For those of you who are wondering why the hell I haven't done any more artwork lately, my answer is simple: BECAUSE A HIDDEN @#$&%@ TEMP FILE ATE UP 3.5 GB OF MY MEMORY!!
Lately I've been having massive problems with Photoshop Elements where it would take forever to load and would bog down when I was working on a piece. The last time I opened it, I hadn't done more than a few dozen brush strokes when it told me the history palette was full. ARGH!! >8| Then I'd get the annoying little popup telling me 'Your C: drive is very low on memory' and it didn't matter what I did or what software I removed, nothing helped.
So I thought maybe it was time to wipe the system and do a reinstall which meant I needed to do a backup. Guess what?? I DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH %@$&$@ MEMORY TO EVEN BURN CDs!! >8O And I was trying to do a full backup of my data drive since I'm waaay overdue for one. We're talking nearly 6 GB of stuff, most of which are 4 years worth of digital photos of my family. Needless to say I was getting very angry and the fact that we had back to back thunderstorms all afternoon yesterday and my kids were driving me nuts sure didn't help matters any. CURSE YOU MOTHER NATURE!! *shakes fist* At least the power didn't go out...
Anyways, my IT hubby comes home and after listening to me rant about the weather, the kids and my damn computer, finally tells me how to fix the problem. It was a stupid temp file hidden away in a hidden folder called 'local settings' and it had over 3.5 GB of temp files from miscellaneous programs I run on my computer. Took him all of 5 minutes to fix. I didn't know whether I should kiss him for fixing it or beat him for letting me suffer all damn day since he mentioned he had contemplated fixing it the night before. AAAAARRRRGGGHH
So its fixed. I'm spending today reinstalling the software I uninstalled so I could do my backup and finally finishing the backup, which is 12 700MB CDs and counting. Hopefully when I get that all done, I'll be able to get back to finishing up the multiple art projects I have on the go....maybe... *faint*
I haven't been able to finish anything in a long time and worse, I haven't been able to draw anything either other than this fanart. That and I haven't been able to do any decent writing in the three RPs I'm in either. Granted there is a lot going on in my everyday life: my husband got a new job, we may be moving sooner than later, my two kids are sick, the hubby is sick, I'm sick, I have pile of dental work to be done that I am NOT looking forward too, my youngest sister just had a baby, my other sister's son is being baptised this Sunday and my mother has been laying on the guilt trips because I haven't been home in a month - even though she knows where I live and is retired. ARGH!!!
There's so much I want to do and either don't have time to do it or, get the time and end up lacking the inspiration and inclination to do any of it. I'm about ready to have a big bonfire and toss all my work into it then sell my laptop and tablet to the highest bidder on Ebay.
So bear with me guys, I'm going through a rough patch at the moment. To my RP buddies: hang in there, I'll post when I can. To my art buddies to whom I've promised contest entries: I'll do my best but don't hold your breath. To the guys I've promised work done to: Be patient. I'll get to it, just not anytime soon. And to everyone else: Enjoy the stuff I have done and know that someday there will be new stuff put up for your future enjoyment.
Oh and hugs, send me LOTS of hugs. I need them... *sniff*
In poor [Lothuriel]'s The Painters' Contest::
22:20:09 Urmando, The Halfling: [moira hawthorne] Sorry, I am a healthy guy, so I say of your new Art piece: "Hmmm, Yammie..."
01:00:59 moira hawthorne: hey Im a health BI girl... I picked that pose out of about 20! boy was that ever fun! I I still have the orginal photos.. given to me.. cherry by candle light is a beauty to behold!.. too bad for both of us.. or any one else she is compleatly taken and devoted!
01:01:57 moira hawthorne: but thx U very much for you compliment that my art captures her beauty!
06:06:24 Dirty DaVinci: Damn right she's taken ;)
16:30:29 moira hawthorne: hey hey ... I donttranspass in other peoples gardens... I only enjoy the view!...
16:32:28 Yuriona: O_o I thought we were supposed to be enjoying the artwork, not discussing adultery. :O
16:47:48 moira hawthorne: Yuriona of the opinion only she and her friends are allow to have conversations in wikis....
16:49:14 Kyrinn: moira cut it out.
16:57:20 Yuriona: Oh grow up moira. Only you could turn an art contest into a smut fest.
17:09:33 moira hawthorne: huh! read your own conversations! and stop picking on me! ignore me as I ignore you!
17:11:32 Yuriona: This is a public wiki moira. We are all allowed to comment on it. Now quit imagining things and making false accusations. It only makes you look bad.
17:15:59 Kyrinn: Picking on you??? WTF?? This IS a public wiki and for the record YOU picked this fight, by your own words --> 16:47:48 moira hawthorne: Yuriona of the opinion only she and her friends are allow to have conversations in wikis.... Why dont you just NOT make comments like that and let it lie. grow up.
17:17:34 Yuriona: *nudges Kyrinn* Shhh! She's supposed to be ignoring us remember??
Sorry for the trouble Loth but I just couldn't resist. ;)
I haven't had more than 4 hours of straight sleep in a week. I have a sick 18 month old who is either attached to my hip or screaming at me for something. My 4 year old has decided that its ok to talk back and be sassy to me and I'm stiff and sore from the poor quality of sleep. On top of that, I've just gotten home after spending 4 days at my mom's house where I have been nitpicked, insulted and undermined at every turn. At least my period finally ended. >_<
In short, I am exhausted, not feeling well and very, very bitchy. So I come to ET to talk to my friends and try to relax a bit. I find that my buds are as busy as I am with their home lives and not around. No biggie... until another bachelor friend decides to leave me a helpful nudge towards an RP that has been stalled while everyone is out dealing with life and a couple of pisantes in another wiki decide now is a good time to use me as an example of hipocracy. So where does that leave me??
The Clyde Saga continues...
The vet called me today to tell me that Clyde was doing about the same, eating and moving about. She then informs me that she is going to release him and send him home with steroid pills for me to give him. So I called [Acerbus] and made him bring the cat home after the poor guy had just battled his way through a downtown traffic snarl following a long, busy day at work. Thank goodness the vet was sorta close by... >_>
So the cat his home and I've administered his first round of steroids at home. He hasn't eaten yet but he didn't get his steroid fix until 7pm so he'll be hungry later I'm sure. He is at the moment upstairs on the couch with [Acerbus] watching some cheezy Steven Segal movie. Don't ask me which one, I didn't stick around long enough to find out.
Acerbus first accosts me for disappearing on him and deserting him before asking if I want to know what 'Mr. Invincible' the cat had done. The hubby then went on to say that after I had gone to the basement, the cat had gotten off the couch and shambled over to the patio door. The bugger then sat on his furry ass and meowed to go out. Two days after being hit on the road and costing us literally hundreds of dollars to fix him up, that damn cat has the audacity to ask to go outside! *dies*
I guess this means he's feeling better. I should be happy. >_< Nuisance cawt...
I took our cat Clyde back to the vet today and he was so upset, he peed right through the blanket I had him wrapped in. The vet had a look at him and decided the best course of action was to admit him for a couple of days and get him hooked up to an IV for fluids and steroids. He won't eat, probably because of the broken canine and the IV will provide some nutrients and fluids.
The steroids are to help get the swelling in his brain to lessen. He has a lot of trouble walking but the vet thinks that is due to the head trauma and not because of anything being broken or dislocated. She still wanted to do some X-rays though, just in case but we had to put it off since it was so expensive. Clyde's 2 day hospital stay is going to cost nearly $400 and it will be another $400 to get the tooth extracted. Gah... >_< I love my cat but that is an awful lot of money.
So we're going to wait and see. He's at the vet's for the next couple of days and hopefully with the steroids and IV, we'll see some improvement in him. Once we know how much permanent damage has been done to his head and what sort of quality of life he will have, then we can decide on what to do next. I mean, there's no point yanking his tooth out and putting him through more pain and suffering unneccesarily.
The thing is that I was raised on a farm and usually when this sort of thing happened, the cure was an ounce of lead administered to the ear. It ended the animal's suffering and was much cheaper. Keep in mind that these are barn cats I'm talking about which are a dime a dozen. Clyde is different. He's family. That still doesn't make it an easy decision though. I love my cat don't get me wrong but that's a lot of money and I do have higher priorities.
If there is a marked improvement in the next couple of days (which I'm confident there will be since he has improved a lot since Saturday night), we will do whatever we can to get him taken care of. If there is little or no hope of improvement though, we will have to really consider if that is the quality of life Clyde deserves and what should be done in his best interests, not ours. And yes, if Clyde won't be able to go outside and hunt or claw up my carpet the way he used to, I will have him put down. Like I said, I love my cat dearly but I can't put him through that nor do I have the time to baby him as an invalid.
The next few days will tell. I sincerely hope that Clyde pulls through and though he'll probably never be the same, I hope he'll be close to his old self. I don't want to have to come home and tell my kids that Clyde isn't coming home because he went to kitty heaven. I really don't want that but I also don't want to watch my cat suffer. All I can do is wait, hope and pray that everything works out.
I know one thing though. If Clyde doesn't pull through this, it will be a LONG time before I get another pet. I'm tired of just about every pet I own dying a traumatic death. >_<
Soot (black cat) - shot by my father for eating baby pheasants
Soot 2 (black cat) - shot
Troublesome (tabby cat) - disappeared never to return
Two turtles (red ear sliders) - released because they were too big.
Clyde (tabby cat) - ?
Last night (Saturday) at 11pm the phone rings and someone leaves a message. [Acerbus] got up to check the machine and finds that its the Humane Society. Apparently our cat was hit on the road and they IDed him by his microchip since the bugger lost his collar ages ago.
I stay at home with the kids while [Acerbus] is off to the animal hospital to get the cat. Turns out that our cat Clyde was hit right at the end of our street, less than 100 feet from our house. The driver called the Humane Society thank goodness and they retrieved him.
Clyde had sustained a serious injury to his head, resulting in a broken canine and possible brain damage. They only deduced the brain damage from the fact that his pupils were of differing sizes at the time. They didn't know how much damage was done or if was fatal. There was little that could be done except put him in the hospital, stick in an IV, monitor him and run tests. We were looking at a minimum $800 stay.
Since Clyde doesn't do well in strange environments, (and there is no way I'm shelling out that much cash on a cat, even one I dearly love) we decided to keep him at home. I had originally got him at the Humane Society nearly 5 years ago and he was a neurotic mess. He spent most of his time hiding until he got used to us. I also suspected he was abused as he would flinch away if you raised your hand a certain way.
Over the years he's become a big part of our family and has a personality all of his own. He's gone from a frightened, neurotic, victimized cat to a brash, bold, stalker of the night who keeps his humans in line. He's good with the kids when he can be bothered to tolerate them and he will occasionally grace us with his presence in our laps for petting or curled up in the center our bed. Oh yes, and let's not forget the occasional present he would leave me in the backyard to bury. Last time it was the back half of a jackrabbit - oh, and its ears and nose. He didn't eat those. >_<
So when the hubby brought him home, the cat was totally wonky on the massive painkillers he was given and the steroids he got to keep his brain from swelling. He seemed to recognize he was home though and reacted to both the hubby and I. Needless to say we were both very, very upset and [Acerbus] volunteered to stay up with Clyde to watch for seizures. :/ There weren't any thank goodness and the boys slept on the couch most of the night.
Today Clyde has been good and lucid. He's even taken a few sips of milk. We were relieved when he tried to run away when the kids got up. Clyde usually disappears when the girls are a round since they're so loud and so rough. So the hubby had made him a nice nest in a cardboard box and put him in our bedroom. Clyde immediately hopped out of the box and laid under our bed - a comfort spot for him.
Tomorrow I have to take him to the vet to have his broken canine removed and to have a follow up done. I also have to register my eldest daughter for junior kindergarten. My sweetheart mom-in-law though is coming down to keep an eye on the girls while I do all this running around. I'm gonna owe her big time after this. So in other words, I probably won't be online much tomorrow. >_< Wish me luck...
http://ranmahe
Gah... I am so totally hooked on Ranma 1/2!! Wheee!
Well by 1am EST, we were just south of Cinncinati, exhausted and dealing with wet snow flurries so we decided to rough it and hit a hotel for the night. Probably a good thing too since when I called my mom yesterday to check on the kids, they were in the middle of a snowstorm and had just gotten the power back on after nearly 4 hours. EEK!!
Figures... we enjoy three days of near summer like weather and return to snow. Oh well... we had a blast and neither of us can wait to come back and visit 'y'all'. LOL!! Hugs to everybody and I'll be back... once we are back in the great white North. <- Literally I'm starting to think...
Whhheeeee!! What a week! [Acerbus] and I came down to Kentucky on Wednesday and visited [Savien] and [Ariandra] for the first time! We've had a blast!
We finally got to meet the Cope kids, tried catfish and hushpuppies for the first time, fired semi-automatic weapons and played D&D until the wee hours.
Then on Friday night, [Lerune] and her family came and surprised us with a visit!!! WHOO HOO!! Another night of visiting until the wee hours for us. Today has been hours of playing D&D with everyone while the kids played and watched movies!!
Now we're packing up to start the long journey back home to find just how badly our own girls have been spoiled by my mom. *sigh* The days just flew by and other than today the weather was gorgeous!!
[Savien] and [Ariandra] are great hosts and we had so much fun! I am truly sad that we have to go, especially since [Lerune] and her husband Bill are here. It's always hard to leave such good friends after having such a good time. Thanks so much for everything guys and I hope we can do this again soon! Luv ya all!!
Razhel Darkmoon - half elven Gypsy bard
Razhel's birth was one fret with bad omens. Her mother, a comely Gypsy lass, was seduced by what she described as an elven man with black skin and red eyes. Many in the troupe fel that Lerella had been impregnated by a demon. Because of this, she faced exhile or worse, a death sentence in order to protect the clan from the evil within her. It was only when Boris Swiftmane offered several fine horeses in trade for the girl that the Clan allowed her to live. She was now Boris' problem.
Boris had once been the greatest of the Clan's bards. He was a gifted musician and story teller, renowned among his people. When his wife was killed by enraged farmers over the deaths of a few sheep that had wandered free of their pasture, Boris became withdrawn. He no longer sang, played his mandolin or told his stories. Instead, he moved his caravan to the outskirts of the Clan's mobile settlement and was rarely seen.
He took his new wife Lorella to his caravan where he was now responsible for the raising and tending of the Clan's horses. The Clan was sympathetic to his plight when his wife died but every member was expected to contribute or they were exhiled.
They lived there happily and a few short months later, Lorella went into labour. She gave birth to a beautiful little girl in the dead of night, the baby seeming to be nothing like the creature claimed to be her parent. Despite this however, there were many uncomfortable whisperings among the Clan.
These whispers were of worry and bad omen as the little girl had been born during a rare dark moon - a night when the full moon hid her face behind a mourning veil. (A full lunar eclipse) If that wasn't bad enough, the midwife told of the baby' strange pointed ears; something unheard of among the human Gypsies.
Even so, Boris and Lorella were oblivious to the unease of the Clan and named their little girl Razhel Darkmoon, her Clan tattoo honouring both the horses they depended on and the dark moon she was born under.
As far as Boris was concerned, she was his daughter and she was raised in the ways of the Clan. Her father daughter her to play the mandolin while her mother taught her to dance. She also became well known in the clan for how easily she built a rapport with the horses. She seemed to have a talent for it, sometimes even outshining the respected elders who had worked with horses their entire lives.
Even so, the Clan remained wary of her and remembered how she had come to be. Some claimed her rapport with the animals to be unnatural, telling wild tales of how she could speak their tongue. Others told of how she seemed to age much more slowly than the Clan children born near the same time. Even more stories were told about how it seemed at times that the wind itself would dance with her.
Despite the grumblings, the Clan tolerated her for her father's sake since Boris had always been well liked among his people. When her mother passed away and her father sickened however, Razhel knew that her time with the Clan would soon be at an end and prepared herself for what seemed to be an inevitable exhile.
Ok...time for another diary entry. I've done a total of three characters now for other Elftowners - thanks to DarkangelGoth (Skye Avari), Aconite (Aconite&Napell
SIGN MY GUESTBOOK PLEASE!!!!!
Yahoo!! My celtic elf has a name - Amarie!! Oh and she has been entered into ange7snow's Elf Contest!! Please vote for her. I finally finished Neko Yue - a character for a friend and fellow elftowner NekoYue. Whew! She was a lot of work but I'm really happy by how well she turned out. (Even with the bazillion changes!!) I entered her into yesiaz's Kitty People contest. Go vote for her too!! Please?
*sniff* I just want to know that folks actually like my artwork. *sniff* ;-)
Oh yeah...and my poll is going well. Come on folks! Take my poll and help me choose a name for my musical 'Celtic' elf.
Wow...it's been a while since I put in an entry! Well I've been busy and for once not just with my daughter. I've managed to get another five pieces for my gallery - YAHOO - but most are in black and white. I do intend to get them coloured but my last piece "Mountain Waterfall - in colour" took forever to do. You should go check it out at my gallery...as soon as the moderators approve it! :D
Yay! I finally have a gallery published!! *dances for joy* I can't wait for folks to have a gander at it and let me know what they think...hopefu
Well, my kitchen and diningroom are painted and my husband and daughter are home again. Yay! The only thing is that I'm so very, very tired. Sigh. Oh well...gotta golf tournament this weekend and I am going to enjoy myself. ;) Party on Wayne...
Having been one of the millions of people affected by that blackout August 14, I thought I'd post a poll to see what fellow Elftowners thought. So far I've only gotten 4 votes but I'm hopeful for more. Please take my poll!!! Please!!
Okay...just logged onto the extranet and uploaded my first drawings. Yippee!! Now all I have to do is wait for my stuff to be published. In the meantime...tim