ATTENTION

I've moved! Update all your bookmarks. If I weren't so lazy I'd add a metatag in here to send you on your happy little way, but I'm tired and not in the mood. Maybe later this weekend kids. For now, go peek at the new site.

manicmoods.com

Later this evening the new url will be posted along with all further updates. I just need to finsih changing over my personal facts page, a second journal, and the guestbook and then I'm ready to go! I'm so excited.

I just wanted to give a special thank you to everyone who has been encouraging me and putting up with my fried brain while I do a new layout and get used to having a webhost for the first time. A special thanks goes to Bevie for helping me with all my technical questions. I just wanted to let everyone know that the page is finally in transit to it's new destination and home.

Everything is still functional though, so feel free to post comments and leave me some loving in my guestbook. I can always use more love!

Back to my regular posts.

Procrastionation Queen

So incase you were wondering why there has been no grand and glorious announcement of my new domain is...I keep putting it off. I was sick last night. Heh.

I am better (so far) today though. So maybe tonight I'll work it all out. Who knows. Surely not me. Let's just hope that the sore throat and the inability to breathe properly will go away and stay away. I hate colds. I'm allergic or something like that. Yeah that's it, I must be allergic to colds because they make me feel like shit. Total and utter shit. It's not a total bust though.

Today was payday. That's always a good thing. So on my way home for lunch I bought a coffee, so this means I won't be heading out to the clinic today for my checkup and blood test. Because coffee drastically alters several things, such as your heart rate. Since the doctors all give me the "You're fat and have a history of diabetes in your family so therefore you must also have high blood pressure" sermon, I'm not wanting to give them any amo such as being hyped up on caffiene. Oops. Naughty Bren. But I can pretty much do the blood test any time, and damnit, I needed deserved the coffee.

Well, you know, they don't actually say I'm fat, because they're all politically correct. And they don't want to offend me too much as they shove their fist up my backside in order to steal my pay check. Doctors can be nice that way you know.

Mmmm...coffee...yeah so where was I? Actually I've been making the rounds to everyone's blogs. Redesigns everywhere! I'm amazed. I'm thinking of doing several things to celebrate getting mine up and going with the domain. Hope you're all into games and links and what not. I'm feeling frisky, and well to be honest, it's time I ripped off some great ideas that other people have already had. Heh. I love blogs and I love the little games. Oh yes I do.

Anyways I should so my work and then head back to the lab. Kisses.

 
Gratuitous Swearing

This whole post could be filled with explitives, but since I'm assuming you're an imaginative bunch you can make up your own. I'm tired and I think I have a cold this morning and I can barely breathe.

My entries are not showing up as they should. It's a pain in the ass. Seriously. However I'm 50% finished with the new layout. If my webhost is working tonight, as it wasn't last night, I expect to finish. So here's to hoping!

 
Try, try, try again..

I swear I posted earlier today. It's not here. So if you don't see it, it's okay because I don't see it either. Although it could be like one of those group hallucinations, but I kind of doubt it. To top it off I can't really remember what the post was about. There isn't a whole lot happening lately. You know, except the wonderful things that I've already mentioned. That I'm painting again and continuing to read my books. Go me!

I'm working on my new layout. For real this time. I'm on my third possible design idea. I've pretty much given up a whole new look and I'm sticking now with what works for me. So it'll be somewhat similar to this layout, except it'll have a whole new mood and an entirely different feel because of the header graphic. Heh. I went bonkers in photoshop. Why? Because I can, and because I love that program a little too much. And because I'm paranoid about having recognizable images on my page and I am too cheap to pay for stock photos when I've already bought a domain.

So I should have the layout completed by the end of the week. Probably. It's just that I'm fighting with writing my html from scratch after so many years of using the editor at Geoshitties. Well that and I'm totally new to the world of ftp and I'm going kicking and screaming into the learning abyss. I'm a visual learner, so everything that I pick up online is simply a miracle because I don't do well reading and learning. Not well at all. Everyone pats me on the head though and all is well. And finally I'd get a lot more done on the whole layout if my host would quit being such a bitch, and yes I'm saying that with a smile. I keep getting ftp errors that generate random numbers that are supposed to mean something to me. 106601 to you too buddy! Heh.

Anyways I'm going to finish my stinky breath food consisting of onion rings, and blow out my rain scented candle and go tuck my little tush into beddy bye. All the while praying to all that is holy that I'll fall asleep and not lay there for two more hours like I've been doing. It's total hell on waking up early. And it would be nice to get to work on time.

Oh yeah, work. Heh. It sounds like this summer might possibly be insanely busy. I really hope so. But we're getting figures in on some of the touristy stuff around here and numbers have been very high. We're guessing that a lot of it is because of the wave of patriotism in the United States after September 11th. Living next to a shrine of democracy could really benefit us. This makes me feel a lot better, after all, Mama's gotta pay off her car.

Anyways it's time for that sleep thing I mentioned because I'm rambling. Amen.

 
A Day's Work

I thought I'd showcase my afternoon's progress. It isn't finished, perhaps it's about half done. I'm exhausted, but very happy with what I've accomplished. Of course with only a webcam to capture what's been worked it doesn't do a very good job. But here's an idea at least.

The work in progress.

A tired Bren.

Together.

What isn't shown is that the flower is actually more of a creamy yellow color, and of course all the brush work. But it's all there. More buds need to be added and more lighting in the background as well as more leaves and such.

In a totally unrelated subject, I went to the 80s party last night. We didn't stay all night because I'm really allergic to cigarrette smoke and we were sitting next to some really heavy smokers, and sitting right under the speakers, AND there was a fan vent blowing the smoke directly into my eyes and nose. I couldn't breathe and my eyes were burning, so I totally wimped out. It was fun, and the music was great but only for a little while.

But while we were there this guy came up to our table. He was much older (40s?) and very creepy in so much that he made me not only uncomfortable, but made me squirm. I don't know why I always wind up the target. He asked several questions of us trying to engage us in conversation but we were stonily silent. It was the oddest thing.

him-What do you guys do?
Kath-Work.
Me-(sat there staring at him with the whole smoldering thing going on.)
him-What do you guys do for fun?
Kath-Drink. A lot.
Me-(pretty much the same staring thing while I idly stir my drink.)
him-So um, you guys live together? (cue hopeful look that we're lesbians.)
Kath-Yeah we do.
him-Coooool!
Silence for a couple of cold akward moments. Finally he asks,
him-So like, do you guys have cats?
Kath-Cats?!?
him-Er yeah, like the little furry things? (Suddenly he waves around a wedding ring which he'd been hiding that hand under the table.) Me and the wife have two we're trying to give away.
Kath-(she just starts to look at him as I've been doing and he begins to squirm.)
him-Yeah well, it's been nice talking to you guys.

At this point he does the oddest thing. He reaches over the small table and touches my chin and pulls it up so that I'm staring directly into his eyes. I'm totally frozen not sure what to do at this point. He stares at me for a moment and then lets go and looks me up and down and leaves his eyes on my chest and says, "You know, you really are a very beautiful woman." Then he let me go and walked off.

Creepy for sure. But anyways that was my night last night.

 
Break All Rules

My new rule is of course to break every rule that I know I should follow. Because, quite simply I feel great.

I have three songs on repeat, and what weird songs to be listening together. NIN Closer, LedZepplin D'yer M'ker, and that song that Jay sent me, Pretty When You Cry. I'm quite sure that I'm a freak. But it's okay with me because guess what?

I'm PAINTING! God it feels good too. It's nearly better than sex. I have no clue why I haven't done it in six or more years. I'm rustier than a hundred year old iron nail in the middle of nowhere. But it's slowly becoming something. I always start with one image and just work it until something starts to appear. I have the weirdest style. It's somewhere between photo realistic, impressionist, classical renissance. I don't know why exactly and I should take photo real out of there simply because I never acheive this. But it's one of my influences.

I'm so incredibly mellow and relaxed and in the zone. It's a place I've missed being. I think it's too big to scan or I'd give you an "in progress peak" at what I'm working on. But maybe the surprise will be more fun. Ahhh...I'm rambling happily.

 
My Worst Enemy

You know, I think if I really want something I need to NOT tell anyone about it or write about it in here because then that garuntees that it won't happen or I won't get it or that I'll chicken out or that I'll do something I said I wouldn't. I should live by this rule always.

But no, I mention things like, "I don't want to spend money." The first thing I did when I got off work today was buy candles at Pier 1. Why? Do they really smell nicer than the nice smelling candles at say...WalMart? Um...YES! Yes they fucking do! Woooo! maybe they just have more variety of smells.

So two extravagant candles later and in an artsy mood I ask Kath if it's okay to post pone her nap maybe half an hour more. She agrees when I explain that I just sort of wanted to roam the aisles at the hobby store. We fight our way through traffic which is a total bitch today by the way, and arrive at the most magnificent hobby store of all. Hobby Lobby, filled with all sorts of hobbiness goodness for me to gawk at for hours.

I blame Trading Spaces for this I really do. It's just a good thing I don't spend my days at home or I'd be watching nothing but design shows like that on the Learning Channel because I'm that asinine. I rent, it's not like watching these shows can help me with home improvements since I don't own anything to improve upon. I also live with my anal-retentive-pushing-40-acting-like-a-14-year-old-sister who's design tastes are the opposite of tres cool.

I'm off my rocker because after spending a small bundle last time on gorgeous paper and trusty colored pencils so that I could draw, and draw in color no less, I haven't drawn a damn thing except my sketches in my sketch book. The gorgeous paper sits patiently tucked away in a little nook next to my portfolio stuffed with all my old favorite drawings, and the pencils are scattered hither and yon. So today, history seemed destined to repeat itself. The paints were crying out to me in their lonliness. Begging me to rescue them from the indefinite shelf life in the hobby store, aching to come home with me. How could I refuse?

Seven tubes of acrylic, a canvas, some thinner, and some brushes later I escaped by the skin of my teeth. I rushed home for fear that another store would cry out to me, that there would be some lonely item needing a new home with me.

I think I'm certifiable, if not a whole hell of a lot worse. At the very least I'm my own worst enemy.

 
Afternoon Rambles

I have the afternoon off, which is good because I was in the mood to have if off. So there. I was going to have yesterday off and Bev was supposed to be able to be home and help me out with my layout woes. Only we both wound up working. I wish work would quit interferring with my page here. Bahahaha. Yeah right, so um, anyways I rented movies last night and today instead of working on the layout I'm getting some other things done.

I'm going in to see Ducine and redo my manicure. With all the mechanic work that I've been doing on the machines at work lately the nails have suffered unfairly. I wish I wasn't such a girly girl that it mattered what my hands looked like, but it does. I just feel like if my nails aren't gorgeous it doesn't matter if I look like a bombshell. I need to be the whole package damnit! Heh.

Anyways I also have been cleaning because I need to crate up some of my art work at my folks and bring it here. Before I crate it permanently for storage though, Bill has graciously offered to help me photograph most of it. He was actually shocked to find out that I even did art work. It was quite a hoot, and I wish I had a picture of his face when I told him that I was actually an artist and photography wasn't something I even considered myself good at. But it'll be nice to get decent photos of my work finally. I wish I had wall space that I could frame and hang some of my still lifes. I really love some of them and it's fun to see my different moods in my work.

I'm hoping that once I get some of my work around me in some manner that I might be a little more inspired to do some fresh things. Other than the sketches I've done to see if I can still even do it. I'm aching to paint. I have a primed canvas that's been sitting bare for nearly six years now. I don't know what goes on it, but I'm sure that something does. I'm also trying to figure out how I could concievibly paint in this little apartment, but I'm sure it could be done.

Tonight Kath is in the mood to go out. And there's a 80's part at one of the bars in town, so I'm going to see if we can get a few people together to go. I don't think it's my sister's thing at all to go to a theme night at a bar, but it sounds fun to me. Besides I knew there was a good reason that I collected all those Madonna posters. Now I'll know how to dress. Anyone have a pair of lace gloves with the fingers cut out that I can borrow? No? Oh well, maybe Ducine will have some ideas. I'm sort of hoping she's planning on going so if Kath won't go I can hook up with her group instead.

Time to go wash the cars and paint the nails. Kisses.

 
Friday Five via Smattering.

1. What was the first thing you ever cooked?
Toast. I burnt it. I still burn toast to this day.

2. What's your signature dish?
Actually I have a lot of signature dishes. It all depends on who I'm cooking for. When I'm home I make omlettes because my dad is addicted to them and he claims its the only thing I can cook, and I do it better than my mom. If I'm having friends over I'm famous for my lasagnae or manicotti. If I can get away with it I love to cook enchiladas, but not as many people like enchiladas as like my Italian dishes.

3. Ever had a cooking disaster? (tasted like crap, didn't work, etc.) Describe.
I'm most famous/infamous for Kraft Dinner disasters. No you really can't screw up plain KD, but when you get bored with it as I did, and add stuff to it. Hilarity and vomiting might ensue. I guess my scariest KD was when I added a pint of spicy homemade salsa and a diced chicken breast and then added habenero sauce. I ate it, but it burnt my insides out. It took me a year or more to grow back a lining to my stomach. But I'm all better now.

4. If skill and money were no object, what would make for your dream meal?
I absolutely have no clue. I don't really have a dream meal I guess.

5. What are you doing this weekend?
I'm going to beat Kath over the head and try to force her into making a decision on vacation. The money is in the bank and I have other things to spend it on if she's not going to name a destination. Bill wants to sell me a camera. A professional one no less. I'm nervous and excited as it's going to be a wonderful camera at an amazingly cheap price. Other than that I'm going to try to NOT spend any money until I know what it needs spent on. I'm also going to try to go tanning. White girl is starting to glow in the dark here.