drumcorps 3 Comments

Sneak Peek

I don’t think I’m quite ready to ask the Executive Director or the Assistant Director to look at my LSM website redesign ideas. I’ve put my first three Photoshop comps on one page with notes, and I think I’m going to wait until I have an even half-dozen before I give them the URL and ask them for a critique.

However… I think I’ll let you guys have a look-see and let me know what you think of the designs I have up so far. Leave me some feedback, good or bad, in the comments here—maybe I can improve on my next three comps.

Oh, and I’d really appreciate it if no one, ah, *appropriates* my layout ideas? I’m really proud of myself for coming up with the second two, and I may recycle any layouts I don’t use for the LSM site. 😉 Not that I think that any of my regulars here would swipe my ideas, but I get 30 entire hits a day, and that means that there are about 20 strangers reading this shit. o.O

ruminations 2 Comments

Mindfuck

I don’t fire up Instant Messenger very often. There’s some weird setting in Outlook Express that launches IM every now and then when I launch Outlook. Today, instead of closing it like I usually do, I opted to keep it on.

I’d almost forgotten I had IM running when I got a message from an old college friend. Well, not that old—I only graduated four years ago. (Has it been that long?) Anyway, we traded small talk: where are you working, how are you doing, et cetera. I messaged him an old picture of the two of us, and he was highly amused, though I wasn’t sure why.

One hour and a long, in-depth conversation later, I know why that picture was so amusing.

He doesn’t look like that anymore.

He looks like a she.

He—she—has a supportive boyfriend, has successfully transitioned into life as a woman (pretty much), and is much happier not living a lie.

Apparently, my friend ran into some major obstacles when he tried to “come out” in college: unsupportive friends and co-workers, and general rejection all around. (I was completely oblivious at the time.) S/he wasn’t sure how I’d react even now, five or six years later. It had been a while since we’d really talked, so s/he couldn’t have known my passion for tolerance and gay rights and my general political affiliations. Like I told him/her, “If guy-on-guy action is your thing, and you have the balls to admit it in a society that’s overall not too keen on it, then more power to you. That’s awesome.”

I’m so happy for her. Seeing her picture really drove it home for me. Finding yourself in such a big way… that’s just fucking awesome. I’m happier for her and her found-femininity and her boyfriend than I ever was for some of my hetero friends and their engagements and weddings.

I can’t get over it. It’s a giant mindfuck, but it’s so wonderful.

memories 1 Comment

Flashback: My Bedroom

I’m not sure why I took this photo. I think it was mainly because of the cats on my desk. At any rate, I kind of enjoyed seeing this snapshot in time: Autumn, 1995.

During the summer before I went off to college, Mom and I moved out of the craptastic Walden Apartments in Medina to a nicer neighborhood on Jackson Street. We were on the third floor of a small apartment building—about eight units total, I think.

I didn’t get to spend much time there before I went off to college—or did we not move there until I was *in* college? I think that was it. At any rate, I spent one year in college before I got put on Academic Suspension and had to spend a semester at home. No internet, no computer, and Mom’s new boyfriend Gary was suddenly in the mix. This photo was taken during that time.
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randomness

Little-Bit-Of-Everything Update

I haven’t been too prolific with the blog posts this week, so I guess I should catch y’all up on the latest. Which isn’t much, really.

Planted my baby plants on… Wednesday? Yeah. The mini daffodils are under the small maple tree, accompanied by the two snapdragons and one surviving calamint. Around the mailbox, we have three delphiniums in the back, three coreopsis around the front and sides, and two lavender between the coreopsis plants. I know it’s too crowded, but if it becomes a problem as they grow, I’ll just transplant something out. No biggie.

After waiting and waiting for the rain the weatherfolk keep promising, I finally gave the plants their Miracle Gro plant food mixed in water today. I hadn’t wanted to drown them if it had been going to rain… but, after two days of no water, I figured that was long enough to wait.

I’ve been wearing makeup to work this week—I got myself some new gray eyeliner, and I’ve been sporting that with my favorite understated lipstick. And that’s it. No foundation, no blush, very little eyeshadow. The other woman in my cube at work finally asked me today if I’d been wearing more makeup, and told me that I looked nice. So, I guess it’s being noticed, which is cool. Next task: finding a quick but more elegant hairdo than my usual ponytail or loose hair clip. (Sometimes I wear my hair down and tucked behind my ears, which doesn’t last long until I pull it back.)

Little things are important. Yeah.

Aaron cleaned the entire house this week, in anticipation of his family coming to visit for Memorial Day. Props go to him for straightening the downstairs, the dining room table, and the cat’s room (aka the crap/storage room), amongst other things. Vacuuming, dusting, dishes… he rocks, and I suck.

I’ve been working on preliminary designs for the LakeShoremen website relaunch over my lunches and breaks at work. So far, I’ve made… *counting sketches* …nine thumbnail sketches, one detailed sketch, and two Photoshop comps. Once I get more comps done, I may post some here for your review, since I’m nearly positive no corps members frequent my blog, so I wouldn’t be spoiling the surprise for anyone. 😛

…Aaaaaand I’m done.