Thorin Oakenshield

After I drew the picture of Claire weeks ago, I had promised myself that I could finally start the picture of Thorin Oakenshield. I had it printed off and waiting in my sketchbook for the perfect time to start drawing...

...but that time kinda never came. So last Thursday I said to myself, "Self, you need to draw more!"

My self replied, "Then let's draw!"

To make a long story short, that was the beginning of the Thorin drawing. (I bet I could have saved you a lot of time by just showing you the picture. Meh.)

Please excuse the crappy cell-phone-camera quality of this picture:

Thus it began. :D

And tonight I finally finished it!

After staring at it for hours there are parts that really annoy me. (Like one eye turning out bigger than the other one. *twitches*) I AM very happy with the hair, the metal handle thing, and his armor, though, so I guess those make up for the perceived 'iffy' bits.

I also think that this is the darkest drawing I've ever done. The page was curling like crazy towards the end what with all the pencil lead and pressure...hopefully some time pressed down in the book will be good for it.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (review)

  

Well. After a year of squealing, watching production videos, watching trailers, and working myself into a lather of fangirling, I finally saw The Desolation of Smaug. Because I'm a nit-picker, this review will mostly be concerned with details and rabbit trails of ranting.

And let me tell you, the ranting will be something to behold. But on with the review!

Snow

This morning it was rainy and around 40 degrees...now, there's a howling blizzard and we're expecting a low of 17 F tonight. *shivers* Observe:

The snow doesn't look deep, but only because the howling wind flings it away and into drifts. Living on the Midwestern plains has its benefits, but zero protection from the wind is not one of them. I was called in early to work today and stayed late so that the people who lived out of town could get home--the roads were horrible due to the ice and wind. So many people have gone off the road today, it isn't even funny. And my feet are little blocks of ice as well.

I leave you with that frigid image, and a punny thought:

Bilbo awoke to 'Don't Stop Believing'...it was an unexpected Journey.

*slaps knee*

Ahhh...that was awful. I'll go to bed now. You're welcome.

The Hobbit: A Review

GUYS. HAY U GAIZ.

I finally got to see The Hobbit tonight! I'm now sleep-deprived and exhausted but I HAVE to write something of a review because, well, that's what I do. However, being the sensitive person that I am I'll save the review for after the break, and if you haven't seen it yet and don't want to be disappointed in any way by 'spoilers' then don't read any further. Please and thank you.

Now, on to the review!

Job Applications

I don't know why they terrify me so much. Maybe I just don't like the thought of being rejected...from henceforth I'm going to make a conscious effort to go through with them even if I think I have no chance of getting the position. Which is most of the time...but I digress.

Tonight, on a whim, I filled out an application for a company that specializes in transcribing sermons. It's something I've wanted to do for a while, especially since I need practice while I'm doing the medical thing (and working at DQ isn't the greatest place to get typing practice, in case ya'll didn't know). And if I DO get considered or--wonder of wonders--HIRED, I can quit DQ and concentrate on gaining experience and finishing school. That needs to take precedence these days, and the longer I work at DQ the more I realize how much of a distraction it is from being focused.

It really isn't that bad--the worst part is how my schedule is so broken up that I have a hard time focusing when I'm home because I'm either thinking 'time to get ready for work' or 'I'm so tired from working all day'. It's a vicious cycle. But here's to maybe getting a different job! *crosses fingers*

I've also toyed with the idea of applying for a summer job next year, like at a kid's camp or on a dude ranch or something like that. I tried to get a job out West on a dude ranch when I was 18 and didn't get it, but maybe being 21 makes a person sound a little more competent. I think it'd be pretty cool to do something like that, anyway.

And ride across the country on horseback, and become a heavy weight lifter, and act in The Hobbit, and move to New Zealand (or Ireland or Wales or England or pastoral France)...I've got a lot of really big wishes and dreams, peeps. I just don't have the money or the strength to do all of them. XD

Oh! Oh! Speaking of The Hobbit, it comes out in 6 DAYS! 

*screams*

I am so freaking excited. You have NO idea. I even made a dwarf beard to wear to the movie! See?

I know my face is kinda derpy here. BUT BEARD.

I also found that it bears a slight, passing resemblance to Bifur. Observe:

Note that I said 'slight'. No hatchet in the forehead, for starters.... :p

Gah. So. Stinking. Excited.

Autumn Sunset

Got the resident great horned owl as he made his escape -- I saw him sitting in a tree next to the pasture, hooting away, and while running across said pasture to get a better picture he took off flying. So this was the only picture I got of him...oh well. There's always a next time.

The sunset was crazy a few nights ago. Just saying.

Don't believe me? This is without any tweaking at all:

And this is with a 75% layer of Soft Light in Photoshop, nothing else:

Just bumped the contrast a bit. It was pretty awesome to see. 

In other news, I finally got my sassafras. I may or may not have mentioned a deal I worked out with someone I know to trade cookies for sassafras...6 weeks later, he made good on his end of the deal. I'm currently sucking down sassafras and marshmallow tea in an attempt to soothe my sore throat. I don't know how well it's working, but it can't hurt and it tastes pretty good.

In regards to The Hobbit premiere, I pooped out at 10:15. There wasn't much going on and I can always get a recap later of the best bits (Andy Serkis running down the red carpet and high-fiving people was pretty funny). I'm thinking it's time to watch the extended Lord of the Rings in anticipation for The Hobbit. Maybe even toss in the commentaries? Yisssss....that sounds fantastic. I'll crochet dwarf beards and watch movies now that I don't have to do NaNo anymore.

Don't mock me. Crocheted dwarf beards are pretty cool.

 Mwahaha.

What I'm doing tonight....

I'm watching the world premiere for The Hobbit.

Live. 

Excuse me for a moment..... *screams into a pillow*

Would you believe me if I told you that I seriously considered spending all my life savings to fly to NZ specifically to go to the world premiere?

Then stuff happened, and I rethought the moment of insanity, and realizing that I could livestream the whole thing in the comfort of my home made me very glad that I didn't go.

Well....very glad that I didn't spend all that money and stuff. I'd still love to have gone, but it's crazy packed and there's security guards all along that red carpet. I think I even saw some mounted police on the back streets. O.o

And in 8 minutes they start the red carpet walk and interviews and such! Gah! Right now they're 22 minutes into some kind of a concert by Neil Finn, who did pop-sounding version of 'Far Away Over the Misty Mountains Cold'. Not too crazy about his version, but meh.

They're almost ready to start the red carpet walk! I may or may not check in later with my crazy bits of coverage. Mwahaha. :3

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

In other news my throat is killing me. Last week I was rather sick with a sore throat and it's reared its ugly head again.

Holy crap, there's 100,000 people at the premiere. O.o Red carpet walk is about to start! There's Peter Jackson! Gah!

I be back laters. :3

Hobbit Appreciation Day

Other known as Bilbo and Frodo's birthday. In honor of this day I tried to eat 6 meals (hobbits usually eat 6 square meals a day), but failed on meal #4. Oh well.

Traditionally hobbits eat:

Breakfast
Second breakfast

Elevensies

Luncheon

Afternoon tea

Dinner
Supper

And I took pictures of each meal in its turn.(Well...for the most part. I forgot to take pictures of first breakfast, but got some of second breakfast. And I have to leave at 10:30 AM for work, hence some of the meals got off schedule.)

First breakfast (sans picture) was eggs and bacon. Pretty simple.

Second breakfast was toast with nutritional yeast:

Don't judge the nutritional yeast.

Elevensies was half of a cinnamon-sugar pie crust (sort of like a homemade elephant ear):

Luncheon was apple/cheese/bacon pie (something I've wanted to make for ages):

The crust was rolled out rather thin, so the warm pie pieces were mangled something terrible while getting cut out of the pan. (On a side note, the pie was very....ah....salty. The recipe called for 1/4 cup of chicken bullion, and that was way too much. I'll halve it next time. Otherwise it was pretty delicious.)

And afternoon tea was marshmallow/mint tea with molasses cookies:

Now I don't eat much on a good day, and by this point I was stuffed. It didn't help that I've been sick with something for the past few days (coughing a lung up tends to dull one's appetite), so I eliminated dinner and supper. But it was a decent shot.

Can you all tell that I'm freakishly excited about and obsessed with Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit and suchness? :3

Next post: the apple/cheese/bacon pie experiment!

The Hobbit Trailer!

 *freaking out*

Click for trailer, because my website won't let me embed the right video

Every time I see information on videos, news, or anything related to the Hobbit movies I have a little (okay, a large) freakout moment. And it lasts a while.

Just know that I can't WAIT for this to come out. :3

Antiques?

I was going to post some pictures of antique treasures that I found a couple of weeks ago...but since I neglected to take any pictures of said treasures and my feet hurt too much to get up and take any pictures, you'll have to imagine what I got instead (with the assistance of Google images).

Item no. 1: a jar full of buttons. Imagine one of these, but full of little metal buttons instead of a colorful variety:

I'm an unabashed button freak. I just need to find a way to use them all.

Item no. 2, a pair of rather well-made spats. They're far too small (curse you, anorexic ankles of yesteryear!), but still look very cool. Mine are like these below--same style and color, but without the buckles:

Items no. 3 and 4, little square glass bottles. Each holds roughly an ounce, maybe a bit less. One has a cork and currently holds my attempt at perfume (essential oils splashed into some olive oil and glycerin). It smells good, but doesn't last for more than 15 minutes. Sigh.

And item no. 5, a little bottle of ink with a built-in inkwell. I'd never seen anything like it before:

Mine has the brand 'Skrip' on the lid, and is completely full of black ink. I have yet to try it out yet, but I'm sure it's still good for writing. And it's dang cool to boot.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

In other news, I'm off to see my brother's girlfriend tomorrow...she's going to cosmetology school and needs a model for hairstyling, washing, etc. I'm her lucky guinea pig. And it ought to be interesting. Her mom is picking me up at 6 tomorrow morning...hence more interesting (or just sleep deprivation).

Mom and I have been walking in the mornings since last Wednesday. There's a lady my mom used to work out with, and we've all fallen off the fitness wagon (as it were) so we're trying to get back into shape. For the past week we've been walking from 6 to 6:30 (that's AM, not PM *sobs*) and may start jogging this week. There's also some bike riding in there somewhere. And I DO enjoy it once I get moving...but it's been freakishly cold these past few days, coupled with it being very dark that early in the morning, and late nights, and it's just not that pleasant to begin with. Sigh. Maybe I'll get used to it. After a couple of years of 'sleeping in' til 7:30 or 8 it's been rough on the old sleeping pattern.

 Umm...what else...I've done a couple drawings for a Hobbit fanart contest, but I'm stuck for a bit between lack of time and agonizing over if they're good/not good/whatever. I'll post them eventually along with pleadings to vote for my drawings before they go up before the official judges. *gulps* So far I have one of Bilbo (on a HORSE!), and one of a random Goblin-town goblin. He's pretty mean-looking.

I'm not sure what else to talk about, so I'll leave off with a question: If you could request anything to be drawn from The Hobbit (creatures, characters, weapons, or places), what would it be? I'm debating doing the spider den (or just a couple of spiders by themselves) for a location...but I want to hear what you all would want to see. I can't guarantee anything, but inspiration is wonderfully welcome.