Personal Blog

New Karaoke CDs

Wed, 20 May 2009 18:27 GMT

My sister bought two new karaoke CDs today. (Actually, it was two packages of two so that equals four new CDs.) Guess what one of the songs is? Love Story by Taylor Swift. I fell in love with this song the first time I heard in three or so weeks ago, and it is in my vocal range!

I am practicing it right now. Some day I need to record myself singing my favorite pop songs. I have tons singing Christian and hymns but no contemporary with the background music. Hmm... My list would include:

• Love Story, Taylor Swift
• White Flag, Dido
• Thank You, Dido
• When You Say Nothing At All, Alison Krauss
• All You Wanted, Michelle Branch
• Goodbye To You, Michelle Branch
• Don&os;t Know Why, Nora Jones
• My Heart Will Go On, Celine Dion
• My Immortal, Evanescence

Of course, I sing them my way, which may not be the way the original artists sing the songs. I cannot sing whiny, breathy, or with a country twang at all. (Tried and failed.)

Okay, back to learning Love Story! Time to sing until I go hoarse. Now... where did I put that microphone?

Die Hard Stargate Fan

Tue, 19 May 2009 00:49 GMT

If you are a Stargate fan like me (for I have been since the original movie back in 1997, all throughout Stargate SG-1 series and the spin-off Stargate: Atlantis), then you too must agree with me that Stargate is the best thing to ever happen to the science fiction genre. Yes, it it far better than Star Trek could ever be, and nothing, absolutely nothing like lame-old Star Wars!

Okay, so the writers, producers, and cast of Stargate know how to have a bit of fun. But the series is very, very serious. I promise.

If you have not seen Stargate SG-1 yet... What are you doing reading this for? Go buy it on DVD. Yes, all ten seasons. And the movie. Oh, don&os;t forget the original movie that started it all. And Stargate: Atlantis is worth watching, too. It takes all the greatness of SG-1 and puts it in a galaxy far, far... um... away? Yeah...

Annoying javascript...

Thu, 14 May 2009 17:14 GMT

The last few days, I have been working hard on streamlining the MCCS Barstow website.

As with many first-time projects, the initial design is good but as time goes on, the site demands this change or that modification. Pretty soon the original design has been frankensteined to fit the needs that no one even knew existed until they popped up. Now that the site has been running since September 2008, we have a better idea of what we need from it.

You can take a sneak peek at the work-in-progress design here.

I am having a little difficulty getting the Javascript-run tabbed box in the sidebar to slide between content like it is supposed it. [see tutorial] I have never been very good with Javascript so I cannot figure out what I am doing wrong. Pathetic... I know. ^_^&os;

Writer's Block: Wild Life

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 20:41 GMT

How long could you survive on your own in the wild?

View other answers

Depending upon the landscape, climate, and what items I was carrying on my person, I imagine I could survive long enough for a rescue. However, there are plenty of variables involved that can make surviving a challenge - lack of water in summer heat in the desert, below freezing temperatures of a winter snowstorm, etc. Of course, even under good conditions, there can be unexpected set-backs... physical injury, animal-attack, etc.

Still, all things considered, I think I would survive a good while if in the wilderness somewhere. I can be stubborn. The will to survive is a powerful thing and prayer even more powerful. =)

I went to the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society Thrift Shop on base this afternoon and came home with two bags of spring/summer clothes. I even found a cute spring dress, though it will look better when I get my summer-time tan. I am quite pale right now. ^.^&os;

My back and shoulders are a bit sore from the little hike on Sunday. Usually, I would not be, but we decided to climb a very, very steep hill to get a better view. There were a few places where I had to use my hands. It was fun, and provided plenty of inspiration for two stories of mine which take place in deserts: Sharron: Dragon Mother and Western Rider. (Strangely, both feature deserts and dragons...)

Unfortunately, I did not take a camera with me, so I am hoping to go out again tomorrow afternoon to take some reference shots. I have decided that I need to put togther disks with landscape references from various photos I have take in the last five years. For example, Healer&os;s Quest landscape and terrain was heavily inspired by northern Virginia. Wooded hills, ancient mountains, four seasons, rolling fields and meadows. Western Rider takes place in a desert nearly identical to the Mojave here in south California.

I have a slight headache. No doubt from skipping dinner. I had to be at the church by six o&os;clock this evening. We are halway through our series covering the books of Daniel and Revelation. Jessica has astronomy on Tuesdays, so I am singing alone. I pray my throat holds out for the closing song, "What A Friend We Have in Jesus". It has been a bit dry all day.

A third of the people at work have been or are out sick right now. Allergies, minor colds, and the flu (not the swine flu, fortunately). I am doing my best to keep myself from catching any of it. So far so good!

Hmm... this entry is random.

Site Design Version 17 - Snapshot 1

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 00:02 GMT

I mentioned a week or so back that I would be giving my personal site [link] a new look soon, and I even sketched out a very detailed plan. This afternoon I finally found the time to begin building it.

Here is a snapshot of the new design after approximately six hours of work:

The ribbons in the menu extend when the mouse hovers over them. The header image is not yet completed as there will be some graphics beneath the ribbons. I cannot decide if I want vintage photographs showing me and a piece or two of my art or something else entirely. The sidebar is still being sorted out as well. I was playing around with a few different ideas, and I think I like the concept of what the screenshot has (with a little tweaking).

On the homepage, halfway down the screen will be divided into three columns to highlight the three areas of my portfolio: webdesign, writing, and art. At the bottom, I am thinking about a blue footer that will match the header... maybe with a red ribbon somewhere to tie it all together.

I am working slowly, but I hope to have an elegant design in the end.

Devious Journal Entry

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 09:49 GMT

A friend on DeviantArt asked if I would draw one of her characters, and I always enjoy a chance to draw and improve myself. This piece was fun because I wanted to capture the feeling of flight, which I imagine would be similar to graceful dancing or maybe swimming. The wings were a challenge as I have not drawn wings seriously in many years, but I think they turned out decent.

G-em - Soaring by ~jacquelynfisher on deviantART

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 21:49 GMT

I will post a picture later tonight that shows my brand new haircut! (It is already up on my Facebook.) My mom paid for a trip to the salon during the hour and a half I had between work today. (7am-3:30pm and then 5pm-10pm because we had our monthly poker tournament that I work with my boss.) Being spoiled at the salon was nice: shampoo, conditioning, cut, and styled. My hair is now shoulder-length... Drastic change from the long locks - had before, but I was ready for the change. The stylist, a very nice lady named Maria, came highly recommended by numerous mutual acquaintances and friends, and she was fantastic. I&os;m very happy. :)

This week has been wonderful. It has really been nice enjoying my birthday slowly over a span of five days rather than just an hour on one day. I know I am gushing.

I am still at the base club working our monthly poker tournament and will probably be here until after 10pm. Brief moments of rushing scatter between extremely long periods of monotony, though it is good for randomly sketching in the small sketchbook I always carry in my purse. I have tons of sketches that I need to scan and upload to my deviantart.

I do not particularly enjoy working poker night, but our monthly bingo falls on Tuesday evenings, and Tuesdays are when my church holds our mid-week prayer meeting/bible study, which I don&os;t want to miss. Plus I get at least 5 hrs. of Comp. Time so I will not complain.

CS4 Web Premium

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 20:05 GMT

I will be buying myself a birthday present this week, and after looking over the options, I have finally decided on Adobe CS4 Web Premium. It costs $1,699, which is a steal considering it includes InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, Acrobat 9, etc.

Sorry, old Paintshop Pro 7, but you will be put out to pasture soon. You have served me well for six long years, but your time is up. I need the best of the best now, and having CS2 at work has definitely endeared me to Adobe&os;s products. I will be spoiling myself with CS4 Web Premium.

*squee*

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 09:55 GMT

This morning has been a bit slow so far. It is a bitterly cold and unbelievably windy day here in the high desert (and me without my gloves!). Most of the office, myself included, are now at the base chapel for the memorial service of a fellow MCCS employee, Bonnie, who lost her fight against cancer on March 19, 2009. I designed the programs, which is a little odd when you actually knew the person. At least she now sleeps in peace, free from the horrible pain.

I need to go.

A List Apart 2008 Survey

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 09:16 GMT

Near the end of last year, I participated in A List Apart&os;s survey for web designers (or, as ALA likes to say, "people who make websites" since there are many different &os;titles&os;).

The findings are in and the data is very interesting. With 30,055 individuals from around the world who participated, there was a diversity in age, gender, location, skills, pay, work preferences, and more. If you work in the web industry, you would definitely benefit from glancing through the survey results.

Findings from A List Apart Survey, 2008

While I am currently satisfied with my job, my annual income (despite a raise and now benefits) is still below what I would feel comfortable living on the own with and I do not see myself working here in five years. Perhaps I should take up freelancing on the side - taking comissions for site designs or something. Not site set-up and maintenance, but personalized design. Hmmm...

I still would love to see my novel, Healer&os;s Quest published one day. To move forward with the story, though, I think it is time to do a complete re-write. The story has changed so much from the beginning that only a re-write can bring back together.