Mixing Feelings

Last week I had a coupon for Michael's, so I decided I would paint something. 

Of course, this necessitated purchasing paint, canvas, brushes, etc. etc. 

I was going to draw something buggy, but instead just went for a portrait.  Something simple.  Just to get my painting brain back.  I don't think I've played much with paint in ... well, maybe going on ten years.  I do a lot of *digital* painting, but it's not quite the same.  There are some advantages to working with data rather than chemicals, which is why I avoid the real thing.

Digital Paint Pros:
-Undo
-Select+copy+paste
-Magnify

The only thing I don't really like about digital painting is that it's harder to "mix" colors and get the shading you want.  It's similar in how you do it--layering colors, diluting colors--but it just seems harder on the computer.  With paint, I can just have a pool of white, a pool of black and some water.  I feel like I have a lot more control. 

But you don't have to wait for anything to dry on the computer ...

And real painting gives you a one-off, while the computer gives you limitless printing.

Hmm. 

I think the computer is probably better.  And cheaper.  But my tablet was a hand-me-down, so that basically means that *anything* is more expensive. 

I wanted this to be a little more stylized.  I gave up.  

My Ferritin Died Again

Back in 2011 I went in for my first ladyvisit at the ladydoctor on campus.  Your first checkup came with not just the pokey-pokey, but also a blood test to check for things like high cholesterol.  I'm guessing that the rationale is that a young woman is more likely to come in and get her bits prodded than she is to see a regular doctor for a wellness exam, so it's best to get that kind of thing taken care of while you're going in for your annual poking. 

Oh my god, but I love

thunderstorms. 

Love.

I feel like we haven't had nearly enough of them.  Not a fan of being trapped out in them, but I love sitting indoors somewhere and hearing the rumbles. 

Weight For Me!

My body is not known for its consistency. 

You can talk about "diet and exercise" all you want.  I was super-active as a kid and got up to nearly 150 despite that.  I believe my weight before heading off to Japan was 145.

After returning from Japan roughly 7-8 weeks later, my weight was around 125. 

The second time I went to Japan long-term, I dropped from around 125 to 110.  I didn't have a scale with me, so I'm not sure when exactly this happened.  But ... it happened.  Maybe a few months in I started to notice that, yet again, my pants were too big. 

That stayed pretty constant, even after I got back from Japan.  Then, when I got super-duper-sick, I dropped to about 104.  My doctor put me on prednisone and I shot up to about 120 within a month. 

I Beg Your Bechdel

At this point you probably know the Bechdel Test. 

Two female people
talk at length amongst themselves,
but not about men.

Do you like my haiku?  I made it bigger for you.  Because I'm nice like that.

It's rare to find movies that pass the Bechdel test, and especially rare for those passing movies to both a.) pass with flying colors, and b.) depict healthy relationships amongst women.

Actually, point b is rare to begin with. 

A few months ago I finally watched Pitch Perfect.  I wouldn't have thought to watch it except that my coworkers at the Banana Stand raaaaaved about it.  Sure enough, I enjoyed it.  And not just because it stars my (other, younger) celebrity doppleganger.  I thought the story was weak in spots (the stuff about the not-boyfriend, the stuff about the dad, the lack of any going to class at all), but I liked that it promoted friendship among women and presented a diverse-ish group of female characters. 

You don't see that much.

Dolly Racist

Back in the day--wayyyyy back when I first got into BJDs--there was Volks and there were a few Korean joints like Custom House and Luts. 

Now there are 80 bajillion BJD companies, 70 bajillion of which have been deemed "off topic" by the Den of Angels moderators.

I digress.

In the beginning I liked "pretty" and "cute" dolls.  I still like those, but lately I've been drawn in more by "unique" dolls.  Fantasy dolls, anthro dolls, and dolls with weird (but artistic) faces. 

No, not squooshy and weird Bobobie-type of faces that just look cheap and badly-sculpted.  I mean more like a really stylized face, or an interesting expression.  Just something unusual, but in a good way.  Even the very realistic Iplehouse sculpts would fall into this category.  Something outside the bishounen/anime aesthetic.

Recently I discovered Doll Chateau.  And I kind of want them all.

I love their peculiar bodies, which are emaciated and yet curvy, with multiple neck joints and long, skinny limbs.  I love Stacy and Chrstina's "starving model" type faces.  I love Elizabeth's spider body.  I love Lydia's wide-set eyes and I love how Queena is dressed up like a duck.  There's a Siamese twin body, a centaur-ish body that somehow reminds me of Human Centipede, and there's a ... I ... I'm not sure what this is.  I think she might have a mutant bee for a head. 


One of them has my name.  I don't want her because she has my name, but I'm glad she does because she's fucking awesome. 

(You might notice that I linked to Doll Chateau and then linked to a bunch of pages on Mint On Card.  This is because Doll Chateau lives in 1997 and their website is sloooooowwwww.)

I don't need more dolls, but ... ohhhhhh dolls.  I love dolls. 

So Pretty

So so so pretty.

I think about my dolls a lot because I'm totally ignoring them.  That is, they're on my mind a lot because I can't spend much time with them.  I need a good macro lens, and I want to go to Home Depot and build a nice, folding set for the larger ones.  The same special skill that allows me to create a costume based on looking at it makes me feel like I could do the same with a few planks of wood.  But it might require more tools than I actually own. 

And planning.

And a car.