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shadowkat1. Bought a couple of easels for my painting projects. I can do acrylic and watercolor. Not going to attempt oils without a class. I've taken classes on watercolor with my Dad as a teen. My brother and I did watercolor classes with a professional watercolor teacher, along with my Dad when we were teenagers. Also, my father taught me. So that I've been trained in. I kind of taught myself acrylic - intuitively. But I probably should at some point take a few training videos on it.
Oil? That's dicey and requires training in the techniques, since it's not a water based paint. Also it's messy. Watercolor is the least messy.
I'm an intuitive artist who leans towards abstract. Also it comes to my naturally.
The difficulty is space - I'm in a one bedroom apartment in NYC. But I have a metal desk, and I can put an easel on it. Also I can put an easel next to the window. Both are also portable easel's which I can use if I want to do classes via meetup groups again.
I'd also like to look into restoration courses or mural painting courses.
Art has always relaxed me. I often used it as a stress reducer in school. I can lose myself in my art. Just as I often lose myself in my writing. But this would get me off the computer which is a good thing.
2. One of my goals this year - is to reduce my time on social media. Or limit it. I've noticed that Twitter in particular is rather toxic. FB and Instagram are inundated with marketing. Dreamwidth isn't bad, it's more like reading a bunch of letters or interconnecting journals - no ads. I do like more interaction and discussion though.
3. Finished watching Legacies - while the fourth season wasn't as good as previous seasons, it did do a good job of wrapping up the series, and the character arcs, it also managed to focus on and develop supporting characters. The other things Legacies did well - is it subverted a few annoying television tropes and focused on non-white and non-heterosexual characters more than most. We had a lesbian and a homosexual relationship. Also two male romantic lead vampire characters who were Black. It may have been the most progressive of the supernatural soap genre. (Supernatural being the least progressive of the genre. Supernatural was worse than Angel and Buffy in that regard, and it came after both. I'm not saying it wasn't enjoyable in a purely guilty sense of the word, but progressive - it wasn't.)
The wrap-up provided us with guest appearances by both Caroline (from Vamp Diaries) and Niklaus. Both are brief cameos. Caroline ends up taking over the headmaster role - and provides a nice sense of closure to both Alaric's arc and Lizzie's. Niklaus provides closure to Hope's and is just as brief - although I think he had more lines.
I found the metaphors comforting and helpful - which is why I like these things. Also, it gave Lando the closure - both the character and the viewer needed. Lando becomes the ferryman of souls to the other side.
The one downside of the season was the big bad - was kind of dumb. Actually that was Legacies problem throughout - their villains were kind of dumb. The villains side-kicks or helpers - were interesting. But the main villain? Made the Master from Buffy seem interesting and smart in comparison. This one was some sort of God, called Ken. He looked like a bearded Ken Doll - and I couldn't help but wonder if that was deliberate.
He certainly talked like one, in a kind of stiff monotone. His daughter, Vulcane, was stereotypically geeky and adorkable at the same time. Aurora, who was Hope's nemesis, and Bad Hope, were much more interesting. As was Ted the Necromancer.
At any rate - the Gods arc felt like a pale repeat of the Mickalson arc on Vamp Diaries, which was much more interesting and intriguing. I have a feeling that if the show hadn't gotten cancelled - they may have brought in the other gods? If so, I'm glad it got cancelled. OTOH - I kind of wish it continued, because I'd have been interested to see Lando continue as Ferryman of souls, Caroline play head mistress, and battle Cleo who clearly wants it. I foresaw a Caroline/Cleo relationship similar to Alaric/Hope.
4. Did this name test on facebook, with both my first, and my first and middle name. And it's surprisingly accurate.
* My first name means : survives every storm
first + middle name means: stubbornly independent
* Loves: her family
* Hates: Fake Friendships
* Gentle Side: Even when she is struggling she keeps on giving
* Dark Side: Her anger is best avoided.
First +Middle Name: She bottles up her anger before she explodes
[As anyone who has been on the receiving end of my fury can well attest - yes this is true. I am working on that by the way. I hate anger. Although it is a good motivator.]
* Motto: I'm not just rare. I'm limited edition.
Also did you know Mercury went into retrograde again, because this explains so much.
5. Also found on FB. [My FB is better than my Twitter - it's less toxic, mainly because I've been on it since 2008 and had more time to fiddle with it. Twitter - I've only been on since 2015, and it wasn't until last year I figured it out, and now Musk has taken over, and I'm leery. It's like all social media - it depends on what you are posting and focusing on. If all you post are pet pics, pics of your apartment, and about books or records, it's probably not that big a deal. I would however stay away from politics, soap fandom, and ahem comic book fandom - but then that's probably true on all platforms and pretty much in general.]
In place of resolutions, journal your way into the New Year with five lists.
* What in the last year are you proud of?
That I survived it? I didn't kill anyone? I got projects awarded and actually completed most of my work? No one killed me?
I'm proud that I beat a bully, and didn't let her win.
Got my health under control
Got home for Xmas - to be with my Mom
Managed to help others at work, and elsewhere
Didn't burn any bridges
What did this year leave you yearning for?
More time to be creative. To explore creative pursuits. To paint. To write a story. To collaborate on a creative work of art. To interact with others in a fun way.
More connection with family and people I care about.
What’s causing you anxiety?
Having enough money to retire comfortably. Basically money. As always.
My workplace. I'm trying to figure out how to handle a bully with tunnel vision. That is causing me the most anxiety. [This kind of feeds into my financial anxieties.]
Also, I worry about losing my Mom - who has become my best friend and safe place. My home. And she's 80, and fragile, and today the heat went out in her house - but she was able to get maintenance to fix it in time. The good news is she's in a community with good maintenance and health support.
Being completely alone. [Feeds into my worry about losing my Mom - who I call or speak to daily. I feel sometimes as if she is the only one who cares if I live or die.]
What resources, skills, and practices can you rely on in the coming year?
My co-workers have shown that they care about me and we're in this together. I am smart and analytical - and a good communicator. My creativity.
I've taken the advice of a financial planner and shifted a few things around. Discovered that I can get information easily from the retirement board for the railroad. Also set up a few things with and through my doctor. I have a good primary care system in place.
And I'm still with my church, still close with my family, and my friendship with Wales, and cjl is still on track. And I have a decent relationship with my brother, niece and his wife - for the most part.
What are your wildest, most harebrained ideas and dreams?
Go on a trip with my mom somewhere.
Check out the towns in upstate NY with Wales on various weekend day trips.
To publish a book, possibly a series of books. Start work on a graphic novel. Set up a wall of photographic tiles (or prints on tiles). Take a course on mural painting and work on a mural.
Figure out how to restore art work and undercover art fraud. Maybe take classes on this?
Go to New Zealand or Alaska or Hawaii or Yosemite National Park.
Take a writer's retreat to Scotland or Ireland.
Visit Belize.
Go on a rail journey to Canada or take a scenic train trip from Chicago to California or from New York to Montreal.
Take up swimming again. Hiking.
Oil? That's dicey and requires training in the techniques, since it's not a water based paint. Also it's messy. Watercolor is the least messy.
I'm an intuitive artist who leans towards abstract. Also it comes to my naturally.
The difficulty is space - I'm in a one bedroom apartment in NYC. But I have a metal desk, and I can put an easel on it. Also I can put an easel next to the window. Both are also portable easel's which I can use if I want to do classes via meetup groups again.
I'd also like to look into restoration courses or mural painting courses.
Art has always relaxed me. I often used it as a stress reducer in school. I can lose myself in my art. Just as I often lose myself in my writing. But this would get me off the computer which is a good thing.
2. One of my goals this year - is to reduce my time on social media. Or limit it. I've noticed that Twitter in particular is rather toxic. FB and Instagram are inundated with marketing. Dreamwidth isn't bad, it's more like reading a bunch of letters or interconnecting journals - no ads. I do like more interaction and discussion though.
3. Finished watching Legacies - while the fourth season wasn't as good as previous seasons, it did do a good job of wrapping up the series, and the character arcs, it also managed to focus on and develop supporting characters. The other things Legacies did well - is it subverted a few annoying television tropes and focused on non-white and non-heterosexual characters more than most. We had a lesbian and a homosexual relationship. Also two male romantic lead vampire characters who were Black. It may have been the most progressive of the supernatural soap genre. (Supernatural being the least progressive of the genre. Supernatural was worse than Angel and Buffy in that regard, and it came after both. I'm not saying it wasn't enjoyable in a purely guilty sense of the word, but progressive - it wasn't.)
The wrap-up provided us with guest appearances by both Caroline (from Vamp Diaries) and Niklaus. Both are brief cameos. Caroline ends up taking over the headmaster role - and provides a nice sense of closure to both Alaric's arc and Lizzie's. Niklaus provides closure to Hope's and is just as brief - although I think he had more lines.
I found the metaphors comforting and helpful - which is why I like these things. Also, it gave Lando the closure - both the character and the viewer needed. Lando becomes the ferryman of souls to the other side.
The one downside of the season was the big bad - was kind of dumb. Actually that was Legacies problem throughout - their villains were kind of dumb. The villains side-kicks or helpers - were interesting. But the main villain? Made the Master from Buffy seem interesting and smart in comparison. This one was some sort of God, called Ken. He looked like a bearded Ken Doll - and I couldn't help but wonder if that was deliberate.
He certainly talked like one, in a kind of stiff monotone. His daughter, Vulcane, was stereotypically geeky and adorkable at the same time. Aurora, who was Hope's nemesis, and Bad Hope, were much more interesting. As was Ted the Necromancer.
At any rate - the Gods arc felt like a pale repeat of the Mickalson arc on Vamp Diaries, which was much more interesting and intriguing. I have a feeling that if the show hadn't gotten cancelled - they may have brought in the other gods? If so, I'm glad it got cancelled. OTOH - I kind of wish it continued, because I'd have been interested to see Lando continue as Ferryman of souls, Caroline play head mistress, and battle Cleo who clearly wants it. I foresaw a Caroline/Cleo relationship similar to Alaric/Hope.
4. Did this name test on facebook, with both my first, and my first and middle name. And it's surprisingly accurate.
* My first name means : survives every storm
first + middle name means: stubbornly independent
* Loves: her family
* Hates: Fake Friendships
* Gentle Side: Even when she is struggling she keeps on giving
* Dark Side: Her anger is best avoided.
First +Middle Name: She bottles up her anger before she explodes
[As anyone who has been on the receiving end of my fury can well attest - yes this is true. I am working on that by the way. I hate anger. Although it is a good motivator.]
* Motto: I'm not just rare. I'm limited edition.
Also did you know Mercury went into retrograde again, because this explains so much.
5. Also found on FB. [My FB is better than my Twitter - it's less toxic, mainly because I've been on it since 2008 and had more time to fiddle with it. Twitter - I've only been on since 2015, and it wasn't until last year I figured it out, and now Musk has taken over, and I'm leery. It's like all social media - it depends on what you are posting and focusing on. If all you post are pet pics, pics of your apartment, and about books or records, it's probably not that big a deal. I would however stay away from politics, soap fandom, and ahem comic book fandom - but then that's probably true on all platforms and pretty much in general.]
In place of resolutions, journal your way into the New Year with five lists.
* What in the last year are you proud of?
That I survived it? I didn't kill anyone? I got projects awarded and actually completed most of my work? No one killed me?
I'm proud that I beat a bully, and didn't let her win.
Got my health under control
Got home for Xmas - to be with my Mom
Managed to help others at work, and elsewhere
Didn't burn any bridges
What did this year leave you yearning for?
More time to be creative. To explore creative pursuits. To paint. To write a story. To collaborate on a creative work of art. To interact with others in a fun way.
More connection with family and people I care about.
What’s causing you anxiety?
Having enough money to retire comfortably. Basically money. As always.
My workplace. I'm trying to figure out how to handle a bully with tunnel vision. That is causing me the most anxiety. [This kind of feeds into my financial anxieties.]
Also, I worry about losing my Mom - who has become my best friend and safe place. My home. And she's 80, and fragile, and today the heat went out in her house - but she was able to get maintenance to fix it in time. The good news is she's in a community with good maintenance and health support.
Being completely alone. [Feeds into my worry about losing my Mom - who I call or speak to daily. I feel sometimes as if she is the only one who cares if I live or die.]
What resources, skills, and practices can you rely on in the coming year?
My co-workers have shown that they care about me and we're in this together. I am smart and analytical - and a good communicator. My creativity.
I've taken the advice of a financial planner and shifted a few things around. Discovered that I can get information easily from the retirement board for the railroad. Also set up a few things with and through my doctor. I have a good primary care system in place.
And I'm still with my church, still close with my family, and my friendship with Wales, and cjl is still on track. And I have a decent relationship with my brother, niece and his wife - for the most part.
What are your wildest, most harebrained ideas and dreams?
Go on a trip with my mom somewhere.
Check out the towns in upstate NY with Wales on various weekend day trips.
To publish a book, possibly a series of books. Start work on a graphic novel. Set up a wall of photographic tiles (or prints on tiles). Take a course on mural painting and work on a mural.
Figure out how to restore art work and undercover art fraud. Maybe take classes on this?
Go to New Zealand or Alaska or Hawaii or Yosemite National Park.
Take a writer's retreat to Scotland or Ireland.
Visit Belize.
Go on a rail journey to Canada or take a scenic train trip from Chicago to California or from New York to Montreal.
Take up swimming again. Hiking.
no subject
Date: 2023-01-08 01:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-01-10 01:38 am (UTC)I understand the urge to reduce social media usage.
Everything you listed are definitely things to be proud of!