Journal of an Inept Haus Frau

Clipping Service

Fri, 16 May 2008 01:05:02 GMT

Here we go—

20:02 @bardicbelle: Oooooh. #
21:36 @nfagerlund: God Nick, that is too heavy. DON'T MAKE ME THINK. #
21:36 @nfagerlund: Also, think of this—there are kids with driving licenses who have never seen, nor will see, Wayne's World. Take that. #
23:02 Anyone have good sources for ordering custom wrapping paper? #
05:11 @bardicbelle: Fancy and pretty! #
08:36 Merkley honk gatherers at Powell & Milwaukie: get your damn football banner out of the effing sidewalk, you dick monkeys. #
11:24 @sarahdopp: Nobody at work believed me, since there wasn't an article. But now I've proof! We're all very super excited. #
11:52 @Matt_Sheridan: Wait, so the first was the "Next to Last Starfighter"? #

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Blatantly snagging from Amanda, because she is the smarter one

Thu, 15 May 2008 05:26:29 GMT

Dude, dudes. For serious.

Vote Sock Dreams! Socks! Wonderful staff (so biased, but you know it is true)! Socks again!

Quoting amandathegreat directly here: "And if you've never shopped at Sock Dreams, then what on earth is wrong with you? SOCKS, PEOPLE. YOU NEED THEM."

Do I know you? When you order from us I so write random things on your order. It means love! And sometimes I draw pictures, if I can wrangle more than the teal or purple marker from co-workers.

Locals! Ballot is due next Tuesday. Make us popular, we are tired of eating at the quirky kid table.

States of progress

Thu, 15 May 2008 04:33:19 GMT

States of progress, originally uploaded by B_Zedan.

The "salvage" pieces, the patterns and some other things some folks may be seeing are all part of a whole, I swear.

Clipping Service

Thu, 15 May 2008 01:08:39 GMT

Here we go—

20:52 Time for the girly mix: Blondie, Persephone's Bees, Scissor Sisters and the soundtrack to Marie Antoinette. Shit, and some t.A.T.U. Whynot. #
12:02 Oh, my turn-around time is significantly better than your new design team? Well shit, who woulda thought? The phrase is: "tough titty". #
12:39 @bardicbelle: Omigod, until you go?! EXCITEMENT. #
13:06 @bardicbelle: Gah, annoying. Personally, our driver's side window doesn't roll down. But not everybody has our classy excuse. #
13:44 @bardicbelle: Dude, excitement nonetheless. (I have no sense of time) #

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Variations on a theme

Wed, 14 May 2008 19:12:47 GMT

Variations on another pattern, originally uploaded by B_Zedan.

It's a horrible realisation that even the best craft and tech blogs out there repeat article ideas as often as lady mags. And there are innumerable identical tutorials on how to create a repeating pattern, but Design*Sponge's how to at least does it by hand. Which is infinitely more fun (especially when I'm normally making ultra-simple vector based patterns).

And one from yesterday.

Clipping Service

Wed, 14 May 2008 01:04:33 GMT

Here we go—

18:42 Pizza delivery: real bacon, salami, zucchini, garlic, thin crust. Worth the charge to deliver to the 'burbs. #
19:45 @MagnoliaPearl: It was. The delivery charge to you would be astronomical, though. #
09:55 @Iron_Spike: Visually document this genius idea, please! #

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Score

Tue, 13 May 2008 20:25:41 GMT

Score, originally uploaded by B_Zedan.

Pretty, pretty things. To be used in nefarious projects.

This weekend is (hopefully) going to be project-y, especially since I'm playing with goggles again.

Clipping Service

Tue, 13 May 2008 01:06:27 GMT

Here we go—

20:01 @Iron_Spike: Mushrooming is the most fun ever. Go for chantrelles, if they're local to you. #
20:02 @Matt_Sheridan: Skeletal. I got a decent haul of pretties actually. I've only found one complete sand dollar before and it was dime-sized. #
20:02 @michaeljpatrick: I am shaking my head bemusedly. #
22:12 Dangit. Accidentally started uploading the full-size images from beach trip. #
13:22 Oh awesome, spilling coffee. #
13:23 @Iron_Spike: Are places like that even open Mondays? From most small businesses I see, Tuesday is the start of the week. #
15:06 @chavtasticjinx: I spilled on my desk, thank goodness for the small-footprint flatscreen they gave me. Ruined some scrap paper is all. Whew. #
15:25 God, I've been drinking someone else's coffee since lunch. #

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It isn't the beach, it's the coast

Mon, 12 May 2008 05:35:16 GMT

Lacy, originally uploaded by B_Zedan.

After flushing the transmission on the pickup (the old stuff was opaque black, as opposed to the clear ruby that crap is supposed to be), we went on a drive along the Northern coast. I only got a couple of non-driving pictures, because around here (and for me), the coast is 50% the drive, 40% crap you find at the coast and 10% the sand and junk itself.

I found some cool stuff. Picture later. Pictures of the drive are in a little set.

Clipping Service

Mon, 12 May 2008 01:10:38 GMT

Here we go—

18:39 Had the transmission fluid flushed on the truck, the old stuff was opaque black. It'd probably been there for years—now runs like a dream. #
17:21 We've been driving around the Northern coast, found a whole sand dollar. #

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Clipping Service

Sun, 11 May 2008 01:05:07 GMT

Here we go—

18:53 Chase said: "Dog fighting is the crack to the Kentucky Derby's cocaine." And yes, he meant all the various implications. #
18:54 @strangehours: The idea of drunken knitting bemuses me. Like one has slower reaction time and doesn't end a row in time. #
18:56 Dear neighbours—we live in a cheap quadplex. I can hear you fighting, I can hear you fucking, I can hear how you raise your kids. #
19:48 @strangehours: I was imagining the stitches as cars. With screeching noises. And that ancient Goofy PSA about drunk driving. In knits. #

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Clipping Service

Sat, 10 May 2008 01:03:01 GMT

Here we go—

19:46 @MagnoliaPearl: Seriously. "Ooh, I've medium-length hair and crinkles 'round the eyes, swoon girls!" To normal a face to be pretty. #
20:02 Action—our new paper shredder will foil the methheads downstairs who rummage through the complex's garbage. That and bathroom trash. #
21:25 @MagnoliaPearl: That is the best description of Sean Penn EVER. #
05:29 A fantastic interlude for Freakangels, and it's a bit that I'm obsessed about (English disaster fiction) twurl.nl/qci31i #
08:33 The endearing Steve Novick was at the Powell/Milwaukie intersection island this morning, getting honks and waves. #

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Have I mentioned how much I love where I work?

Fri, 09 May 2008 20:40:59 GMT

Today is (international? national? galaxy-wide?) lost sock day. So, my boss, who is adorable, made a post in mourning of those lost socks that left little knit widows and widowers when the dryer ate them up. And she posted the following, which was drawn by the awesome amandathegreat:

Most importantly, Sock Dreams is offering a 20% discount on all orders today. Just use the code "lost socks". I know that a bunch of you are total sock fanatics, so I thought I'd pass it along.

Instead of you bugging us about getting married, how 'bout we give you these mugs instead?

Fri, 09 May 2008 02:54:07 GMT

And here we are, cross-branded. I did hit the mid-'90s. Ugh.

In other self-important news, I'd love if other people did these too. It's fun! And kind of telling*. One of my co-workers came up with a terribly inappropriate one, but his name sort of boxed him in.

*For instance, Chase and I are small film companies that did marginally, but not badly, during the boom of photography—they then joined forces to combine advertising efforts against the swelling Kodak and Fuji, who dominated the development market, only to confuse the loyal customer base and wash out right as digital came into the scene.

Clipping Service

Fri, 09 May 2008 01:03:29 GMT

Here we go—

22:03 Huh. Inexplicable jump (near double) in Flickr stats. #
05:44 @lovemotionstory: No, there was a noticeable bump immediately afterwards and a general raise, this is something else. @lx thinks Earth two. #
06:17 It's too bright for this early. #
06:22 Augh, pincher bug. #
17:43 @ninacox: Do not eat it, even if it is so perfect and goes on the canvas so well and looks like pudding. I was able to resist. #

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Making more things

Thu, 08 May 2008 04:30:25 GMT

Salvage object: dimension detail, originally uploaded by B_Zedan.

I'm post-tastic today. I need to photograph this again with a bounce and in natural light. And when not sleepy.

NERDS

Thu, 08 May 2008 03:22:13 GMT

There's been chatter amongst the wonderfully ridiculous people I know about how Tony Stark drinks from a Stark Industries logo mug and how we should have logos of our names and put them on mugs and then drink from them and give them as presents and be total jerks.

The key question to a venture like this is "What kind of company would your name be?" Chase's was easy. It was pharmaceuticals (with the "o"s as pills) or something to do with film:

I was going for late-'60s, early '70s.

Mine was more difficult. But I wanted to keep in the photography theme.

It's still rough, the text looks ass when close up. Thinking late '70s, early to mid '80s here.

The next, horrible and nearly cripplingly geeky thing would be to combine the logos, as though the two film companies joined up in the '90s (nightmare design time, though using the excuse of pre-existing logos would ease the pain) or within the past decade, in an attempt to shore up profit as they watched consumers flock to digital.

They're both, as Chase said, very "mug appropriate."

Clipping Service

Thu, 08 May 2008 01:09:06 GMT

Here we go—

20:01 Huh, most of my Last.fm friends have "Low" or "Very Low" musical compatibility with my disco metal self. #
20:02 Huh. Most of my Last.fm friends have a "Low" or "Very Low" musical compatibility with my glam-metal-disco self. #
09:09 @Iron_Spike: HA. I still get asked how the food at the Sassy Cavy is. "Good", I tell them. #
11:11 @bardicbelle: This is why I've switched to copyright-free e-books. And why I am a huge sad nerd with sagging bookshelfs. #
12:06 @bardicbelle: Understandable. Book triage is the worst. #
13:01 Ha, found old picture of Chase. I wonder how long it'll take him to notice I've put it up? twurl.nl/mjdfif #

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Baby face

Wed, 07 May 2008 20:00:20 GMT

Baby face, originally uploaded by B_Zedan.

Found in a drawer I was cleaning. This is well before I met him, he's pretty sure he was 18.

Making things

Wed, 07 May 2008 06:17:55 GMT

Salvage bracelet, originally uploaded by B_Zedan.

Haven't played with jewellery in a while. Just got some findings in the mail, so I can actually finish things.

Clipping Service

Wed, 07 May 2008 01:06:36 GMT

Here we go—

18:11 I can add notes to shared items on Google Reader. YES. #
22:56 @strangehours: I love the Tetris stamps as well. I will show you my bookmark folder of "REPLY DUDE" to prove it, if it helps. #
10:04 While I take things apart and try to figure out a framework for post-apocalyptic magical realism, Chase has decided to build a computer. #
14:59 People are still spray-stencilling records? Why even do this, why continue to be impressed? You can use "threshold" in PS. Good for you. #
15:44 @MagnoliaPearl : I'm dittoing @ninacox. #

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Mostly for Dennis

Tue, 06 May 2008 20:10:11 GMT

So, we caught Iron Man yesterday*. Other than the obvious—RDJ, 'splosions, pretty shinies—there were three things that I kind of geeked on:

A believable OS/GUI (whatever you call it) on the regular (not Stark's custom) computers. Some files have to be dragged and copied and gone through, and it wasn't crazy-future-ridiculous looking (like in Hackers, or with most other movie computers). It was slick and Apple-y (on a Dell, ha), but not beyond logic.
The score (it was like 3/4 score, 1/4 soundtrack) brought in bits of Sabbath's Iron Man, and I think bits of the various TV show themes. Chase and I both kept nearly expecting it to break down into that fantastic robot "I AM IRON MAN", but it would back off or swirl away into another bridge. Most superhero scores suck pretty badly, heavy on the strings, tension, etc. This was a pretty well-done job.

Now, the above two things are me being happy that people are doing their jobs well/correctly. That's kind of sad, but I found it exciting. Hope for humanity is always exciting. The next thing is just something I've wanted and dreamed about since I was probably nineteen:

A three-dimensional holographic prototyping table. The technology for one is pretty much out there, it just needs to be put together (though I don't think it'd display the same, but a screen behind the table would do as well, people can align what they're doing on a tablet with the screen, why not dimensionally?). I want to sculpt using something like that. Working on miniatures that I can zoom into? Having it connected to some sort of dimensional printer? To quote Bill, "Dear Mother of God, I want one of these so bad my dick hurts." And I don't have one, so take that into account when trying to comprehend my glee and envy.

I think RDJ is Iron Man how Bale is Batman. They're believable, they're people and they make the things I love better. Or, in the case of Stark, who I was never that into, I am liking the character for the first time.**

*Monday evening show! Hardly any people and mostly hilarious teens and some very excited children
** Because RDJ is an amazingly skilled and enjoyable actor. The man gets better every movie I see him in.

Clipping Service

Tue, 06 May 2008 01:03:52 GMT

Here we go—

20:41 @ninacox: Aw, you got me. I desperately need to rework mine (keeping the pretty and getting rid of the uck), and work in some linkage. #
05:15 Birds outside: It is 5am, stop being jerks. #
10:26 @bardicbelle: Birds don't really care about culture. #
15:32 Hint to panhandlers: enunciate. #
15:35 And, Nokia mobile does not equal handfuls of cash to give you. Battered Batman hat should be clue. #
16:32 Extra loud and sweary altercation on MAX, thought West side was supposed to get more patrol. #

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Something to kill time with

Mon, 05 May 2008 03:52:38 GMT

I am not a doodler. I normally have a couple files of sketchy-like images or bleh photos that I play with in between things. Y'know, the projects that have no actual point and are the first to get deleted when cleaning out folders. When the computer went, I lost whatever it was I was messing with. It works for the best though, as I've got new brushes to play with. We'll see if I stick with this one or move on to something else when I get distracted by another idea.

Also, I totally forgot to mention this. The adorable calamityjon totally showed up to Stumptown and I guess Chase saw him at some point and decided that he would make an amazing supervillan. "He doesn't look like someone you'd want to mess with," Chase said. This is a compliment. He was impressed.

Clipping Service

Mon, 05 May 2008 01:03:37 GMT

Here we go—

18:50 @strangehours: You could probably sell distilled Failure. Emo perfume. #
08:58 Jeez, almost stepped on a bird. It was way too occupied with a worm to see me. #

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