Ramblings of a demented cat-dragon-thing
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Below are the 10 most recent journal entries recorded in the "Aetobatus" journal:
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12:00 am
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Hello there
Welcome! If you're just appearing here, you're probably not seeing very much. This journal is almost completely friends-only, so only a few select entries are visible to the public.
If I know you and you'd like to see what this journal has to offer, add me as a friend. I keep an eye on that, and if I see an addition and I know who you are, I will reciprocate. The more you do on your journal, the more likely I am to add you back. Feel free to leave a comment here, as well, if you want to remind me who you are. (Comments are screened, so only I will see it.)
There is one filter you can ask to be added to: German. I am in the process of learning German, so if you know the language, or just want to watch me try to post in it, let me know.
Thanks!
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04:48 pm
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Leatherwork
I'm currently working on a project, and the next step is going to be to create some leather armor and weapons holsters for the creation. I'm trying to do all of the work on this project myself, but does anyone have any suggestions on either good places to learn some of the techniques I will need or suggestions on doing the work itself?
The bulk of the work I need will be in terms of strapping for holding swords and other similar weapons in place, with some armor which should look more ornamental than functional.
Thanks!
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10:58 am
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Now, on the strike
So, I just posted something with real content, and I admit I intentionally saved it for today to post. It's real content, and something I wanted to put up, which is why I am posting this independently. This is more "meta-content" in all reality.
Why? Like so many others have said, I find this "content strike" a complete joke. As far as I can tell, people are striking because any new accounts which don't want to pay for service have to have ads on their pages. Folks, I challenge you to find any service nearly as large as LJ which doesn't mandate ads of some form or require payment.
Folks, bandwidth doesn't come free, and a business account pays much more for it than we do at home, as it's expected they will nearly saturate their link all of the time. It's basic business. They have to make money, and you just can't do it with expenses but no income to balance it.
If they dropped all existing free accounts or no longer gave an option for ad-sponsored accounts, I could start to see some cause for protest, but they didn't do that. I have also seen some arguments that they should have taken this to the community before making the decision. While there might be some merit to that argument, personally, I've never looked at LJ in the view that I really have any control over the system as a whole. They are a business, and they will make decisions as benefit the business.
So is Google, Yahoo, Slashdot, MySpace, FaceBook, LinkedIn, and any other large Internet provider of any sort. Their directors have a (fiduciary, in the case of public companies) responsibility to ensure their business continues. That means they have to balance keeping their customers happy, but not TOO happy. I'd be MUCH more happy if the gas station down the street would let me get my gas for free, but they clearly can't let me be that happy, or they won't survive, nor do they consult their customers when they decide to change the price.
Like any business, in the space of "Blogging" systems, competition drives pricing and policy. If LJ really does become sufficiently customer-unfriendly, their income will suffer, and it won't be a result of a strike or any big public demonstration. It will be the slow bleed-off of customers. And, in all honesty, I don't think more than a handful of people will actually leave because of this policy.
I rarely post meta-content like this, so you'll likely not see it from me again. I wanted to get this off my chest, though.
Aeto, who paid for a permanent account years ago, and hasn't regretted it yet.
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09:43 pm
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OK, Me too.
So, I did the Daemon thing... I asked it to let you folks change it. So, if you're not sick of it, I'd love to see what it changes to with your votes of me. :>
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08:42 pm
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On Becoming a Manticore
Even though a bunch of people saw him, and (alas) figured out his identity at Midwest Furfest, Dar'Rushk made his formal debut this weekend at Further Confusion, so I can finally say that yes, that is my new costume.
And quite an experience it was...
( Buying the commission... )
( Concept art... )
( Finally starting the project... )
( Delivery... )
( The pre-debut debut... )
( Further Confusion 2007... )
( The reward... )
I was unsure about how I'd feel about a commissioned costume when I started the process of getting the commission. I'm still not sure; when people give me compliments, I feel very self-conscious. I want to always say, "I didn't make this, compliment Lance." I do say that at times, when someone sees me in human form and comments on it, but you can't when you're out performing. More than any other costume, I almost feel guilty if I don't give the level of performance (be it on stage or in hallways) this moving work of art deserves. As I get used to the suit, I know I get better, though. I'll tell anyone now, there's nothing like wearing a costume like this, even if you didn't build it yourself. To Lance and Lynette, I can only say, I feel honored to be able to wear Dar'Rushk, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. He's a masterpiece, and I think you've outdone yourselves.
If I had to do it all over again knowing what I know now, would I repeat a commission like this? Absolutely. It's more than just given me a costume which I can wear with a level of pride I can barely put words to, but it's brought back my enthusiasm for costuming in a way nothing else could. I'm actually thinking now, "I should make the time to go down into the shop and work on things." He's giving me the inspiration I've been looking for so long.
Pictures of the suit are online at http://aeto.chameleon.net/main.php/v/manticore. I'm setting up a place there to upload pictures you have, and I'd LOVE to see anything you have of him. Oh, and Jeryc, I MUST have a copy of the video you took of CatCoon and myself!!! Similarly, his accessories have a general scorpion theme. If anyone knows of anything scorpion-based which would look good on him, don't hesitate to make suggestions.
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08:46 am
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I think you need a hint
While some of the guesses were quite entertaining, I think you all need another hint... One person did get quite close, though!
Here's one of those green things in use.
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09:57 pm
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Look what I just fixed!
I just repaired these two objects. Anyone care to guess what they are?
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08:15 pm
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In regards to Katrina
By now, everyone has seen or heard this. My comment to someone else is worth repeating, I think, keeping in mind I work as a meteorologist / weather analyst.
I got to spend all day today at work, issuing forecasts on this storm to our company, answering questions, etc...
When out team of mets saw that come over the wire, it floored us. NWS just doesn't issue statements like that. A couple of the senior guys, who have worked dozens of hurricane seasons, have never seen anything like that come from NWS.
As we read it, the most frightening thing was that we all looked at each other, and said, "the bad thing is, I don't think they are being over-sensational." If it takes one of the "doomsday" paths, there won't be a hell of a lot left of the city.
This is just no good.
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I'm on duty until 1 or 2 AM tomorrow morning (from home now, at least). This storm is unprecidented; nothing like this has made US landfall. The New Orleans "doomsday" scenario (which drops the entire city under 30+ feet of water) is within the 12-hour error radius. The entire Gulf of Mexico oil and gas production is shut down now. Oil is over $70/bbl, gas over $10/Bcf. There will be damaged and even missing platforms. There probably already ARE damaged or missing platforms, we just don't know about them yet.
People are holding Hurricane Parties in the French Quarter. There's a reasonable chance most of these people will be dead in less than 12 hours.
It's too late to hope there won't be serious loss of property and life. It's not too late to hope to keep the doomsday scenario away, true, but the best thing to hope for is, once everything has passed, that we find sanity *somewhere* and recover as best we can. If you live anywhere in the US, this WILL impact you, from everything from people you know to how much you pay for gas and electricity.
And for anyone in New Orleans, I wish you the best of luck, and I hope you've already gotten the hell out.
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EDIT: It's 9:00 CDT, and it looks like an eyewall replacement cycle looks like it may be starting. This COULD drop it a category, which may help quite a bit.
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05:14 pm
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How much does all your stuff weigh?
According to the movers, all my stuff (not counting me, my car, or the stuff which will go in there), my stuff weighs 4,400 lbs. So that means there are 4,400 lbs of Aeto-stuffs in a truck, somewhere between here and Chicago, as I type this. Seeing as they left with my stuff only a couple hours ago, I suspect it's much closer to here than it is to Chicago.
So now, my bedroom is completely stuff-free. Well, it's stuff-free, so long as you don't count all the trash on the floor as "stuff." The movers did all of the packing for me ("We have to, for insurance reasons."), so every now and then I find little bits of stuff mixed in with the trash which should have gotten packed. ("OK, what was special about this aquarium filter that they decided not to pack it, but they packed all the rest?!?") The movers tagged all of the boxes with barcodes, and scanned all of them in, indicating the contents so I could get a printout of which bits of my stuff are in which boxes. Given that, I know that my 4,400 lbs of stuff fit in 68 boxes and one crate, plus a few things they didn't bother boxing, but just tagged directly. (Somewhere in a warehouse until I move into my new place in Chicago will be a life-sized me with a little barcode on it! I wonder what they will think.)
It's odd to look around the house, and realize that other than the laptop and occasional things I realize I should have packed, nothing here is mine. Over two tons of stuff just left the house today, and in just a couple of days, I'll be following it. I love the bay area, and yet, I am leaving. I got a call last night from a company out here who I'd spoken with before, and was talking about a salary close to what the Chicago company is offering, who wanted to talk to me again, but it's too late now. I was so close to saying no, and will probably always wonder if I should have taken this offer or not. This is the first move I have made in my life where I wasn't sure it was what I wanted to do, so it's been the hardest. Ask me again in a year. Or two.
BTW, my ETA in Chicago is now Friday night. I am trying to push it up a bit, if I can do the drive in few enough days, but we'll see if I can make that, or still arrive Saturday. It also depends on how long I want to visit the cats up at Tiger Touch; this is the last chance I'll get to see them for a while. If I get semi-settled by Sunday, maybe I could have some folks over for dinner or something...
Current Mood:  contemplative
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11:54 pm
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Moving to Chicago
Well, I finally succomed, and got the LJ account, largely because I'm moving to Chicago, and it seems most of the planning of parties, BBQ's, etc... of the folks around there happen via LJ. I'm not really the "journal" type of person, so I'll stick to just the facts, ma'am.
My schedule for the trip out is as follows:
Sept 7: Depart Fremont, for Tiger Touch in Fallon, NV.
Sept 8, 9: Spend the day with the cats. Possibly my last "regular" visit to the kitty friends.
Sept 10: Depart Fallon, for Chicago, IL.
Sept 12 or 13: Arrival in Chicago, living downtown.
I'll be in corporate housing downtown for a month or so, by which time I should have my own place to live. Still debating between renting and buying, though with interest rates so low, buying is looking really good. Right now, I am looking closest at Winnetka, though am by no means fixed on that community.
Well, that's my plan...
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