New Goals & New Toys

I'm excited because Zach, my friends Heather and Mike, and I are making a small writing circle.  It's nothing particularly fancy, especially at the moment, but it is something to get the proverbial creative juices flowing.  Each week we are to submit a one-page (minimum) piece; they do not have to be part of one story -- they can be stand alone projects.  For the most part, there is no theme for the week's writing, but I think it would be a neat idea to incorporate one on the occasion.  It's just a place to stretch your creative muscle; we read each others work and give constructive criticism and the like.  I was so excited that I made a new blog for it last week and made my first post the day before yesterday.  If you're interested in my writing blog, feel free to check out Owl Quills & Squid Ink.

I posted on my Facebook yesterday that, now that I have started writing again, I want to be able to draw.  I don't think I have ever really been a terrible drawer, per se, but I don't think my drawings are quite good.  I can look at a picture and draw based on it, which normally comes out decent, but when it's something just from my imagination, it never seems to work that well.  I end up tracing an outline of something and then altering it.  Sigh.  I feel kind of bad admitting that, but it's true.  So yesterday, I made a new DeviantArt account, Jeshil2draw, which is going to be where I favorite all of the drawing tutorials that I find useful.  I didn't want it clogging up my steampunk DA account. Most of the stuff that I have found tutorial-wise have been for digital drawing, but all I have is a mouse... Sigh. Pencil and paper it is, right?

Yesterday, I drew this flower based on this tutorial.  I know it's not great, but it's a start, right?  I love the old-school tattoo-esque rose. (Click for a bigger picture, as always.)

Now then.  As you may have noticed by now, I am a nerd.  Sorry to blow your minds, those of you who hadn't noticed yet, but it's true.  But, as they say, "I am a product of my own environment."  My father was always super into computers; I actually grew up sitting in his lap as he used the computer.  Yes, I am old because I remember when computers were first made for home use, but this is neither here nor there.  My maternal uncles are both huge nerds.  Rob, the oldest, is always upgrading his computer, which now looks like an ammunition case.  He has packages almost daily from Amazon.  He buys a lot of video games, etc. and always likes having the newest, shiniest things in geekware.  He is going to school for programming, mainly in the area of software and video games.  Brent, the youngest at 29, loves video games almost strictly.  He has to have the newest consoles and games literally as soon as they come out. 

I tell you that to tell you this:  The other week, Rob had bought a new Wacom Bamboo tablet and was showing me some of the things he had drawn with it.  At first I was all, "Oh, that's really neat!  I've always wanted to play with one of those."  But when I decided I wanted to learn how to draw, my only thought was, "I wonder if Rob bought a newer, shinier one so that I can have --borrow-- his old one..."  Because I am cheap and don't like to spend my money.  I had looked online and found one off-brand for $40, but it was out of stock.  The next cheapest one jumped to $80 and it didn't seem much different than the cheapest one.   (I did not know until right now that $80 was what he spent on the original tablet.)

So, we go over to my grandparents' for dinner last night, and I ask him where he got it.  He said "Which one?"  I didn't know there were more than one!  He plugged in his new Intuos5 Wacom tablet that cost $350 to let me play with while he packed up the Bamboo one.  He also let me borrow some of the software he had gotten for it.  So boom.  That's the story of how I acquired a new, $80 Wacom tablet free.  I am installing the software after I finish this post.  I'll upload anything I draw that is decent and link it.

A quick weight loss update before I go. I went to the doctor on Wednesday, and as of then, I had lost 22 lbs.  He also told me that my health was much better; all of my blood-related tests were perfect (glucose, red cells, white cells, liver, kidney, etc.).  Actually, he downed my thyroid medicine because my thyroid is now working better than it should.  I'm disappointed that I only lost like 3 lbs in February, but I feel like I'm going to make up for it.  I can tell I've lost inches, which is more important.  I've convinced myself that I haven't lost as much because I am gaining muscle due to my piloxing class.  22 lbs down, 68 lbs to go, 5 months and one week to go.  Wow, that actually seems manageable when I read it like that... Maybe I'll actually make my goal.