Wallpapers from The Fool

This is my second display case on blogger, and I'm happy to say, definitely not my last by any stretch of the imagination.

Before I get started though, I would suggest quickly reading the post that I that I wrote just before this one, if you haven't already. As you may or may not have noticed, I mentioned three posts in the works. This one is the first of the third, and the reason why I only listed two.

Architecture by Design



I spent all last night and some of this morning working on this photo my Dad had taken of the inside of a lighthouse. The colors were a little bleak to have on it's own, so I darkened it, used a halftone filter to create the stellar scan lines, created a blurred black for both the top and bottom, and added some text.

G.O.D.



I think this wallpaper is fantastic (if I do say so myself) for several reasons. 1) I love the Oregon Coast. Part of my soul resides there actually. So if I seem sort of half here occasionally, that's why. 2 ) The definition of God actually came from a very intelligent unbeliever that I had the privilege of working under for a couple days. I got to hear a very in-depth discussion of the faith between Jesse Jost and this guy. It was quite remarkable. 3 ) For me personally, I always see God in nature, therefore the profile of the face in rock is interesting.

For the Readers

I have at least three different posts that I have ready to go, but I would prefer to give each of them a week in the spotlight. I have found that generally people tend to read the latest post with more interest, even if they were all posted at the same time. And even though this blog is primarily an outlet for my writing, ( a relief valve if you will.) I still wish each post to have an equal opportunity for public absorption. (yes Merissa, I checked the spelling)
However, if as a reader you feel that I should perhaps increase the rate to, perhaps, twice a week, it's possible that I could sustain the accelerated flow. I can give you a brief look at the oncoming blog posts titles, if anyone is interested:

~ Virtual Life
The Good, the Bad, And the downright disgusting truths about the recent developments on the internet.

~ Tips and Tricks w/ Blogging
What a blog achieves, why it can be important in businesses, and tips on keeping a weekly blog. While this may not seem that useful for a more private blog, I can assure you it will be pertinent.

All the above, of course, depends on the delicate delusion that people actually care.

25

It's funny, I've been avoiding doing these "25 facts about yourself" things, ever since I started seeing them, way back when in Xanga. Mainly because 1 ) I hate doing what everyone else is doing. It wasn't till this afternoon that I realized it was because of my silly pride. It may seem like a dumb thing, but I've always tried to be unique. Of course, then I realized that I would have to do the 25 thing just to prove myself wrong.

2 ) I have studied military history for the past 9 years. The Civil War being probably the most explored time period. I believe that wars provide incredible insight into the world they occurred in.

3 ) I love interior decoration. I've spent a lot of time working on my room, until at last it has become my perfect habitat. It has to be, I spend most of my time working in it.

4 ) I love sailing ships and maps. Specifically from the 1200-1600's. I find them artistically appeasing and inspirational.

5 ) One of my personal pet peeves is that some people don't capitalize their sentences, and don't put a space between the period and the next sentence. Don't take it personally, it's just me!

6 ) I am highly diplomatic in most situations, but put me in a more spiritual conversation, and I can be pretty abrupt. I feel bad about it, but I also feel that I speak the truth. If you're ever in a TR meeting with me, you'll find out.

7 ) I study some reflexology in some of my spare time. It's pretty sweet stuff. Very healthy. I want to eventually use it as a tool in my ministry to other believers.

8 ) I LOVED Star Trek!! I thought Bones and Spock were incredible.

9 ) I have a weird thing about laughing. I don't have a set "pattern" as it were, but rather will unconsciously copy other peoples laughing "patterns". I don't even think about it, it just happens.

10 ) I don't have facebook for two reasons : I don't want to waste time on it and (see # 1).

11 ) I thought the word that Rachel used in her "25" for her problem with writing was fantastic. Possession. You write or you die. I have that problem ( joy ).

12 ) I love playing volleyball and I love playing badminton.

13 ) Although I yearn for respect, I feel that it would be dangerous for me to have it.

14 ) I've read Dracula, and I thought it was an incredible book with very touching characters. (Not Dracula himself obviously, but the Humans.) If you haven't read this book, I highly recommend it. It's not at all like all the cliches that surround it.

15 ) I've also read Frankenstein. Don't bother. It was boring.

16 ) I like writing intelligent horror.

17 ) I love encouraging people without them cluing into it. I love encouraging people when they are aware of it as well.

18 ) I've never left North America, but one day I want to. When I can afford to. As in never.

19 ) Despite being 19, I honestly feel exactly how I felt when I was 15. And I can remember the turn of the millennium like it was yesterday. That's almost a decade ago!!

20 ) I listen to mostly soundtracks.

21 ) I am very emotionally charged, but prefer to not let anyone see it. I don't have pointy ears though.

22 ) I love sound. I have a five point surround system in my room, a decent sound system in my car and surround sound earbuds. If it makes sound, it's got to be high quality!

23 ) I can't put on weight for the life of me! I've been at about 150 for the last 9 years, and you can still count my ribs.

24 ) The most important year in my life to date has been my 18th. Everything changed.

25 ) I want to be an encouragement in others lives. If you ever tell me something confidential, I can promise you that it goes no farther. I see both sides of the issues. I want to be a shoulder that people lean upon. . .

26 ) I believe that if you truly understand someone, you will love them.

See? I did it differently!

The Anatomy of a Creative Process

A couple weeks ago, one of my friends was curious about how I created a font, or at least part of one. When I tried to explain it to her, I realized that it was nearly impossible to explain without actually showing her. In addition, I wanted some content for my website about the concept.
Therefore I spent today creating a bit of a showcase just showing the process I go through.

My first step is actually the easiest, just making boxes:

This basically is just a size defining step that standardizes the different letters. Later you'll notice that I change the width of some letters depending on the letter itself.

In the second step, I use ovals, circles, lines, and other shapes to create all the edges of each letter. Basically I create a blueprint of each letter. I think it looks awesome. If you look at it,
you should be able to see the letters already.


And then I trace all the lines to get the finally shape of the letter, and colorize it.


If I find that any of the letters are too wide or something, I edit it until I'm happy with it.
Note the "N" and the "F".

So there you have it!
It takes a couple hours, but it's actually kinda fun.

A Scare

Last Monday I was scared by my computer. When I got back from work I started it up, just like always, and had entered my password when *Shwip* a window opened. Then some nice Arial text informed me that my version of Windows Vista was not genuine. This of course, was absolutely wrong, as I had been using my computer for close to a year now, and it had always been genuine.

I started getting scared only after my other pin number wouldn't work. Now, perhaps you may be thinking, so what? What's the big deal, honestly? Let me elucinate.

For a computer guru, losing your computer is like losing your right hand. The guru enters into a state of symbiosis with his computer only hours after his initial purchase. From then on the computer gives the guru power inconceivable, and in return the guru gives the computer a personality and provides for all it's needs. It's a wonderful thing, and it's only a short amount of time before the computer feels like a well fitting glove.

So to be told that my windows wasn't genuine, it seemed to fortold the death of a very close personality. Of course, I reasoned, Windows will have to give me a new code or something like that, cause I did use their product for a year, and I have bought it after all. Right?

So I called HP customer service and spoke to this gal for about a half hour, fiddling with things and overall failing. Then finally, I realized I had gotten one of the digits in my pin number wrong.
Windows worked then. It made my day, cause now my computer was back to normal!

But I never did tell the gal on the phone that I had just gotten the stupid number wrong.

Mannequins

I'm close enough to finishing my short story that I felt that I could justify creating a cover for it. Even if I never use it. I guess I could call it a promotional poster. Sort of.

Anyway, I'm glad to say that I'm nearly finished. I'm not exactly sure how it's going to end yet, but I'm hoping I will tomorrow. (As I get tomorrow completely off!)

So please click on the cover up top
above this text to get the full sized, way cooler, proper resolution image.

On top of that I have a 4 different websites I have to create/manage.

Ciao!