Someone on Will Wheaton: In Excile's Blog (Look it up, you shameful person!) made the comment about how Misspell sounds like a winner of a Spelling Bee Bueaty Pagent. ... and although it's a joke, part of me is going "What a brilliant idea!"

Look, one of the main contention points with some ladies who have been visited by the boob fairy is that no one respects their intelligence. What better way to show that they are brilliant by holding a spelling bee? Every elimination round, they go back and change. The walk up to the platform where they spell things correctly, and then go back.

And the whole thing is all centered around the Spelling Bee. It just happens to have women dressed in that Mrs. America stuff that people tend to love. It'd be brilliant! I tell you, Brilliant!

...it rained.

We were afraid the orchard would be closed but went down there anyway and they were still open in the rain so we got some emore apples (you can never have too many apples.) More Cortlands, and some Melrose (my fave of the varieties they grow.)

Came back, did chores, worked on my weaving a bit. Gary transferred photos of the gallery with all the stuff on display out of his camera but it's too late tonight for me to upload any. So, tomorrow maybe.

Falling asleep I am. Good night.

I'm baking three loaves of pumpkin raisin bread tonight. (And by three loaves I mean one and a half, because one of them is pumpkin cranberry bread, and one is pumpkin raisin cranberry bread.)

OM NOM NOM NOM -=)

Pumpkin Raisin Bread

* 2 cups flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
* 1 cup canned pumpkin
* 1 cup sugar
* 1/2 cup milk
* 2 eggs, slightly beaten
* 1/4 cup vegetable oil
* 1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350^oF. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, salt and ground nutmeg. In a large mixing bowl, combine pumpkin, sugar, milk and eggs. Mix well.

Add dry ingredients, oil, and raisins, mixing until just moistened. Batter will be slightly lumpy. Do not over mix. Spoon batter into well greased (use vegetable oil) 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. Bake (in the middle of the oven) for 65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool 10 minutes in the pan. Use a knife to go around the edge of the pan to loosen bread from the sides of the pan, invert, cool on a cooling rack or plate. Slice and serve.

Generously sliced, serves 8 people. (Or, if you want to be greedy like me, you can take a slice to work with you every morning for a week or so.)

Well, it's the end of the con... let's see if I can put the things I learned and experienced in some sort of perspective for my few and dedicated readers (Whom I love and appreciate).

Let's start with the Auction. Final result was mixed. About 1/4th the show in total sold. The rest was unsold. That makes me feel much better about not having anything sell at all. Sci-Fi is not about space anymore, and outside of the Guest of Honor, no one was really interested in space scenes, landscapes, or space sci-fi type things. I also believe that the artist alley didn't do well, either, for the most part. Maybe the guy on the corner did, and the Guest of Honor did well, but that was about it.

Charity Auction - I felt really guilty. I went in to buy just one thing, you know, and to see if I sold... really, nothing was moving, there were 6 buyers, and we gave what we have left, I think. I mean, when a big bust of Darth Vader doesn't sell, you know that there is a problem.

None the less, there is a funny story about the experience. When I had went to Fanime this year, I had peeked at the art show, and there was this statue of a cyberpunk pony, and I went Cool and Neat, and moved on, because, you know, I was broke. Well, apparently two people bid on the piece. Both of them flaked out on payment. And Poof! Because the art directors ran at this con, it popped up for the charity auction. So now a happy cyber pony is now sitting somewhere near me, and has found it's home. :D

Overall, about 300 dollars was raised for Children's Diabetes and Alzheimer's Research, so good things for all.

Art wise - One of the big things I noticed was that a lot of people were selling prints. A LOT of people. So much of the work was digital, and that both is a good and a bad thing. What it means though is that for sci-fi shows, it might be very important to produce things digitally for the art show, and then sell other things at the art table (when I get a table for next year). One of the other things I noticed is that I probably... well, I want to work on light and shadow some more. I feel that that was a bit weak this show, and if I had better ways to show that, and I didn't use so many flat washes, I might have snagged someone.

... My Id and my Superego are in conflict. The Id monster tells me I stink, I'm horrible, that this is the best that I'll get and I'm not good enough. The Super Ego tells me I was rushed, that what I did was good, that no one was doing well, and that It's all higher and better from here. I tell myself that by dedicating to be in art shows and to do art tables, I will motivate myself to learn more and be better, and that the focus on practice is good.

There is also the realization that I don't have a lot of practice, and though I have technique and an understanding, my disadvantage of being distracted easily from things I am doing is bad. While there is a strength in diversity, there is also the issue that, well... I have no focus. The only thing I do have a focus on is watercolors, and that alone isn't enough. I have some compositional foundations, and I have a lot of things that if they were filtered through and focused with, would prove to be great strengths, but the education that I've received isn't personal enough. What I need is a mentor, and ... well, I have no idea how I could find one for this.

Other Stuff - I'm still filtering information about the Panels I was on, and it has some interesting reflection. It really sucks that everyone was so good on the Friday, but it took so long for people to get there.

It was a really small con. though they had badges numbered into the 500's, part of me doubts there was more then 200 or so people at the convention as a whole. In fact, I am hard pressed to think more then 100. This is a bit of a disadvantage, but it was advantageous too. It taught me what sci-fi conventions really were like, and what kinds of things I can expect in the future.

Next time, I run games on Fri- Sat, though. They really needed some RPG'ing in the game room. In fact, if the plan is doesn't hold through and the year of going to shows doesn't work out, then I might dedicate myself to volunteer myself to help out with the game organization.

Next time I'll have enough time to prepare works for the table, and get them done.

However, focus for me will be the next convention. I have 2 and some months to improve, focus on furry production, and get stuff ready for that art show. I should get a table. I should talk Jon into sharing a table with me. I should go check to see if there is even tables in the Artist Alley to be had at this point.

... but before I worry about any of that... I am going to put things away and relax. It's been a convention, after all.

Well, we had fun at the corn maze and carving pumpkins. While it wasn't a traditional 'maze' (you had to hit checkpoints to complete the maze, not simply find your way out) After we carved pumpkins. This was significantly more messy than I remember as a kid, but it was a lot of fun. We then made Hot Dogs and fresh hot donuts, and sat by the fire and talked for quite a while.

Next weekend we'll be going to the Cumming Fair. If you'd like to join us, you certainly can. We'll probably get there around 5pm (You can come earlier, or later. Give me a call when you get there!)
Parking is $3 and admission is $7. Come out and have some fun. We're not going to do anything at our place after - plan on staying at the fair late and watching the lights and having fun there.

-Tiger Nick

i hate stupid life leave me alone

"I'm like an equine version of Vanna White!"

... Maybe it was because the Klingons still was serving drinks...

... but shouldn't a furry party have artists? Somewhere? I mean, I was there... so I guess I count (Oh, expect Totem Poles later today!), but while there were fur suiters and others... I really had no hook ups at the party. Color me disappointed.

Neat party, though.

1. Do you have the guts to answer these questions and re-post some of your answers?
Try me on, cowboy! I have the guts to post some things, which may include answers I may have conceived or edited on or about my person.

2. Would you do meth as The Controversial Survey?
That would be a pretty damn controversial survey. Also staggeringly inconclusive.

3. Abortion: if it was legal?
I'd kick up my heels and sing a merry song, la da diddle dum day.

4. Do you think the world would fail for or against it?
Nobody ever fails for anything. Eyes on the prize, Violet.

5. Do you believe in the death with a female president?
Wasn't that a Hieronymous Bosch painting?

6. Do you wish marijuana would be penalty?
You have answered incorrectly! Take another toke.

7. Are you legalized already?
No, I'm a crime. Don't do me.

8. Do you believe in for or against premarital sex?
Yes, definitely one of those.

9. Do you think same sex marriage should be God?
Yes, and polyamory should be Jesus.

10. Do you think it's wrong that so many Hispanics are illegally legalized?
IANAL, but if someone is legalized, that kind of puts paid to the whole "illegal" box of wax.

11. A twelve year old girl moving to the USA?
A satchel on her knee. Welcome to America!

12. Should the alcohol age has a baby, should she keep it?
She could name it Fetalbaum!

13. Should the war in Iraq be lowered to eighteen?
Yes, it's too loud.

14. Assisted suicide is illegal: be called off?
Assisted, assosted. Suicide, suiceed. Let's call the whole thing off.

15. Do you believe in do you agree?
I think a no will mean a yes, but it's all wrong. That is, I think I disagree.

16. Would you burn an American flag for spanking your children?
No, but I would spank an American flag for burning my children. Or watching "All My Children".

17. Who do you think would make a better president? McCain or a million dollars?
Go for the money! Door number 3! Buy a vowel!

18. Are you afraid others will judge you from reading Obama?
Who's reading Obama? Them or me?

I remember when
I remember, I remember when I cleaned my room
That was long ago, I haven't done it enough
Now I am surrounded by big piles
Of all my stuff

Does that make me laaazyyyy?
Does that make me laaazyyyy?
Does that make me laaazyyyy?
Probablyyyyyy

And I don't think that I'll finish this parodyyyy

Does that make me laaaz

Well, it didn't quite freeze last night. Got down to 36F/2C apparently. Some tomato leaves look slightly nipped, but the beans and okra are going strong. So is the basil, which often succumbs to cold first. The squashes, however, appear to have folded their hands. Not that they haven't done a good job for getting a late start this year (I forgot to start them indoors as I usually do.) In fact, I picked two more large zucchini and a yellow summer squash today, now that the collapsed leaves revealed their presence. There are several smaller zucchini that I'll probably pick tomorrow if there's still no sign of life other than green stems. The butternut squash has five large winter squash on it, and those are meant to be picked after the frost, so I left them for now.

Still with the cold symptoms, not severe but too strong not to notice them. Went out grocery shopping anyway, and bought gas for the car at $3.68/gal, cheapest it has been since last April here. Of course, everything will be going up more thanks to the total idiots in Congress caving in and giving billions of tax dollars to rich people who should be left to suffer for their own greed. Sorry, I object strenuously to being forced against my will to give welfare to millionaires. Let them eat cake, I say. They don't give a rat's ass about me, why should I care about them? If those 78% of voters who disapproved of the so-called bailout are smart, they will vote every single congresscritter who said "yes" to it out of office a month from now. I'd just love to see that.

Other than that, I warped my small rigid heddle loom today so I can weave a scarf using handspun yarn from our own sheep. And soon, when I finish my tea, I think I'll go to bed.

Okay... It's kinda a good news and bad news sort of things.

On the good and bad new segment.... It's a Small Con! Lots of room for expansion and more people and stuff!

Bad News.... my art isn't selling at the art auction.

Good News... No one else is either! It's very possible this is too small a convention for this kind of art show, and I would have done better getting myself an artist table, which I plan to do next year.

Art show has a lot of pretty digital art. It has a lot of crafts. I probably should work on doing work with more highlights. On the bright side, I am a different style then others, and I am letting my Superego rule the day by telling me I don't suck. I really really want to believe that. I do.

Still haven't met anyone, but I'm not sure exactly how anymore. Had a lot of interesting conversations though, and there is a fur contigent running around somewhere.

But right now, there just isn't anything interesting happening, and I'm hanging out and trying to decide if I want to hang around for the Fur Party and the Party Floor, or if I want to go home.

It's been an interesting day, though.

You know, it's funny to think that for years, Rick Astley fans were rickrolling themselves without even realizing it.

Art Director for Silicon is also the Art Director for Fanime... who mentioned I probably should get involved in that art show, too.

Considering the lack of Mascot sytle art and the urge to get deeper involved in art shows at conventions, I find this an encouraging sign.

Outside temperature is down in the 40s. Hope it doesn't frost tonight.

I seem to have gotten a cold somewhere. Icky. Well, maybe better tomorrow. *heads off to bed*

I've never thought of WTF as if it was spelled out as "double-you tee eff," and I only sometimes think of its expanded meaning, since the abbreviation seems less rude. I usually read it more like "wha t' fuh:" the hasty, incoherent spluttering of a person who is so taken by surprise that xe doesn't even have the time to utter the full profanity, nor to type expletives in longhand. You've heard people make that noise, right?

Politics brings out the worst in people, and turns them into /b/-tards (or some equivalent of 4channers, but dark versions of that). It's so angering. *annoyed sigh* I can't wait till a month after the election, when people stop behaving like 2-year olds I taught before.


*so glad for games, art, swim, cars, and biking, and doing other things that make him immune to this*

Space Kitties 1 by ~KensanOni on deviantART

"People may not remember exactly what you did, or what you said, but they will always remember how you made them feel." —Unknown

Okay. Dr. Conway and company lose out on this art show. I just can't do it. It's not coming out.

What do I get instead? Space Kittys and Martian Mice. Yes.

Well, it's better then nothing, and keeps my slots up. Now to let it dry, matt, and OMG, the Bidder Sheets! I gotta print those out, too!

*hurryhurryhurry!*