I just finished my first semester as an 'art student.' It has been a huge change, but I think I might just be able to pull it off.
When I was a Jr. Tatiyana (Probably around age 12-13) I saw the movie Silence of the Lambs. It changed my life. It spoke to me that this woman, Clarice Starling, could be so smart and beautiful and brave, and totally kick butt at catching bad guys. I wanted to be her more than anything. This was also around the time Forensic Files and 'real-life' forensics shows were huge. CSI was either not around, or just starting.
But I knew... at that age I just knew how the rest of my life would be. I would graduate high-school, go to college for forensic psychology, and end up at Quantico. I would spend my days catching bad guys, and that would be my life.
That lasted up until high school, when my knee decided to go. I realized that I could never pass the physical, and the doctors couldn't figure out how to fix my knee, so that dream was lost.
Next I thought about computers. "Maybe," an older and wiser (or so I thought), me said, "just maybe I could be a computer programmer." I liked computers well enough, and could dismantle and put back together a PC with no trouble, so the thought made sense.
Then I had my first computer science class. The teacher was so horrendous, so lazy, so unhelpful that it made me take a good hard look at my major. I realized that I didn't want to sit in front of a computer all day, staring at lines of code (beautiful as they may be). I wanted to do something more tangible.
So I looked into Graphic Design. I knew it was going to be tough, and in fact, if I do not have a presentable portfolio at the end of the program I will not get my degree. It scared me. With technology classes there is very little interaction with other students, you could even take most of the classes online. I could have stayed in my comfortable little hole, and never interacted with another human the whole degree process.
Art classes are different. You can't just sit back, mute, through the whole class. You have to interact. It has brought out a new me. A better me. It has added at least +5 to my Charisma stat (to put in in more comfortable terms).
I now have a job where I have to interact with people all day, and while it exhausts me, I totally love it.
While it is not chasing bad guys, I love making people happy, whether with my art, or with my job. I feel like a new me. A better me.
I think I have leveled up. I am now a Level 1 Art Student.
A critical hit to your brain's awesome lobe.
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Monday, June 24, 2013
Book Review: Feed by Mira Grant
Title: Feed
Author: Mira Grant
Stop. Go out and read this book right now. Seriously. I don't care if you read the rest of this review, just go out and get this book.
As somewhat of a zombie aficionado, it takes a lot to impress me when it comes to zombie stories. Feed did more than impress me, it did something few z stories can do: it brought something new to the genre.
Feed follows Georgia (known as George) and Shaun Mason twentyish years after the initial zombie outbreak. Traditional news is dead, having been replaced by bloggers (who are in general less biased, and more reliable). George and Shaun are two such bloggers.
When George and Shaun are picked to follow a presidential candidate during the upcoming election (yes, there are still presidents and elections in the world of the zombie future) they are overjoyed. Things quickly go wrong, though, and as the bodies and undead start piling up, you begin to wonder who is behind it all and if George and Shaun can survive.
Mira Grant does darn near everything right in feed. The characters are vivid, the dialogue is whip smart, and the plot moves forward at the perfect pace. I am pretty sure the people around me thought I was crazy when I actually laughed out loud at some parts, and a few parts actually brought me to tears (it still hurts my heart a bit to think about the ending).
If I had to complain about one thing, it was that who the big baddy was was a little telegraphed, but it is a small complaint, and it honestly didn't take away from the story at all.
Feed is a story with some major teeth. It was just so good and I cannot praise it enough. I would recommend it to any lover of the zombie genre, or anyone who just loves a well crafted book. So what are you waiting for? Go out and read it!
Buy Now!
Mira Grant's Website
Thursday, November 1, 2012
NaNoWriMo
Hey there all you guys and gals. I just wanted to do a quick update to let you know I am doing NaNoWriMo this year. Feel free to add me, my username is Tatiyana!
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Ear Honey
Guys, I need you to take like, 10 minutes out of your day to listen to these.
Seriously.
Do it.
And this one too:
*Mom don't read this part*
I popped like 10 million girl boners when I heard these. 10 Million.
Seriously.
Do it.
*Mom don't read this part*
I popped like 10 million girl boners when I heard these. 10 Million.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Exhaustion
My mother had back surgery this past week, and I stayed at the hospital over Wednesday and Thursday night to make sure she was okay (which she is). If you add the sleep I got together from both of those nights you would come up with a sadly small number. Like a number that is less than the amount of sleep most people get in one night.
This had an unintended benefit though.
Let me explain: I am a shy person. I always have been, and am slowly coming to terms with the fact that I always will be. In most social situations I am the quiet girl sitting in a corner with her nose in a book wanting to be left alone.
That being said, I am part of a book club, and this tends to make things interesting. I joined because my friend started the club and I thought it would be good to read books out of my usual comfort zone (we mostly read YA fantasy with a dash of romance. Not my usual forte). When we meet I normally don't say much, maybe a sentence or two the whole meeting.
What does that have to do with lack of sleep, you ask? Well hold on to your pantaloons because I'm getting there.
So this past Friday was the book club meeting for this month. Despite the fact that I was going on very little sleep or coherency, I didn't want to flake, so I went.
It was like I was a completely different person. I was suddenly a person who could hold down a conversation with a normal person with out stuttering or mumbling (too much) or freezing up. I had the thought of 'this is what it must be like to be normal.'
It's like the sleep deprivation shut off the filter in my brain. I didn't care if I sounded stupid, heck at that point I wouldn't have cared if Cthulhu had risen from the depths and asked me for directions. I just didn't care.
Later Brad made the point that he was impressed, I think I made have made ducky noises back at him (I was pretty far gone by that point). But then he bundled me off to bed, and I woke up my old self the next morning. It got me thinking, if I had the chance would I want to be like that all the time?
I don't think I would.
The world needs quiet people, otherwise who would be there to listen?
This had an unintended benefit though.
Let me explain: I am a shy person. I always have been, and am slowly coming to terms with the fact that I always will be. In most social situations I am the quiet girl sitting in a corner with her nose in a book wanting to be left alone.
That being said, I am part of a book club, and this tends to make things interesting. I joined because my friend started the club and I thought it would be good to read books out of my usual comfort zone (we mostly read YA fantasy with a dash of romance. Not my usual forte). When we meet I normally don't say much, maybe a sentence or two the whole meeting.
What does that have to do with lack of sleep, you ask? Well hold on to your pantaloons because I'm getting there.
So this past Friday was the book club meeting for this month. Despite the fact that I was going on very little sleep or coherency, I didn't want to flake, so I went.
It was like I was a completely different person. I was suddenly a person who could hold down a conversation with a normal person with out stuttering or mumbling (too much) or freezing up. I had the thought of 'this is what it must be like to be normal.'
It's like the sleep deprivation shut off the filter in my brain. I didn't care if I sounded stupid, heck at that point I wouldn't have cared if Cthulhu had risen from the depths and asked me for directions. I just didn't care.
Later Brad made the point that he was impressed, I think I made have made ducky noises back at him (I was pretty far gone by that point). But then he bundled me off to bed, and I woke up my old self the next morning. It got me thinking, if I had the chance would I want to be like that all the time?
I don't think I would.
The world needs quiet people, otherwise who would be there to listen?
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Why is This Okay?
I think I need to stop reading the news. At least I need to stop reading up on the state of women's issues today. It's not that I don't care, because I do. I care so frigging much that it causes me physical pain sometimes, but I think I need to stop.
Today I came across a link at the bottom of The Mary Sue (awesome site btw, read it) that led to a story on The Jane Dough. What was this article you ask?
It was about Lee Aronsohn saying this:
One question keeps circling around in my mind: When did this become okay?
I thought there was a huge women's rights movement in the 1970's (and before that in the 1920's). I thought we were making strides. I guess I was wrong.
Before you say "Oh, they were making jokes. Have a sense of humor, gosh." I want you to do something for me. I want you to take this quote:
So why is it okay to say things like that about women?
The simple answer is that it's not.
But when someone points out the wrongness of this the knee jerk reaction is 'get a sense of humor,' or 'stop being so PC about everything,' or (one I particularly hate) 'stop being such a bitch about it.'
Let me tell you something, I have a sense of humor. I am funnier than farts, prat falls, and dogs in hats put together (and humble too), but these 'jokes' aren't funny. At their best they show a lack of education about social issues, and at worst a blatant disregard for half the population. They are insidious, and have a whole culture on the internet (see the make me a sandwich meme).
Slight tangent, I can somewhat understand where it comes from on the internet (not that it makes it any more okay). It is easy when you are some faceless person on a computer to say inflammatory and degrading things, because who's going to call you on it? /Tangent
As for the whole PC thing, it's a cop out. All of the justifications are. They are ways from distracting from the fact that someone said something wrong, something offensive. If you can make the fact that some one was offended by something demeaning their fault you wont feel guilty, and that is a heck of a lot easier than changing the way you think or act.
One last thing. Before anyone accuses me of any liberal bias, let me point out that this is never okay from any part of the political spectrum. It was not okay when Bill Maher called Sarah Palin the C word just like it's not okay when Limbaugh called Fluke a slut. It's never okay, period.
So I want to know why this is not treated like a bigger issue. I want to know why no one is talking about stuff like this outside of a few feminist blogs.
Do we really live in a society now where we pat ourselves on the back for being the freest nation on Earth, but strip away the rights of women one by one? Do we want to live in a place where all women are good for is hurling insults at and making babies?
I don't, do you?
Today I came across a link at the bottom of The Mary Sue (awesome site btw, read it) that led to a story on The Jane Dough. What was this article you ask?
It was about Lee Aronsohn saying this:
This is after last few months of Rush Limbaugh calling Sandra Fluke a "slut," Oklahoma starting down the road to passing a horrible bill, and the male dominated discussion of women and birth control.“Enough ladies. I get it. You have periods… But we’re approaching peak vagina on television, the point of labia saturation.” The current female T.V. boom contrasts with “Two and a Half Men” portraying women as bimbos, something Aronsohn isn’t about to apologize for. “Screw it… we’re centering the show on two very damaged men. What makes men damaged? Sorry, it’s women. I never got my heart broken by a man.”
One question keeps circling around in my mind: When did this become okay?
I thought there was a huge women's rights movement in the 1970's (and before that in the 1920's). I thought we were making strides. I guess I was wrong.
Before you say "Oh, they were making jokes. Have a sense of humor, gosh." I want you to do something for me. I want you to take this quote:
"What makes men damaged? Sorry, it’s women.”Remove the word women and replace it with any other group of people (try African-Americans, gays, or Jewish people just for a few). See how not okay that is?
So why is it okay to say things like that about women?
The simple answer is that it's not.
But when someone points out the wrongness of this the knee jerk reaction is 'get a sense of humor,' or 'stop being so PC about everything,' or (one I particularly hate) 'stop being such a bitch about it.'
Let me tell you something, I have a sense of humor. I am funnier than farts, prat falls, and dogs in hats put together (and humble too), but these 'jokes' aren't funny. At their best they show a lack of education about social issues, and at worst a blatant disregard for half the population. They are insidious, and have a whole culture on the internet (see the make me a sandwich meme).
Slight tangent, I can somewhat understand where it comes from on the internet (not that it makes it any more okay). It is easy when you are some faceless person on a computer to say inflammatory and degrading things, because who's going to call you on it? /Tangent
As for the whole PC thing, it's a cop out. All of the justifications are. They are ways from distracting from the fact that someone said something wrong, something offensive. If you can make the fact that some one was offended by something demeaning their fault you wont feel guilty, and that is a heck of a lot easier than changing the way you think or act.
One last thing. Before anyone accuses me of any liberal bias, let me point out that this is never okay from any part of the political spectrum. It was not okay when Bill Maher called Sarah Palin the C word just like it's not okay when Limbaugh called Fluke a slut. It's never okay, period.
So I want to know why this is not treated like a bigger issue. I want to know why no one is talking about stuff like this outside of a few feminist blogs.
Do we really live in a society now where we pat ourselves on the back for being the freest nation on Earth, but strip away the rights of women one by one? Do we want to live in a place where all women are good for is hurling insults at and making babies?
I don't, do you?
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Cats are Dicks
Let's face it... Cats, in general, are dicks.
Dogs may have an annoying constant need for attention (it is my firm belief that every dog bark conversation goes along the lines of "Hey! Hey! Look at me! Hey! I'm a DOOOOOG!"), but cats are just kinda douches on purpose.
That is not saying that I don't love my cats. I have 2: Ichi and Hime (pronounced 'E-chi' and 'Hey-get-offa-that'), and I am by far a cat person. For the most part, I don't particularly care for dogs. I make an exception for some (looking at you Tobin, Howie, Maddie, and Wicket), but in general I could take or leave them. It's something to do with the licking. Cats though, I tend get along with.
I noticed an increase in dickish behavior when we had to move our cats to our room. Ichi was not getting along with our roommates dog Howie. She for some reason thought she was some sort of kitty bad ass, and would win a fight, even though Howie could pretty much fit her entire body in his mouth. So we started keeping them in our room, and it has worked out pretty well so far, with the exception of two things.
The first thing is Hime when we try to go to sleep.
This is Hime.
Hime has decided that any part of the bed is hers. Not ours to share. Nope. Hers. That includes any body part that touches any part of 'her' bed. Why is this a problem? Because her favorite place to sleep is my or Brad's face.
It's not even that she wants to sleep close to us, no, it's that she has to 'check' before she lays down. By check I mean that she has to rub her whiskers in our face, or lick our eyeballs until we wake up. Once we do that, then she will deign to stick her butt in our face and lay down.
The other thing is Ichi's random neediness.
Ichi is a bundle of fluff and neurosis. She is not really a lap cat, and will only cuddle as long as you are petting her.
Unless I am in my computer chair.
Apparently this computer chair has some sort of magical psychotic cat attractant. It is usually only when I am trying to get something done, and usually goes something like this:
Me: *Typing away*
Ichi: *Distraction mode engaged*
Me: *Feels paw patting my leg and looks down*
-Insert suspenseful music from Jaws here-
Ichi: Hey, can I come in your lap? You're not busy or anything right?
Me: Well... actually I am trying to get some work done.
Ichi: Oh, hey, that's cool... Imma come up anyways.
Me: But internetz and writing and work!
Ichi: Nope. Now pet me bee-yotch.
Commence her jumping on my lap and me not being able to get any work done. If I put her down, the cycle starts again, but this time with *BONUS claw action,* so I usually take it as a sign that it is time for a break and pet her anyways. Until she realizes that I am paying absolutely all my attention to her and she jumps down, because her mission is now complete.
So those are my cats, and yeah they are pretty much dicks. I still love them though. I know they love me too, because what else do you call wanting to be so close to me that you sleep on my face blocking my airways or only want to cuddle when I can't, keeping me from working. That's what love is, right? Right?
Dogs may have an annoying constant need for attention (it is my firm belief that every dog bark conversation goes along the lines of "Hey! Hey! Look at me! Hey! I'm a DOOOOOG!"), but cats are just kinda douches on purpose.
That is not saying that I don't love my cats. I have 2: Ichi and Hime (pronounced 'E-chi' and 'Hey-get-offa-that'), and I am by far a cat person. For the most part, I don't particularly care for dogs. I make an exception for some (looking at you Tobin, Howie, Maddie, and Wicket), but in general I could take or leave them. It's something to do with the licking. Cats though, I tend get along with.
I noticed an increase in dickish behavior when we had to move our cats to our room. Ichi was not getting along with our roommates dog Howie. She for some reason thought she was some sort of kitty bad ass, and would win a fight, even though Howie could pretty much fit her entire body in his mouth. So we started keeping them in our room, and it has worked out pretty well so far, with the exception of two things.
The first thing is Hime when we try to go to sleep.
Hime has decided that any part of the bed is hers. Not ours to share. Nope. Hers. That includes any body part that touches any part of 'her' bed. Why is this a problem? Because her favorite place to sleep is my or Brad's face.
It's not even that she wants to sleep close to us, no, it's that she has to 'check' before she lays down. By check I mean that she has to rub her whiskers in our face, or lick our eyeballs until we wake up. Once we do that, then she will deign to stick her butt in our face and lay down.
The other thing is Ichi's random neediness.
Ichi is a bundle of fluff and neurosis. She is not really a lap cat, and will only cuddle as long as you are petting her.
Unless I am in my computer chair.
Apparently this computer chair has some sort of magical psychotic cat attractant. It is usually only when I am trying to get something done, and usually goes something like this:
Me: *Typing away*
Ichi: *Distraction mode engaged*
Me: *Feels paw patting my leg and looks down*
-Insert suspenseful music from Jaws here-
Ichi: Hey, can I come in your lap? You're not busy or anything right?
Me: Well... actually I am trying to get some work done.
Ichi: Oh, hey, that's cool... Imma come up anyways.
Me: But internetz and writing and work!
Ichi: Nope. Now pet me bee-yotch.
Commence her jumping on my lap and me not being able to get any work done. If I put her down, the cycle starts again, but this time with *BONUS claw action,* so I usually take it as a sign that it is time for a break and pet her anyways. Until she realizes that I am paying absolutely all my attention to her and she jumps down, because her mission is now complete.
So those are my cats, and yeah they are pretty much dicks. I still love them though. I know they love me too, because what else do you call wanting to be so close to me that you sleep on my face blocking my airways or only want to cuddle when I can't, keeping me from working. That's what love is, right? Right?
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