[Dark Optimist]'s diary

670022  Link to this entry 
Written about Friday 2005-09-23
Written: (7001 days ago)
Next in thread: 670031

Wow I just now noticed the alternate journal entry 'modes'...can't believe i've missed that for so long....

I've been using "public" because the bathroom's are always clean. ;p Er, no, wait....

Anyway, I don't see the point of a "Friends only" entry--All your friends will be notified! OMG!--as all of my *coughnumerouscough* friends are probably watching my house--the stalkers!--anyway, and so, are already informed when my man-journal has been written in.

The "Personal Secret Diary" entry A) sounds rather redundant to me, and B) gives me the horrible mental image of a young teenage girl frantically scribbling in an excited scrawl such passages as: 
"Dear Diary, Today Mark made eye contact with/smiled at me for 0.32 seconds in the hallway at school!! OMG!!!1oneone!eleven1!! *spazzes and dies*..." while hiding under a sheet, with a flashlight, on her bed after lights out(of course, I doubt said young teenager would have such good grammar. ;p)....

*shudders* I think i'll be avoiding using that mode.... ;) 
 
~Blaine

669981  Link to this entry 
Written about Friday 2005-09-23
Written: (7001 days ago)
Next in thread: 670401

Um, no Art Voodoo techniques to pass on this week(I may put pictures up this weekend). I just have another homework assignment involving more of the "depicting emotions through lines, shape, and texture(way harder than it sounds)", blah, blah, blah...my teacher is a sadist. XD He mentioned he was going to have some hand-outs on colour psychology soon though(my notes only scratch the surface), so look forward to that.

In my drawing class, i've got to create a LIFE-SIZE drawing of MY skeletal system. I actually have to measure where all of my bones are--and then draw it! *shakes head in despair* Wasn't the two hours I endured of drawing a nude man enough for you!?! *cough* Er, yeah, anyway....

For those movie buffs of you out there, I recommend "Run Lola Run"(i'm sure there should be some commas in there, but the title says not).
It's a German movie with English subtitles(not as bad as it sounds). The quality's not going to win any Best Picture awards, but it's got some great funny parts(it's kinda like one of those movies that are so bad they're good).
At first, it actually kind of reminded me of the movie "Kill Me Later" that I previously mentioned in an earlier entry.
Anyway, if you've got some time to kill, definitely check it out. I give it my personal seal of approval. ;) 

Meh, I heard on the news that there's a BIG hurricane heading for Texas now...Hurricane Rita or some such. For some reason, hearing the word/name "Rita" always reminds me of Rita MacNeil(coincidentally, also big). Now, let me have a brief moment to be an insensitive prick(It's a guy thing) by saying that if I saw this: http://www.canoe.ca/EncyclopediaImagesM/macneil_rita.jpg coming for me, i'd be evacuating my home and heading for the hills too. ;p

That's all for now.

~Blaine 

669499  Link to this entry 
Written about Thursday 2005-09-22
Written: (7002 days ago)

Well, I have another art voodoo class tomorrow, so I may have something to add to my wiki. Plus, I swear i'll get some darned pictures so you can all see what the hell i'm talking about. ;)

I'm just finishing up the homework I was assigned last week. 42 sketches using lines, shapes, and textures to convey emotions...oh God, my head and eyes hurt. Plus, I still have to paint them in gouache...

...remind me why i'd missed being a student again.... ;p 

~Blaine

667608  Link to this entry 
Written about Sunday 2005-09-18
Written: (7005 days ago)
Next in thread: 667610

For those of you interested, version 1.0 of Art Voodoo 101 is now up. *cue applause*

I'll be adding more information as I get(read: am taught) it and, hopefully, i'll have some time to create some designs to spruce the place up a bit.

I'll also try to get some visual examples of the different types of lines...i'm pretty sure everyone knows what a circle, square, and triangle look like...at least, I really hope they do. o_O Otherwise, no amount of teaching I could possibly give you would help at this point....

Next on the agenda is a wiki-page for the Dark Optimists. All hail the mystical rubber voodoo chicken of DOOM!(wow, I must have a thing for voodoo). ;p

~Blaine

666197  Link to this entry 
Written about Friday 2005-09-16
Written: (7008 days ago)

Sometimes, you have to laugh at life's little ironies....

Tuesday was my 'day off', and Wednesday was my 'off day'. 

Wednesday was pretty horrible. I woke up feeling like crap, got some major cramps and sore ankles(yes, I have weak ankles, damn it!) walked to school, went to class, went into my "sarcastic little bastard"(as my sister calls it) mode(I do this when i'm in a bad mood), got out of class late, it was raining like mad outside(it's a good thing I had left one of my coats in my locker) and, on the walk back to my place, I had to stand in the rain for what seemed like twenty minutes before the light changed for me to walk and, just a few feet away from the place i'm staying, a poodle(a poodle!?!) tried to take a bite out of my leg!
Not even drawing nude ladies managed to improve my mood...which is when you know it's a REALLY bad day. ;P

Heh, there's actually a movie(no, i'm not going to quote it =p) that my day reminded me of. It's a 2001 movie called "Kill Me Later". It involves a chick that works at a bank, and her day just goes right to hell from the moment she wakes up. The movie, itself, I don't think was all that great, but the script was. There's a lot of twisted ironies wound into it that you might not notice at first. And twisted ironies are always good. ;)

So...are you laughing?(at life's little ironies, not me). ;)

Yeah, um, also, I had another "art voodoo" class today, so look forward to my notes on the subject, someday soon....

~Blaine  

664795  Link to this entry 
Written about Tuesday 2005-09-13
Written: (7010 days ago)
Next in thread: 664857

Meh.

I'm trying to do some homework. I have to create a one-hour blind(read: can't look at the page) contour(read: outline) drawing using line sensitivty(read: varying line thickness).

The thing is, i'd realized that i'd left my necessary drawing materials in my locker at school, and it'd take me almost an hour just to go to the school to get it and bring it back to my place. Now, i'm a pretty lazy guy(when it comes to some things), so that option wasn't very appealing.

Then I remembered that i'd brought some newsprint from home(yeah, i'm weird like that) and I was proud of myself for having the foresight to have brought it.

Then I remembered that my conte was still at school, and my pride turned into a semi-resignment.

Then I remebered that I recieved a conte pencil with my art kit, and I was proud for having to have avoided an unnecesary trip to the school on my 'day off'.

Now, as I said before, it was a 1-hour drawing but I hadn't realized how long one hour becomes when all you're doing is sketching a simple outline....

Since around November, i've been watching, pausing, and sketching poses from movies/TV. See, the thing is, the show/whatever can only be paused for a few minutes at a time, so i've become quite proficient at sketching basic outlines/pertinent details in a very short amount of time.

Can we say "conflict of interest"?

The longest i've managed to sketch, so far, is about twenty minutes...the fact that the mirror i'm using is miniscule, and my light source(desk/reading lamp) keeps flickering doesn't seem to help matters any.... 

Meh.

~Blaine

661850  Link to this entry 
Written about Thursday 2005-09-08
Written: (7015 days ago)
Next in thread: 661882

I now have two more teachers to add to the "clones" list.

My first teacher of the day looked like an older version of Christian Slater, with a lot less hair. The guy could be dubbed "the eternal student" because he just keeps going back to school because he claims he likes it.
He's actually going to be teaching my class line, shape, and colour psychology(which i've already studied on my own). Interesting stuff really. Actually, I suppose you could say he's teaching us the subtle art of 'visual manipulation', where the artist can visually make the viewer do/look at want you want without them noticing they're doing it. Artists are very tricky people....

My second teacher looked like The Daily Bugle newspaper editor, J. Jonah Jameson, from Spiderman--with the personality to match. Picture the actor, J.K. Simmons, with rapidly thinning, white hair, and you have my teacher.

I have no idea why all of my teachers remind me of actors....

In other news, after class tomorrow, i'm going to buy the biggest damned cup of French Vanilla cappuchino I can possibly find, from Tim Hortons, because I always come close to drooling whenever I pass by that section of the cafteria.
Meh, take my advice and never develop an anxiety disorder(or 'condition', as they call it now)...the non-anxiety-invoking diet totally sucks. =p 

~Blaine 

661390  Link to this entry 
Written about Wednesday 2005-09-07
Written: (7016 days ago)
Next in thread: 661450

So, I had my first day of school today. Things went pretty good. I pretty much know where everything is located now, so no more wandering around aimlessly with a half-blank/half-deperate look in my eyes, for me. ;p

Heh, I almost drooled when I stepped into the school's bookstore. Art books, and such, galore...if I had had money on me, it would be gone. ;)

The first teacher I had was for painting and, oh my God, if you've ever read Son of Interflux by Gordon Korman, my teacher is the duplicate of Querada. He even swears/curses fluently, tells amusing anecdotes from his past, and tosses chairs out of the window, XD.

My second teacher for the day was a duplicate of Professor Trelawny, the Divination teacher from Harry Potter. She even has the glasses(though slightly smaller), the hairstyle, the clothes, and the excessive "eccentricity factor". She calls it "being creative/artsy". She even colour codes her classes...my class is now known as "the orange folder", lol.

Also, on the topic of look-alikes, i've got a duplicate of Micheal Kelso from That 70's Show. Not just in looks--he has the personality as well. Much fun.

For homework, I get to incorporate a self-portrait onto a playing card. I've got the King of Spades...as Fisher Price would say, "oh, the possibilities"(great, i'm even quoting slogans now).

Later days(i've been watching cartoons),

~Blaine

660036  Link to this entry 
Written about Monday 2005-09-05
Written: (7018 days ago)
Next in thread: 660055

Well, i've commandeered my landlady's computer...er, well, actually, the correct term is "borrowed without permission"(Pirates of the Caribbean), but who's really that anal? ;p

Meh, the monitor is fuzzier than my gorilla slippers so, if some of my spelling is off, it's because i'm unable to tell an "i" from an "l" without seriously straining my eyes.

Hmmm...I left for Oakville sunday morning and, about an extremely uncomfortable seven-hour drive later, I was officially moving in to my 'home away from home'. After the extremely awkward tour from my landlady's son(although, he did pretty good for inviting a complete stranger into his home), I proceeded to phone home to let my family know i'd arrived.

The call home was not exactly helpful, as I was informed that I was now seven hours away from home, in a strange city(huge, compared to the town i'm originally from), surrounded by strangers, for the next 8 months, and that i'd feel completely wretched for the next two weeks due to homesickness...I love family pep-talks. ;p

It's now the next morning...i've visited the campus, after getting lost, due to false information, only once. XD Everything is closed today(holiday), so it'll just have to be tomorrow that I can get everything in order....

The house i'm staying in is nice, despite the fact that my landlady tried to impress/overwhelm me by informing me that Oakville is a very rich place(per capita) and a lot of famous people live here, within a measly ten minutes of meeting her. I chose to be amused. ;)

Well, I think that's everything for now...I guess i'll go answer my fan mail.... ;)

P.S. Oh, and Aidita, I still haven't had a chance to work on your t-shirt. My bad.

~Blaine

655011  Link to this entry 
Written about Sunday 2005-08-28
Written: (7026 days ago)

I'm such a freak, XD. That's pretty self-explanatory, but humour me by allowing me to elaborate....

I've been transferring files from my old computer, Eleanor(named with the car from Gone In 60 Seconds in mind), to my shiny new laptop, Rasputin, and I had to put all of my picture files in one folder.
I collect .jpg's for reference. Well, I found out that, all together, i've got around 1000 megabytes worth of pictures. When you add the fact that most of the .jpg's are around 25-50 kilobytes on average...well, let's just say it's a lot of pictures. ;)

Also, I have the strange quirk of watching movies frame-by-frame(insomnia leaves you a lot of time on your hands), pausing, and quickly sketching the poses that interest me.
One of my sisters actually rents movies now based on their potential for "cool poses", as she calls them.

I've recently discovered that I can now play DVDs on my computer and make screen caps(once the dreaded spectre of 'blank/black screens' is vanquished). Let's just say, if you need some reference pics of dragons, vampires, or werewolves, i'm your man.

In other news, i'm now picking out towels for my move to college...I feel so domesticated. ;p

~Blaine, who's staged a temporary retreat from the hunt for the memory key driver. "Gone, but not forgotten."

652705  Link to this entry 
Written about Wednesday 2005-08-24
Written: (7030 days ago)

Greetings, invader of my privacy. ;p

Well, I finally got my latop yesterday. A Dell Inpiron 9300 that, after taxes, put me back around three grand. o_O

I've finally finished installing everything onto it, after deleting the huge amount of bloatware(about 6GB) that came pre-installed from Dell.

Some of you may know that i'm, um, odd--in the sense that I name some of my electronics/appliances. In keeping with tradition, i've decided to call my laptop Rasputin. I was thinking of Anastasia for a while(the whole "she will rise again" thing), but decided that Rasputin was more fitting and less, er, girly-sounding(I mean, honestly, what self-respecting guy would walk around with a girly laptop?). =p

I usually name my electronics after something that reflects their personality(yes, gadgets have personalities). This time was no different. Within a few hours of setting up my computer I was faced with a computer user's worst nightmare--the dreaded BSoD(Blue Screen of Death)--and my computer became absolutely useless as it couldn't fully boot up.

After much cursing(strictly all on my part), I finally had to reformat to the time before I installed everything and, saints be praised, the darn thing actually worked(I then imitated Sid the Sloth from Ice Age and exclaimed: "I'm a genius!"...yeah, I imitate movie/tv characters a lot). =p

Hence the name Rasputin, because it takes a lot to kill it. ;p And also because Rasputin was reported to have near-hypnotic eyes and, God knows, I could stare at a computer screen for hours(although I need to calibrate this one. The contrast is blinding). Elftown is a funky blue-mint colour right now, XD.

Now, to solve the problem of the Memory Key driver....

~Blaine

649251  Link to this entry 
Written about Friday 2005-08-19
Written: (7035 days ago)

Hmmm, I think it's time for an update. It seems, i'll be heading down to Oakville on the 4th. My oldest brother is driving down for my oldest sister's wedding on the 3rd, and he'll be making the return trip with an extra passenger(me).



I'm not sure if i'm going to attend my sister's wedding or not. She's been with her 'fiance' for about ten years now, and i've yet to find anything to like about him, despite the fact that I see him, at least once, almost every week. *le sigh* The fact that I describe him as "dimmature"(i'm sure your clever minds can figure out the two words I blended to come up with it ;p) should tell you something.
 
Also, i've come to the conclusion that both he and my sister are delusional, as they are getting married ONLY because of the erroneous belief that there's a potential for real profit. *shakes head*

As you can imagine, i'd feel like a hypocrite attending the wedding, as their reasons for getting married go against my own personal code of ethics and beliefs.

My indecision mainly stems from my over-developed sense of family loyalty, and the fact that i'm too soft-hearted for my own damn good. I have a strong feeling that both of the aforementioned qualities will, for lack of a better expression, bite me in the ass as I go through life.
 
Then again, I did design, pretty much, everything for the wedding, so I guess you could say i've done my part. 
It'll be interesting to see(if nothing else) which side of me will win over in the end.



In other news, i'm getting a laptop. After researching the topic for a few weeks, I finally found one that appears to be what I want/need.

Dell, the weirdos, despite me having ordered everything at the same time, see it fit to ship me the parts of the computer in seperate packages. *shakes head at things he'll never understand*

Anyway, a few of the parts have arrived already, and i'm kind of "geeking out" putting it all together, XD. To quote Atlantis, i'm "like a kid at Christmas-time".



The prospect of my looming college student status fills me with equal parts of gut-churning anxiety and excitement(is there a feeling that isn't gut-churning?).

The change of scenery/lifestyle/et cetera will be more than welcome, as my current stagnating-hermit status has grown more than tiring over it's near five-year accumulation.

My brother will only be living around a 1/2 hour drive away from me, and he tells me he plans on coming to visit me from time-to-time. He's a big fan of sports, so i'll probably have to suffer through a few innings of a baseball game or whatnot. It's a small price to pay.

Thankfully, sports events usually have alternate entertainment in the form of those sitting in the seats around you. I can still remember the time, in 8th grade, when a gay couple sitting in the row in front of my class threw a three-inning hissy fit...it more than made up for the two-hour pre-game wait outside the Skydome. Also, giant foam fingers and hats are an integral part of any sportsfan's gaming experience. 



That is all. Or is it? *cues dramatic music and maniacal laughter*

~Blaine

629893  Link to this entry 
Written about Saturday 2005-07-23
Written: (7063 days ago)

I think i've finally found a place. It's about a 15-20 minute walk from the campus, has a meal plan, and I pretty much get the run of the house for about $550(CDN)/month, which is pretty much the average for the area. So, that's something out of the way. 

OSAP is being irritating, claiming it now needs me to write a letter to inform them how I meet my fiscal needs, since I claimed my income as a big fat $0. I've been asked to write a letter that, in essence, simply states "I live with my dad". *shakes head*

I'm thinking of buying a laptop computer now(for listening to music, surfing the net, photoshop-ing, some word processing, etc). Reasearching a decent one is now taking up a good bit of my time....

In other random news, I can now sleep for more than two hours at a time. I feel like a new man. ;p 

Oh, and it's Bionix on YTV tonight! A whole night of cartoon and anime goodness.... *drool* =p

620395  Link to this entry 
Written about Monday 2005-07-11
Written: (7074 days ago)
Next in thread: 620608

I just thought i'd inform you oddities that take an interest in me, for whatever unknown reasons that i've yet to fathom(don't tell me, I like a good mystery), of what i've been doing lately. Aren't I the thoughtful one? 

Hmmm...there's not a whole lot that's happened to me lately. I think the only thing that I can attest to is the fact that i'm, relatively, still alive. *shrug* It may not seem like much but, in this day and age of warmongering, illegal arms and drug sales, drivers that have played one too many games of Grand Theft Auto and Carmaggeddon, and various forms of national and international terrorism, I consider it to be a laudable achievement.

Oh, I also applied for OSAP(Ontario Student Assistance Program. Basically, they loan you money for post-secondary education)which was a headache(too much legal jargon and numbers for my tastes). Oh well, it's yet another necessary evil that I have slain in my quest for collegial knowledge. It'd all better be worth it....

The high point of my week seems to be the increased addition of a few more anime shows to the YTV station...I'm not quite sure what that says about me....  

606734  Link to this entry 
Written about Thursday 2005-06-23
Written: (7092 days ago)
Next in thread: 606993

*sigh* Well, the ass-clowns at Bell have screwed up once again.
It seems that they heard my mother has died(the account was in her name) so they cut off our satellite with no warning. Apparently, the curtesy of informing us of their actions was beyond their realm of experience. No one was willing to go above and beyond the call of duty.[/sarcasm]*shakes head*
Luckily, I was able to, single-handedly, prevent an outbreak of mass hysteria, caused by the loss of our TV(read: I was able to get my panic under control). Crisis averted...for now. ;p

600109  Link to this entry 
Written about Thursday 2005-06-16
Written: (7099 days ago)
Next in thread: 600375

I have a theory...a theory where white men and black men...er, wait, that's not right. Let's try again, shall we?

I have a theory that people like(or hate) different works of art because it makes them feel something(disgust, awe, familiarity). So, if you painted something and used colours psychologically proven to promote a certain emotion in people, and, thereby enhace the atmosphere/quality/impact/whatever of your work, they'd be more likely to buy(or, at least, notice) your work.

So, those that read this and use the information i'm about to depart, will be the testers of my theory...my guinea pigs, if you will. Here we go....

Colour Psychology and/or Therapy 101:

RED:
- symbolizes heat, fire, blood, passion, love, warmth, power, excitement and aggression. It Can elevate blood pressure and respiratory rate. It has the effect of stimulating people to make quick decisions and increase expectations.
- is an attention grabber. Words and objects in red get people 's attention immediately. In decorating and design, red items should be perfect since it will attract attention. When it comes to cars, there is a positive correlation between the color red and theft rate.
- is an emotionally intense and very extreme color. Red clothing can be uplifting and convey power and energy but may invite confrontation.
- is extremely dominating. It should be used as an accent not as a background.
- rooms make people anxious but rooms with a red accent can cause people to lose track of time, thus are favored by bars and casinos. Restaurants often use red as a decorating scheme because of its appetite stimulant function.
- Decorate with red in a place that needs action and/or warmth. Hallways, bathrooms, playrooms, dining rooms. Use small amounts in a bedroom to stimulate sexual passion. Because of red's high action vibration, it is wise to use small amounts or balance with other colours such as yellow, blue, purple.

YELLOW:
- the pure bright lemon yellow is the most eye-fatiguing color. Light is reflected by this bright color, resulting in excessive stimulation of the eyes, causing eye irritation. It also speeds metabolism. Paint a room yellow, you will make babies cry and grown-ups lose their tempers in it. Furthermore, yellow is not a good color for notepads and monitor background. Although it can alert our brain and enhance concentration, it is hurtful to our eye.
- when used in small amount, produces sensations of brightness and warmth. It represents playfulness, light, creativity, warmth and an easygoing attitude toward life. It is as inviting as a warm, sunny day. Yellow is like sunlight -- you want it to be there to feel good, but you don't want it to be "in your eye".
- has many shades. Pure yellow is the most cheerful and sunny of the spectrum. A softer tint, however, will make it more pleasant to look at. Dingy yellow represents caution, decay, sickness, jealousy and duplicity. Choice of shade is important when it comes to yellow.
- the cheerful sunny yellow, is an attention getter. It is the most visible color of all the colors, it is the number one attention getter.
- is a spiritual color that is a symbol of the deity in many religions.
- Yellow gives us clarity of thought, increases awareness, and stimulates interest and curiosity. Yellow energy is related to the ability to perceive and understand. The yellow energy connects us to our mental self and is great for your memory, studying for exams and creating confidence.
- Decorate with Yellow in a study room to aid learning and concentration. In a bedroom, it creates a sunshine feel filled with positive vibes when used with another colour. On its own, it could make for a restless sleeps as it stimulates the mind. If you have a tense family relationship, keep yellow away from social rooms as it can promote fighting and anger.

BLUE:
- represents solitude, sadness, depression, wisdom, trust and loyalty. Wearing blue to job interviews indicates dedication and loyalty.
- is one of the most popular colors. To American consumers of both genders, blue is the favorite color. However, be careful when using blue in association with food - it is a natural appetite suppressant and can be repulsive in some instances.
- is one of the least appetizing. Blue food is rare in nature. Blue-colored food is repulsive to humans because when our ancestors searched for food, they learned to avoid toxic or spoiled objects, which were often blue, black, or purple. During experiments, when participants were served with food dyed blue, they lost appetite.
- relaxes our nervous system. It has a sobering effect on the mind and can cause people to be more contemplative, which is the opposite reaction as red. Peaceful, tranquil blue, which is a good color for bedrooms, causes the body to produce calming chemicals. Darker shades of blue, however, can feel cold and depressing.
- surroundings, if not too dark, increase productivity. Studies show that students score higher, weightlifters lift heavier weights in blue rooms. People retain more when reading information written in blue text.
- Blue is a mentally-relaxing colour. Blue has a pacifying effect on the nervous system and brings great relaxation. Ideal for sleep problems, and hyper-active children. Connects us to holistic thought, and gives us wisdom and clarity enhancing communication and speech.
- Decorate with blue in any room except for a kitchen (no appetite) and basement (too cold of a colour) Great for a bedroom to induce a peaceful sleep

GREEN:
- comes with many symbiotic meanings, among which, the strongest and the most universal is nature. Related to that, it also signifies life, youth, renewal, hope and vigor. Brides in the Middle Ages wore green to symbolize fertility.
- is the easiest color on the eye and can improve vision. It is a calming color and has a neutral effect on the human nervous system. The "green rooms" are designed for people who are waiting to appear on TV to sit and relax. Green is also a popular color in hospitals because it relaxes patients.
- Green's various shades have different symbolic meanings:
  Dark Green -- cool, masculine, conservative, and implies wealth.
  Emerald Green -- immortality.
  Olive Green -- the color of peace.
  Yellow-Greens -- least preferred color of consumers.
- represents money in American culture.
- Green helps relax muscles, nerves, and thoughts. Cleanses and balances our energy, to give a feeling of renewal, peace and harmony. Green connects us to unconditional love and is used for balancing our whole being. Excellent colour to replenish when you feel emotionally drained.
- Decorate with green for a lazy, fresh, outdoors feeling. It's a great colour to decorate with if you work in the city as it promotes the outdoors and nature. Great for any room except an activity room

ORANGE:
- is associated with warmth, contentment, fruitfulness and wholesomeness. It looks strong and generous.
- is the color most associated with appetite.
- has a declassifying, broad appeal. It can be used to indicate that a product is suitable for everyone, and can make an expensive product seem more affordable.
- Orange brings joy to our workday and strengthens our appetite for life! Orange is the best emotional stimulant. Great colour to bring you back to life on a dull, cloudy day. It also helps depression. It connects us to our senses and helps to remove inhibitions and makes us independent and social.
- Decorate with orange when you need the physical energy of red and the mental stimulation of yellow. It is a great colour for children, representing the freedom and creativity to play. In a dining room it will stimulate the appetite and create joyful communication. Lighting candles in an orange room gives a warm, accepting atmosphere. In small doses for the bedroom, it stimulates sexual desire, releases inhibitions and allows for play time for adults.

BLACK:
- is a controversial color. On one hand, it is associated with demons, witches and the devil; on the other hand, sturdiness and reliability. On one hand, it speaks with authority and power; on the other hand, despair and mourning. On one hand, it symbolizes evil characters and criminal activities; on the other hand, constancy, prudence and wisdom.
- is the clothes color of choice for many people for various reasons. Some wear black for it feels formal and powerful. Priests, on the contrary, wear black to signify submission to God. Others wear black because it gives a slimmer appearance. Minimalist black clothing has been seen as being stylish and sophistication.

WHITE:
- stands for purity, chastity and innocence. In most of the western societies, brides wear white to symbolize innocence and purity. It also represents cleanliness. Doctors, nurses, and lab technicians wear white to imply sterility.
- reflects light and keeps cool. So it is the color for summer clothing. In general, it creates a cool and refreshing feeling.

PURPLE:
- is the color for royalties. It stands for luxury, wealth, and sophistication. It is also the color of passion, romance and sensitivity.
- is a rare color in nature. In ancient times, people used a certain species of shellfish to create purple dyes -- a meticulous process. Some people like purple decorations for its unusually posh and artistic look. To others, however, it just looks artificial.

VIOLET/INDIGO:
- The indigo energy connects us to our unconscious self, and gives us the experience of being part of the whole universe. Strengthens intuition, imagination, psychic powers, and increases dream activity.
- Decorate with purples in a healing room, in a bedroom when combined with other colours such as blues & greens for balance.
- Violet purifies our thoughts and feelings giving us inspiration in all undertakings. The violet energy connects us to our spiritual self bringing guidance, wisdom and inner strength. Enhances artistic talent and creativity.

BROWN:
- is the color of earth and wood. It is solid and reliable and helps to create a neutral, comfortable and open atmosphere. It communicates credibility, solidity, strength and maturity.
- is more likely to be in men's favorite color list.
- certain shades of brown can look worn and wistful.

PINK:
- is the most romantic and tender color. It is also tranquilizing. Research suggested that pink makes people calm and soft-hearted.
- Dr. Alexander Schauss, Ph.D., director of the American Institute for Biosocial Research in Tacoma Washington, reported that when prison cells were painted pink, it reduced aggressive behavior among prisoners. “Even if a person tries to be angry or aggressive in the presence of pink, he can't. The heart muscles can’t race fast enough. It’s a tranquilizing color that saps your energy. Even the color-blind are tranquilized by pink rooms”, according to Dr. Schauss. Such a effect, unfortunately however, was short-lived as later studies would show. It appears that once the body returns to a state of equilibrium, a prisoner may regress to an even more agitated state.

The Colour of Success

Did you know that how you decorate your office can increase or decrease your productivity? Indeed, scientific research suggests that when used appropriately color and lighting can help stimulate focus and creativity, raise energy levels, reduce stress, improve organization and even attract customers. If you need more convincing of this fact, pay closer attention to how your favorite stores and restaurants use color, lighting and background music to appeal to your senses.
While people react to colors in different ways, there are some common interpretations of colors you may wish to experiment with:
  White: Individualistic, pure.
  Gray: Passive, noncommittal, stressed.
  Black: Disciplined, strong willed, independent.
  Purple: Intuitive, regal, spiritual.
  Blue: Honest, realistic, supportive.
  Sky Blue: Creative, perceptive, imaginative.
  Green: Benevolent, humanistic.
  Yellow: Communicative, expressive, social.
  Orange: Competent, organized, impatient.
  Pink: Affectionate, loving, emotional.
  Red: Ambitious, energetic, courageous.


Colour Personality
Also, supposedly, you can tell a lot about someone's personality by which colours they like and dislike.
FYI: I, myself, am a blue/indigo. I've yet to determine the accuracy of colour personality, in regards to myself.
*Note: Favourite colour = colour personality.

Personality - Red

Red Personality Traits: Courageous, confident, humanistic, strong-willed, spontaneous, honest, and extroverted.

Those who dislike Red:

May be suffering with irritability, erratic temper or anger
Living with a physical illness - exhaustion
May have been defeated
Indecisive

Positive Traits:

Athletes, police officers, fire fighters, carpenters, surgeons, truck drivers
Impulsive, hyper, energetic, always moving
Need just the facts! See black and white…no grey.
Responsible, straightforward, trustworthy
Always seeking truth and justice
Very connected to the earth
Displays a hard outside core but is soft on the inside
Combines well with blue and violet personalities

Unconstructive Traits:

Controlling
Needs to avoid showing weakness
Feels they need to be strong to survive
It's their way or the highway
Confrontational - challenging
Sexual addictions or abuse when out of balance
Only trust themselves - fear of trusting others


Personality - Yellow

Personality Traits: Good-humoured, optimistic, confident, practical, and intellectual.

Core beliefs:

Low self esteem and confidence
Fear of rejection
Needing recognition
Never allowed to show personal power and expression.

Those who dislike yellow:

May feel as though you have been rejected or not accepted for who you are
Suffer from fears, stress and anxiety
Overly critical of new ideas and judge open minded people

The two personalities of yellow:

Positive traits - Achiever:

Salespeople, real estate agents, CEO's, entrepreneurs
Live to learn, loves to research, study for knowledge
Motivated by success
Lives not by who they are but by what they do
Very task oriented and motivated
Excellent leaders
Committed to completing their task
Instant experts - always needs to be intellectually stimulated
Positive, friendly people, who attract others to them
Speak quickly

Unconstructive traits:

Workaholics
Manipulative
Fear of failure or rejection
Suffers with digestive problems/hypoglycemic/liver problems when fears are present
Speaks from the mind, not from the heart

Postive traits - Researcher:

Scientists, researchers, computer techs, engineers, psychologists
Constant need to understand and learn
Self sufficient
They are their own best friends - prefer to be alone
Brilliant thinkers - very wise
Calm disposition, kind and trustworthy
Keep business and personal life separate
Minimalists - they need little to survive but those things mean the world to them
Moves slowly

Unconstructive traits:

Always needs to avoid looking foolish - will laugh at others mistakes
Emotions cannot be trusted
Fear of being useless and incompetent
People may take them as cold and distant
Suffers with digestive problems/hypoglycemic/liver problems when internal emotions aren't expressed


Personality - Blue

Blue Personality Traits: Loyal, tactful, affectionate, inspiring, inventive, caring, and cautious.

Core Beliefs:

Children should be seen and not heard
Never allowed to express their true feelings or feel as though they will be judged if they do
Great communicators with others but speaking about themselves is difficult
Don't want to look vulnerable by expressing their thoughts and feelings
Not enough blue energy when you meet the soft spoken person. They cough and are shy to hide their feelings
Too much blue energy when they talk uncontrollably and nervously. Very manipulative.

Those who dislike Blues:

If you dislike blue you may feel as though someone has been disloyal to you and let you down
You may also feel as though you have suffered a personal loss or failed a relationship
You may dislike speaking about yourself and communicating truly how you are feeling

Positive Traits:

Great business people, teachers, politicians, preachers, singers, bankers
Loyal, responsible, trustworthy
Hard working - needs to succeed
Committed with business and personal relationships
Conscientious and ethical - strong sense of right and wrong
Can foresee problems - great devil's advocate
Team players
Feels the best when they have accomplished a task or project
Great sense of humour, witty
Excellent speaker infront of an audience

Unconstructive Traits:

Anxious, suspicious, worriers, paranoid
Become defensive if they feel threatened
Needs to always prove that they can stand on their own - rarely ask for help
Own a great deal of self doubt - question everything!
Always needs to be prepared. Doesn't like to be caught off guard
Perfectionist
Preaches
Blames others for their problems
Difficult to open up in a relationship

Relationships

Needs someone who they can respect
Must be focused on goals and dreams in life…Not Lazy!
Great with Reds, Indigos and Violets


Personality - Green

Green Personality Traits: Understanding, self-controlled, adaptable, sympathetic, compassionate, generous, humble, nature loving, and romantic.

Those who Dislike Greens:

Olive greens or greens that are muddy or dull indicate decay and death just as the fallen leaves of a tree
If you dislike green, you may feel lonely, grief or rejection

Positive Traits

Counselors, nurses, childcare workers, florists, healers, veterinarians
All about relationships
Empathetic, warm, loving, people pleasing, generous
Driven by the need to be needed
Have many friends
They usually organize all of the family get togethers
Feelings are expressed easily through laughter and tears
Appreciate the little/simple things in life like a sunset or a baby's smile
Such an emotional personality that they need to consciously be aware of the physical, mental and spiritual body

Unconstructive Traits

possessive
sentimental
difficult for them to express their own needs
has tremendous guilt for taking care of themselves or receiving love and recognition
carries resentment if people do not reciprocate with the same love as they've expressed
has a long list for likes and dislikes with people
can be manipulative
scared of not being loved so they bend over backwards to please others
Many green energies suffer with obesity due to not taking care of their own emotional and personal needs. Also related to bottling up emotions


Personality - Orange

Orange Personality Traits: Enthusiastic, happy, sociable, energetic, sporty, self-assured, and constructive.

Those who Dislike Orange:

This is the one colour the majority of people do not like (connects to not playing in life - no free time)
May feel physically exhausted
Lost interest in sex
Suffer from depression, anorexia, bulimia , alcoholism - no joy in life

Positive Traits

Dietitians, nutritionists, bartenders, hostesses, artists, musicians, athletes
Enjoy life to the fullest
Need to contribute to the world
Optimists - always give best case scenarios
Creative thinkers - great for brainstorming sessions
Playfulness behaviour
Friendly, happy, spontaneous people

Unconstructive Traits

Tendency to be shallow, phony, irresponsible, promiscuous
Fear of being deprived of fun in life
Overbearing
Addictions
Scattered
Become easily exhausted from always being on the go
Impatient
Extremely emotional


Personality - Indigo

Indigo Personality Traits: Intuitive, fearless, practical, idealistic, wise, and a truth seeker.

Positive Traits

Artists, musicians, writers, psychics, social worker, elementary teachers
Masters of describing details…paints pictures in your mind
Very sensitive, dramatic, highly creative, romantic, honest, intuitive
Individualist
Motivated to be unique, special and understood
Wants to avoid the ordinary in life
In relationships they need rescuers. They need security, trust and support. They want a best friend and lover
Great with Greens, Blues, Oranges and Indigos

Unconstructive Traits

self absorbed
moody
suffer from depression, suicidal
focuses on the negative - the worst of what's happened in the past
when life isn't the happiest, they alienate themselves from others, become emotionally blocked, and unable to function


Personality - Violet

Violet Personality Traits: Inspirational leaders, kindly and just, humanitarians, self-sacrifing, visionary, creative, and strong mentally.

Those who dislike Purples:

If you do not like Violet/Indigo, you may feel trapped by authority, have a creative block or lost your spiritual connection
Do not wear purple if you are highly sensitive

Core Beliefs

People who have had a very negative life and blame a higher power for their position will stay far away from purples
They believe that no one supports them in this world or beyond
Were put down as a child for having imaginary friends or seeing and knowing things beyond their control

Positive Traits

Artists, musicians, healers, master teachers, ministers, designers, architects
Humanitarians, peacekeepers, negotiators, mediators
Absolutely understand everyone's point of view
Friendly, warm, easy going, genuine
Accepting, trusting and stable
Usually speaks slowly and clearly
Emotionally involved in their relationships
In relationships, they need partners willing to share their vision and love for the world. Partners who don't create conflict and allow them to express themselves
Great in a relationship with Greens, Blues, Oranges and Indigos

Unconstructive Traits

Avoids conflict at all cost
They are only balanced when everything around them is OK
Can be lazy, lost in a fantasy world, indecisive, boring and resist change
Feel as though it's not OK to assert themselves
Can fall asleep to their own lives
Have a fear of loss of separation
Must be careful of over/under eating due to lack of self awareness and little physical activity


*Disclaimer: The previous information has been taken from various sources...the specifics are lost to me.

593352  Link to this entry 
Written about Wednesday 2005-06-08
Written: (7107 days ago)
Next in thread: 593435

Well, i've finally been informed that I have a "firm" acceptance into Sheridan's Art Fundamentals course and that I "did very well" on my english exam(they can't tell me my marks for some unknown reason...perhaps they think it'd go to my head? Heh, as if that'd make a noticable difference). ;p

I only had to brave numerous calls over the phone(a device which I despise) and suffer through leaving a message on an answering machine(something I would not ordinarily do, as I loathe answering machines, possibly even more than telephones. I just kept telling myself that the end justifies the means). ;)

I now have to wait for a letter from the school, and compose a letter of my own, in response to the other letter, indicating whether i've accepted the, er, acceptance, or rejected it(which would probably be the equivalent of committing "scholastic suicide"(something my eccentric self is probably not above doing. Fortunately, my logical mind keeps my unusual self in check...most of the time). ;p  

Score one for "the squeaky wheel gets the grease" method.

591521  Link to this entry 
Written about Monday 2005-06-06
Written: (7110 days ago)
Next in thread: 591721

Meh, the weather today was horrible. It reminded me of the weather in the movie Twister. One minute it was sunny, and the next there were chunks of hail, a torrential downpour, and the trees were doing the limbo. I was half expecting to see a tornado touch down. The crappy weather continued just long enough to knock out the power to my house.

The rest of my afternoon reminded me of a Disney movie quote(I bet you weren't expecting that ;p) from The Little Mermaid: "Now, the snarfblat dates back to prehysterical times, when humans used to sit around, and stare at each other all day. Got very boring...".

I managed to finish seeing the DVD I had been watching before the storm hit. The movie was called National Treasure and it's quite good actually. There's a lot of history in it and, interestingly enough, one of my relatives was a member of the Free Masons Society mentioned in the movie. Anyway, when the power went out, the DVD got stuck in the machine, and since the power only came on hours later, I now have to pay a late fee. -_-

Oh, and the seemingly endless amount of rain caused my basement to flood. This is yet another reason why i'm not an optimist. Well, not the classic type of optimist anyway. ;) 

In other news, i've yet to hear back from Sheridan regarding my exam results, and i'm thinking of employing the time-tested method of "The squeaky wheel gets the grease", or if you're a fan of the Baldur's Gate RPGs, "The squeaky wheel get's the kick". 

586470  Link to this entry 
Written about Monday 2005-05-30
Written: (7116 days ago)
Next in thread: 586553

Hmm...i'll get to what I wanted to write later....
Interestingly enough, it appears that uploading a few pics to my photobucket account seems to have landed me another five-hundred views in almost two days. Apparently, this concept of "updating" really works...I believe I should try it more often....

*ahem* As for those people that wanted to know how I did on the english exam for my college application, you may or may not be glad to hear that the actual exam was laughable at best and i'm quite confident that i've passed. I'll probably have to wait until thursday to know for sure whether I did, indeed, pass or not. The testing centre is only open tuesdays and thursdays...the lazy bast--*realizes people can hear him*--uh, the Egyptian cat goddess. ;p 

The whole exam was multiple choice, save the essay, and consisted of a vocabulary section(containing words(34) of which I could've told you the meaning of in second grade, as words have always been one of my strong suits), and questions(50) from reading selections--Basically, it'll have a short snippet of a story telling of Johnny's trip to the supermarket, in Nashville, and the questions will ask you stuff such as, "what city is the supermarket located in?" All that you have to do is colour in the letter that coincides with the correct answer. Easy.

I'd like to share a question from the vocabulary section that I found amusing and for which, being the cynic that I am, I believe could've had multiple answers. The question was as follows:

A lucrative business is a business which is ___

a. absurd
b. profitable
c. illegal  

I truly had to resist the smart-ass impulse to add a "d. all of the above." Fortunately(or unfortunately, depending on your viewpoint) the test question sheets were laminated...which is kind of weird, I must admit.

So, sometime later this week, after the results are in, i'm hoping Sheridan will have made up their mind as to whether i'm accepted or not. I hope they don't ask for more information/papers/whatever from me...I tell you, the administration office is like a divorced wife with alimony payments, they just take and take and take, and then ask for more....
*reads the last sentence he wrote* Hmmm...maybe similes aren't my strong suit. ;p 

583465  Link to this entry 
Written about Thursday 2005-05-26
Written: (7120 days ago)
Next in thread: 583615, 584681

It's been a while since i've written anything in my poor, neglected man-journal. Heh, I just realized that I share a lot of the same characteristics with my man-journal. ;) So, here's what's been going on in my life lately(I fool myself into believing you care)....

WARNING: POSSIBLE DANGER OF RANTS AHEAD!

Hmm...it seems the most notable events to have occurred recently are my applying to college and my mother's death, preceded by the subsequent invasion of my home by well-meaning(i'm still dubious as to their intentions) relatives and several dishes of lasagna....

Let's start with the former, shall we...?
Well, as i've never finished high-school, my only option is to apply to college as a mature student. This, as some of you may know, is a more uncertain method of applying, as the question of your acceptance is based largely on your abilities and experience, rather than on your grades from previous schools attended.
I was only able to apply late, as the people from the school I talked to regarding admission requirements told me different things. Maybe it's just because I was talking to women...i'm sure most of us guys know that they like to mess with our heads. ;)
Anyway, I have to write an english exam soon, as part of my admission process. Just setting up the test was an exercise in phone-tag(I live far from the school so i'm having the test faxed to a local adult education center).
I haven't studied english in close to three years, so i'm a little hesitant about it. On the other hand, i've never really studied for a test that I can remember and my proven method of "winging it through the use of SWAG(scientific wild-ass guessing)" has yet to fail me...i'll let you know how it turns out. ;)
For anyone interested, i've applied to Sheridan College's Art Fundamentals(Art Fundies) course. After that, my plans are to apply to Illustration, also at Sheridan. I would've applied for illustration this coming fall term, but I didn't have enough time to put together a portfolio. Also, i'm still a little unsure as to whether I want to apply to illustration as opposed to animation. Art fundies should give me a taste of both and help me decide. Also, i'll have a year to create a killer portfolio that will help me when applying later on.
I hope I can speed up the application process a bit, because if I am accepted, i'll need to look for a place to stay that's close to the school. I'd hate to have to start looking at the last minute.

Moving on, my mom succumbed to cancer two weeks ago. During this time, my multitude of relatives offered to "clean" my house, as my mother was a pack rat and didn't throw anything away. I mentioned 'clean' in quotation marks because that's exactly what they did. They cleaned out the house until little was left except the furniture..or rather, most of the furniture.
I now harbour the suspicion that my various aunts are kleptomaniacs....
I also learned during this week that my aunt Juliette(the ring-leader) is quite dim-witted(the woman has had twelve children, so the signs of having a screw loose are there). ;p
Aside from that, my family was given lasagna for dinner/supper for almost every night of that week. Apparently, lasagna is the "well-wishers food of choice". I don't particularily care for lasagna in the first place, and the week really tested my resilience.

The phrase "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions" has never been more true....

545670  Link to this entry 
Written about Friday 2005-04-08
Written: (7168 days ago)
Next in thread: 545820

When they tell you the cable guy is an evil genius, they neglect to mention that the satellite guy falls into the same category. Although, I suppose it should be obvious.

The broadcasting satellite in space is always in motion, so, every few times a year, you have to move your satellite dish to maintain a strong signal. Very much a pain in the ass if your satellite dish is on your roof.

So, I go get the ladder and I realize, to get it into place, I need to navigate my way around my dog's winter stockpile of excrement. Oh joy! Finally, I get the ladder in place and climb high enough to reach my satellite dish. All of a sudden, it just starts raining...and it was sunny out. Not only that, the ominous sound of thunder starts rumbling nearby....

Maybe it's just me, but holding a wet metal crescent wrench while standing on a wet metal ladder, next to a wet satellite dish on a wet roof, seems like a really bad place to be during a thunder storm.

I guess it all comes down to the question of: "Is being able to watch television worth the risk of getting struck by lightning and, possibly, falling off of a roof?"

For me, there was no question.... 

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