Dr. Phineas Woldolf Steel

Junk Mail Revenge
Originally uploaded by Zook74

My favorite new addiction; Dr. Steel.

http://www.doctorsteel.com
http://www.toysoldiersunite.com
http://www.flickr.com/groups/doctorsteel
http://www.myspace/drsteel

Good music. Great artwork. Genius geurilla marketing. Lots of fun.

Lolly Shawn?

Shawn lolly 2
Originally uploaded by Tyrant101

So, my buddy Ed has had this thing lately about drawing silly figures, faces, etc. and then labeling them "Shawn" (me). Not sure how he got started or what his motivation is, but I've had my revenge.

We, "The guys", (Brian, Luke, Ed, Mike & I) get together to "play pool" every Tuesday night. In actuality we haven't played pool in a couple of months and even before that maybe 25% of the time.

Either way...we get together on Tuesday's at Brians; drink some beers, shoot the shit, and just bascially be guys (Ed, Mike & I away from the wives for the night). So this past Tuesday Ed, who is usually my designated driver, calls and tells me his wife needs to work some odd hours so he's home with the kids. He can't make it.

So I spent the entire night drawing "Ed" pictures in retaliation for all the "Shawn" pictures, two of which, I might add, Ed has gleefully stuck to Brian's refrigerator like a nine year old trying to impress mom & dad.

By the end of the night I had ended up with, I think, six seperate "Ed" sketches and had, in like fashion, stuck them all to the refrigerator. Next Tuesday being Christmas I doubt we'll be "playing pool" @ Brian's, but I can't wait until the next Tuesday and see Ed's reaction. We all had a good laugh at the sketches at Ed's expense this week and it should be a fun night.

Migraine

Steel Cable
Originally uploaded by shaggyd

So...I've suffered from migraines for about the past seven (?) years. They happen semi-irregularly and relatively infrequently to the tune of about 1-3 per month (I guess that's not so "infrequently, really). I'll get a reprieve for a while and then get hit with several over a few days (on several occasions more than one in a single day, like today). I think my record is five migraines in a seven day period.

The worst migraine I can recall left me so naseous I had to retire to the bedroom while my wife cooked dinner as the smell was more than I could handle. I remember lying in bed with this sick, throbbing sensation in my skull and imagining that a fat, rusted, frayed wire cable was being pulled slowly and rythmically through my optic nerve. It's the worse feeling I can remember.

And nothing I could do about it. Just lie there. And wait for it to be done with me.

When I first started getting migraines I didn't mess with them. I just told the boss and went home and went to bed. As their frequency increased, however, I realized that was no long an option and started to fight through them which left me in very rough shape. More often than not I'd just end up making things worse and going home more sick than I had been anyway.

So it's a fun game to play. I try and pick my battles. I can usually tell at the onset how bad they're going to be to some degree and so I work through the ones I think I can (like the two today) and save my "I'm going home" days for the ones that really beat me up.

It's the best "remedy" I've found so far.

The Man I love

DSC04740
Originally uploaded by Zook74

My best bud in the whole world, Mr. Kel7alpha. He lives far too far away so I only get to see him once or twice a year. Have known him for about five years, but he's quickly become one of the best friends I've ever known.

I love ya, bro!

Secret Service Agent

Heavy Assault & Urban Tactics
Originally uploaded by Zook74

Yeah...I shoulda been a Secret Service Agent. Sure would beat the hell out of Appliance Service Department Manager. Great benefits, too. 26 paid vacation days per year. 13 cumalitve, paid sick days per year with no cap. Good pay. Travel. Shoot people! 8D

Seriously, though... I always wonder if I should've pursued my dream of being a coppice man. Think it may have suited me very well, but I'm probably a little on the old side to find out now.



/me resumes filing warranty claims...

Alien Skull: Macromedia Freehand

Alien Skull: Macromedia Freehand
Originally uploaded by Zook74

So...I took the plunge to try and get a hang of doing vector graphics. I'm really not sure of the best way to go about this, but I have a copy of Macromedia Freehand so I gave it a go. This little guy here is a recreation of a doodle I did and I think he turned out fair for a first shot.

Long ways to go and it'd be a helluva lot easier if I didn't have to use a bloody mouse. Exhausting. Mebbe I need to pick up a book or three on the subject...

...From a land down under

WIP
Originally uploaded by hemish71

My Next Stikfas custom paint project. My mate, Hem, from Australia just finished this bash and is sending it my way for a paint app. Very excited. I really love this build and can't wait to have my way with it.

Doing these paints on others' figures is the closest I've come to customizing in quite a long time. I've sat down and tried to bash some new figs on a number of occasions and I just really think I've lost the bug...

B.A.T. 3000 Elite

B.A.T. 3000 Elite
Originally uploaded by Zook74

So...my first painted Stikfas custom in months. Heck I didn't even build it. My buddy Keith, aka ShadowMaster from The Asylum (http://www.stikfanatics.com) put the bash together, a clone of an earlier custom I painted for him.

Ya know... I've been doodling my whole life and pretending it was art. I've been jotting down notes pretending I was crafting stories. I've spent the last five years of my life making custom Stikfas action figures (read; playing with toys) and the last TEN years working a pretty dead end job working in an appliance store.

I like to remind myself that I really do have it pretty good, but- ya know? I just feel like I should be doing more. LIke I'm capable of more. I just can't accept that this is it for me and it makes me very, very discontented.

I drink more, spend more time in front of the teevee watching inane movies, read less, DO less...

When does my "Ah ha!" moment come?

New Doodles.

Wood Star
Originally uploaded by Zook74

Been doin' a bit of doodling lately. Feels good. I think anyone of these would be a good basis for some new ink, though none of them particularly suits my tastes for tats.

Hooked

Hooked
Originally uploaded by Ms.Antiorder

For no particular reason... I just really enjoyed the composition of this photo.

Fuggin' Broke

I'm not poor. We're not poor. We're your average lower middle class couple, we're just not all that great at managing our finances. We do our best to stick some away, we're putting money away for our retirement, we live a relatively comfortable life, but we also pretty much live paycheck to paycheck (the great American dream, right?).

So when things don't go as they're supposed to it fuggs up the works. Like now.

First off, I "took one for the team" by taking a half a step back at work to take over a position so that we could get rid of an employee that wasn't cuttin' the mustard. I did knowing that I'd be taking a bit of a cut in pay as I'd be leaving a sales position and therefore losing some earning potential, but believing that the president would make up for it.

I believed wrongly. I'm losing a good buck an hour or better and there has, as of yet, been no move to compensate me

Secondly, two payments from a third party that I was relying on have fallen through. One was due beginning of September, the other is due first of December. Combined we're looking at twelve hundred bucks that's supposed to be in my checking account that isn't, and isn't going to be. Puts me in a bit of a pickle as things have been a bit lean already.

I'm supposed to be taking a business trip to Minnesota tomorrow and my checking account is EmpTy. My savings dried up a couple of months ago and hasn't recovered and to make things worse, my wife is supposed to be taking a trip with the girls to Vegas for a few days next month. Oh, yeah...and then there's that whole "Holiday Season" thing, right?

I'm a bit behind the eight ball and I'm not sure what to do. Power & Light is overdue. I'm very, very broke today and tomorrow. Vegas coming up. Christmas coming up. And I can't find anywhere to dig up some extra funds and there is NO way to replace the $1200 I'm not getting from that third party.

I know it'll all work out, I just hate being in this position. Especially since we make enough money that if we just managed it a bit better... There's just no reason to be here. No excuses. I'm just a piss poor manager of money and it kind of saddens me.

Just feeling a little sorry for myself and I shouldn't. We've got it pretty good. A helluva lot better than a helluva lot of others. I need to keep reminding myself of that. I need to learn to better appreciate what I have and be a better steward of what's been given me.

Starting today...I just plain need to do better than I have. Period.

Brian's Tat

Brian's Tat
Originally uploaded by Zook74

New tattoo design for my buddy Brian. Still in the developmet stages and quite a lot of work to go, but he's genuninely happy so far.

"HANGMAN"

"HANGMAN"
Originally uploaded by SEAMO

My most newly acquired piece of art. Well...almost. Should be on its way to me soon.

Created by one of my new favorite artists, Seamo.

Jack Lit

Jack Lit
Originally uploaded by Zook74

I'm really not much for Halloween (or most other holidays for that matter), but I was roped into carving a Jack-O @ the 'rents last week and I was rather pleased with the process. Mrs. Zook must've picked up on this fact as, lo and behold, another pumpkin arrived at my domicile for my carving pleasure.

He's simple, but I kinda likes him. I'm simple like that...

Happy November!