slr2moons: a self-portrait, of me in my usual habitat: in front of my computer monitors! (hopeful)
Stumptown 2012 was as fun and amazing as 2011 was not. Last year I was so stressed and drowning with work that I only had time to join Shoujo Editor 2 for dinner both nights, and a little hanging out with my Portland friends. But this year, I scheduled the 3 days off months in advance, and it was worth it. :D

More on Stumptown! )

One of my favorite aspects of this weekend was on Sunday afternoon while waiting to head out for food-cart dinner. I was able to chat with J and watch her do a little work in digital painting. She has some amazing Photoshop brushes I'd never seen before! I had no idea Photoshop brushes could do all that stuff! *has been edumacated* She kindly sent me the whole batch, and now I have 100+ megs of new brushes and NO CLUE how to use them. Whee!! XD I need to turn my hand to more color work, and thus begin learning how best to apply these fancy thingamabobs to maybe turn out some shiny pics.

To that end, I've signed up once again for the [livejournal.com profile] het_bigbang, for fanart brings in page views! The hot fandom this year seem to be Game of Thrones. Hmmmm.

To finish this post with random fun, I updated my beloved ficrecs site today, and added Google Analytics to it. For I have always been obsessive about my hits. More information on them will be so fascinating!!!

...

(F5 F5 F5 F5 F5...)
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slr2moons: a self-portrait, of me in my usual habitat: in front of my computer monitors! (glasses are hawt)
I am back, victorious, from the longest drive I've made in Oregon for quite some time! Today I did a dry run to the Oregon Convention Center in my car, armed with directions from Google Maps. Worked great!

More about the drive, parking, another missing delivery box, and a T-shirt I'd like to wear to Stumptown. )

Work-wise, I'm chugging along. I fell behind last week, but managed to catch up with both Clay and Skip. Now I'm doing the same with Naruto--but only after I finish my 8 daily pages of the other two. It's slow going, obviously.

I have been sucked into the addictive crack that is My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. *big grin* I'll share more on a dedicated post in a few days, I think. Heeee! XD
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slr2moons: a self-portrait, of me in my usual habitat: in front of my computer monitors! (follow)
ETA: LOL Stumptown isn't until next weekend. Consider this evidence that I really am out of sorts at the moment. :B

Stumptown is here again. This year I deliberately arranged my work schedule to let me attend (something I was unable to do last year, when I could only hang out in the evening with friends). Shoujo Editor 2 will be here again, much to my delight, for we really get along IRL. ^^

My local friends neekaneeks and mcruthless of the awesome webcomic Gran Grimoire will be sharing a table with EK of TJ and Amal fame. I will be sure to swing by their table several times to squee and offer assistance in any way I can. :3 I hope to go to dinner with them and several more of their friends, and Shoujo Editor 2 as well. XD This is what I'm most looking forward to!

Rather than depending on public transportation, I am taking my car this year (OHNOES my Portlander license application!) and parking it (for free) at the giant mall only a few blocks away from the convention center. This is so I can be certain of getting Shoujo Editor 2 to her temporary digs no matter how late it is or where she might be staying. I'll still be buying a train ticket in case we go out to eat someplace easily accessible from same, and to ride between mall and center, for I don't want to try to walk it alone at night. :S

There are a number of panels I want to attend, including three happening at the same time in different rooms. :P Hopefully I can make as many as possible! Particularly since if I'm watching a panel, then I can't be spending money in the con room. Behold my scheming ways!

A little bit more under the cut, slightly emo. )

I need to drive my car once a week to keep the battery charged, and this weekend's foray into the East Side is the beginning of my accustomization to driving in Portland proper. In the end, driving versus taking the train is a trade-off. Drive and you have complete flexibility to go where ever, when ever...but you have to worry about getting lost, parking (a huuuuge concern in Portland), and no drinking allowed. Parking is also more expensive than a public trans ticket. Take the train and you don't have to worry about navigating traffic or finding parking or your car being stolen and you can drink as much as you want...but your schedule is dependent on the public transportation. Also that half-hour ride is really long at night when you're tired and don't want to deal with staring creepers and didn't take your car to the train stop and thus have to walk it home.

Thus, my upcoming Stumptown weekend. I really am most looking forward to hanging out with Shoujo Editor 2 and my comicking friends. ^^
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slr2moons: a self-portrait, of me in my usual habitat: in front of my computer monitors! (insomnia)
Today, I noticed a new character in Clay 21 has a birthmark on her right cheek. It was quite a surprise, since I've lettered over half the book by now. I just went through the completed pages to check if I'd unknowingly erased the birthmark, thinking it was a speck.

I only did it once. Whew! Problem fixed, and now I know.

/anecdote ^^

Oh yeah, Usagi (my laptop) picked up a trojan last week. My computer doctor had to format C:\, after taking all my data off. Thankfully. He said he's noticed an increase in infected computers since mid-December. Everyone...

Update your anti-virus program. Update Java. Update Flash. Update Adobe Acrobat Reader. Update your browser. Install adblock if possible. Beware when clicking on random sites generated from Google search results. BACK UP IMPORTANT FILES.

No, I haven't fired up Usagi again. I have to reinstall everything, and with me barely hanging on re: work, I don't have the time to deal with it. *wince*

A plague on all trojan writers, users, and profiters!!! X(

Grmph.

27/3/12 21:35
slr2moons: a self-portrait, of me in my usual habitat: in front of my computer monitors! (Bwa?)
My car's tire gauge has vanished into an alternate dimension, and thus I headed to my all-purpose store with "tire gauge" at the bottom of my grocery list. I hit the auto department, and find the right section! License place borders, 20 different type of decorative air valve caps--half of them different human skull designs, bendable light sticks, super-bright dashboard mini-flashlights for easy night speedometer viewing, and the kicker: twelve square feet of mp3/ipod player holders.

And towards the end of the section, a glove compartment set with cheapo digital calculator, pliers, "designer pen", and...a tire gauge. On sale for $12.99.

That tire gauge was the only one available. I did buy it. I can always use pair of pliers, I'm sort of curious about how good the "designer pen" is, and my beloved pocket digital calculator I've had since high school is officially dying.

But still. TWELVE SQUARE FEET of mp3 player/ipod holders. TWENTY DIFFERENT FASHIONABLE AIR VALVE CAPS. And no individual tire gauges.

Humph.

After I bought the set and was unpacking the rest of my groceries, I realized the tire store also nearby would probably have a stand-alone air gauge available. But I really can use the other items in the set, and I was annoyed anyway, so I went "F*ck it,". I'll keep the damn set.
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slr2moons: a self-portrait, of me in my usual habitat: in front of my computer monitors! (pretty lady)
Wednesday night, winter said goodbye with a beautiful snowfall. My area had about an inch of snow, I think. I walked in it twice, once Wednesday evening when it had been falling for about half an hour, and then the next day when it was already melting. It lasted until 3 PM, I was impressed. Today on my walk, I saw the sad remains of a couple of snowmen, fighting to live on lawns in my neighborhood.

Good-bye, snow! See you again in 9 months or so. *wistful sigh*

For the record, having grown up in north-central Texas, where snow falls maybe 3 times a year and actually sticks once every other year, it will always hold a magical place in my heart. I'm sure I'd have already changed my mind if I'd moved to, say, Minnesota...but here in my part of Oregon, it snows maybe 7 times a year and sticks for 2, so it's still magical to me. :3

I am also happy to say that I am as caught up with Bleach manga as it is possible to (legally) be in North America! Thanks to my subscription to SJ Alpha, I can read the new chapter only 2 weeks after it appears in Japan. The chances of me happening across spoilers in fic or art are negligible!!! I can now read almost any fic without fear!!! Yes, this pleases me greatly. ^^

Next on my manga catch-up list...Bakuman. XD I have...*checks* 100 chapters to read. Not as bad as Bleach, for which I had about 170! ^^V

I'm hard at work on Clay 21 and Naruto 59. Trying to finish as many difficult pages as I can before Skip 29 and Natsume 13 hit. I have scripts for both, but no raw pages from Japan. Oh yes, and I finished the 2nd one-shot book I did for the new genre sort-of being released by Viz.

A little health stuff, under the cut to save those who'd rather not. )

Back to work for me! I have no idea what is going on in Clay 21, bouncing around from difficult page to difficult page as I am. Everyone is fighting everyone else, I swear. :P

ETA: Fish skin is sticky!! (Apologies to any vegetarians or vegans or see this.)
slr2moons: a self-portrait, of me in my usual habitat: in front of my computer monitors! (insane laughter)
For quite some time, I've wanted to try walking all the way to my library, a distance of 3 miles. Which isn't too long, except that it's all uphill. It's the return trip that always gave me pause, for 6 miles is 1.5 longer than my usual ventures, and I'd be a zombie from fatigue the next day.

But with my current work level being so light, I could afford to lose a day and a half...and there's this convenient thing in Portland known as Trimet. Yes, it has the light rail trains, and the streetcar downtown, and it also has...BUSES. Hmmm!

Now let me tell you of my adventure... )
slr2moons: a self-portrait, of me in my usual habitat: in front of my computer monitors! (caffeine)
I post so little these days. It's not that I've abandoned LJ for Twitter, Facebook, or Tumblr like so many have--because I don't post at any of those places, either. I just don't feel the need to talk as much as I once did. I guess.

Kakashi-the-kitten is at the vet, being removed from the gene pool and tagged for tracking by Big Brother. I'm grateful for both, as he's been really rambunctious the past few weeks, and keeps attempting to escape through the front door whenever I come home. With no more testosterone in his system, he should calm done somewhat and stop running me and Spicer-kitty ragged. And if he ever DOES escape, then I'll have a much better chance of recovering him with that microchip under his skin.

Anyway, Natsume 12 and Skip 28 are both done, except for corrections. At the moment, I'm wrapping up Clay 20, then I'll be officially without work until Naruto 59 or Skip 29 arrives, whichever happens first. With all four titles caught up to the Japanese release, and me being backup for Naruto anyway, it's probably going to be feast or famine in regards to my workload. Famine like now, with only one title, feast like a few weeks ago, with all four at once. The upcoming months will be most interesting.

I find it ironic that the one holiday season I won't be visiting the hometown in TX is the one where I will barely have any work to interfere. Of course. Also just watch: since I won't have to worry about weather interfering with my flights, it WON'T freeze or snow or otherwise grow nasty this holiday season. Never fails!

Fannish concerns, ala Big Bang art, Yuletide fic, and meeting fellow writers IRL OMG! Also shopping and reading. )

Look, I actually managed to write an update. Yay!
slr2moons: a self-portrait, of me in my usual habitat: in front of my computer monitors! (Heeee!)
Yesterday I took a day off work and went into Portland to raid Powell's bookstore and visit with my friends Neeka and Chiz. It was a fun and relaxing visit! I bought a gigantic plate of nachos (gluten-free!) that kept me from being hungry all day. We sort-of-watched Captain America, which I've never seen before. It was better than I thought it would be. Hugo Weaving made that long black coat and suit work. Rowr! :3

I bought way too many books, as usual. Enough to earn a free reusable shopping bag from the store. :B I brought home a big bag of books I had loaned to Neeka as well, so at least the weight was balanced for my longish trek between train station and apartment. Only 2.5 more volumes and I will FINALLY be caught up with FMA! Then WHAT will I read next??

While checking my fave webcomics last night, I saw the artist of one is asking for guest comics in preparation for the craziness of the holidays. I'd love to give her one, but I don't have the time. >< I'm barely keeping afloat with work, I have three fan commitments already, and ugh. IDK. Maybe I can mess around for 10 min or so today and see what I can come up with. If I find a good guest comic bunny, I could run with it anyway. Think of the advertising potential!

I'm not really sure how guest comic protocol works. It seems like webcomic artists ask friends for them, or a friend offers to make one, or even surprises them with one. However it happens, it all comes from their circle of known acquaintances. From what I've observed, a comicker outright asking for them from the general public is quite rare. If I miss this chance, will it come up again? Could I email the artist at a later point and tell her if she ever needs a guest comic, just ask me? If that's the case, why didn't I give her one when she asked everyone? Could I draw a comic when I have time in however many months and send it to her for future use if need be, without coming across as really presumptuous?

And that paragraph makes it sound like this is my best chance, since the artist outright asked for guest comics. I do believe that's opportunity knocking at my door. Oh dear.

.....I should be working, not typing LJ posts, eh? Damn. Sorrygottagogetbusybye!
slr2moons: a self-portrait, of me in my usual habitat: in front of my computer monitors! (D'awwww so kyooooot!!)

Clay Editor 4 told me she's tweaking the script for Claymore vol 20 now, and that means it could arrive any day. When it does, my spare time will go flying out the window, as always! So this week, I've been doing as many fun things as I can, while I can enjoy them mostly guilt-free.

Bowling, pizza, Book Club, my favorite movie back in theaters, and a 2nd film only for the pretty! )

slr2moons: a self-portrait, of me in my usual habitat: in front of my computer monitors! (chibi L)

I am one more home in Oregon! I do love visiting with my family and good old friends...I just wish I didn't have to go back to TX to do it. :P I don't think I'll be able to return over the holidaze this year. Money is somewhat short, and Shoujo Editor 2 said the next volumes of Natsume and Skip will probably be rushed over the next few months. (Still can't start on either, no raw pages from Japan. Alas!)

I was wrong in my previous post: the pregnant cat wasn't left behind by one of my sister's former tenants, but one of the neighbors nearby her rental place. In a curious case of circumstance, her longtime friend Dr. H also lives nearby in her own house. Dr. H was the one who took in the pregnant cat. I'm not sure how I ended up mixing things, but now I've got it right. :B

More about the saga of Kakashi the Kitten! )



I took today off work, and must resume Naruto 57 tomorrow. Tonight I am finishing up my first pic for the het bigbang. I could have sworn I blogged about it, but if I did I can't find it. I think I'll save the big explanation for when I actually post the art. In a nutshell: I'm drawing two pics for someone who is writing a crossover Buffy/Supernatural fic starring Buffy and Dean. I rather like how the first one has turned out! Here's hopin' the second is as good.

And now, back to work. Oh, and I do plan to post kitty pics! Just not tonight. :P

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slr2moons: a self-portrait, of me in my usual habitat: in front of my computer monitors! (I trust you...)
Hello from Texas, everyone! Don't start a wildfire here, you'll roast us all. :P

I'm in the guest room of my parents' house, where I grew up into a professional anime and manga fan. Ahhh, memories!!! Watching my treasured VHS Fushigi Yuugi fansubs until 2 AM. Those were the days...14 years ago. O.o Yikes!

A few of you know, but when I return home to Portland late Tuesday night, I'm bringing a kitten back with me. :3 No, I didn't fly 2,000 miles just for a cat. I was visiting anyway, and my sister ended up taking in a pregnant cat abandoned by some former tenants of hers, so hey. Free kitten! He's gray, long-haired, laid-back, and thus I have named him "Kakashi". *snicker* I'll finally meet him tomorrow. But for now, Braveheart is purring like an engine next to me on the bed. I'm so glad he remembers me!!!! D'awww, Braveheart. He's so old now. *wibbles*

It's good to visit home. Not only to see family and friends, but the FOOD! I do love Portland, but it's impossible to find decent fried chicken in the city. :P~~~ Tomorrow: Chicken Express! Mmmmm! :9

And on that delicious note, I shall depart. ^^
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slr2moons: a self-portrait, of me in my usual habitat: in front of my computer monitors! (Mmm...)

Interesting news this time! Last Monday--not yesterday, but a week before--I went on a mini road trip with the ever-awesome [livejournal.com profile] mcruthless and [livejournal.com profile] neekaneeks to raid Fry's Electronics. Neeka shooed us away and talked shop with the computer parts guys while Chiz (mcruthless) and I wandered the store and looked at everything we either didn't want or couldn't afford. :B

What were we doing at Fry's anyway? Buying the parts for my new computer. Yes, everyone, I have finally upgraded. *le gasp* The third time Chiz and I touched base with Neeka, she let us stay. (Apparently we distracted the salesboys when we were there.) Anyway, Neeka gleefully waved her hand at all the components inside the shopping card and said, "Come look at your black stallion!" for the case she had chosen for me was indeed black.

And that did it, the new computer officially has a name: Shetan, AKA the actual name of the Black Stallion in the Walter Farley books I adored in childhood.

Everyone, meet Shetan. )

So yeah. I have a new computer! He is fast! He is fully customizable! He eats gigantic Photoshop files for breakfast! Once I clean out my towers, he'll have dual monitors! It's a whole new world!!!

And that's what I've been up to. :D Waiting to start Natsume 12 and Skip 28 for script/raw page reasons. Currently working on Naruto mag pages and fanart advertising opportunities. FUN TIMES!

slr2moons: a self-portrait, of me in my usual habitat: in front of my computer monitors! (chibi L)

On Friday night, I uploaded the final pages of Saiunkoku vol 5. This is actually the last volume I will be lettering. The new letterer has the font list and the Photoshop file I made of ganked royal palace screen tones that the mangaka loves to use in her backgrounds. He's ready to go whenever it's time for vol 6! If you've been reading Saiun up to now, I do hope you'll continue to do so. I know I'll be picking up vol 6+ myself, for both the story and lovely art. :3

Skip 27 and Natsume 11 are proceeding nicely, if a bit behind schedule. 5 pages a day of each will bring me in under deadline with some comfortable padding. ^^

I should be receiving three more Naruto chapters in the next couple weeks! I wonder if Naruto will actually be in the pages this time, as in the last set of 3 he was only in a couple of flashback panels. I didn't even have any Sakura or Sasuke, it was all supporting cast! *finds that amusing* There was this one really pretty pic of Gaara-sama that made me happy, though. Heeeee! <3

I've allllmost bought my tickets for my trip to visit the hometown this summer. I'm waiting for some frequent flier miles I purchased to go through, then I can officially buy my tickets. (They're currently on hold.) And it worked out thanks to limited options and the quirks of my airline's frequent fliers program that I'll be flying first-class when I return to Oregon. I've...never done that before. O.o I feel like I need to dress up. =O Heels and a nice blouse and slacks. Makeup, too. *gulp*

I always manage to forget SOMETHING when I'm booking a flight because there are so many variables, and I managed it this time. My return flight is on the 2nd Tuesday of September...which is Book Club Night. Oops. T.T I will be literally flying in the air for the hour of Book Club. T.T How could I have forgotten??! There goes my perfect attendance record. It had to end eventually, I suppose. I'm glad it's for something fun like a trip to the hometown, rather than me being sick. And September is a fantasy book month...I already have the book, too. *wilts* Damn it...

For anyone interested, I figured out why Hoth was leaking. )

slr2moons: a self-portrait, of me in my usual habitat: in front of my computer monitors! (angst)

ETA: looks like calling the manufacturer won't do any good. They'll want me to ship Hoth back to them, and that's just laughable. Google has given me some encouraging repair results--people who will come TO Hoth--so that's good. Wish me luck!

Nrrrgh. )



My kingdom for central air. Or a big, healthy tree between my western window and the sun. *sigh*

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slr2moons: a self-portrait, of me in my usual habitat: in front of my computer monitors! (dance in the sun)
 I wrote this fun, energetic post about how much I enjoyed the holiday weekend, and as I deleted some extra space at the bottom, LJ ate it when it moved me back a page in my history. I'd forgotten to copy the whole post into my clipboard before trying anything funny like making the LJ cut I had been tweaking, and LJ's auto-saved draft restore didn't do jack to restore the post.

Ttaku. I am not writing all that out again. To sum up:

Had fun with friends, relaxed. Was treated to pizza by [livejournal.com profile] knastymike , then treated [livejournal.com profile] mcruthless  and [livejournal.com profile] neekaneeks  to breakfast. Started watching Tiger and Bunny on Hulu. Saw matinee of PotC 4. It was better than 2 and 3 but not as good as 1. Read Bakuman vols 3 and 4. Took several naps. Did a little work. Bought Loveless vol 10 and June's issue of Japanese manga mag Zero-Sum.

Am mostly recharged to face June, which will be a month of Work Hell. Wheee!
slr2moons: a self-portrait, of me in my usual habitat: in front of my computer monitors! (dance in the sun)
I am still alive, still recovering from the crunch of the past ~month, but quite a bit happier now it's done. Whew! I'm still waiting to be sent corrections for the 2nd half of Clay 19, but Skip 25, Natsume 9, and Saiun 4 are all in the can. Woot! Skip 26 and Natsume 10 are all that's on my plate right now, and they both have the usual 8 week deadline. Things are looking good! *knocks on wood*

My abbreviated version of Stumptown )

On Monday, I took almost a whole day off. I read in the sunshine with my cat for almost two hours, and it was lovely. I did do corrections for the first half of Clay, but that was part of relaxing. ^^ IF I am home and don't do some work, guilt and anxiety kick in. (Know thyself, right?) In any case, it was a lovely day of relaxing. I took a half-day of relaxing on Tuesday as well. Neekaneeks and McRuthless came out to my apartment, we hung out and yakked, hit the Thai place next door, then I drove us all to the Japanese grocery store Uwajimaya, where much buying of goodies was had. I found three (English) manga vols I wanted in the 50% off discount bin, drooled over the brand-new Tegami Bachi art book ($50 and shrink-wrapped, all I admired was the cover), and placed an order for Loveless vol 9 in Japanese. (You know I love Loveless, and even before Stuart drop-kicked Tokyopop's North American manga branch out the door, I intended to buy it in Japanese b/c I could find no listing for it in English on any bookseller's site anyway. That's the main reason I began learning Japanese all those years ago.) :P~~~~~

Now I am back to work, and feeling much better than I have for many days. I've returned to running, too. The third day, I could already feel the improvement! Always fun. Hopefully this time it will stick. I'm back to one minute each of jogging and then walking for half an hour. My easiest level, soon to be increasing in intensity and duration. Gotta start somewhere! And work off all that food. Being a stress eater has its price.

I am determined that next year, I will be able to hand out postcards for my manga, make trades for same with others, and pimp my stories to everyone. I want to play, too, damn it! X|
slr2moons: a self-portrait, of me in my usual habitat: in front of my computer monitors! (Elegance with a sword)
 Yesterday, I spent a lazy day with the wonderful [livejournal.com profile] neekaneeks  and [livejournal.com profile] mcruthless. We talked about art, and comics, and manga, and anime, and webcomics, and movies, and all sorts of other fun stuff. They also introduced me to the Showtime show "True Blood", which I've been vaguely curious about, since I've been a fan of vampires for a good 20 years. I ended up enjoying eps 1 and 2, so now there's yet another entry on my list of Shows to Watch. :B

[livejournal.com profile] knastymike  joined us after he was free from work and the great glorious geekout continued until sleep was required.

That will likely be my last guilt-free day off for quite some time. Script for Clay 19 is here, and this volume is pretty much one long fight scene. ^^;; Skip 25 is almost halfway finished. This vol is a little bit (just a little) less crazy than 24, which is good! Natsume 9 is halfway done, but it is on pause while we wait for more script. Saiun 4 could arrive any day now, and of course when it does, it will be a rush job.

Thus: no more (guilt-free) days off for me for a while. ^^

Oh yeah, and I repeated my previous posts' running performance this morning. ^^V It wasn't a fluke! XD

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