Happy Halloween

Watch out for things that go bump in the night...and the sugar high...

It has been ages since I attempted a movie. WMM is still being a bitch so the quality blows. Sorry about that...

ETA: Posted a Halloween photoshoot on Through the Lens -> HERE

Not Wrapping Anything in Ribbons

Sessions has been updated with Chapter 17 called No Surprise

But to add to the surprise, Coop's new hair, bent, folded, mutilated and otherwise hacked up by me. I have been wanting to update his look for some time but could never find anything I really liked or that matched his hair color. This is as close as I have come so far and I'm still on the fence about it.

Song is #17 in the playlist, a new one by DAUGHTRY. It is definitely worth a listen.

Road to Recovery ~ Week Six

It hurts. A lot. Fighting back tears when I do my exercises. Seriously.

I am feeling really blah. Physical therapy blows chunks. My arm hurts worse than before and instead of improving my range of motion, it has gotten worse. I know that I need to work through the pain and I usually have a high tolerance for it so I worry that I am pushing too hard. And...I slipped two days ago. On a sock. And caught myself from the fall with my left arm. Sorry, force of habit, instinct. And I am worried that I did something bad. I try not to think about it and have been popping Ibuprofen, icing it, and babying the thing. *cue finger wags and tsks*

Since I begin writing this post, I have been to physical therapy and they have assured me that this pain is normal and expected, not likely that I did any harm to the injury since my range of motion is still improving. I guess that is a relief but I still worry about the pain. Taking stronger meds to get through it. I don't know how major league pitchers come back so fast from a rotator cuff injury. The idea of throwing a 90 mile and hour slider gives me chills.

I was given the go-ahead for light mousing/keyboarding which has saved my sanity some although I am overdoing it. I will have to get the timer out again to stay on track.

I cannot keep up with updates. I know there are some out there I have missed. There are also updates that I have read but not left comments. Doing my best to hang in there. I am supporting you all, just not as noticeably as before. You will just have to forgive me for that. I will say my blog rolls are useless. I am better off following updates through subscriptions with Google Reader. Now that I have my Twitter widget under control, my blog roll is taking over.

Sorry, no Lessons Learned this week but I do have a blogthing for you all and just in time for Halloween:

You Are a Witch

Like a witch, you are often misunderstood and unfairly judged. You are not as sinister as you seem. You are intelligent and spiritual. You feel very connected to the world - both the dark and light sides of things. You tend to keep to yourself, and because of this people tend to think things about you that aren't true. You would just like to be left alone to do your own thing. You have no intention of harming anyone, even though you could if you wanted to!

Are You A Vampire, Witch, Or Zombie?

Blogthings: Learn Something Surprising About Yourself

Road to Recovery ~ Week Five

Sure I know it is Tuesday but I had an appointment with the surgeon yesterday afternoon and between the commute traffic and the lousy weather, it took over an hour to get home.

In case your local news didn't mention it, the streets of San Fransisco were flooded yesterday from the sewers overflowing due to the rain. (eww!) I was just too tired to post last night so I vegged out with the remote and a copy of X-Men Origins: Wolverine. I love me some Hugh Jackman.

Now for the prognosis...I do NOT need to wear my sling at home or in bed! Yay! They gave me a lighter one for when I actually leave the house and I still am not supposed to drive but I can deal with that. No sling in bed!!!! I still can't sleep on my left side (which is a challenge) and I still cannot raise my arm over my head or to the side, I am restricted to the nose to toes area of my body, no lifting, no carrying, no nothing yet, not with the left arm. But no sling!

I will be off for another 4 weeks and then, if cleared, I can go back to modified work duty. Starting physical therapy as soon as they can squeeze me in! Oh and in another week one of my at-home exercises is...wait for it, wait for it...wiping the counters. I swear. Hand flat on a damp sponge and writing the alphabet on the counter. In capital letters gradually increasing the size of the letters I make. Yeah, wipe the counters. Joy of joys. At least I don't need to do the alphabet backwards.

My first night sleeping without the cumbersome sling was challenging. I was half awake most of the night fighting with the urge to roll onto my left side. I think it will get easier over time though.

Now on to the fun stuff.
I thought I would throw something a little different at you today. I followed a link from somewhere and ended up at a website that had some funny, funny stuff on it, well funny to me anyway. I had to post one of them here for you all to get the same chuckle I did. You should know I am a huge fan of Shakespeare so this drew me right away. I will admit however that I had to think about #10 for longer than I should have.

Drum roll please...

Snagged from THIS SITE

Top 15 Pick-Up Lines Used by William Shakespeare

15. How about a little Puck?

14. Of course, "Romeo and Gertrude" is just a working title. I might be persuaded to change it for you, M'Lady.

13. Et Tu, Cutie?

12. Shall I compare thee to a brick outhouse?

11. If I whispered in thine ear that thou hadst a body of beauty unknown but to the heavens, wouldst thou hold it against me?

10. Wouldst thou care to join me in forming the beast with two backs?

9. My heart, it pines, as my trouser's tent.

8. Without thine companionship, dear lady, I fearest I would spend the evening with pen in hand, if thou knows what I mean.

7. Hey, Baby, can Ophelia up?

6. Is this a dagger I see before me? Nay! I'm merely happy to cast eyes upon thy beauty!

5. Greetings to you, fair sailor.

4. But soft, what light through yonder trousers breaks?

3. Wouldst thou away you to Motel 6 with me?

2. O! Prithee, sitteth upon my visage, and perchance to let me divine thy weight.

And the Number 1 Pick-Up line used by William Shakespeare...

1. Do me, or not do me. THAT is the question!

Spring Cleaning

All right, it isn't spring...however I have been pouring over various sites and tutorials looking for tips and tricks and always seem to find one thing that catches my eye. A lot of creators compress their CC before uploading and many Sims 2 players compress their downloads. These same people organize their CC in folders first which, not being very organized, is a foreign concept to me. And I keep losing CC every time I launch Body Shop or even the game and I swear I am not deleting anything.

My question is this - and Veron I hope you are seeing this post because I know you will have sage advice for me - when organizing downloads, say by hair (male/female) clothing (again, male/female and maybe even body shape), or maybe even theme, how do you all do it? Are all the decorative pieces in one folder or are they separated by type (wall, statue, etc). Are all, I mean ALL, meshes in one folder? Walls, floors, where do they go?

I had at one time started doing this by creator but that is not working well, especially if you want to cull. Clean Installer is a useful tool for sorting through CC when it is in smaller chucks in folders. Again I go back to theme...do you put the Halloween stuff in one folder only to be moved out when not in use?

I ask this because I have 9.96 GIGABYTES of CC and tens of thousands (32,046 at my last count) of files in my Downloads folder. So I really would like some input from anyone out there who has a boatload of CC and is blessed with the organizational gene.

Update at Passages

Passages 4 has been posted! SB aptly describes it as Down the Rabbit Hole. I loved her concept for this piece and I think it came out quite well. Incredible use of color in her shots.

Song for this part is First Cut is the Deepest performed by Sheryl Crow.

Access the chapter here -> Passages 4

Road to Recovery ~ Week Four

Not much to report. SB mentioned baked potatoes the other day and I have been craving them like crazy. Twice bakes actually, with super sharp cheddar, loads of butter, bacon, onions, sour cream...or shrimp chowder with sourdough. Or both.

So I have been letting my arm out of the sling (bad, bad girl that I am) but you just don't know how awful it is to have your arm in one position for most of the day and night. I am getting irritable at this point with immobility. It's stiff and painful unless I move it. My next follow-up is the 19th so hopefully I will be able to start using it more.


I managed to post a photo shoot of one of my Chameleon girls here -> Lyra. These shots were taken back in August and I did not do much Photoshopping because...I just didn't. They looked good enough. Just have two more to go, Marielle and the lovely Melinda and that series will be done. Not sure if many of you have perused my various postings on that blog. I have been itching to do photo shoots lately. They inspire me to write actually.

Seen any good movies lately? I signed up for a free trial of Netflix. Watched Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian on the PC. I liked it. I really couldn't think of any movies I wanted to see which is too bad since they are free for one month. I ordered X-Men Origins: Wolverine (I love Hugh Jackman). That should be here tomorrow along with Nights in Rodanthe which I ordered because...I don't know why I ordered it actually.

I am wondering if my Twitter widget is going to overtake my sidebar. Do those things ever recycle?

Week Four Lessons Learned:

• A little curry, a little dill can really spice up a tuna melt
  
• I can actually sort laundry with my right arm but refuse to clue the boys in on that factoid
  
• There really is a Climax, GA
  
• When they tell you to take an anti-nausea pill 30 minutes prior to a pain pill, do it
  
• Vampire Diaries, love it or hate it...I can't decide
  
• I should be the next Iron Chef...NOT
  

BLOGTHING ALERT!!

Your PB and J Says You're Adventurous and Accepting

Your eating style is gluttonous. If you like something, you're going back for seconds... no matter how full you are! You have an average sweet tooth. While you enjoy desserts, they aren't exactly your downfall. Your taste in food tends to be pretty flexible. You may crave sushi one night, and your favorite childhood recipe the next. You're a self loathing middle class person. You act a lot classier than you are, and you secretly feel like a fraud. Seriously? Self-loathing? And I am chock full of class damn it! You are a tough person who isn't afraid to live life fully. There isn't a lot that scares you. You are laid back and extremely easygoing. You never make a fuss, and you try to enjoy every moment.

What Does Your Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Say About You?

Blogthings: A Fine Line Between Insight and Stupidity

Singing in the Rain

I am just going to say it - I adore this girl. Cadence can light up the stormiest of days. Really. Just look at her.


I have been worrying over this storyline for ages. It has been almost 5 months since I did anything with Wyatt's story. The piece changed quite a bit from its first incarnation. I had a whole deal going on with Wyatt coming to terms finally with his mother's death but it was just too fluffy. I am tired of the idea of Wyatt clinging so desperately to the past and wanted to move him along. Instead he ended up knee deep in the same old stuff. No more poor Wyatt! He needs to move forward! Right?

So. The piece is extremely short. It doesn't really go anywhere. It doesn't even fit with the main story line but whatever. I need to keep him on track. Although at this point where the track goes is no longer clear. I'm stuck in Lodi again. (CCR reference for those keeping track)

The shots are unimaginative. It began to snow. Why? Because in my world, Millwood and wherever it is that Melinda lives are in the same NB and since I just completed Mel's piece, well you get the picture. I worked around it as best as I could. Oh yeah...and it rained. It wasn't supposed to rain.

I have not gotten around to adding music to all of Wyatt's chapters so if you would like to listen to the piece that accompanies this chapter, scroll down to #8 in the playlist. Velver Revolver. Totally worth a listen.

Linkage -> Rising Above - Chapter 10 ~ Fall to Pieces

Road to Recovery ~ Week Three

An 8 inch bone-in ribeye sounds pretty good to me right now...

I've gotten a lot stiffer, the pain has been radiating down into my muscles. They said I would lose strength and there would be some stiffness and that is the reality now. The exercises have become not only more painful to perform but more essential for me to keep up regularly.

Although I treat my shoulder with cold therapy, the warmth of a hot shower has been a welcome treatment and more of a comfort. I sleep better but seem to be back to those old tense sleeping positions which do not help so the heat seems to ease that overall shoulder, neck, back pain and stiffness.
Surprisingly, my shoulder still bears the bruising from where they scoped it. Some of the incisions seem to have healed and faded some but the one in the front hurts and is just plain ugly. They will not entirely go away but then at least I will have an interesting line right? "Hey want to see my scars?"

Week Three Lessons Learned:

• Watching the Food Network not only makes me hungry but makes me realize I suck at cooking
  
• Heidi Klum is annoying as hell. And why do models stand all pigeon-toed and wonky
  
• You can pretty much get any TV series you want with On Demand, including channels you don't subscribe to - for free
  
• They killed off Lady Marion? WTF?? ~Drew help me out on this one please
  
• I have been watching entirely too much television
  
  Lame list, I know but there really isn't much new this week.
  
  I liked this blogthing; it was spot on for me.
  
  

  You Think Best While You're Driving

  In order to be able to think, you need to be able to have time to think. Problem is, there isn't a lot of time for that in your life. When you are driving, you are finally able to let your mind wander. And it wanders to some pretty interesting places. Depending on the conditions, driving can make you feel elated, relaxed, or even frustrated. All of these varying emotions spark a lot of revelations. While the thoughts you have while driving may have a lot of noise in them, there's definitely some insight to be found.

  
  
  Where Do You Think Best?
  
  
  Blogthings: Free Quizzes for Everyone
  
  

Sessions Update - Trouble in Paradise?

I just love Shaun's eyes...I wish Devlin had inherited them since I believe he is going to look a lot like his father when he grows up.

We have an update posted at Sessions called By the Way. This piece takes place just prior to Rayne leaving for college (Passages 2) for those of you keeping score.

Song in the playlist is by Theory of a Deadman

Again tremendous thanks go to Beth for doing the bulk of the work as well as enforcing my break time. Her artistry with decor and impeccable views is unsurpassed.

Announcement - Finally

Meet Thalia Owen, nine year old daughter of Melinda and Damian Owen. Raised by her mother and shielded from her mother's travails as well as her father, a man who never wanted to know her, Thalia is a shy and soft-spoken little girl.

Nearly a year ago I made a decision to attempt (unofficially) the writing prompts from Simfic50. I say unofficially as I don't include word count, summary, etc. but I wanted to use the premise for when I am blocked or just feel like I want to do something different with all the crazy ideas in my head. I already had a blog set up for short stories so I thought I would post there. I took down the previous work (the images were too small) and added a piece based on my Chameleon series which was not going to follow a traditional story timeline; it was simply going to be stand alone pieces based on Melinda Owen, proprietor of the "gentleman's club" called Chameleon. You may have seen photo shoots of her "girls" on my photo blog, Through The Lens.

It has since grown and woven its way into Sessions by way of crossover characters, something I had not intended but ended up happening. Having discussed the future of the story and where I am going with it with Beth, we both agreed that it should become a companion to Sessions. To that end I have created a new blog that will thread in and out of Sessions in a similar fashion to Rising Above and Passages.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the story line:

Chapter 1 - Death
Chapter 2 - Beginnings

The pieces are relatively short, the newest one, Chapter 3 - Choice, being a mere 22 screens. It has been written for awhile, just not screen capped. I hope you will enjoy Melinda's journey.

Disclaimer: No tendons were harmed in the posting of this chapter.