!retupmoc eht ni deppart m'I ,pleH

*sniffle* True altruism died with the dinosaurs it seems. Does this mean heaven is full of dinosaurs? Because if so, heaven just got like a million times cooler. At least.

I feel like I've made progress with the head; I lighted the lips, made them smaller, raised them, and blurred the edges some. I also narrowed the face, lengthened the eyelashes, fixed some problems I had with the eyebrows, and hardest of all, addressed some of the issues I have with the nose.

The nose is a shape you take for granted; it is easily, from a modeling standpoint, the most complex object on a face. The ear is complex, too, but it's easy to just cheat some with the ear; you can't get away with that with the nose, it's front and center. The nostrils in particular, but all in all it's hard to get a natural shape jutting from the face; it doesn't smooth well at *all* and it's hard not to end up with weird geometry. And, if you're trying to be efficient with your use of polygons (my head is just shy of 3500 which is very respectable) it's hard to achieve a realistic, detailed nose which flows into the face. A lot of things you can just use textures, but because the polygons, orthographically, tend to overlap more with a nose, getting a good UVW map of the nostril area in particular is difficult. Everyone I know the does 3D modeling would likely agree that it's a pain in the ass just in general.

That said, I'm feeling better about the nose; it looks almost normal. There are still things that look not quite right about it, but I can't pin it down so it's hard to know what to fix.
( Pictures of the head )

So for whatever reason, I was compelled to create a head in 3ds max. I don't know why, exactly, but I went with it.


I wouldn't say I'm done with it, but I'm ready to move on, at least for now. Every time I see it there are things I want to go back and change, but I'm tired and my eyes hurt. So I'm saying goodnight to you, nameless head woman. Goodnight. Morning. Whatever.

So, I don't really "do" pink so much. But this shirt may be the exception:



It's also sort of a purplish-pink, or at least that what I'll tell myself. I also am sorely tempted to get this:



But $100 is a LOT for a trashcan. Even one as awesome as this. And it would be a travesty to throw trash in R2! At least, that's what I'll tell myself.

So, I know this is kind of an awkward thing to talk about and I've really been trying to not bring it up because I don't want to seem petty... I also understand that people's financial situations are not as solid as they had hoped they would be at this point. But, when I brought up the new price with my mom, well, it was $100 more than the initial estimate I'd been given and had passed along to her (stipulating at the time that it *was* just an estimate). She reacted about as well as anyone could've thought; I feel like $385 is a fair price for a bedroom, a bathroom, a good internet connection, and the use of a kitchen. But, it's not really much better, if at all, than paying for an apartment where I get the whole space to myself and all the privacy in the world. At least, that's what her point was and I can't say I disagree.

I still WANT to move in, but my mom is no longer as onboard as I am, and honestly now that I'm paying as much as Blake and getting the clearly inferior room I'm less gung-ho as well. I know, we're paying for access to the whole house, but the house I live in right now I have almost exclusive access to because my mom is often gone when I am here, and I rarely leave my room. So, I'm ultimately getting a smaller room, a small bathroom that's farther from my room than anyone else's (potentially awkward now that I think about it), and a less private room and bathroom. I'm not demanding that I get the basement room or anything, but when we initially diviied up the rooms I happily agreed to the small room because I was paying less; it was a major factor. Now that things have changed, it doesn't seem entirely fair.

I'm not upset, I just kind of feel awkward, and wonder what you guys make of all this, because... well... not to sound selfish, but if I'm going to be moving out, I want to be moving up. I wanted to live with you guys because you're my friends but a large part of it was a) it was cheaper than living on my own and b) it was probably higher quality than an apartment anyways. Now, it's as much as some single apartments, and the conditions are in some ways less ideal.

So I figured after 4 hours of working on my capstone today, I needed a break, and so I made an entry for the Woot derby. The theme is "Almost", and I had an idea and I'm as done as I'm going to get, which is to say I'm not doing anything else to it because I'm tired and if I tried to fix it I'd be up another 2 hours probably. So, I submitted it; I know I won't win, but maybe I'll get some good feedback, and I'm trying to get better at digital art (as well as the regular non-digital variety) so the practice is good for me I think. Let me know what you think:



It's mess, I know, and the cockroach doesn't look very good. But I was happy with how well the detail (i.e. cracks) came through from the sketch. And I learned how to make halftones.



Also:

Firstly, this crossed my path today and I gotta say I'm intrigued. I've always said that Jane Austin books would be better with a lot more violence...

Secondly, did you know that Warforged can't bleed out? If they go below zero, they roll and if the roll would result in failure they automatically take a 10 and succeed. This is, presumably, so they don't get cheated out of the 5% chance that they can use a healing surge and regain consciousness. So anyways, because a) James is a melee character b) James probably does more damage than anyone else and c) there isn't a tank, the chances of him being targeted and subsequently killed in combat seem pretty good, he's making a Warforged Fighter in the event that such a slaughter were to occur. There is a free pdf with all the information on warforged here, and I have to say that both from the standpoint of practicality and novelty, they are a hundred different kinds of badass.

I also found out that I need to change 2 of my feats. I didn't notice the prerequisite 13 strength for small shield proficiency (my bad), and according to the character creator, weapon focus can't be taken for any type of spells (which I'd like to point out you could for touch and ranged touch back in the day, and I also asked Blake several months ago and he OK'd it, but now that there is a definitive ruling I suppose it would be best if I changed it :( ). So, I need to go through and figure out what to take instead, which sucks because there is nothing particularly good for casters. They really need the supplement book for magic-users to come out, it's actually getting to be a tremendous pain in the ass. Ah well...

EDIT: rather, just an addition. I was hoping to get input from people, what are good food places in the area that aren't particularly expensive? I don't really go out to eat at places that don't have the "take out" option, but I'm not too keen on paying a lot. I just want good food that's not super-fancy. Sort of like Applebee's, only not Applebee's and maybe better than Applebee's. I don't know. Thoughts?

So, to my Tuesday gaming group:
That day is my birthday, so I was thinking it might be fun to start a little early and end a little early and maybe go play some demoball and/or laser tag after. I know going to work on my birthday sounds lame, but if I don't have to work when I'm there it's all good.

Let me know what you think, the who and when and such, and I'll give them a call and see if they can't keep some spaces open for us.

So far, it's gone pretty well. I was at work until about 7am, but I made $50 in tips for that. Also, I added up my hours for the week: 35.5. I am going to be in the money come next paycheck. I kind of am now, actually, I've got like $200 in cash (ish), and money is an excellent substitute for things like sleep and social interaction... right?

I learned not to put "no clothes" on my list a few years ago, when my mom decided to get me hair stuff instead. So, this year I put a very select few things on my list, hoping that rather than shopping for random clothes for me they'd just follow the guidelines.

This was overly optimistic. I'll be the first to admit, I'm a little ridiculous when it comes to clothes, I am very very picky about what I'll actually wear. I don't think it's a big deal, I find plenty of things I like, and buy them for myself. It's easier that way. And I don't mind a few clothes, as long as they keep in mind the various particulars of my taste it's usually fine, but I prefer to keep the clothing at a minimum. My mom STILL hasn't gotten this, though, and insists on getting me more every year, regardless of whether I need clothes or not. And of course, they're not clothes I'd like, they're clothes she wishes I liked. No, sorry mom, I don't suddenly like girly shit.

I sound so ungrateful, and I'm normally not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, but it seems really selfish to get something for someone because you like it, and not because you think they will. I don't know, she's just been getting on my nerves lately. I still said thanks and everything, but it's annoying and now she'll expect me to wear some of it and I'd rather not.

Clothes aside, I came away with a lot of movies which is nice since my collection is pretty sparse, and missing a lot of must haves. I also got one of my favorite Star Wars books (that I somehow managed to not own) as well as a mini-slinky, arm warmers, kleenex, matches and... a bit of deer antler... the last few were gifts my brother Nick threw in I'm pretty sure just to throw me off. He also got me 13 months of Xbox Live, so I can't complain really, besides, I love slinkies. And matches.

One of the movies I got was the combined/abridged mini-series Arabian Nights, based on 1,001 Nights. I believe I mentioned in once at Jared's, and if people want I can bring it over for watching, as I recall it really is pretty cool and John Leguizamo is in it.

Christmas aside, here are a few things I've had in tabs for a while that I wanted to share.

Now this is sexy.

But they're not.
So, this may seem like an odd question but I would like to ask anyone and everyone:

If you were to shake a Magic 8 Ball, what would be the funniest response (that isn't overly offensive) it could give you?

Thanks in advance for any responses you might leave. Unless you don't leave a response, or leave a bad one. Then, I'm just not going to give you a present this Christmas.
 

Finished with Christmas shopping! Now I just have to wait for half of it to arrive. I've got enough time between now and then that everything will proabaly arrive on time. I've always wondered what it feels like to not wait until the last minute to do everything and panic. I'd say it feels great, but my head hurts a little from the mall music, but when that wears off I'll know better.

So, Dead Gentlemen Productions (makers of "The Gamers" and "The Gamers 2: Dorkness Rising") came out with two demon hunter movies and are coming out with a vampire one. They are, of course, comedies, but I haven't seen them. If you want to check out the trailers, http://www.deadgentlemen.com/dgmedia/. Has anyone seen/heard anything about them? Know if they're any good?

I was looking at my academic calendar to see when Christmas break starts and ends, and noticed this long disclaimer at the end.

The school may at any time change or modify the Student Calendar to the extent the school determines necessary, in its discretion, by reason of any: (a) act of God, including, without limitation, any natural disaster or inclement weather; (b) fire; (c) riot; (d) local, state or national emergency; (e) business necessity; (f) war; (g) act of terrorism; (h) civil insurrection; (i) strike or other labor difficulty; (j) rule, order, regulation and/or law of any governmental entity; and/or (k) school-sponsored activity. The school will promptly notify the student body as soon as practical following any determination by the school to change or modify the Student Calendar. If the school exercises any of its rights to change or modify the Student Calendar, the student's Enrollment Agreement with the school will remain in full force and effect, and the student will not be relieved of any of his or her obligations thereunder.

I think that "school-sponsored activities" should be in the same sentence as "civil insurrection" and "act of terrorism" more often.

Just wanted to share.

It's 2 AM. My mom's gone, and the house is nice and quiet, except for my music, which I can now play without having to worry. Do you know what I'd like to do more than almost anything, right this instant?

Swim. Early December, freezing cold outside, middle of the middle of the night. And for no apparent reason I would like nothing more than to go for a swim right now... the urge is almost overwhelming. I'm tempted to take a shower right this instant to see if I can satisfy it, even a little.

I think the best course of action is just to go to bed, and hope I dream of swimming. Wish me luck!

After all the crap that went down Monday, I'm beginning to wonder if I should switch from Vista to XP X64. Regular XP would be stupid, because I wouldn't be taking advantage of my system at all, but Vista can be a headache at times, and it really screwed me over that day. I don't want that to happen again.

Here's the breakdown: If i were to switch, I'd have to back up all my data (which I should anyways), and I'd have to reinstall a goodly amount of programs (which I have the install files for still; also would be cool to get CS4). I technically own a legitimate copy of Vista, but about a month ago, it randomly decided that the serial my PC came with was no longer valid so I had to crack it. I'm thinking that cracking it may have caused some of the problems that I had. I don't know if the 64-bit edition of XP is very good, because it wasn't really used a whole lot, because not a lot of people had 64-bit processors or >4gb of RAM when it came out. So, I'd be switching from an OS that's good 95% of the time (and very very bad 5% of the time) to an unknown entity.

I've looked for a few reviews, but most of them were old, and not very helpful. Some said it was buggy, some said it had compatability issues with 32-bit software, some said it ran great, some said it was only worth it if you had a good system (and I do), some said it worked fine for 32-bit software. According to wikipedia, it contains software that lets it run 32-bit software like a 32-bit system, without any problems, and I'm inclined to believe that Microsoft wouldn't create an OS that wouldn't run 32-bit software. I have no idea.

And that is why I'm making this post: to see if anyone had some pearls of wisdom to offer. Poll #1300267 XP X64 vs. Vista
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 2

So...

Ok, you know those days where you feel like punching a baby? Well, I just had a day where I felt like punching a baby, picking it up by its tiny legs, and then bludgeoning other babies with that baby, then, after the carnage, taking one of the larger bones strewn about after all the baby bludgeoning, and stabbing myself in the face with it.

So that was what today was like. Being stabbed with a baby femur. Which is arguably better than being stabbed with an adult femur, but anyways, everything that could have gone wrong today, did. Fortunately, my teacher has this "bah who cares turn it in whenever" attitude that took the edge off of the stress of trying desparately to get my project done today, while the universe was doing its very best to ensure that I went crazy trying to do so.

Mainly the stress stems from the fact that this afternoon my computer decided that it didn't feel like doing anything I asked it to. Right-clicking was a painful, 5 minute process; looking at the task manager, 2% of my cpu was being used, and 23% of my memory, so there was no actual reason to, for example, take 15 minutes to load firefox. After wrestling with it for about 3 hours, I was ready to beat my head on the keyboard, because I couldn't even get the programs that I needed for the project to open up. I won't go into all the other million tiny things that went wrong, but believe me when I say that that is just the tip of the impending mental breakdown iceburg.

Feeling much better now, though. Got home, got most of the project finished in the school's lab. The lab computers are slower than mine by a good deal, and I was fighting being distracted by the class that was in the lab at the time, so it took longer than it should have and I missed everyone else's presentations. Mr. Kussman said that it was ok that I didn't have it done, as long as I turned it in by Saturday, so I don't need to worry about the project as much. I'm still worried about my computer, though it's doing alright at the moment, so it may have magically resolved itself, you know, after I needed it to so badly.

Unrelated note: I was making myself some of the loose tea I got at this place called "Reali-tea" (it was fantastic), and while making it, thought to myself "loose tea... man, my tea is a slut!" which was followed by "I like my tea leaves like I like my men... loose" and immediately followed by "I like my tea leaves like I like my men... in a bag". It should have been disturbing, and had I meant it it would have been, but I just wanted to share that particularly odd train of thought. Peace!

So I got Mirror's Edge today (along with my new, spiffy bag) and holy crap it's so fun, I just can't stop pla--

*BLEEEEEEHG*

Oh sorry, threw up a little. So anyways, yea, it's fantastic. Amazing. I haven't had this much fun with a first person game since Portal; it reminds me a lot of it, in that it's a first person puzzle oriented game, only the story is more like Beyond Good and Evil, which is also a fantastic game. I really do love it. And I die a lot, so that's saying something, really. It just has the same problem that Portal had at times, where it makes you a tad motion sick at times. I played for a little more than an hour, and I'm currently on chapter 4 out of ?, and it's fantastic and I needed a break so I didn't get my tasty lunch of beef stew all over the basement rug.

Highly recommend. Also, highly recommend taking Dramamine (non-drowsy!) before playing.