Kawaii

Oh, Yukimo. What will you do next?

On the Lookout

Getting photos like this of Yukimo is honestly one of the best gifts I could have hoped for. She was holed up in her tower again, and the cute ball of white fluff that she curls herself into is always tempting, so I decided to try for some photos. I think I was just lucky today.

Hamsters weren't always the apples of my eye. Well, I've always liked them, but I never thought I would have another one at the age of 22. I had them when I was little, because Dad wouldn't allow Mom, Beth, Kathleen and me to have a cat. Everyone in my family, except Dad, is a cat lover, especially Mom and me. Dad has been against cats ever since I can remember, and I've always held a grudge (along with many more) against him because of his lack of understanding towards Mom and, well, all of us. Before Mom reached the age of 30, she took in and helped raise over 200 cats. Even when she first met Dad, she had two or three cats. He "let" her keep them, but after they died, we haven't been allowed to keep anymore. Dad's excuse is that he has allergies, however, I know better. I know that he doesn't like competition. Dad has never been close with any of us, and having a cat in the family might draw our attention away from him even more. For this fact, I'm still very bitter. There have been a lot of family politics over the years, but this one stemmed from when I was young, and the fact that I've never been able to have a cat of my own has stayed with me ever since I was little. Grr.

Yukimo Says, "I See You."

Mom got around the whole "no cats" rule with other animals... smaller animals. Over the years, we've collected guinea pigs and hamsters. Sometimes we could get away with taking in wild cats and training them without Dad knowing it (at first). My three guinea pigs at my house are perfect, but I didn't want to cause them trauma by moving one, or any, of them so late in their lives. I decided to leave them all at the house, because Mom wanted that most. I know that having Beth and me gone at college for a long time hurts her a lot, so she needs the company. Plus, taking Rini or Masa away from their mum, Pixie, (or vice versa) could emotionally harm them. I wouldn't dream of doing that.

The solution to wanting company of a pet? Why, that would be Yukimo, of course! Yukimo is my little hamster dream. She's quirky, loving and very gentle. Because I've always handled her delicately, and because I've spent so much time with her, we've bonded at a level I never reached with past hamsters. Yukimo is so precious. She was truly meant to spend her life with me.

So, without further delay, I would like to introduce Yukimo to the Vox community through a video I took of her a few days after I brought her home from Pet World. She had warmed up to me already, but she was as energetic as ever. In case you've missed some past entries of mine that mention Yukimo, she is a dwarf hamster, so she's extra tiny compared to regular-sized hamsters. I'm sorry if the video quality is low, but Vox still hasn't fixed the video-posting problem. >_< There isn't much sound, because I was too focused on keeping Yukimo in front of the camera, but there's a tiny bit near the end. Anyway, Yukimo says, "Hello, Vox friendsies!"

Yukimo Explores

Fascinations that meet my eyes.

I often become obsessed with certain random things that I experience or see in my daily life. About a year ago, I became enthralled by the presence and absence of colors. I loved seeing bright, crazy colors meshed together, whether it was in an art piece or something as simple as a bracelet that I bought. Then, the color white became something of interest, which is a huge reason why I all of a sudden started adding such pale girls to my dolly family. Pigeon, my albino Blythe, was a huge deal for me. (She still is.) There's something so beautiful about her that I can't quite find in any other doll. Swiss, my ball-jointed doll, also only wears white (except on a few rare occasions), and she will remain another pale darling in my family. I've been even thinking about more additions to my family, just so I can play around with the idea of colors. I don't even know if I can call this obsession of mine a hobby.

Then, there are dollies, vinyl toys, books, films, creating graphics. I even recently mentioned my attraction to water. I think that could have been the first inanimate "object" that really took hold of me in a trance kind of way. Sometimes I don't know where I get all the time to enjoy everything at once and keep up with the responsible part of my life. Yeesh.

Lately, I've become enamored with collarbones and their delicate placement on the human body. Like the color fetish, I don't quite know what to do with my collarbone interest other than take photos of them. On that note... I realized how difficult it is to come across models for my photography. Unlike big cities on the east and west coasts of the states, Wisconsin isn't very diverse, even in the Milwaukee area. People are more close-minded in the central states, and that factor harbors any chance of me expanding my photography. I know that if I look around more, I'll be able to find new subjects for photos, but I still want a chance to get out there and photograph something a little more stimulating.

The easiest subject to focus on is, of course, myself. I'm always here, and I know exactly how I want a photograph to turn out. My dollies are a close second. I think now is the time to expand myself and my creative abilities to another level. I'm thinking about new mediums I can use in order to achieve some sense of... enlightenment, if that makes sense. In the past, I've painted, drawn, written (stories, poems, etc.), and have made random pieces of art, so I think I'll try to combine everything that I love doing somehow. A collaboration sounds like fun, but I don't know how motivated I'm going to be with classes around. I know I'll think of something-- it's just a matter of time before the big creative boom hits me in the face, haha.

Lahlia, squiggles, and the Shawn who brought her to me.

Oopsie...

I don't think I've ever been so thankful for the weekend to come. This week went pretty well, considering the last few days were filled with new classes and a new routine, but I think the change in my sleeping schedule, as well as the amount of work I had to complete, really took a toll on my physical self. I was extremely drained after only the second day of classes. My birth control pills are starting to affect me for the second time, and I'm hoping that my health won't go downhill again, especially since I'm still getting used to my new classes. There hasn't been too much pain lately, thank goodness, but my energy has been drained from me, so I'm constantly taking naps. Sometimes I wonder if days even exist anymore. They go by in slow motion throughout the day, yet when I sleep, it's as if I never experienced anything that had happened previous to the nap. It's a weird concept.

Lahlia in the Sky

I know that I've mentioned Shawn being wonderful to me before, but sometimes I can't help but have everything good about him cycle through my entries. He's had a really rough week, too. We're both closing in on our last year of college, so the classes we're both in right now are getting more challenging by the month. The work load that he's taken on this semester is a little more than we can bear. We rarely get to see each other, and when we do, he's usually working on homework or sleeping on my couch. I think that a lot of couples would have trouble coping with the changes, but we're actually doing very well. I've been appreciating the time we do have together. It's a nice feeling.

I recently found out that I made the Dean's List. When I called Mom about something earlier this week, she excitedly told me about a letter she received in the mail. I've been working hard to get on the list for a long time now, and to know that my GPA has finally reached that peak (over 3.7 now) gives me more encouragement for this rough semester than anything else could. I think that because I did so well last semester, Shawn suddenly realized that he wants to do well, too. He's always tried hard at school, but I know that he has a rougher time taking in information than I do. He's been pushing himself so hard these past few weeks, and I don't think I've ever been more proud of him.

Her Kicks

I was so mean to him yesterday. I hadn't eaten all day and I took out my low blood sugar on poor Shawn when we were talking online. What does he do when he knows that I have low blood sugar? He's nice to me. He's calm and tells me what I need to hear, even though I talk my horrible head off at him. Even though I criticized him (for who knows what), he told me that he was going to not only come over, but he was going to pick up some packages that had arrived for me at my house, and then he was going to pick me up some food. My response to this statement was, "But... I've been so mean to you. Why?" And then, his response, pretty much fixed the whole blood sugar problem. "Because I want to, and because I love you." Sometimes he leaves me speechless, and I really don't think I deserve such sweet temperment from my significant other. I've never met a guy more perfect than Shawn. Even his quirks are put aside most of the time, because of days like yesterday.

Oopsie Upside

Shawn came over and I immediately gobbled up the food he brought me. I then opened my packages. One of Plum's presents arrived (yay!) for her birthday on Sunday, and then I opened the box I had been waiting for, the box that contained my Ginagirl. Ginagirls are new dolls made by the famous Gina Garan of the Blythe world. Because of Gina, Blythe dolls were put back into reproduction, and Blythe love has spread all over the world. I guess that's one reason why Lahlia, my new Ginagirl, means so much to me. Gina sent Lahlia to me herself, tee hee. I opened Lahlia's box and was surprised to find she was a bit smaller than I had though she would be. I wasn't disappointed though. She may have been more expensive for a plushie doll, but she was definitely worth it. The colors her dress fabric is made out of are gorgeous, and they were tons of fun to photograph this morning. Only four Ginagirls were released but the Violet release was my favorite, so I chose her. She reminds me of a little sixties gypsy, and I like that she's so small-- I can carry her around with me.

I took Lahlia around campus this morning. I woke up early so I could have the chance to photograph her in the beautiful natural light that today was blessed with. Once again, it was freezing outside, but the sunlight warmed my hands up after a while, so I could pose Lahlia any way I wanted. I love how flexible her arms are. I wish her legs would have wires in them, too, but I still have a little freedom with posing that part of her body, which makes me happy. Knowing that I have three days to just sit back and not have to worry about waking up for class is more than comforting. I don't think I've appreciated three days off for a very long time. ^____^

Tee hee!

Shummy, Shummy

The Daydreamer

Waiting

In the Box

I've never had so many photos turn out just right before. In fact, I had some problems choosing which ones to post here at Vox. ^^

Won't you pull out your sweet gun, Gunslinger Girl?

Henrietta, Gunslinger Girl

I never had the chance to take photos of my Christmas/birthday present from Shawn's mom and his sister, Kristin. She's my very favorite (and very expensive) Pinky Street figure, Gunslinger Girl, Henrietta. The emotions that cross her adorable face are more than I can take sometimes, just because there are so many. I love her. I was going to name her Susie Sushi, but because I plan on watching the Gunslinger Girl anime series, I'm keeping it Henrietta. I think I'll fall in love with her character and regret renaming my figure.

Henrietta's gun and violin case are completely sexy. I can't get enough her, tee hee. I can't wait to get more Pinky Street figures so I can line them all up and mix and match their bodies, outfits and accessories. (Henrietta will most likely keep herself together since she's rather pricey.)

Her Gun

Anyway, my first official day back to classes was today, and I think it went really well. I felt so relaxed. ^_^ As time goes on in college, classes, although more challenging, are seemingly... easier. Now that I'm in full control of what English classes I take, I don't have pressure pounding down on me every day.

I only have to go to class four days a week, and even on those four days, I get to wake up at 9:45 every morning. My first class, English: Introduction to Linguistics, is pretty interesting. I took an International English class last year, which covered similar material, and I figure that its more technical side, compared to other English courses, will make me even more well-rounded as an English major, and writer in general. I view my professor like a really good mom. She's happy, proud of her work with linguistics, and is wonderfully enthusiastic about what she's teaching to her students. The material would probably seem boring if she weren't so sweet. My second class is the complete opposite. I love lecture classes because they allow students to feel independent and in control of how well they want to do, but they can still drone on like this one tended to do. I've liked most of the ones I've had in the past, and this one should be no different. The lecturer, a little on the boring side, seemed aggravated today. When I found out she has almost 700 students to teach this semester, I understood why. I'm hoping that she'll warm up to my class of 400. o_O

Sexy Beth

Beth decided to come to my class with me because she's thinking about dropping her science class so she can take Oceanography with me instead. I missed having a class with her last semester, so I was excited to have her with me again. (We usually try to schedule at least one per semester together.) The auditorium was so full that students were sitting on the floors. Beth and I are guessing that she won't be able to get in, even if a few people decide to drop the class. I'm disappointed, but at least the class Beth is registered for has a more spunky professor.

Henrietta, Gunslinger Girl

As some of you know, I made the Vox Banners group. Well, I'm also running two other groups here at Vox. Before the groups started up, Mena (a Vox team member) contacted me and asked if I would help inform people about the Blythe group she was creating. She then, to my surprise, gave me the position as a moderator for the Blythe group. I'm so happy to be in charge of something that's Blythe-related. For any Blythe lover that reads this, make sure to stop by and join the group. ^_^ And finally, I also started up another group, one that is kind of affiliated with my regular Vox account, the Kawaii group! That one only has three members so far, so I thought I'd advertise my little group here so it has more growing room. Anyone who loves cuteness, sweetness, and basically anything adorable, please join.

A follow-up to last night's entry: vices and virtues.

Thinking of Vox

I was going to reply to each comment from my last entry individually, but I thought it would be easier to respond through another entry instead. Everyone who responded had such heartfelt comments to leave, and hearing personal experiences that involved religion, other illnesses and other thoughts about what I had to say... really made me think. I thought I would share a little bit more about what I left out. I didn't expect a lot of people to read the last entry because it was so lengthy, and I almost started tearing up when I saw that people responded the way they did. Thank you, all of you. ^__^

The disease. First of all, I'll explain the "illness" that I have. I felt a little selfish by leaving something, like what it actually is, out of the entry. I have a disease that only women can have called Endometriosis. It's not a horrible life-threatening disease, but it affects me in ways that I have no control over, and to know that I can't command everything throughout my body is scary. As people already know, women have monthly periods, and with these periods, experiences of cramping, bleeding and nausea sometimes take place-- not with every woman, but with some.

Ever since I was thirteen (when I first received my, uh, monthly gift), I've had horrible periods. In fact, I would get sick almost every month from throwing up and heavy amounts of bleeding to the point of extreme weakness, mentally and physically. I just figured that some women had it worse than others. None of my other friends seemed to experience such bouts of pain. Well, finally, at the age of 21 (about five months ago), I realized that what I was experiencing wasn't normal. As some of you know, I went on a trip to California. It was there, miles and miles away from home, that I realized that getting sick monthly was not something I could live with the rest of my life. (On my trip to L.A. to see Simone Legno, the artist, I spent a good amount of the time in the bathroom and on the floor of an underground parking lot on my back.) As soon as I got home, I made an appointment to see my doctor. My friend in California suggested that I start taking birth control, because that is said to ease the pain and flow a bit. My doctor agreed with what I suggested and put me on "The Pill." I'm on Seasonale, which should only give me a small period once every three months. The idea was heaven, but I still had to get over the dreaded hump of getting sick after taking them.

Friday

Everything went smoothly for about two months-- that is, until the hump arrived. Right when final exams hit in December, I started to experience huge amounts of pain and heavy amounts of bleeding for about three to four weeks. The physical pain wasn't the worst part of the sickness though; the mental struggle was the most difficult experience. With the pressure of three papers and an exam in the back of my mind, and the pain I had to deal with every day, I started to break down. Because of the newfound month-long period I was experiencing, I had decided to do more research on Endometriosis. I discovered that 30-40% of women that have the disease are infertile. My biggest fear in life is not to be able to have babies. Having three girls and a husband is my dream, and to know that there's a chance that I won't be able to have that dream really scares me.

The worst part was the response my family gave. No one, except maybe Kathleen, actually believed that I had the disease. In order to truly diagnose it, I would have had to undergo surgery so they could see if the tissue around my uterus had somehow multiplied (er, or something like that). Mom even told me a couple of times that I probably had "a very mild case of it, if even that." Hearing my own mom, a nurse, tell me that she didn't believe I was really sick was probably the worst thing someone could do to me at that point. I was crushed. Since I was the one that was actually experiencing the pain, I knew that what I had was Endometriosis. It wasn't a guess; it was a fact.

Thank goodness, Shawn was there for me, yet again. He seems to the prince I need him to be whenever I call him. So, Lilia, you were so right in staying that I'm lucky to have Shawn. I really, really am, especially since the state of my body (for when I'm ready) will somehow affect Shawn in the longrun, when having children is concerned.

The religion. Thank you to everyone that responded so truthfully about what religious beliefs you have. Knowing that you respect my decision, especially if you're Catholic yourself, really makes me happy. So many of you responded with personal experiences involving religious change and experience, and I've been taking what you said into consideration. I especially loved hearing about madtwinsis' combination of religions-- both Christianity and the teachings of the Celtic Druids. (I've always been fascinated with more pagan-type rituals and beliefs. I even considered Wicca as a religion at one point, but then decided that the religion wasn't for me. I did, however, take some of its beliefs with me.) I have nothing against individual Christian people, but instead, I have a large amount of bitterness towards the Church. To break it down better: organized religion is not for me. I do not respect what the Church condones, nor do I ever intend to spend my life practicing a belief system that I've felt threatened with in the past. I respect the individual beliefs of Christians though, which is one of my own Personal Commandments, to respect those around me and cause no harm, emotional or physical, to others.

To Jen, I completely understand that limbo you're in right now, and I think you're on your way to finding a belief system that suits you just right. You are extremely lucky to have the chance to explore any religion you want. My parents think that I'm wrong and that I'll eventually "come around." Unfortunately, I've come to realize that parents can be children sometimes, and their naive qualities blind them from really seeing what I truly believe is right. It's sad, but I still respect them (most of the time) for what they believe, as long as they don't enforce Catholicism on me too much.

Thankies, Bernadette!

The copying.

Thank you to Mikey and Jay, who were so kind when calming me down about my issue with people copying me. I usually try to laugh it off, but sometimes I let the bitter side of myself get the best of me. Sometimes I need a kick in the butt with the whole creative part of me, even when that means dealing with other people who, yes, imitate me. (See? I said "imitate" nicely. Improvement is showing!) I never thought of myself as a leader before; I've always been the follower. I guess I'm learning more about myself through all of you wonderful Voxers than through myself. That's a nice thought.

Speaking of nice Voxers, I really want to mention a special "thank you" to Bernadette for the awesome Blythe postcards she sent me. She was thoughtful enough to message me and tell me about the cards she picked up the other day at a used bookstore. Just knowing that she thought of me made me so happy, tee hee. Then, after opening the package, I hopped on Vox and read all of your comments. I do have to say... Everyone made my day.

If you read through this one, too, thank you. You have the patience of an angel. ^__^

The battle of the vices and virtues.

I was tagged by Steelie so now I must write out five things that no one knows about me. Well, someone in the world may know these things, but I'm sure people at Vox don't.

Virtue

1. I left Catholicism. I'm now an Agnostic Spiritualist.

Was I ever really in it? I don't think someone can truly be part of a religion if it isn't by choice. (A good example is how parents force their children, who are young adults, to be confirmed. If confirmation is to show that a young adult is ready to be part of the Catholic Church by choice, then what sense does it make to makes child go against his will and go through with confirmation?)

I was raised to be a Roman Catholic by my parents. I wouldn't consider them hardcore religious devotees, but they do believe in the god that Christians believe in. They practice the same faith and participate in going to mass weekly. I respect them for that. Going to Catholic grade school and then Catholic high school drastically affected me-- in a bad way. Then again, I guess I wouldn't be who I am today without those experiences. I loved grade school, but I was never introduced to other religions; I had no idea anything but Catholicism existed. I've come to blame the Church because of this. I wish I had known more; I wish I had known what I know now.

High school was the next step in my "evolution." One of the most widely known Catholic schools in Wisconsin actually caused me to turn against the Church, and now that I think about it, that's a very sad thing. I had to attend religion class once every two days for four years, and the way the teachers taught at the school really opened my eyes to what they considered right and what they felt was wrong. Apparently, anyone who didn't believe every single belief that Christianity suggested was going to a lovely place called hell. That and the fact that the church I grew up with (which was also attached to my grade school) changed priests affected my decision to take my inner self far away from what I was taught to believe. The new priest was a cruel man. Too many horrible incidents happened in that church because of him, and because of that, families that had been there for years, left. With all the change going on around me, I realized that I didn't believe in the god that so many people that I grew up with believed in. From then on, I made it my mission to find a religion and a belief system that suited me. A few years later, I discovered that I was an Agnostic Spiritualist. I recently told my parents that, at separate times, and it has not gone well so far. Mom thinks I'm going to change my mind, and Dad is oblivious to everything. I'll deal with it.

2. I believe in ghosts, faeries, witches, and aliens-- almost anything that is debated.

My answer to the questions that usually follow a statement like that is, "Why not?" I think it's a little ridiculous and a tad bit naive to say that, yes, this is the only world and dimension that exists. I've seen things. I know people that have seen things. "Things," being the vague term it is, is perfect. Why not extend our imaginations to the farthest limit possible? To me, this plain of existence is too ordinary. I know that there has to be more out there. A thought like this, and memories of the experiences that I've had that involve the "things," give me hope.

Vice

3. I recently found out that I have a disease.

I won't get into the details right now, because I don't think I'm in the right state of mind to discuss everything, but I went to the doctor because of an issue I was having with my body, and I started taking some medicine for what my doctor believes me to have. The entire experience has affected me mentally and emotionally. I was a little distressed to find that my mom isn't taking it very seriously, which surprises me, because she's a nurse and has always been overprotective. My guess is that she's trying to downplay the situation to make me less worried. But I'm very nervous and very afraid right now. I wish more people that do know about it in my personal life would take it more seriously. Shawn is supportive, and to me, that's what matters the most.

4. Don't copy me! Imitation is not, by all means, any form of flattery.

This one is actually rather amusing at times, but it can also be a bit nagging, too. I have a serious issue with people who copy me, whether it be with art, music, TV shows, movies, writing, or even something as simple as internet jargon. I take pride in what I make up and create, and I've always tried to be the original one, so when I see that someone is "imitating" me, I have a mental mind-freak. The copy-cat issue started in high school. I wouldn't be able to stop thinking about friends or people that would do what I did. As flattering as it may seem to others, I consider it stealing. I've learned to tone down my, uh, anger a little, so now I don't outwardly say something to people, but instead, I keep my frustrations to myself. I'm hoping that the mind-freaks go away, but they've been coming back more and more. Bah!

5. I have an eerie connection with water.

Ever since I was little, I've been strangely attracted to water. Even though earth is supposedly my element, I know that water belongs to me. Whenever my family and I would pass a body of water when I was little, I would have to ask my mom, "How deep is the water?" I would love to hear her say that it was miles deep, or so deep that most people probably haven't been to the bottom of it. The idea of being in the water with no real ending or bottom sent a thrill through my spine, and that very idea still does. Sometimes I even ask Shawn how deep some water is, or I'll try to strike up some conversation about the body of water that we're near. When I'm staying at a hotel, I rush to the pool, just to smell the chlorine. There's something so hypnotizing about the way the water moves, even when nothing is touching it. It's magical to me.

Well, that was a lot of weird and sad truth all at once. Anyone who reads all of this, thank you for being patient. I'd like to tag the following people: Celena, Jess, Reesie, Phillip, and Emilie.

Yukimo, the photogenic blur.

Color Me Sweet

For the last two or three days, I've been busy with making banners for friends, and it's been so much fun. I'm glad that I can help out with making Voxes look pretty for people. If you stumble across this entry of mine, make sure to check out my Banners group, which is located here. So far, over 100 people have joined, and banners are already being contributed to the group. It's wonderful to see so many Voxers coming together to help others. ^^

I'd like to let people know that I am available for helping people put together banners. I really love the idea of combining ideas and creativity with others. I think that will give me a good amount of experience for the future. If you want to see some banners that I've made for people, check out some of these Voxes: Kristin, Noir, and Phillip. Like I've mentioned before, I'm still learning and expanding my skills so expect great amounts of effort (and a little bit of luck) on my part, tee hee.

Yukimo on the Move

Other than keeping up with Voxers, I've been trying to keep Yukimo, my dwarf hamster, entertained. She's a feisty little thing, if I haven't mentioned that yet. Yukimo craves attention, and I swear, she strays from the norm when it comes to nocturnal creatures. She lives half of her life awake during the night as well as the day. (I think that waking Yuki up in the middle of the day to play with her when I first got her is probably the reason behind her weird sleeping habits. Oopsie.) I'm usually up until about 3 or 4 a.m., and Yukimo knows this. Even when I'm in another room, far away from her, I can hear thumping. She has learned that when she wants to get out of the cage (or wants attention), she has to make noise. In order to do this, she thrashes her small little body against the ceiling of one of her cage compartments. When I walk into the room, she looks up at me, pauses, and then continues to jump and bang her back on the cage to such an extent that she falls over on her back.

Pouring Love

My little Yuki, I will admit, is one of the smartest and craziest little rodents I've ever come to own. (It's extremely difficult capturing her in a photo, for she's always moving. That's why I've deemed her "the photogenic blur." Yuki is a walking contradiction.) I think that's probably the reason I'm so in love with her. I know that a lot of what she does as far as daily habits go are mostly due to instinct for hamsters, but there's something a bit more edgy about the way Yukimo lives. If I were a hamster, I'd try to be as spunky as her.

I've never seen Shawn so affectionate for a pet before. I mean, he has two dogs, three cats, and several birds at his house, but I've never noticed huge doses of love shown towards them as much as he shows towards our sweetie. After a few weeks of having her, he warmed up considerably fast. Shawn would hold her (a big step for him), let her crawl on his arms, and then he would kiss her before he put her back in her cage. I think my heart stopped the first time I ever saw that. I think that's the first time I realized that, no, I don't know everything about Shawn. I think he's going to be a great father someday, hopefully, with me at his side.

I'm not a huge fan of Valentine's Day (it's a bit too commercial for my taste), but candy hearts are so colorful and the ones in our candy drawer at home were screaming for me to take photos of them. I'll go to Walgreens sometime and find some more vibrant candy to photograph soon. They'll be fun subjects for Vox banners.

Kawaii at Vox Version 2.0 (Thankies to the Vox Team!)

Gimme Crayons

Ta da! I'm so happy with my new Vox banner. *snuggles it*

Vox really knows how to kick off my final week of Winter Break. (I love you, Vox.) *hearts* Thankies so much to the Vox team for putting together the new groups option. I'm so happy to see Vox slowly moving out of its beta stage into a more complex blogging system. It's no longer just a blogging baby-- I think it's an young (teenage?) adolescent now.

Winning the Vox Banner Contest a little while ago had its perks. I was informed that the new banner option would be up, so I had a good amount of time to play around with making some banners. I wasn't happy with how some turned out, so I won't be using them at all, but I was pleased with a few others, one being the current theme displayed right now. It features Jinkies, Beth's Goldie, in her Winter gear.

Exploring Jinkies

Surprisingly, Wisconsin has only had two bigger snowstorms this entire season. It's kind of a disappointment, for snow is one of my favorite things to look forward to. Anyway, today's snowstorm gave me the opportunity to trudge out into the small patch of woods in my backyard and capture some photos of Jinkies in the cute hat Kir made for me a while ago. None of my girls have had the chance to really use it yet, so kudos to the weather for being so time-efficient.

Poor Shawn drove all the way to Milwaukee this morning for his first class of the semester, and he was surprised with some interesting information. I guess his school celebrates Martin Luther King Day, so his classes actually resume Wednesday, not today. He was pleasantly happy about the news, even though he went all the way down there, got his car stuck three times in the thick snowdrifts, and then was cut off several times by stupid people driving on the freeway. I will never understand the crazies on the road. Never.

Here's the other banner I made. I might use it someday, but for now, I'm not that attached to it. I guess I'll wait and see.

Uhboo Banner

I might edit it a little bit first. Maybe then I'll grow more fond of the idea. It features Nami (my custom Blythe made by Kookii herself), Junie (my Strawberryusa Sugarbunnies plushie), and newcomer Uhboo, a creation by me. I created Uhboo specifically for my Vox. I think she's a sweet addition to my little collection of cuties in my journal here. I'm excited to see the other places she pops up at. ^__~

I am in love with the new customization features. For anyone that stumbles upon this and is frustrated with the limited features Vox offers right now-- just hang in there. Vox is still a wee one, and it needs some time to grow. You'll see new changes and amazing improvements in time!

How adorkable of you to say that, Plum.

Plum & Her New Outfit

I fell head-over-heels for Plum's new outfit. On December 23rd, Shawn and I exchanged Christmas presents. Little did he know that he would be receiving a small gift from Plum. He was taken so off guard with the cute Kozy Kape pin that Plum ordered from a member of TIB that he immediately jumped at the opportunity to buy her a present. I, of course, had no problem helping Plum pick one out. That night, I hopped on the computer and discovered this sweet number-- a bunny hoodie outfit.

Sure, I may have somewhat urged Shawn to buy her an outfit (out of guilt), but really, that's beside the point. What really matters is how happy I am with how Plum looks in it.

Bunny Hoodies Are Fun

At the moment, I am counting down the days 'til Plum's birthday, which happens to be on the 28th, which is a little more than three weeks away from today. I plan on getting a cake to decorate for her and I'm looking at also buying her a rather expensive present. Right now, it looks like the present (shh, Plum is unaware at this point) will cost around $100-- most likely a little more with shipping included. I have to make some quick decisions, because I know that the fabric won't be available forever. I'm trying to figure out my whole fund situation, for I used up most of my holiday and birthday money for Enzo, my camera. I'm also planning a trip to Chicago soon for my pilgrimage to Rotofugi. Squee! I'll probably finish off the rest of that holiday money just in that one store. Plum's first birthday with me is important though, so... I'm guessing the rest of it might go towards her.

Thank You, Scarlett!

I was surprised to find that I received not one, but two, packages in the mail the other day. Not only did Plum's sweet hoodie arrive, but a belated holiday/birthday present from Scarlett did, too. I had no idea what to expect. When I opened it and found the first book of the manga series, Rozen Maiden, in the box, I squealed. I've always wanted to try Rozen Maiden out, whether it be the anime or the manga, so this gives me the perfect opportunity to do just that over the rest of my break. (Thankies so much, Scarlett. <3) I've been mostly sticking to my Chobits manga, so this will be a nice change of direction. Plum actually stole the book right out of my hands... Oh, Plum.

I sent a "thank you" letter out earlier today in a package to Scarlett's sister, Jen. Jen liked the bracelets Shawn's made for me over the years so much that I asked Shawn to "weave" her one, too. The type of hemp (er, twine) he bought was a tad bit thicker than mine, but since she'll only be wearing one, instead of the five I have on, I figured that it would work out just fine. I'm glad I got that sent out. I knew that with school coming up again on the 22nd, I'd get lost in the shuffle of getting ready for my classes.

Adorkable Plum

This next semester will be interesting. Once again, I have three English classes and one Science (Oceanography). I've always loved the water and studying it, so I think this will be more interesting than those I've taken in the past. I'm actually really looking forward to the writing classes. One is dedicated entirely to poetry. I've taken many Creative Writing courses throughout the past few years, but none of them have focused on purely poetry. I'm interested to see what will be assigned... I still have over another week of vacation to go though, so I'm not thinking about classes a lot. My thoughts are basically photos, Plum, photos, Plum... photos, photos, photos. (o___O) Oi!

On a side note... I've been keeping tabs on the rising price of Kozy Kape (the type of Blythe Plum is) and people are now paying over $620 for her. I've always been protective of her, but now I'm keeping extra good care of her. Even with saying that, however, I find myself taking Plum out with me more for daily chores. I'm not sure why. I think I'm getting ready to take more photos of her out in public.

Photoshoot: an angel in the dead of winter.

Kathleen was amazing. She braved the cold with me today to help me with my first photoshoot since the arrival of my new Olympus camera. With 7.1 megapixels, macro, and a need to find some sort of beauty in all the Winter decay, we were challenged. Even though it was only 20 degrees outside, she went out in her corset, a skirt, boots and wings, while I stood there (seemingly warm) taking photos of her dark appearance. Donned with a pair of red wings, I couldn't have been more pleased with how my photoshoot turned out. I still feel like a beginner, but I know I'm improving one step at a time.

After we had started shooting, I noticed that the feelings in my hands was slowly fading away as I tried to work with my camera. I kept trying to nudge the numbing feeling away, but it wouldn't budge. I still don't understand how Kathleen, in barely anything, was running around and posing with so much energy while I started to wilt away. During the photoshoot, and a little while before it, I realized how much I really feel close to Kathleen these days. When she came home from school today, I ran to the door to see her. Because of our six years of age difference, I never thought we'd be able to get as close as Beth and I did over the years, but everything seems to be changing right now, right along with my relationship with Kathleen. She's such a smart person-- smarter than most of the adults I know.

After about 30 minutes of photoshoot time, I then found myself to be feeling sick. The coldness in my fingers had gone from a barely numb feeling, to an extreme numb feeling, to a blistering pain at the tips of my fingers, to almost no feeling at all. Near the end of the shoot, I had no feeling left in my hands. I was too eager for the opportunity to take photos outside with Enzo (my camera), so there was no way I was giving up the wonderful lighting. The last few pictures were taken with the edge of my thumb. I had to rub the button to take the photo because I just couldn't function. Some would call me crazy for enduring the pain, even though I could have gone inside into instant warmth. I call myself crazy-in-love with making art.

I'm very happy with the results so far. I plan on going around Milwaukee this week with Enzo, and then I intend on giving Chicago a try. Shawn and I have to find a car to use, since Chase, his car, isn't very reliable. Chicago is about two hours away, and we don't want to chance anything going wrong on the ride there. I'm psyched about seeing Rotofugi for the first time, not to mention, meeting Kirby, one of Celena's friends who happens to own Rotofugi. (My friends have the coolest friends. I feel lucky just knowing Celena. She's pretty famous and wonderful as it is. ^_^) I'm sure I'll be going picture-happy there as well.

The Illumniated

I also have to thank Shawn for being so thoughtful. I called him as soon as I came in from the photoshoot (after warming up a bit), and I asked him if he wanted to go to my apartment with me. In other words, I asked him if he would drive me down to Milwaukee. I was so excited to be able to upload and edit my first pictures. I'm still giddy from the entire experience. Shawn, of course, was the prince and said he'd like to go with me. He helped instal the Olympus program on my computer, and now he's sitting back and watching some TV while I write this.

Dead of Winter

Mom commented on something about my relationship with Shawn the other day. She's mentioned it before, but I never took as much note of it as I did the other day. I'm still thinking of what she said, actually. Mom told me that Shawn must really love me, because she can't think of any other person that has as much patience and understanding manner as Shawn does-- with me. I know I can be difficult. I grew up being spoiled (at times) and to know that Shawn is willing to bend over backwards at any little need of mine is pretty amazing. He never questions, never bothers, never denies what I want or how I feel. That's probably one reason we rarely ever argue. I have his amazing amoung of patience to thank for that. I'm sure my demands aren't easy to take sometimes, and he doesn't go through with them sometimes, but he does know how to handle my attitude.

Never Broken

And of course, I can't finish this entry without saying a final thanks and a final message of love. Kathleen, if you read this, you're amazing. I told Kathleen, after we came in, how fun she was to take pictures of. Never have a come across a person that was so easy to shoot. In fact, she practically posed herself most of the time, never needing direction from me. I'm going to be asking Shawn if it would be oh kay to take Kathleen to Milwaukee with us when I go to take photos of the city, because I think she'd really like to do something different for the weekend. Then she can stay over at my apartment with me for a day or two. Maybe it can be a way of repaying her for braving out the cold with me-- and for coming to my aid from being so cold.