Random thoughts

[Tom]

My mom is watching LotR for the first time. Even though I've seen it dozens of times, she coerced me into watching it as well, for fortitude.

...Alright. I'm watching it of my own free will. For the two dozenth time.

We're about halfway through The Two Towers. So far, her observations have been as follows:

1. Gollum is creepy.
2. The Ringwraiths are creepy.
3. Saruman is creepy.
4. Frodo's eyes are creepy.
5. The Watcher in the Water is creepy.
6. Balin's Tomb is creepy.
7. Orcs are creepy.
8. Wormtongue is creepy.
9. The Balrog is not creepy.
10. Sam yells too much.

My observations:

1. Frodo is neurotic.
2. Legolas is a show-off. He is also an elf. Therefore he is a show-elf!
3. I can ruin almost every scene with a wisecrack or some well-placed sarcasm.

 

[Jabrosky]

Has someone you're interested in dating given you their contact information, but never respond once you try to contact them?

It's happened to me...again. On the first day of classes this semester, I managed to strike up an hour-long conversation with a girl at college, and at the end she gave me her e-mail address. A couple of days later, I sent her an e-mail asking if we could hang out sometime, and after several weeks of waiting she still hasn't replied. Nor has she replied to the friend request I sent her on Facebook around the same time. And to make things worse, even though she was a fellow student, I haven't seen her around college ever since our first meeting.

I wonder if I should send her another e-mail?

 

[Tom]

I would send one, but then wait. Being pushy isn't a great way to get someone to respond to you. (Glare leveled at all of my pushy extrovert friends.) Maybe you should ask her if everything's okay; if you haven't seen her around since the first day of this semester, something could have happened in her life.

I've personally had this happen, but in a different way. Last semester I struck up a conversation with one of my psychology classmates on the second day of class, and we hit it off pretty well. We hung out on and off through the whole semester, but on the last day of class my friend revealed they had had a family fight and were moving to Virginia. I'm still pretty upset, especially because I can't find 'em on Facebook, Twitter, any social media outlet at all...

If my life were a Hallmark movie, we'd unexpectedly meet again after about ten years and at first not recognize each other, but then gradually fall in love again...HA. As if.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Ten years ago today, I was on a business trip in Germany. My wife, who I had only known for a month by email/phone, was in Italy with an international Catholic group. In addition to racking huge phone bills that week, I ordered chocolates to be delivered to her hotel in Italy.

That was probably my riskiest valentine. (I was never a pushy extrovert.)

For those who haven't seen it, here's what I made for her 4 years ago. It is still the only animation I've ever made in my life.

(Warning: paper-cutout versions of Adam and Eve; flesh-toned paper but no anatomical details. You decide whether that's work safe. There is also music and bad voice acting.)

Spoiler: The First Valentine

 

[Ruby]

Hey Legendary Sidekick, your Valentine's animation video is brilliant!

Have you thought of doing an animation for the Flat Earth RPG?

BTW how did you make this and how long did it take to do?

 

[Jabrosky]

@ Legendary Sidekick

The humor is a little silly, but I imagine you spent a lot of time and effort making that animation from paper cutouts. I admire that kind of work ethic.

Speaking of Valentine's Day, until Feb 16th DeviantArt is celebrating it by having users upload special artwork and sending it in note form to other users. I've already received two of these "Valentines" and am drawing one of my own at the moment (suffice to say Ammut, that Egyptian heart-eater, is involved).

On the other hand, February is also Black History Month here in the States, but since African characters are already a staple of my art, I don't need a special occasion as a pretext to keep drawing them.

 

[Tom]

February is also Black History Month here in the States

Funny. My subconscious must have picked up on that--I had a dream last night about a black Boston patriot during the Revolutionary War. He was a former slave named Benjamin, who'd run away from his Tory master and joined the Sons of Liberty. He was a quiet, good-natured guy, and he looked a little like Idris Elba, but younger, and with green eyes. I'm going to try to draw him today.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Hey Legendary Sidekick, your Valentine's animation video is brilliant!

Have you thought of doing an animation for the Flat Earth RPG?

BTW how did you make this and how long did it take to do?

The way I do Flat Earth art is similar, and mores for the Roll20 stuff that's in the works… I come up with poses that serve multiple purposes and have some parts that move a bit. I'm thinking with a tilt of the head, I can make a climbing pose that passes for a KO'd pose. (For enemies, I like their 0 HP poses to be unmistakably dead.) I doubt I'd make an animation for the game, but I think Roll20's virtual tabletop MIGHT show the characters moving. I'm pretty sure it also has an animated die roll… but I'm not going to play around with it until I have art and am approved as a seller.

(I got the green light, so I'm optimistic.)


As for how I did the First Valentine. Short version: paper cutouts, 375 snapshots, and absolutely no planning! I did the entire thing on a Saturday, deciding what cutouts to make first as well as the purpose of each cutout.

The long version is my reply to my brother on Facebook. I was flattered that he asked, since he's a way better artist than I am!

Spoiler: long version

Between breakfast and lunch...
STEP 1: Make cut-outs of all characters and objects. Adam and Eve have two bodies each, and their heads are "two-faced" so I can move the heads to different positions/bodies and face the left or right. EVERYTHING is made from hearts, including animals and food.

Between lunch and dinner...
STEP 2: Set up backgrounds. I used a tri-pod and a photo album to ensure that the camera would be perpendicular to the paper. I did this step at our parents' house, so Sandra wouldn't see. But the added bonus is that the light directly over their table is perfect.
STEP 3: Take pics. I uploaded 375 pics, and used 367 or -8. For the most part, I was pretty good about deleting photos I wouldn't use.

After dinner, while Mom and Dad were out with the Lahtis...
STEP 4: Animate on iMovie. Most of the animation is 10 or 15 FPS. Some is 7.5 or 6 FPS. And of course there are obvious pauses. A couple scenes, like Adam throwing Eve through a tree, are animated at 30 FPS! Only two scenes--the grazing deer and dizzy snake--have "loops."
STEP 5: Add voices. iMovie lets you do this. The microphone on my computer SUCKS. Voice is played back at 150% to help compensate.
STEP 6: Add music and sound. I used royalty-free music and sound from iMovie. A lot of fighting sounds are sports sound effects. The BLOCK+^+^ finisher sound is a golf swing. Sounds were played at 50 or 100%, while music is only at 5-25% volume.

This was all done on a single Saturday, including...
STEP 7: Upload!

 

[Ruby]

Hi Legendary Sidekick,

Wow! That's really impressive! I've watched it a couple more times on You Tube. I hadn't noticed (before you mentioned it), that nearly everything is in the form of hearts. I like the eyes you used for the snake and the goat, and the heart shaped fig leaves, and that Eve becomes a mermaid at one point. It's comedic and brilliant!

You should definitely make a Flat Earth animation IMHO.


Is it possible to make something like this using an android tablet or an iPad?

 

[Jabrosky]

Anyone else think women complaining about men being "shallow" for chasing after pretty ladies is the female equivalent of men complaining about being "friend-zoned" by women? Surely the underlying mentality is the shame.

 

[Tom]

I've only heard a woman complain about that maybe twice. Plus, the mentality behind it is not of shame. It's usually of annoyance or even amusement. A girl who calls a guy shallow is not wishing she were one of the pretty girls he's chasing after. I once outright asked a friend if she was just calling a guy shallow because she wished he were paying attention to her. She blinked at me and said, "Of course not! He is shallow, and I wouldn't want to date him--I want a guy who cares about what I'm like, not just what I look like."

I've heard plenty of men complain about being friend-zoned, however, and I have always associated "friend-zone" with a sense of entitlement. The guys who complain about friend-zoning act as if the girl is being unreasonable for turning them down, that it isn't fair of her to just want to be friends. Not every girl a guy asks out is going to say "yes", and that's just how the world works.

 

[Jabrosky]

I've only heard a woman complain about that maybe twice. Plus, the mentality behind it is not of shame. It's usually of annoyance or even amusement. A girl who calls a guy shallow is not wishing she were one of the pretty girls he's chasing after. I once outright asked a friend if she was just calling a guy shallow because she wished he were paying attention to her. She blinked at me and said, "Of course not! He is shallow, and I wouldn't want to date him--I want a guy who cares about what I'm like, not just what I look like."

Are you sure you want to just take her word for it? Because it sounds to me like the kind of holier-than-thou rhetoric that certain women spout to put down male sexuality. Fact is, men (and probably women too) like to date whomever they're physically attracted to. Without physical attraction, it's not dating, it's friendship.

 

[Tom]

Are you sure you want to just take her word for it? Because it sounds to me like the kind of holier-than-thou rhetoric that certain women spout to put down male sexuality.

I would take her word for it any day. Women want guys who care about them as people, not just what they look like. I know my friend very well, and she's not the sort to resent other girls for getting a guy.

"Put down male sexuality"? Pretty much the only sexuality I've seen put down is female. The girls who don't conform to social beauty standards are "desperate" if they ask a guy out; beautiful girls are "shallow" if they turn down a guy who doesn't conform to social beauty standards.

 

[Noma Galway]

Whoa whoa. Okay so I don't usually get in on things like this but I'd like to point out it is perfectly possible to date without physical attraction. I personally am very rarely physically attracted to anyone, but that doesn't mean my romantic relationships are any less valid.

Also, Tom, I totally agree with you.

 

[Ireth]

Whoa whoa. Okay so I don't usually get in on things like this but I'd like to point out it is perfectly possible to date without physical attraction. I personally am very rarely physically attracted to anyone, but that doesn't mean my romantic relationships are any less valid.

Seconded. There's a world of difference between physical attraction, romantic attraction, and just finding someone aesthetically pleasing. Having a romantic attraction to someone doesn't necessarily mean you want to have sex with them, and wanting t have sex with someone doesn't necessarily mean you're romantically attracted to them. Neither of those has to include finding someone aesthetically pleasing, either.

 

[Tom]

Totally agree with you, Ireth. Finding people aesthetically pleasing is very different from physical or romantic attraction. It's just a "meh, he/she is nice-looking, but I'll continue on with my day" kind of thing. Or, for me, the feeling would be more like, "I want to draw you."

Even though I'm asexual, I can and do form romantic attachments. Because they're not based on physical attraction, they have to be made up of emotional and intellectual attraction. I want to deeply know and care about the person, not have sex with them.

Romantic and physical attraction are two totally different feelings, and having one does not equal having the other as well. That's why a lot of relationships fall through--people mistake physical attraction for romantic attraction.

 

[Ireth]

Nice to see a fellow asexual's insight! I only recently realized I'm ace (and that it's a legitimate option), but I've never had more than romantic attraction to people. The thought of having sex with someone squicks me out. I can find both genders equally aesthetically pleasing, but when I've had crushes or romantic ties in the past it's just been with men. On the other hand, I'm not too inclined toward romance in the present, because what if I end up with a guy who wants sex or marriage while I really, really don't? I'd rather not break someone's heart, so it's better, IMO, just to stay out of the dating game.

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

Nimue is correct.

The conversation has veered away from open-minded discussion and into the realm of insult.

It's never a good idea to label and categorize people with generalizations.

I'm not going to lock this thread, for the moment. But, if it doesn't steer clear of insulting presumption/expression, I will shut it down.

Expect infractions in response to any further insult.

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

To all members within this thread.

Please do not respond or continue this current line of conversation. It is not fitting in a post labeled "Random Thoughts" & it no longer conforms to the site guidelines.

It's perfectly acceptable to discuss issues like these. However, participants are required to refrain from insulting behavior and maintain an attitude of tolerance, understanding, and open-mindedness.

Thank you.

TAS

 

[Tom]

A poem I composed, while sliding my way across the icy school parking lot, this morning:

The sun is too bright;
The snow is too deep.
I wish it were night;
I just want some sleep.​

At least this is coherent. Most thoughts I have on coffee-free winter mornings consist mainly of ellipses and half-hearted profanity.

I was also in a bad mood this morning because, last night, my fencing coach broke some big news to me: the tournament I have coming up this weekend is the last tournament I can go to in Rochester. He told me he thinks I feel too comfortable and safe at the Rochester tournaments. It's time to move up to the big leagues here in Buffalo and in Binghamton and Toronto. I'm nervous. This is a big step in my growth as a fencer, and right now it feels more like a flying leap than a step.