- Kat -

Latte art is adorable! I always feel kind of bad when I eat/drink really pretty food because I want to look at it forever XD

I'm still missing Penny, but life, as they say, goes on. We had a garage sale at Kris's house. Didn't make a whole lot of mony but at least we don't have as much stuff in our house XD Other than that, it's same old, same old over here. Lots of working, lots of drawing and playing video games when not working. I don't remember if I already said this, but a friend of mine commissioned me for two tattoo designs that I finished up a month or two ago. It's a strange feeling, knowing that someone wants something that you've drawn to be on their body forever, much less three things that you've drawn XD but she was really happy with them so I'm happy too!

This is very late but as long as you form the icing into pretty decorations before you eat it, yes.

Thanks, Horatio <3 It's been a couple of weeks now, and I've worked through a lot of what I was feeling, but it still hurts to know that my Penny-Ham isn't poking her nose up against the side of her house to be let out anymore. I hope she and Sasha are putting in a good word for me up there.

Well, here's a rather sorrowful update. Right as I was going to bed last night, I went to check on Penny. I hadn't seen her in a few days, but that's pretty common when I have a stretch of days where I have to go to bed early since she normally wakes up late late at night. Unfortunately, this time I could tell something was wrong. Checking through her pod confirmed that she had passed away. I'm not sure how, but I do know that at least one of her siblings died early, too. So this was not entirely a shock, but my heart still hurts. Penelope Puddles was a quiet, thoughtful, unassuming hamster who loved her ball and spending some time climbing on me before she went on her runs. I loved her dearly and still do. I'll miss you, Miss Penny-Ham.

I'll go through and find some of the good pictures to post. He doesn't technically smoke "in" my car, he just smokes near it but he always has the windows down so the smell gets in anyway :/ it's still annoying.

*wakes up* ?___? what? ...hey look pocketfrogs

Well, as a follow-up to my last post: As I'm sure was expected, Sophie is gone. She did pass away at home and I still believe that's how she wanted it. She's burried in the back yard with Sasha now. I only ended up seeing Godzilla twice XD I've seen Guardians of the Galaxy three times now, though. The record for in-theater viewings, though, I think goes to Avengers. I saw it seven times. I'd see it again 8I (I've also seen all of the LotR movies in theaters more times than I can count but that was not all upon their initial releases so I don't count them). You're really right about how you notice new things every time. As you become more and more familiar with what you've already seen, you can pay more attention to smaller stuff in the background and find some really interesting things. Went the the zoo again earlier this month XD Not so much singing but it was still fun! It was nice because a few of the animals were really photogenic. The polar bear especially was doing flips and stuff in the water right next to the glass, and he'd push off with his paws so you could hold your hand up and compare the size. He was very considerate for photographers! I did a couple of tattoo commissions for a friend, and my dad and I started painting with open acrylics. They're a lot like oil paints but they dry quicker. You still have plenty of time for blending and moving color around, but you don't have to wait days and days and use a sealer. We're having a lot of fun! When we need a break we watch Bob Ross clips online XD We're super short-handed at work so I've been getting a lot more hours. On the one hand it's good because of the extra money, but on the other it leaves less time for drawing and watching anime .-. the life of an adult, I suppose. My brother's car died last month so he and I have been having to share mine. And by "share" I mean he's basically usurped it and I can use it when I need to go to work. He keeps the keys on his keyring despite my repeated reminders to keep it on the key hooks by the door (and as a result my keychain is broken), the back of the driver's seat is broken and won't go up all the way anymore so when I drive I'm at a 45 degree angle, it smells like cigarette smoke, he leaves his trash and belongings in the seats all the time, and he complains when he has to pick me up from work because he can't play video games or hang out with his friends longer. Keep in mind that HE is the one who has been dragging his feet when it comes to getting a car because he's exceedinly picky. I'm really fed up with it. He found a car and we're hoping he can get a loan and pick it up on Sunday. I really, really hope it goes through or I'm going to snap. I never did go to that restaurant for my birthday. Kris's mom made me my favorite dinner of her's though. Raviolli lasagna with strawberry cheesecake =w= I still want to ask about that restaurant, though. Wonder if it's too late to go XD

I caved and looked it up. Soooo tempted to download it x___x I must show strength!

8D what a beautiful girl! And I'm sure they're all waiting for you! Just don't go joining them too soon >___>

Don't tell me what PocketFrogs is because then I will start playing and become addicted. I'm still playing CookieClicker XD It's good you hear from you, Sleepy! (that is your new nickname I hope you like it) It's always cool when one of the oldbies stops in. Congrats on your graduation~ I hear you about trying to figure out what you wanna do career-wise.

I'm so sorry to hear that <3 Hiero lived one of the best lives a hamster could ask for, and I'm sure she's still living it up now with Horatio and all the others.

>< The people who buy for the secondary doll market have little to no concern for people who actually want dolls. They just want to make money. People like that really annoy me. I still wanna go to SDCC some day, though 8D

Of course you do! ;D We have cake and cupcake decorating.

How handy! I'm glad that both you and your flowers are enjoying yourselves!

On the Sophie front, we made a decision Wednesday night. Sophie hates car rides, new places, and new people. Going to the vet would involve all of these things. She is winding down quietly on her own time, and we have decided that unless she is just severely suffering, we are going to try to let her pass on here at home. It will be what is most comfortable and secure for her. We don't want her to be anxious and unhappy in her last moments. Godzilla was AMAZING. I've already seen it twice. I might do a more in-depth review later but right now it's still just too much for me to try to explain. It's visually breathtaking and emotionally moving. It's one of those movies that makes me want to run outside and pedal a bicycle to the moon. The zoo was also fun! It was a perfect day weather-wise. I'll try to post some of the pictures later on. We sang to the animals a lot. I finally got the video game I wanted for my birthday, so I'ma go try it out! CHAMPIONS birthday game and birthday dinner at one of my favorite local restaurants will be another time.

No, but it was white cake with a pudding-filled center and fancy flower icing, so it was still good 83 (technically it was one of the leftovers from the cake decorating class that one of my co-workers teaches at the store but it counted as a birthday cupcake since it was my birthday)

Dropping in again. Hello, whoever is out there! Things have been a little crazy here as of late. March-May is Birthday Season around these parts, so there's been lots of that. Including my own, which you can read up on a bit in the Birthday topic Horatio started for me <3 Otherwise, we also did some celebrating for Mother's Day. Mom wanted to got to IHOP and get groceries, so that's what we did XD My friend's fiance is visiting from Ohio, so we've been trying to work around my work schedule for me to hang out with them for a day or two. It's looking like on Thursday, we'll go to the KC zoo, get something to eat, and then go to the midnight premiere of Godzilla, which I am SO HYPE ABOUT. I went to the Godzilla film festival I always attend a couple weekends ago, it was great as usual. We saw the original Gamera, Godzilla Vs. The Sea Monster, the original Japanese Gojira, and Godzilla Vs. Biolantte, a movie that never got an American release. Gamera and the Sea Monster were alright, not my favorites but still fun. Biolantte was pretty good, I enjoyed it even if the story was a bit thrown-together. My favorite of the weekend, though, was Gojira. It can be hard to take a movie seriously when it stars a man in a giant rubber suit, but Gojira really brough in some heavy stuff. It wasn't just the monster destroying Tokyo. It showed the consiquences of it, and how it effected families and individuals. It was a lot darker than pretty much every other Godzilla movie I've seen, but I really liked it. They also had a few people talk about their trips to Japan and Toho Studios, the company that made most of the Godzilla films, and that was pretty cool. So yeah, between that and my general love of Godzilla, action movies, and Bryan Cranston, I'm really excited for the new movie. On a more personal level, I'm going to need all the fun activities I can get on Thursday. Sophie is in very poor health. As in, we're just keeping an eye on her to see if she's still alive. If she makes it to Thursday on her own, we're taking her in to the vet in the morning to be put to sleep. She can't use her back legs, she can only lay in the sewing room and barely drink a little water as long as we make sure it's next to her head. I think she's just kind of waiting for what she knows is coming. It late April of last year when we lost Puck. He was my cat and I don't think I'll ever be really over losing him. Sophie, while not as close to me as Puck was, has still been a member of our family for 18 years. She had her quirks and endearments, and I love her very much. I don't want to see her go, but I'd rather she not be suffering anymore. I haven't worked a Sunday in like, two months. So of course the one Sunday we make plans to have my birthday CHAMPIONS game, I work. I was kind of angry about that, but not a lot I can do. That's basically it for me. How is everyone who's still around?

X3 Thank you! My birthday was quiet but it was still nice. I had to work, but my coworkers gave me a cupcake. On Saturday we're going out to eat and I'll probably get my present on Friday (I'm getting Final Fantasy XIV). I did get a Monster High doll on Sunday, so that was pretty cool :3

Those pumpkins and desserts looks so cool! 8D and man, I wish I was there for those cakes. I don't think I would ever have the patience for leaf blowing. Knowing that the wind could come along and ruin all of my work that quickly just ruins it for me XD I can barely be bothered to rake when it's demanded of me.

Hello again, guys! Not too much is going on over here. We're preparing for Black Friday at work, which I must admit, I'm not looking forward to. At least it will be over with this week. At home, everything is pretty normal. We're starting to work on Christmas (I know what I'm making my mom and dad, still need to think about Alex. And I know what presents I'm getting the other people I can afford.). We're also having a game this Saturday so the cleaning has begun. Penny is doing great. She's still skittish about letting me pick her up out of her cage, but she'll hop in her ball on her own and she'll climb out on me and hang out if I just lay the ball on my chest. She's still using her bedding to block off tubes and keep herself out of certain areas. Most specifically, the pod with her potty litter in it .-. But she is healthy and (I'm pretty sure) happy! We already knew that Annie basically leaves hams alone when they're in their ball, but now I know I have to keep an eye on Pippin or he tries to bat her around :I That's pretty much all I can think of. I'm so exciting XD

I'd say about 60% of customers are normal, or even cool, but that last 40% gets to you. She did get in her ball, yes! She's little so I only had her out for about 40 minutes because I dind't want her little self to dehydrate. She seemed to enjoy it but it's still a challege to get her back out again each night. She's very busy and has better stuff to do than let me love her XD I remember that Sasha would crawl around in my lap once she was used to being handled. She was definitely a fearless and intrepid explorer. I never realized until I owned one just how unique hamsters can be from each other.

S'up, guys? Not too much happening on my end. Work has been crazy busy as we get into Halloween/Christmas. Those are the crafting holidays, after all. My plea to everyone who reads this: Please, PLEASE actually read the sale signs you see at stores. Not everything within a 10 foot radius of the sale sign is actually on sale, and if you look at the sign to check what items and brands are included, then it saves everyone time and hassle. The latest news, though, is that I got a new hamster! I still have fond memories of Sasha, and she will always be in my heart, but a little hammie came my way needing a loving home, and I knew that this would be the perfect time to start anew. Her name is Penelope Puddles, Penny or PP for short. She's still fairly young, so she's tiny and hasn't grown into her ears yet. She's mostly black with a thin white streak down her chin and throat onto her belly that ends in a little hook. It was interesting to notice that after I'd set up the hamster house just how Sasha had always organized it, Penny wanted none of that and moved everything around XD I'll have to get used to her way of doing things. She appears to have picked up her mother's habbit of stuffing tubes full of bedding for no apparent reason other than to block herself off from dens and pods in her house I hear her running around in her wheel, so I'm gonna go see if she's interested in some time in her ball. Wish me luck!

Those pictures are gorgeous~ I especially love the old buildings. Standing in a place like that and imagining what was happening there decades ago would be indescribable. And the F60 is so big! I have a friend that works with huge machinery like that. Well, not THAT big exactly, but the really giant cranes and stuff used in mining. I'll have to show my dad those pictures, he loves giant vehicles XD

This would probably be better suited to the Art forum, but oh well. It's my topic. Just a random thing I drew because I was bored. I didn't really try anything specific, just played around with different Photoshop tools. No actual attempt at realism or cleanliness was made. The only rules were that I couldn't erase (unless it was to achieve a specific effect) and I had to add anything that came to mind, no getting lazy and leaving things out. Although now that I look at it, I wish I'd put some leaves on the pond surface. Oh well. I've been thinking about stuff since I went to Spectrum and this is kind of a little way of getitng some of that out of my head. I can't really call it "practice" because I didn't really put to use any habits or tecniques I want to inforce, but it's still just something I don't usually draw. Not anything particularly noteworthy, but it's how I spent a small part of my evening.