Then Charles came home from seeing The Monkees with his brother in Buffalo, and we hung out a bit longer before bidding Ross adieu around 4 AM.
The end.