The future is mine

In one of my classes we had an assignment in which we were meant to present a plan to obtain our dream design job.
I failed.
Because, even though I've been fighting it, I don't really care to work as a graphic designer forever after this.
Been thinking a lot about my future this summer and I know I've posted  about this dilemma before. Finally reaching some sorts of conclusions...
Here are some things I've decided are solid facts about me:

• I like love to work with my hands and at the end, have a beautiful,  functional, physical finished object.
• If I actually care about what I'm doing, I'm a perfectionist and a bit  of a control freak. I hate to have any aspect of a project I'm working  on outside of my direct influence. I want to do everything myself, if  I delegate I want it to be because of deliberate decision and not necessity. (if i don't care i don't put effort in)

For these reasons it's hard for me to see myself working for someone else my whole life. (And even since grade school I've wanted to start my own company.)
I've been going to school for years trying to convince myself that I can be happy doing something practical instead of something I am passionate about. Pretending like fun things are only for hobbies.
Well, screw that.


I've let Practicality win so many battles... But I can see now that Passion will win the war, or I will live and die a prisoner.

{so now the scheming commences... How can I take the plunge into doing what I love, and make it work/get away with it?}

The incredible true story of the Vigilante and the Ice Cream Fair.

This is the blog post you've all been waiting for. The incredible true story of the Vigilante and the Ice Cream Fair.

The events depicted in this comic are fictitious. Any similarity to any person living or dead is merely coincidental.

This comic was drawn by my little sister Sarah and stars me! Because it's so action-packed, I will provide a scene-by-scene read-along so you don't miss any of the excitement.

PART ONE

Panel 1—Our brave hero comes to the Ice Cream Fair.

Panel 2—The anticipation of eating all this ice cream... so tantalizing

Panel 3—"Want an ice cream?" the large-armed ice cream scooper asks seductively.

But what's he doing over there? He grabs a mystery bottle and puts the contents on my ice cream cone!

Panel 4—I'm thinking "Yes" but I have to say, "No, I don't. It might slow me down." because I think it "might have poison." This is a very conflicting moment in my life.¹

Panel 5—ICE CREAMED!
Panel 6—"Not me!" I yell as I deftly dodge his sinister ice cream attack. Note: I have changed into my vigilante costume.
Panel 7—Now, it's war.
Panel 8—I charge with full power while shooting the ice cream man with my infamous Goo Gun. GOO! The ice cream man is stunned to be caught in a cocoon of blue goo.
Panel 8—Aha, sucka! "I give up!" cries the ice cream man, as a startled, one-eyed ninja appears in the foreground.
Panel 9— "Nick the Ninja?" I ask dubiously. "Yes," he replies stoicly, while the not-as-large-armed ice cream manager tells the ice cream man, "You're fired! 4 ever" (Their arms are large from all the scooping they do)

PART TWO

Panel 1—continued.
Panel 2—"You were too late." I tell Nick the Ninja. "Yes...." he replies, "But I came." "True," I concede.²
Panels 3 & 4—Nick the Ninja announces our next intentions to the world. "LET'S EAT ICE CREAM!"
Panel 5—OM NOM NOM NOM ICE CREAM
Panel 6—temporary ice cream overdose
Panel 7—We're floating through a magical land of utter ice cream bliss!
Panel 8—and don't forget to visit the gift shop. Yay
Panel 9—ICE CREAM
Panel 10—YA!
Panel 11—"I never will live a week w/out eating 2 servings again." I declare triumphantly.
Panel 12—That night I'm in an ice cream coma, wearing my new ice cream pajamas. My adventurer's goggles are hung up for the time being.
Panel 13—Next day. I'm at work and one of my coworkers can tell I'm a little too happy about life. He asks suspiciously, "You went to the Ice Cream Fair, didn't you?" "Ya!" I reply enthusiastically.
Panel 14—"YES" I reaffirm while spinning gleefully through the air.
Panel 15—"It was great." The end.


Footnotes:
1—Ya know, sometimes that happens. Where you want something really badly but you know that at that moment, you have to refrain because to have that thing right then would be incredibly detrimental to your well-being. But if you do hold off for just a little bit, you can have that thing you wanted as much as you want for the rest of your life! Important life lesson, right there for ya.
2—This is probably more profound than I can even describe. Just think about it. Just... think. I'm not sure you're thinking hard enough, but maybe it will dawn on you in time.

Comic © Sarah Whitney, June 2009

AMTGARD tourney & Craft Lake City

I have had a craftastic day! well ok, i didn't make anything today, but i got exposed to a wide array of more talented people and it got me really excited.

first i went to my normal AMTGARD stuff that's on saturdays, but what i didn't realize was that today was a tournament, not just of fighting but there were arts & science competitions with garb, weapons, bardics, etc. it was awesome.

Then was Craft Lake City. a craft fair, it was amazing, i only stayed for like 30 minutes because i thought i would explode.

 

a local stilt & fire performance group (The Dreamland Sideshow) and their sweet costumey clothes

 

Some Kick-A ceramics, seriously 

Flicker Ceramics

(seriously sad i got my finger in that pic considering the lens on my phonecamera is like 3/16th inch wide)

 

Brynn would love these hair accessories. I do too.
itsthelittlethingsut.etsy.com 

 

This guy, i fell in love with him and his work, i totally freaked out in an embarrassing way, i was gushing so hard.  wish i got better pics as he doesn't have any on his website yet.

www.unavakin.com

These games we play

If you've known me for more than 6 years, you know I love card games, but for what we will refer to as "some reason," I've hardly played any card games for a long time. :(
so I hereby beseech you, my friends, both old & new, to help me remember how to play all my favorite card games we used to play in Jr high & high school.

Gibroni
Speed (California & Florida versions)
BS
Scum

(I have been reacquainted with Egyptian Ratscrew, fortunately)
and if i've forgotten some let me know.

Nerd shirt type combos

VOTE.

Cloak instructions

That shimmery night cloak i made a couple weeks ago... Here's the pattern by Redoubt.
She's super good and drafting and sewing and she's selling garb and stuff on Etsy.

The red line is at 17" down from the top. The other horizontal line is at 80" down from the top. Black lines are cutting lines. The fabric below 80" is divided into even triangles for gores (add seam allowance on the gores so the top is flat, not a point). Sew a tuck at the red line about 1" wide. Sew the tuck down against the fabric so that it's flat, but sew along the edge to make the tuck a casing. Fold the fabric in half the long way and make a seam across the top (the edge closer to the tuck). Cut slashes in the body of the cloak where extra fullness is desired (a symmetrical design) and insert the gores. Finish all seams with flat felling. Put a drawstring in the tuck casing. This is at the neckline so everything above the tuck is the hood and below is the body of the cloak.

Panda Bandit

Today in church i got a cool idea for a hoodie.

So i got out the fabric i was thinking of and saw that I had much too little for that design, the the rectangle ratios of the black and white pieces reminded me of a panda so I knew what I had to do.

I worked on it and it was an interesting experiment in construction because outside of the hood, there are only 2 pieces: the black one and the white one.

since the black strip was so narrow the sleeves ended up way tight.  I sacrificed some length to make gores and now they are nice and wide. armpits are high but it's fine.

pandas yeah! they're the best! i sewed buttonholes for this so you know I was serious.