Rand-dumb Post: Again maybe?

So here comes the winter, and as Pete says just about daily, it's gonna be a slow winter... in a paint store... in a summer town... like it always is. *sigh* As such, typing again, rando stuff, yes "rando" is now a word and not just a typo...*shifty eyes*

Ready go!

I'm casually improving my ability to crossword, as I've got plenty of downtime at work and a few crosswords here and there, so I just kinda do them. I did two already today, both went pretty smoothly and I figured everything out, more or less. Yay me! So that's a thing.

I'm not sure if I said anything about it before ('cause as if I'm gonna re-read my old posts while I'm typing) but this little bluetooth keyboard I got for my tablet is pretty swell. It feels good, like laptop keys (and as such probably scissor switches), isn't loud, and my hands fit surprisingly well on it considering how small it is. One minor thing is that I find the apostrophy/quote key too small and end up hitting return more frequently than I'd like, especially considering how often I hit that key. It's already proven itself a minor annoyance whilst typing this up. Ah, well, nothing I can do but get a better feel for it, muscle memory is like 95% of typing, or so the statistic I made up just now says.

Speaking of keyboards, I really like my big one at home. It's all sorts of good, mechanical switches, excellent heft so it won't move without being intentionally moved, not nearly as clicky as other mechanical switch keys (intentionally so, I got...I wanna say MX Cherry Browns, maybe Blacks) but still audible to the point of people being able to tell I'm typing up a storm. Also different levels of blue LED intensity, which is fun... this is ringing all sorts of bells, have I talked about this in a much older post? Seems likely. Eh, c'est la vie.

Unrelated to anything prior, I've noticed lately that my dreams are much more intense and vivid whilst napping as opposed to my nightly sleep. Not that I can remember any of them clearly, 'cause I'm super not in the habit of writing them down, but they stick with me longer after rousing from slumber than the "transitioning from night to morning" sleeps/dreams. The last few were action packed, though I couldn't tell you what sort of action it was, they just...were. 

So hey, December rolled around again, yeah? That's fun. Christmas and Mom/Lil'Bro Birthdays, N-Y Cheesefest 2015, present shopping, snow, cold and therefore scarves and other stylish accessories. Good times. I still need to figure out what I'm getting the parents, but I've mostly got the siblings figured out. Not that I'm gonna say what, 'cause I know at least 3 of them read these posts and I'm entirely for keeping presents a surprise and good at keeping secrets.

Alright, that was a fun hour and a half of actually doing things for work, people showing up or phoning or whatever, I've got some stuff ready for tomorrow and other stuff ready to be worked on tomorrow (natural light is a better comparative light source than these freakin' tube-bulb things, it's got a much wider spectrum of light that it emits), so that'll keep my day from being just absolutely the most boring thing ever tomorrow, but we may still get a ramblepost in, we'll see. Aside from that, I'm in the home-stretch for work tonight, so I should probably sign off and go about my business.

Cheers folks, it's been fun!

~Cam (who just learnt that his "~" is far more contrived on his tiny keyboard than on his standard one.)

Bored and More Bored, aka: Work Is Slow Again

Ahh, November, the time of the year when painting ceases to be something people want to think about doing and instead begin their hibernation rituals to prepare for the coming winter. The start of November is the harbinger of the slow season here at "Cam works at a paint store" town, so there may very well be more BloPos (Blog Posts [taken from NaBloPoMo, which I'm pretty sure is a thing]) especially if the pace of sales today is any indicator...

I am currently reclined in the office typing on my phone which decided to turn on magically after many hours of being plugged in but showing no signs of life. That was a weird phenomenon, it was working fine for years (literally) then it just up and bricked itself for hours. First thing I did was plug it in and see if anything happens, which normally does even if it's just a screen indicating that it's charging, but there was just blackness this time. It only came back after I had already placed an order for a new phone (which was immediately canceled after I got ole phoney back) an put a Facebook post up about how I was phoneless for a while. The real kicker is that my friend Lish said commented "get your phone fixed!" And then within minutes it turned back on. Freaking magic, I now think she's a technomage, and have told her as much. Regardless, I don't need a new phone quite yet, and good old Cphone Sr. Is still truckin' along nicely. 

Now down to brass tacks... Not really. I just wanted to say that, it's a fun turn of phrase. Speaking of turning, daylight savings did something over the weekend and now my internal clock has been mildly screwed up, and closing time will be even darker than it was already. Pretty sure that's the same for most people nowadays, but this is my blog so I'll talk about what I want to talk about. I've also got to change a few clocks yet, mostly the ones I don't use, so it's not a big deal, but they should still be accurate...I've also got to figure out how to change the time displayed on the phones in the store, they're all off because the guy who knew how to change them left. As the store techy, it falls to me to figure it out... later, after blog post, 'cause I've still got 2+ hours to kill. Yaaaaaaaay.....

Okay, next topic. Let's see here... dum de dum... thumbing through the topic wheel in my mind... Ah! This'll do nicely. Ahem, the topic of this next ramble is... Hair!

So it's that time of the year when my hair is long enough to be both fluffy and frustrating. I already trimmed off most of my beard (and need to clean it up again), and next comes the mane. It's a little unruly and curly and floof, which can be nice, but I like the "buzzed short enough to be toque Velcro" hair for exactly that purpose. Seeing as I only wear toques in the fall and winter months, this is the ideal time to take it all off. The only issue is: where and/or how? I could go to that old timey barber shop place that opened on 31st ave and see what the deal is... and I may do that this week. Actually, yeah, I should do that. I promise nothing, but it might happen. Regardless, I've gotta figure out how to get rid of all this hair I've got on top of my head. Hopefully I feel motivated enough to do that this week. 

Secondary issue: Motivation. I still need to find a source of motivation for myself. Being easily content has its drawbacks I guess. I like who I am, I do my job well, I've got friends and stuff, I'm still alive, I haven't fallen in with any bad crowds. Seems like I'm doing pretty alright, and I tend to agree with that. I don't see any personal need to do things too differently. Whatever, I don't want to get too deep into repeated introspection when all I'm doing is trying to kill time. So I won't. What do we say to introspection? Not today! 

I should really do some laundry, it's a little in the piled high side right now. I'll make an alarm for it for tomorrow at a time when I'll probably be awake. Then because I've started cleaning it's just gonna spiral into other things and my room'll end up rearranged and all the recycling will be processed (it's kinda out of control right now). Alright, tomorrow goals set, now to execute them and be a productive member of my living quarters!

Okay, that's enough out of me today. Gotta keep something in the stores for when I'm bored on other days of work, which is very likely to happen...possibly a lot.

Cheers!

~Cam

The Workiest of Posts: Satur-dull edition

Welcome back! Or "Hello" for the first time. Today, in this work edition blog post, we'll be discussing assorted topics that I'm not sure what they are yet. Let's begin.

To kick things off, a bit of clarification: we can absolutely discuss the topics that come up, but that'll mostly be after the fact as I'm not currently talking to anyone. That being said, I'm (almost) always willing to talk 'bout stuff and things or whatever. 

Disclaimer over; Real talk, go!

I'm a big fan of sharing excitement and experiences. To be a part of someone jumping into a new adventure and watching them see things that I've become disenchanted with fills me with vigor and vicarious excitement. This past week has had a decent amount of that for me. I've recently gotten a friend to join me in a game I've been playing for almost two years now, and he's almost entirely brand new to it. It's great to see how excited he gets for all these things that I know so well, being able to share in his excitement is a wonderful things. Actually, the same thing happened with him and a show I adore (called Steven Universe, it's possibly the best cartoon I've seen, and just a genuinely good show), and he now adores it too so we can get excited about it together, which is splendid. He and I really are two peas in a pod. 

Speaking of Steven Universe, I freakin' love that show. It's clever, and charming, gets you invested in the characters, shows the characters growing beautifully at an appropriate pace, heart warming, eventually becomes heart wrenching because you've become so invested in the characters, surprisingly poignant, funny with great one-liners and puns (e.g. Steven, holding a plate of stacked waffles: "It's not exactly healthy, but it's in a stack, so I guess you could call it, a balanced breakfast!"[the delivery of that line in the show is so on point]), takes itself both seriously and not seriously simultaneously, has great musical numbers and tone-setting background music. All in all, it's a marvellously crafted work of entertainment that I have found little to no flaw in since its debut. It's one of the, like, three things I could wax poetic about but will avoid so as to not get anymore crazy. Rest assured, I could go on for pages about it, but I won't.

Now let's talk music. Lately I've been listening to Mother Mother and Modest Mouse almost exclusively. Why? I dunno, but that's what's been happening. Probably because I'm subjected to 70s music at work all the time, so I need something different and more modern during the brief windows of time when I'm walking around and listening to music. I don't tend to listen to music at home, I've often get YouTube videos or Netflix playing whilst on my computer. I like music, I really do, but I like a lot of other things too. I'm also not that explorative when it comes to finding new music (though I have been enjoying some Mystery Skulls a bit recently, which was entirely a YouTube find [apparently my phone autocorrects the "Y" and "T" in YouTube to be capitalized...] ), I'm just a guy who doesn't like change so my music in my phone doesn't change that frequently. Meh, I enjoy it, that's all I can really ask for. If I find or am introduced to new stuff I like I'll probably add it to my phone's repertoire.

Let's see... what else to talk about... um... I think I might be spent for topics for the time being. Well, that's to be expected, work posts are rarely that exciting. Fun fact, all of 1 person has showed up at the store since I started typing this and all he wanted to know was where to dispose of old paint (the answer is Chaser's Bottle Depot, for those in Vernon looking to get rid of old/bad paint.) so that was exciting. 

Sign off time. I'll catch y'all on the flip side.

Cheers

~Cam

Revenge of the Workpost III: Another One

Well, here we are again. As predicted, very little activity on this thanksgiving Sunday that the store is dumbly open for. Granted, there's been a couple customers, but that's just 'cause it's the last day of the big sale. They didn't even want any of the paint coloured.  At least I've got some Earl Grey to keep me company in the desolate wastes known as "a paint store." Now, without further delay, let the rambling commence!

Firstly, I'm in a better mental state than last week, far more relaxed and easy going, less antsy and bored. That's good, 'cause I'm pretty sure I lost some of my mind last week, it's probably around here somewhere... Regardless, I'm gonna attribute the sanity to the rather enjoyable tea that I'm casually sipping on. I should really go pick up some Earl Grey for home, I forgot how much more I like it than English Breakfast. It's got a lot more personality than your classic EBs, and paired with some vanilla and cream it's just a very pleasant experience. Mmmmm.

Hmm, I seem to be drawing a blank as to what to talk about. This is why I don't blog regularly, it takes a while for me to accumulate anything interesting to talk about...shoot, I just remembered that next month is NaBloPoMo or whatever the blogging equivalent of the novel writing month is. Post daily? I'll try but I have yet to succeed at that, though never having really committed to it is probably reason enough for me. I'm pretty good at talking myself out of stuff. 

Speaking of, I really should record some stuff on my computer, maybe with facecam? That would require getting a webcam though, and I hate looking at myself...though I could also potentially stream stuff on twitch...so many possibilities. Too many possibilities, I need to settle on an idea and stick with it. I'm currently leaning towards recording on consoles with either live voice or post-recording dubbing/voiceover. Plus that'd help with video editing practice, and layering and learning and what have you. Now to set a rock solid time to do this. Setting my alarm for Wednesday morning ~8:00am with reminders every fifteen minutes for basically the whole day. That should be annoying enough to get me doing something about it. I think I'll start with Ico or Shadow of the Collossus, I haven't played either of those, and apparently they're masterpieces. Should be fun.

If you understood little of that, don't worry about it, I was just thinking to myself about a hobby that I want to start. Feel free to ignore it, it's probably not gonna be that interesting, 'cause I'm not entirely sure if I'm funny or entertaining by myself in the flesh. I tend to play off other people, which is great fun in groups and helps with the "everyone likes Cam for no good reason" thing, and when typing things out I can think an rethink ideas and phrases to give the illusion of being hilarious. Ergo, there is a gap between being in groups and typing things up where I'm by myself In which I have yet to receive feedback as to whether or not I'm capable of being entertaining. Personally, I think I'm rather dull on my own, but that could largely be due to me having lived with myself for my entire life and being so used to my shenanigans that I can't tell. Oh, plus I mostly talk to myself in my head, so I'm not sure how well it translates to the verbal aspect of human interaction. I mean, sure, I understand myself rather well, but I've got pretty solid evidence supporting the "Cam's at least a little bit crazy" theory, though that eventually devolves into the "do crazy people know that they're crazy" logic loop (which is a rabbit hole I'm not going to go down right now).

Anywho, tldr; I may not be funny solo IRL, regardless of how funny I am in groups and online.

So every now and again I like to re-read some of my older stuff. It's a nice trip down memory lane, and I get to remember how funny I think I am. I think I'm hilarious, FYI. I guess it really doesn't matter what other people think, but I would prefer it if they have positive opinions of me.  Oh, right, I just remembered what I wa actually gonna talk about after that last ramble.

So I have a group of people I game with, we call ourselves a guild. I've bee with this most of the same group of people since probably 2007-8. Well, it was larger then, but a lot of them left for life reasons, regardless, the core group has known each other for quite a while. In that time, we have come up with ridiculous stories about each other, a good chunk of which revolve around the exploits I never actually endeavoured on. They are actually ridiculous too, not even close to being able to happen. For instance, one summer the crickets were almost always super loud and my mic would pick them up on the voice chat. The first time it happened everyone was curious as to what in the world it was. I casually explained the situation and everyone understood and we went on with our lives, only occasionally bringing it back up. Then school started up that fall and I had to let the gaming take a back seat. During this time, rumours of my absence began circulating. Theses rumours consisted of how I had been kidnapped by these (now racist, for whatever reason) crickets. It eventually built into a story of how I had escaped them but they were now after me with suicide bomber crickets that explode when stepped on (there was some sort of loud bang on my end when we were chatting which, according to them, was caused by racist suicide bomber crickets). Why? No freaking idea, it's just where their minds went, and try kept adding to it to make it more crazy. I'm sure there was more to it, but it was at least 5 years back at this point so the exact memory is a little hazy. All in all, good fun and fond memories, but that does little to detract from how ridiculous these people are, as I wouldn't have it any other way.

Well, I've been thumb typing for probably too long, so I'm thinking I should probably end here. Only 1.5h left to work, I should be able to occupy that time with non-blog things.

Cheers, (and Happy Thanksgiving)

~Cam

Random Thoughts: The Reckoning.

Hello. It's Sunday, I'm at work, and I have yet to see a customer. Why? Because we, like many other paint stores, aren't usually open on Sunday. As such, I'm bored out of my flippin' gourd. So here's random crap that comes out of my head when I'm this bored.

I really don't understand the appeal of savoury beverages. Apparently I'm of the opinion that savoury flavours are meant to be food (or soup, so meals in general, I guess). Sure, there are probably exceptions to this, but I have yet to experience a savoury beverage that I really enjoyed. Vegetable juices are tolerable, but I rarely go out of my way to drink them. 

Even without having practiced my drawing for a while, I seem to have retained my relatively newfound knowledge of eye composition. That's good, 'cause I kinda want to get back into it, but I'll be darned if motivation isn't hard to come by. Whatever, it's be a personal goal for the most part, I'm not exactly seeking an audience or the spotlight. 

I realized like 5 minutes before starting this post that I had forgotten what a handwritten letter "capital I" looked like, I kept making lowercase "B" and "L" instead, I had to actually look up what it was to make sure I was even on the right track. I guess hand writing is becoming a lost art...not that anyone could read my chicken scratch to begin with, but still, I spent a lot of time in school learning how to do all that, I should still try to keep it... I guess.

It has recent come to my attention once again that simple to me is NOT simple to everyone else. I like having proper, concise terminology for what I'm talking about, but that doesn't mean anyone will understand what he crap I'm talking about. As such, I have to explain myself more often than not. Prime example: working at a paint store, I say things like "sheen" and "colourant saturation point."

To me, sheen is plain as day, but people tend to not understand it, so the quick explanation of "how shiny something is" is usually followed after saying "sheen."

Admittedly, "colourant saturation point" seems more convoluted, but it's simple the point at which we can't add any more colourant to paint because it won't mix properly. Heck, some people don't realize that I mean "stuff that makes colours" when I say "colourant." It can be rather frustrating, but it's something I've more or less come to terms with due to dealing  with it pretty much daily. The "simple to me but not everyone" concept applies to other aspects of life too, but I'm almost a shut-in when I'm not at work, mostly by choice.

The time is now 12:20, only 2h40m left to work today. This is going so freaking slow, it's ridiculous. I've had two teas and a coffee, because there is literally nothing else to do. At least last weekend I had stock to put away. Oh, and I'll be here, same shift, next week, thanksgiving Sunday. There's no freakin' chance that it'll be busier next week, what the crap, company? Why are you forcing us to do this? It's monetarily unjustified, you're losing money by having is be open just because you have to pay me, not to mention additional electricity costs and all the water I use (not actually that much, but still some that would otherwise go unused). Screw it, I'm gonna draw some more and listen to whatever's on the Stingray Alternative channel.

So, there you have it. Rambling achieved.

Cheers folks,

~Cam.

Phone Blog: The Wreckoning (not really)

Silly title, just thought it was amusing, no real relevance to anything other than I'm blogging from my phone again.

So here I sit at work again, not a customer for several hours, nothing to do and stuck on a sudoku. May as well blog, right? Right. The suntan/bathing suit store beside us is busy as ever, apparently they've got a solid customer base, primarily composed of ladies. Some of the creepy older contractors/construction guys we get in say stuff like "you've got the best view in town" due to the abundance of young attractive ladies going in and out of there. I chuckle and nod to appease them but I'm wretching on the inside. Gawking at the neighbour's customers is not an activity I find appealing. There's some crude people in the construction/contracting business, that's fine and whatever but that's just not me and never will be. 

Unrelated, there was a lady in this morning inquiring about the fact we're looking to hire and she had a freaking Bearded Dragon just hanging out on her. I mean, I've seen plenty of people with cats on them going places but this wasn't the first time I've ever seen someone walking around with a big old lizard just hanging out on their shoulder. Super neat, very unique, and she was pleasant enough to deal with, she just had a bearded dragon casually hanging out on her. It made my day, I'm a sucker for animals of most sorts.

Next topic. So I'm currently working 6 days a week. It's "fun" having to be here so much, with all the making of paint, accidental sniffing of thinners, sitting around bored, answering questions I have no right answer to, blankly staring at the window to the sky hoping it rains while I'm not walking too or from work. I should really start bringing books or proper drawing materials to work, that'd help substantially...probably...maybe. Dammit, I need to figure out proper motivation for that stuff. I'm terribad at self motivating, that's one of my biggest points of improvement I need to work on. 

More unrelated stuff, I'm gonna be grilling meat for a wedding in July, so that'll be a nice change of pace from having to sit in a boring paint store all day, plus I'll get to flex mah cooking skeelz. I've not cooked for a large group in a while, but all they want is cooked meat on a grill, and I can do that no problemski. Should be fun!

More random thinking: 

-I could really use another power bar for my pad, the current setup is pretty awkward to use and anothe power bar would fix pretty much all the issues that it faces. 

-Tom, my Cactus, has taken a turn for the worse. I'm not sure if it's due to over watering (which is entirely possible) but it's like he rotted from the inside out...there's a bit of hope left, but things don't look good for him. I'll check when I get home an see how he's doing.

-I'm contemplating submitting an audition to a fan project that re-dubs a show I've enjoyed after translating the script through the Gizoogle translator, which, if you didn't know, takes regular English and turns it into stereotypical gangsta speak, or however you want to say that. I, personally, think it could be a hilarious thing to take part in, I just need to configure some stuff for better audio recording first.

-I'm still just sitting here casually drinking water and not selling stuff to people who aren't here. *sigh*

...I've run out of things to talk about, so I'm gonna end it here.

Cheers,

~Cam

In Which I Mull Over Things (Vague Post Title, Go!)

I Well, I had written up a bunch of stuff yesterday, but I forgot to save it as a draft and then did things with my phone and it was all "I'm just gonna dump that to use the memory for something else." My fault entirely, but still kind of a bummer. Also I had basically just hit points I've covered in prior posts, so it wasn't exactly new content.

Anywho...I've been fairly busy with work, both in amount of shifts and stuff to do during shifts, so I haven't had as much on-the-job creativity time, so I haven't really been doodling or whatever. I have, however, started practicing video editing at home. Mostly from gameplay I've recorded, a lot of Diablo 3, and also talking over it testing to see a combination of things like how freaking loud my keyboard is (answer: Quite loud indeed) and what programs work better for the voice recording. It's neat, and entirely for fun at this point in time, and I've got some amusing ideas for videos to make, so I've got plans, which is nice. 

Speaking of computery things, I've been requested to build a computer by my brother, and I've got a preliminary/potential setup laid out on virtual paper. There's a few things that I need to run by him still, mostly about peripherals, but it's a solid build that's both upgradable and cost effective.  I'm also considering upgrading my video card, and replacing the stock fans that came with my case...and getting a monitor with a higher refresh rate...and potentially getting some liquid cooling and overclocking my CPU...apparently I wanna tune up my computer. Hold on, I've got a customer, gotta do a colour match.

…

…

Okay, back. That was more of a hassle than anticipated, I lost the chip to match the colour to while they went out for coffee. Rather frustrating for both parties, if I do say so myself.

Anyway...what was I talking about? Oh, computer upgrades, right. Well my computer's a couple years old now and, while it handles most everything beautifully, there's a subtle lack of smoothness graphically in a lot of things I do, so I think a 144hz monitor (up from a 60hz one) should solve that problem, as long as my GPU can keep up. I might end up either getting a new one or an additional one of the same type, depending on cost and cooling required. Also my fans can occasionally be very noisy, so that needs to go, or they need to be lubricated, but case fans are cheap and pretty easy to replace, plus it gives me a chance to potentially rework my cable management, which is pretty bad in my current setup. That's something you want to take into consideration when picking out a case, cables everywhere disrupt air flow and look nasty, so managing them is fairly important.

Well, it's almost closing time, so I should probably get off my phone and actually do something. Short shift today, we're not usually open on Sunday, but just for the big sale they're having me work Sundays by myself for 6 hours. There were a few people but not anything t I busy. Ah well, I'm not complaining, it's more hours and therefore more funds, and it's not exactly hard work.

Alright, I'm out.

Cheers,

~Cam

Killing Time at Work: The Blog.

Here I am, once again, sitting at a table, drinking tea, and contemplating what the crap I'm gonna do for the next hour or so before I close. This seems to be a common trend around here in the winter. Still, it's been busier today than some other days where I literally had one customer, and I painted a post wall I fixed on Wednesday without any major failing, so that's good. 

Hold on a sec, I've gotta check colorant levels while I'm thinking of it.

...

...

...

Okay, back. YOX needed a refill and apparently wanted the whole gallon of colorant. Plus there was a (surprisingly quick) color match involved, I guess beauti-tone colors are easy to match.  So that kille some time. 

Anyway, how about that sun, eh? It's been a rather brilliant day today, sun-wise. I guess spring is right around the corner, though March could entirely bring the smack down upon us, weatherly speaking. 

I'm not sure what to say now. I have no witty observations about life, I have no mostly blank white paper upon which to draw, I'm pretty awful at small talk. Oh! Right, I re-acquired my Learners lisence, so that's new and exciting. Plans are to go driving with Jord when we've got some insurance things worked out. That'll happen, at some point. I'm not sure when, and I'm not in a huge rush. Work is fine, if slow at times, bills are paid, I'm not starving, my slush fund is holding strong, I'm in a pretty decent place all things considered. A good chunk of my "where to improve myself this year" boxes are currently checked. Now to make a move in other areas. Maybe. Later. It can wait. Those who rush into things head first are more prone to concussions. 

Which brings up a point about me, I'm cautious, almost to a fault. Not quite that much as I definitely have an impulsive streak and I'm surprisingly quick with snap decisions, which is especially odd because I'm massively indecisive a lot of the time. By this description of me, one might think I'm a jumbled up mess of everything, and that's exactly how I'd describe myself. Heck, at some point a few years ago a peer of mine referred to me as "the most extraverted introvert I've ever known." Which is neat and proves my ability to be with people and not drag them down.  

Alright, end of blog, time has been sufficiently killed and I've gotta do closing stuff....and enjoy this song. Rhinestone Eyes by the Gorillaz, I really like it but it's totally not for everyone.

Cheers folks,

~Cam

In Which Work is Slow Again and Creativity is Discussed

So I may not work at the busiest place in the world, but that's primarily because of the winter. Apparently, people don't like painting in the winter. Whatever, doesn't matter to me, I'm getting paid and am able to work on my creative pursuits, primarily refining my drawing skeelz. Proof: 

These are an accurate summary of my past two days of work, plus this blog post. Super busy work days, amiright? 

Regarding the actual drawings, I can sort of draw a hand position now! Hands are tricky little jerks, but apparently breaking them down into segments helps me a lot. Now to figure out more positions of them. Also, that slit iris, I'm super happy with figuring that out, mostly by accident. That'll help when drawing predators or cat people or whatever else has the vertically elongated iris. 

Also also: while I think I prefer the pencil for its ability to be more easily corrected, drawing in pen has taught me a couple things, like a basic idea of line weight and how to not be a perfectionist. It seems I'm getting better at just being able to sketch a base layer and with a pen I can't  not show it. 

Oh, and the bottom right...person... in the first pic is saying "I'm a Picasso" in case you were wondering.  I messed something up and just ran with it. 

Drawing pursuits aside, I'm also sort of writing creatively, though heavily inspired by Monster Hunter (a vidya game I'm still obsessed with) and I only have the introduction sort of done (which I need to go over again, I did it pretty late one night), so I need to work on that some more. I will, it's just a matter of doing it. Plus with the new Monster Hunter coming out next week I'll be massively engrossed in that. 

Apparently I'm more of a creative type than I had acknowledged for a very very long time. I'm gonna attribute that to how emotion and art are so often intertwined, where science and logic are one and the same, and I sided with science and logic 'cause I'm not a fan of the negative emotions that occasionally show up in me. It took me probably too long to throw off the shackles of ignorance I had bound myself with and embrace the arts. I was never fond of the rigor involved with "proper" science, being a man of action rather than a bookkeeper I prefer just doing things an seeing what happens. Not that there's anything wrong with bookkeeping, s'just not for me. Bookkeepers are the backbone of modern knowledge and as such massively useful in their own rights. Aaaand I'm sidetracked, having forgotten where I was going 'cause I had some customers to aid. So TLDR; embracing my inner creative, still love science, greatest scientists are often great artists as well.

That whole last paragraph was leading to how blacksmithing is a great thing for me 'cause it, like me, is a mix of art and science.  I've probably discussed it before, but still, it's a blend of scientific knowledge (how much heat, what to look for, how to handle the fire properly, proper materials) and artistic skill and vision (style, shape, how and where to strike). It's a wonderful fusion of the worlds of art and science, it's an act of doing and knowing and experimenting and learning. It's primal and elegant, taking what the earth gives us and turning it into spectacular, shining examples of beauty.  I'm still very excited to get into it, and I will, hopefully soon.

Anywho, it's probably time for me to stop blogging at work, with about half an hour left in the day and closing procedures to go through.

Cheers,

~Cam

In Which I Work On the Snowiest of Days.

Hello world, it's me, Cam. On this most snowiest of days I find myself bored at work without a pencil for drawing. We're not allowed to close due to corporate policy or some such nonsense, so here I sit, typing with my thumbs. 

First thought: I haven't seen this much snow in Vernon for a very long time, especially all from one continuous snowfall. Seriously, there's a lot of snow out there, and it just keeps falling. S'pretty and whatnot but my ability to get groceries will be seriously hampered. Also: I need to get some food, I have limited supplies, but I may just have to survive on them for a day or two.

Second thought: I need to continue drawing. I've been trying to keep it up but I need a proper table at home to actually attempt it. I need a proper table for other reasons too, but that's beside this thought. I've been practicing relatively frequently (basically when I'm at work 'cause it's a slow time of year) and I think I'm getting more comfortable at doing quick work that I'm happy to use as a base layer, so that's a step in the right direction if/when I want to get into digital work. 

Third thought: Jord really needs to give me a budget to work with if he actually wants me to buil him a computer. I can do it for whatever, but I need to know what price range he would like to be in, and what he wants this computer for, that way I can weigh specific parts appropriately. I should really text him about it...

Fourth thought: I need to excercise more daily. I currently have a routine that I do...infrequently, like once a week, but I need to really enforce daily activity. Gotta find motivation, or just force it into a habit. Once it becomes habit/routine I no longer have to actively convince myself to do it, which is where my major stumbling block lies.

Fifth thought: it's kinda strange, but I seem to have some sort of social life, at least for the time being. I'm not used to this, hanging out with people an doing stuff that isn't just staying in. Heck, even talking to people, which I'm not particularly bad at (I just don't do it much), is becoming a more regular thing. None of which I'd consider a bad thing, just new and unfamiliar. Oh well, breaking out of my hole in the ground is a good thing, I think.

Sixth thought: I wonder if I should try contacts...my vision isn't that bad, and I think I look more like a Viking without my glasses on. Oh, and my glasses are cock-eyed, so I should get that fixed and/or get new ones and/or get some contacts. Also, I should find out what my prescription actually is for...reasons. 

Well, that's all for now.  Take it easy everybody, stay safe out there.

Cheers

~Cam