Art & Life of SwarDrawS

All the doors around me aren't functioning right.

Our aging dishwasher was the first to go. It has been funky for awhile but all of a sudden we couldn't get the darn open or at least it took a big effort for it to open. We started to contemplating a new dishwasher. A month later for some reason doing the dishes by hand wasn't getting old and we hadn't started shopping for a new dishwasher. RAW decided to take a look at the old one. It works fine. He fine tuned it further and now it opens better than it ever has.

Our main entry way. That door which RAW installed years ago never shut right. He put shims at the top because he thought it was leaking cold air cause it didn't shut right back then. Lately the door has been shutting too tight and with a loud squeek. Then it took all of your weight to open it but the final straw came when I went to leave for work and it wouldn't shut. Something was keeping it open 3". It was the shims. I had to get RAW up and he fixed it but now it won't latch meaning all you needed to do was to push the door and it would open. Deadbolting it was our only option. Then RAW fixed it again and it worked for a day. Then he left for Indiana. Me and Hollace went to the grocery store and when we got back the door was open, I mean open by an inch! It is back to deadbolting it until he gets home.

A couple months ago on our way to Indiana we noticed the hood wasn't completely latched on the car. I noticed this while we were going 80 mph. We pull into an oasis on the toll road and RAW spent 10 minutes slamming the hood. It wouldn't latch. Fast forward to today. I am tapped out of windsheild wash. I don't dare open that hood to refill it. I won't be able to shut it.

RAW now has to come home and fix the front door and fill my washer and get the hood shut. Today while driving around I ran over a large plastic bag, couldn't avoid it. It stayed with me for awhile. I finally pulled it off while at a gas station (filling up and cleaning that windshield) when I thought I smelled melting plastic. Probably not a good idea because I probably just ripped it off leaving the offending piece still stuck under the car cause now the plastic smell is stronger whenever we drive.

Now RAW has to fix 2 doors, fill the washer and get under the car and get that plastic out of there.

Sorry for anyone reading this entry. It appears my ability to string two words together and convey a cohesive thought isn't working today. I think I just wanted to get this entry in when I really wanted to work on the numerous project I got going so I just typed something out to get it out and don't care if it makes any sense.

Posted by swardraws at 11:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I am always so pleased with myself when I discover new music that I really like. I haven't even listened to the whole album I just downloaded but I am hear to report that the Ditty Bops are too cool. I have stopped everything I am doing (contemplating making a book through iPhoto and putting together my first DVD with iDVD) to concentrate on listening to this music.

Late night TV + iTunes means I discover then purchase then listen to new music.

Posted by swardraws at 01:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

and I don't know why. I got this new kick ass laptop sitting here all set up and ready for me to play with Garage Band and iDVD. There is a bunch of stuff I can do. My photoblog needs work. I am even uninspired to take any new photos for the blog. Ug

Today I was thinking that I got ripped off for $50 extra when I bought this machine. Now I am pretty sure I saved a few hundred dollars when compared to the Apple site. I have nearly $200 in rebates to send in.

I need to focus. I miss my lunch time mind clearing walks. I wonder if a treadmill would do the trick.

Today I got a call as a reference for Kathy. I hope I did ok for her and she gets the job. I was going to call her and tell her about the call but she beat me to the punch and called me about something else.

Time to unfunkify!

Posted by swardraws at 10:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On the eve of receiving the new computer I ordered (it is coming today), all that ailed my old 4 year old machine mysteriously fixed itself.

Last week when I tried to work from home I was unable to launch Macromedia Dreamweaver, my main tool for work. I also couldn't print, and use VPN that logs me into the network at work. I was unable to reinstall any of my software nor could I seem to fix any of this with my diagnostic utilities. My Norton antivirus seemed to quit working too calling for a reinstall (which I couldn't do). I was in the market of replacing the old thing in March hoping to time it with the new OS that is coming out. Because I now couldn't work at home if I needed to, I went ahead and ordered a new beast.

Yesterday at work on my PC, I discovered that my personable website was hacked. My anti-virus at work spewed out viral errors. Then right after that my Dreamweaver (on the PC) quit working. I found it interesting that the exact same problem was happening on my PC version as it did at home on my Mac...it tries to start up then goes away. Corey reinstalls me and I avoid swardraws.com just in case there was a connection.

Back at home on my Mac, I replace my index.htm page and fix the website hack.

Then I try to launch Dreamweaver to look at the code of my hacked page and lo and behold Dreamweaver launches! And I can now print...and I can now log into the work network and I am getting no more errors from Norton.

WTF? My own little swardraws brought me down to my knees, on both platforms with anti-virus protection. I didn't know this could happen just looking at a webpage, well at least a page like my own.

If I could of waited to get my new computer when I wanted I could of saved $130 for the OS upgrade and $20 for the iLife upgrade that just came out that would of already been on my new machine had I waited.

Posted by swardraws at 07:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For the last couple weeks I was planning on going to Sherry's daugher's baby shower on Saturday. They live 100 miles away in Indiana (by my mom's)

Today is Saturday, me and Hollace head out at 10:30 for our 2 hour drive. About a mile down the road I go to make sure I have the invite with the instructions and that was when I noticed that the shower is on the 16th.

Um, yesterday I was able to determine that it was the 14th so I guess that means today isn't the 16th is it?

Thank God we didn't drive all the way to Indiana before figuring that out.

Then RAW heads out to a motorcycle swap meet. He calls me shortly after saying that he is having the same problem. The swap meet is also tomorrow, the 16th. At least he only had to drive 7 miles.

I guess we need to invest in a good calendar

Posted by swardraws at 03:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This week has been like a rollercoaster

It started when I found out the 2nd copy of Trainer Soft (for eLearning) went to Deb instead of me. I talked to Paul about it and and got a lame answer about putting it on Deb's machine because she is production, doing changes. "Bob" got the other copy which makes sence but it bothers me to no end that I am left out. I talked to Lisa today and she was part of the decision process and can't figure out why they did that. I see a meeting with Paul in my future.

Then Apple announced the MiniMac and I emailed Vic, the resident Mac addict (and my former boss) to talk to my management to get back my Mac-ability back. Last time I talked to Vic about me staying with my Mac he broke my heart and pretty much said that is the way it goes. This time he said he changed his mind and agrees with me that multimedia=multiplatform. he talked to Paul and Paul has no problem (my old supervisor had the problem) but he wants to wait until we get a new supervisor. That made me feel better. Also Paul's devotion to score me a copy of DVD Studio Pro (for the spare Mac).

Lisa said she was going to go for the supervisor position which got me excited (my Mac would be a shoo-in). Paul and all seemed pleased as well. That was yesterday's talk but today I had lunch with Lisa and she got an offer this morning with another division. She thinks she is going to take it. No, NO, Lisa you can't go! Tomorrow is Christina's last day as she is going off to that same division. With Christina, I lose my great music contact and she is a really cool person.

I am going to feel a bit lost with 3 key people leaving (I am counting my supervisor too who left in November). Nobody else around has a clue.

Posted by swardraws at 10:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I will probably embarrass myself and already did slightly but you know what? I don't care or at least that is what I am trying to tell myself. Tonight I entered one of my kaleidoscope prints in the member's only art show. I joined the artist guild only so I could do this. I will probably be embarrassed but I got to learn to get over it.

I originally went over to the college (where the gallery is) but couldn't find the building. I finally drove home in disgust. After dinner RAW drove me out there and walked through the other buildings to get to the building in the back that has no road apparently. Anyway I was unsure I should do this and even though I had trouble getting there I still went ahead and did it.

Now I just need to get through Friday night for the art show opening.

I have that slight uneasy feeling going on now

Posted by swardraws at 09:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tonight I finally made my first camera club meeting for this season (which started in September). I was raring and ready to show off. I printed up some business cards with my photoblog's URL, grabbed one of my photo calendars and my new Canon DSLR and head out.

I was fairly outgoing for a change talking to people there. I even blurted out a comment during a quiet moment at the Photoshop demo.

Aaauggg, I was about to tear my hair out listening to the speaker though. He was this old guy (ok, most everyone there is an old man) who teaches Photoshop at the community college who talks so.damn.slow! I thought we would never get done. That said I did learn a little bit new stuff, more than I thought as a 12 year user. I mean I know there is a lot of stuff I don't know about Photoshop but I didn't think this guy was going to touch any of it since the audience was full of old people that aren't computer saavy.

Speaking about showing off. Even thought I will probably be painfully embarrassed, I am submitting one of my kaleidoscopes in the members art show gallery for the Lake County Artist Guild. It is the only reason I joined the guild is to try to sneak one of my scope prints in. I am sure it will look odd next to all the paintings. I am going to do it anyway.

Posted by swardraws at 12:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rented a lot of movies over the New Year holiday. I don't know why I want record of this but this is what we watched.

Tom Hanks in, shit, what was the movie called. It is the one where he is trapped in an airport (I just looked it up, The Terminal. Then we seen Eloise at Christmastime, Sound of Music and Princess Diaries (all with Julie Andrews) then the last movie we seen was Tom Hanks in the Ladykillers.

Here are some of the others we seen during the holiday"
Big Fish
Napolean Dynamite
SuperSize Me
Garfield
VeggieTales, stories of the bible
Disney Princesses

I just realized when I went to look up the Tom Hanks flix that I was also looking to rent Splash an old Hanks movie cause Hollace is into mermaids and I thought she might enjoy that one. At the time (just like right now) I couldn't remember its name and when I finally did they didn't have it.

Speaking of movies. I just left this post to go watch the independent film Hollace was in last year. It is a half hour movie starring Gabby from ArtWorks. She was excellent! It is a sad, depressing movie where she runs away. Hollace plays the young Gabby in 2 flashbacks. I choked back the tears when I seen her. She was so cute and happy, she did very well. Looks like Stephan got some good footage of her. Aww, my little reluctant movie star did good.

Posted by swardraws at 09:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

You can really waste a lot of time blogging. Especially reading from others. One of my resolutions is to look at more photoblogs. Photoblogs take the least amount of time because it is usually only one picture to look at then you move on but if I want to be popular in the world of photoblogs, I need to really look, form a thought and leave a comment all over.

It is the text blogs that take so much time cause blog writers are generally chatty. Today I stumbled on a Best of 2004 site where one of the categories was best diet blog. Well I am trying to start one for myself and I wanted to see what others are doing. I just can't do it, where is the time. Just how much is the average blogger spending reading everyone elses stuff? Not to mention the time it takes to make your own entry and now I have 3 of these silly things. I have a lot of blah, blah, blah on my mind but no time to write it out.

You know what, I am not going to proof read this so I hope it makes sense, I just don't have the time to read yet another blog!

Posted by swardraws at 09:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It is that time again, a time full of promise that I will make my changes. Of course they are the same changes I promise myself every year but still I am optimistic I will do them...this year.

We had our typical New Years Eve, just stay home alone and celebrate by ourselves. Though this is how we like it I still feel a bit pitiful and lonesome. Everyone else seems to celebrate with other people even thought they tell me they don't like to go out, they just invite a few friends over. Well someone is going out, like the friends. We never get invites like that. I know why not invite someone over here. I am sure everyone has their plans.

I actually got a New Years Eve-Eve party invite from Lisa C at work. She is all the way in Wisconsin, about a 40 minute drive. My hermit homebody tendancies told me I didn't really want to go but I thought I better go anyway because someone actually invited me and I am out mingling with others.

Going to this party was a little awkward. No one else from work came like they apparently promised. I am not really in Lisa's relm of friends at work, there was only a small handful that were there and Lisa isn't much of a hostest not really introducing us to anyone or conversing with us. It felt a little like why the hell are we here?

When I asked Hollace if she wanted to go to a party she said sure, she might meet some new people. She knew there probably wasn't going to be any kids there. I love that attitude and one I have been wishing she would have.

There was a 3 year old girl there that took her by her hand once we went downstairs. They ran around and played the whole night. The girl's mother on the other hand might of been like me. I think she was Lisa's sister-in-law. She sat there by herself and didn't seem interested in having a conversation. I did try to engage her a bit like with the question of how old her daughter was. She said three and that was it. If I was more of an engaging person I would of forced her in a conversation with questions. I think I was looking in a mirror or maybe she was really a snob. I for the most part hung around RAW who was conversing with some neighbor guys and did they "uh huh" thing. Eventually I talked with Lisa's boyfriend/fiancee's mom. She was an interesting character.

We ended the night not knowing anyone's name because no one ever said (including us), hi I am so and so, what is your name.

Oh well it was a lesson dealing with people. Practice makes perfect.

Looks like I went off on a tangent with my original title for this post.

I think I gained 10 lbs this holiday season. I am looking at the South Beach diet book and while I will probably pattern my eating plan with this I am so uninspired. All the testomials were edited horribly (or maybe they jump around with their experieces that badly) and they always ended it with, well I cheat a little now and am backsliding.

I think this is the curse of low carb diets. I will get more into my philosophy of this with my diet blog later. I think in my case, watch the fat (that means skipping my whole cream lobster bisque, yum) and especially watch portion sizes which is my big issue. I am still going to be low or only healthy carbs. I still think hypnosis is the key to my self destructive binges. Exercize is key. Tomorrow I think for exercize I will dance around the living room for 20-30 minutes. I will eventually join the health club at work.

I am also going to nip that personality problem I mentioned earlier in this post with hypnosis.

My photography and my photoblog will be a big deal in 2005. I hope to stretch and grow in this area.

I gave Hollace some resolutions too. She will tie her shoes and try new foods amongst others.

Today I cut my nails so I am feeling rather chatty but I think I will end this post anyway. Today we gave the DVD a workout watching movies. Me and RAW just watched Big Fish. Good movie. RAW wants me be acquire the movie for our collection.

Posted by swardraws at 11:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)