I came home and rolled into bed for a well-deserved nap, before, what I'd hoped was going to be a couple of hours on the MUD, and woke up an hour and a half later with a migraine. Grr. It was a sort I'd never had before, something like half of a hairband stretching over the left part of my head. Unpleasant. Maxalt saved the day, though, quite superbly. In the end, I got something like over fourteen hours of sleep, so I'll probably be able to stay really late at school tonight. Yay?

I can't believe I agreed to go dancing with Ryan on Wednesday night after school ends. I can't believe I'll be able to stand, let alone salsa ! Hopefully Rick won't be jealous. I haven't gone dancing in ages, and salsa is fun, and Ryan knows what he's doing, sort of, and... well, FIVE BUCKS. You can't beat that. I think I'll invite Rick over on Saturday night after D&D, which I am still unsure as to whether or not I'll be attending.

Correction. I just this moment read my email. It seems Ryan has decided to cancel D&D. After all the shite that has gone on, I'm not surprised, but you know, especially after all this shite, it's really poopy to cancel. Oh well, I guess I'll spend the eve with Rick. Okay. And I'll start thinking of the campaign I'll run for the gang.

I think I'll head into school around 4 today and stay to midnight or so. First I'm going to zip over to Fluevog and see about spending my 200$ gift certificate. Whee ! Shoes fix everything. I'm not sure why, but they really do. Shoes are super good, handy (footy?), and important. And in the case of Fluevog, stylish. It's the only namebrand that I actually seek out and buy on purpose. I used to be like that with Docs, but they just lack so much in quality now, that it's not worth the money.

My cat is crazy, I have to go.

Wow, I'm beat. I came to school around noon, which is not long ago, and I've already eaten my lunch. Bad me. Anyway, I'm going to finish up Alloisius' hands today. It occured to me, just a moment ago, that I should have set his eyes to follow a locator. It would have saved a lot of time, but I guess it's okay. They look nice the way I've done them.

Anyway, I don't think I'm going to stay as late as I thought I would. I think I'll stay long enough to finish his fingers and do a rough render of the scene to see how it looks. I've never actually rendered anything, except that time back in, er, September or early October, when Nick showed me how to render my solar system. That was a while ago.

On another note, it looks like the names are up for the TAs. I don't notice mine on the list, which totally stinks, but then, for most of this course, I've seemed confused and frustrated. 'Getting it in the end' wasn't what they were looking for, I suppose, and I'm not surprised; disappointed, maybe. I had hoped to get it, because it would at least be work in the field I'm hoping to break into, and now I really do have to apply for government internships in areas I'm less interested in and ultimately less helpful for my being a concept artist. I'll see about entry level positions at companies hither and thither, but, well, I could really have used a little more time in the classroom and TAing would have been perfect.

Sometimes it doesn't hurt to have a little humility. Sometimes it's important to tell the truth. Sometimes it's necessary to appologise.

I hate it when my friends fight. It makes me feel uncomfortable and that's not a feeling I like to associate with my friends. I occasionally feel that my social life is - well, not a soap opera. It's more like a bad teenage sitcom episode or romantic pulp story. Mostly, I just try to keep out of it. This time I couldn't, because I don't like it when people cry. When people cry, they are hurting. And friends hurting friends is to be frowned upon at all costs.

When Good Friend A tells me that Good Friend B did something bad to them, I feel caught. In conversation with Good Friends C and D, I make the decision that it's important for me to speak to B on behalf of A. I opted not to talk at length, and I kept it light. I don't know if B will appologise to A, maybe they feel that A is no longer part of their life, or at least not worth treating with respect. That certainly makes me question how much I want B to be in my life (which is a lot to question since I consider B to be one of my closest friends. Ever.). Anyway, A was mistreated, and should get an appology. Even if B cuts A right out afterward, A still deserves a little respect for the support and love given B in the past. The truth is, if B had just been honest with a couple of people instead of trying to keep things smooth and separated (like the stories about a guy taking two dates to the prom - one that he wants to shag, the other cause she's his friend) none of this would have had to happen. It's okay to do the wrong thing sometimes. It's okay to fight with people. It's not okay to take no responsibility for ones actions or words.

B was my friend first, and I love them dearly. A warmed up to me a little slower but I love them no less than B. It's like divorce on a smaller scale, or something. If B doesn't appologise, the world won't end. Maybe they should have stopped talking months ago. Maybe this is healthy. But for now, it's nasty and it's petty and it hurts more than just them. There's a whole group of us who have to watch the blood-letting. And it hurts us, too.

Anyway, on a happier note, today Mom was awarded with an Amethyst award, along with the rest of the MNR team that helped negotiate a fishing agreement with to native bands up on Georgian Bay. It was a bloody miracle when it was settled, after twelve long years and many road-blocks. It was wonderful to see her work (many tears, smiles and nerf bats later) recognised, especially with her so close to retirement. It's as though after all this time, she's being told that all her effort and time really HAS been worth it. What is sad is the number of people that were part of the negotiations over the twelve years who are no longer part of the government; they get no recognition. I had to take many photos of the whole thing, of course, and so I did with two cameras around my neck. Mom looked so happy. So pleased. And I am pleased as well... GO MOM !

I got followed around my her colleague's son, Max. Max loves me. I pushed all his seven-year-old love buttons I guess, what with my knowledge of dinosaurs and knights and our mutual love of sea food. He's a cute kid. I know, I know, I'm not supposed to love kids, but this one is pretty neat. I'm quite happy to spend an hour or two with a kid, so long as I can give them back when I'm done. He gave me a picture he drew. It's apparently no one special, but it's a pair of guys, one with what looks like a noose around his neck (I hope not, but kids do draw some weird shit) and the other I can only presume is a superheor in his fancy green pants and purple cape. His father said, "He gave you the picuture? He didn't try to sell it to you? He must love you !" Cool.

Hah !

It is all about the hip wiggle ! Alloisius is alive ! ALIVE !

Nick's still here because he's an angel, though mostly he hasn't had to troubleshoot much tonight.

Mom gets her Amethyst Award tomorrow and this is wonderful. I fear I'm going to be an exhausted wreck for it though.

Goodnight - I'm off to do A's hands.

Too many cookies today ! Arg ! There's a huge tin of assorted cookies, some with chocolate, some without. Membership Services will make me fat. I can't stay away, they're so tasty.

I discovered that one of my video tapes is missing. Apparently, in the last year, I let someone borrow (because I don't want to think any of my friends steal) my nearly new reissue of 'The Dark Crystal'. Anyway, it's certainly not on my shelf, nor anywhere else. If you have it, please give it back.

Things went pretty well with Nick last night. We sorted out a number of the difficulties I'd been having and we cut some corners to improve the model's movement. Sure, it meant that Alloisius' secondary right arm became directly constrained to the pole vector, but who cares if it works now, right? I've got about 550 frames of basic animation done, and it's only getting easier. I should be able to finish that tonight and then tomorrow I'll spend the day adjusting things. Nick's coming over again tonight to help, and tomorrow when he's done work, too. We'll set up camera animation tomorrow, which will go a long way to hiding some of the wackiness of the animation.

So, a decision has been made about my living arrangements. Many thanks for all those who offered me places to stay, but for the month of February I'll be living with Al & Carrie up at Bayview and the 401. It's a little far. From everything. I know the area well, though, since a number of my friends in highschool lived up there. Nice area, too, if you don't mind the lack of anything much to do. I don't plan to stay there too long, because Nick's place is for sale so we're going to look for a place together.

Anyway, yay for Al & Carrie. And, we'll have matching cats. I'm not sure if this is a bonus, but they have Pepper, a brown tiger cat and I've got Willi, a brown tabby cat. Wacky.

I found, while surfing the web on my break, a very good site on mask making. I'm starting to think about it for Sandra and John's upcoming masquerade wedding. Hey neat ! I'm going as a black dragon, but it's going to be a bitch to make. I'd rather make it and use it for my portfolio rather than find a leather mask made by someone else. I bet it's going to be a lot more difficult than I think, but it would be a good way to try different creative avenues. Lord knows, since I'm trying to get into film and/or games, the more creative successes, the better.

Ryan tells me, "Don't fly today." I wasn't planning too, and the weather is abysmal, but he's referring to a spectacular dream that he had. Unfortunately, I can relate it to my final project which is not going as planned - not flying at all. Yesterday I couldn't make the keyframes stick and today they're sticking but there is no playback. Alloisius' position never changes. Nick is presently on his way to my house in order to try to help me figure out what the hell is the matter. I have two days to make Alloisius dance and it's not looking good. I think, if we figure out how to make the animation work, I'll probably have to do some creative corner-cutting.

Anyway, returning to Ryan's dream, this is a slightly edited version of an icq conversation we had only minutes ago.

RYAN: I had this series of bizarre dreams. First I was at the wedding of my friend Maria in this elaborate tower miles above the earth. Then you & I left to start our new jobs in the airforce.

RYAN: They let us fly a sortie when we first got there and we were attacked by two bad guys in green jets. We were given orders to back off and I hit the deck but you went supersonic to get away.

ME: oh. Trust me not to do what I'm told.

RYAN: Then I watched as two more baddies cut you off and then I lost sight of you in a cloud. Then there was an explosion and I was sure you had been destroyed. Later, the enemy released footage of your rolling to avoid their fire but we were too inexperienced and you got blown up by like four missiles. Then I went into the woods to see if you had parachuted out.

ME: Wow. That's the coolest dream anyone's had about me (and told me about) in months !
Mind if I publish that in my weblog?

RYAN: All yours. Although it was quite a bit more detailed than that. This is what I get when I allow myself to wake up without the alarm clock for the first time in months.

RYAN: The images looking down from the tower were quite fantastic. Lots of weird gadgets not unlike my dungeon.

ME: cool.
I want a big tower.
Except heights scare me.

RYAN: This was big. Like looking down from space big. Lots of dark blue, shadow, and white hues. The air combat was really intense. Flying dreams are some of the most intense you can have.

RYAN: It definitely took a lot from our conversation on the phone last night plus this program on jets I watched. Oh - there was also a part where I had to go and tell your mom that you had been shot down and I couldn't do it.

ME: Oh. Wow. That's really frightening.


I don't know what it means, if anything, but that last bit about not being able to tell my mother is distressing. Anyway, I'm not flying today, but hopefully Nick will be able to get my animation off the ground.

As for people who are flying, David and Jeannie have left for Africa, or will be at some point today. They are, of course, the couple that were wed on Friday in a lovely, simple, secular ceremony. The affair was held at Enoch Turner Schoolhouse and it was wonderful. Seeing all the old friends of the family was great fun, especially seeing David's friend Rob for the first time in a very long time. The service was written by the couple and it was beautiful, stressing that they are both a pair and individuals. The justice of the peace beamed through the whole thing, as did I. Then there was food (good food, almost amazingly since wedding food isn't often delicious), and much drinking and toasting. The DJ was very good, though a disc nazi not allowing me to look through her music, and she played it really loud so that it chased all the over-40s out of the room. But she played Hindi music too, and taught us all how to dance to it, which was a bit of a cultural experiment that didn't entirely work, but it was fun.

It was wonderful. I'm so very pleased that David found the perfect person in Jeannie, and she really is perfect for him. I wish them luck and love for the rest of their lives.