joe randel's art dump

So today I when to the hospital.  The other day I had some chest pains.  Just to the left of my sternum.  Right here (points to chest).  I’ve had them before in the past, nothing major, just some very slight discomfort for about 5 seconds or so.  Nothing to get crazy about in my books.  But Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning the pain was more sharper then ever before and lasted though a night (although it didn’t keep me up).  So I figured I should have myself checked out and make sure its’ nothing I should worry about (my wife also made me go).

I went to the ER at the local hospital (I don’t have a family doctor) around 7:15am expecting the waiting room full of people only to be shocked that it was totally bare.  I got to see a nurse right away but after that I had to wait for a doctor to see me.  Around 8:45am ish I was taken in back and asked to dress in the those hospital smock things… ugh… at least I could keep my pants on so it wasn’t so bad.  A nurse checked my heart and then a very pretty lady doctor asked me a bunch of questions about my pain.  She said that it sounds like (according to my description of the pain) that I’ve bruised and/or strained the cartilage that joins my ribs to my sternum.  Just by doing everyday activities is making it inflamed.  That’s good, I was afraid I was dieing ^_^ She sent me to x-ray just to make sure it wasn’t a cardiovascular problem because then that when the real problems happen.  My x-ray came back all fine so no worries there.

She told me that I can take some Tylenol for the pain but to watch it and to come back if I feel dizzy, sweaty have shortness of breath or the pain starts to travel to my arm or neck and jaw.  No problem pretty lady doctor ^_^

Yeah, so that was my morning.  After that I went to work and had a regular day.  ^_^

Still got some fight in me it would seem. ^_^

So I’ve posted now two new characters.  Ping and Pong.  Yeah, the names may be a bit silly but I don’t care, I think they’re fun.  Before people start to assume things about them I figured I’d give some background on them, or how I picture them in my mind.

Ping is in college and very studious.  She takes her classes very seriously and always keeps her grades up.  She’s shy and doesn’t really talk much to others except her close friend, and dorm roomie Pong.  Ping also helps to keep Pong more focused then if Pong was left to her own devices.  Who knows how far Pong would get with out her encouragement.  Other then that, Ping reads, rides her bike, and does other low key activities.

Pong is more crazy and daring in her life then Ping and feels that Ping needs to have more fun in her life.  She generally leaves things to the last min, stays up way too late playing video games (when she should be studying) and likes to pull pranks on Ping in order to make things more exciting.

The two balance each other well and have lots of fun together in their spare time.  How much fun?  I have ideas that I’d like to do ^_^

These two are sort of an experiment.  See pretty much every other character I’ve done started out with no background, story or real thought in to why I made them up.  These two are different.  I drew Ping first and my ideas started to run with who she was and such.  Pong was next and she fit in with what I saw perfectly.  I hope I can do more with these two as I can see myself having lots of with them.

So here’s to me trying out a duo of characters in a real story and relationship.  I hope it goes well. ^_^

So I’m in a meeting today and wouldn’t you know it… I gotta cut one.

It’s quite possibly the worst time to try and squeak one out. There’s usually one person talking so it pretty quiet in the room and even if you manage to slip it out if it’s a sinker and the person beside you smells it… you’re so busted. So there I am shifting… squirming… starting to get stomach cramps cuze I’m trying to hold it in. I excuse myself to I can let it out away from others but man, as soon as I sit down again… frig… always in a meeting too.

I should just let them rip. Right in the middle of the meeting, and then look around like I “who the hell did that?” ^_^ Although it’s great when I get to let it all out…. such relief ^_^

Can you tell I had nothing else to talk about today ^_^

So I introduced my daughter to Roller Coaster Tycoon on the weekend and now I think she’s hooked. She keeps asking if we can play the rollercoaster game with the tiny people. ^_^

Actually, I have RCT3 on the computer as well. I “acquired” it a while ago to try and she saw me playing it and so she liked to watch (watching means telling me what to do). Now my PC isn’t that great so after a few rides it begins to slow down and not to be much fun, plus we can only play the first park because the others bog down my PC. So I decided to put the old version (plus the expansions) on to see if it might be better for her to play with me.

I set it up and we played and after the first game I asked her if she liked this one or the other one better. She said she liked this one better, and I can see why. I’ve been a HUGE fan of the original RCT for a long time and it was after I put the old one back up I realized my daughter was right. This older version was more fun. Things happen faster and rides are much more fun to build and she loves changing the colours of everything to god awful pinks and oranges. Also tasks are simpler for her to understand, like making sure the tiny people are checking the rides and sweeping the walkway to make sure our park is clean. Plus she likes it when it rains because all the people put out their umbrellas. All of them pink ^_^

My daughter also likes to watch the pukey people get off the rides. She thinks they’re funny. ^_^

Phew…  man am I bushed.  It was a super nice weekend so we went out and got things done.

We raked and bagged all the leaves that we didn’t get to before the snow fell.  I picked up the remaining dog poop so the kids wouldn’t step it in.  I cleaned up the area around our wooden play structure.  Started to bring out the patio set and reassemble it.  We went to the hardware store and bought some paint for our bedroom.  My daughter and I made bread.  Helped the wife clean out the hall closet.  And all this on top of the regular chores we had to do.

I’m pooped and my legs are sore now.

Oh, and I finished that Ping picture and posted it as well.  I just had to. ^_^  I doodled her at work and thought she was soo cute.  I couldn’t just leaver her there.  So I decided to share.

I have some ideas for her for future pics… we’ll have to see.

What did you do on the weekend?

I’m sure most people know about this artist. If not you really should.

http://www.furaffinity.net/user/extvia/

This artist became an instant favorite of mine because of the rough lines and painterly technique they use. I love, lovelovelovelove rough lines. I found that as I grew in my own art and tastes I really loved seeing sketchy works and seeing build up in in the art. This artist not only uses this style but also the painting they do is just as beautiful and very impressionistic in nature. Solid slaps of colour dance around each character making them so much fun to look at ^_^

On the topic of characters, the designs that Extvia comes up with are superb in my books. I have a very soft spot for mech suits. I don’t draw any because I don’t think I would do the genera justice, but these characters and designs always make me smile and I always get excited when a new post goes up. I can’t wait to see a new concept that is both cute, sexy and cool… and Extvia always delivers. The characters are always so cute which is something that, I’m sure most know, really love in my art collecting.

Rough lines, painterly, cute, sexy and mech suits. Extvia has stolen my heart with art.

Now I sit and wait to see what he/she will come up with next ^_^

Some of my Extvia faves:

Lopunny
I.N.Character: Lotea
My Olympic Mascot
Maya II