Bitchin’ Fridays: Handshake

             

             Earlier this week I was horribly assaulted by an atrocious handshake.  I was meeting a friend of mine to do some audio work for them, when the assault happened.  It wasn’t a normal handshake; it was one of those shakes with a bump and twist with a hand.  The kind you would have run into when you were young and you and a friend would make up a secret handshake (or a thug shake that some people do). 

            Doing these weird handshakes should be left in the past.  In a professional setting, even when meeting with a friend, you should still do the default firm hand shake.

By doing just the regular shake states that you are a professional.  Meeting people for the first time I strongly recommend doing the normal handshake.  Here is why; my man meets with weird handshake friend at a film mixer the other night.  Set friend gave him one of those handshakes and upon leaving my man asked me if my friend did that handshake to everyone. 

                                                http://cheezburger.com/6489490176

            Now my man is black, so he thought that my friend was doing that handshake because of his ethnicity.  Again this was at a film meet up with professionals…yeah to me not a great first impression.  So if you are going to shake a persons hand that you are first meeting, please for the love of god just do a normal one and not some crazy ass one.

            See you on the other side

Party Wednesday: BioShock Infinite

            I like the previous Bioshock games, but I know I am really going to dig the new game.  I love how they brought it out of the ocean and into the sky.  The story arc is going to be a wonderful mix of mystery and drama.  But enough of me gushing about the game and the beauty of it, you are here for the party theme.

            The new game is set before rapture and that whole mess.  This is the 1893 world’s fair set in the floating air-city of Columbia.  Columbia was built be the American Government and is meant to symbolize the ideas of exceptionalism.  I am going to focuses on one part of the city Battleship Bay since that area that I find to be not only whimsical but really plays with the carnival/arcade vibe.

Décor

            The setting takes place in the floating city of Columbia, to be more precise, Battleship Bay.

Yes it is a board walk, but I did not want to focus on the beach part.  Instead I wanted to look at the booths and attractions.  Being as this is set in the sky we will need clouds.  I found a great blog that describes how to make clouds out of fake snow.

 

http://curlybirds.typepad.com/curly-birds/2011/11/how-to-make-puffy-clouds.html

For the ground I would suggest in the corners of the room some dry ice and water.  Lighting is fairly simple, bright lights and blue hues to create a sunny day.

            String up red, white, and blue banners along the walls, make it feel like the 4^th of July:

Also plaster up some properganda posters.  Here is a coupe that they use in the game but of course you can make your own personal posters at any copy store.

            Toping off the décor is the tables but for this I don’t want to just have random tables place threw out the room.  Instead use or make booths.  Here is a picture of actual booths used in the 1915’s worlds fair.

http://online.sfsu.edu/hl/a.html

Notice the arches and font for the booths-please ignore the height.  A 3 sided booth will work well and you can have it encasing your tables to hold food and drink.  Here is a site to build you own booth:

 http://tgwood.wordpress.com/2011/11/17/grim-reaper-kissing-booth/

The finished product should look something like more like this:

http://www.evadesigns.com/miscelaneous/

Food

I want to incorporate foods that you would find at fairs and what you would eat in 1912.

            Ice cream stand.  Have a variety of ice creams that you make or store bought but make your own cones. 

http://paninihappy.com/make-your-own-ice-cream-cones-on-a-panini-press/

Fish Croquettes

http://whatsfordinner-momwhatsfordinner.blogspot.com/2012/01/fish-croquettes.html

Pan roasted squab

http://www.dartagnan.com/51194/rp150/Squab/Pan--Roasted-Squab-with-Morels-and-Black-Barley.html

Grilled Hot Dogs with Mango Chutney and Red Onion Relish

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2007/07/grilled_hot_dogs_with_mango_chutney_and_red_onion_relish

Drink

          Cotton Candy Martinni

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Cotton-Candy-Martini

Plasmid

http://www.thedrunkenmoogle.com/post/247458097/plasmid-bioshock-cocktail-ingredients-30ml

Songbird (aka star cocktail)

http://www.absolutdrinks.com/en/drinks/star-cocktail/

 This should get you in the mood for some sky high adventures.  If you have suggestions or pictures of your own themed party, please share and send them to me.  See you on Friday for another rant or next week.

See you on the other side

Quick Cold and Catching Up

            This past week started off great, go caught up with a friend and plan on being more social.  Thing turned for the worse when I got attack by the cold bug.  It crept up on me Tuesday night and come Wednesday I could barley move from the couch.  Thus the rest of the week I have been successfully battling the cold.  As of now I have very little drip and minimal coughing.

            Another sour note that hit me this past week was my horse has become ill.  My mom had the vet come out several times and still he isn’t eating his feed.  I know that he 31 years old and that is the average of a horse but still.  I have had this horse for over 15 years.  He has been a big part of my life and I just want him to stay in it a little long if possible.  I know that may sound selfish and it is but he is my buddy. 

            A happier note I got another gig doing a PAS ad of anti-bulling.  So that is a plus.  This week I get to do another film happy hour and meet up with some of my cosplay friends to do some Mass Effect pictures.  I still need to fix my Tali costume so I will just be hanging out.  Party Wednesday will happen this week; it will be posted late since I have a dental appointment. 

See you on the other side

Bitchin’ Fridays: Freelance VS. Hobbyists

             

            I will address my horrible behavior for not posting Wednesday’s blog.  I first want to go ahead and do my regular Friday rant, but if you just want updates and Wednesday blog update then scroll down to the last paragraph for more information.

            I was reading one of my friend’s blog a few days ago in regards to referring to one’s self as an aspiring so and so.  I agreed with the article in the use of the over used word “Aspiring” to define yourself or talents.  To expand the remaining thought on what to actually call yourself, you could simply state that you are a writer or sound designer.  But this can also lead you down a slippery slope of where you work.  Now the true question comes to mind is are you a freelancer or just a hobbyist.

             Let get the definitions out of the way. 

Freelance is a person who works as a writer, designer, performer, or the like, selling work or services by the hour, day, job, etc., rather than working on a regular salary basis for one employer.

Hobbyist is a person who pursues an activity in their spare time for pleasure

Seems pretty clear to me, but when some people start calling themselves a freelancer or  contractor to describe their job description when clearly it is more of a hobby for them it when I get irked.

            While many freelancers will have a part time job to pay the bills, the roll of their titled profession is 100% their job.  They pursue leads for gigs, continually further their education, and earn money in that profession.  I am in no way saying that Hobbyist don’t further their education or at times make a profit, but they are not persistently expanding there craft to become a business or career. 

            When I first started out the first couple of jobs I did as a sound designer we for free.  This was only to expand my portfolio and connections.  After that I started charging for money, getting more connections, and treated my title as a profession.  To me the biggest difference is how you treat your title; I approach mine as if it was a business and I maintain it as such threw linked in and my website.  Hobbyists have the passion and love for their craft but do not take it to the next level and make it a career. 

            So please, if you are only doing the craft once in a blue moon; please don’t call yourself a freelancer or contractor when you are not seriously pursuing it as a career. 

            Well I’m sure that rant will piss off some people so please leave a comment below on your thoughts.  Now on to the statement I made at the first paragraph.  I didn’t do a blog on Wednesday due to my cold.  I came down with a cold Tuesday night and on Wednesday it knocked me out.  This means I am focusing more on next Wednesday’s blog and making it great, I hope.  Spoiler it is Bioshock Infinite.  Well have a good weekend everyone’ *cough cough* *hack hack*. 

            See you on the other side

Drinking and Myth Busting

            Hey everyone hope you all had a wonderful and somewhat safe St. Patrick’s Day ,lets face it your liver is hating you right now.  This past week has been productive, first of all I have revamped my linked-in page and secondly I have received my commando mastery on multiplayer in Mass Effect 3.  Yeah I know I shouldn’t be so exited over a freaking badge in a video game but damn it took me forever!

            Moving on I saw the movie Oz the Great and Powerful on Friday.  I went to The Big Picture Movie Theater to see it, they serve alcohol and the cocktails were great.  It was nice for once to see a movie with the knowledge of no children will be there.  However the older “adults” (we are talking over 45 to 55 range) would not shut up during the intro.  I think will do a rant about this subject on Friday’s blog so I won’t bore you here.  The movie it’s self was ok, nothing blockbuster about it.  Beginning of the film is rather dull but towards the end it did pick up and the costumes were great (now I want to do a cosplay of the wicked witch). 

            Saturday was my big day, why is that?  Well it was Mythbuster’s Day!  To kick it off I went down the street to watch the St. Patrick’s Day parade.  It s was nice enough day and I even got to pet and Irish wolf hound! I want one so bad. 

            Before the show my man and I went to a new burger joint in the Westin hotel.  The burgers were decent but between the layout of the restaurant (you literally have to leave the restaurant, walk all the way down to the other end of the lobby to use the restroom) and the extremely poor service (we had to wait 20 minutes before my man got up to ask for your check and they did not bust our tables after we told them we were finished) we will never go back.  FYI you could accurately say you are using the restroom and leave with out paying and they would never know. 

            The Mythbusters show was awesome! Balcony seats were great to view everything but if I go next time I just might fork out the extra money to sit ground floor so I could perhaps be on stage.  I don’t want to give away anything that goes on in the show so go check it out if you can.

            This week for Party Wednesday, I am going to do an Alice in Wonderland tea party (with cocktails).  I want to do another Alice but in a darker version later on, but this is for happier version is to celebrate spring.  I should get back to job hunting and writing up cover letters (I hate with a passion writing cover letters).

See you on the other side

Bitchin’ Fridays: Maintenance

            Ever lived in an apartment where something breaks and is leaking all over your floor.  Well I have, three to be precise, and it sucks.  It is never a good time for something to break but if it does you better hope it is not on a weekend. You fill out the paper work, stating that it is an urgent emergency –for crying out loud your bathroom is becoming the local pool- and now you play the waiting game with maintenance.

            Yes it is nice to have “24 hour” maintenance but a majority of the time the will put it off until the morning.  It seems every time I would fill out a form online or in person it take almost two days until they come to my apartment.  The First time was back in my very first apartment.  I started the dish washer and got ready to go to work.  Come out 15 minutes later to find my kitchen floor was flooded and my sink backing up with water.  After shutting the dishwasher off and cleaning up the mess I called down to maintenance for a quick dishwasher fix.

            There response was sorry cant come out today you will have to wait until Monday, this happened Friday morning.  I know that I am not the only person in the complex but if I had to manually shut off the water to my entire kitchen, I would classify that as an emergency.  Regardless of the miserable weekend of not being able to clean dishes in any way they did come that Monday.

            The previous apartment that I lived in was a total shit hole when it came to quality and functionality of appliances.  From day one there was always something wrong and not working.  Furnace was never up high enough, the dishwasher could never wash dishes, water pressure was a joke, and the sink faucet would constantly drip.  All these were minor but when it piles up it is a bitch.

            Now the maintenance here was relatively quick, and would even come out that day if you put in your request that morning.  But it was how awful they were at fixing the issues.  Eventually we would have to write strict instructions for them. Like getting us a new dishwasher, because of how inapt they were. 

            Even now in my brand new remodeled apartment something broke.  The washing machine- why is it always having something to do with washing- decided to break down.  Go figure it was My man who never does the laundry that it breaks on.  Not only did a substantial amount of water leaked out but it is currently full of water that wouldn’t or couldn’t drain out.  So we have been waiting almost an entire day for maintenance to come out, according to the email we received from them that we are on the list, and still nothing.

            I truly hate having to wait for some one to come and fix the problem.  The bright side to all of this is that I don’t have to pay for some one to come out and charge me a ridicules amount of money to fix whatever.   

           

            See you on the other side

Party Wednesday: Mythbusters

            I have to great pleasure of seeing Mythbusters Live this coming Saturday.  So instead of the traditional game theme, why not do Mythbusters.  Now this isn’t your traditional birthday party for a kid; this one is for adults.

                       

Décor

            This one is fairly simple compared to the past parties.  All you will need is a garage, some work benches and a black board.  Be sure to sweep up the garage and make sure it is fairly clean.  Clean up your work benches and disinfect, it’s where your food and drinks are going.  Any tools or random parts place on shelves and walls. 

            For the black board, hang up on the wall and write Mythbusters or science stuff on it-or for fun just write Science Stuff in big letters.  Here is a beautiful store that not only incorporates the chalk board idea but has a clean garage look to it too.  Side note, if I had a garage I would want it to look like this:

 

http://www.coolhunting.com/design/keen-footwear.php

                I never really talk about plating or glass wear but for this party, it needs a science touch.  For plates I’m think tin or silver;

            And for glass wear beakers, are a couple of varieties you can use.  You can purchase any of these items online.

            Before I dive into food and drink we are miss a few key things from the show.  The first being Buster!  Now obtaining or buying a real crash test dummy is expensive but I found an inflatable mannequin that would work as a substitute.  All you would need to do is paint him.

http://www.amazon.com/Inflatable-Male-Mannequin-Full-Size-Ivory/dp/B0042GZP4Y/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1363196193&sr=8-14&keywords=mannequins+for+sale

            No Mythbusters’ show would be complete without explosions.  Buy fireworks to set off, if you wish, please review your cities laws regarding fireworks.  You can also have people try some myths that they did on the show.  Here some links:

http://www.mythbusterstheexhibition.com/try-this-at-home/pirate-eye-patch/

http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiment/original-mentos-diet-coke-geyser

Food

            Science themed food!  I tried to use foods or food items that they have used on Mythbusters

Salami Rocket Fuel:

http://americanfood.about.com/od/appetizers/r/Salami_Bread.htm

Sleeping Turkey Sandwich

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/smoked-turkey-blue-corn-quesadilla-slider/detail.aspx

Musical Green Beans

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Campfire-Green-Beans/Detail.aspx

Drink

Molotov cocktail

http://www.drinksmixer.com/drink5416.html

Vodka can kill bad breath

http://www.yummly.com/recipe/Mint-Limonada-Recipezaar?columns=3&position=35/36

Exploding Rock Martini

http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/shortorder/2010/01/kiss_my_cocktail_passion_pop_r.php

Explosions, explosions, explosions.  That’s what I get out of Mythbusters.  I will let everyone know how the show was on Monday.  If you have suggestions or pictures of your own themed party, please share and send them to me.  See you on Friday for another rant or next week.

See you on the other side

More cleaning!

I'm still freaking cleaning.  Not only my apartment but my old rooms in my mom's house.  She is starting to fix up the old place, that means for me get your old crap out of here. 

While rummaging threw my old stuff I found some of my old art work.  It was kin of nice to look back and see the progression of my artistic skills.  I remembered how I wanted to become an animator for Pixar, sadly I don't have to skills or talent to be at that level but all the same it was kinda cool to see my old work.  The hardest part was figuring out what to toss out.  Naturally I went for the old cloths method. 

Oh my god, the crap I wore back in the day was terrible. 

All black, supper baggy, and worn out.  I was a bit of a goth/punk kid in high school.  It boggles my mind how I could ever think I looked good in this getup.  But now they are gone to a better place. 

The rest of the weekend faired better and I bought some new tights and leggings that are bright and fun for spring!  When I develop a good look I shall post pics on my twitter.

See you on the other side

Bitching Fridays: cleaninging

I personally hate to clean.  I especially hate to do spring cleaning.  But coming over to my mom house to clean out my closets of old clothing bring me back to the old days when I would wear them.  The Memories of going to the zoo, living up in Canada, and even some high school cloths brought a tear to my eye.  In that tear was the age old question:  What the hell was I thinking when I wore this crap.

See you on the other side

Party Wednesday: Tomb Raider (2013)

            Are you having fun playing the new Tomb Raider game?  I sure am, even the death scenes are ridiculously over the top.  Let’s get down to business of making a Tomb Raider party fitting for the new Laura Croft.

                       

Décor

            What I like is that mixture of ancient Japan to World War 2 Japan along; both are withering away from the elements of the island.  Adding crates, life rings, nets, and drift wood in a couple of corners in the room will help create that washed ashore feeling  Adding Japanese metal lanterns, stone garden lanterns, and banners will tie in the Japanese elements.  For the table tops place fake moss over the top to make that decay and element look, you can buy this stuff on line or at craft stores.

http://www.greenbrideguide.com/content/creating-green-decorations-moss

            Remember to place to moss threw out the room, apply it onto your chairs and couch.  For table settings wood serving bowls and plate add a nice touch to the tables. 

You can buy them at target or amazon.

http://www.tableclothcontessa.com/now-this-is-natural/#more-1522

                To top off the décor place behind a table-I would say the food table- the sacrifice shrine.  You know this thing you run into in the beginning:

Well this is the concept art but in the game you have a hanging dead corpus.  To make simply hang a white sheet add the necessary “blood”  then take some rope and use a fake skeleton from a Halloween store to hang.  Finally add red candles around the base of the shrine.  For the lighting use candles and the stone shrines that you have placed around the space.

Food

            Keeping in the theme of finding what you can survive on the island, Laura mainly hunts deer and finds the occasional berries.  Well I wanted to keep with find what you can and added a bit more variety to the diet:

Venison Jerky:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/homemade-beef-jerky-recipe/index.html

Venison Lollipops:

http://blogs.ocweekly.com/stickaforkinit/2010/12/five_venison_recipes_for_when.php

Sashimi Tuna with sauce:

http://www.yummly.com/recipe/Sashimi-sesame-tuna-with-asian-dipping-sauce-330791?columns=3&position=6/22

Marinated Japanese Mushrooms:

http://norecipes.com/blog/marinated-japanese-mushrooms-recipe/

Drink

Amaterasu (aka Red Lotus)

http://cocktails.about.com/od/vodkadrinkrecipes/r/red_lotus.htm

Bloody Laura (Shandong Mary Cocktail)

http://www.food.com/recipe/shandong-mary-cocktail-424136

Savage Bite (Ginger Beer Fizz)

http://www.food.com/recipe/ginger-beer-fizz-424134

This should give you a kick start on your tomb raiding adventures.  See you on Friday for another rant or next week.

See you on the other side

Saving Money

            They past weeks have had its ups and downs, but I think I should be back on track by now.  Been busy with the up coming party Wednesday-it going to be the new Tomb Rider game FYI- and figuring out my costume for PAX Prime this year.  I am planning on doing Maya from Borderlands 2. 

            As you can see I am not doing the default out fit but the special edition all fired up one.  I know I am going to need a leotard for the main body suit and will have to sew on the colored bits on it.   But I am afraid of messing up the suit so I need to get started now!

            This week I plan on visiting my mother again, and to eat some real food, still on a no money diet over here.  Also I have to make doctors appointments and re-balance my budget for the year.  I need to get a job, I know.

See you on the other side

Bitchin’ Fridays: Street Canvassers

            I had no idea what to write about today, that is, until he stepped into my life.  You know them if you have visited a city.  Those people with the wide smile, bright colored vest or shirt, and a binder.  With a wave or extending a hand they ask you “do you have time to talk about the environment?”  Ha, you thought I was going to say bums, but no these beings a by far the worse people you will encounter on the street.

            Sure at first they complement you on your hair or cloths, but this is only a ploy to have you stop and talk to them.  Now not all of them are for the environment, there is also the Red Cross, and save the children but they are all the same.  They harass you to no end as you wait for the light to change so you can escape.  It is not like they are in one area, oh no, they are on almost every block.  So when you think you just escaped one, poof, another appears to greet you on the other side of the street. 

            These people are above and beyond aggressive.  If I say no it means no I don’t want to talk to you.  But they continue to shove whatever message they have been assigned that day.  To me the cause they are trying to help just gets lost and I don’t give a damn.  Not because I don’t care about the environment or whatever, but their aggressive mannerisms turns me off.

            I get it, it’s your job, you probably have a quota, but please Red Cross and other associations there are better ways to get money.  By having these people out there, you are hurting your image, not to mention money better well spent on the actual cause.  Oh you guys didn’t know these thugs get paid?  Well they do.  Each day they have a base pay of $10-$12 an hour plus performance bonus.  Here is an excellent article breaking it down, from someone who did this gig for a year: http://www.20sfinances.com/2012/01/17/confessions-of-a-street-canvasser/

            I can’t stand these people, and I personally don’t feel comfortable enough to open my wallet in the middle of the street to give you money.  These companies need to stop spending money on street canvassers, and actually give that money to the cause instead or have actual volunteers. There is another article from my local paper that is an open letter to all canvassers to stop.  But what I loved was a PDF that you can print out and hand out little cards to canvassers that explain why you don’t stop. I highly encourage all of you to print some out and hand it to every canvasser that extends that hand and smile.

http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/dear-street-canvassers-stop/Content?oid=8525385

            See you on the other side