I'm A Zombie, He's A Zombie, She's A Zombie

I've just watched the first episode of The Walking Dead.  It is most excellent.  It's not your typical hack-n-slash.  In fact, it was a kinda sci-fi alien invaders kinda feel to it.  What I'm liking the best so far is all the character work.  I just figured out who the not-so-jaded Black guy who helps the hero out is.  He's the not-so-jaded Black guy who helps out the hero in Jericho, another holy #$%&! our world as we know it is coming to an end how do we survive show. (Good fact to know for a trivia game!  Actually, I should probably look him up and get his name.  Then I could stop refering to hin as the Black guy, and I would have REAL knowledge for a trivia game.

I think that the best thing about this show is that I COULD WIN A WALK-ON ROLE AS A ZOMBIE.  How cool is that

Out in the Ether!

Sorry, I have been MIA.  I thought that when I finished classes, I would automatically just drift back into the blog.  Of course, I being the person that I am, have filled my time up with sooooo many things.  I'm trying to get organized again.  I'm taking my PRAXIS II-Special Education test on November 13th.  I'm surprised that the test isn't on computer.  I'm definitely doing NANOWRIMO this year.  That's a given.  (On a side note, my boyfriend just told me that I look sexy in my hat!!)  I've got to start using my camera more.  I need pictures for my mixed media creations and for my digital short film work.  I'm working on some comic book stuff and some short story stuff.  Then there's Concept Art, Computer Graphic, and Figurative Art Challenges, Romance Divas, Forward Motion Writers, my sketchbook, my zines, knitting crocheting and designing clothes, blah-blah-blah-blah, etc.  And I'm planning to move out of my parents house within the next twelve months.  I always have a lot of stuff.  I'm just glad I have a place to organize and be accountable, show off what I'm doing, and ramble if I want to.  Today, I'm hanging out with the Bo; and I'm doing my background/research/outline work for my novel from NANOWRIMO.  I've conned E2 into doing this with me.  This year I think I'll join some of the groups working on this.  I think I may even put a message on my school's email board and see if anyone wants to join me in my venture. I love starting over.

Drawing and Cooking

I just found out about a really cool site call They Draw and Cook.  What a cool way to combine two things I love!

MARCH Creative Experiment Challenge!

I just discovered the COOLEST website--Daisy Yellow Blog! I've been trying to get my **art/creative/craft/yoga/music** mojo jumpstarted for a long time. I think I'm finally finding some sources to inspire and aid in my quest.

It also helps that my masters program is finally coming to a successful end. Yeah, I've got a LOT to do in just a little time. Conventional wisdom says that I should just stick to my school work. (I hardly have enough time to do it as it is!) But I discovered that there's a quality of life that's lost when I don't take some time out for myself.

I've also decided that it's okay if fall off a few band wagons. It's important to experiment and try things out. I think I'm going to start out with three things on her list. There are about three weeks left in March, so I should average out about 1 thing a week. So I think I'm going to...

• Create art focused on a square (the concept of a square, something square, the shape)


• Write a page of thoughts on 2 days


• Draw a rough map of a place in your life - a favorite vacation spot, your house, school, the grocery store (ideas @ Hand Drawn Map Association and links + maps the kids drew at Making Maps and More Maps)

I think these are doable, and I'm excited about ALL of them. Who knew that there was a Hand Drawn Map Association? How cool is that?!

Black Science Fiction Society

Thanks to an anonymous commentor, if just found out about this cool website!

Fall-In-Love-With-A-Poet Mini Challenge, Poem #1

I've joined the community READ WRITE POEM. It's still fairly early in the new year, and I'm making every attempt to put my money where my mouth is. I'm actively attempting to write and draw daily. The assignment was to create a cento, using poems from your favorite poet. It was hard choosing a favorite poet. I love Shel Silverstein.

I've also recently discovered Margaret Atwood as a poet.

Although she says that she is not a speculative fiction writer, I think that a lot of her works appeal to this sensibility in me.

Here is my first poem-

I am not the favorite child,
A horse or even a tent
Now I would know too much.
I am the space you desecrate.
The memory is no friend.

This poem uses

Habitation
Bored
Backdrop Addresses Cowboy
A Visit
A Sad Child

Kalighat Painting

These paintings are fascinating.  I can see using them as prompts for writing and for drawing.

Spike & Mike at Babelgum

I'm coming to the realization that graduate really has consumed my life. I seem to find out about the cool stuff--a day late and a dollar short. I just discovered Babelgum. It has all sorts of cool offbeat videos. They have a whole channel devoted to SPIKE & MIKE'S SICK FILM FESTIVAL. I'm just too excited!

About the Diet - The Eat-Clean Diet

About the Diet - The Eat-Clean Diet I'm trying to expand my Pesco-Vegetarian diet. I had started this diet a few months before I was diagnosed with MS. In all that hullabaloo, it dropped to the wayside. I think that I'm going to try it again.

I JUST FINISHED NANOWRIMO!

I just finished Nanowrimo. I'm so happy! I know I should probably put this manuscript aside for a month or two, but I'm just now finished with it yet. The story isn't done. I think I'm going to keep working on it, and also work on some short stories. I'm going to try and do some of the challenges at Forward Motion, and send some of my stories out. I'm just so happy that I finished!

Freaky Flash Fiction

Weird Tales has these vignettes at their website. They're very amusing. I've made a note to start working on these once NANOWRIMO is over. Take a look.

The Prisoner!

I'm tellin' ya, sometimes being in graduate school really sucks. You're so focused on schoolwork that you don't hear about the cool stuff coming out on TV. I just found out by accident that AMC is remaking (actually the screenwriter said RE-IMAGINING) The Prisoner.

I love the original Prisoner.


This new Prisoner looks good too. They even kept Rover!


I've seen a little clip of it and it looks good.


It also has Sir Ian McKellen. I've loved him since Richard III. I can't wait to see this.

They even have an online graphic novel. You know that I'm all over that!

Traffic - Dear Mr. Fantasy

This was playing at end of the FRINGE episode "Night of Desirable Objects". Doesn't sound spooky now, but in the episode it had an eerie feeling. Hmmm, freaky. I could also see this playing in an episode of SUPERNATURAL. Looks like I have another song to add to my writing soundtrack and to learn on guitar.

On a completely different note, the guy playing the bongos looks really cool. I totally want that hat!

NaNoWriMo 2009!

NaNoWriMo 2009 is about to begin. I'm trying to get prepped for that now. There's a workshop at RomanceDivas that's about plotting to write the proposal. I'm trying to think of a new story through that to use for NaNo. This would probably be easier if I was doing my daily short stories.

Busy Drawing Away

I didn't forget my resolution to draw something everyday. I also wanted to start participating in Spartan Camp at ConceptArt.org. So here are a few of my drawings and doodles. I'm trying to make sure that I use up my notebooks COMPLETELY before I move on to a new one, so some of the picutres overlap a little.

Mid-Year Resolutions

Now that school is out and I have a small (very small) break before the hecticness that is grad school and directing a summer camp start, I've decide to inject and revamp my exercise schedule (which has become non-existant) and my eating habits (which have become junk filled)

I drove a different way to Whole Foods and discovered that there's an L.A. Boxing Gym right across the street. It's been there since January! Boy, that tells me that I need to "shake up" the routine occassionally. Anyway, I joined and I've been taking boxing classes. The instructors Donte and Ricky are very cool. That said, this class has been kicking my ass! But I'm sticking with it. I dropped the Weight Watchers membership and applied it to the L.A. Boxing membership. I think I'll get more out of it. The gym has lots of equipment, good hours and lots of bags. There are three classes everyday from Monday-Friday that my membership allows me to take. Watch out, I'm gonna be one lean, tough B---aytch!

Since I'm doing all this body work, I decided to resume my Pescatarian (Pesco-Vegetarian efforts). I already had Mark Bitman's huge book How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. It was overwhelming trying to read this because it's HUGE and it has EVERYTHING VEGETARIAN (I guess that's why he chose that title). Anyway, I picked up that book again and I decided that I'm really going to try and use it.

I just finished making the Glazed Carrot Soup. I did the variation that includes orange zest and ginger. OMG! This soup is awesome. Plus it can be eaten hot or cold, which makes it the perfect summer travel soup. I really should cook more. I'm also reading Cooking Without Recipes by Cheryl Sindell which sparked the idea of making adjustments to the soup. I didn't have enough carrots, but that was okay. Next time I'll have at leat twice as many carrots. I think it will make the soup creamier. I also used a lot more ginger that the recipe calls for and a lot of black pepper. Thinking along Ms. Sindell lines, I think that I might make that soup again and mix in some tomato soup. I have a feeling that it would be really good; but it's got to be test!

ZENTANGLES!

I know I've been remiss. I have been so busy with school and the new job. I'm in that crazy "home stretch" time when you're uber-busy but the call of spring fever is too strong.

I miss doing all my creative stuff: writing, drawing, knitting, crocheting, sewing...

I definitely have NOT been doing my DRAW365, but I have been doing little spurts of doodling and writing. I really need to draw and write. I feel like I'm about to have a "creative explosion", it's like there's something simmering under the surface just waiting to get out but I just can't tell what that is yet. I figure I need to get back into the habit of free-writing and steadily doodling to help that "mind-wraith" pop to the surface.

In my google search for doodles I discovered ZENTANGLES!
This has got to be one of the coolest things that I've discovered. I'm not downstairs so I can't scan my examples in, but I'll point you to three different examples I found online (there are so many more, but I do have papers to write. Grad school is a B*@&%CH!) Anyway...

1. Maggie's Nest: Patty's blog looks very cool. It seems like we have a lot of the same hobbies. Her first attempt at Zentangles are here.

2. Daily Art Muse: Another really cool art blog. Susan just tried them too. Her review is here.

3. D.I.Y. Planner: Cool blog that makes you want to buy moleskine notebooks. Review is here.

James Gurney is Soooo Cool!

I just went to a James Gurney lecture at Montgomery College. I'm just so inspired and so excited. It was really a very cool lecture. It makes me want to see other writer/illustrators and hear about how they work. I'm really glad that he has a blog also.

I'm off now to do some mapmaking (a Gurney suggestion, but also a Lisle suggestion too!), while I wait for AAA. When I got home my Volvo had a flat tire. While that really sucks... at least I'm at home and have ALL the comforts of home.

Brilliant But Cancelled...NOT!

I was watching a doc about The Prisoner, and it made me think of a show on Trio that I used to watch called Brilliant But Cancelled. I really miss that network work and that show... so I decided to google it to see if it was online.

I ended up with TWO good pieces of news...

1)Brillaint But Cancelled is a blog, and 2)the latest post on that blog said that Dead Like Me is coming back! How cool is that?!

Star Wars Vs. Star Trek - DMP Edition HQ

Dr. E just sent this to me. Too cool! But I'm realizing that Dr. E,whoever editing this clip, and I have wwwwaaaayyyy too much time on our hands!