The watercooler: a place to chat

[VibrantFox]

wound up with more time off than anticipated so trying to figure out how to make the best use of it all. i've at least managed to properly update this months ko-fi goal after neglecting that for a bit so now it's just prep for another periodic update since i can't really remember the last time i did one of those and then continuing with promo for my comms and adopts on vgen since i'm kinda hoping to see if i can get verified there or at least get a smidge more visibility. actually got a message from another platform that i've not heard of but seems interesting i'm just not sure i wanna add more to my plate just yet when i'm only just starting to get a hang of the ones i'm focusing on right now so hopefully i can find a way to communicate that

but for more downtime related stuff i figure this may as well be the perfect time to dive back into the mermaid mask and play that all the way through proper and then from there check out the other game updates i've missed out on after being so busy with work before.

as for art stuff outside of just a lot of little personal doodles i've been making and sharing i've been lightly dabbling in digital painting again doing redraws of game screenshots from sky cotl mostly with a hope to get a feel for environments and backgrounds but it's felt good even when i'm not to sure if things look accurate, the fun of it's been enough to carry me. also probably diving back into my old bloodmoney ocs and doing stuff with them after finding out about trailers for a final installment and side story so there's been a lot of random ideas knockin around that i'm hoping to sketch out

so far tho just doing a lot of sleeping and trying to get my body to hurt a bit less. i'm used to post work soreness but the day delay is kicking my butt so hoping by this evening if not tomorrow i can start feeling normal again and get to being productive and with luck manage to combat the beat too since we're stuck in one of those heat domes

[Shanny8]

@VibrantFox definitely feel the "body hurt" stuff...lately my joints have been stiff/hurting and the stress with the vehicle search didnt help; now that it's over hopefully I can relax a bit(not this weekend though- got a doctor's appointment tomorrow...and then I gotta try to get this backyard mowed)

[PeteLensing]

I played a show in Bad Nauheim this weekend with my Elvis tribute band.
Bad Nauheim is the small town where Elvis was stationed in the 50s and
where he met Priscilla. There is a meeting once a year where all the Elvis
imperonators meet, so we played there and backed a couple of different
Elvises. The town is really beautiful.

[Shanny8]

Doctor's appointment went okay I guess...I'm under 200 lbs(which is good for me) but we're planning to switch up my meds again, taking a few things away in change of something else, and add something to the mix; not exactly happy, but I was at the point where I was a little concerned about some of the other meds

Mowed half of the backyard yesterday evening before the batteries died out; gonna mow the rest this evening...got my replacement LED hexagon lights put up, but the new power cord is about 4 inches short so I need to invest in another USB extender cord I may swing around to the local Walmart to see if I can find one since I still have to get lunch stuff for work. I also hooked up the power cord for the LED light rods but I still gotta secure it all to the wall so stuff won't look messy.

Haven't had the chance to work on any art so far...I know at some point I want to go out to the car and figure out how to sync my phone to it so that I can play my music through the stereo. I green lit getting a refurbished Herman Miller chair for my art desk because the current chair has been slowly going to shit(NEW Herman Miller chairs cost $1200-$2000, so yeah the refurbed one is a steal; I paid over $200 for my current chair 8 years ago); HM chairs have a rep of being sturdy & lasting long so I'm good with my decision- plus I watched a YT video on all the features.

I looked at some swivel chairs because I want to put a chair in my room(with an ottoman) so that when I am doing things like JUST watching TV or playing video games I can chill/relax in THAT chair, instead of sitting at my art desk chair; saw one that looked really nice- with a nice price, but it might be a little big...I checked IKEA & though they had one that was slightly smaller with the same ottoman storage feature, it cost MORE and I didn't like the style.

But before I make a decision on the chair I want to pay off the hedge trimmer and see about getting a yard/leaf blower because we've been needing one of those since last year

Sigh...I was hoping to start replacing some of my [really] worn out work shirts but between getting the yard tools, the desk chair, the Switch issue, & some dental work that I need done, the shirts will have to wait.

[Shanny8]

Back at the weekend- gonna nip the front yard and hedge trim some of the taller grass on the sides of the house and in the backyard...also gotta make a trip to the pharmacy and pick up my prescripts; I was gonna grab some fruit bar popsicles but with the recall that dropped last weekend(glass fragments) I'll pass

GOT IN THE CHAIR- and it's made an INSTANT impact on my back & butt...my back is relaxing and my butt feels comfortable I dont feel like I'm sliding out of the chair and I'm not using the chair cushion I had on the seat of the old chair; I might have to adjust the lumbar track on the back a little to get that sweet spot

Still gotta secure the LED light rods to the wall- that's gonna happen Saturday; had to order the USB extender cord so that is coming next week- with the Switch 2(had enough to do that after I paid off some bills)

THE CHAIR:

[abigaillmartin]

Oh. What a beauty!
(I have 20 characters)

[PeteLensing]

A good chair is so important. I got rid of my old chair a year ago, the old one
was painful to sit on and I held on to it for some reason.

[Shanny8]

Definitely been trying to listen to my body a lot more and getting stuffs like shoes and chairs that are actually good for my back and feet- especially in this case coz [for right now] I spend HOURS sitting at my desk, working on art stuffs, surfing the internets, and other...I need a chair that is gonna accommodate my back

[abigaillmartin]

Just watched Across the Spiderverse for the first time. Amazing! And it took me two and half years after it came out to see it! Now I’m caught up

[PeteLensing]

I played a living room show yesterday night with one of my
bands and it was the best and most enjoyable show I played
this year.

[Shanny8]

Got in my Switch 2 and transferred my account & settings over...tested it out by spinning the block with a little ACNH; only weird thing was the cartridge popped out TWICE towards the end of me trying to wrap up the game session...also it seems like some of the "jankiness" carried over to Switch 2- like how the type options would [repeatedly] pop up when trying to sneak catch hermit crabs on the beach shore(thus allowing them to escape)...so not happy with THAT.

Also not happy with having to go get ANOTHER SD card coz Switch 2 doesn't use regular SD.

Planning on going to see Coyote Vs ACME this weekend- thought I would do it on Friday, but with me wanting to mow the front lawn once it starts cooling down Friday evening/night & college football starting Saturday, I think I'll go see it on Sunday...

Got the USB extender for the LED hex lights but right now it is looking like I may have to send the hex lights back because they arent working...I have batteries in the remote - it nor the wall controls arent working; the lights are lighting up, but not changing color or responding to the remote

[Shanny8]

Made it to the weekend! Taking Friday off- gonna sleep in, then get up, work on art & watch the final Falcons preseason football game and a WNBA game...

Ordered the SD card for the Switch 2 plus paid on some bills a little ahead of time...checked out a new book from the library(haven't read anything since late May/early June)- it's a little over 400 pages; so far I've reached page 82...thinking about reading a little more tonight so that I can get to over 100 and at least I can feel satisfaction in that I read a fourth of the book.

Kind of a little bit amped coz once I finish the current art I can start working on the "power couple" piece- I've been wanting to see how well I can revamp a character that I've been on & off interested in for some years...

[PeteLensing]

No shows to play this weekend which feels unusual, but that means that
I have time for a commission I have laying around. It´s a record cover
in comic style. I can do what I want with it, the guys trust me, but they
asked for a horse story animals are really hard for me to draw and
pretty much everyone always asks for animals.

My comic is developing, slowly, but I love the result. I keep on changing
things, but that´s the way to get better. It helped me immensely to talk
about the story and to share some of the art. Something I avoided in
the last years.

[abigaillmartin]

This was the roughest week of my life, but I’ll be okay now. I got my food handling certification a few days ago and I’m getting my life together. I deleted my instagram account because it got too much and I spent yesterday organizing and editing my Houdini blog. As well as deleting some artwork and notes off my phone and computer. It got too much for me to handle. I hope things will get better. I really do. This week I had to be the bravest I’ve ever been. For now, I will focus on taking care of myself. It’s already been a rough year.

[PeteLensing]

I hope you will feel better soon
It sounds like you are on the right way though and
your making changes.

[Shanny8]

Getting to return the LED hex lights to Amazon so that I can get another set from a diff seller...also got my ticket for Coyote Vs ACME tomorrow; currently watching sports while it's raining outside- gonna go grab groceries in a few hours

About to take a "last look" at the art piece- I finished the initial background work, but trying to decide if I want to make it look distressed...

[PeteLensing]

My illustration customers have changed and I can´t complain about it.
I feel like I "lost" all my crap clients to AI. Crap clients are the clients
who are late with paying, never pay or have really bad ideas / taste.
I get more customers who are tired of AI and want something drawn
in my style, a lot of people from the rock´n´roll scene.

[abigaillmartin]

Also I’m trying to take a break from all my personal projects. But if I do draw, it’ll be very limited and very slow, which is good. I need time to heal and take care of myself.
I was drawing too much all at once for over 10 years since I was a kid. I need to slow down.

[PeteLensing]

I think it´s very common that people draw fast, especially when they are younger.
I can say that out of my own experience and from my experience of teaching kids.
Every kid wants the picture to be finished right away to consume it immediately.
I was like that too. My brother and me would easily draw 10 pages a day when
we were kids.

Artists develop way more when they work deliberately imo, correct things, learn
from the mistakes, try out what looks better.

[Shanny8]

Definitely...in fact I can pinpoint when I slowed down- after 2017. A lot of it was possible RSI/carpal tunnel which forced me to take a break- the rest of it is age & conditions finally taking its toll; once I do get back to the point of possibly working on my webcomic again, a lot of it's gonna be done without "HEY look at this!" progress posting coz that still sort of makes me feel like I gotta get so much done at a certain pace and I don't wanna feel like that.