Gallifrey Ramblings

Fall

2012-10-11T14:13:00.000-04:00

Fall has always been a favorite season for me. The start of the holidays, the weather, the brief time of the year that there is a different kind of weather for Florida. Fall breezes in Florida are pretty magical.

My spirits feel pepped up, of course the Fall also brings about memories, which are bittersweet. This morning I was thinking of my dad and the scent of his fall/winter jacket, it would vary depending on if he had been working in the paint booth at his Auto Body Shop that day, but other days if he had been grilling, it would smell like burning woods, I think I associate that as the scent of Fall.

Here's hoping for plenty of fall breezes, brilliant colors, and sweet memories, both new and old.

Christmas Greeting from Clifford and Millie Boots!

2011-12-01T14:25:00.000-05:00

www.petzooba.com

To create your own greeting, check out http://petzooba.com/

MASScanvas Fluidity Challenge!

2011-06-23T13:52:00.000-04:00

I have entered the MASScanvas "Fluidity" Challenge. Voting is happening this week! If you have time, I would appreciate your vote!

The page can be found here:
"Sea Fluidity" design for MASScanvas!

The Challenge is from iJustine and MASScanvas, if you don't know iJustine, check out her vlogs on YouTube!
iJustine on YouTube

Thanks Everyone!!!

We got a box!

2011-05-12T14:53:00.000-04:00

We recently bought a Libman Gator mop from Amazon for my Uncle. At the time it was $13.58 and Free Prime Shipping (It's changed now, maybe they realized the shipping was way more than that.) So this afternoon we received the mop and here it is.

The UPS man seemed to be taking care to get out of the truck with this one. The box is comes up to my shoulders and is wide enough for a couple of mops. I was expecting them to just ship it in a long paper sleeve.

Millie: "Please don't put me in there."

So now we have a huge box, that Clifford is using as a cave for a short while. Millie by the way is leery of the big wobbly box. Anyone need a moving box?

Graduation is approaching quickly.

2011-05-12T11:30:00.000-04:00

Finally starting to look forward to graduation, I am finished with classes in about three weeks, then it's just a wait for the official Diploma. For the longest time I was not really looking forward to it. I was looking forward to getting my B.A., however, I was not looking forward to not having a schedule of classes. I was looking at a Graduate program, and had applied, but I never got to the portfolio. I was flip-flopping. I had a moment of realization though. When I started taking classes for my B.A. It was in September 2009. About a week after the Fall quarter ended in December 2009, my dad passed away. For most all of my time at SCAD I was still going through this process of grieving. I didn't take a break, I threw myself into working, I did talk to a counselor which did help, but talking about everything can only help so much. I was completely scattered instead of removing commitments, I was adding more commitments.
I think mom's hospitalization in January this year was the tip of the iceberg. However, I proved to myself that I could live on my own, I could manage the house, although not gracefully.
Okay, back to my realization. While graduating is great, I think I have it intertwined with my grieving. I think that I have it figured that if I am still taking classes, I have this life raft. It's something to keep my head above water. Graduation means removing that life raft and seeing if I will float or sink. It's time to really look for work. I feel I have a strong faith. I try to "Let go, and Let God", which is sometimes hit and miss. I have not put enough trust in him, although he has proved to me time and time again that he is in control. So while it's quite easy for me to start worrying about what I am going to do after I finish my B.A. I know it will work itself out.

My Graduation from St. Petersburg College for my A.A./A.S.

Honestly, I am looking forward to Graduating now though I am not attending Graduation. I am quite fine with not sitting for in a ceremony for a few hours, and far too many important people would not be able to attend.

Time to Reminisce

2011-05-10T13:45:00.002-04:00

This month's issue!

Each month a bit of joy ends up in my mailbox. Reminisce magazine and Reminisce Extra (both bi-monthly) is chalk full of wholesome memories and stories from yesteryear. Sure, lot's of unhappy things happened back then too. However if you dwell on the bad times, you'd be quite unhappy, but I think we can learn from our past. Everyone has their own trials and tribulations. What matters is how you handle them.

I think I enjoy the old pictures and advertisements the best. How I Met My Spouse is one of my favorite sections of the magazine, gives this single girl some hope. Motoring Memories always reminds me of my dad, so that is another favorite.

I have a collection too. It's one magazine that never meets the recycling bin! I think I need another chest.

This is certainly a dress that I would love to have in my wardrobe.

Reminisce Magazine also has a website www.reminisce.com along with the magazines, they have books. The latest Reminisce Growing Up is one that I received for my birthday from my mom.

Any other Reminisce Magazine subscribers out there? Would love to know what you enjoy about the magazine.

Yep, I have an opinion

2011-04-14T11:18:00.002-04:00

Recently I wrote an opinion piece for SCAD Myriad. A family matter happened during the early part of the "supposed to be last" quarter. Unfortunately SCAD does not have a real policy for those who do go through a Family Emergency. Thankfully two of my professors were understanding and gave me time to catch up. The other professor was not as understanding, so now I am in my "supposed to be last quarter" again. Only two classes (I am quite spoiled by just two classes now). Oh and while I only need one class, taking two classes is better financially.

SCAD is a great school, it like any other place just needs to improve in some policies that it lacks.

http://blog.scad.edu/myriad/2011/04/11/speaking-up-for-yourself/

Sequential Art Assignment F: Comic Book

2011-03-11T02:19:00.000-05:00

Final Project for Intro to Sequential Art!

One of my projects from SCAD.

2011-03-09T21:02:00.000-05:00

Project from Intro to Sequential Art Class. Inanimate object brought to life. I actually got a bit of therapy while drawing the tragic beer bottle. Why a beer bottle? Really couldn't think of anything, then I remembered this beer poncho that I saw at a friend's housewarming party (the party is not related to this at all, if you know me, you know I avoid parties fueled by alcohol). So this is a result.

Photo

2011-02-13T21:47:00.000-05:00

Recently I had a mini photoshoot with my friend Jennie Thunell. Actually, I was supposed to meet someone for coffee that day, and for whatever reason it didn't work out. That was one of many cancellations that week. So instead I spent some time at North Shore Park walking with my friends Jennie and Molly :) So really it worked out well.
Here is one of the pictures.

Jennie is a great photographer, you can find her website at:
http://www.jenniethunell.com/

Back from the Fall

2010-12-02T22:12:00.000-05:00

Fall quarter is finished, so now it's a vacation until the Winter quarter. Could have done better grade wise, but I was actually sort of happy that the letter grades made up one of my most favorite networks.

It was a busy quarter along with my three classes, I did ad building, worked a bit with Myriad (SCAD eLearning blog), and the biggest project was probably the work I did with a group of students from SCAD (Go Team Mishap!). We worked on a game for the Independent Game Festival. Currently it's a first level with plans of completion in 2011.

You can find the first level of our game Julia's Magnificent Mishap here: http://www.juliasmagnificentmishap.com/game.html

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/TeamMishap or 'Like' us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Julias-Magnificent-Mishap/137732242945299?v=wall

One of my new favorite songs from Coldplay!

2010-12-02T21:51:00.002-05:00

Sightings of Elvis and Christmas lights and I am loving the old worn style of the set.

New Classes!

2010-09-09T00:40:00.000-04:00

This Monday I start my new classes for Fall quarter. It's a bit of an assortment. I have classes C++ Programming, Creative Copywriting, and 3D Graphics. The latter two classes are a bit of a return to my original degree, so I am looking forward to learning more.
I could always find a career as a Graphic Designer in Gaming.

When I am not writing for this blog.....

2010-08-17T12:55:00.002-04:00

Myriad is a Club through SCAD that I participate in, very exciting to see the launch and growth of a club, and I work with awesome people.

Here is a piece about Doctor Who: The Adventure Games that I wrote:

http://scadmyriad.com/2010/08/15/doctor-who-the-adventure-games/

Coffee in a Tea Bag?

2010-07-21T22:29:00.000-04:00

My find of the day! My cousin Joni had mentioned Coffee in Tea Bags, but I didn't really think that they made those. Now they call them Coffee Bags, but if you just looked at the bag, you would think Tea.

I love coffee, I have been drinking coffee since I was about 5 years old. I am trying Decaf since Regular coffee seems to make me feel a bit more anxious and if I drink more than 2 cups then I feel pretty jittery.
It actually made a pretty good cup of coffee, still working on how long I need to leave it in.

Roadblocks.... I mean Mindblocks

2010-07-19T10:43:00.000-04:00

I am realizing that I have set up a lot of Roadblocks for myself. It's more mental, although the way my room is right now, it's pretty much one big roadblock for me to trip over, hoping I don't break my neck, most likely it will be my toe.
Where was I? Oh right, so I apparently have a fear of change, I know change happens constantly, and sometimes things change for the better like getting married, which has not happened for me yet, actually I am still waiting on the right man to come along, as getting married doesn't really work if you are alone, although there was some strange movie on Lifetime where the woman was going to get married to herself, of course while planning her wedding she meets the right guy..... I am sort of sick of Lifetime movies, same plot, same outcome, my dad would always make fun of those movies if my mom and I were watching one.
Back to my fear of change, I think it stems from a lack of self-confidence. I have a lot of goals and dreams (Don't you dare make a joke about my name). I am attending SCAD for my B.A. in Game Development which should help me achieve my goal of getting into the Gaming Industry, although I can honestly say my confidence in the goal was tested during the last couple of weeks since I felt like I was falling behind and I made the wrong choice, why am I even going to SCAD?! I should have gone into banking! Banking would have probably been a nightmare since I am not a fan of math. I am actually making improvements in my classes now, partly because I actually watched the tutorials (got a gift subscription to Lynda.com, Thanks Katherine!) and worked on my assignments more than usual. At the same time I have to watch that I don't fall into the habit of waiting until the weekend to get my projects done. Part of it is being lazy, and I think the rest goes back to my mental roadblocks, as much as I want to succeed, I am afraid of the change that comes with it. At the same time I feel extreme pressure sometimes from others who I feel think that I do not have any focus and that I should be working, (currently I am doing ad building). While I am sure they are looking out for my best interest, at the same time I feel absolute judgement, like "no you can't do anything right". Which leads me to missing my dad more because he didn't care what others thought, especially if you had a self-righteous attitude. He could be the most caring person, but the minute you did him wrong or thought of yourself higher, your opinion didn't matter to him. I wish I had a bit more of that attitude, I always doubt myself, even with writing a simple message, I can usually find something wrong with it, especially when someone else has taken something out of context.

So my goals for this week are to improve my classwork and take out a few of the roadblocks in my room like the papers, magazines, and clothes.

Small Spaces

2010-07-17T16:41:00.000-04:00

Small Space Style Blog

This is a great blog about adding style to small spaces. My house has a lot of rooms but we certainly to not have any "Great Rooms" My room is pretty much like an apartment, it's just missing a kitchen. When I do purchase my own home I really have no desire for a mansion or huge house, all I can think of is how much more cleaning you would have to do.

Some companies specialize in the small house business, and while it seems like it would be okay for a single person or a weekend getaway.

Tumbleweed Houses

I would actually like to add a small type of cottage to the property in Ocala someday (with ADT security since there are a few people who think if a place is empty then that means FREE room and board).
In day-to-day life I could not imagine living in too small of a space, seems very claustrophobic!

Trapped!

2010-06-14T18:03:00.001-04:00

Have you ever been trapped in a room. I was trapped in my bathroom for about 15 minutes yesterday. I had taken the doorknobs off because I had planned to paint the door later. Well, I shut the door, didn't really occur to me that the knobs had a purpose. Of course the door shut, no way to open it couldn't press it open. My mom was in the kitchen and couldn't hear me as I was shouting and banging on the door. The only soul who could hear me was my dog Millie and she was trapped in her crate (Now I have an idea of how traumatic it can be to be stuck in a room with no way of getting out, sorry Millie) Anyway, my mom finally came to announce that dinner was ready, still she had to find the doorknobs which ended up not working.
Lightbulb moment! Credit cards, I learned that from years of watching the telly, and I also checked Google (I had my mom pass my laptop too me through the space above the door) One woman apparently used the Sim card from her iPhone to open the door, not sure of where my iPhone was, although I am pretty sure it had a dead battery. Anyway, the credit card did the trick. Really everyone should keep an old credit card in their bathroom I think. Being trapped in the bathroom is not the worst thing in the world, being trapped in a room with no water resources would be worse. Either way, lesson learned!
I was really trying to channel MacGyver too, although the only things I could find were Shower gels, Cleaning supplies, and breakables. I guess I could have cleaned the bathroom.

p.s. Door is still not painted.

Cars, Car Parts, and Argh!

2010-05-07T12:07:00.001-04:00

The theme of my week is Cars, no not the movie, that would be nice though. No, I have car parts strewn about my deck and a few in my closet.... waiting to be placed on eBay, I know I should have done this a while ago..... procrastination is my worst habit and add a bit of self-pity and voila! They are still there. This week I did manage to make a step in selling the Iroc-Z, it was my dad's car, it was not his favorite car though, that would be the 39' Coupe, the El Camino, and the Sedan Delivery. It's made it an easier decision to sell, however, it is still easier to let the car sit, and as long as no one shows interest, it will continue to sit there. Mentally I am still comprehending and sorting. It gets to be too much, I start to feel alone in it all, and some days it feels like I have velcro on my feet.

Yesterday, the car battery quit, a frustration and expense, but I have now bought my first car battery, it should last at least 2 years. Our neighbor installed it, but I want to know how to install the battery without causing a short. I am getting an education in car repair costs. Next week my car is scheduled for an oil change and a check-up..... the air conditioner is blowing hot air, which is not a good thing in sunny hot Florida (why do I live in Florida again?). Car repairs were not something I had to worry about before, it was a perk of having a dad who worked in auto body, I am not uneducated about cars though, my dad did not specifically show me how to change a tire, but I learned from observation. I do know how to tape light shades, wet-sand an RV, and I dabbled in painting power trucks when I was 5.

Maybe this weekend I will make up an inventory list, or maybe not....

My meditation for this week:
Psalms 43:3
O send out your light and your truth, let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling.

I love this blog!

2010-04-19T01:29:00.000-04:00

http://howaboutorange.blogspot.com/

So much creativity, it makes me want to be more creative! :)

Weary via Technology

2010-04-06T20:05:00.000-04:00

I love technology, I really do, it makes work easier. I can watch episodes that I have missed, or British television like "Doctor Who" (I think my family and friends may have me committed if I mention "Doctor Who" anymore). The computer allows me to see overseas family and find out what's going on in the world. At the same time I get where I really dislike it. The computer doesn't always work, and it seems I have become more lazy. I have not written a letter in months and I owe quite a few people letters like thank you letters and how are you letters.
Then there is text messaging, at one point I did not text message, I didn't have a cell phone til I was 15 or 16, that was my car. It was a shimmery Sapphire Nokia with no color, now it would seem ancient but at the time it was the best thing ever. I really did not want a car, I didn't go to driver's ed until I was 17, the previous year I was a bit frightened by the teacher who brought up Murphy's Law every class, so instead I went to an Art class. Back to text messaging, I used to like getting text messages, it was fun, oh you thought of me, now it's just oh you couldn't call me so you are text messaging me. If I don't get any text messages, I feel left out, it's a lose-lose situation. I am forgetting some friend's voices, maybe it's my fault because I don't call them but I do not want to interrupt their day. I feel like such a misfit with communication actually I just feel like a misfit, if I don't get a response back from a text message then I wonder if I said the wrong thing. I know I over think everything, so now I am taking a sabbatical from text messaging again, if you text me, I am just going to call back, this way I will at least hear a tone in their voice.

Interactive Design to Game Development???

2010-03-15T11:39:00.000-04:00

I made an error with classes this quarter, possibly lost my scholarship for a quarter, if I bring up my GPA it will come back, "a small bump" (words from my friend Daniel) in this upcoming quarter, I am remembering that I am not the first student to make a mistake, it's just irritating, just extra money that I don't really have. Good News is next month is Scholarship month at SCAD, for some reason you only have one month out of the whole year to apply for all of the scholarships available through SCAD so I am going to apply for everything that I can, also looking at Fastweb and contests and such online, I know a couple students who are always entering in Art contests, really it's a smart idea.
I had been thinking about this lately, and this issue with scholarships is really making me reflect on if I am happy with Interactive Design as my concentration. I am thinking of changing my degree concentration from Interactive Design to Game Development, either way I can incorporate classes through electives. Both would take four quarters to finish. I have my A.S. degree in Print Design and it seems like Game Development would allow more opportunities most game companies seem to be on the West coast or in Orlando. Seattle seems nice, and California would not be bad, just not really a state that I ever thought of moving to or thought that I would want to move to, of course one friend asked me if I had been to California, which I have not, I sound pretty close minded with the lack of information that I have. Most of my immediate family and friends are in Florida which makes me rethink the whole idea of ever moving to another state, I do want to travel though, perhaps I could live in an RV and be a traveling game designer! Even though I am not married yet, I also have to think depending on when I marry, will my future husband even support the idea of moving to another state? Perhaps I think too much, haha.

End of 2nd quarter

2010-03-11T11:59:00.000-05:00

Finally finished with 2nd quarter, it actually did not seem that long, but I am happy for fresh new classes. My fresh new classes include two aesthetic courses, one is digital. Hopefully they are not the same, it might make the class seem easier, but to make two assignments that are the same seems a bit much.

My color theory course final probably got the worst grade, I am not too worried about it, I can fix it up for portfolio viewing. My American Moderns class final was great, a 94% on my essay, had an awesome friend proofread it so I knew it would work out, haha. My Intro to Interactive Design and Gaming is undecided, had a problem with the file so I am still waiting for my grade. Overall with the events of last year, I think grade wise I did okay this quarter. Of course it could have been better, but there is always next quarter. One of the quarters I will get all A's, I am determined.

I set up a store on Etsy, no sales yet, but I am still figuring it out. I need to get some photos of antiques items to put on there today as I will not have my camera for about a week, which is okay, it's not being used at the moment. Plans are to send out the HP Laptop before my warranty ends since it is definitely looking grim with a keyboard that doesn't work. I really am not a fan of standing in line for Geek Squad though, I always feel a bit dopey, and last time the Geek Squad guy had to comment on all of the auto starting programs, Grrrrrrrr.........

Okay, that's all for now!

Etsy

2010-02-26T12:12:00.000-05:00

I have recently been making wraparound bracelets, and I really like it, what I don't like it going to the local bead store. First because of the road construction, I have to make a 10 minute drive for what would have been 2 minutes Second, the prices are just a bit steep for me for just a strand. So instead I have gone to Etsy.com where not only do people sell handmade and vintage things, they also sell supplies a variety of supplies! The shipping is not too bad, same price as it is for a gallon of gas. However, now it is not just beads, I bought mesh bags, and wire, and antique skeleton keys! I set myself an investment budget though, so as long as I use all of my supplies and hopefully sell a few creations then it works.

Dad's Birthday

2010-02-25T12:36:00.000-05:00

Today is my dad's birthday, he would be 62 today.

I miss him terribly, but I am oh so thankful that I can call him my dad.

Happy Birthday Daddy.