Just a list of some nice tutorials I've ran across. Mainly this is just a list for me to keep track of them, but I'll be happy if anyone else finds then useful as well.

Hair shading

Shading

Waves

Horse Acrylic Painting

A really awesome Illustration Video, using watercolor, ink and colored pencil

Wood Carving

List of Wood Burning/Carving Tutorials

Wood Burning Realistic Fur (also useful just as a shading technique)

I've been using the model SPAWN3000 for the past several years and have found it to work wonderfully. It has several nice features that work completely different from normal alarm clocks.

The alarm actually goes off several different ways, each time in a different combination of the special features listed below. I just took the descriptions from the owner's manual and put in my thoughts in italics after the description.

My Spidey Sense is Tingling

This feature is a revolutionary new concept based off the research being done for the army in psychic warfare. The Unit is programed to sit and stare, while using the powers of the mind (or just sheer conviction) to will the Consumer to wake up. The Unit will also move to a random location every 1-5 minutes. These locations may be anywhere from half an inch away from the Consumer's face, to all the way on the other side of the bed. This disturbs the Consumer's sleep with the feeling that someone is not only watching them, but moving around the room doing all kinds of spine-tingly things.

This feature seems to be the most common one used. Despite the claims of the effects being random, this one is the first one to trigger on most of my mornings. It is pretty effective in waking me up. The side effect is that I seem to have a lot of nightmares about standing in the front of the classroom trying to present a paper while everyone stares at me.


Rumble to Wake the Dead

The Unit has an audio alarm that is used at random intervals, generally while performing "My Spidey Sense is Tingling". It is a low pitched thrum, reminiscent of machine gun fire. The volume changes each time it is deployed.

I have found on some mornings that the rumble has been enough to shake the bed. It can be quiet or loud and since it changes so often it is much harder to ignore.


Sensory Overload

One of the things that makes this alarm different is the fact the designers try to trigger as many of the senses as possible. There are several physical triggers that are programed to go after the most vulnerable part of the sleeping Consumer, the face.

- Shiver me Timbers!

Freezing water/ice is an effective way to wake up someone. The side effect is that it always leaves behind a soaking wet bed. The Unit is built with a freezing cold spot on its 'face'. The Unit is programed to press the cold spot repeatedly against the Consumer's skin, anywhere from the chin to the nose, in order to shock the Consumer into waking.

This works... believe me. The problem... I do have to resist the urge to throw the unit across the room whenever it does this.

- Knock Some Sense into Me

Looking to real life for inspiration, the Unit comes equipped with a method of shaking the Consumer to wake them. Because of the dangers of actual 'shaking', the designers equipped the Unit with the ability to softly push the Consumer's face, to gently bring them out of their dreams.

Ok... despite what the manual says there is no soft about it. The freaking 'unit' headbutts my chin with enough force to slam my teeth together. This is the one of the features I am not at all happy with... and when I tried to call in to the help line to try and see if there was any way to turn it off the operator laughed at me.

- Soft Kitty!

The Unit comes equipped with an outer coating that is soft and pleasant to the touch. The Unit will rub itself across the chin, tickling the Consumer in an effort to wake them.

I admit the fur is rather soft, and it does tickle when rubbed across my chin. There is a major design flaw. The unit doesn't just rub my chin, it will occasionally rub my whole face, or just lay down and then lean up against my head. In both cases I get a mouth full of fur, and that is not pleasant. Again there appears to be no way to turn of the rubbing.

- Rough and Tumble

To offset the pleasure of the soft outer covering, the unit also come equipped with a rough 'tongue'. The Unit is programmed to softly rub either the chin or the nose with its 'tongue'.

Why they just didn't say it licks you I have no clue. I have no problem with this feature, although it does feel like sand paper abrading my face. I do have an issue with the little extra programming some jerk decided to do. I swear not only does it lick, it also bites. It also will occasionally 'groom' my hair, which feels kinda nice until it decides to start biting my scalp. This one isn't as bad as the headbutt though.


That is the last of the features. Overall I have found it to be an effective alarm when used with another alarm. The problem is that sometimes the Unit won't activate on the mornings I want it to, and it activates on the mornings I don't want it to (like the weekends). It is soft, and kinda nice to have around when not waking me up. I think it was worth its money.

I'm so happy!

It stopped raining enough to go reseed the back yard!

I did work on labor day to put in pillars for the new porch. The new porch is going to replace the sun room/porch that got torn down a long while ago. There is river rocks under the porch to keep the 'Mimosa of Doom!' from taking over the world. The bobcat, that was used to move the rocks from the pile on the driveway to the backyard, chewed up the back and side yard pretty bad. They both needed to be reseeded. The old grass was mostly weeds and half a yard full of wild strawberries so it wasn't a big loss.

I rested for a day then went to pick up the grass seed, hay, and dirt. Then the weather decided to rain and rain and rain. It finally cleared up enough to go out back and seed it.

Luckily the rain smoothed away all the bumpy patches. I didn't have to spread the dirt as much as I would of.



With the help of my roommate we did the all that needed done in the backyard this afternoon. It was strangely nice to be out and about working in the humidity and open air.

Unfortunately the hay molded, and sorta cooked itself in spots. Now I can't quite get the smell of wet cooked hay out of my head... it reminds me way to much of the spinach my mom would make when I was growing up.

I have a feeling I'm going to regret all the muscle use in the morning.

I got my new Kiln shelves in!

Soo... as soon as the kiln gets moved to the garage I can fire it, and then pizza party time (a tradition from when I was in school, you get a new kiln you cook a pizza in it).

On other news the capacitor on the outside air unit died some time last evening. It means I get to wait another day before we can hook up the kiln without overheating.

And just a quiz to tide things over cause I'm bored and it was there.

Note on my last journal, I've decided I've liked all the word combinations. I'm currently working on the first drawing.

--
Stole the quiz from

Rule #1: If you open this you take it. (Nope not gonna make anyone take this... you can if you want though).
Rule #2: You are NOT ALLOWED to explain ANYTHING unless someone messages you and asks.
Rule #3: Tag 25 random people. (see #1)

Answer: True or False
Q: Kissed someone on your friends list? True
Q: Been arrested? False
Q: Do you like someone? True
Q: Held a snake? True
Q: Been suspended from school? False
Q: Sang karaoke? True
Q: Done something you told yourself you wouldn't do? True
Q: Laughed until you started crying? True
Q: Caught a snowflake on your tongue? True
Q: Kissed in the rain? True
Q: Sang in the shower? True
Q: Sat on a roof top? True
Q: Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on? True
Q: Broken a bone? False
Q: Shaved your head? False
Q: Played a prank on someone? True
Q: Shot a gun? True
Q: Donated Blood? True

Last Person
1. You hung out with? Kerry
2. You texted? Jeremy
3. You were in a car with? Myself
4. Went to the movies with? Stephen
5. Person you went to shop with? Deb
6. You talked on the phone? Mom
7. Made you laugh? Deb/Jeremy
8. You hugged? Jeremy

Answer Truthfully
1. Sun or moon? Moon
2. Winter or Fall? Fall
3. Left or Right? Right
4. Sunny or rainy? Both
5. Where do you live? Arkansas
6. Club or pub? Neither
7. Are there 1 or 2 people who you can always trust and rely on? Yes
8. Do you want to get married? Already am
9. Do you twirl your spaghetti or cut it? Twirl
10. What time is it? 10:17
11. Are you afraid of commitment? Nope
12. What is your greatest hope/wish? To be able to visit places all over the world
13. Do you cook? Yes
14. Current mood? Giddy
15. Color of underwear? Blue

In the Last 48 Hours, Have You
1. Sang? Yes
2. Listened to music? Yes
3. Danced Crazy? Yes
4. Cried? Nope
5. Liked someone you can't have? Nope


25 Firsts
1. Who was your first prom date? Brother
2. Who was your first roommate? Deb (Nightwalker)
3. What alcoholic beverage did you drink when you got drunk the first time? None, never been drunk
4. What was your first job? Waitress/cashier at my Grandma's resturant
5. What was your first car? Ford Aspire
6. When did you go to your first funeral and viewing? Was young don't remember what age
7. Who was your first grade teacher? Been to long

9. Where did you go on your first ride on an airplane? Colorado
10. When you snuck out of your house for the first time? 4 or 5
11. Who was your first best friend? Deb
12. Who was your first Best Friend in high school? Amber/Julie/Danette
13. Where was your first sleepover? Amber's house
14. Who is the first person you call when you have a bad day? Deb
15. Who's wedding were you in the first time you were a bridesmaid or groomsman? No one's yet
16. What is the first thing you did when you got up this morning? Grabbed a book
17. What was the first concert you went to? *cringes* Backstreet Boys (I blame my friends)
18. What was the last concert you went to? Some country band at the Iowa State Fair
19. First tattoo or piercing? None
20. First celebrity crush? Scott Wolf
21. Current celebrity crush? None
22. First crush? Some kid in kindergarten that went to the same daycare I did
23. Current crush? None
24. First time you tied your shoe laces? When I was little

Seven names you go by
1. Kai
2. Hey you
3. That girl
4. Kinaheso
5. Kin
6. Vixen
7. Bob

Three things you are wearing right now:
1. Wolf T-shirt
2. My skin
3. Jean shorts

Three things you want very badly at the moment:
1. Gummy bears
2. An interesting book
3. A porch swing, with garden and waterfall

Three people who will probably fill this out:
1. No clue
2. who will
3. fill out

Two things you did last night:
1. Watched Fast and the Furious
2. Tried to fix an Air Conditioner

Two things you ate last night:
1. Chimichangas
2. Baby carrots

Two people you last talked to on the phone
1. Mom
2. Dad

Three things you are going to do tomorrow:
1. Drive around town
2. Roll out test tiles
3. Draw if I get time

Two longest car rides
1. Ethete, Wyoming
2. Florida

Favorite beverages:
1. Chocolate Milk
2. Apple Cider
3. Lemonade

I'm needing to draw more, since the few things I wanted to do are on hold for the week. I've been trying to think up what I want to draw, and nothing has come to mind. Instead I have stolen an idea I saw on *Losmios' journal, and modified it a little. It sounded like a lot of fun.

Comment on this journal with three or four random words. They don't have to have anything to do with each other (and in fact the more random they are the more challenging for me).

Examples:
- Happy, Rain, Chocolate
- Running, Sand, Drum

I'll make a colored pencil or ink drawing based on the words I like the best. I'll probably decide on two or three depending on how many people actually comment. If I end up liking more don't be surprised if I do those to.