Tales of a Less-Desperate Part-Time Developer

I have been remiss in letting you, faithful reader, know that I was hired last Friday.

I am working part-time at a web design firm learning Expression Engine, I will go full-time when I am able to handle a full production schedule ... but you don't need to worry about the details, just know that I have a job. Also, I was fortunate enough to pick up a freelance client two weeks back. I should be wrapping up with him next week. He seems pleased with my work and could lead to future side jobs.

I want to express my sincere, heartfelt thanks to any and all prayers, well-wishes, recommendations and/or attempts to find work for me. I felt like I was in limbo for an eternity, but in reality, I was very blessed to get hired as quick as I did, and to be working with some cool guys in a fancy office - above ground and with windows, no less!

Naturally, this has been a HUGE weight off my shoulders; I feel like I can almost function normally again. "Normal" being highly relative when used in regards to me.

My first order of extra-curricular business is to get some artwork done for Nevermet Press. They've been shoved aside for this whole job-hunting mess and I really want to make it up to them with some quality illustrations. Jonathan, Nevermet's big kahuna, will never know how much I appreciate him making me a part of Nevermet, his patience and his willingness to try and help me find a job.

I also need to make myself keep writing the story I started last year. It's currently sitting at 24,759 words and I am determined to finish it. Unfortunately, I haven't touched it since Jan. 20 due to all the job-related craziness. I also have a bad habit of setting projects aside when something else captures my interest, but this is one that I feel is important to finish.

I'm looking forward to an exiting new year of opportunity and finally getting some interesting content posted at least a couple times a month.

Misc: Changing Jobs

2011 has been a year of self-discovery.

Back in the spring, I took an art course at the university where I work. As the semester progressed, I began to notice that I was really looking forward to class and really dreading the trudge back to my desk.

Things reached a head in October, when I finally put to words what I'd been feeling over the preceding months - my passion is not in programming, but the creative arts. The majority of my job was emotionally draining and required very little original creativity. Day after day, I languished in my cubicle, daydreaming about making things at which people enjoyed looking - work that inspired and endured.

So, after much prayer and discussion with my wife, I submitted my resignation. Come January 31, 2012, I will be 'sans employment.' The plan is be hired well before that. There are some hurdles, however - A modest portfolio and living in a rural area without a lot of tech-related jobs being the two biggest.

It's been eleven days - correction, it's been a long eleven days - since I gave my resignation. I've submitted several applications and even had an interview over the phone (I don't think they liked the idea of hiring someone who wanted to work from home over moving).

There are good days and bad days - times of optimism and despair. What I was unprepared for, though, was the effect all this stress and drama would have on me physically. I'm totally drained at the end of the day. It's as if I won't be able to rest - truly rest - until I know things are going to be okay. Which I kinda already believe - but I don't know how or when, and that's the distinction.

There's not really a point to this. I mainly felt like the blog needed dusting off and the recent lack of activity explained. I cannot tell you how eager I am to be in a creatively stimulating environment and getting the 'juices of inspiration' flowing again. And when that day comes - and it is coming - I will have such wonderful things to share.

Until then, send a good thought my way. If you're the praying type, I'd appreciate it if you'd offer one up for a stranger trying to follow his heart for once, instead of his thick head.

Misc: So ... I'm a writer now?

Things have always been a bit slow around here, I will admit.

A large part of that is due to the fact that I, myself, am slow. I have a regular, 40-hour per week job that eats up most of my life, then there is family, then there are the myriad hobbies which jockey for turns in claiming the couple of hours or so I have each night before bed - a time that, like some creeping, time-gobbling glacier, inches earlier and earlier into the evening every year. Team Fortress 2 has not helped at all, and that is an understatement.

The short version is that I jump into a lot of different projects and they rarely get finished before another project comes along. At least projects offer the potential for in-progress updates and content.

What do you do when the project being worked on does really exist until it is finished? A story, for example?

I began writing what I thought was going to be a short story. Nevermet is putting together an anthology of short stories and, like with almost every other project they announce, I tried to get in on the action. But the story kept going ... and going. And going. It now currently sits at 15,467 words (shooting for at least 20k) and I think I'm halfway done with it.

I won't have the 50,000+ words publishers want to see for a novel. It will fall somewhere in or around the category of being a novella, depending on who you ask. A young adult novel, perhaps, though the content may not lend itself that demographic.

But what can I say about it? I don't want to give away plot or characters or anything that might be worth stealing - I'm paranoid like that - but I do want to draw in any potential readers' interest.

I read somewhere online (Peter Shallard or Lifehacker, I think) that if you tell people what you are working on, you are less likely to finish it. That the act of sharing some how equates to the act of finishing in our brains and gives us enough of a 'rush' that we grow bored or impatient with having to continue working on it and move on to the next project.

So why the heck am I writing this post? Have I shared too much? Does letting the few of you who know this blog exists what I've been up to put the whole story at risk?

I think (hope) it obligates me to finish.

But really, I'm writing this because, in my mind, I think I'm staying relevant. I feel like, by saying "I'm still here!" the few you who have this feed bookmarked (or whatever) will stick around to see what happens next, that this isn't just another exercise in vanity someone started and let fall by the wayside.

I WILL have something to offer. I just don't know what. Or when. So ... see you around?

Misc: Random Update - Spring 2011

I'm still around and busier than ever. Unfortunately, that means I don't have a lot of time to put blog posts together. Here's a quick update on what's happening in my own little world:

• The semester is almost over and that means assignments, projects, papers, etc. are being assigned and coming due all over the place - even for a guy like me who is only taking a single drawing class for the "fun" of it.  It's been wearing a bit thin, lately, so I'll be glad when it's over (so will Jonathan over at Nevermet Press when I finally start submitting stuff again ^_^")
  
  
• I started writing a short story, only, I think it's growing into a full-blown novel. Have to wait and see. One of the challenges is the setting - I know very little about late 1800's France and Bavaria. I've been reading up in Wikipedia and looking for movies (especially sci-fi/horror) set in that period for information and inspiration. Suggestions are welcome.
  
  
• Warmer weather means yardwork (boo!) and vacations (yay!) - both of which are non-conducive to project advancement.
  
  
• Spiral Knights - I found out about this FREE online game from Penny-Arcade. Lovin' it so far. I'm on there as Kingworks after dinner (~8pm GMT-5/EST). Say 'hi' if you see me on there. ;-)
  
  
• Not a huge distraction at this point, but the third Humble Indie Bundle (called Frozenbyte) went on sale yesterday. I donated for the first two and have been immensely satisfied with them; so getting the latest one was a no-brainer. I will happily make a donation for quality indie games that supports charity.
  
  
• I got a Kindle 3 (the $130 Wi-Fi version) and Patrick Rothfuss' wonderful new The Wise Man's Fear (Kingkiller Chronicles, Day 2) (sequel to the equally wonderful The Name of the Wind (Kingkiller Chronicles, Day 1)) - both were immensely satisfying purchases. There is also a fun little puzzle game I got on sale for 99 cents called Triple Town. I've seen not one, but two (!) Kindle RPG's by Steve Jackson, but have yet to justify handing over $3.99 ea. for something that will eat up even more of my free time. Besides, I'm still eying the Essentials Monster Vault, Deluxe DM's Screen, and Dungeon Master's Kit (just in case anyone was feeling super generous. :-))
  
  
• At some point, I'm expecting Games Workshop to release some early photos of more new Dark Eldar models. At the top of the list of kits I hope they produce are the Venom gunship/transport and a set of 3 Haemonculi in plastic w/weapon options. Oh, that reminds me, I really need to finish painting the 2 units of new Wyches and 2 new Ravagers sitting on my shelf ... *sigh*
  

Art, Misc: Da Vinci and Me

A few years back, I was getting counseling as part of an effort to overcome some personal struggles I was having as a result of my insecurity, anxiety, and undiagnosed low-grade depression. I found myself repeatedly mentioning how I loved to create and to be creative - despite the very uncreative existence I was living at the time - and that my attempts to pursue a 'practical' life was in conflict with the person I was created to be and the life I was called to lead.

red conte on paper, 18 x 24"

"Who is it you want to be?" I was asked at one point. It took all of a half-second to decide. "Leonardo da Vinci," I replied, completely serious. I went on to explain that the man was a genius, fascinated by everything, threw himself into everything he did, and while he didn't produce a huge number of works in his lifetime, what he did finish mattered - he lived passionately, if impractically.

Not to sound arrogant, but I'm pretty smart, pretty good at art - I want to produce all sorts of creative works in a variety of media, and I have the tendency to jump headlong into everything I try ... up until the point at which I'm distracted by the next shiny thing that catches my attention and I jump into that, leaving a dearth of half-finished projects in my wake.

Fast forward to a week ago. I'm taking Advanced Drawing; free classes being one of the perks at the university where I work. Our assignment it to pick a Renaissance artist and copy one of his sketches. Then, produce an original sketch in the artist's style. By now it should be obvious who I picked. And, to be honest, I was pretty proud of the sketch I copied. It turned out well and I got a good grade on it.

However, when it came time to do the second piece, an original sketch in the selected artist's style, I was so burned out from trying to do justice to da Vinci's self-portrait that I honestly didn't care. I approched it like a regular drawing and drew like Paul, not like da Vinci.

pencil and charcoal on paper, 18 x 24"

The grade on the second drawing wasn't as high. Below the class average, in fact. Initially, this bothered me - I like to excel in everything I do and below average is not excelling. Then I started to compare the pictures and realized something: There is more of me in the self-portrait - literally and figuratively, than in my attempt to ape da Vinci's self-portrait.

It's real. It's honest in a way the other picture is not, flaws and all.

Don't get me wrong, there are certainly things I could get hung up on and criticize - the face, for example. But that line of thinking always pits me against myself: "I'm not da Vinci!" I'd gripe as I started to chafe at the differences in skill between myself and a dedicated Renaissance master; an all-to-common conversation, I'm embarrassed to admit.

And then, for the first time, it hit me: No, I'm not da Vinci, I'm Paul.

And I'm okay with that.

Misc: Obligitory 'What Have You Been Doing?' Post

I am currently:

• Teaching myself 3DS Max 2011, using my Warhammer Goblin sketch as the base for my first model. I'm building it one polygon at a time, as opposed to the box method I was taught using Lightwave back in college.
  
  
• Plotting out a campaign setting/adventure based around the Automated Antagonist articles I wrote for Nevermet Press. I'm shooting for a noir atmosphere and multiple narrative paths, each with their own combat encounters and skill challenges. I don't know when it will be done, but it's going to be big. Also have a couple of ideas for artwork, but no real progress on that yet.
  
  
• Assembling a new Dark Eldar Ravager, with a second still in the box. These new models are SO much nicer than the old ones, but I'm not sure how to best store/transport them yet.
  
  
• Added some details and texture to the Dice Tower. It still needs some sanding; After that's done, painting should go quickly. The increasingly cold weather is really killing any projects that require (spray) painting, though.
  
  
• I haven't forgotten about the card game I was working on, but a recent crackdown on  how I spend my time at work has pretty much pushed that project far down the list. Ditto for the Dark Eldar spreadsheet, though filling out a spreadsheet takes less  a lot less time (for me) than getting designs polished in Illustrator.
  

One of the benefits of working for a university is an extended Christmas holiday. I'm really hoping to get a lot of progress done on each of these projects in the ten or so days that I have off.

Misc: Another 'I don't have anything to say' Post.

If my life had a soundtrack, it would currently be playing the following (set to scenes from Red Dead Redemption for both your visual and auditory amusement):



Aside from having moved, trying to get settled in our new house, attempting to grow grass during a drought (as opposed to weeds), starting our oldest in kindergarten, freelance work and the start of a new semester at my 9-to-5, I am currently working on encounter maps for our forthcoming Nevermet Press adventure and will (hopefully) get some additional smaller drawings done as we do copious amounts of driving this weekend.

No rest for the wicked, indeed.

Misc: Taking a Stand Against Time-Wasting Video Games

Do you remember the xkcd strip titled Cutting Edge? If not, go ahead and click on the link - I'll wait.

Ready to continue? Okay, good.

That strip defines me as a video gamer perfectly. A few years ago I realized that I could get older games - especially PC games - much cheaper from places like Big Lots and the bargain racks at Wal-Mart and Target for $10.00 or less and they would usually perform at or near the highest quality settings on whatever system I was currently running.

One game that has been sitting on my shelf for a while now is Homeworld 2. I really enjoyed the first Homeworld and had high hopes for the follow-up.  Those hopes were dashed to pieces this weekend. Despite being released in 2003, it still looked good and had a lot of the driving story and atmosphere that made the first one so compelling. So why am I so disappointed?

The game is TOO FRICKIN' HARD!

And you know what? I don't have the time to waste playing each mission over and over, ad nauseum, to beat it. In my younger days - heck, even earlier this year - I would've stuck with a game out of a sense of obligation. I spent a whole $5.00 on it, right? I need to beat it to justify the purchase and somehow validate myself as a gamer, a man, and/or possibly even a human being.

Let's say I stick with it. Let's say I forgo all my other time-sucking hobbies and interests to focus on this particular one. Let's say I obsess over it every waking second and get irritated when I spend time being a husband and father while that horrible, obsessive, irrational little nagging voice in my head keeps whispering that I really need to be saving the universe (I have issues, if you didn't know). What do I get for spending all that time beating such an incredibly frustrating game? A pre-rendered scene of variable quality, a list of credits, and - possibly - some message telling me that if I were to go back and play it again, I'd do better. That's it.

The reward is not worth the effort.

My free time is at a premium, and I want to spend it doing something I enjoy. Something that provides a sense of accomplishment, not frustration, and - ideally - will still be around in some persistent form when I move on to the next project. Video games are quite possibly the least meaningful, least rewarding hobby I have, and I will no longer sink hours and hours of my life into a game that is not fun.

If you are one of the few masochistic individuals who managed to unite the cores and defeat the Vaygr, good for you. I hope you feel like it was time well spent. As for me, I noticed yesterday that Wal-Mart had Assassin's Creed on the bargain rack for $10.00 . . .

Misc: Using Safety Glasses to Reduce Eye-Strain Caused by Monitors

I work in front of two widescreen monitors for at least 40 hours a week (more, if you count the majority of lunch breaks I spend at my desk watching anime on hulu) in a poorly lit cubicle with no windows or natural light of any kind.

Recently, I noticed that my eyes were hurting and I was getting headaches.  At first, I tried turning down the brightness on my monitors - which were, admittedly, a bit 'hot' - to 50%, but that only slightly lessened the discomfort I was experiencing.

At some point in my surfing, I had run across a reference to Gunnar Optiks' digital performance eyewear.  I seriously began to consider purchasing a pair of their CRySTALLINE glasses, which are clear for people who work with color. Unfortunately, even their low end frames do not come cheap.

$79.00

I was on the verge of purchasing a pair, but then it occurred to me, what if a pair of polarized sunglasses worked just as well? That's all well and good, but the tinted lenses might throw off my color perception. That's when I had the bright idea to try out a cheap pair of UV-rated safety glasses.

I purchased these glasses - but with clear lenses - for $10.00 at Home Depot

After three days' use, my eyes are not as strained and the headaches have gone away.

I do not have any sort of scientific data or information to prove how or why this seems to be working, only the fact that it no longer hurts to look at my monitors. I'm certainly not wearing a pair of clear safety glasses at my desk to look cool.

This is not to discredit Gunar Optiks in anyway - their glasses may even work better. But, if you're not rich (I'm not) or have a tendency to lose or break your sunglasses (I do), I would strongly encourage looking into something like this as an affordable, low-risk alternative.

Misc: A Brief High Ate Us

+1 Internets if you get the reference.  Also, you have excellent taste in literature.

In an attempt to avoid burning myself (and you) out on the Monomyth series, I'm taking a little break before starting on the next block of entries.  I had hoped to have something to fill the gap, but collaborative schedules rarely work out so conveniently.

At any rate, so you won't think I'm a lazy slacker, here's what's going on at Kingworks Creative (aka: the time in the evening after the kids go to bed and my own bedtime):

Art

• I finished a cover piece and an encounter map for the next Nevermet Press release, due later this month, IIRC. (Once NMP officially shows the cover, I will post them here).
  
• Another drawing and a digital painting for two NMP settings are about half done. Not for anything in particular, just wanted to do them. 

DnD

• Remember the card game I was working on?  I started the third one, but the design has been frustrating me, so I set it aside. Counting it, there are 2.5 cards left to finish, as well as the design for the back.
  
• I have an idea for what I think could be a cool encounter, but it's in the early stages and needs some work.

40k

• The release of the Codex: Blood Angels has me revamping my army.  I'm currently converting half-finished Tactical Marines into Assault Marines, putting magnets in Sergeants and special weapons Marines.
  
• Building a kustom Ork Trukk based on Dave Taylor's excellent tutorial.
  
• At least one mob of Slugga Boyz and some Nobz waiting on a final pass of highlights and an ink wash.

Misc

• In an effort to save money on the house we're building, I've been looking for things I can do myself to save money.  Thus far, I've only sealed windows, doors & wall seams. Soon, however, I will be putting down tile and hardwood flooring; after that, we'll be seeding the grass and landscaping ourselves.  Then taking a break to save up again in order to add a deck and finish the basement.
  
• I've been working through Foundation Game Design with Flash a little bit each day (or week, if I was being completely honest) and it's got me thinking that I just might be able to finish that 40k Flash game after all.  No time soon, unfortunately.  I also need to look into the legality of making a free Flash game based on an established IP. I don't think 'homage' is going to cut it - GW's legal dept. can be pretty ruthless. I may need to make it a parody . . .
  
• One of my freelance clients has been emailing me about doing an update on his website.  I'm expecting the files any day now.

I'm sure there are some other things going on, but that's all I can think of right now. Cheers!

Misc: In Pursuit of Creativity and Productivity

Okay, first of, this is NOT a New Year's resolution. I've been reading various and sundry articles and blog postings about managing life and being focused and staying creative - enough to know it's a sign.

I'm going to attempt a moderate shift in my lifestyle.

The goal is to see if a few extra hours at the beginning of the day are better for productivity and creativity than those last few extra late hours I always seem to spend staring blankly at the monitor or flipping through the few channels we get, disgusted at the lack of interesting programs.

My current average routine looks something like this:

• 7:15-30 am: Reluctantly get up, slowly help get the kids dressed, get a shower, go to work
• 8:05 - 8:15 am: Arrive at work (I'm supposed to be there at 8:00)
• Work 'till 5:00 pm - not much I can do here
• 5:15 pm: Arrive home (5:30 if I stop at the game store, 6:00 if I go to the comic book store), eat dinner with the family
• 6:00 - 7:00 pm: Kids run wild, usually try to get a load of dishes, pick up toys; sometimes we'll go out to eat or need to pick up something from the store
• 7:15-30 pm: Get kids ready for bed, tuck 'em in (occasionally they'll be up 'till 8, rarely later)
  
• 7:30-10:00: Wife and usually I do personal stuff - pay bills, freelance work, paint 40K, WiiFit, Facebook (her, not me), sometimes art - often on the couch while watching TV together
  
• 10:00-???: I continue to work on personal stuff and/or play games while the wife goes to bed. If I don't build up some momentum on a project by this point, it's hopeless and I'll turn to video games. Nothing worthwhile on TV at this point.
  
• 12:00 am: Bedtime, usually - not unusual for it to be later.

Here is the proposed change:

• 5:30 am: Wake up, go downstairs and do WiiFit for 30 min. (seriously)
• 6:00 am: Shower, get dressed for work
• 6:30 am: Dedicated art time - probably start out doing digital speedpaints - go from there
• 7:00 am: Kids are up, getting them ready for school, wife gets ready for work - I may find a little extra personal time once they're out the door - but I definitely need to be on the road no later than 7:45 am
  
• 8:00 am - 9:59 pm: Keep it the same for now, maybe try to structure evenings better
• 10:00 pm: Bedtime, no if's, and's, or but's

Possible issues:

• Coordinating new routine with the wife's-get-up-and-shower time
• Making sure not to snack or have caffeine after . . . 7:00 pm (?). Don't wanna be lying awake after 10 pm.
• May need some additional structuring after the kids are in bed.
• Getting up and going to bed the first couple of days is going to be a challenge.

One of the tips I picked up somewhere had to do with stating your intent - making it public. The idea is that once it's out there, a person is more inclined to stick with it.

So congratulations, you've just been incorporated into my scheme to become more creative and productive.

Ultimately, I hope that this will lead to more posts on here. But let's just take it one day at a time, okay?

Misc: A Clockwork Pumpkin

A few years back, some friends of ours started throwing an annual pumpkin carving party. A bunch of our friends would come together, have dinner and carve pumpkins (pretty self-explanatory, really).

Not being content with using the same cookie-cutter patterns that you'd see at just about every house in the neighboorhood, I made it a point to always use my own design - even if it wasn't quite as polished.

What you see below was decided upon, drawn out and carved (using one of those fake pumpkins from Michaels') in about 2.5 hours.




Meh.

Misc: NOT An Apology

As happens from even the most prolific of bloggers, sometimes real life asserts itself and the time between posts grows longer and longer. So I have decided to list out everything I am, have been, and plan to be working on. Such a list, it is my hope, will help me to get my goals and priorities organized so I can get around to actually wrapping some of this stuff up. Many of these will eventually find their way onto this blog - when I find the time, of course.

Recently finished

• Freelance work: building a website for Rebuild Sudan a non-profit organization aimed at improving the quality of life for children and families who have suffered through war.
• DnD: Three articles for a future Nevermet Press villain
• 40k: Doing some modeling work on my Dark Eldar Ravagers & taking pictures for a post
  

Currently working on (to one degree or other)

• DnD/Art: My first-ever campaign-style map for Nevermet Press' first-ever PDF release.
• Dnd/Art: Another digital painting for one of my Nevermet Press villains: The Automated Antagonist
• 40k: Doing an experiment in painting the door bases from Space Hulk
  while slowly painting the Marines and prepping the Genestealers for primer
• Misc/DnD: Getting a Google Wave account (finally caved - I want in)
  

To Do

• Freelance: Finish the much-needed redesign for my personal website (Kingworks Creative)
• DnD/Art: Get the Binary Runes turned into a font.
• DnD: Finish the Encounter Quick Reference Sheet.

Back Burner (forsaken, but not forgotten)

• Art: My super-ultra-top-secret graphic novel (1/2 way written; but I'm thinking of a rewrite)
  
• 40k: Warhammer 40k Flash Game
• 40k: Renovating some of my 40k terrain
• 40k: Finish modeling/painting Ork, Blood Angel, and Tyranid armies
  

And all this on top of trying to get a house built and giving my family the time and attention they need and deserve from me. Of course, things like work, Twitter, movies and books, video games, and sleep get in the way of my productivity, but I keep plugging away in the hopes that I will one day actually not feel like I'm somehow perpetually behind in what it is I should have accomplished thus far in life.

It's not likely, but one can hope . . .

Misc Update: Busy, busy, busy!

Not a lot of time to post or work on blog projects these days. Here's a quick list of what's going on and things I hope to finish in the near future:

Life

• My laptop died last Friday, ordered a new HDD to replace it - only it wasn't the HDD, it was the video card. The SECOND video card I've put in this thing in less than a year!!! I've had the laptop less than three years. Avoid Toshiba Satellites, especially the P105 series and save yourself a headache and some $$$.
  
• Just purchased some land, now looking at houseplans and talking to builders
• Everytime we turn around, it's someone else's birthday. I think my wife & I are the only ones not born in the summer between our two families
• Heading into crunch time at work - need to have everything up and running before the new semester begins
  

DnD, Art

• If my count is right, I have produced 7 articles (not all published yet), 2 encounter maps and 2 pieces of art for Nevermet Press, with another encounter map and article on the way
• Working on layout and design of next art piece to coincide with another Portrait of a Villain
  

40K

• Just finished around round of batch painting on the 36 Slugga Boyz for my Ork army (the shirts) - next round will either be tin bitz details or the bases
• Making some additions to an older piece of terrain (Imperial Firebase) and plans to totally renovate a second piece (Ruined Temple).
• Having gotten some games in with them recently, I did some work on my Dark Eldar - mainly bases, put some color on my last Raider/Ravager
  

Rage Against the Machine

The video card on my laptop (Toshiba Satellite P105-S6227) died on Friday. The very same laptop where all my work, art, and project files are stored. This happened one day before a new freelance client I've been working with sent me a bunch a files to put on her site, and two days before a former client asked me to make a 'quick change' to his site.

The manufacturer's warranty on the laptop ran out a year ago, good thing I paid $200 for that extended warranty from Circuit Ci- . . . oh, right. F$@%! That's what I get for breaking my own rule: Never ever, ever, EVER buy an extended warranty - especially on electronics that will be obsolete in 2 years.

So I called Toshiba to see if the video card was integrated into the motherboard or if it could be replaced/upgraded. I was told that the 256 MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600 was replaceable, but had to be purchased through some official vendor in New York.

Here's how the call to the distributor went:

Me: So, you can send me a new video card?

Sales Rep (in a noticeable New Yawker accent): It should arrive by Tuesday.

Me: I'll get it Tuesday, then?

Rep: No, we'll get it Tuesday. You should get it Thursday.

Me: Wait, I thought you sold the part.

Rep: We distribute the parts - that's what distributors do?

Me: Lemme get this straight - I call Toshiba, and they tell me to call you. You tell me that you
will order the part from Toshiba, they send it to you, then you'll send it to me?

Rep: . . . yes.

Me: Why can't Toshiba just send me the part?

Rep: Well, they have a store, but they don't sell parts, just accessories. But if you want them ship it to you it'll be . . . $30.00 S&H; If we send it to you, it's only $12.00 S&H.

Me: So it costs me less to have Toshiba send it you and then you send it to me, than for Toshiba to send it directly to me.

Rep: That's correct.

Me: Fine, whatever, I just need it ASAP.

So, couple this with an extended holiday weekend that provided my 1 and 3 year olds with copious amounts of sugar and one might imagine what sort of a mood I'm in. Just have to hang in there 'till Thursday . . . Oh well, hopefully I can get caught up painting the 36 Slugga Boyz that have been patiently waiting their turn for some attention.

A Public Service Announcement

If your spouse happens to come home from the store with one of these:

Photo taken from: komby.com

You should, under no circumstances, hold it up to your face and start to pump furiously and try to pull it off. And, failing that, for the love of all that is good and decent, don't repeat the process several more times.

Should one fail to heed this advice, be forewarned that you will be carrying around a surprisingly well-defined reverse 'X' on your face at work or school the next day - and probably the day after that, it would appear.

So don't let what happened to . . . a . . . friend of mine . . . happen to you.

In the Beginning . . .

I'll try and make this as painless as possible . . .

Who are you?
Who cares?

Why do you have a blog?
I am changing the focus (and domain name) of my personal website. It will no longer be a general portfolio/repository of things I've worked on, but a site dedicated to showcasing and offering my services as an amateur freelance website developer and graphic designer. Any art that I'm particularly fond of will probably wind up on there as well. Consequently, I needed (read: wanted) a place to display and talk about my hobby-related projects.

How often will you update it?
Aiming for a couple times a week.

What can we expect to find on your blog?
Files, ideas, conversions, terrain, artwork and the occasional tutorial primarily related to Dungeons & Dragons (4E) and Warhammer 40K. Also, you can expect to see the template change quite a bit until I'm happy with it. It just won't do for a self-styled designer to go using someone else's template without messing with it at least a tiny bit.

Can I critique your work?
Certainly, as long as your comments are professional and constructive. Just know that I suffer from mild depression and happen to be terribly insecure.

How long have to you been doing these hobbies?
Drawing: For as long as I can remember, with large gaps during and after college. I've recently tried to focus on my art more - particularly digital painting and illustration using Photoshop, and Corel Painter with my trusty Wacom tablet.

40K: Since High School. A friend got me into it and I got hooked. He's since stopped playing, but I soldier on (pun intended). It started with one 2000 point army, and now I'm working on my fourth. I have Blood Angels, Dark Eldar, Tyranids, and Orks - all at various stages of completion.

D&D: I've dabbled in pen-n-paper RPG's over the past decade, but the groups would always fall apart due to scheduling difficulties and/or personality conflicts. I decided I was going to jump into D&D 4th edition with both feet after listening to the first set of Penny Arcade/PVP podcasts. So far, it's been a pretty good experience.