On a roll

I updated my website a little bit more today. I formatted the comments template to better blend with the site, and it no longer shows comments in a pop-up window. However, I had to sacrifice showing more than 1 blog entry on the main page just in case of multiple comments. I've finally uploaded my PDF portfolio and linked it in the side bar over there --->. In time, I guess that will also be updated along with my gallery.

I thought about adding a BBS to my site, just a simple one. The loss of traffic since my last hiatus justfies me not installing one. I think the comment system works well enough. If that doesn't work (or is just too damn unattractive), I'll go back to the comment CGI script I was using before. But no BBS or forum system for now. I don't even need a guestbook at this point. :P

I do plan on adding a Photography directory to the Gallery soon. Any photoscans of my paintings can go under "Color" for now. Most of the junk/incompleted art I have in the Gallery will be moved to another directory that will be accessible to all; looking at all of the work that's not completed or even my best is starting to make me cringe. I'll probably watermark the stuff that's my own original work regardless of it being junk. I still think that the majority of my work is too bad to justify theft and infringment, but even so, stay away, posers! I'm a student for Perl's sake; let me have my bread and butter.

Testing WLW's Image Upload Feature

I hope this works. Google refuses to give up their image .API to other web developers, but that's okay. Windows Live Writer has a FTP upload setup for image posting. Speaking of images, I hate my current digital camera, the Traveler DV5040. Why? I bought it and didn't realize that it has a hardware problem. Just look at that picture! The color is so off, and changing the settings doesn't help much! You should see the pics that I took of my paintings. I was disgusted with them.

When I get the money, I'm sending in for either repair or replacement. If the company does neither, then I guess I'm out $100 and some change. That Aiptek 6-in-1 camera is looking good right about now, mostly because it's the same thing, but not refurbished like Traveler products.

Testing Windows Live Writer

Pretty cool app for updating blogs. It even edits blogs like Moveable Type. By the way, Merry Christmas to all who care. I had a lengthy post earlier today, but I went shopping with my sister. After I got back, I turned off my PC to install my new 250gb hard drive. It was on sale, and I think it was the last one in the store. ^^ I nixed the whole "stream local/satellite TV to my cell phone and record favorite shows using a PVR setup" plan for now; I'll just stick to webTV.

Long story short, I didn't get to accomplish all I wanted to do today. It's mainly because my car's acting up again. It got really loud while I was driving earlier, and when I brought it home and checked under the hood, the engine looked as if it was shaking around loosely. Hopefully it's not something that needs replacing and just a tightening up. If need be, I'll have to drop my sister off for her optometrist's appointment and borrow her car to retrieve any parts needed. So much for saving up for my last semester's tuition. =/

All done!

Well, except for the pencil roughs from the beginning of class, but everything else is complete. I hope it all is to my instructor's satisfaction. I bought the Clerks 2 box set about 2 weeks ago, and I told myself that I wouldn't open it until I was done with all my work. So there, I'll be watching Clerks 2 this evening. If I don't fall asleep first. O.o One more class, yay! I'll have to submit yet another appeal for financial aid since I believe I bombed my painting class. But nonetheless, that's what I shall do, and hopefully that will take care of most of my tuition for just one class. I forget what it's called when a person only takes one class. It's not part time...whatever. Hopefully I'll get something. The class costs $234. I have nowhere near that saved in my bank account. o_o;;

It's that time again.

I must complete several projects in before monday or I'm doomed to repeat the same 2 classes. Most of the hard work is done, like conceptualizing them and getting them blown up on illustration board, but painting can take a bit of time. I went to sleep at 11:30 pm and woke up at 6 am with this horrible nagging feeling, "Get up and work! Get up and work!..." So after rolling around in bed for another 50 minutes, I give in and cleaned up my work space to finish my first painted illustration. After this gets done, I'll be moving on to my next piece. Luckily, it's not supposed to be realistic, but it's the only one that hasn't been enlarged onto illustration board. By far it's the easiest to do. Still time consuming, so I should get on doing it right away.

The piece I'm saving for last is an illustration done in pencil, ink, and india ink wash. Not a very easy medium to work with, as the ink is very rich, and it takes time to water it down to get the right shade. There's no correcting a mistake if the ink's too dark. I'll have to be very careful with this last piece. I'm glad I've taken a painting class this semester; at least I'm a bit more comfortable with putting paint to paper.

I will admit that I had to sacrifice a good grade in my painting class to get good grades in my required illustration classes. I know for sure I can't finish my last oil painting, which was supposed to be a self portrait of sorts. Unfortunately, the instructor made that assignment a nice big chunk of the grade. Maybe one day I will finish it on my own. Until then, I have to face the music when confronting my instructor next week (or this week if I see him around the Humanities building).

But I'm relieved nonetheless. I feel I have just enough time to get everything completed and turned in, and all I'll have left is one more class. And that's all I'll be taking Spring semester; no more taking electives for me. The one required class is all I can afford, and quite frankly, I'm done with paying out-of-pocket. I don't make enough money to keep supplementing the financial aid I managed to get these past few semesters. That and I want to get out there into the business and creative worlds and do my own thing. A.A.S. Graphic Communications degree, here I come. :D