Does anyone ever get the feeling that they would love to just bust loose and do something insane? Like fly across the country and visit friends, or go for a cross-country road trip, or...you know, something like that! Guess what I've been thinking of? XD Let's just say that I've been struck with one of my occasional spurts of wanderlust, and the thought of dropping everything in life and busting loose is looking rather appealing.

Tomorrow I'll be better, but for now let me continue my inane babbling. Thank you.

So the greatest thing to do in the near future (aside from working out in Colorado over the summer) would be buying a series of plane tickets and flying down to Texas to visit some friends for a week, then to California to visit some friends there, and then maybe to Florida to visit my brother...taking a month off to do something nuts like that would be amazing. Don'tcha think so?? And then I'd upgrade to getting my green card (is it called a green card, by the by?) to leave the country and going to France, England, maybe Germany, and then all the way over to Australia. ^-^

I has some big plans, and a small pocketbook...sigh. Maybe I ought to stick with doing something crazy and scary here...like making a point to make friends with the people I find slightly intimidating, or telling my current friends how I REALLY feel about them, or...hmm. This will have to be investigated.

Signing off in a sea of randomness,

Da Fox

No, I don't have a song, regrettably...that just happens to be the song that I'm listening to at the moment. Yay. XD

So I have another picture up!

I'm getting the hankering to do color pictures again...hmm...this will have to be accomodated.

In other semi-related news, check out this person's artwork.

Rachel Rossman's Fine Art

Her art style is so cool...I'm breaking out the old watercolors in an attempt to duplicate her style. So far my offerings (one finished, one in the works) are less than stellar. *headdesk* But it's fun to be really loose and just slap the stuff out rather than worry incessantly about intricate shading. (Granted, I DO worry about intricate shading, but that's kind of pointless when it comes to watercolor.)

Anyway. I went out to Mike's to take care of his dog Crockett today...that dog cracks me up. His initial reaction was "OMIGOSH PEOPLE!!!!" and he really spazzed out. It was hilarious. I tried to teach him how to catch treats, but he's not quite understanding...he'll sit, and then before I can toss the treat he throws his head back and howls. Maybe he mixes up 'speak' and 'sit'...I dunno. He's a funny dog. XD

Javert was jealous when I got home--he spent at least five minutes sniffing my pant with an air of 'another dog? What? Why??" Don't worry, he got over it soon enough.

Oh, speaking of Javvie, he got a new chew toy. I shall have to post a picture of it--you remember the green ring? He was systematically shredding the green fuzz off and littering said fuzz all over the floor, so I was forced to throw the balding ring away. But today I got him a similar toy that looks like a tennis ball, but about 12 inches long.

It's weird, I know. I'll have to get a picture of it. Anyway, it has a regrettably intact, annoying squeaker. This may get tiresome after a few days. *headdesk*

Hmm, what else, what else...this music in my headphones is squelching my creativity. I should be miffed, but...it's Michael Buble. How can I stop listening to Michael Buble?? And it's 'Everything'...I love this song. *melts*

Ahem. Anyway. I'm going to stop babbling at you all and toddle off to bed, 'kay? Maybe tomorrow I can come up with something that has some substance. *headdesk*

Love,

Da Fox

*flops in* Finally got this picture up! Phew!

This is Merlin from DA. She's the second person to commission me for a drawing. I am PSYCHED. ^-^

Oh, my back is killing me...I didn't pick those logs up right yesterday, and now I hurt. Wah.

Okay, I'm done whining. Hey, guess what? Friday and Saturday I'm taking care of Mike's dog. Whee. XD Apparently Crockett (the dog) is a very hyper beagle that likes to run in circles...this ought to be interesting. I wish (not for the last time) that I had a camera with which to take pictures of me walking in the door and getting bowled over by this dog.

Next camera I get is going to have a rapid-fire mode. *makes a note*

And that's the last you'll hear of the camera in this post--I promise. Cross my heart and hope to die. *does so*

That's how much it cost to finish paying off my truck. Eee. ^,^ I'm THRILLED now! You know what this means, right?

I mean, besides the fact that I now OWN my truck.

No?

Oh. Well, it means that I can start saving up for a camera! *bounces around excitedly* I have my budget all worked out, and since I'm a bit of a dunce in keeping money straight I'm using Dave Ramsey's 'envelope system' (figure out how much I need to put towards what in a month, write it down on an envelope, and make sure that the needed money goes into the envelopes, and save the rest  in my checking/saving account). I am ready for whatever gets tossed my way, baby! *pumps fist*

I have a new drawing (my second commission ever! Yay!), but I haven't gotten it scanned yet. Hopefully that can be done later tonight, after work...and then it gets sent off. Yay. :D

Half an hour until Mom and I head off to clean a house. Phew. I'm going to close my eyes for a few minutes and recharge for the afternoon...

Tottering away,

Da Fox

And that's all I want to say 'bout that.

No, not really. I have an exciting day of--well, semi-exciting day of--well, not very exciting day of... of...

Wah. My blogging stinks. >.< Oh well...I shall plod on regardless! *strikes heroic pose*

So today I spend almost six hours at school, staring at a computer. The good thing is, I think that I really like my Photoshop class. We finally got into projects instead of just going over digital cameras, and I'm already done with the first project. Whee. ^.^ It kinda helps that I'm now doing stuff that I recognize.

Let's see...after school (almost 3:00 in the afternoon *twitches*) I came home, did some housework, made some cornbread a la Pioneer Woman (think this without making the beans as well), and heated up some food for the hungry guys.

Isaac and Mike split wood for a few hours today, then they took Mike's truck down to one of the nearby towns (about 20 miles away) to get its brakes replaced--sometimes the brakes don't work, and that's a bad thing to say the least--and when they came back I was going stir-crazy and offered to help them unload Isaac's truck, which was full of wood. So we unloaded and stacked wood for a while.

After stacking said wood the guys came in and ate (Mike had two bowls of the chicken noodle soup and two bowls of venison/vegetable soup. Oh, and two pieces of cornbread. The man can put food AWAY.), and we talked for a while. I find that I really like to talk to Mike...I mean, other than the obvious he's a really nice easy-going guy and he's always got something to say. There's a reason why I like him. ^-^

And I was GOING to go to karate tonight, but I've had a weird stomachache for two days that just won't...go...away...no matter how much charcoal I take. *wibbles* (Activated charcoal is wonderful for stomachaches, most of the time.) Needless to say, I didn't eat anything tonight when the guys were here...but I was happy just to sit and listen and occasionally say something that sounded normal in my head but once it leaves my mouth sounds really bizzare.

Case in point: Isaac and Mike were talking about how having a mom who is a solid fixture in their lives really makes a difference about whether they call home and stuff. My mind latched on 'fixture' and I started laughing and said something about dusting Mom off every week or so (you know, fixture? Dusting? Oh, never mind).

Yes, I have a weird, twisted mind...what's it to ya?

To make up for the lack of pictures lately, I was sifting through my photobucket account and found some old pictures of me in the throes of fandom. I apologize in advance, and I know these will probably make sense only to a niche audience, but Les Mis and Phantom of the Opera have been a part of my life for quite some time now and have been responsible for much of the drivel I spew forth on a regular basis. So there.

Aaah, yes, The Mask. This was after I saw the Charles Dance version of Phantom, and was thoroughly enamoured with the thought of a full-mask Phantom. (Yes, I had read the book at this point too.)

I still have this mask, actually. But Will thought HE should wear it and stretched the little elastic string out so no one can wear it now. So it resides on a shelf in my room.

Next to the plushies.

And the acrylic contact jugging ball.

...I have many interests, let's just put it that way.

Oh, good Lord, I don't know if I can take this.

*sigh* Yes. I was/am enamoured with sideburns as well. This was a twisted attempt to paint sideburns on my face using various shades of brown eyeshadow and black eyeliner. I did it by myself, hence the pathetic job.

On a side note, this WAS for a fan movie, so I'm excused. I hope.

Isn't it funny how in all of these pictures I'm trying to look really serious? I guess it's Javert and Erik rubbing off on me during my intense period of fandom.

At this point, those days are behind me. Sometimes I look back with nostalgia...but then I think that maturity isn't too bad. XD

...at this point, all thoughts are fleeing because I made the mistake of looking up Sha Na Na on Youtube. I think I'm scarred for life.

Your disturbed hostess,

Da Fox

By that, I mean that it's snowing! The good news is, I was able to spend all day inside cleaning house and making this scrumptious food. The bad news is, I was planning on riding the horse today. *headdesk* Instead there has been snow blowing, drifting, and essentially making a nuisance of itself. And I still don't have my camera, so I haven't been able to take pictures. I need a new camera...*whimpers*

Oh! Good news! I got a check from the college two days ago with the money left over from my student aid, and it's enough to pay off my truck with a bit left over. So truck payments can go towards getting that camera that I've had my eye on for some time, and hey presto, I could have a camera within a month! (At least, I hope so. *crosses fingers*)

Tomorrow Isaac is renting a woodsplitter to cut some wood up into more manageable chunks for the stove--wait. Perhaps I'd better start over.

About a week ago Isaac went out to the local dump and found a bunch of huge slabs of oak and hickory wood that seems to be cured and in perfect burning shape. Ordinarily the wood could be chopped by hand using a maul (like an axe, but quite a bit heavier), but it's too big to move easily much less split. So a wood-splitter is in order.

Long story short, Isaac found a woodsplitter to rent for $20 for the day, and Mike is coming over to help split wood tomorrow afternoon. And possibly stay for dinner...it depends on if his policy towards money vs. food has changed. XD I might be here, or not...it depends on if I get out of class early enough. Obviously I won't be taking pictures, but if tomorrow is anything like today there really isn't any point to take pictures because there'd be snow blowing and they'd be so bundled up that you couldn't tell who was who.

...I still miss my camera, though. *sniff*

Mood: Irritated

This morning at church I was standing normally in the pew during the singing portion, and every Sunday the people are invited to shake hands and talk with the people around them. It's a nice thing to do, and as long as I don't think about people having coughed into their hands previously I'm okay with it.

At one point I was drawn into conversation with a matronly-looking woman to my left, who asked the generic questions (one of which was if Will was my boyfriend *headdesk*. This is becoming a disturbing trend.) about school and such. After saying that her grandchildren went to a nearby school I could tell that she was either going to ask if I knew them or what school I went to, so I said, "I was homeschooled all my life, so I don't think I know them..."

"Oh, okay," she said, and we continued talking about whatever for another minute or so. Then, out of the blue, she says, "You know, you're really well-adjusted for being homeschooled."

My reaction (mental): *sarcasm* "Yay for me!"

My reaction (outward): "That's kind of a common misconception about homeschoolers..." *enter spiel about said misconception*

Now, the people who AREN'T homeschooled might not get this. But the most common misconception about homeschoolers is that they are social misfits who are maladjusted or have an idealogical misconception about the world. (Try saying that five times real fast.) What I don't get is how by not being 'average' teenagers (read: difficult, sarcastic, and wordly) that homeschooling is somehow considered a bad thing. Sure, there are kids who ARE weird and socially maladjusted in a bad way, but that's really a minority.

Ironically, this lady then started talking about her 16-year-old granddaughter who is going through all sorts of drama and trauma in high school, suffered from anorexia when she was 13 (13?? That is not normal, woman!), etc. This gave me a pretty good opportunity to defend homeschooling and inform her that I never went through all of the hysterics of high school, but I digress.

I guess my point is, why do people make these assumptions and then act surprised when the opposite proves true? Believe me, between people assuming that Will and I are somehow boyfriend/girlfriend *shuddershudder* and that by being homeschooled we're outcasts of society I'm about to snap. BE INFORMED, PEOPLE!!! *spit snarl hiss*

...okay, I'm better now. Just...don't tell me I'm maladjusted. Because if maladjusted means deviating from the normal standards and wanting to stay out of the mirey cesspool of the average public school, I'm all for it.

Your irritated hostess,

Da Fox

If you can define that word, I'll give you a gold star. Maybe. XD But what I was REALLY referring to was the fact that I have another drawing to offer. Yay. *waves little flag*

I have now figured out how to link to bigger pictures in my blog--one step farther in my journey in blogdom! *raises fist*

Anyhoodle...I tried to muck out the barn yesterday (hasn't been touched for about three months because it's been cold and frozen out there), and got about two hours' worth of hauling before the mud took over. By that point I was sweaty and my arms were aching, so it was a good place to stop. XD Then it rained steadily from late yesterday evening to sometime this morning, and then--gasp! Wonder of wonders, the sun came out! I haven't seen it for over two weeks--this is astounding!

I also wrote out a budget for the first time yesterday...it was rather rewarding, actually. I earn a lot more than I thought I did. I also spend a lot more than I thought I did. So my budget is taking some tightening measures, and I've been thinking of ways to earn money art-wise. The only things that seems to be selling around in this area in the art category are things like buildings and landscapes...sigh. Measures will have to be taken to adapt to the local demand.

I need to sell one of the horses...Shiska, to be exact. The original plan was that my older brother was going to take her when he got out of the Coast Guard. But he's signed up for the next four years, and...well to make a long story short, I'm going to have to start looking around for someone to buy Shiska. She'll be 3 in July, and much to my embarrassment all she knows is how to lead, trailer, and pick up her feet. But she likes people, and she's really smart...I just don't have time to work with her--she's on the small side too, so I've been afraid to actually get on her back in the past. So, time to run some ads in the paper. XD

Yup, so there's life now. I'm glad we had this talk. XD

Love, Brambles de la Fox

I haven't done hardly anything lately. *cries* However, I have two sketches to put up here in pitiful offering...they're in the Doodleart category.

And now, with that out of the way...I've been doing more barn-mucking, but today happens to be the day that Mom 'borrowed' my camera. *pouts* So, I have no photographs to offer. I NEED A NEW CAMERA!!! *sob*

I also really need to be doing housework...it's a struggle: website? Housework? Website? Housework? Website--

*brain explodes*

Website wins! XD I love it when the website wins.

Not a whole lot going on, otherwise...along the lines of the barn-mucking, I feel like I ought to mention how muddy it is outside. There's a little bit of ice struggling to remain on the ground, but with me wheeling a heaping barrow through the ice and mud the latter kind of wins in the long run. That's actually why I was only able to get 12 loads out (I kid you not): the mud was becoming so viscous and deep that I could hardly push the wheelbarrow.

Isaac is helping Mike drywall a garage today...I know, I'll recruit them to help me when they get back. XD No, not really...I won't do that to them. I usually don't even recruit Will to help me...independence? A reluctance to ask for help? I don't know. All I can say is that the barn is currently a source of embarrassment because it's such a mess.

My room is a mess too...but in a different way. And that's all I want to say about that. XD

Good grief, my thoughts are bounding hither and thither today. I guess I'm enjoying my afternoon of being alone--this last week has been INSANE. And now, since I can't seem to pin my thoughts down in a coherent fashion, I shall succumb to the pressure of the chores calling my name and say adieu.

Your space cadet (Can you hear me, Major Tom??),

Da Fox