#artzbots

[copperbadge]

lightshadowverisimilitude replied to your video “It’s time for ballet-combat lessons for kittens!”

That toy looks like it has already been well loved

It was pretty much destroyed the minute it arrived. I got them that one very much on purpose because it was obvious both of them liked crinkly things, so once upon a time that toy was mostly raffia. Now it is mostly shreds and the raffia has been distributed about my home in several tiny threads. :D 

auressea replied to your video “It’s time for ballet-combat lessons for kittens!”

Where'd Polk go?! I expected some crazy aerial attack from stage Left?...

cacklebarnacle  replied to your video “It’s time for ballet-combat lessons for kittens!”

i was expecting a sneak attack from the sofa

Polk does this thing, bless her dumb kitten brain, where she finds a strategic place from which to attack -- around the corner of a box, or up on the sofa, or behind a blanket -- and crouches down. She does the shifting-weight and then the “about to pounce” butt wiggle, but she butt wiggles for so long that she forgets what she was about to do. And then she’s like “Well, I guess I’m sitting here now.” and sits there until she gets distracted. It’s hilarious. 

knitchick1979 replied to your post “Sam!!!!! I was flipping through channels the other day and some guy...”

I've heard Doritos actually work well to start a fire, in lieu of stuff like newspaper or the like.

Youtube confirms! Now I’m gonna bring a bag of doritos just ‘cause it’ll be more fun than using a fire starter. 

quinfirefrorefiddle

My cat doesn't notice the difference between a screen with a picture (on) or without (off). How odd! (She's not blind, she plays just fine.)

Apparently it’s genetic? Some cats can tell and some can’t. 

rsfcommonplace

Yes, asthma blows.  Did you get told to look on YouTube for inhaler technique?  Turns out I had been doing it wrong for years.

I just assumed it was like smoking weed. *goes to YouTube* Yep, except for biting down on the inhaler (presumably to get the mouthpiece as far into your mouth as possible) it’s pretty much like smoking weed. :D

artzbots

Oooh, which inhaler are you using? Also check your instructions because some of them want you to rinse your mouth after you use them. If your instructions say that, for the love of God, do it. Also I had a very similar reaction when I started using a daily inhaler again, after thinking my asthma was under control (surprise it was not)

It’s an Albuterol inhaler, and apparently I am supposed to rinse, so that’s....good to know. 

[sulasaferoom]

I love the textures you're getting in your digital work. What programs and brush packs are you using? I am always so lost and overwhelmed by what's out there, and I know I just gotta practice, but I try to ask artists whose work I admire this just as a jumping off point for myself.

Yay, hey there! First of all, thanks for the message!

I use Photoshop, and I have been using Kyle’s brushes for a while now. They used to be paid, but now they’re available for anyone with the CC subscription here:

Here is my list of textured brushes from Kyle’s:

Now, here is the trick:I don’t outright paint with this textured brushes. I start most of the painting with the default/softer brushes, paint most o the thing, and on top of that I add points of interest and texture to the paint. This way you can add variety and subtlety to your texture/brushwork :)Something like this:

Hope this helps!

[copperbadge]

artzbots replied to your post “Peak Bachelor”

But: did you mix whatever sour cream was leftover with the Udon noodles?!

Oh, it was empty of sour cream long since -- I rinse out the plastic tubs and reuse them. Sour cream and cold udon does sound kinda good though. 

princehal9000 replied to your post “Peak Bachelor”

this is mildly reassuring, actually. thank you for posting.

Well, I do what I can. :D 

thexturtle replied to your post “We're watching The Shadow tonight.”

Holy crap, Sam, bringing back the JSG memories. Now I gotta go scour wayback.

I think Gossamer has them...Aha! Indeed they do. I should go back and do a nostalgia-read sometime. 

[copperbadge]

lightwit replied to your post “delphia2000 replied to your post “Concerning first names - Do not...”

There‘s a German joke, much beloved by kids, about the name Horst, because it also means an eagle‘s nest in German. So people say: where does the gay eagle fly to? To his Horst. (Wohin fliegt der schwule Adler? Zu seinem Horst) no idea if it’s useful for the story... ��

LOL, what a cute joke. :D Probably not for the story but a nice joke! 

goodbyeomelas replied to your post “clockways: I love cold weather because it lets me break out my lesser...”

Personally I favor There Might Be A Human Under Those Brightly Colored Sheep; We're Not Sure

Ah yes, the Ball Of Wool! :D

raziya63 replied to your video “onemuseleft: elfpen: not-used-to-being-normal:”

@copperbadge what if you inadvertently took out a super spy?!

I think at that point I get recruited! 

artzbots replied to your post “Concerning first names - Do not forget Anna, Christa, Dorothea, Alma,...”

ZILPHA! Zilpha is a good feminine first name! My great aunt (Born around the 1930's?) And her mother were both Zilpha. Zilpha Bentley and Zilpha....I have no idea.

And there’s Zilpha Keatley Snyder, who wrote Black and Blue Magic, my favorite YA novel! 

musegaarid replied to your post “invertebratelurker replied to your post “Iscah was on Sam’s lap and...”

Hey, I’m an Aztec scholar, and in Nahuatl, Xolotl is usually spelled without an h. The x in Nahuatl already makes a “sh” sound. But if you want to spell it that way, go for it! I’m not a purist and it’s not like they had an alphabetic language, anyway. Just thought you’d like to know. ;)

Oh, thank you! I’ll make sure the spelling is correct. I might come back to you to pick your brain at some point, if you wouldn’t mind -- I’m not sure of stuff like “is it ok to name a dog after an Aztec dog god” and “would someone from Mexico familiar with the Aztec culture realistically end up in the Texas panhandle.” 

somethingwittythiswaycomes replied to your post “invertebratelurker replied to your post “Iscah was on Sam’s lap and...”

We used to go "van surfing" down the dirt track to the cabin. We would open the side door of the minivan and stand in the opening holding onto the roof rack while my dad drove fast enough to make it exciting. Iirc, that was before sliding doors on vans had the catches that stopped them from sliding shut if you stopped hard enough, just to make it interesting.

THAT SOUNDS AMAZING AND ALSO SO DEADLY

delphia2000 reblogged your post and added:

Most often they think he said Horace.

Oh, that’s better than Horse at least! 

[fbwzoo]

Hey, I am so sorry that you need to rehome Ditto. I rehomed a cat, and while it was a decision I second guessed and doubted and regretted, she was so much better in her new home, and was able to live a much happier life away from my other cats, who ganged up on her mercilessly. So I am sorry you are going through this emotional time, and I just wanted to say I know how much it can suck, even when it's the best option for everyone.

I’m glad your kitty found the right home for her! And thank you ♥ I’m being very successful at walling off The Emotions right now so I can do things, but I can tell I’m super not gonna handle this well! But I do think there will be at least a small amount of relief once I’m not constantly guilting myself & being upset that I can’t do what I want for Ditto, and that both cats aren’t getting stressed. I just hope it’s enough relief to help with the bad feelings.

[thebibliosphere]

I think you should point people to your PO box with the suggestion that if they are so invested in you using non-plastic straws they can invest in the metal/silicone straws for you, and a dishwasher, and whatever other nonsense they are yelling about.

Alternatively, my ko-fi is right here and they can feel free to help invest in my expensive muscle rehab so I don’t need as many mobility tools to live.

Just think of it as saving the environment one person at a time, but in a far more effective way.

[superqueerpasta]

Yes and yes!

I got prescription sunglasses last year and they have been my best friend at times like these. And I absolutely have night shift turned on on all of my devices.

*sigh* I just have to ride it out and wait for my excedrin to do it's thing.

[copperbadge]

I have the most random kitchen question for you, but which induction burner did you get? And would you get it again or recommend it as an induction burner other people would like? Also I saw your stand mixer and immediately thought you should make pavlova.

Pavlova has come in second for suggestions after marshmallows, and I’m not even very familiar with it, but now I’m raring to try it! 

I got a NuWave brand induction burner -- there are a couple kinds, I believe I got the 2, and they have the PIC which is a slightly fancier version, but it’ll run between $60 and $100 depending. It came with its own copper-nonstick pan, which is very nice except for how it’s slightly domed (making an omelet is difficult), but I also have a second frying pan (cast iron), a dutch oven, and two aluminum-clad copper saucepans that work on it. Before you get one, I’d go through your pots and pans and see which ones stick to a magnet -- that’s how you know they’ll work. I have a griddle and two pieces of vintage aluminum cookware that DON’T work on it, which is sort of a shame, though I can still use one of the cookpieces for baking. 

I would 100% recommend the NuWave as a great kitchen appliance. It’s quieter than the comparably priced Ikea brand induction cooktop (still not silent, it uses a fan) and it’s been pretty durable. It has pre-set low through high settings but within those settings you can go up or down in five-degree increments; I often find that MED is too low but MED HIGH is too high for making grilled cheese, but if I go up 15 degrees from MED it’s perfect. 

Also you can’t lift the pan much on an induction burner while keeping the heat on, so if you’re someone who likes to tilt and toss the pan -- you can still do it, you just have to hit “start” on the burner again after you do, because it will error itself off if the pan leaves the surface for a significant length of time. 

But as an induction burner, the NuWave has been fantastic. Don’t be fooled by its cheap AS SEEN ON TV packaging -- it’s a quality piece of equipment, having cooked almost exclusively on it for eight months now.