Where am I going...

Art Meme Mk2

2007-10-10T12:44:25Z

Considering my almost total disappearance from fandom the last few months, and the fact that I'm not drawing nearly as much as I should be, I figured I'd dive right into the deep end with an ART MEME! *tickertape tickertape tickertape*

So, if anyone is interested, I'll be taking 5 prompts for art (I know the usual number is 10, but I figure I'll start slowly). Bring it on!!!

Fandoms are SGA, SPN (up to S2), Firefly, House, Farscape (and all their related satellite fandoms). I won't draw smut, but artistic nudity is ok. Feel free to request a style (ie: cartoony, realistic). Also feel free to point me at a fic and ask for art from it.

*grins hopefully out at fandom*

"It's.........ALIIIIIIIVE!!!!"

2007-10-10T12:40:32Z

To answer the obvious question - yes, I did fall off the face of the Earth. But I'm back now! :D

I've been keeping up with my f-list, though not posting in my own journal... but dagnammit, I missed the interaction with all you lovely folks!

A few things have happened since I last posted, but being a lazy bugger, I'll just point-form it:

- Moved house, again. Am now living with fabulous flatmate "B", and her adorable cat in a little flat in the surprisingly-suburban part of the near-city. Hurrah! The living environment is much better - the flat is small and somewhat infested with german cockroaches (the little light-brown bastards), but the overall vibe is much better. Living with a laid-back girl is better than an uptight guy any day :)

- Got a new job. Am now the manager of a little independent video rental store about 10mins walk from home. We're open from noon until 9/10pm every day, and I work mon-fri - so I've got every weekend off (and after over 6yrs in retail, that's one hell of a novelty!). I'm there by myself the whole time, so I can watch whatever I like all day (needless to say, Labyrinth, Firefly, Serenity, Shaun of the Dead and Army of Darkness are regularly on my playlist *G*). The store is attached to a bottleshop and grocer, so I get cheap food and booze to boot :D It's awesome.

- A couple of my closest friends got married. Yaaaay! In a delightful slap in the face to tradition, they made me a groomsman (I've always been closer to the groom than the bride, and neither of them could imagine me in a dress anyway LOL). So the bridal party consisted of bride, groom, bridesmaids (bride's sister and best friend), groomsman (groom's best friend - a 6'5" guy - and me - a 5'6" girl), and flowergirl (the happy couple's utterly adorable 2y/o daughter). The ceremony was a lovely civil service in the park with about 30 of the couple's friends and relatives, and the celebrations continued in various forms for the whole weekend.

- I've totally jumped on the SPN bandwagon. OMG so much love.... but is it wrong that I kinda lust after the Metallicar more than either of the Winchester boys? I've only seen S1 and the first 4 eps of S2 - and I'm trying to stay spoiler-free.... but it's haaaaaaard! The urge to scamper off to the internets and spoil myself stupid is almost too hard to resist - but resist I shall! *is all willpower-y*

Much love and glomping to all the folks I haven't spoken to in ages, and I promise not to disappear again! :D

squints miopically into the light

2007-02-06T11:52:03Z

Umm, hi folks? *waves*

Sticking the RL update behind a cut, 'cause not everyone cares:

I'm a little tipsy right now, so this could be interesting :P

Wow it's been a while since I posted... a lot has been going on in my life:

- Went to Melbourne for a week - it's a very cool city, I'd never been there before. A lot of it is much like Sydney, but with less Westies. I was struck by one thing, though: Melbournians don't know how to dodge! In Sydney everyone has this little bubble of personal space that they guard with their life - you just DO NOT bump people on the street, everybody instinctually dodges everyone else, and it all works out just dandy... but not in Melbourne. People just... bash into you, it's weird...

- Saw Tool live. OMFG*flailyflail*. It was amazing, absolutely mind-blowing. Saw Muse the night before, and though incredible in their own right, they didn't hold a candle to Tool.

- Was asked to do some more convention art for Farscape - Last year the Farscape fanclub in Italy emailed me about doing some stuff for their first con. I think they saw the stuff I did for Aussie TaScape, or know someone in the local 'Scaper scene (tiny though it is lol). I did a rather rushed D'Argo picture for them, and they very awesomely sent me a print of it signed by Anthony Simcoe (their guest for the con). This year, they've got the lovely Virginia Hay coming, and have asked me to do a Zhaan image for them. I've never drawn Zhaan before: I'd really like to do justice to her - not just to Virginia, but also to the incredible makeup - and give these guys something really special.

- Got pilled up - realised my efforts at fighting depression on my own weren't going terribly well, and finally saw somebody about it. After fighting the idea for a while, I finally caved and decided to have a stab at medication. Sweet monkey jebus on a pogostick, it's awesome. I haven't felt this good in years: I've spent so long knowing that I should be happy, but just not being able to feel it, and wondering why. It might not be for everyone, but it's sure working for me *happydance*.

- Worked. Xmas was it's usual evil consumerist self, but I was lucky enough to be working in the stockroom for most of it. My wonderful manager realised how close I was to either throttling the next obnoxious customer I encountered, or quitting, and so offered me a full-time gig as a stock-bitch over Xmas. It rocked: especially the day the state manager visited and we were playing Rob Zombie on the stockroom stereo - facial expression = priceless *grin*

In BeanieLantis news, I've set up some prints over on DeviantArt (who have recently introduced free prints accounts - awesome!). They do standard prints, as well as canvas, mousepads, mugs, coasters, magnets and postcards.

It's not all the images yet, just the ones that can slip through copyrights easily - ie: no recognisable insignia etc. Hopefully I'll get some more up soon, but I think I'll have to edit the images a bit (namely remove the Atlantis patches from their arms). If anyone's got any requests for images they'd like to see as prints, just drop me a comment and I'll see what I can do :)

BeanieLantis Prints

Hopefully I'll have some new images soon - I really haven't drawn much of anything in recent months, but I hope to get back on track soon :)

I'm a bad, bad LJ-person...

2006-09-28T13:14:49Z

Ok, so I kinda dropped off the internet for a while... *cringe* RL ate me!

A lot's been going on lately - between work, settling in to the new place, other work, and not being in the greatest emotional place ever, I haven't had much time for fandom stuff, or the internet in general. [triptnx - it's coming, seriously! I haven't forgotten, I just got hideously sidetracked....*cringe*] Luckily, things have started looking up on a few fronts in the last couple of weeks: working on a couple of TVCs and getting back into the swing of shooting has been nice (I'll probably blog about that later), and my newest source of ~~muscle pain~~ happy fun-times - capoeira - has eaten up a lot of my evenings. I managed to grab some time this week during pre-production (ie: sitting around in front of the computer waiting for phonecalls/emails from the agency/director indicating that they've actually made a decision on something) and threw together a header and new colour scheme, as well as putting in a groovy little tag list *points* - yay! I'm also investigating the options for prints and things using feedback from the poll - many thanks to everyone who participated! Much obliged to you all :)

Anyways, this is the image I've been niggling at for a few weeks, on and off - it's not perfect by any means (the colouring and shading is godawful), but I figure if I don't post it now, I never will... It's a follow-up to this image.

(NB: Large-ish image under the cut)

Sell out with me, oh yeah...

2006-09-05T08:35:30Z

Recently I was asked if I have prints of any of the Beanielanteans, and it got me thinking - would folks be interested in prints of them? What about other goodies - like t-shirts or stickers? I don't have the capital to set up anything fancy, so I'm looking at options like CafePress or DeviantArt Prints for a supply-on-demand kind of deal.

There are pros and cons for each option: DeviantArt prints have a much lower base price, and more options (like matte/gloss/lustre, and a vast choice of sizes), but they charge a AUD$30 setup fee, so it would only be an option if enough people were interested in getting prints. CafePress is free to set up, and has a wider variety of merchandise to choose from (such as shirts and stickers), but they don't have many options for prints, and their base prices are fairly high. I'm not in this to make money, that's for sure (anyway, the whole "derivative works" copyright deal takes care of any ideas in that direction lol), but I thought I'd see if there was any interest in these sort of goodies. .. so tell me:

View Poll: Consumerist Scum!

If it turns out only a few people are interested in prints I'd be happy to just run some off on quality stock at Kinkos and post them out :)

[EDIT: If there are specific images you'd like to see done, please drop a line in the comments - preferably with the format you'd most like to see it in (ie print, shirt, sticker etc) - and let me know :)]

In arty news - still working on one largish image. It's taking a lot longer than I thought it would to get right *pout*

Fanart: Trinityofone's "X"

2006-08-23T22:50:43Z

As usual, one of trinityofone's fics has grabbed hold of my imagination and is refusing to let go, dagnammit.

So... from "X", here's Zelenka as Nightcrawler:

Sketched sans references, so the pose and perspective are all kinds of not-good, his right hand is way too big (or his left hand way to small), and it probably looks nothing like Zelenka, but boy was it fun to draw *G*.

And in real-life news - tickets for Tool's concert next January go on sale tomorrow morning! *flailyflailyflail*

UPDATE: didn't get Tool tickets. Flatmate-of-Awesomness and myself hammered the Ticketmaster website and phones from 9am, but couldn't get through on either until 10:20am. Turns out tickets sold out completely in 40mins. The only people I've spoken to who managed to get tickets were the ones who lined up at outlets - mainly in obscure locations *jealously eyes off manager who picked up Gold tickets from an outlet in Qld at 9:04am*. There are rumours of another release of floor tickets to come, so we've got our fingers crossed for that one (and are plotting to have friends/family interstate waiting at a local outlet - muahahahaaa). If all else fails, they'll probably be playing the Big Day Out.

I'm not dead yet!

2006-08-15T10:58:02Z

Well, I'm back. *waves* Things have been crazy busy lately - between moving, work, and this loopy cold I've had I really haven't had a lot of time for online stuff lately (I'm still catching up on email and things - I haven't forgotten anyone, honest!) but I figured I'd post now while I wait for the carpet to dry out.... yes, we had a little plumbing issue this evening - read on for the hilarity:

My new place is all kinds of awesome, in general: great layout, fantastic location, and my flatmate rocks. All in all, everything is good. Except when it rains and hails torrentially, we get random flooding coming through the roof to the living room, soaking through the carpet, and flowing down to my room. I went to check on an odd dripping noise coming from the back of the office, where my room is, and found it was raining in there. "OMGWTFBBQWEATHER?!" would be a fairly apt description of my thought processes at that moment. I scampered upstairs to find a vast, spreading puddle on the living room carpet, which had soaked through and made for a gap in the floor near the stairs...right into my room. Our jute rug proved very absorbant, so sacrificed itself to the cause. Luckily, nothing valuable contents-wise was damaged, and the body corporate is going to pay for the damaged carpet. We might end up getting new carpet, which is cool, but it does mean everything we've just got sorted out the way we like it (ie the kitchen and living room) will have to be completely moved down into the office (which we almost have just the way we want it) for a couple of days. *sigh* Hopefully the damage isn't too bad, and we can just get the wet section dried out and cleaned. Now my roof's making odd noises, and I'm a little paranoid *whimper*

In other news, no new Beanies just yet - I'm working on a fairly big picture that I want to get just right, but until then, have a completely unrelated doodle:

This is what happens when I'm left with Photoshop at the end of a long day, while making geeky Star Wars jokes with my flatmate :P

How did I end up with so much -stuff-?

2006-07-14T13:15:22Z

...seriously. I've never had any money, so how did I end up with so much assorted crud? Even after paring it all down, I still feel like there's too much. Oh well, it's easier to just pack it all up than attempt to make any form of decision right now.

I've got most of my stuff together for the move tomorrow, now it's just down to all the sundry bits and pieces - lamp, clock, posters, bathroom products etc. I moved a lot of stuff in earlier in the week - books, DVDs etc - so now I've just got all the fiddly stuff *whine* Honestly, how does one pack coathangers?

I started packing up the computer (starting with the speakers) and it was like cutting off a limb or something.... I've become waaaaaay too dependant on it always being available, not to mention connected to high-speed internet *whimper*. We're getting ADSL at the new place, but I'm not sure when that will be, a couple of weeks at the very least. I'll check in via internet cafes every now and then, but there probably won't be any more Beanies for a bit. The worst part will be missing out on all the new season squeeage *sniffle*. With any luck I'll be able to download the premiere tomorrow afternoon before I go, but I've got a couple of fannish enablers willing to supply me with the goods *luffs them*. I even picked up a little TV, and am shopping around for a cheap standalone DVD player that will play AVIs, so that I don't have to be confined to the office to squee *G* (also, the fact that my flatmate's room is basically a loft above the living area means that watching TV after he's gone to bed is just kinda inconsiderate).

Anyway, this is me signing off for a little while - much love to all, and *flails* for the new season! *G*

Cheers,

Cat.

Giftage! :D

2006-07-11T13:18:40Z

A little something for krysalys birthday (better late than never! *G*):

Happy Birthday hun! *hugs*

Only a quick sketch, but I hope you like it! :D *mwah*

Blah blah blah fishcakes...

2006-07-05T12:35:15Z

In Real Life news:

Had the day off, and spent most of it packing - so far I've got one big box full of DVDs, another half-full of clothes (minus work gear and stuff I'm currently wearing), one full of files, a small trunk full of CDs, and six boxes of books (not including comics, they're in another box). Priorities, yay! :P Now I've just got to pull together all my sundry crud - knick nacks, art supplies, stereo, props etc into another box (last thing to go will be the computer *clings to it like a desperate junkie*). It still feels like I've got too much stuff, so I'll keep culling as I go. I got rid of a lot of stuff today from my filing cabinet - old cards and letters. I threw out all the job and course rejections, and a lot of things I was keeping just because they were there, as well as a lot of cards and letters - paring it down to the things that meant the most to me (like cards from my mother, letters from my grandparents, and wonderfully spontaneous postcards from friends). I'm trying to view this all as a new begining, and get rid of all the meaningless ties to my old life, but at the same time strengthen the ties that really mean something - like hooking up with old friends I've gradually lost contact with and letting them know how much they mean to me, as well as solidifying new friendships, so as not to let them fade away through laziness or neglect. Seriously, people: if you ever find yourself thinking "wow, I haven't spoken to so-and-so in ages" drop them a line! A five-minute phonecall, a random postcard, or a 100word email can mean the difference between keeping a friendship alive, and letting it die out through apathy, only to regret it years later. There should be a day for it or something - International Re-Connection Day, or something corny like that. Hallmark'd be all over it in a second. (would ya lookit that - wistful to cynical in 0.25 seconds. w00t!)

Still not sure when I'm moving - it could be this weekend, could be next weekend. I'm kinda hoping it's next weekend, since my work is having some massive sale to clear out all its offsite stock this week and it's going to be like Christmas trading again - only this time, instead of 30 staff on rotating rosters, we've got 9. *whimper* I swear, if they stick me behind the registers all day, someone is going to bleed - 95% of our customers are rude, obnoxious, or both. The other 5% are awesome folks that you just want to hug for being so lovely, and for a few minutes can make it all seem worthwhile.... both the rest of them I just want to brain with an EFTPOS machine.

I'm going to bed...

BeanieLantis: Parrish/Lorne

2006-07-05T12:23:23Z

Response to an informal request by nunshavingfun for Parrish and Lorne, Beanie-fied :)

[image under the cut - utterly worksafe]

Question: does Parrish/Lorne have a compound name (a la McShep)? Larrish? Porne? *snicker*

Beanies at the Beach - part 3

2006-06-29T12:41:13Z

Just something quick I drew a while back - as a follow up to this and this - but never got around to colouring or posting:

BeanieShep Crack!art

2006-06-26T05:06:54Z

So I'm walking to work, and in the window of the newsagent are several sickeningly cute winged teddybears left over from Mothers Day, and it got me thinking - what if a Beanie got wings? Little stuffed wings...

After the initial shock wore off, I think Shep would take it quite well ;)

And now I've got the mental image of McKay, fluttering in mid air - wearing a little loincloth, wielding a teeny bow and arrow... and looking supremely unimpressed with the whole situation...

In other news, I'm still working on culling all my stuff. So far I've got three main piles: sell, give to charity, and store. Even with all that stuff gone, I still seem to have a lot of crap *sigh* So many things I've kept with that "I might use it someday" mentality, you know? I've got some boxes, and will start packing up my books and DVDs this week, maybe some of my clothes too (and, with any luck, will cull some more in the process). Ooh, and I now officially have exactly 3000 tracks in my iTunes *Paul Gross arms*

For now, I'm off to work - we're stocktaking over the next couple of days. Tonight we start with the DVDs, tomorrow it's the CDs. Overall, we've got 60,000 titles to deal with... eep.

Reel_SGA challenge: The Great Escape

2006-06-19T13:22:41Z

My entry to the reel_sga challenge...

Artist: Cynicatlantis
Prompt: The Great Escape (1963)
Rating: G
Size: 149KB

Film summary: Based on a true story, "The Great Escape" deals with the largest Allied escape attempt from a German POW camp during the Second World War. The first part of the film focuses on the escape efforts within the camp and the process of secretly digging an escape tunnel. The second half of the film deals with the massive effort by the German Gestapo to track down the over 70 escaped prisoners who are at this point throughout the Third Reich attempting to make their way to England and various neutral countries.

Notes: The character of Capt. Hilts "The Cooler King" (played in the film by Steve McQueen) earns his nickname by attempting any number of stupid-brave stunts to distract the guards, and thus getting himself thrown into "The Cooler" (solitary confinement) on a regular basis.

Given Sheppard's personality and tendency toward heroic self-sacrifice, who else could be the SGA Cooler King? This picture captures Hilts/Shep keeping himself amused by throwing a baseball against the wall of his cell - an iconic image from the film, and one that has been parodied/referenced in multitudes of prison films since. I can only hope I've done it justice :)

A hi-res (2480x1242) version is here.

Resources:
Pose referenced from a DVD screencap
Pencil sketch and Photoshop colouring by me
Texture on the wall and floor by newkidfan

Art meme - wing!art from "The Rise and The Fall"

2006-06-17T22:42:59Z

Somehing quick from the art meme, as requested by wychwood, from trinityofone's fic "The Rise and The Fall":

"Rodney feels John tense at his side, feels the beating of his wings and the moment where his feet leave the ground. But Rodney stays standing, and he never lets go of John’s hand."

This was a really quick sketch, so there are mistakes all over the place - proportions are way off, and John has a bit of a stunned-mullet look going on :-/. Painted over the pencil sketch in Photoshop, and I'm actually kinda stoked with how the wings turned out.

I'll probably revisit this in the future, as I really like the imagery the story evokes, but at the moment I'm trying to get my reel_sga challenge picture finished (though, considering the idea I had when I woke up this morning, that could become pictures, plural. Damn you, brain - don't you know I have other things to do? Like pack, and do my taxes?).

iPoll...

2006-06-12T10:34:42Z

Given the recent experiment in giving the BeanieLanteans pupils as opposed to button eyes, I figured I'd see what folks like better...so here's a poll - become one with the tickybox!

EDIT: Well, initial results are in, and the consensus seems to be in favor of pupils, and also of pie. Which is very heartening, for pie is good. Mmmm pie...

View Poll: BeaniePupils?

Sheppard, McKay, and a bloke named Bruce...

2006-06-12T09:55:25Z

From the art meme - as requested by wormtongue542 - Sheppard & Rodney facing a sentient kangaroo (named Bruce, of course):

I tried to be less of a sissy when it comes to shading on this one, did it work? I'm pretty lousy with the fall of light and shadow, so any con-crit folks want to offer will be greatly valued :)

*facepalm* I just reread the prompt, and realised Ronon was meant to be in there too - meaning there'll be a follow-up to this one...

Bruce is dressed by Akubra, and drinks Cascade Lager (simply because it had a green bottle, and that looked nicer - otherwise he'd have a VB or a Tooheys - Aussies don't actually drink Fosters *G*).

EDIT: Something I just realised.. I've never given the BeanieLanteans actual pupils before - what's the verdict?

Raiders of the Lost Sanity...

2006-06-12T09:30:29Z

Did some shopping today - actually went out hunting for a new bed, but ended up picking up some other things instead:

- An iron. It's lovely and shiny and silver and black *G*
- Some clippers, so I can continue avoiding paying for hairdressers
- Some PS2 games, 'cause I have no willpower (Max Payne , GTA San Andreas, Metal Gear Solid 3, Evil Dead Regeneration - all up, $75)
- Seemingly the only black bathrobe in Sydney (thankyou menswear dept of Target - the bathroom in my new place is about 4x10 feet, no room to change, and I'm not subjecting my male flatmate to nudie-dashes)

I also picked up some polar fleece to line a hoodie I'm making for a friend's 6-month old girl *waves to little Tara!*

Add to that the funky Industrial Strength shirt I picked up on the weekend at a market, and I've been a bad little spender *cringe* I justify it, however, by the fact that I worked 46hrs this week, and I'm flogging off a pile of clothing and junk that I no longer wear/fit into/like in the near future (I'll be posting it all on a couple of local LJ trading communities via a different ID, I'll link to it when I do - it's mostly womens AU size 8-10 pants and shirts, plus some books and things). Besides, after the week I've had, I needed some retail therapy dagnammit...

Work continues to be insane - the department store our shop is in is having their stocktake sale, and the place is crawling with bargain hunters who apparently have brains the size of walnuts. Our big trestle tables full of all the crap stock we can't give away have big honkin' signs over them saying "From $4.97" and so forth in large friendly letters, yet on an hourly basis I have conversations like this:

Customer: "Why does this say $9.83? It's on the $4.97 table."
Me: *sigh* "If you'll notice, the sign says FROM $4.97"
Customer: "So why aren't they all $4.97?"
Me: "FROM means prices start at $4.97 and go up from there."
Customer: "Well, that's stupid." *walks off in a huff*
Me: *makes stabbing motions at their back*

Customer: "There's not much on this table that's $4.97"
Me: "There's some, everything on that table is between $4.97 and $9.99, I assure you - I packed it myself."
Customer: "But there's not much that's $4.97, most of it is more expensive."
Me: "That's why the sign says FROM $4.97."
Customer: "Yeah, but if there was only one thing in there for $4.97, you could still claim the sign was telling the truth, couldn't you? Huh!"
Me: *restrains self from screaming "OH MY GOD! You discovered the secret of advertising! We're all dooooooomed! The entire retail system will fall! Run! Hide! Burn all the paperwork!"* "Your point is?"
Customer: "There's not much in there for $4.97."
Me: *walks off to go beat my head against a listening post*

Customer on phone: "I'm looking for a Pokemon DVD, I think it's called [stupid-pokename]"
Me: *checks the floor stock - nada* "Let me just check our database and see if any of our other stores have it." *checks, there's no DVD by that name on our database or company website* "Ma'am, are you sure that's the title? I can't find anything by that name on our database."
Customer: "Yes, I'm sure - I saw it on the website"
Me: "Alright..." *checks again* "..I'm sorry, I'm not seeing it here, what website was it? The [our store] or [affiliated store] website?"
Customer: "It was the Pokemon website. It was there, you have to have it."
Me: *sigh* "Ma'am, we don't have every DVD produced. It's possible the title you're looking for was released under a different name, or not released in this country at all, or it may be a deleted title. Maybe you could try ordering it through the website you saw it on?"

Customer: "Is that the right price?" *holds up item*
Me: *checks* "Yep"
Customer: "But, I saw it cheaper at [other store]."
Me: "So... buy it there."%

Customer: "I'm looking for a copy of Cars on DVD, do you have it?"
Me: "That was just released in cinemas, it won't be out for a few months yet."
Customer: "But my kids want it!"
Me: "Sorry ma'am, but they'll just have to wait."
Customer: "That's ridiculous. I'm going upstairs to see if they've got it on UMD." *heads for the escalators in a huff*
Me: "You do that." *facepalm*

The above scenario also regularly plays out for documentaries and specials that aired the previous night, and for the currently airing seasons of TV shows - the number of times I have to explain the concept of airing rights and release dates to daft bints looking for Desperate Housewives S2 is simply mind-boggling.On the other hand, people looking for House S2 and Scrubs S4 only ever ask if we have a release date yet. *hugs them*

As a result of all this, I made up a new tally sheet and stuck it to the counter, next to our sales tally sheet, where we could keep track of things - it looked something like this (answers added for clarity):

"There's no such thing as a stupid question... no, really..."

- Where are the iPods, PSPs, games, consoles etc etc
(Answer: one floor up from us, where they've always been)

- Is this the real price?
(Answer: yes. Sale stock has the discounted price on it, not everything is on sale - that's why all the signage says "selected titles only")

- Do you have any more out the back?
(Answer: no. If we had any, it would be on the floor, where we could sell it. Asking "Are you sure? can you check anyway?" Will only make us want to hit you. #)

- Where is/do you have any classical music?
(Answer: See that big room up the back of the store, with the glass walls and door with the big sign over it saying "CLASSICAL"? Yeah, it'll be in there.)

- Do you sell DVDs?
(Answer: Yes. Half the store is full of them, in fact. The only possible way for someone to get into the shop without seeing the DVDs is to walk around the rest of the level, through toys and books, and enter from the back.)

- [So-and-so-lame-pop-single] is supposed to be released this week, where is it?
(Answer: New releases come out on saturdays, come back then. This answer is almost always followed up with "If I go to [Other Store], will they have it?" Answer: No. It's called an embargo, nobody will sell it to you until the actual release date, it's the law. One customer argued that this was stupid, and we should sell the single to him because he wanted it right then. It hadn't even been delivered yet. We explained the embargo concept to him, and the fact that the store would be fined if we were found selling it, but he still insisted that it was stupid because he wanted it now. We patiently explained that we didn't even have it in stock, but he went up the back to the singles section to check anyway *facepalm*... then came back and whined some more.)

# People seem to be under the impression that looking something up on our magical computer will somehow open a wormhole and allow us to pull the desired product out of our arse. It doesn't work that way.

% I've given up on justifying our bloated prices, seriously. We're a large chain store in a department store in the middle of the city - that's like the Holy Trinity Of Overpricing. I don't undrestand why people think they're going to get a bargain from us. If they're worried about price, why are the shopping in the city? Stay in the suburbs, kiddies. Hell, even with a 25% employee discount I generally only shop during our sales, when I'll get up to 75% off *G*. Otherwise, I shop at JB HiFi like everyone else.

Art Meme - McShep and the cat planet...

2006-06-04T09:16:44Z

Apologies for dropping off the face of the earth for the last week or so - work's been crazy, and on top of it I got a cold *sniffles pathetically*. Catching up on replying to comments and things now - I haven't been ignoring anyone, honest!

Here's something very quick'n'dirty from the art meme - as requested by

It was just going to be Rodney bonding with kittens, but the mental image of John being all diplomatic, and shaking the emissary's little paw was too much to resist *G* Done without any references, so all glaring anatomy and proportion errors are entirely my fault *cringe*

Beanies at the Beach, part 2

2006-05-24T12:20:14Z

Just a quickie this time, a coloured sketch following up from this drawing:

Feel free to caption him, I'm sure he's saying something smart-arse ;)

It feels odd drawing Beanies at the beach when IRL, autumn hasn't just settled in - it's pulled up a comfy chair, poured itself a hot chocolate and opened a tin of bikkies. Yesterday was the coldest autumn day in the city in recent years - topping out at 15C (that's 59F) - and it was windy and raining too *huddles around heater*. I wish I had some bunny slippers right about now...

In other news - my manager gave me two free tickets to "Slither", as thanks for bagging us a good mystery shopper result. Score! Mmm.....Nathan Fillion.... :D

Icons and wallpapers, oh my!

2006-05-22T08:18:17Z

Some simple icons and wallpapers from the McBeckett hug pic:

Wallpapers here and here

HiRes here

Art Meme - drawing #3

2006-05-21T14:30:10Z

From the Art Meme, as requested by beaniesheppard:

The rules of friendship (and doctor/patient confidentiality) meant that Carson was one of the only people in two galaxies who knew that, on occasion, Lt. Col. John Sheppard - head of the Atlantis military and defender of the Pegasus galaxy - really just needed a hug.

Edit: Now with icons :)

Random music-related babbling

2006-05-20T15:04:26Z

I'm watching a DVD of Nigel Kennedy and the English Chamber Orchestra performing Vivaldi's Four Seasons. The recording is from 1990, so there's a hideous suit (friends don't let friends wear shoulderpads, kids), and some rather ill-considered hair (the Fresh Prince of Bel Air is no man's style guru), but at least he's got a spiffy pair of creepers going on. They've got a weird lighting thing happening, with coloured filters for each season, which is a little overdone... but who cares about the visuals - the man can PLAY.

I bought the DVD for my mum for her birthday, but caved in and decided to watch it before sending it off. I'd forgotten how much I love this concerto. Even with a collection of close to 100 classical CDs on hand, my mother would play Four Seasons constantly at home, and I never really appeciated it at the time, but now I'm realising how much I've missed it. Summer is by far my favorite piece, and the raw energy that Kennedy pours into it is fantastic. I was really bummed when I missed his performance at the opera house back in January (not to mention his jazz performances at the Basement in February *sob*), but I just couldn't afford it at the time, and tickets sold out extremely fast.

We've got a poster of him in the classical room at work, from the release of his greatest hits album a few years back - he must have done an in-store at the time, because it's signed: he's drawn fangs and a stitched cut on his face, and written "Nige waz 'ere" on it. *G*

Oh, and here's some random math from your friendly neighborhood music-store geeks (aka me and workmate!Ash), as we tried to puzzle out the intricacies of what was on the playlist this morning:
Donavon Frankenreiter = [Jack Johnson - environmental message] + [Ben Harper - screaming] + [Michael Franti - political message]
His new album is pretty cool, if you like any of the abovementioned artists, you'll probably get a kick out of him. He's less laconic than Johnson, and less in-your-face than Harper. Seriously, working in a music store gives you a much wider appreciation for good music.... mostly because we play so much godawful stuff in store. I'm so stoked we moved the jazz section into the classical room, though - now we can play both in there *G* We've had Nina Simone, Duke Ellington, and Naxos' new Mozart chill album playing in there recently. We're right next to the book department, and the classical room has several comfy chairs - most of the time there are at least a couple of people just sitting in there, reading.

In other news, my mobile phone shat itself today. I took a call this morning with no problems, put it in silent mode while I was at work, came back a few hours later to find it had turned itself off, and it wouldn't turn back on again. Hooking it up to a charger demonstrated that there was life yet in them thar old bones, and putting in my spare battery bought it back to life. I'd think it was entirely the battery that was at fault, had the phone not been playing up a bit lately... and had i not dropped it on the floor of the stockroom a couple of weeks ago *cringe*. After 2.5 years of happy partnership, I think it's time to retire the old dear. It's served me well, but I just can't rely on it anymore, and it's not really worth getting repaired. I'm debating whether to fork out for something shiny - like the Nokia 6230 - or spend about 1/3 as much on a nice solid 5140i, that's actually much better suited to my needs, and the way I treat my phone. That's my dilemma: 6230 = shiny! with big screen, 1.3MP camera, memory card, MP3 player I'll never use, email, and laptop-like capabilities that would be much better served by me simply getting a laptop someday..... VS 5140i = shockproof rubber exterior, inbuilt torch, digital compass (yeah, WTF?), and VGA camera that'll do just fine. 5140i's are going new on eBay for around $200, but there's an ex-demo 6230 up for grabs at $285. I know it'd be cheaper in the long run to get it on a plan, but I like being on my open-ended cap plan and owning my phone outright. *sigh* meh, it's something to sleep on. I might ask my tech-savvy friends if they know anyone selling off an old-ish Nokia...

And, wow did that post turn out longer than I'd intended lol.

More art tomorrow night - now, sleeptime :)

Art meme, drawing #3 - Missionary

2006-05-19T14:11:10Z

Another sketch from the art meme, this time from trinityofone's fic "Missionary Position":

“So...” said Rodney, after a minute. “We’re doomed.”

“Doomed,” Ronon agreed. “But at least you got laid first.”

Rodney was trying to adopt Ronon’s positive outlook when the Wraith came back—bringing with it an extended group of its Wraith friends. They filled the narrow corridor and spilled down the winding halls. “Tell them,” demanded the first Wraith. “Describe for them your many and varied sexual exploits, as you have done for me!”

It's a rather loose interpretation of the scene - in my mind, Ronon's muttering "McKay. Do it." out of the corner of his mouth, and some of the lead Wraith's friends have come along not necessarily of their own free will. This one was fun - pencil sketch, inked loosely with a micron, then coloured in photoshop.

In other news - our store got mystery-shopped yesterday on the new tech I've been lumped with flogging to the generally-apathetic public, and I got 90% on it. w00t! On top of that, all the paperwork for the new apartment has been finalised, so me and Jay can move in during the first week of July *happydance*

(It was my day off today, hence the multiple updates)

cynicatlantis @ 2006-05-19T16:33:00

2006-05-19T06:41:18Z

As requested, a few puppypile icons:

By ficklememeer (glee!):

By anarah (squee!)

By me:

And a couple of simple (ie very unimaginative) wallpapers here and here

Hi-Res version of the original image can be found here :)