Heh

I won a contest! I won a MirrorMask contest! See. Here's the post I commented on in order to win (btw, The Mumpsimus is a good pace to go for commentary, reviews and other good things about SF).

MirrorMask

From Neil Gaiman:

. . . I got a note from the publicists at Sony asking me to stress that the first weekend's attendance will seriously affect what happens next. So if you are in a town that isn't showing it, and you want to see it, getting your friends who are in a town where it's showing to go and see it as soon as it's come out will increase the chances of it getting to you.

Therefore, I hereby command (or else very humbly beg) everyone I know who lives somewhere MirrorMask is playing to go see it as soon as possible. Even if you have no idea what MirrorMask is. You won't regret it.

Edit to add: The annoying thing is, even though the movie opens tomorrow, I don't actually know where it'll be playing because Cinema Clock only lists movies through today. Perhaps this is a good time to look for a new movie listings site . . .

They Got Architeuthis!

This is really cool: Japanese scientists have captured the first-ever photographs of a live giant squid! There have been a bunch of dead ones, but this one's swimming around in it's natural habitat. Sea monsters are cool! (Link via Gadgetopia.)

I Am . . . Captain Jack Sparrow!

Which Pirates of the Caribbean character are you?

Busy

Yeah, so I've been here three weeks and hardly blogged at all. I've had homework and work and er . . . the playing of video games, and . . .

Well, I've been busy. I will write a proper blog entry soon. There are lots of wonderful things to say about the city and the school.

Oh, yes, and Tropical Storm Ophelia made her way through these parts yesterday. We had a lot of rain and a bit of windyness. They had predicted a lot more wind and many, many blackouts. Alas, not a blackout in sight. Or out of sight. Or . . . you know what I mean. It was actually kind of disappointing.

Fathead and Smelly (and the Colour of Apples)

I went to the "New Student Orientation" at NSCAD today. What a very long, very dull day it was. Normally, I avoid orientation-type things, but NSCAD is such a small school, in such a strange building (well, buildings) that I thought it might be a good idea to attend the presentation and go on the tour. I won't go into all the boring details, but, though I did actually collect quite a bit of vital info, I feel like I was flattened by a steam locomotive. Or maybe several of them in a row. The AC wasn't working in the (very small) auditorium, and with all those people in there it was soon very hot and stuffy. And there was a large-headed man sitting in front of me, so I couldn't see any of the speakers unless I tilted my head at an awkward angle. And then a guy sat next to me who had a very strong . . . er . . . odour. I tried not to lean too far over towards the woman on my other side.

And then there was much standing in line, which I had to abandon in order to go on my tour (I actually considered blowing off the tour so I could get my student i.d. quicker). I think I would have enjoyed the tour a lot more if I hadn't already been worn out by boring speakers, stuffyness and heat. And standing in line. NSCAD is a truly bizarre and wonderful place, as a physical place. I won't try to describe it now, 'cause I'm actually really wiped (see locomotive note, above). And, as luck would have it, My Smelly ended up in the same tour group as me. And he kept standing next to me. Not being able to breathe made everything that much worse.

And after that, there was more standing in line, but not for as long and at the end of it, I had a shiny new i.d. (in the photo of which I look somewhat less dead than I felt). There was a small mixup when they thought I was Justin Sylvestre--um . . . I may have appeared to be something that recently crawled out of a shallow grave, but I'm fairly certain I didn't look like a boy. My t-shirt was on the snug side, and while I may not have huge boobs, they're kind of hard to miss. Not to mention I'm rather hippy (that is, I have sizable hips). Even baggy combat pants could not hide that.

But I wasn't going to go into all the boring details, was I? Oh well, too late. I survived, and I love the school's physical incarnation; now I just have to see how I fare in classes. We were told that NSCAD is very hard to get into, and very hard to stay in. And yet, they let me in. I'm still scratching my head over that, but not complaining.

So. Apples. Jerome Russell "apple green" hair dye is a colour I have never seen on any apple, but I rather like it. It's darker and quite a bit bluer that my old "spring green," and I think it's actually more striking. In a good way. And, incidentally, I am only the basest of amateur freaks compared to many of the people in my new school. There were a lot of very ordinary-looking people there, but then there were all sorts of interesting colours of hair, styles of dress and intensities of body adorment and modification. I think I shall like this place very much indeed.

Of Hair and Noses

But not hairy noses.

I went downtown on Friday, only to discover that the piercer had called in sick (they apparenty tried to call me to cancel), so I still have no extra nose holes. I have a new appointment for Thursday afternoon. I also stopped in at another tattoo place, one which I had seen highly reccommended online by quite a few people, and they gave me an estimate that was $150 dollars less than the first place. So I'll probably go back when I have things sorted out and am sure I'll have enough money for everything, and make an appointment to get that done. And maybe I'll see if they can touch up my celtic knot and my raven, too, sometime.

And as for hair, I asked a purple-haired girl in the comic shop where a good place to buy hair dye was, and she told me about a hairdresser's supply place (also open to the public). My green bits are looking pretty pale--like grass that's been under a board too long. I picked up some bleach (though I don't need more bleaching yet) and a jar of "apple green," which is a little less electric than the "spring green" I had before. Yes, I am metamorphosing into a freak. But I'm going to art school, and I'm a writer, so that's okay.

Connections

So yesterday I sent out emails with my new address to four people I hadn't connected with in ages (forgetting, of course, to send it to people I have seen recently--don't worry, I'll remember eventually . . . or you can get it from Sue). I was curious to see if any of these people would respond, but it's been so long I didn't want to assume I could just pick up the conversation as if no time had passed (this seems to happen to me a fair bit; this is why I am World's Worst Correspondent). Anyway, to my delight, there was a new email waiting for me this morning, from Heinz Insu Fenkl, who was the prof of the writing workshop/seminar I did in New Paltz, NY a few years ago, and a very fine writer (also a very good teacher). He said he keeps looking for my name on books on the YA racks. Erk. Now I feel vaguely guilty for not making a greater effort to send out those mss. Anyway, now I am happy. Well, happier, as I've been pretty happy in general since I got here, despite the airline and aiport crises, student loan hassle and all that.

Which Witch Hunter Robin Character Are You?

You are Amon! Prone to silence and not one to
smile easily, you never the less get the job
done.


Which Witch Hunter Robin Character Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

What Inuyasha Character are you?

Your Kagome! you like to hang out with your friends
and are always the first person to volunteer to
show a new student around, you are kind and
giving and enjoy having a occasional sleep-over
with the girls!


What Inuyasha Character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

More Email and Stuff

So, I got my work email working, and I'm now using webmail for shaw, so I should be able to get anything anyone sends me. We have a cable connection here now (for a couple of days now), though I'm not checking my mail as often as I used to. I'm getting caught up on work, but my stats pretty much sucked this past week.

What else? I'm wokring on Fey again, and might even have something to post by the time my computer arrives.

I've made an appointment for tomorrow afternoon to get my nostril pierced, and the tattoo I want will cost more than I was expecting, so I'll wait on that a while (it's gonna be cool though--a slightly modified version of the fairy on this page of Fey on my upper back.

I encountered a sale at an art supply store yesterday, when I was downtown doing bank stuff. How could I not go in? I managed to escape with only a handful of Letraset markers and a Moleskine notebook--this one with storyboards printed on the pages, for roughing out my comic. I'd seen a sample of this notebook in Paper-Ya in Vancouver and was going to buy one there, but they were sold out. So I was pleased.

I also found one of the local comic shops--Strange Adventures Comic Bookshop--where I picked up a few books, including an on-sale copy of the first volume of the 2001 Nights manga. They have a "free with purchase box" too, from which I snagged a hardcover copy of the last 2001 Nights. So now I need only the middle volume. I'd read the second and third books from the library a while ago and really liked them.

I had to break down and buy my next pair of Doc Martens new, since I've had no luck at Value Village. They look so pristine! I grabbed a few more bits and pieces at WalMart (which is between home and the bus stop), and have most of my for-school shopping done. Just need a little tv to play PS2 games on (very essential for de-stressing; nothing smooths away the cares of the day like fragging monsters), and a monitor for my Mac when it gets here. And maybe some sort of thing for holding toiletries. But anyway. I am settling in. Earplugs, I discovered, make even better snore-filters than pillows, so I slept more soundly last night (though I hadn't been seeping too badly, considering the upheaval).

Anyway. Once the Mac gets here, I'll put up some pics. I'm especially anxious to share photos of the boykittens, Poe-the-aptly-named and Sam-who-has-thumbs. And Queen-of-the-Universe Bast is actually getting along with them. More or less.

Email

I seem to be having some problems receiving my shawmail (and sending my work mail). So for now, please email me at nikosilvester at hotmail dot com (if you aren't already).

I Am Here

I'm writing this on a public access terminal at the Halifax Library, where I have just been trying to log onto the student loans site to re-print the form I need to send (because the other times I sent it, my printer apparently cut off the bottom of the form--if they'd told me that when they sent the letter saying I needed to send it, this would have been sorted out ages ago, but what the letter actually said was that they hadn't received it. Now, of course, I can't remember my username or password (and none of usual usernames seem to be the right one). And I can't recover that info, because I don't have my student loan number. Argh. If only I could just plug in my laptop, where password manager has all that for me (I tried to get it offline last night, but it won't even load the page). Anyway. I will ask Deva later how soon she can re-connect internet access at her (or rather, our) place. Then I can just plug in my laptop and do it from there (assuming she has a printer--if not, I guess I'll be going out Monday to buy a laser printer, which I wanted anyway).

So basically, it's one thing after another on this trip. Maybe it's some kind of test, to see how badly I really want this graphic design school thing. First one of my flights was an hour and a half late (this I discovered before I ever left Victoria, fortunately), and everything had to be rescheduled. I ended up flying Victoria-Calgary-Ottawa-Halifax instead of Victoria-Vancouver-Toronto-Halifax. I had to spend the night in the Ottawa airport which is, I must say, the least welcoming airport I've ever been in. And it was cold. And then I almost missed my flight to Halifax, because I had to check Bast in at the last minute (that's what they tell you to do) and the agent who had her tag was really busy trying to reschedule some family's flights and didn't get to me until it was nearly time for my plane to leave. I got to security as they were calling general boarding, but then they had to test my laptop. I zoomed off to my gate, only to discover that it was no longer my gate. There was no plane there. For a long, horrible moment, I thought that it left without me. Then I finally thought to check the monitor, and found out where my plane really was. I got there just as the agent was about to page me for final boarding. Phew! And now this student loan thing.

Oh well. I'll get through it. I've seen the NSCAD building (from the outside) and it's gorgeous. It's a pretty quick bus ride from home (no transfers). And speaking of home, Deva's place should have enough room for me--for now, anyway. Once I start getting more of my stuff, it could become very cramped very quickly. I'll just have to only get the essentials sent out. Really only two problems with the place and they are both things I can deal with. One is that Deva smokes (which I already knew) and the other is that Deva snores (and I discovered that a pillow over my head muffles the sound enough that it becomes almost like white noise, which then drowns out any other sounds that might wake me up). Anyway, I should be off. So far Halifax is lovely, despite all the annoying things. And despite the fact that I am still more than half asleep.

Also, I have located the piercing studio that I researched before I left, and if they are not busy, I'll probably get my nose pierced before heading home today. Then I must shop for assorted toiletries, extra litter box (so far Bast is dealing with the new place, and is even tolerating Deva's boy kittens as long as they keep their distance), and other necessities. There is a WalMart right close to the apartment--we walked across its parking lot to get to the bus stop (which is actually, conveniently, a bus terminal/exchange, so lots of buses go there). Right. I was going to log off.

I'm Off!

Or I will be in an hour and a half, heading downisland for the airport and a long, long day of flying (made longer by the fact that I had to stay up all night to finish everything that needed finishing). Ah, well. This time tomorrow I'll be in Halifax. Probably asleep.

Technophilia

I have to admit, I love technology. I don't know as much about how it all works as I'd like, but I adore cool stuff. In between packing boxes and organizing yesterday, I suddenly decided to import all my cds into iTunes on my Mac. I'll be playing them off the computer anyway, since I won't be taking my stereo when I move, so why not just store them on the harddrive? The actual cds will go in a box to be sent out much, much later. That means, then, that I won't need my discman (unless I decide to burn cds from iTunes). So then I started to think I should buy an MP3 player or iPod. An iPod makes most sense, in a way, since I have a Mac, and it uses the same audio format. On the other hand, a PSP can play music, games, movies, and display pictures and all kinds of stuff. But the music has to be in MP3 format (I think). I checked, though, and iTunes can import into MP3 format, too, or convert exisiting files. And there's a nifty bit of software from PocketMac that makes sync between Mac and PSP easy (and it's cheap). So this is all a very long way of saying that I spent most of the money I made on eBay selling my precious, precious toys to buy an even more precious, and very, very cool PSP. And a bigger memory card to put songs on. Yep. I love cool stuff. (Like I really needed another game system. I am a geek. Truly.)

ps I managed to close the Netscape window by accident, and said "argh, there goes my post!" (or something like that). But then I remembered something about Blogger I'd never tried--I calmly opened a new window, logged back in to Blogger, clicked on "create post" and then clicked an intriguing little link right above the text window that says "recover post." Lo and behold! it filled the box with the post I'd just typed but not saved. Only the title was missing. Did I mention that I like technology? (When it works, anyway.)

Makin' Stuff

So I spent the entire day yesterday, working on my piece for the new student Postcard Exhibition as NSCAD. Fortunately, I knew what I wanted to do, and aready had some sketches to use. I made a . . . i never did figure out what the proper term for it is . You know those pictures in pop-up books that you pull the tab and the overlapping bits slide and a new picture slides into pace over the old one? Anyway, I made one of those. The top picture is a more-or-less realistic white raven holding a fountain pen surrounded by the text (in a sort of messy, hand-drawn old-stye serifed font--I don't know the name of the actual font I copied, I'll have to look it up someday) "Quoth the Raven." Then you pull the tab (which instead of saying "pull" has a raven footprint on it), and the second picture has a very stylized, Celtic-y black raven holding a quill pen (and it has its beak open), and has the text "Nevermore!" around it in a warped sort of Celtic calligraphy hand. The border of the whole thing is a grey background with what look like abstract red shapes, but which are bits of the word "tap" (as in "tap tap tapping at my chamber door") zoomed in close (in something resembling a Celtic half-uncial script).

I think the NSCAD student union keeps all the pieces after, but I scanned it at pretty much every step (except the finished piece, alas). My intent is to make a few of them to send out to people, since I never got around to a holiday chapbook this year. But I need to work on the engineering a bit more, because the original tends to stick a little bit. Anyway.

If, by some chance, you happen to be in Halifax on the 9th of September (it's a Friday), you can go see the show in the evening. The info I have doesn't specify a time (it just says "evening"), or even a place (presumably somewhere on the NSCAD campus, maybe even the Anna Leonowens gallery).

Probably no one I know will get to see it (except Deva and Ryan, of course, who live in Halifax), but it'd be cool.

Friday Things

Er, yeah, haven't been posting much. Very busy getting ready to move and all.

1. Got my hair cut. It's now quite short. About jaw length. It's been shorter, but I keep startling myself when I walk by the mirror. I don't look quite the same, but I like it.

2. Today's Fey might be the last for a little while. It's the last I have done, and I don't know how long it'll be before I have time to do more and get my computer delivered and set up and all that. I'll try to get a few sketches and filler bits up before I go, but don't be alarmed if there's a hiatus.

3. And speaking of Fey, the latest page is here. And I'm going to try the Blogger photo thing and put it up right here (but don't click on the image if you want to go to the actual Fey page; use the link above for that).



Oh, yeah, and I did notice that I forgot to put the page number on. I'll fix it later.

Birds!

I've been meaning to post these for a while . . .

Here's the arctic tern photo I was going to enter in the Animal Planet contest, but it was too blurry. Imagine what a cool photo this would be if it had turned out.



And here's one that came out better. Except I forgot to enter the contest. Sigh.



Both of those were from when I went to do archaeology in the arctic, in the summer of 1995. Wow, that was a long time ago. Here's something more recent:



I took that when I went out for an afternoon walk the day after my birthday, using my brand-new digital camera. Much as I love my manual-everything SLR, it's big and heavy and I'd never even have thought to take it along. The digital is teeny, and I happened to have stuck it in my pocket.

Here's another owl from earlier this month:



We often hear owls around here, but we rarely see them.

Friday Again!

These weeks are going by waaay too fast!

And here is page 48 of Fey. (Yes, sorry, more gargoyles. We're almost done with gargoyles for now.)

Now, I have to walk down to get the mail, and get back to packing. It looks like a war zone in here (without the dead bodies, I'm happy to say), but things are getting done.

I Dislike . . .

. . . seeing my own books on the shelves of used bookstores (well, books that used to be mine). It makes me unhappy, like I've betrayed them somehow, by casting them aside, unwanted. Silly, yes. I tried not to look at the shelves and the stacks of unprocessed books when I went into Ulla's Bookshop today to pick up a cheque for the books I traded in. I especially hate seeing my old books there when I'm taking money for them. It's not so bad when I get credit and take home new books to replace them.