It's been a while since I last posted, so I felt I should update quickly before diving into my Creative Writing revisions for my chapbook (which is due on Tuesday).

I'm registered for my classes - finally. Thankfully, none of them was completely full, so I got all the classes I wanted. Here's the thing: each of them is a night class. Four night classes, four days: Monday through Thursday. It's going to be expensive on gas again, but I think I'll enjoy my classes. They are Illustration on Monday; Lighting & Texture I on Tuesday, with Grace; Storyboard on Wednesday; and Biomechanics on Thursday, also with Grace. Each class runs from 6:00-9:45 PM.

After class yesterday, I came home, got Draco's heat lamp set up for him, took a shower, fed Draco some dandelion leaves, and then took him to The UPS Store in Oregon City, by the Fred Meyer I frequently shop at. He was completely calm on the ride there in his little plastic storage container; Uncle Larry had drilled holes in the lid for ventilation. Draco took it all in stride and simply looked around at things from inside his box. I'd lined it with a towel to make it soft and more comfortable for him.

When I brought Draco inside the store and said I needed to have a pet mailed, a young girl - probably around Maddie's age or slightly older - saw him and said, "Whoooooa!" Two sisters working at the store were stunned with his size and kept complimenting how beautiful he is. An older woman, whom I'd spoken with over the phone last week, was also impressed with Draco. She called her uppers to confirm that they could mail Draco; small reptiles are really the only pets that can be mailed via UPS. Draco was just as calm in the store and I kept stroking his head and back and offered to let the sisters pet him, too. Their brother recently got a baby bearded dragon, and I had fun answering all of their questions about Draco.

Draco's clear box was set inside a slightly larger cardboard box filled with packing peanuts (they're breathable) and punched with holes. The total cost was... a lot: $115. This is due mostly to Draco's Saturday delivery to Mom and Dad's. The price I had initially been told was $65; Dad had been told $40. Whenever I mail Draco back up here (I may have him stay with Mom and Dad for my summer term, but I'm not certain yet), I'm going to mail him on a weekday.

But hey, it's my money and Draco is worth it. <3

Dad got a new, used terrarium for Draco and filled it with red Calci-Sand. Beardies test their surroundings by licking: this sand will supplement his calcium intake. Dad also got a giant hissing cockroach for Draco to eat; at the pet store he went to, an employee told him that they're highly nutritious for beardies. Draco chomped its rear off and then finished it off with huge bites. Mom and Dad watched him and Dad was yelling delightedly as Mom gagged. XD

I talked for a while with Grandma and Grandpa yesterday. I let them know that I'm taking good care of the Park Avenue. Grandpa is so funny: he still wants to take the Park Avenue back and give me the 2008 Buick Lucerne. Aunt Pam said "[That car] is too sporty for old people." The back window is difficult to see out of.

I love my Park Avenue. I thanked them again for the car.

Grandma and Grandpa are going to visit during the last week I'm home, and then they're going to come up to Oregon to see Katelynn. I can't wait to see them again!

Well, enough is enough. I'll try to get photos up of recent artwork when I'm off.

Also, I have decided that I am going to keep all of my Brainsick work OFF of deviantART. I may even keep my art off, period (or just post school work?), but stay to keep in touch with friends. After reading about a friend's wrongful banning from the site (even though she was going to leave anyway) and the "artwork" she found, I feel all the more disgusted with that site. It's been going downhill for a long time. I admit it would be hard for me to leave entirely, simply because I do have several friends I want to keep talking with there.

It's not just what happened to my friend on dA that makes me want to keep Brainsick (at the very least) off of dA; Lee began Quick Sketch on Thursday with a fantastic discussion on copyright laws, including the infamous Orphan Works Act. If passed, this bill would allow any company to use an artist's artwork if they could not locate the original owner of the work they wanted to use. Bascially, ANYTHING and EVERYTHING you publish on the Internet is in danger of this bill.

This article describes the Orphan Works Act in a nutshell.

Besides, with Dad's friend, Erik Petersen, building me a professional website while I'm home, dA is going to fall into periphery. Mr. Petersen can encrypt my work, disallowing anyone to copy it. If saved, the artwork would show up as a pixel. ...That doesn't stop people from using Print Screen, but I could also watermark my work.

Maybe I'll leave Elfwood, too. Hell, my art has been on that site since I was in seventh grade!

Lee also told us about Photoshop's tagging ability, which allows an artist to add descriptive tags to his or her work, identifying it as copyrighted to that artist.

...Okay, NOW enough is enough.

I hope you're all doing well! I look forward to seeing lots of friends when I come home! :D

BRENNA, IF YOU SEE THE END OF THIS POST, GET THIS: NEW VNV NATION ALBUM ON TUESDAY THE 23RD! <333

Instant edit: I deleted my Elfwood account. It was a fun site, but I rarely used it anymore. My last post, besides one recent post a few months ago, was in 2005.

I got a pleasant surprise in 19th & 20th Century Art today: I scored 99% on my midterm! I did the extra credit, which helped make up for some of the main questions I missed. I flailed in class when I saw my grade.

There was an unscheduled evacuation today; I'm still not sure why. The third floor apparently wasn't notified, is what I heard... which would be horrific if we'd truly had an emergency.

Lots of fun with Grace and Melissa today. Hung out with them before class and after class (during which time Jacob joined us).

I'd e-mailed Liz, my department director, last night about setting up an appointment for registration; my message was returned to me. I went to her office today to attempt an impromptu appointment, but there was a note on her door explaining that she was out sick. I'm just going to meet her in person on Monday.

See, there's a new rule in registration at AIPD: you can only register online if you apply for 15 credits. If you apply for 12 (which is still full-time) or less, you have to stand in line and wait at the college.

It's fucking ridiculous, but it's given Aurora an excuse to host a "registration sleepover" on Sunday. :D Grace, Whit and I will be there. I'll be sure to bring some snacks and perhaps a movie.

This past week was really nice. On Wednesday, Noodles & Company gave out free noodles to AIPD students, teachers, and faculty. I got my order to go, then met Melissa as she was leaving the college; we went back to Noodles, she got her lunch, and we hung out and drew silly things in our sketchbooks based on quotes from Old Greg.

After class, I gave Grace a ride to her bus stop in Oregon City (we got some groceries at the Freddie's at Gateway). I hesitated in the left-turn lane and this asshole behind me sped into the opposite lane and turned into Freddie's as I was trying to turn. GAH.

After I dropped Grace off, I took the Buick to Jiffy Lube for some needed services. I got an oil change, a 3-minute oil system clean (to help sweep out dirt and particles from the filter), a new air filter, transmission service, a tire rotation, and a fuel filter upgrade. It cost more than a pretty penny, but I feel damn good about continuing Grandpa's legacy of immaculate car care! I was at Jiffy Lube for about an hour and a half, so I called Mom and Dad and talked with them for a bit.

One of the guys working on my car (I forget his name, gah), kept popping his head inside the waiting room, mentioning the magazines, because I looked bored. He was a nice kid and asked if I was going to college; I said yes, and he asked my age. He's also twenty-one, but he thought I was a lot younger because he had to scrunch up into the car to move it for the tire rotation, ha.

Yesterday, after Quick Sketch, Aurora, Grace, Whit and I went to The Roxy for dinner. We sketched, geeked out, flailed, and had fun as always. Chris was working there and we got to talking about music (Grace mentioned picking three songs from the jukebox); I mentioned "classic alternative" and he really loved the term. He told me a bit about Danny Elfman's performance art group, The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo (which understandably later developed into Oingo Boingo), and that he heard Elfman's rendition of "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" on Amazon. Awesome.

Well, that's enough blabbing. I really look forward to Sunday and I hope I can get my needed classes... even if EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM is going to be a night class. AUGH.

Time to watch Kung Fu Panda again! :D IT HAS BEEN TOO LONG SINCE I LAST WATCHED IT.

I already know I won't be able to get into Quick Sketch; it has one spot left (19/20), and this is just, what, an hour or less after it had shown 17/20? Damn. D: Lee White is a great teacher. I keep thinking of how much I learned (and how much fun I had) in his Image Manipulation class winter 2008.

BUT, this means I can replace it with Experimental Sketchbook, which will be a lot of fun. Amy Ruedinger is another ridiculously awesome teacher. The times for Quick Sketch and Experimental Sketchbook clash (both are from 12:45-4:30 on Thursdays next term), so I can go with my original choice. 10/20 so far.

Upper division Creative Writing looks good so far: 9/18. I can get it!

Also, something I realized: I really shouldn't put Intermediate Modeling off until summer term, because summer term is shorter than the other three terms in a year. I should probably just take it next term... but I'll talk with Liz about what the workload of my classes will be like depending upon what I'd like to take. If I am to put it off, I'll put it off for fall term.

I still need to retake 2D Animation, which takes place on Monday mornings from 8:00 - 11:45.

I realize one thing that could possibly help my sleep cycle during a school term is if I were able to take all afternoon classes.... But that's not likely to happen.

ACK WHY IS STORYBOARD PRACTICALLY ONLY OFFERED AT NIGHT?!

ANGRY FACE. D:<

I WANT AFTERNOON STORYBOARDIN'.

Er, what would TRULY help my sleep cycle is if I stopped taking so many naps (though I've been good about this recently), used my time efficiently for homework, walked and rode my bike more regularly (I typically get out to walk or bike on nice days), and... blaaah, I don't know.

HAPPY-NAPPY PILLS!

And an adorable icon of my precious Gimpy. <3