Zealous Ravings of the Fantastical Sort (original) (raw)

| | I'm alive. And still watching from the shadows.Debating what to do with this old journal. Revive it or archive it.Time will tell.Tags:ponderings, randomMood:weirdMusic:Lady Gaga - Edge of Glory *poke*Tags:randomMood:boredMusic:Henrique Couto - Miley Cyrus Is Pregnant LAST UPDATED: 07/07/10For the curious, overly stalkerish, or those who like a bit of TMI, I present a list of shirts purchased by both myself, John & my brother, Andrew, from SHIRT.WOOT. Also, for the helluvit, I'll be listing other things we purchased from the many woot sibling sites.I'll be keeping this updated as we buy more stuffs from woot!**-- STEPH'S WOOT SHIRTS:**First-Day Shirts:What's for Dinner?The ClockmakerRandom Shirt Shirt (April Fool's) Octopus with Bubble Gun Goes PEWPEWA Novel IdeaSchrodinger's CatReckoning Shirts:Music PirateVillainous Victorian VelociraptorThe Apathy CoalitionDonut Panic!Random Shirts:Evil-o-meter is at mission criticalClass Time Used EffectivelyAirIn addition to your radishes, I will take thisAutobiographyBaby ToothThat´s one small step…Lunch BreakDonut Panic! (irony)Wishlist:Nevermore**-- STEPH'S OTHER WOOTS:**Woot:USB Stuff (Paper Shredder & Drink Warmer/Cooler)Wine.Woot:Nothing... yet!Kids.Woot:Nothing... yet!Sellout.Woot:American Idol Singer's Advantage Vocal Training ProgramSteelseries Siberia Full-Size Headphones-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**-- JOHN'S WOOT SHIRTS:First-Day Shirts:Some BBQGreetings from Krampus!Winning the RaceEvery Legend has a beginning… (Kittytron)Random Shirt Shirt (April Fool's)Fallout ZooReckoning Shirts:X-treme National ParkRandom Shirts:Gonna Make You LunchAirIn addition to your radishes, I will take thisAutobiographyNotorious B.I.R.D.Wishlist:None-- JOHN'S OTHER WOOTS:**Woot:Screaming Monkey with Woot CapeEnergizer Light on Demand Twin Light CenterEnergizer Hardcase Tactical FlashlightJolly Roger Door MatSandisk 4GB Cansa Clip+ with MicroSD SlotWine.Woot:Nothing... yet!Kids.Woot:Nothing... yet!Sellout.Woot:Nothing... yet!-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**-- ANDREW'S WOOT SHIRTS:**First-Day Shirts:Jurassic ParkaAncient Egyptian PlumberWhat's for Dinner?A Distinct PossibilityOctopus with Bubble Gun Goes PEWPEWSchrodinger's CatReckoning Shirts:1985 B.C.Steam HeartThe Original RecyclerThe Apathy CoalitionProcrastinateDon't Call Me RobinFaster, Higher, Stronger, AimierBehold a Pale Horse...Winning the RaceVillainous Victorian VelociraptorFallout ZooMake Your Own LuckRandom Shirts:Music PirateLizard Lift-OffX-treme National ParkSomething I Must DoWishlistHigh Priority:It's a TrapIt Came out of Nowhere@-@Medium Priority:NevermoreMake Your Own LuckLow Priority:Some Motivation Required...**-- ANDREW'S OTHER WOOTS:**Woot:Jolly Roger Door MatWine.Woot:Nothing... yet!Kids.Woot:Nothing... yet!Sellout.Woot:Nothing... yet!Tags:random, shirt.woot, wootMood:accomplishedMusic:The Princess & the Frog - Down in New Orleans (Finale) *cough cough* Hmm, seems to have been a bit since I made a real post here. Hadn't realized it had been quite that long. Probably because I regularly update the shirt.woot list I have on here & I'm generally on Facebook now. That & other than shirt.woot derbies & work, not much else is really going on. I don't really hang out with folks much, there's not really any drama at work (save for an incident or two regarding lost monies), & Johnny & I are still the same as always...just older, I guess.In all honesty, I'm perfectly happy with not having drama or too much excitement. I like things quiet, but sometimes one gets a little bored. But doing the derbies helps a lot with that. Erm, yeah, that's actually been the most tantalizing thing for me of late. I started doing them around February as a means to improve my art skill & I'd say it's helping. If nothing, it's showing that when I really put my mind to it, I can draw many things I didn't think I could draw. John & my brother, Andy, encourage this quite a bit. My brother & I often collaborate on ideas & he usually comes up with something quite elaborate & I'm left to wonder how I will pull off such lofty ideals.Although we haven't won anything, but I didn't start doing the derbies with thoughts of winning to begin with, we have been getting better. Sometimes the designs strike out & sometimes they are pretty well received. Our most recent design has been the most popular so far. Ending in 34th place out of about 150 entries. Course we only had around 130 votes. Shirts that are printed are often into the thousands of votes, so we still have a long way to go.Regardless, since the designs are still copyrighted to me, I intend to open a shop online to sell my designs. I've put too much effort to let them just rot. I don't expect them to sell like hotcakes, but if even a few people wish to purchase a t-shirt designed by me, I'll take it as a compliment. I have to admit, designing t-shirts is not something I thought I'd be doing, but I've often wondered what would have happened if I had decided to study art instead of English. I've never regretted my major, but I've had more than one person ask me why I didn't study art. My response was always the same: Art is a hobby, but if it becomes work, I won't like it anymore. This was more an excuse really. I knew I could draw a little, but I didn't think I had the talent, nor drive to acquire the skill, to pursue a career in art. That is I, for some reason I thought I'd have a better time getting a job with my English degree. :PAlso, I'm not like some artists who draw & draw & draw & draw constantly. I go through spurts. This is not because I dislike drawing, it's because I'd try to draw something, I wouldn't come out how I liked, so I'd get frustrated with myself & go back to something that I could do with little effort because it came to me more naturally: read, analyze, & research books, novels & the all things written in the English language. I like writing research papers, much as I bemoaned them in college. It wasn't because I disliked writing the papers, I just had other things I'd rather have been doing, like drawing.Basically, I try to be a jack-of-all-trades, but a master of none. I don't focus much in one field, I dabble in many. However, there are some I tend to avoid. *cough math & science cough* So I'm okay at what I do, but I could be better if I just spent more time in that area. But then I get distracted by something new or another old hobby to play with for a while.But I'm starting to really wonder what would have happened if I had gone to school as an art major. If I had actually spent the time to draw more & apply myself. I know I can improve. I've seen it over the last few years. This is proof of that. I just wonder how far I can push myself?Tags:artsy, insight, life, ramblings, shirt.wootMood:pensiveMusic:Nope Farmer's Breakfast is a simple one pot meal that was a staple in our house for many years. It was also a meal of choice on any Girl Scout camp-out as it was easy to vary proportions & simple enough for even 3rd graders to make.However, the difference was we don't have a dutch oven or big cast iron pot at home, so we had to make it on the stove in a large skillet. However, it became labor intensive & just didn't have the same taste or consistency. I thought a crock-pot was more close to a dutch oven in the slow cooking realm & found a recipe online I was able to tweak to make my own crock-pot version of Farmer's Breakfast.**INGREDIENTS:**2 lbs (2 rolls) sausage (bacon or diced ham are also good alternatives)1 bag frozen hash browns (mostly thawed)12 (1 dozen) eggs1 1/2 cups milk2 cups shredded cheddar cheese1 tsp salt1 tsp pepper2 tbsp maple syrup (optional)**INSTRUCTIONS:**First, brown & crumble the sausage (or bacon or ham). Drain off any excess fat or grease. I do all this the day before so when I'm ready to make my meal, the meat is ready to go in the crock-pot.In the crock-pot, place a layer of hash browns, then crumbled sausage (or bacon or ham), then shredded cheese. Do this until all these ingredients are used or you reach the top of the crock-pot.In a separate bowl, combine eggs, milk, salt, pepper, & maple syrup. Beat until well combined & pour over layers in crock-pot. Cover & cook on LOW for 10-12 hours or HIGH for 4-6 hours.Serve with biscuits. **Also makes a great filling for breakfast burritos! :DTags:recipesMood:fullMusic:Lady Gaga - Dance in the Dark Decided to enter the derby at shirt.woot!. Theme for Derby #132 is "Heart." After a day or two of debating & sketching, I came up with the following design.First time using: Pantone solid coated palate, halftone shading, HUUUUUGE PS image sizes. My computer was not happy with me working in such large pixel resolutions. I think it's about time for 2 gigs of RAM in this baby. >X3Only people who have bought from one of the woot! sites can vote on derby entries, so if you have...VOTE FOR ME!! If not, well, you can still check out the entry. **( Cut for kindness, clicky to see the image!Collapse )**Tags:artsy, derby entries, wootMood:creativeMusic:Lady Gaga - Bad Romance Been jonesing for some tortilla soup like whoa the last few weeks, so I decided to try out a version for the crock-pot. Seemed the simplest since it was my first time making soup from scratch. For anyone who's interested in a cheap, simple, tasty & totally tweakable tortilla soup, here's the recipe:**INGREDIENTS:3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, shredded1 can whole tomatoes (28 oz)*1 can enchilada sauce (10 oz)1 can chopped green chilies (4 oz)1 medium onion, chopped1 can chicken broth (16 oz)2 cups water1 tsp ground cumin1 tsp chili powder1 tsp garlic powder (ALT: 1 garlic clove, minced)1 tsp salt1 tsp black pepper1 tsp Worcestershire sauce (ALT: use Tabasco for more heat)shredded cheese (garnish)tortilla chips (garnishINSTRUCTIONS:Cook & shred chicken breasts. I baked 3 frozen breasts in the oven on a foil covered cookie sheet, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil at 350°F for 45 minutes. Once the breast cooled, I simply peeled apart the chicken with my hands, the chicken will be so tender & juicy it falls apart very easily. (You could just buy pre-cooked & cut chicken, too, for a faster method.)In crock-pot, combine shredded chicken, whole tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chilies & garlic. Add water, chicken broth, cumin, chili powder, salt, black pepper, garlic & Worcestershire sauce. Cover and cook on LOW 6-8 hours or on HIGH 3-4 hours.Serve in bowls & sprinkle with cheese & crunched tortilla chips. Serve immediately.*I used whole tomatoes as that is what the original recipe called for, however, I ended up cutting them up in the soup anyway. Next time, I plan to use diced tomatoes, so in this case, I'd use whichever you prefer.Tags:recipesMood:accomplishedMusic:Johnny on the computer & listening to the short wave HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Here's hoping that 2010 will be a better year than 2009, cause 2009 pretty much sucked for me.New year, new decade! Let's get this shit done! >:DTags:holidays, new years eveMood:bouncyMusic:Johnny playing GTA on the PS2 Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! I got a cold + sinus infection as a present. Lucky me. XP Despite feeling like shit, it's still a nice day. I am rather jealous of my family & everyone else in Oklahoma who got a White Christmas from the Blizzard of '09. We got rain & wind. :\ Johnny is feeling icky too, so we won't be going down to his family's later today for dinner. I know they would prefer we keep our g-g-g-germs at home. JBones will send our holiday love & wishes...& bring us back lots of leftovers. ^____^ Once again my family spoiled me & Johnny this year & got us tons of things we wanted & some we didn't even think we'd get. Perhaps that's really the secret reason why I don't want kids...my Mommy would spoil them & not me! :o Of course I'm joking. Really. >_>Now I'm going to heavily medicate myself with NyQuil & play with my new toys.( My Got List 2009Collapse )**Tags:christmas, holidays, lists, sickMood:sickMusic:Straight No Chaser - Christmas Can Can Previous 10 EntriesTop of Page | | 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