Dear lord, has it really been 5 months since I've updated this thing??? This has been an exceptionally long hermity time for me. I've been online, but very much in lurker mode.

I think that basically I went into said mode this summer, after dealing w/ storm damage/illness and never fully emerged. Speaking of the house, the damage is (mostly) undone, and I also got my fireplace converted back from gas (yuck) to wood (yay!). Finn approves:



Anyhow... Things have been good, if busy. Work has been intense with the major project I'm on - it's not bad in terms of hours, but it's leaving me more than a little mentally fried at the end of the day, and there's something exhausting about all of the 'hurry up and wait' involved in this thing. The good news is, I like what I'm doing and adore (most of) the people I work with. Things are challenging, yeah, but it's in a way that's intellectually stimulating vs. grinding me into a sad and sorry pulp.

The big thing is that thanks to some injuries I sustained while trying to train for a 5K (I need to give up on the idea of running - this is the second time this has happened), I've been sidelined from exercise for the past several weeks while I wait for the tendonitis/bursitis combo platter to settle down. Plus, I managed to tweak my shoulder doing something stupid, but that's nearly healed as well. Back to light exercise this week, thank heavens. I'm starting back with a beginner strength training routine, with a focus on form. Also, once I get over the panic at the idea of being seen in a swimsuit, there's a good chance I'll start working swimming in for my endurance/cardio.

Fandom-wise, I've been in a big lull when it comes to fanart, and I didn't even submit anything for the SPN reversebang even though I'm helping mod, and I didn't sign up for spn_j2_xmas. That said, I'm hoping to use my week off (yay!) to work on the J2 story I was hoping to do for last year's Big Bang. There's always 2017, right? Anyhow, I'm about 1/4 of the way through a Cold War era soulmates!AU if that's up anyone's alley. I'm also all-but-done with a Raven Cycle fic that I've been posting on AO3 as I go (seriously - only one chapter left). There's also a better than average chance that I'll end up writing or drawing something for Check Please and it's only a matter of time before I get sucked into Yuri on Ice. I am several episodes behind on SPN at the moment, and will probably use some of my time off to get caught up.

Original art-wise, I've finished a few pieces that I'm very happy with - one oil painting and 2 pastels. Volume-wise, it's not a huge amount of output, but given that I only really have time to work on this stuff once a week, it ain't that bad, I also made my first attempt at getting into a juried art show. I didn't get in, but also survived the rejection, so that'll make applying to the next one that much easier. I think. Anyhow, here are the pieces:


(pastel portrait of Finn and Eddie)


(pastel picture of my mom waking on a beach)


(oil painting of a busted dock)

Whew! So, how's that for an info-dump? How are the rest of you all?

This one is for sillie82, who asked for a picture of my art supplies.

My art supplies (when I'm not actively working with them), tend to live in one of two places.

The first is a big old chest of drawers. It also holds spare electronic equipment and serves as a TV stand, but most of the drawer space is given over to supplies.







It's a decent-ish storage solution, but the paper/sketchbook situation is getting a little out of hand. Note: Huggies wipes are an ESSENTIAL supply if you are working w/ pastels. ESSENTIAL.

The colored pencils are out for a current project, as are my inking pens:



The oil painting supplies live in a Husky rolling toolbox so I can take them to and from class. The paints live in an old cigar box, and the compartments in the lid of the toolbox are perfect for brushes, my linseed oil, etc. The body of the box can hold my palette box, my desk easel, cigar box o' paint, paper towels, turpenoid jar, and my dollar-store shower curtain (serves as drop cloth).





If any of y'all are into arts and/or crafts, I highly recommend this kind of tool box. It was cheaper than similar items sold specifically for scrapbooking, etc. and it's sturdy enough that I can use it as a chair if need be.

Again, apologies for the delay, but the past week has been... yuck. This one is for sinfulslasher, who asked: What's your favorite vacation spot?

My favorite vacation spot would have to be Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, so long as you add the caveat not in the middle of the summer. It's gorgeous, with beaches, forests, dry stone walls, farms that actually look like farms and not factories, lots of artists' enclaves, fishing boats and lobster pots, beautiful old towns with beautiful old buildings...

Summer is obviously high tourist season, and for good reason - the weather is beautiful, and there's a lot to do. But, IMO, it's best in the fall. The leaves are turning (and the ubiquitous poison ivy becomes a lot easier to spot), there's some fun and interesting stuff happening with the agricultural community, and everything is entering a state of quiet after the fall. Sometimes, it's cold enough at night to warrant a fire in the fireplace. Sometimes, there will even be a nor'easter, and there's something wonderful about that, too - hearing the wind and the rain and being tucked away safe inside with a book. I'm not sure I'll ever get the chance to go back there again, but if I do, I hope it's in October.

I have a few July meme entries to catch up on (will be done by the end of the day today), I'm starting GISHWHES (so far, I've changed a facebook avatar to a robot and I have plans to re-home one of the million of 'volunteer' redbuds infesting the flowerbeds up front).

I'm also finishing up my Big Bang art. We got an extension on our posting date, which is good because over the past week I have been dealing with one of the worst stomach bugs in the history of the universe. Fuck you, e coli.

This is for aishuu, who asked: "what is one talent you don't have that you wish you did."

I almost said 'musical ability,' because dear lord, I CANNOT sing/play/keep a beat. It's my most obvious lack of talent, but the more I think about it, I really don't find it to be a lack. I enjoy music immensely, and I have no reservations about singing along to whatever I'm listening to while doing housework or whatever. I just don't have a burning desire to perform or to join a choir or whatever.

The more I think about it, the more I would like to have the kind of physical agility/coordination that would let me do more in the way of sport-type things. I've got brute strength and good endurance, but fall way short on things like range of motion, response time, and not tripping over my own damn feet.

I do have a few more days left open throughout the rest of the month, if you would care to sign up here: http://sophiap.livejournal.com/288722.html

Anyhow, here is an entry for etrix, who asked for: Your favourite thing to do in your home/city/state by season. (Or, what makes you happy to be where you are.)

It's winter's turn now. In winter, everything slows down a bit, what with the cold and the dark, and I tend to do more things indoors. Winter is when I do a lot more knitting, reading, writing, etc. And this year, I am SUPER excited for winter because my fireplace has been restored to a wood-burning fireplace from a nasty gas-burning fireplace w/ fake log (it was about as cheery as standing in front of the stove).

So basically, winter for me isn't very exciting, but that's okay. It's a time for deep nesting and creating pools of light for myself.

Fic: Handsome
Author: deirdre_c
Pairing: J2
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 37,000
Warnings: some gore in battle and references to torture (offscreen); there's no bestiality per se in the story, but hey, Jared is a dragon, so be advised!

Summary: Jensen is a royal guardsman who’s gravely wounded during the assassination of the Queen by her traitorous sister. He flees into the woods, where he stumbles across a mysterious, derelict castle. Jensen’s worst fears come to life when he discovers the castle is home to a terrifying dragon straight out of legend. Can Jensen recover from his wounds, vanquish the villains, save his father and the kingdom, and—on top of all that—fall in love with the dragon?

Of course he can. It’s a tale as old as time.

I had the pleasure of working with (the very patient) deirdre_c for this year's Big Bang. Her "Beauty and the Beast" re-telling - complete with scholarly dragons, tea, royal intrigue (and did I mention tea) is an absolute delight. My only regret is that life got in the way of my being able to do the kind and amount of art I wanted to do for this story.

( Images and notes behind cutCollapse )

This one is for fufaraw, who asked: "For Nestra's dinner party (see 7/8), what's the menu? What do you enjoy prepping, cooking, presenting? And which of your favorites go together to make a nice meal?"

Unless we're talking about the Chef Edition dinner (Alton Brown, Julia Child, Eliot Spencer), where doing the cooking would be half of the fun, for a dinner party the more I can do in advance, the better. So, assuming the meal would be held in the fall or winter, here is what I would serve:

Pre-dinner:
Local beer from Urban Chestnut brewery. Chardonnay.
Homemade bruschetta with Stilton
Dried figs and dates
Sliced pears

Dinner:
Cabernet Sauvignon
Hard rolls from local bakery, butter
Beef stew with large chunks of beef, carrot, potato - made 1 day in advance.
Mixed salad w/ bitter greens and a shallot vinaigrette (balances out the heaviness of the beef stew nicely).

Dessert (which I prefer in the family room or otherwise away from the dinner table, as it's more comfortable):
Coffee and cocoa
A tray of different kinds of homemade cookies

My apologies for all the lateness, but it's been a rough couple of days. Anyhow, this is for etrix, who asked for: "Your favourite thing to do in your home/city/state by season. (Or, what makes you happy to be where you are.)"

I've already answered for spring and summer, so it's fall's turn. In the fall, once the weather starts cooling, I like to cook. A LOT. The idea of heating up the kitchen is no longer disgusting, so I'll make big batches of split pea soup to freeze for winter (I'll buy my ham bones from the Honeybaked store in August and freeze them, as once soup season starts, they can't be had for love or money). Once the apples start coming in, the pie baking starts up again. I'll make dal, yellow curry, chili, and all kinds of other spicy treats (some for freezing and some for eating). On a cold night, I might well whip up some creamed spinach with bacon as a special treat. On weekends, I'll be far more likely to whip up an omelet than just have yogurt or leftovers for breakfast.

This fall, I plan to experiment with bread baking. Yum.

Here's the other entry I missed thanks to Fun With Meteorology. This one is for aishuu who asked, "are you superstitious about anything? If so, please elaborate."

To be honest, I'm probably one of the least superstitious people you will ever meet. Yes, I do believe in the possibility of the supernatural and the mystic to some degree, but in terms of random occurrences or certain actions (salt over the shoulder, for example) influencing probability and chance? No.

I actually had a cashier at the cafeteria at work get all in a swivet because my total came out to $6.66. I just don't get thinking like that. Or why the number 13 freaks some people out, or why my mom insisted I give her a penny after she gave me a set of knives for Christmas. If I break a mirror, I get upset because a) I'm out one mirror and b) I have to clean up broken glass before the cats step in it.

(That being said, walking under a ladder is just plain stupid - it's a good way to get stuff dropped on you or have a ladder fall on your head.)

All that being said, I do believe that an object or a ritual action can help one focus one's intent and energy in a way that makes success more likely. But would its loss 'curse' you? No, except to the degree that the psychological toll of losing the object or not being able to perform the action would do a number on your brain and predispose you to failure.

I do also believe that some objects (toys, tools) that are well-loved or well-used become something far more than 'just' a stuffed bear or a gardening trowel, but I wouldn't call that 'superstition.'