Delightfully Distracted

On the Move

2010-04-11T13:48:00.001-07:00

I think a blimp would be the most awesome way to travel!
Photo: taken by me :: 10 April 2010

My return marks the beginning of a busy few months. We are moving to a city five hours away in May…As the phrase goes, “my how time flies!” I’ve never had a move quite like this, and I can feel the embers of stress begin to singe!

Finding a place “from afar” looks like it is going to be an annoying prospect. I mean, one can only do so much through the Internet and telephone. We plan to drive up there sometime soon and view homes that we are interested in.

So, if I am a bit sporadic for the next few weeks, this is why! Once we start calling people and setting dates, I can get a better grasp on everything. In the meantime, I am just going to cross my fingers and hope for the best! I don’t even want to think about actually moving our stuff over such a great distance.

Gone and Went

2010-04-08T19:04:00.000-07:00

I was out of town for the past two weeks, and it looks like I forgot to post about it here. Here’s my official oops:

Oops! -- Well, I was sort of busy before I left...

The trip was great and got my creative juices flowing again. Before I can delve into writing, revising, and the like, I need to clean. It is apparent that a certain Cthulhu visited my apartment while I was gone. The hurricane of debris left in His wake is…Let’s just say a lot! In other words, my place is very messy; the gnawing sort of messy that one can’t just ignore and put off until next week.

The trip itself was a blast, for lack of a better description. I was fortunate enough to see a few friends (and one cousin) that I had lost touch with over the years. It was fun and interesting to catch up with each other.

I hear Cthulhu calling, pulling at my eyelids, so I’m making it an early night.

Goodnight for now!

Is Anyone Home?

2010-03-20T13:18:00.000-07:00

So, where have I been for the past few months? Indeed, where have I been?

For the past few months, I was stuck in the worst case of Writer’s Block that I have ever had. It was bad; on the scale of I wanted to pull my hair out and snap my writing utensils in half, keyboard included!

The muse wandered her way back to me sometime last week. It was strange how “she” suddenly reappeared without warning. Of her shabby clothing, well rags was more like it, and haggard expression, I said nothing and merely welcomed her back with open arms.

I spent the next few days catching up on all the writing I had missed out on. I even went as far as to try and find a specific theme for this blog (hence why I didn’t post here upon first discovering my poor muse). Today I stumbled across a small, but great piece about blogs.

You can check it out here: 13 Mistakes Authors Make on Their Blogs

No, I’m not trying to sell a book, but I think the advice is sound for any sort of blog! With that being said, I was inspired by it. So, should you stumble my way, you might see some formatting errors and the like while I test certain things.

This blog will stay the way it is, and I’ll still keep it here. I don’t think I will be suffering through that sort of Writer’s Block again…at least not for a long time!

In other news
I've had to turn full moderation controls on for comments because there has been an influx of spammers as of late. I hate that I have to do this, but until the problem goes away, I will have to keep it that way.

Dear Cthulhu, All I Want for Xmas is…

2009-12-11T16:05:00.000-08:00

Tentacles that grow money!—but don’t we all?

I've written a few things which have been published online at Innsmouth Free Press. Not only is the site a fun read filled with horror and supernatural goodness, but the people who run it are a friendly bunch!

Holiday Horror Strikes Again!
Missing Journalist in Holiday Horror Attacks Found

– this is a short series, so keep your eyes open for more!

If you enjoy this genre and want to read (or watch) more of it, Innsmouth has a section dedicated to reviews so that you can easily find more of it. Here is one I wrote for House of Windows by John Langan:

Review: House of Windows

I can't believe it took a poetry class for me to figure out that this is my favorite genre to write in. I guess that goes to show what all of my poems ended up being like...All of the ones in the portfolio I turned in for that class had some sort of creepy theme or twist. Ah, what fun it was to write them though!

Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?

2009-12-11T07:22:00.001-08:00

Well, it’s been over a month since I have posted in here. I do apologize for the severe lapse in updates. In November, I decided to attempt NaNo, National Novel Writing Month. NaNo is a personal contest where the contestants try to write 50,000 words in thirty days.

I just want to say that NaNo was one of the most enjoyable “contests” I’ve ever participated in! It was a lot of hard work, and it took a considerable amount of will power, but I had so much fun letting my imagination run completely wild—mad even—for those thirty days!

At 50,413 words, I managed to complete the goal and “win” NaNo! I am so happy I was able to do it. It’s something I can later go back and say, “yeah, I pushed myself to the limit and was able to pull through with it in the end!” The novel itself is not complete yet. I have two our three scenes that I need to write. Then, of course, there is the revision process (in reality, revision is quite fun).

So, that’s where I was in November. I would have been officially “back” sooner, but shortly after completing it, I caught a nasty bug of the likes I haven’t had the misfortune of experiencing in many years, in other words, I’ve been sick for the past week.

I have a lot of catching up to do, so expect another update in here today because I have some exciting links to share!

* This post's title was in reference to a short story (of the same name) by Joyce Carol Oates. A good read, in my opinion.

Trapping the Muse

2009-10-26T10:24:00.000-07:00

I haven’t forgotten about this blog, but when inspiration hits an all time low, it is hard to think of things to write about. I’ve been too ashamed to admit that I am having trouble finding a job, but I’m at the point where I don’t care anymore. There are many people who are facing similar situations right now.

With this particular difficulty, comes certain emotions that we all know stem from troubling times. Those emotions tend to drain my creativity, sucking it up as if it were a delicious, sweet cola. So, I am sorry to say that updates will be sporadic for now. I’ll try my best to post interesting bits or items of note, but it’s hard for me at the moment.

I am doing fine considering this temporary lapse in employment—it’s just that I didn’t expect it to take the toll it has taken.

New Design!

2009-10-08T17:55:00.000-07:00

I'm done tweaking with the minor details for now. I'm going to leave this new design up for a few days to see if I like it.

EDIT #2: I fixed the problem the long way. I am just too picky when it comes to certain things, and I couldn't stand the thought of changing the widths of the sidebar and main post areas. It looked like there was only one image with a width of 450px. Hopefully I didn't miss any!

EDIT: Okay, I lied. There is always something! I'm going to have to go in and either manually change the widths of each image that is 450px or ruin the spacing I like between the sidebar and main part. *le sigh.*

Maintenance

2009-10-08T15:06:00.000-07:00

I am currently toying with some templates, so please excuse any messes you might happen to see while I'm in the process of creating a new template (I might stick with my current one if I don't like how what I'm working on looks).

Thou Shalt Unsee...

2009-10-07T11:16:00.000-07:00

For those who wish that their keyboards came with Unsee buttons:

The Internet is a vast, virtual place with many wonders to occupy one’s time with—it just so happens that those wonders are not always pleasant to the mental images that rage through one’s mind…

Graphic: My poor, deluded keyboard. If only there was such a button on it!
You may use the image; just be sure to give me credit.

In 500 Words: Round Six!

2009-10-05T16:40:00.000-07:00

Our narrator's tale comes to an end for now.

A continuation of
Round One | Round Two | Round Four | Round Five

Dictionary.com’s word of the day is Esurient.

A New and Final Development

Five weeks went by after the incident involving the woman, Olivia, collapsing in my house, during which James refused to speak to me. I fear, dear journal, that this will be my last and final entry on the matter of the strange creature-woman. My efforts to call him, email him, and even text him were met with stale, impassive neglect on his part. What possible thing could I have done to upset him so? It wasn’t my fault she had wandered into my home and passed out!

I am getting ahead of myself here….

That night—after his initial shock at seeing the woman—he picked up his med kit and shut the door, cutting me out of the picture. Two hours he was in there! My ear was pressed against the door for the first half hour. In that time, I could hear him speak softly and her respond in a similar tone. Their words were so light and soft, that I could not discern what they were saying until James yelled at me.

“You are breeching our privacy!”

I scoffed at him, but moved away. James had always been clever and more adept at slight sounds and changes in his surroundings. I suppose that was why he was the doctor and I was not. I occupied those two hours by pacing in the adjoining room. James later emerged with the woman in tow. He appeared flushed, and his facial features had an odd, wax like appearance to them. What did she do to him!? I was as esurient as any greedy tabloid for James to spill some juicy news.

He gazed at me, his eyes steady, and gestured to the woman with his hand.

“I’m taking her with me.”

And that was the last I heard from him until this morning. I had kept close tabs (as I had been previously doing) on the rise in deaths, but the suspicious “attacks” came to a stop. Other than the normal reports of violence in certain areas, there was nothing of particular note. To say that his silence ate at me would have been an understatement—I even went by his house several times, but he was never there.

I received a letter in the mail this morning. It was addressed from Shady Glenn, the upscale asylum for the mentally unstable.

I am sorry I didn’t get to you sooner! I must say things have turned upside down for me! Olivia is no mere woman. She’s from our future; a millennia from now, to be exact. She is more than human. Her species is called Homo Neosapius, and there was a sudden evolutionary jolt in the mid 22nd century! There were toxins and disasters! They figured out how to make time machines and sent her back to stop Earth from falling apart. She was sent to stop us from ourselves!

It is a pity that I had to kill her in the end. I guess that’s why I’m here.

~James

###

*The address in the image is not a real address.

Adventures in Recycling: A New Tote!

2009-10-03T15:41:00.000-07:00

I’ve wanted to get a new purse/bag/tote for quite some time now. I hate the one I have because it doesn’t have a shoulder strap, and I don’t see designers making women’s pants practical anytime soon (otherwise, I’d just put everything in my pockets), so I am past due for a new one.

I still have some of my old clothing that I wore in high school, which I haven’t touched in years! So, why not make a bag from scratch using what I have instead of paying for a new one that could potentially turn out to be a dud?

~~~

I wore this handsome skirt with combat boots loud and proud. I thought I was the toughest and coolest pretend soldier the world had ever seen. Ah, the memories! I waltzed around in this during my Sophomore and Junior years, I believe.

Snip, snip!

I drew my pattern onto the skirt with chalk. The pattern is on that sheet of paper.

Inside out

The bag is perfect for sneaking your action figures around town. I mean we all need company, right?

I couldn't resist! I think they are a nice touch.

More Good News!

2009-09-25T15:47:00.000-07:00

A short, fictional article written by yours truly was published in Innsmouth Free Press today. You can read it here, "Fossilized Tentacle Petrifies Scientist into a Coma!".

If you are into H.P. Lovecraft and similar works, Innsmouth Free Press is a great place to check out short stories, snippets (Monster Bytes), and book/movie reviews written by fans and Lovecraft enthusiasts. Never read anything by Lovecraft? They even have some of his works published for your viewing pleasure.

"The Shadow Over Innsmouth" – This is one of my favorite H.P. Lovecraft stories, and it is a good starting place if you’ve never read anything by him.

His stories remind me of shows like The Twilight Zone and Tales From the Crypt. If you enjoy that genre, you will enjoy Lovecraft. He was a master at merging beautiful prose with horror and weird fiction.

An Astounding Art Studio

2009-09-23T18:22:00.000-07:00

Kitchen floor of wonders, what will I turn you into next week?

Nah, it just serves as a kitchen floor and an art studio when the mood fits. I sit on a big, green pillow when I paint. I sometimes lay across it when my body wants to shift positions. Kitchen floors may be useful, but they are severely lacking in the comfortable place to sit department.

Our cherry tinted ice chest makes an excellent table for when I paint on actual canvas. Using the floor doesn’t work for that, and vise versa goes for watercolor.

The watercolor pictured is my third attempt at painting a beach. So far I am pleased with it and am happy to report that dear Cthulhu won’t get his tentacles on it! I am going to let it sit over night before I decide whether or not I am finished with it.

Watercolor: Cthulhu Rising

2009-09-22T17:24:00.000-07:00

On Twitter I mentioned that I had been painting beach scenery for the past two days. I don't normally do landscapes, so they are not my area of expertise (I say that with a lighthearted chuckle)!

Cthulhu Rising

This picture originally looked so bland and dull, that I felt sleepy just looking at it. I didn't like it at all (probably because I am not used to doing landscapes). So I did what anyone would do and painted dear Cthulhu rising out of the water!

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the painting now...

Fantastic News!

2009-09-14T11:25:00.000-07:00

In July I entered a poetry contest that Phi Kappa Phi, an honor society I belong to, was hosting. My sonnet, “An Evening with Professor Perkins” made it as a runner-up! You can read the sonnet here.

I offer my congratulations to the winner (the winner was featured in the society’s print publication, Phi Kappa Phi Forum) and the other runners-up!

Traversing my Time Machine: Iraq (Part II)

2009-09-12T13:21:00.000-07:00

It’s time for another round with my time machine! I was digging through my wooden box of foreign currencies today (nothing in there is of high value, I assure you. I’ve spent away all of the valuable currencies that have ever come into my wallet) and found more Iraqi money.

I bought these off of a merchant who had set up a little booth near the Ziggurat (the tiny, boxlike structure on the rightmost side of the first image. The image itself is its own story!).

The coin below has a little history to it. When I used to go overseas, I liked to trade American coins for local coins with locals I either befriended or just happened to talk to. I got this one while I was in Turkey. My friend had no idea where the coin came from, but he loved American coins so much, that I traded with him anyway (besides, I liked the mystery value of it!).

I had it for the longest time, keeping it safe and snug with my other coins. It wasn’t until I was sent to Iraq that I was able to identify where the coin had come from.

On one of my many trips to the chow hall or to a user (I cannot remember which), I saw the coin's symbol on one of the older murals that had remained unscathed by the war.

Next time on Traversing my Time Machine, Korean won!

In 500 Words: Round Five!

2009-09-09T11:32:00.000-07:00

A continuation of
Round One | Round Two | Round Four

I did this one last night, so Dictionary.com’s word of the day was refulgent.

July 12, 2025
The Exhausting Evening Continues

I had walked away after she uttered those strange, stilted words. The very notion of what she seemed to be was ridiculous! Her smell was pungent and proliferating throughout my house. My poor Jacob was cowering underneath my bed. I had never seen him in such a state; not even when I give him his monthly baths! Part of me wanted to coax him out of there, but common sense dictated otherwise. There was no way of knowing what that thing would do to him if she managed to get herself out of the guestroom.

I paced the length of my dining room for a long while. My eyes couldn’t help but follow the milky film left from the woman’s hand on the backdoor. It seemed to glow as the porch lights reflected against the glass from outside; it was refulgent almost. I spun around and went for my room. I dove under the bed, pushing my dear friend aside, and grabbed the narrow case behind him. With several quick motions, I had the thing opened and my pool stick ready for whatever misgivings I would have to bear. I carried it back to the guestroom door.

“Your name,” I hissed, raising the stick as I would were I playing for the San Francisco Giants.

“Olivia,” came the chortled reply. The door rattled as something—she—thumped against it. The dry, cringing sound her body made when it slid down the length of the door made me take several steps backwards.

“Olivia,” I said sometime later. I had stood there, pool stick and all, for at least an hour. No sounds emanated from the woman since she slumped over. I didn’t want to risk serious damage to the thing, so I crept for the door and cracked it open. She was lying on her stomach, face down. Her white hair was strewn about her bare back in tentacle like tendrils.

Swallowing the bile threatening to unleash itself on the floor, I lowered my pool stick and gave her side a soft prod. When she didn’t move, I backed out and went straight for my phone. One of my good childhood friends was a doctor.

…

“I can be discrete, with the healthcare reform they approved in the teens; don’t get me wrong! It’s been a good thing! So many people have been helped who otherwise wouldn’t-“

“James, please. I don’t want to hear any of your speeches right now. Just go in there, look at her, and tell me what’s wrong with her.”

I stepped to the side, still holding my pool stick. I had gotten lucky that night. James had the evening off and readily came over…The poor man…I had neglected to mention just what the woman looked like, though, being a doctor, he was probably used to such things…so there was no reason to mention that minute detail.

“Wait here,” he said, reaching for the guestroom door. The thing opened quietly, and James dropped his portable med kit.

###

Traversing my Time Machine: Iraq

2009-09-06T14:02:00.000-07:00

Ah, here we go, I think to myself as I reach for the two oblong dials in front of me. One of them has a series of ten, double digit numbers circling it with ten tiny marks etched between each number. I turn the silver thing to the forth etch after the 00 marker. My other hand slowly turns the other dial, the one with months marked around it, and I look up at the steady stream of paper printing out of the slot directly above my head. The paper looks much like the receipts from a grocery store.

It seems that everything is in order, so I move both of my hands to the final lever, the long stick that rests next to my right thigh. Here we go… I push it forward, grunting as I do so, until a loud click vibrates the entire machine. I am thrown back into my seat, and I only have seconds to calm myself before the thing starts shaking with madness.

For the next…who knows how long, I feel as though I’m trapped in the San Francisco quake of ’89. Were it not for the straps holding me in place, I am fairly certain that my body would be plastered onto the console.

The thing hisses and stops thrashing about. Bright light streams in from the tiny portal below the analog printouts. Shadows haze over the light as a fury of paper descends from above. The numbers tell me that the trip was a success.

###

Okay, so I’m not into “normal” blogging… I just find my life a bit too mundane to be considered interesting. Not only that, but I like time machines!

In 2004 I was deployed to Iraq, so here are some things I picked up from the local merchants. I would like to note that I was against the war back then, but it didn’t matter. I received orders, so I went and did my job.

Iraqi stamps

If you look closely, you can see that some of them were marked by rubber stamps by a post office.

Iraqi money as it was during Saddam’s reign

Close up of the coin

The coin picture is not of great quality, I know. I had put it into a page with a plastic cover. The cover is detrimental to flash photography. I have another Iraqi coin but it’s buried deep in this wooden box I have.

Republican Guard ranks.

Where and how the merchant got these, I really do not want to know. Well, at least he can provide for his family with his little shop.

###

After a quiet stroll around the Ziggurat, I climb back into my time machine so that I can head back home in time for dinner. I turn the first dial to the thin etch just before the 10 marker while turning the second dial to September.

A Threaded Gift

2009-09-04T16:32:00.001-07:00

An unexpected surprise was waiting for me in the mail today. For my birthday, my sister sent me some fabric and sewing supplies. Depicted above (and below) is some of the fabric. There is just enough for a possible dress/tunic. The striped fabric is beautiful up close, and when I first saw the different hues of greys, blacks, and patterned stripes, I thought it would make a perfect Romulan costume.

Even close up, the camera does not do the fabric justice but here is the actual size snipped from one of the images I took.

The silver fabric will make a great sash. I created a collage of the different Romulan uniforms featured throughout Star Trek. I want to make something that melds the TOS look (the uniform on the top left – the woman in the dress with the red sash) with the other looks shown. I’ve always wanted a TOS Romulan dress…among other wonderful geekdom things!

Since the fabric is so nice, I am not taking any risks. I will actually have to go out and buy some sort of pattern similar to the look I’m going for (namely, I want it for trouble areas like sleeves and back zipper). I just hope that there is enough material. I am willing to go for the half sleeve look just in case!

2 + 9 = 11

2009-09-02T11:45:00.000-07:00

I am 29 today, which means I have one year left before I officially step out of the world of “young adulthood.” Until that time, I will make the most of the last year I have to enjoy my 20s.

My muse is long dead and gone, so this entry is going to be brief. If anyone has muse bait that actually works to lure in a lost muse, you are more than welcome to share!

My husband got me a wonderful collection of Edgar Allan Poe's poems and tales. He plopped it in my lap this morning. I love waking up to deranged stories.

The spine was just too awesome to leave out, so I photographed it at an angle.

The ends of the pages are painted in a glossy golden hue. You can't really see it in the picture, but the beautiful shine is there!

First Painting on Canvas!

2009-08-30T13:36:00.000-07:00

"Butterflies at Night"

This is my first attempt at painting something with acrylics on actual canvas (I used to only paint with watercolor on paper). It’s not a stunning masterpiece, but I am happy with it. I normally don’t do “cute” (unless it has to do with something odd or otherworldly). The painting was done for a future niece.

It was a fun experience and great practice for when I go on to more complex things in the future.

In 500 Words: Round Four!

2009-08-26T18:20:00.000-07:00

In 500 words...a continuation of Round One and Round Two!

Dictionary.com's word of the day is rictus.

July 12, 2025

It’s been a month since the weird happenings down in LA. I’m back in the comfort of my home. It seems that Jacob, my Maine Coon hadn’t even noticed that I was gone. His attitude towards me when I walked through those doors was just as aloof as it was before I left. But I didn’t take all that energy and effort into starting a journal just to whine about my selfish cat. Oh, he’s looking at me now from my bed. Seems he somehow read my rebellious thoughts about him. No, Jacob, this journal is for those weird events of which I’ve told you about many times.

The heart attacks in the LA area were spreading both in numbers and in distance. When I had asked my friend for advice, he actually believed me about that strange woman and even suggested that she could be from another planet…He was also wearing a bright red jumper suit and matching helmet at the time…and not to mention a bit drunk from a rowdy Sci-Fi banquet he had just got back from. After that conversation, I had decided to leave my suspicions about the strange woman at that. She was probably just some sick whim of my imagination.

When the trip was over, I kept tabs on the situation through various online news feeds anyway. As stated in the previous paragraph, the heart attacks had been spreading. There was a 1% increase in deaths per day. Yes, I did the math. That was until yesterday…Not one death. The officials insist that the deaths were just some sort of strange and unfortunate coincidence.

I now know otherwise.

I have the proof locked up in the spare bedroom.

She came last night after I had finished giving Jacob his nightly meal. I was cleaning his glass bowl when I heard something thump and crash into the back door. Thinking that my dear Jacob had gotten himself tangled in the curtains, I sprinted towards the sound. White, tentacle-like fingers pressed against the glass, highlighted by the porch light above them. She stared at me, her eyes wide and her thin, slit of a mouth twisted into a rictus of gruesome mockery.

It was only for an instant, but the image forever remains. Right after she looked at me, the woman slumped forward and slid down the glass, smearing it with some sort of milky film. I grabbed the nearest heavy object, which ended up being my favorite figurine, the one of the firefighter carrying the tabby kitten to safety. I slid the door open.

The dreadful creature was unconscious, so what did I do? Did I do the sensible thing and call 911? No. I dragged her inside, shut up all the windows in the guestroom, and locked her there. She woke up around 0900 and started scratching the door.

I shouted that I was about to call the police. The hideous sound stopped almost instantly.

“I’ve come to ask for ye be’cuz ye lives.”

###

In 500 Words: A Tribute to Lovecraft

2009-08-20T16:57:00.000-07:00

I wrote this 500 word short today in honor of H.P. Lovecraft's birthday. It is a tribute to him and his style of writing.

On the Edge of Sanity

It was shortly after I returned home from college when it happened; the weird and unexplained thing which forced me here. I suppose that it was my own, careless fault. “Schizophrenia” my mother initially screamed, but the doctors say differently. They are still testing me, but are steadfast in their ignorance for deeming me insane.

My mother had renovated the house between my initial departure and return from college. I had kept in touch with her through letters and emails, saving my holidays for travel. I often told her that before I settled down with a career, I wanted to see things. She was most agreeable with my wishes and used some of her inheritance from Father to fund my travels—on one condition—I was not to date or ruin my life by getting myself impregnated. Fulfilling her request was effortless; I had never been interested in that sort of thing.

There were times when I had strayed from the guided tours and ventured into the unknown. That, in part, was my undoing. I liked to visit places with certain histories of unseemly doings…Salem was one such place. I didn’t bother to show up at the guided tour sessions there, and instead, went out at night to find my own tour guides (those of the witching sort). I won’t go into detail about the obvious things which ensued in those not so still hours—of the bonfires, chants, and reckless endangerment to animals.

I came home to a house much different than the one I had remembered leaving. My mother kept a backroom on the second floor locked at all times, even when she was inside. I assumed that the renovation accomplished nothing, and that she was still mourning the loss of my father. The room taunted me that entire summer before I pried answers out of her.

“It’s stuff I found during the renovation; old photos and things from the nineteenth century.” I was not about to let her keep the antiquity to herself! I spent four hours pestering her before she gave me the key.

The room was small, as if she had originally meant it to serve another purpose. A single bookshelf lined the wall opposite the door. Three tattered books rested on its top shelf. I couldn’t make out any of the titles.

In the far right corner was a wooden rocking chair and table. I spotted a book on the table and stepped closer to it, noting that the author’s name, Abdul Alhazred, had been untouched by time. I didn’t get the chance to inspect it. [1]

A black and white photograph on the left wall had distracted me from it. The woman wore a high, stiff collar true to her time, but that wasn’t what diverted me.

She had my face.

When I pulled her down and freed the photograph from its frame to discern my ancestor’s identity, I found my name scribbled on the back in my own handwriting. The year was 1890.

***

[1] One of Lovecraft's own creations. Abdul Alhazred was the fictitious author of an equally fictitious work, the Necronomicon.

On My Lapel Cute Cthulhu Waits Dreaming

2009-08-20T09:36:00.000-07:00

Cute Cthulhu makes His appearance on none other than the Master of Horror’s birthday himself! Born August 20, 1890, H.P. Lovecraft would be 119 years of age today were he still walking amongst the living.

It seems that Cthulhu is quite popular already with those of the monster sort. Look who I saw wearing him this morning!

While I was repainting Cute Cthulhu (I had thought I ruined him when I painted a coat of varnish over it – Do NOT outline your artwork with ink if you are going to use varnish; the ink will bleed over the painting), I was inspired to make another button/pin!

I made this one out of a star shape. I sawed two of the points off of it with the small saw blade on my leatherman and filed the abrasions down to make the edges smooth and fit with the rest of the shape.

When I was finished painting it, I let it dry and put a coat of clear gold nail polish over it to give the pin a slight sparkly shine.

The (c) is for the photographs only. I do not own Cthulhu or Star Trek.

Cute Cthulhu Progress

2009-08-16T14:34:00.000-07:00

There he is, adorable Cute Cthulhu!

I apologize for not posting this yesterday (as I had promised). I got distracted with other things. Dare I wonder what the real Cthulhu would think of such an item created in His honor?

I bought a small set of acrylic paints and button fasteners the other day with plans to turn this little guy into a *gasp* button! Since this is my first time messing with acrylics and the like, I've been painting on a test piece:

~~~

What's left?
1. Paint a varnish onto the test piece to see how it looks.
2. If I like it, I will do the same to Cthulhu, if not, I will skip to step three!
3. Glue the button fastener onto the back of Cute Cthulhu.
4. Wear proudly.

* The (c) is for the painting and photograph. I do not own dear Cthulhu in any way, shape, or form. That honor belongs to H.P Lovecraft

Writer's Block: Yeah, it's Kind of Like That

2009-08-15T07:38:00.000-07:00

Not my best work, but that's what it feels like to be stunted at most attempts to write. Yesterday I parked myself in front of my computer and decided to not move until I had rewritten something. It took hours...I'm hoping that my forcefulness ended this bout of Writer's Block/Missing Muse.

In other news, I painted dear Cute Cthulhu featured in the previous update. He's not finished yet. I have to put a protective coat on him and then turn him into a wearable button. I'll post pictures of my progress later today.

Adventures in Revision

2009-08-11T13:29:00.000-07:00

Hitting snags during the revision process is like suddenly getting the urge to clean your room when you know you have to start working on a paper; the sort of paper where the professor wasn't particularly generous when it came to handing out interesting topics.

And so, cute Cthulhu was born!

I plan on painting it and making a button out of it. I will post pictures when I complete it (I have a few projects in line before it, so it might be a while).

In 500 Words: Round Two!

2009-08-10T16:32:00.000-07:00

As promised, here is the 500 short I mentioned earlier. I wrote it last week sometime. It is a continuation of the story from last time. Enjoy!

Dictionary.com's word of the day for the particular day I wrote it was apocryphal

Delving into Matters at Hand

It has been a week since that unfortunate road stop I took during that long and tedious drive. Her eerie prophesy of my death date and warped way with which she tricked me into thinking that she had moved my heart had me driving at an unnatural pace. Part of me was shocked that I wasn’t pulled over. I wasn’t able to make the trip in six. Stinging pain shot through my left arm after an hour into my newfound zeal for impaling my foot into the gas pedal.

The pain was gruesome to say the least, and I was forced to pull over at the next rest stop. From there, I was rushed to the nearest hospital. It pained me to answer their questions with honesty once I had come to. They told me that I had suffered a mild heart attack and snorted when I mentioned that strange woman. I suppose I couldn’t blame them for telling me that my tale was apocryphal in nature. Now that I look back, I feel that it was silly of me to even give that woman’s words and mannerisms merit.

I sit here, writing this out on bland hotel stationary because of the local paper. Call me old fashioned, but I do like to read the newspaper; especially when I’m traveling. I like to brush myself up with the goings on of whatever city I happen to be in. It wasn’t until three days ago that anything startling or of particular interest had caught my eye. Since then, I had kept the papers instead of recycling them. They are stacked on this desk near the stuffy reading lamp.

As archaic as this sounds, I want to keep a detailed record of my trip here, and of the…items I read in the police column, which have now grown into full blown articles. Yesterday’s paper featured a brief article about the “recent series of deaths caused by heart failure in Conner and the Angeles National forest near I5.” That was when I went back to the stack of papers that I was going to recycle this morning.

There were eight deaths in total, most of which happened in odd circumstances. I shuddered at the memory of her. Even though my inner skepticism was screaming at me to forget that insane maniac, I couldn’t help connect the deaths to her. I had suffered a mild heart attack not long after her weird, voodoo stance and promise of death!

I am scheduled to depart the LA area in two days, but I don’t want to go anywhere near that dreadful stretch of decadency ever again! Perhaps some advice is in order. One of my good friends is staying in this hotel (his room is on the second floor) for a sci-fi convention. I should talk to him about this. I want him to tell me that my wild tales are nothing but irrational fears born out of that wretched experience and coincidentally ill-timed heart attack.

Insomnia and Island Woes

2009-08-10T09:24:00.000-07:00

I will not be able to make another trip out to the island. I'm a bit bummed about it, but things don't always work out. That is the way of life sometimes. We just have to continue on and make the best of what is thrown towards us.

I do believe that my muse has returned after her two week leave of me, but for the past few (four, actually) nights I have not been able to sleep. I'm tired, haggard, and a bit cranky at times. Lack of sleep makes productivity in the creative department difficult. I feel like I'm partaking in the Kobayashi Maru (in short: "no win" scenario).

The only thing I can do is just wait it out, ignore how tired I am, and hope I get exhausted enough to where sleep is inevitable. Insomnia tends to visit me at least once a year and usually lasts one to two weeks.

I wrote another 500 word short early last week. I will be posting it later today.

Has Anyone Seen My Muse?

2009-08-06T19:51:00.001-07:00

She's been away for quite some time now. I don't know what I did to upset her. One night I was writing at a wonderful pace with my friend Captain Morgan, and then she was gone the next morning. I haven’t seen her since.

Weekend Wanderings

2009-08-04T09:18:00.000-07:00

I spent the weekend on Sapelo Island. Saturday morning, we woke up at 0530 and kayaked to Blackbeard Island. It’s interesting to note, that Blackbeard Island is not listed on google maps. Next time I go out there, I will have to steal a glance off of one of the local maps and sketch one for myself.

During our hike, or “death march” as I like to dub it (all in good fun), we came across a beach scattered with overturned trees that had became driftwood. I found myself wondering what the island had looked like in Blackbeard’s day as we stepped through, around, over, and near the large trunks and overturned roots. There were even a few trees and branches that poked up, out of the sand as if grabbing at the sunlight in a stubborn refusal to become just another piece of driftwood.

There was one branch that made the entire thing seem Lovecraftian. It didn’t have that dried, bleached look that all of the other trees and branches had. It was at least two shades darker than the darkest tree, and it looked almost petrified. The branch was twisted slightly as it spiked up, out of the ground, and I think I actually snickered because it looked like some sort of ancient tentacle…Cthulhu?

At the time, I was too exhausted to sift through everything to grab the camera, so yesterday I painted a watercolor of the scene (posted above). I am not a good artist by any means; I just paint and draw for the enjoyment I get out of it.

*Blackbeard Island is named after a pirate. I do not know the full story on him, but I plan to find that out when I go to Sapelo again. I feel that the internet would just dull the story because I know that this is something I can learn from “living in the moment” through word of mouth.

Chocolate Covered Yen

2009-07-31T08:41:00.000-07:00

There is something to be said about digging through that one closet near the back of the house, apartment, or bungalow; it can be interesting. You know the closet I mean; the one where everything is stuffed away and long forgotten, left to cultivate into entities... Depicted above are just some of the items I found tucked away in old bags. The red things are ancient mints. The flashlight has a layer of goo, which I hope to be chocolate, splattered on its rim. The title speaks for the yen, again, I hope that substance was chocolate.

The desperation to find a satchel large enough to put a notebook in, but small enough not to look like a cumbersome goof stemmed from my laziness in buying or making a new purse/satchel for those times when I want to carry more than just my wallet. Why is it so hard to find a happy medium with such things? I don’t want something fluffy and pink, but I don’t want a huge bag that screams “IMA TOURIST, YAYE!”

Next week, I am going to start the project--sewing myself a new bag--that has been waiting patiently in my mind. I have an old skirt and pair of jeans that should suffice for the necessary fabric. I can only hope that the end product will look as good as the one in my head!

I will be gone for the next few days, and I am hoping that my muse is hiding, waiting for me there (hence the notebook and ravenous search for a suitable bag). I am happy to note that almost everything on that place was built in the 1920s/1930s, so Mr. Lovecraft, I will get to see what your world looked like—as long as architecture didn’t differ much between the northern states and southern states back then!

In 500 Words: Round One!

2009-07-28T07:37:00.000-07:00

To keep my mind sharp, I like to exercise it by giving myself parameters for certain tasks. Yesterday's task was to write a story in exactly five hundred words using dictionary.com's word of the day as a prompt while including it within the story itself.

The word of the day for yesterday was caveat

The Unfortunate Road Stop

There was no posted caveat or any such warnings about the place which—even now I am shuddering just thinking about it—had seduced me into wading through its alluring blades of grass. I had been driving along the highway for four hours. I was determined to make the trip from Sacramento to LA in six. I awoke early that morning, long before the sun threatened to bring the hordes of morning traffic out, and set my things in order.

I was on that mundane stretch of farmland and hills of dry grass when it happened. I gave the coffee sitting in my plastic cup a lot of attention as I drove through. What possessed me to suddenly pull over and climb over the protective railing lining the highway, it’s hard to say. Dawn has a funny effect on my vision, and the same goes for dusk. A hump of white clothing marred the waves of unkempt grass. I felt unquestionably drawn to it like a fluttering moth to light.

I drifted through the grass, running my hands through the blades as I went. The air felt a twinge hotter than it did back near where I had hastily parked my car. I paused when I got close to it and squatted, parting the grass in front of me with my hands. The uncouth thing was not a man, and nor was it a woman; at least, that was my initial impression. The clothing that I had spotted from my car was actually skin. It was naked and glistening as if wet. I bit my tongue. The thing had to be a prank, but even then I knew that the notion was impossible. I hadn’t seen a building for miles. If any teenagers had been about at night, I would have spotted the flicker of moving flashlights from the highway.

“Hey,” I whispered, to which the thing sat up. Its back was facing me, leaving me to look at the simple white braid dangling from her head. I realized that the figure was female from the curve if its waist.

“I’ve kill ye. Ye’ve all die in order for Terra to’ve flourish.” The voice felt airy and dry.

“E-excuse me?” Was she insane? Her horrific words and odd appearance certainly made it seem that way.

“Lady, you need help,” I said as I removed my outer shirt, a handsome ensemble in my favorite shade of periwinkle. I spoke to her in soft tones as I would to my cat. The woman rose. Were I standing, I knew that my face would have been staring into her thin neck.

“I’ve kill ye. Neosapiens Erectus kill Terra must’ve not happen.” She reached out her long arms towards me. From her hands, she extended gangly, gruesome things meant to be fingers, and I felt my heart move. It shifted as if she had pushed it backwards. A whisper chased after me as I sprinted to my car.

“I’ve killed ye this time tomorrow.”

~~~

The power went out while I was writing it last night, so after I finished jotting it down onto a piece of scrap paper, I scribbled out a picture to go along with it. I know that I am not an artist by any means! Still, I had fun with it.

Silly Sonnet #1: Twitter Fail Whale

2009-07-20T10:54:00.001-07:00

If you use Twitter, then you know exactly who my illustrious friend, the Twitter Fail Whale, is! He kept visiting me last week, so I decided to dedicate a silly sonnet in his honor.

Twitter Fail Whale

I click refresh and see your languid face.
The eight orange birds lifting your derailed form
do little to quell the maddening pace
with which my rage, a pawn of this era’s norm,
presses down that button! How many tweets
go untweeted when you’re in that stupor?
Your face reminds me of a fist; it beats
me senseless until I’m wedged in a blur.
The bright teal background does little to steer
my eyes away from those orange waves waiting
to devour you. Look, I am sincere
when I say I hope the birds can take wing.

I tap my grey mouse for the umpteenth time.
I leer. You are gone. No more Fail Whale rhyme.

Disclaimer:
The Twitter Fail Whale belongs to the wonderful people at www.twitter.com. The icon was created using the Twitter logo (provided here) and the Fail Whale graphic. I do not own and did not create them!

A Bland Greeting

2009-07-15T12:03:00.000-07:00

I am going to give this blog phenomenon a try, but in my own way since my life revolves around the mundane and wouldn’t interest a cat even if it was doused in catnip and dangling in front of him on a shoe string. Though, that’s not saying much because we all know that cats are only interested in such things when and if they feel like it.

I’ve decided to stick with the simple design right now. The one template I liked, which was from another site, doesn’t work in IE. I don’t use IE, but I know other people do; such a bummer. It was a nice layout!

Since today is just another day and won’t get any more interesting than this, I will leave this post as it is. I’ll return sometime this week with fiction or poetry.

Color Out of Place

2009-07-12T14:32:00.000-07:00

Just posting so that I can play with different layouts to see which one I like best.