Huzzah for finally doing something I've been wanting to do for >3 years. Blender is a 3d imaging program (does animation and games too) that I've been intimidated and frustrated by for so long. Now I'm finally trying to dedicate myself to learning it.

Anyways, the images.

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/61183422/ First attempt at making a sword.

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/61183760/ Same image after extensive smoothing.

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/61238537/ First image after smoothing the right way.

You will notice the distinct lack of color/texture/background. I haven't progressed quite that far yet. If you know anything about blender (or 3d imaging in general) I'd appreciate tips/hints/tricks for how to spruce up these images, and add the listed things that are missing.

After much frustrations viewing a tutorial image file, I've finally figured out how to make my first texture: glass. Holy hell there are a lot of things you have to go to get it to come out remotely right.

I love Transformers. Go watch it, you will not be sorry.

I know it seems like it would be a silly juvenile movie, but it really has a good story line, good character development, and explosions!

Pictures of the day, a few extra to make up for the weekend.

Nyx by ~Swaroop. It's not a photograph.

Crooked Forest by *crazymonkey-christy. I like the shadows.

Lounging Elk by =CrazyMonkey-Ben. Because I've never seen Elk before.

Royal Green by ~antipex. Kind of Middle-Earth-ish.

Some pictures that I took a couple of years ago. These are the ones I would have submitted to the photography contest, had I been able to meet the deadline. I guess I can try again for next year. *grump grump*

Ferris Wheel

Magnolia

Mostly I am writing in here so that I can avoid doing other things. I feel like I have been on the back slide the past few days/weeks. Everything seems to involve some sort of struggle that I don't really have the energy to deal with right now.

The insurance thing is resolved now I think. It has to be wrong though, because I've gotten many summaries in the mail, and none of the numbers correspond. This worries me, but husband said to leave it alone. I won't be comfortable until we get a new agent, which husband says we shouldn't do. I want to change, but I can't allow myself to take on the responsibility of the switch going wrong again, because I will never live it down.

I checked on the local university's website for grad school. They are no longer accepting students for degrees in applied math, and their "regular" math page is broken. I feel like I have sealed my fate on this one. I didn't really want to go anyways, but now I've disappointed everyone, including, apparently, my grandmother who just this week wrote me to say I need to go back to school so that I can become a teacher.

Name change has caused another huge fight. I have been rather resistant because I cannot figure out how I want to do it. I cannot find any useful information online. I don't want to have to go down there (especially in inclement weather) and ask my questions and then be forced to make a decision in a rush. I like being able to think things through, especially the important things like, for example, what my name will be from now on... I guess husband doesn't really realize what a Big Deal this is. Plus I think he thinks that I mislead him because I told him I would take his name. But if he would remember properly I told him all along that I would like to have both names.

I feel kind of bad for ragging on him, considering it's like our two month marriage anniversary. We were going to try to do something nice for dinner tonight and whatever. But I know he's going to ask me if I did it today when he gets home. It's getting ready to thunderstorm to all hell, I just don't feel like going out in it for a major defeat at the SS office. Maybe they have a phone number some where.

Does any one know how to bring back the tool options to the lower half of the gimp window? I some how disappeared them and I can't find the way to bring them back. As the world's worst googler, I haven't been able to find a website for this.

Pictures of the Day

golden globe by ~cansrox

Backlit Deer by =CrazyMonkey-Ben

Yucca on the plain by *crazymonkey-christy

What is the actual real legal difference between having two middle names and two last names (not hypenated). I'd really like to be mrs. queen ofthe 1ring srwalter. Obviously we all know you only have the option for 1 middle initial. Secondly, I'd like to be able to legally be queen ofthe 1ring, as well as queen srwalter. Although, since I'm not really sure what "legally" means in this case...

Ok, ignore the ramblings. What is the difference between having two middle names and two last names. The only things I can find are on baby forums where people give their children many names on the birth cert only (not on ss card) or a marriage site where it seems like no one particularly cares about the legality of doing what they want to. I am planning a much belated trip to the SS office this week to finally start the process of changing my name.

Yeah, I suck at remembering to journal. Since I missed a couple of days, I will put a few extras on this one.

Through the Arch by ~antipex

Golden by ~antipex

pomegranate 1 by *Sadiya. It is grossly medical looking to me.

Snow Flake Across a Gap and Snowflake 1 by =CrazyMonkey-Ben. Merely because I am jealous.

For the past several weeks I have had a good deal of trouble with my internet. At first it was something in the way the information was being routed through husbands computer to mine, which husband says should be all fixed now.

Inexplicably my internet will go out randomly. Usually this can be fixed by yanking the ethernet cord out, and replugging it. Occasionally husband has to do something using the scary terminal and magic words. He says my network card is bad. I'm not entirely convinced, but since he says there is an extra one lying around somewhere, I will reserve judgement until it has been tried out. Hopefully it will solve the problem. Until then, I have lovely bruises on my knees from where I keep my tower sideways so I can reach the cord.

Pictures of the day:

Liberty Red White And Blue by *dpakoh

The Moon III by =CrazyMonkey-Ben

I got bored a few minutes ago, so I went on a bit of a link fest. So after attempting to read the journal of this girl I went to highschool with, I found this link for a Harry Potter spoiler of doom.

The one I got was pretty stupid: Draco Malfoy goes on a hot date with Draco Malfoy using the Whomping Willow. Oh, this one is better: Draco Malfoy is killed by the zombie Albus Dumbledore in Diagon Alley. Anyways, enjoy.

While I'm on the subject of Harry Potter, I think the latest movie looks better than the book it is derived from. Prisoner of Azkaban was my favorite book, and I think series kind of went down hill from there. I hope the last book is more satisfying than the others have been. And I'm of the opinion that Harry Potter should die in the end.

Also, I have way too many saved arts in my dA inbox, so I'm going to attempt to post one or two per day until it is empty again.

my stars by cansrox.

Windy Day by antipex.

As I was packing today for my and husband's trip back to p-town, I remembered the photo contest. I entered last year, but both entries were rejected. This year I had decided to enter the photos I had wanted to enter last year but other people had talked me out of. I had them printed and framed when my parentals came up some weeks ago, but I hadn't titled them yet and held on to them instead of sending them back with the parentals.

I guess that was a mistake though, because the deadline was apparently today, and I will not be there in time. Oh well, I probably would not have won anyways. I'm still quite disappointed about it though. I really liked my selections.

Additionally I found a rebate form, that apparently had to be postmarked July 2. And a big stack of other mail that I thought I had sent out last week, but apparently not. Fortunately there were no bills in that stack...

I have been very forgetful lately. And the things I do remember I have to do, I don't do because they are stressful. Hopefully this trip will not be stressful.

Well, as of Saturday June 30, my insurance is in theory finally sorted out. The process started on June 5. I don't know if I mentioned before, but after setting up husbands insurance, we received a bill in the mail for an additional $70 charge that was not very well explained in their mailer. Today, that amount has gone up to $130, again, without much explaination. So I get to call my jackass agent again and fight the office twits so I can talk to the head twit to explain why I keep getting more and more bills for higher and higher amounts sans explaination.

And I get to wait for my wrong bill to show up in the mail as well. Sure you may think that it is pessimistic to assume the bill will be wrong, but look at all the troubles I've already had with this office. I want to change agents really bad, but husband says that I have to wait until we move or whatever. Whatever.

Given up on house. Finally things were somewhat straightened out this weekend. I don't want to talk about the 4 hour trip we spent for houses for his mom on date night. But it bothered me. Really bad. Anyways, he finally emailed our realtor to tell her to stop looking at houses. I don't know why it took him so long, since he told me like 2 weeks ago that he was refusing to look at any more houses. Part of that mixed signal thing. But now I can throw away all my house magazines. That makes me sad. I know we could get something nice now, and not be pitching $600 on rent for another year. Hopefully we'll be able to actually get a place, although the current landlord has approved us for going month to month, I don't want to have to stay here any longer.

Photo book came out about like I expected. Made new version to order with my other free coupon. When claiming said coupon I realized that it was for a different size/style photobook. So I get to do the whole thing all over again. Fortunately I have all of July to do so, I had thought that the coupon expired at the end of June, so when I claimed it on the date I thought it expired, I got lucky actually.

Health is marginal. On top of all prior and continuing problems, I am now dysfunctional in a way that I didn't know that 22 year old women could be. I am somewhat afraid to go to the doctors because I am not sure our insurance will cover all of the visits (only "preventative care" is fully covered). Actually it is something that has happened before, so I think it is just kind of like a "mood swing" that will auto correct.

I am lonely. That is why I write. I wish that certain things in the past had not happened, so that I would feel more comfortable writing here.

Well, I didn't have very good luck with the Citibank. Which I think should have tipped me off to my bad credit card karma.

I opened a JCPenney charge account to get a discount on some merchandise I was buying a few months back. Which I paid off with out a hitch. I bought something else there about a month back, got the bill in the mail at my parents house. I changed the address information, enclosed my check, and mailed off.

I got another bill in the mail today, at the changed address. Saying that I now owe fees since I did not pay my previous balance. Obviously they got it, since they were able to change the address, which was on the back of the bill enclosure. Obviously I don't want to pay their late fees either, especially since this is obviously not my fault. Now I am paranoid and am searching the area frantically to see if I some how did not enclose my check. I'm pretty certain I did though.

Now what do I do? Looks like I will have many more phone battles...

The housing hunt is not going well. So far the houses in our price range are kind of disappointing. The problem being that we don't have enough cash available. And we don't want to have to pay a bunch of extra fees to buy a house that is out of our range. Apartment search is not much better, since all of the places that are not rundown, or in the student slums, or both, are kind of pricey and have waiting lists. Lease here is up in July, and I really don't want to stay here any longer than I have to...

First party's interest in second party = 1. Second party's interest in first party = 0. Communication = 0. Now what?

I am feeling quite jealous. Another girl we went to highschool with got married and her pictures turned out better. And not just because she had a better photographer. And Rachel got married the week after that. People actually showed up to hers, and it was in another state. And she had 3 bridal showers. And I don't think she's a very good friend, but people apparently like her better anyways.

I guess that's enough "complaining" for one day.

PS: I hate the insurance agent I'm dealing with here, it isn't important to husband. Sought third party help. And I don't know what to do about changing my name, it is important to husband. Need to seek third party help.

"No such thing as a free photo book."

Oh tricksey David's Bridal and Shutterfly. Sending me a free photo book for purchasing an expensive dress. Thinking I was getting a deal, I have spent the better part of a week editting and agonizing. But I will finish today. Because I'm pretty sure I will develop an ulcer if I don't.

The funny thing is that at walmart, for the same price as the 20 page 8x8 book I am working on originally costs (I had better get it for free) I could get a 34 page 8.5x11 book. So if I want additional copies that I cannot get for free, I will likely just redo the whole thing on walmart, and get an additional ulcer.

Things I have learned: Have photographer shoot digital, my hp scanner (while better than the dell I used to have) cannot do the quality I need, people eventually agree with me even though they will tell me I'm wrong up until I make them sit and look at the proof.

I got the photos back on monday. Parentals brought them up when they visited. I guess I like the idea of the photos better than the photos themselves. She did give us a CD with all the photos on it, but they are of such poor quality as to be nearly useless.

So today I started going through all the photos one by one, and scanning the ones that I think are the best. And then editting them myself. Photographer didn't do anything to prevent glare from glasses from appearing in the photos, so I am having to remove it. It is hard to reconstruct eyeballs.

I think I am doing a pretty good job, considering I have never done anything this complicated (or important) before. When I finish editting them I'll send them to my mom to see if they pass the test.

I would just scan the negatives, which would probably be better for high quality images, but my scanner has a max resolution of 600 dpi, so the pictures would be tiny.

I am slowly collecting photos that other people took at the wedding. If you were to pick a random photo by someone else, and compare it to a random photo the photographer took, the someone else photo would probably be better. *sigh*

The outdoor photography is nice though.

It is frustrating to find stories like these: http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/06/02/1339206 on the front page.

Come on slashdot, aren't we beyond pseudo-science yet? I can only hope that the story, and it's linked article, are some kind of joke.

To prove your story wrong, I give myself as an example: I have a shorter ring finger than index finger, I am a girl, and I excel at math, and have sucktacular verbal skills.

I was the second one up (first being bro, on account of his having to go to school that day) so I had one of the pastry things my mom had bought. In hindsight I should have had something more substantial than that, but I was expecting I'd be able to eat again that day.

Bro went off to school with strict orders from mom to leave early, whether the school was going to allow him to or not. Dad and Uncle left to run some last minute errands (including getting my glasses fixed). Mom and I headed off to make arrangements for the other relatives coming in, and to get my hair done.

Hair was the major crisis of the day. That was my 3rd hairdresser, which I may or may not have mentioned before. But anyways, had a tentative appointment (where they don't really do appointments) for 10:15. That was a much later time to begin with than I had wanted, considering I was supposed to be at the church all ready to go by noon. I got there at 10, just after some woman who wanted a haircut, so I had to wait.

The lady finished that woman's hair at !0:10, cleans up her workstation. And then goes into the backroom until like 10:30. My mom got there just after I was getting in the chair, and was not pleased. We told her she had to be done by 11:30, so at 11 I was still sitting there in curlers. To make things worse, she ripped out what she did the first time and started all over. We didn't leave there until 10 before noon.

Fortunately husband was actually there early and ready, so when the photographer showed up a few minutes late she had something to do while I got ready. Not enough to do though because she busted into the bathroom as I was trying to step into my dress and would not leave without taking pictures of my ass. I yelled at her but the bitch would not go.

The photography went fine, and we finished quite earlier than I expected. I sat in the bathroom with MoH, while random guest filed in to say hello and whatnot. When I went to put on my necklace, the chain broke. At that point I told them to just throw it away, because I didn't care. They fixed it anyways though. MoH (a much experienced bridesmaid) told me I was the calmest bride she had ever worked with. I was outwardly calm anyways. Actually I was pretty calm that day.

Ceremony went fine, with no repeating of the vows, thankfully. The vows were really long anyways, so I probably would have gotten frustrated and said "I do, now let's get on with it" if I had to repeat them all. We did a receiving line by accident, even though I didn't want to, because I couldn't drag husband very far from the chapel door.

It's kind of surprising how much the reception is not about you. You want it to be about you for ego's sake, but really, once you've cut the cake and sit down, people pretty much ignore you. Mom's "secret family recipe" blue punch went over quite well.

After we finished eating our cake, husband and I trolled around and said hello to everyone. I got too many compliments, it made me uncomfortable. His mom asked to see our rings, and said in an obviously strained smile "they're very pretty" so I guess no forgive/forget there. She also didn't even say hi or hug me during our accidental receiving line. My parents hugged husband. I'm getting the impression that my in-laws don't really like me all that much, especially from what husband told me about the rehersal dinner.

Anywhoo, about a half hour later, we escaped with the photographer to this little historical park thing for more pictures. Sadly, the whole point of me wanting outdoor pictures was for the flowers. Most of the places she posed us had no flowers, and one had this very unattractive dead looking vine thing. I ended up being very underwhelmed by the photographer, but I am hoping the pictures come out ok. She didn't do the usual hand photo to show the rings off or anything, so I guess I will have to figure out how to get my camera to do that one myself.

While we were getting out pictures made outdoors, husbands friends all came over and maimed his car. At about 5pm, I was finally able to eat again, having not eaten since about 7:30am. Needless to say it was long overdue. Now I understand why MoH was so upset with me when I told her I hadn't had time for lunch.

But anyways, yay it's over! And I guess I don't have to hate husband after all for making me do it. I still would have preferred the eloping though.