DistortedSmile's Vampire Journal

DistortedSmile's Journal

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9 entries this month

← Feb 2005

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New Artwork!
14:39 Mar 31 2005
Times Read: 666

I actually did a couple of new paintings! Check 'em out:

Midsummer's Night .:!:. Oil Paints

Egyptian Times (Alternate Colours) .:!:. Acrylics

I'm so sorry for the bad photos. Digital cameras and I never did get along together. So the second one is absolutely horrible compared to the first. It looks a lot better in real life, trust me. There are many tones of cream that you can't see in the photo. I really only did that one for decorative reasons....I love ancient Egypt and have a blue/green/purple room that didn't have any art on the walls.

The first one is a cat who frequents the theatre where I work. He first started showing up during a Shakespeare performance (guess which one?) and the crew and I began calling him Midsummer's Night. He became a favourite of all the visitors because he greets them just outside the doors and he holds free reign of the place. Most people just end up calling him Midnight because they're verbally lazy.

If you want to check out some more of my artwork, take a look in my Bolt Album (click! it will open in a new window). Also, if you haven't already, be loving and give my blog a vote here! (it will open in a new window).

In other news, I got a brand new keyboard! It's black, it types like a laptops keyboard, it's silent and it's got many, many media buttons on it. I love it. It's making me want to stay on the computer longer.

What a nerd.

COMMENTS

Big Lots & America's Farmland
14:38 Mar 31 2005
Times Read: 667

Hey VR!

I just got propositioned by a staffer to give feedback on Bolt's performance and design....So if anyone wants me to include their 2 cents, send me a Bolt note.

Now, on to business. Traveling down south, I realized that southerners have things us Yanks don't - this wonderful store that is Big Lots. Jewelry is cheap as all hell, video games you can't beat (got five RPG games - all at under $4 a box) and Easter candy up to wazoo. (50cents for a package of Peeps. You can only imagine just how hyped up on sugar I am right now.)

I was commissioned to take photos at a farm in western Florida. This older couple had a pair of prime two-year-olds (horses) that will be going up for sale soon. So they wanted some decent photos of the horses, both for personal reasons and for business reasons. Absolutely beautiful animals and probably the easiest models I've ever had the pleasure of working with.

They're a hundred times better than emaciated humans, that's for sure.

While I was at their farm, they took me on a tour of their land....They must have at least three hundred acres. All beautiful, rolling hills. It almost reminds me of Ireland with its lush green grass and beautiful sky....Mmmm. I would call it heaven, were it not for the suffocatingly apparent smell of manure floating through the air.

Oh well. Perfection only exists in the mind, I suppose.

Hope everyone is doing well!

-- Tara

COMMENTS

Rodeos & Endangered Photographers
09:55 Mar 29 2005
Times Read: 675

Hey VR. =)

Well, I've been doing some photo shoots at the Southeastern Pro Rodeo qualifying runs. A couple of papers hired me on for some shots of the action. They told me (basically) the sort of shots they wanted, provided me with advance payment and sent me and my camera off to the middle of Florida.
What they didn't tell me was that I was actually going to be IN the arena with all the bulls and horses and cowboys.

They usher me into the arena to give me the basics of what was going to happen and when, introduced me to the rodeo clowns and some of the wranglers there. Then they started giving me tips on how to climb the fence like a pro. I'm standing there thinking, "Okay....This could be bad. It would be just my luck to die due to a bull wound at a rodeo."

I had my camera set up on a pole with the flash bulb on top and the camera carefully placed at the proper height so I owuldn't have to waste time with that. Adjusted the settings to my liking and settled in to one of the areas they said were relatively safe to stand in.

Now to me, rodeo is the original extreme sport. Long before some skater dude was tricking it out in the half pipe and some surfer dude decided to go "surfing" on a snowy mountain, these cowboys were out perfecting their skills in one of the most dangerous sports around. I don't care whether or not you've been to a rodeo or even if you think it's hokey and for westerners only, but this is really an exciting sport to see. Those cowboys are incredibly talented.

Aside from that, I've gotten some great shots. They all came out great, especially this image of a bull about three and a half feet of the ground and one of the riders thrown about 7 feet above that bull.
(The guy just landed and scrambled over to the fence where I was and we both had to jump the fence. That bull had a vendetta out against us. Must not have liked photographers.)

But I survived. And I've got to say that rodeos may be my new hobby. I had a blast and that was the most fun photo-related job I've had so far.

(I never want to see another gate for a long time, though. I had to climb them so many times it's not funny.)

-- Tara

P.S. - I'll put the pictures up once the papers have decided which ones they want to use.

COMMENTS

Trend-Bashing Time
07:30 Mar 24 2005
Times Read: 685

Alright. I'm being over-run with trends in college. I'm on my last length of rope...So I better rant before it goes overboard!

Initial Shirts/Handbags: Now you can get everything under the sun with a glittery letter plastered on the front. Why should I be compelled to buy a shirt with a "T" monogrammed on it? All it would do is cause random idiots to come up to me asking me what my name is. Or maybe the makers of these fine fashions want us to collect every letter? I can be the coolest person on the block with 25 t-shirts encompassing the whole alphabet! >.<

The Anarchy symbol: A long-standing symbol among teens - and nearly 87% of them have no idea what they're representing. First it's the clothing companies that cash in on it by making preppy clothing with anarchy symbols emblazoned on the sleeves, next it's offered as a sticker in your Sum 41 album and even ironed on baby's clothing. I would say it's pure anarchy - but that'd be false advertising.

Rebellious teenagers: Just because you're a teen does not permit you to explain every action you do with, "I'm a teenager. I'm SUPPOSED to be rebellious." Take a little responsability and you'll really be rebelling as a teenager, seeing as everyone else thinks that rebelling is normal and even expected of you. Eejits.

Young teen, blonde singers: Fine. Some have good voices. But is it just me, or are they all singing the same songs in different keys? Hillary Duff, Linsday Lohan - please go back to acting so we can stop hearing your lovesick crooning. At least they don't play movies in elevators.

Tampon Commercials: Not only are they getting ridiculously unrealistic, but they're on every freakin' channel. What girl would just happen to have a supply of tampons with her while rowboating with her boyfriend? And, oops! the boat suddenly develops a large hole, which the girl deftly plugs up with a tampon. I really feel sorry for the *guys* acting in these commercials - as there is a 99% chance that's where their acting career begins... and ends.

Celebrity Stunts: Janet & Justin. Madonna & Britney. The only way I can see this as a good trend is because the appearance of a publicity stunt means their career is dwindling out.

American Idol: Yay. Real people with real voices thrust into a fake world so that someone can mold them into another Barry White, Mandy Moore or (heaven forbid) Barry Mannilow. Can't we just keep these people where they are - safe from that sort of perversion?

Reality TV Shows: Will this never end? This isn't a trend - it's a plague. Real World: Paris bombed, giving me false hope that it was on its last legs... But now with Mad Mad House and Forever Eden, we can expect another season of drivel and boredom... Making reality TV almost as entertaining as hemorrhoids.

Comic books movies: I'm the biggest comic book fan and as much as I try to like these things, I can't. They get the worst directors, worst CG artists and worst actors, throw them all into a movie and attempt to turn them into blockbusters - all at the expense of DC & Marvel. Where's Superman when you really need him?

Glowing text on webpages: Sure, it's pretty for the occasional headline....But do you have to write everything with that text? Don't you idiots know how hard it is to read? What makes you think I want to spend two hours attempting to read a single paragraph of your crap?

Kurt Cobain: People worship him. You know what? If he were still alive, you'd be sitting around right now thinking, "Gee, I wonder what happened to that dude who sang in that band Nirvana awhile ago?" He died an untimely death. But that just goes to show, he's not a god. So get off your knees and get over it.

TrEnDy TyPiNg 2, OMG!!!1: If you type like this, you should be shot. Plain and simple. Unless your under 8 years old, then I forgive you and will shoot your parents instead.

Wannabe-Alcoholics: You've never drank before. Someone asks you what your favourite drink is, so what do you say? Not, "I don't drink." You say, "Schmirnoff Triple Black". Why? Because people will think you're cool. I've got news for you, YOU'RE NOT COOL BECAUSE YOU DRINK! Naming the most popular drink you can think of is not going to gain you any Brownie points!

COMMENTS

The New Hair
07:25 Mar 24 2005
Times Read: 688

I forgot to mention in my last entry....My hair is no longer green. I had the urge to dye it a vibrant red....Just a tad bit lighter than my natural hair colour. =) So, without further ado...Say goodbye to:

And say hello to:

What do you think?

And is it just me, or is there no way to get your entries to appear somewhere other than the Idol blog? No matter how many times I label the thing otherwise, it still comes out on the Idol page.
- Tara

COMMENTS

Hmmm.....True?
02:22 Mar 11 2005
Times Read: 696

how fucked up and kinky are you?

nickname

favorite color

which word is most like you

masochistoptimisticpessimistichypersubmissiveaggressivelonely

favorite weapon/toy

kitchen knifedaggerkatanawhipchainspistolrifleexplosivessword

your image:

fuckedup-kink-o-meter - 98%

This cool quiz by evilmew - Taken 16446 Times.

New - How do you get a guy to like you?

COMMENTS

Quiz
02:53 Mar 07 2005
Times Read: 699

Vilkacis
You scored 70% Esotericism, 44% Power, and 50% Malevolence!

Vilkacis (to be translated literally as "wolf's eyes"; 'werewolf') is usually a malicious creature; a scary being people can turn into. There are particular ways how the people with this curse turn into the wolves and then get their human appearance back and places where this is said to have happened. Although mostly malevolent, on occasion it would bring treasures. It belongs to the same lower level of mythological beings as Dievini, Ragana, Pukis and Vadatajs. It is not clear whether with Vilkacis it is the flesh or just the soul that transforms, as there are accounts of moving an apparently sleeping person whose soul is out "running as a werewolf", after which the person turns out to be dead, as the soul couldn't enter the flesh to return.

The Mythological Profile Test
Click here.

COMMENTS

Survey
04:14 Mar 06 2005
Times Read: 704

THREE NAMES YOU GO BY:

• Tará

• Sully

• Sparks

THREE SCREEN NAMES YOU HAVE HAD:

• DistortedSmile

• Nefarinon

• DelayedReality

THREE PARTS OF YOUR HERITAGE:

• Irish

• ....Irish

• ..........Irish....

(Family's been in Ireland back about 550 - before that they were vagabonds/gypsies.)

THREE THINGS THAT SCARE YOU:

• Richard Simmons

• Religious fanatics

• Anna Nicole Smith

(What?)

THREE OF YOUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS:

• Minolta X-700

• 1986 El Camino (Axl )

• Graphite pencil

THREE THINGS YOU ARE WEARING RIGHT NOW:

• Pinstripe pants

• Black sweater

• Turquoise eyeliner (Matches my hair)

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE BANDS (or artists) AT THE MOMENT:

• The Prodigals (Always will be - that's how I found your journal!)

• U2

• Bon Jovi

FAVORITE SONGS AT PRESENT:

• Bobby Darrin - Mack The Knife (All-time fave)

• The Prodigals - Bunch of Red Roses (Live)

• Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Black Tongue

THREE NEW THINGS YOU WANT TO TRY IN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS:

• I want to try a wine that costs more than $1,000 a bottle.

• I want to buy a bunch of chrome parts for my car's engine.

• I want to sleep for two days straight.

THREE THINGS YOU WANT IN A RELATIONSHIP (love is a given):

• Trust

• Compassion

• Independence

TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE:

• I have died before.

• I've been skiing in Davos, Switzerland.

• I love president Bush.

Oh, but which is the lie?!

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS ABOUT THE [OPPOSITE] SEX THAT APPEAL TO YOU:

• Wrists

• Backs

• Eyes. The more colour depth, the better.

(Nothing about the same sex - so I change it. Mwuahaha)

THREE THINGS YOU JUST CAN'T DO:

• Betray my friends

• Ignore people who need help

• Learn Spanish (I know other languages, but for some reason, the so-called easiest language is blocked from my brain.)

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE HOBBIES:

• Photography

• Painting/drawing/etc

• Playing instruments

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO REALLY BADLY RIGHT NOW:

• Go to work. *sigh*

• Finish this speech I have to do on Wednesday.

• Play guitar.

YOU'RE CONSIDERING:

• Painting something for a contest on Bolt.com

• Getting a 9th tattoo

• Getting a 15th piercing

THREE PLACES YOU WANT TO GO ON VACATION:

• Antarctica (Last continent I need to visit!)

• Alaska

• Russia

THREE KID'S NAMES:

• Aoífe

• Seán

• Johnny

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE:

• Go skydiving

• Climb Ayer's Rock

• Own a thatched-rood cottage in Ireland (with sheep, of course)

- Tará

COMMENTS