crankyoldman (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
crankyoldman) wrote2010-08-04 01:45 pm
crankyoldman) wrote2010-08-04 01:45 pm
Entry tags:
Getting Back in the Swing
I know, I'm posting a lot compared to usual. This is because I'm between projects and need to get my head together again. Writing it out tends to make it more real.
Work
Making my first work contact with a learning center, aside from the camp I had been working with before. Just getting the ok on a few things I'm promising before I can do it. Going through Astroengineer with a critical eye and my notes from the camps I've been at to make the outside of school version much more tailored to those kinds of unstructured environments.
I have a feeling that Production is going to be pissy with me. Hey, not my fault I didn't program in a mode for kids that suck at FPS controls and don't have the week they would in school to learn them.
Cosplay
Lineup for next Otakon is still in flux, and I'm debating which I want to re-wear at Ohayocon and which I want to make for then. Nanomatt and his girl are going as Wash and Zoe from Firefly, so I'm tempted to make one to go with them. Kaylee is a natural, as I am a small engineery person, but I have to admit I'd rather do Simon. He's dapper. And I could make another fancy vest. XD And crossplay is so much fun, considering I actually don't have to bind, just wear a sport's bra. >.>
Also possible for Ohayo:
- Jacuzzi Splot from Baccano!. Ladyfriend to be Nice. XD
- Yukari, Aigis, Fuuka, or Elizabeth from Persona 3 as I am fans of all those character designs. Yukari would be the least amount of work, but Aigis is a ROBOT GIRL, and Fuuka has a style that I like rather much. Elizabeth is just crazy and mod and I like that. I could pull off any of those easily, so it's a hard choice.
- Wyn, aka my cyberpunk alter ego. Lots of black, a short white wig, and various playing around with geometric stuff and electronic bits.
- Ward, FFVIII. Will depend on how soon my Laguna and Kiros want to wear those. I may in fact make my own anchor for it, after looking the design over and seeing that it would be rather do-able with my skills. Costume itself will be super easy, thank god.
Definitely re-wearing my Daryl costume there, and bringing my fancy camera so I make someone take some good pics of it, as I love how it turned out. I SWEAR PICS EXIST OF IT, I JUST HAVEN'T GOTTEN THEM YET.
As for Otakon, the only thing I know for sure is I'm dressing up as a giant flying eyeball for the Random Encounters FF group. XD
I may save Cecil for 2012, or next Ohayocon. Or Acen, as I might go to that too this year. IT REALLY DEPENDS ON HOW QUICKLY I CAN LEARN TO MAKE ARMOR. I want to do this one right, as he's kind of a super favorite character and while I respect a lot of the dudes that do him, there's always SOMETHING that is a tad sloppy (dudes who spend a lot of time on the armor but get a crappy wig, etc) and I want to be better than that. This is perhaps the ONLY time I've wanted to be SUPER SRS about making a cosplay, so. Yeah.
Maybe I'll do Juliet from Romeo x Juliet in her battle gear to practice armor. Hers is elegantly practical and minimal, and I just finished the manga and kind of adore her. XD
MUCH THOUGHT. Maybe I'll poll it up.
Non-Cosplay Sewing
My sister wants me to make her a cute vintage-inspired apron, and when she was visiting last we scoured the fabric store and found the perfect fabric and pattern for it (probably the most expensive pattern I've bought, ever, too >.>). She is about 90% more domestic than I am, and it's cheaper than her trying to buy a real vintage apron. So yeah.
I also have some ridiculously cute 40s patterns, and a 60s one that looks like something Peggy from Mad Men would have worn in the earlier seasons (it's a jumper... a fucking awesome jumper). I also have a nice boatneck shirt pattern that I really want to do, as those striped boatneck shirts I want are either ill-fitting on me, or ridic expensive. The 40s patterns are born out of my desire for something from the 40s that is not again, SUPER EXPENSIVE, and actually fits me. I can find Victorian stuff in a small enough size, but for some reason the 40s stuff is always HUGE.
Considering that most of my Ohayo costumes will either involve Goodwilling or real clothing type sewing, perhaps I'll just play with these for a while.
ALSO. HATS.
Will probably take progress pics as I start on these things. Sewing is very therapeutic, and the more I do it the better I get at it. Mayhap I'll see if there are any classes around, there are a couple things I would like instruction on (like fucking collars... I suck at them. Zippers I can do, but collars? bah!).
Maybe I really will become a fashion designer later in life, ha ha.
Writing
Oh god, I have so much to do. I think I'm giving up my 60,000 word goal this year, unless I randomly decide Nanowrimo will happen. It's not November yet, so I don't know. XD
I have the beginning of my![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
megaflare_ff piece started and the plot points ALL OUTLINED AND SHIT, I just... have issues actually getting from there to here. Deciding the amount of detail I want to do in places is hard. I want to get a story where I can finish the plot out without too much of my AND THEN THERE WAS SOME RANDOM SHIT HAPPENING type of ambiguity, which means that it'll probably skirt the 20,000 words range. Which is my goal. I don't want a bohemeth of a story, but since the minimum is 10,000 words I don't want it to be too spare either. I maybe need to tighten my focus a bit, make sure that what I am trying to say gets said and find extraneous stuff to cut later. Nothing bothers me more in a story when someone just blathers on in exposition to the point I start to forget what the story is about.
Found myself poking at the next Hotel story, "Where You End", which started as a Laguna/Raine but is turning into a LOOK AT HOW FUCKING CUTE ELLONE IS with a little bit of Laguna/Raine. XD Eh, I'll just go with it.
novel_machinist and I are also writing a somewhat campy BL story for ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
bb_shousetsu because we do in fact write fantastic stuff together and it gives us an excuse to take a couple of characters from something more serious, turn them into high school students and make them do porny things. With a lot of story around it, because PWP and I just do. not. happen. Also PWP is boring.
So far we're already over the minimum word count. XD But these boys have been in our heads a while, it's extremely easy to write them.
Need to dust off my WIP folder, take a look at things.
School
Kind of haven't started studying for the GRE nor have I determined when I'm taking it. Or started pestering people for letters of recommendation. Should probably get on that like, ah, soon. I think it's partly that I'm still divided on the issue; what with my promotion at work and promise of A FUTURE and the like, I'm hesitant to set myself back with school. Then again, I really want cred and the awesome of having a doctorate and still want to LEARN stuff.
Eh, will apply anyway, I can always decide not to go, right? Should visit the old West Laff this fall and pester my old adviser and my old history prof in person for their letters. Neither of them have forgotten me easily, so that's a good thing.
My sister is freaking out more about it than I am, as my method of by the seat of my pants sort of drives her nuts. She's also applying to grad schools, what with her own graduation coming soon! I keep forgetting that she's so much better at school than I am and will graduate in 4 years like she was supposed to. XD
Also, have some links!
- Street fighting mathematics a book that I think our office needs.
- How to Kill Your Imaginary Friends, or good fictional deaths presented by someone of medical knowledge. Very informative!
- Help! I'm a feminist... romance reader? Relevant to many people I know's interests.
Work
Making my first work contact with a learning center, aside from the camp I had been working with before. Just getting the ok on a few things I'm promising before I can do it. Going through Astroengineer with a critical eye and my notes from the camps I've been at to make the outside of school version much more tailored to those kinds of unstructured environments.
I have a feeling that Production is going to be pissy with me. Hey, not my fault I didn't program in a mode for kids that suck at FPS controls and don't have the week they would in school to learn them.
Cosplay
Lineup for next Otakon is still in flux, and I'm debating which I want to re-wear at Ohayocon and which I want to make for then. Nanomatt and his girl are going as Wash and Zoe from Firefly, so I'm tempted to make one to go with them. Kaylee is a natural, as I am a small engineery person, but I have to admit I'd rather do Simon. He's dapper. And I could make another fancy vest. XD And crossplay is so much fun, considering I actually don't have to bind, just wear a sport's bra. >.>
Also possible for Ohayo:
- Jacuzzi Splot from Baccano!. Ladyfriend to be Nice. XD
- Yukari, Aigis, Fuuka, or Elizabeth from Persona 3 as I am fans of all those character designs. Yukari would be the least amount of work, but Aigis is a ROBOT GIRL, and Fuuka has a style that I like rather much. Elizabeth is just crazy and mod and I like that. I could pull off any of those easily, so it's a hard choice.
- Wyn, aka my cyberpunk alter ego. Lots of black, a short white wig, and various playing around with geometric stuff and electronic bits.
- Ward, FFVIII. Will depend on how soon my Laguna and Kiros want to wear those. I may in fact make my own anchor for it, after looking the design over and seeing that it would be rather do-able with my skills. Costume itself will be super easy, thank god.
Definitely re-wearing my Daryl costume there, and bringing my fancy camera so I make someone take some good pics of it, as I love how it turned out. I SWEAR PICS EXIST OF IT, I JUST HAVEN'T GOTTEN THEM YET.
As for Otakon, the only thing I know for sure is I'm dressing up as a giant flying eyeball for the Random Encounters FF group. XD
I may save Cecil for 2012, or next Ohayocon. Or Acen, as I might go to that too this year. IT REALLY DEPENDS ON HOW QUICKLY I CAN LEARN TO MAKE ARMOR. I want to do this one right, as he's kind of a super favorite character and while I respect a lot of the dudes that do him, there's always SOMETHING that is a tad sloppy (dudes who spend a lot of time on the armor but get a crappy wig, etc) and I want to be better than that. This is perhaps the ONLY time I've wanted to be SUPER SRS about making a cosplay, so. Yeah.
Maybe I'll do Juliet from Romeo x Juliet in her battle gear to practice armor. Hers is elegantly practical and minimal, and I just finished the manga and kind of adore her. XD
MUCH THOUGHT. Maybe I'll poll it up.
Non-Cosplay Sewing
My sister wants me to make her a cute vintage-inspired apron, and when she was visiting last we scoured the fabric store and found the perfect fabric and pattern for it (probably the most expensive pattern I've bought, ever, too >.>). She is about 90% more domestic than I am, and it's cheaper than her trying to buy a real vintage apron. So yeah.
I also have some ridiculously cute 40s patterns, and a 60s one that looks like something Peggy from Mad Men would have worn in the earlier seasons (it's a jumper... a fucking awesome jumper). I also have a nice boatneck shirt pattern that I really want to do, as those striped boatneck shirts I want are either ill-fitting on me, or ridic expensive. The 40s patterns are born out of my desire for something from the 40s that is not again, SUPER EXPENSIVE, and actually fits me. I can find Victorian stuff in a small enough size, but for some reason the 40s stuff is always HUGE.
Considering that most of my Ohayo costumes will either involve Goodwilling or real clothing type sewing, perhaps I'll just play with these for a while.
ALSO. HATS.
Will probably take progress pics as I start on these things. Sewing is very therapeutic, and the more I do it the better I get at it. Mayhap I'll see if there are any classes around, there are a couple things I would like instruction on (like fucking collars... I suck at them. Zippers I can do, but collars? bah!).
Maybe I really will become a fashion designer later in life, ha ha.
Writing
Oh god, I have so much to do. I think I'm giving up my 60,000 word goal this year, unless I randomly decide Nanowrimo will happen. It's not November yet, so I don't know. XD
I have the beginning of my
megaflare_ff piece started and the plot points ALL OUTLINED AND SHIT, I just... have issues actually getting from there to here. Deciding the amount of detail I want to do in places is hard. I want to get a story where I can finish the plot out without too much of my AND THEN THERE WAS SOME RANDOM SHIT HAPPENING type of ambiguity, which means that it'll probably skirt the 20,000 words range. Which is my goal. I don't want a bohemeth of a story, but since the minimum is 10,000 words I don't want it to be too spare either. I maybe need to tighten my focus a bit, make sure that what I am trying to say gets said and find extraneous stuff to cut later. Nothing bothers me more in a story when someone just blathers on in exposition to the point I start to forget what the story is about. Found myself poking at the next Hotel story, "Where You End", which started as a Laguna/Raine but is turning into a LOOK AT HOW FUCKING CUTE ELLONE IS with a little bit of Laguna/Raine. XD Eh, I'll just go with it.
novel_machinist and I are also writing a somewhat campy BL story for bb_shousetsu because we do in fact write fantastic stuff together and it gives us an excuse to take a couple of characters from something more serious, turn them into high school students and make them do porny things. With a lot of story around it, because PWP and I just do. not. happen. Also PWP is boring.So far we're already over the minimum word count. XD But these boys have been in our heads a while, it's extremely easy to write them.
Need to dust off my WIP folder, take a look at things.
School
Kind of haven't started studying for the GRE nor have I determined when I'm taking it. Or started pestering people for letters of recommendation. Should probably get on that like, ah, soon. I think it's partly that I'm still divided on the issue; what with my promotion at work and promise of A FUTURE and the like, I'm hesitant to set myself back with school. Then again, I really want cred and the awesome of having a doctorate and still want to LEARN stuff.
Eh, will apply anyway, I can always decide not to go, right? Should visit the old West Laff this fall and pester my old adviser and my old history prof in person for their letters. Neither of them have forgotten me easily, so that's a good thing.
My sister is freaking out more about it than I am, as my method of by the seat of my pants sort of drives her nuts. She's also applying to grad schools, what with her own graduation coming soon! I keep forgetting that she's so much better at school than I am and will graduate in 4 years like she was supposed to. XD
Also, have some links!
- Street fighting mathematics a book that I think our office needs.
- How to Kill Your Imaginary Friends, or good fictional deaths presented by someone of medical knowledge. Very informative!
- Help! I'm a feminist... romance reader? Relevant to many people I know's interests.