EMERGENCY

Selected passages from the Illustrators' Partnership of America:

As lawmakers struggled Friday to clean up the mess on Wall Street, sponsors of the Orphan Works Act passed more special interest legislation. Their bill would force copyright holders to subsidize giant copyright databases run by giant internet firms.

Small business owners didn't ask for this legislation. We don't want it and we don't need it. Our opposition numbers have been growing daily. So Friday, the bill's sponsors reached for the hotline.

"In order for a bill to be hotlined, the Senate Majority Leader and Minority Leader must agree to pass it by unanimous consent, without a roll-call vote. The two leaders then inform Members of this agreement using special hotlines installed in each office and give Members a specified amount of time to object – in some cases as little as 15 minutes. If no objection is registered, the bill is passed."
- Roll Call, Sept 17, 2007

In other words, a Senate bill can pass by "unanimous consent" even if some Senators don't know about it.

With lawmakers struggling to package a 700 billion dollar bailout to avert a worldwide economic meltdown, with the rest of the country focused on Presidential debates, with Washington in chaos and Congressional phone lines jammed, they hotlined an amended bill. On short notice, even the legislative aides we could reach by phone said they didn't have time to read it. And so, while we were rushing to get out a second email blast to artists, the bill passed by "unanimous consent" - in other words, by default.

The Senate passed their bill Friday, but the House hasn't. There's still time to write, phone and fax your congressional representatives. Tell them not to let the House Judiciary Committee fold their bill and adopt the Senate's.

DO IT NOW. It takes 30 seconds. Flood their inboxes. It's the only way (if any) they'll notice.

Our international friends with fax machines might be interested in this page.

I know that a lot of artists have pushed this aside, thinking that it was just another scare. But, honestly... I'd rather sign the thing to know that if this ends up being real, that I did something to try to prevent this.

Please, everyone... take this seriously and do something about it.

We had a small catastrophe yesterday. Sam woke me up to tell me that Garrett had hurt himself. She said that his front-left paw had been cut pretty bad. I immediately called the vet (they were too busy) so I told my Mom when she got home. She called someone from work, got a number for an emergency vet, and we took him out. While my Mom and I were taking Garrett to the vet, Sam went outside and found that there was a loose screw/nail on the outside decking and that's what he got hurt on. Anyway, we took him to the vet and they got him all cleaned up.



He may look happy, but he's really pretty miserable. We can't let him out of the sideyard, which is pretty painful for him. He wants to be let out to play with his little brother but he isn't supposed to run around all crazy until Monday. He's also on pain medication.

My poor baby!!!

Later Dayz. *BAMFs out*

My family just got a call from our relatives in England. My step-uncle died of cancer yesterday.

He's been suffering from Alzheimer's for a few years and he was unresponsive for the past two weeks. All-in-all, it's a blessing in disguise. Had he not had cancer he would have lived 10-15 years with Alzheimer's which would have been harder for my step-Aunt.

The saddest part is that she's (almost) on her own over there now. Most of her family is over here in the U.S. now.

I think it's a shame but I'm glad that his suffering is over.

My first week back is officially over. All I san say is... thank god.

My classes have been going pretty well, though I still have my night class on Wednesday to start. But, yeah, it's pretty good. I had my Stagecraft class today as well as Sculpting 2. My thumbs are all red from having to use so much pressure with our clay (it isn't nearly soft enough) but that's part of the fun I think.

The project that we're working on now is pretty cool though. We have to make a distorted head out of clay and, because I'm in the advanced class, we're going to be able to make molds of them. It's going to be so cool! And I'm making mine delightfully creepy, which'll make it even more fun. I'm looking to Boris Karloff for my inspiration at the moment, he really is an amazing guy. He makes me want to find some really good classic horror movies and watch them.

In other news, I'm turning 21 in 7 days!! =D Almost there... almost!

As of right now though, I just want to relax. I'm happy that I'm done for the week.

Later Dayz! *BAMFs out*

So, anyway, I was browsing my usual blogs and I stumbled upon news of Unstable Fables: Tortoise vs. Hare, a cg animated movie by the Jim Henson Company.

While there are some aspects of the story that I think are on the cute side, I'm against the thought of Jim Henson doing anything but puppetry.

I have been a big fan of the muppets since I was very young. I've even seen a few of the newer movies. While they were a bit on the craptastic side, I found them to be enjoyable just in the fact that the muppets were still around. But as time went on you could tell that technology was beginning to enter the studio. By the time 'Muppets from Space' rolled around, the studio was obsessed with deleting the wires that are attached to the puppets, trying to make them seem more realistic. While I think this is cute, it's unnecessary.

But now they're scrapping puppets entirely to make a 3D animated movie? I find that to be a bit odd. And I'm not all that happy about it. It seems to me that everyone is trying to get a piece of the digital pie now, seeing who can make the next "Wall-E" or "Finding Nemo".

I know that I won't see this film, but that's just because I rarely get to the movies nowadays. I just hope that this fad will go away soon so that animation can get back into being a respectable medium.

Later Dayz. *BAMFs out*

So school starts up in less than a week. And what does my dad do? He talks to someone at work about art college. The guy that he spoke to recommended Santa Monica College. Then my Dad had me look it up.

Honestly, it looks pretty cool. Here's the site that I found to be the most interesting. But I'm having some conflicting thoughts.

I have to pick between Entertainment Technology (Animation) and Graphic Design (Illustration). They both sound so cool! And they both take about the same amount of time to complete. The second that I begin to lean towards one, I find something totally awesome about the other one that makes me lean towards that one. I think that I need to make up my mind soon though, because this next semester is going to just fly by. It's going to be January before I know it.

Later Dayz. *BAMFs out*

cowboy_slightly: *picks up notepad of school information* What’s this?
rachel1987: Creditos.
cowboy_slightly: Oh, okay. *puts down notepad and turns away*
rachel1987, grinning: I spoke Spanish.
cowboy_slightly: Oh?
rachel1987: Moi Bien!
cowboy_slightly: *pointing to doorknob* What’s this?
rachel1987: Doorknob-ito!
cowboy_slightly, laughing: Very good.
rachel1987: No, moi bien!

I actually felt smart there for a few seconds.

Also, Spanish + "doorknob" = "pomo de la puerta".

Later Dayz. *BAMFs out*

Tagged by huntersmoon

We all love music, and we all hate music. List five music artists you can't stand and five that you cant' live without. Then tag five people.

Can't Stand:
- Jonas Bros
- Britney Spears
- Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus
- Christina Aguilera
- Rap.... I can't pick one artist because I really don't like any of them

Can't live without:
- Scissor Sisters
- My Chemical Romance
- ABBA
- Goo Goo Dolls
- The Beatles
Gah... it's hard to pick only 5 I can't live without!!

Tagged:
cowboy_slightly
stp_pigwidgeon
darkwingpsycho
foxx278
ryobeat

I've been doing a lot of thinking about what I'll be doing next semester. Chances are, I won't be doing any special art classes at another school. My ass is going to be in Pierce again, doing the 12 unit garbage that I've been doing ever semester for the past 3 years.

I feel like I've completely given up. As much as I'd like to admit it, I'm not going to go to a school beyond Pierce. I'm going to be stuck there until I've taken every art class that's available and then... I'll just be stuck with having to find another school to plant my butt in.

I don't think that I'll ever become anything more than a wanna-be artist. The thought that I'll actually do something with artwork as a living is laughable. None of my stuff is good enough and I clearly don't have the ambition or drive to go to a real art school to get the help that I need. As I've been told, my recent stuff has all been amateurish. I don't put the love and devotion into any artwork like I used to. I feel like... just quitting after this semester.

This summer has (honestly) been one of the roughest times of my life. My self-esteem is at an all time low and I just don't see myself going anywhere. Art isn't my passion anymore.

I feel like I'm trying to be someone that I'm not. But I don't know who I am anymore...

I know, I've been MIA the past few days. =/ Weeks, actually. A couple personal issues seem to have flared, as well as making plans for the fall, both of which have kept me pretty busy.

I'm trying to make up my mind. Should I take an Animation course (M-F, 5-10PM) or the Stage Class (M&W, 12:45-3PM) this semester? Each have their own specifics that I like/dislike about them, but I'm not sure which to stick to. This is my semester that I'm going to take it slow and only take one set of classes (not the full schedule) so I can apply for art school in the Spring. But I'm not sure which one to stick to. Man, I wish that stp_pigwidgeon lived closer so we could take the animation class together. That would be way too much fun!! =D

In other news, I ordered a couple spiffy new shirts off of Torrid.com! I usually don't buy stuff from Torrid (not my style since they turned fancy), but they had an awesome Batman and Robin t-shirt and I just had to have it! I'm hoping that it comes in the mail before we head out to Anaheim on the 17th.

In other news, I watched the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics. I was very pretty and inspiring. Um... not much else to say about it, sadly. ^^;

I'm so excited for the Disneyland trip, omg!! =D I wanna go... tomorrow!!

Later Dayz. *BAMFs out*

I have a new favorite comic:



I think that it's sort of funny that these two remind me of a lot of people that I know online. The way they speak (plus with the massive spelling errors) are very much 90% of the internet population that falls on the age 14 below mark.

Anyway, to explain my previous post, I was in a foul mood. This summer has sucked some major ass so far and, on top of it all, I went to the dentist and found out that I have received my first cavity. Yay. So I had to get it filled and found out that I have another one forming. I didn't get the second one filled because it isn't a full cavity yet and the dentist said that he can't do anything about it until the hole goes through my tooth. Whatever.

But, on the lighter side, two weeks until the Disneyland trip. =D We're going to be staying for 4 nights and 5 days apposed to the 3 nights and 4 days that we were going to spend. And chances are that the day after we come home we're going to go to Vegas with my Grandparents. XD That week will totally make up for the crap-load of nothing that we've done so far this summer. So, yeah, I’ll be absent from the internet on the 17th to the 23rd if plans go well.

And, lastly, friggen-A! Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter in Burton's Alice!?! D: I can't stand it!

Later Dayz! *BAMFs out*

Honest to god, can nothing turn out good for me this summer!?!

I woke up at a good time this morning and got some stuff done. But the best part of the morning was when we were hit by the 5.8 earthquake!! =D

It was the most fun I've had all week. Very exciting!

Later Dayz. *BAMFs out*

In the beginning of June I decided to open commissions. Soon after I had decided to close them because of the whole thing with Kain. I really didn't feel like I could do them at the moment.

Well, due to some unforeseen circumstances, I've decided to open them again.

I am in dire need of cash. I have to pay off my credit card as well as a couple other things. Please please please take a look at my commission prices. I'm going to be very flexible with prices, so if you're interested please talk to me! I'm willing to take the prices way down if the commission is easy enough. Plus I'll knock the price down a little if you're willing to stick with a digital sketch versus a traditional one.

I hate to beg, but please! I need to get some cash scraped together by the 17th of August. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Later Days. *BAMFs out*

Insomnia...

I don't think that I have it. At least, I hope that I don't. I got my room all cleaned up and organized and I was tired when I was finished. So I read a couple chapters of my book before setting my head n my pillow. Then, I swear to god, I felt 70% of my energy come back.

After getting thoroughly annoyed with myself, I turned my computer back on and started working on the Photoshop. I got my current wip picture a little bit more finished before getting bored and completing a different one.

But, still why can't I sleep!?!

Sam and I walked to my Mom's work today to get the car so we could head to the other end of the valley. Then we drove to Target and Michaels (I got a new sketchbook for my summer project and a little splurge Halloweeny item). We were going to go to Petco to get a couple gifties for Gwen but we ran out of time. I'm going to get a couple play things for Gwen before we head to Disneyland so she can have something new to keep her attention while we're gone the 2-3 days.

Oh, in other news, the raccoon returned a couple days ago. I think that he actually likes getting barked at by the dogs. Maybe it's his sort of entertainment.

And all you lucky ducks at ComicCon!! D: I wish that I could have gone!

Later Dayz. *BAMFs out*

That Personality Test :: Your Results
The latest personality test from ThatSurveySite... now featuring more and better questions than ever!
Emotional (46%)	[..........|.........]	Logical (54%)
Concerned about self (48%)	[....................]	Concerned about others (52%)
Atheist (90%)	[..||||||||..........]	Religious (10%)
Loner (60%)	[........||..........]	Dependent (40%)
Laid-back (34%)	[..........|||.......]	Driven (66%)
Traditional (23%)	[..........|||||.....]	Rebel (77%)
Impetuous (66%)	[.......|||..........]	Organized (34%)
Engineering mind (36%)	[..........|||.......]	Artistic mind (64%)
Cynical (52%)	[....................]	Idealist (48%)
Follower (50%)	[....................]	Leader (50%)
Introverted (17%)	[..........|||||||...]	Extroverted (83%)
Conservative (41%)	[..........||........]	Liberal (59%)
Logical (36%)	[..........|||.......]	Romantic (64%)
Uninterested (37%)	[..........|||.......]	Sexual (63%)
Insecure (37%)	[..........|||.......]	Confident (63%)
Selective (30%)	[..........||||......]	Tolerant (70%)
Pessimistic (77%)	[.....|||||..........]	Optimistic (23%)
Principled (62%)	[........||..........]	Pragmatic (38%)
Tolerant (56%)	[.........|..........]	Opinionated (44%)
Humble (40%)	[..........||........]	Elitist (60%)
Take the test!

Great new joke: Two kids (one is a pirate, one is a skeleton) are going trick-or-treating on Halloween and they go up to the door of an old lady at the end of the block. They knock on the door and the old woman looks at the kids as she gives them candy. She turns to the child dressed as a pirate and says "So, you're a pirate? Where are you buccaneers?"

( answer )

Just a note, I've changed my myspace account. My past one had my (super) old e-mail so I couldn't keep as good an eye on it as I wanted to. My new account is here: Anthroartist87. If you're on myspace (who isn't nowadays) be sure to add me! =D

In other news, Sam, Liza, Mom and I are going to Disneyland in August!! We're going to be spending the night at a hotel across the street from the park and we're going to stay for two nights/three days. OMG, I can't wait, OMG!!

I need to clean Gwen's cage. She is stinky. XP

Later Dayz. *BAMFs out*

Sam just came into my room and told me that Psych was on. Its season premiere is on tonight.

And I totally forgot.

I'm a bad fangirl. Very very bad. -_-;

Later Dayz. *BAMFs out*