Rischa's Rants, Raves, and Ramblings

Amazon, Videos, & Classes

First up: Videos! I've been thinking of doing Vlogs instead of typing out my thoughts here at the ole blog. I like watching vlogs and I'm guessing I'm not alone in that. It's more interesting to actually SEE the person and put a face with the rambles rather than having to read their writing and visualize what they're wearing. Hehe...teasing a little there. Well we are a bunch of lazy Americans, right? That's what everyone keeps saying about Americans is that we're lazy, right? Ha! I don't believe that shit and neither should you, but it does come to mind when talking about watching vids over actually using your noggin to read something. Even so, I'm doing the videos. Oh, and you don't have to be American to watch them. That was just me being silly. It might not be soon as I really need to learn to make more interesting videos. I have only made 1 so far and it's far from professional. It's pretty low budget looking, actually. I enjoyed it very much, though. I think what I'll do is use my YouTube channel and embed it here soit will generate some of the traffic from YT to here, as well. I'll do the same for the art blog IF I ever am able to get back into my creating. I miss it SO badly. It feels like I'm losin' my skills...however few they may have been.

Which brings me to my next topic. A new Portraits class. Ahh...Aren't I good at tying these meaningless paragraphs together? I'm patting myself on the back as we speak. Anywho, I had told myself I wasn't taking any more classes for a while. And really I haven't, but this one particular class will be lots of help to me I believe. It's a portraits class. I really enjoy doing portraits. I specifically like doing folk art, prim style portraits. I think it's my favorite thing to do. If you're unfamiliar with what I mean, have a look at Rachel, who I completed months ago.

 

She embodies my taste more than anything else I've done. She's simple, folksy, primitive looking, and it was fun to do. I have lots to learn, though. I'm not going to pick apart my above work because I do love her as she is, but I see things that could be improved or changed if I knew other techniques. I don't think I will ever be to the point where I don't want to learn how to do something more effectively. I would be bored if I got to that point. So I will more than likely continue to take classes and buy books.

Hehehe...I did it again. I added that last sentence in the previous paragraph JUST so I could go on to this paragraph and show you my new books from Amazon.

The Creative License

 

& the one I'm looking MOST forward to...

Altered Surfaces

 

I looked through Altered Surfaces while at Michaels and wanted to get it so badly that day. I knew it would be cheaper on Amazon, though, so I waited. It's a short book, but it's packed with info from what I've seen of it at the store. I got a couple of other books, too, but they're not that exciting. Just a couple of diet books and a cookbook. Oh, and 2 Moleskines which I'm looking forward to filling with portraits and which will be "Altered Surfaces" very soon.

I almost forgot to do my little bit of bragging. I've been making sales at my CafePress shop. It's a bit surprising to me that I've made sales there since I've yet to even advertise, but hey...I'll take it! Hehe

'til next time peeps!

Rainy & Sickly Day

Today couldn't suck harder if it tried. Well, I suppose that's a fabrication. It could be a hurricane outside and I could have a stomach problem to go with my cold. Anyway, today still sux! I've been fighting off this cold for weeks, but it finally won our little war. I'm "in the bed" kinda sick now. The DayQuil isn't touching this junk and I'm suckin' up the nose spray like it's crack and I'm a crack whore. It's also thunder-boomin' outside. I guess it's a good day for it since I'm in bed. I'm not missing out on anything since everyone's stuck inside. Also, rain can be quite relaxing to the bed-bound person. The thunder has gotten loud lately, though. The dogs are pretty miserable, too, as they haven't gotten to rid themselves of the morning energy burst they normally get. It's 3PM and they've only gone out briefly once all day long. That reminds me of 2005 when one of the hurricanes hit and they were inside for over 24 hours until it was safe to go out. They held it like champs! They didn't get far outside our door, though, before they all squatted. LOL If they could have they'd have said, "Ahhhhhh".

Geez, how did that last paragraph come about? I ended it talking aobut Pee? Really? Must be the cold meds. That's my story.

So on to something different. I skipped the gym yesterday and it isn't looking like I'll be going today, either. I was on such a roll that I really hate that I couldn't go. I haven't skipped 2 days in a row since we signed up. I was about ready to start running on the treadmill, too. I think I've built up enough endurance that I could take a few minutes of running at a time. I didn't want to start running right away and just totally blow my bad knee. Have I mentioned how bad having RA sucks lately?! I've had it over 11 years and it still ain't fun.

I haven't been a very good blogger lately. I know this isn't news, but what I mean is that I haven't been using images. I know people like to see images in blog posts. I do, too! So I better start using my camera again. I'd rather use my own images than someone else's. That's not to say I won't ever use images from Flickr or wherever else, but I enjoyed using my own. The entries lately are looking pretty dull, though, don't you think?

Joel may be traveling back down to the Naples area soon. I'd love to be able to go with him. It's so hard to do that for us, though, with all of our critters. I have no one around that would make a good sitter. I really loved Naples, though. It's beautiful and the place we stayed was awesome! I think it's the best place I've EVER stayed. As a bonus, it was around the time of our anniversary, too. Joel's Mom even sent us a basket to help us celebrate. Very cool of her, eh? Anyway, it sure would be nice to be able to hop in the car with Joel to go on these biz trips with him. I could take my easel and some paints or at least my sketchbook and enjoy some relaxation in a new place.

That's about all for now. The nose spray has kicked in so I'm going to try and get some rest for a while. If you've got chicken soup, you know where to send it! ;-) Later!

PS. For my next post I'll talk about Videos and my Amazon purchase.....

Nyquil Take Me Awayyyy

Yeah, I know it's Calgon, but tonight Nyquil is taking my troubles away I hope. Nose? Clogged! Head? Aching! Throat? Making me cough! I'm hoping that I'll be ready to dose off by the end of this entry.

So it has been a while....sue me! :-P I just haven't been in the mood for blogging. Not that there really is anything to blog ABOUT anyway. Hmm...blog topics? Oh, I know!

True Blood; Are any of you watching it? If you don't watch the show just skip to the next paragraph now because this one won't make much sense to you unless you're a fan. I can't tell you how much I love this show! And, no, it isn't because of Erick and his sexy eyes, hair, bod, and everything else! Although, it doesn't hurt. Jason and Bill aren't bad, either! Wait, where was I going with this? Ha! Teasing....I remember. I wondered after the premier season if the show could keep up with how action packed it was last year, but I'm not worried any more. I mean HOLY CRAP! Did you all see that half man half bull tonight? And WTF is in that stuff Pig Lady is feeding everyone? Oh, and who all thought Sucki was a moron for slapping Erick? I mean HELLO! He's a vampire, you dumbass! I know she's supposed to be our fearless heroin, but come on....she was coming off a little on the dumbass side there, which reminded me of her brother. It sure isn't hard to talk Jason into changing his mind, is it? If I wasn't getting sleepy and could remember all the names on the show I'd keep going with my theories, but it's getting harder and harder to concentrate. So I'll move on to the next paragraaaaaaaaph.........NOW!

Joel and I watched "Hung" after TB went off and were not impressed. I mean, really....it's about a man that's down on his luck with a big third leg. You don't even see the main character in the show! It hides behind a zipper the whole time. Not that I'm wanting to see the thing, but if it's centered around how huge it is then....well.....it's not good to have an invisible main character, ya know? Donny, the guy that the show is really centered around is only interesting beCAUSE of his "you know". Other than that he's just a football coach with a crap life. Most Pilot episodes pull you into wanting to see more. This one just made me want to watch True Blood, Nurse Jackie or Weeds to get that one out of my system. Seriously depressing show! Since it comes on after True Blood I'm sure I'll see it again. If that happens and it looks any more interesting the second go around I'll be the first to admit it has improved. It could happen I guess. For now, though, I won't be DVRing it.

So to let you know I'm not some couch potato that just sits around watching TV all the time I should probably report that I've been going to the gym for about 3 or 4 weeks now. Joel and I joined Anytime Fitness in Leesburg. It's working out very well for me. Joel has been having some health concerns and is seeing about it. He's only gone 3 times I think. I hope he can start going with me soon, though. It's more fun when he goes. He'll be seeing the doctor tomorrow morning to get some test results back. Wish him luck. I want our next 10 years together to be healthy ones. Which leads me to my next paragraph...

Joel and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary a little over a week ago. Well, celebrated might not be the best description of what we did, but we were together and we were happy with that so it was a success in my book. I had a doctor's appointment and some lab work done, so that wasn't exactly a dream come true, but the rest of the day was purely fun. We spent it in Orlando shopping, eating, and just enjoying one another's company. We ate at Bahama Breeze, which is our new favorite. We gave each other the gym membership. Haha...what are you supposed to get for your spouse after 10 years? We're not traditional. 

I had some other thoughts that were going into this blog entry, but right now I"m thinking about the back of my eyelids and how comfortable this bed and my pillow is so.... 

Flea & Sea

Today, well technically it was yesterday, we went to the Flea Market. I don't know why....we just did. I enjoy the flea usually, but today it just looked like a bunch of junk with price tags. I did buy a book, though. We were in and out of there in a half hour. We walked all of the isles except the dusty one out back. That isle, literally, has nothing but the same things all the time. Plus, a funny guy that always screams, "Bargain day todayyyyyyyy". It always cracks me up. He says it in the SAME exact way every time and yet it still makes me giggle the way he says it. I'll give him this....he sure gets attention.

After that we went to Planet Smoothie. I tried one that said it was for women. It was nasty. It left a horrible taste in my mouth. Joel joked saying I needed to lick my ass to get the taste out of my mouth. Sorry if that gives you a visual you don't need. His was pretty good. After that we went to the grocery store where we hit the jackpot on Sea Food. Yeah! My favorite! They had pre-seasoned salmon fillets for $3! We got 6 of them and froze 4. I cooked shrimp scampi and the salmon with salad and pasta. It was one of the best dinners I've ever cooked if I may say so. The dill sauce was like the icing on a cake. Mmm

The rest of the day was spent as any Saturday should be....napping and watching TV. I have more to say, but I must get back to sleep as it has been several hours since my last nap and I miss LaLa Land. Joel's there without me right now and I'm sure he's lonely. Later...

Can't Sleep

I can't sleep, so I thought I'd post an entry in my poor, neglected blog. Sooo....what to talk about. Since sleep is what I'm after at the moment, let's start there.

I try every night to get in the bed at the same time as Joel. He decides he's going to bed and 5 minutes later he's snoozing. By the time I take the dogs out, close both computers, wash my face, brush my teeth, check all doors, get into my Pajamas, etc... It's too late. I really wish I could simplify my life so I could just say I'm doing something and DO it right then and there.

Speaking of simplifying my life, I really do need to do that in ALL aspects of Rischa-ville. Did I just say "Rischa-ville". How lame! Must be the sleeping pill. Anyway, first let's start with my email lists; I get about a thousand emails a day from different subscriptions. Most of them I mass delete. Why do I do this? What am I looking for out of these lists? I waste an awful lot of time sorting. I even have folder after folder to help organize them all, but I still waste a ton of time going through them all.

Second; Pets. I love each and every one of my pets. I REALLY do. Just like everything else, though, I go overboard. I take in every stray or sad face I see. I'm like the old lady that lived in a shoe, but with critters. I can't even go on business trips with Joel or visit family with him because I can't leave them behind. I have given serious thought to finding homes for my parrots. I love them so much, though, it makes me cry to even think of it. Let's say I did find a new home for them, though. I could then have my own room to work on my art rather than sweating my ass off out in the garage, where my current studio resides. I could also move my sewing desk and computer desk in there.

Oh, and then there are my treasures; I have various collections that are just stored in boxes in the garage and the attic. Don't get me wrong, Joel has some, too. I can't speak for him, though. Back to the point, I have bird houses (can you tell I have a thing for birds?), Precious Moments figurines, Piggy banks, shot glasses, and other small collections that I don't even display and bring me no use or pleasure at all. Why?! Some of them were given to me, but I did bring it on myself by starting these little collections to begin with. I don't even like these collections any more. They're just fun things to collect for a while and then they begin to collect dust, so I box them up.

I guess the question I should be asking myself right now is, "What is missing in my life that I overdo everything?" Is it a boredom thing? A perfectionist thing? A challenge? What the hell? This is my struggle for the moment. At times I think to myself, "delete everything!" That would include email lists, collections, or anything that complicates my life. The, other times, I think to myself, "What if I regret it later?" What to do, what to do?

Ahhh well, moving on....

I've been thinking of joining a Gym lately. There's one called Anytime Fitness that looks promising. I like going for walks and bike rides, but it always rains in the evening here. I set my alarm for a bit earlier this morning thinking that I could go early before it got hot out, but it stormed!! Grrr! What's a flabby girl to do? I bought an exercise DVD by Jillian Michaels, that Biggest Loser chick, but she had me doing jumping jacks, push ups, squat thrusts, jumping rope, etc... I can't jump up and down on these arthritic knees! I tried it and my knees hurt for a week. I also could feel that the workout was an awesome one, though. My muscles were that good kind of sore that you feel after you've worked out. I wish I COULD do it every day. I just can't, though. My rheumy would fuss at me if I did. On a more productive note, I have started logging everything that I eat and drink. I downloaded an application that helps you track your calories on my iPod Touch. It's really great because you can do a quick search for your food and they have a list from all restaurants and grocery stores to make it easy. It's really a great little weight loss tool.

I think I'll go surf the net a while until I feel like I can catch those illusive "Z's". I can tell that it's getting harder to concentrate on writing so my sleeping pill is surely kickin' in. See ya next time....

Oh and P.S. Don't judge me by the grammar used above. I'm not even gonna proofread this entry. It's too long and I'm too lazy to do it.

Just Saturday

Just sitting here watching Juno remembering back when I was in her place. Things aren't quite as cool as they make it appear in the movie. Other than that I'm just having a lazy Saturday. I haven't been feeling very well and have been stressing about everything, so doing nothing is good for the body and soul sometimes. Penny is helping me.

I'm actually hold up in my bedroom staying out of Joel's way. He's watching the NFL Draft. He's been talking about it all week. I hate football. Well, I don't hate it, but I don't enjoy watching it at all.

Juno just went off, so I'm watching The Parent Trap remake. Before Juno was the last half of The Truth About Cats & Dogs. I wanted to watch Baby Mama, but I have that DVR'd and I'd rather watch it in HD on the living room TV.

I'm really not in a blogging mood right now. I'd rather watch the movie. I've been typing this for an hour and not much to show for it. I might actually close this blog. It costs 90 bucks a year and I never use it. I can always open a FREE one on Blogger if I miss it.

See ya...

Hilarious Animal Video

Mom just sent me this hilarious video. It's of animals that have made themselves drunk from eating fermented fruit. Check it out....

 

I Heart Twitter

Why EVERYONE should Tweet!

www.Twitter.com

Follow me @Rischa ;-)

I just uploaded some photos via Twitter. Check 'em out while you're there!

My Narcissism Results!

I'm pretty happy with my results of the test from the previous entry. I scored a total of 7 out of a possible 40 when it comes to being narcissistic. I'm quite relieved to know that I'm below average. Yay me! Wait, did that just bump me up to an 8? Haha

Here are the complete results and my answers to the test...

1    A. I have a natural talent for influencing people.                              A  1

2    B. I am essentially a modest person.                                                 A

3    B. I tend to be a fairly cautious person.                                           A

4    A. When people compliment me I sometimes get embarrassed.           B

5    A. The thought of ruling the world frightens the hell out of me.       B

6    B. I try to accept the consequences of my behavior.                        A

7    A. I prefer to blend in with the crowd.                                           B

8    B. I am not too concerned about success.                                        A

9    A. I am no better or worse than most people.                                  B

10   A. I am not sure if I would make a good leader.                             B

11    B. I wish I were more assertive.                                                    A

12    B. I don't mind following orders.                                                  A

13    B. I don't like it when I find myself manipulating people.              A

14    B. I usually get the respect that I deserve.                                    A

15    A. I don't particularly like to show off my body.                           B

16    A. I can read people like a book.                                                   A 1

17    A. If I feel competent I am willing to take responsibility for making decisions.   B

18    A. I just want to be reasonably happy.                                           B

19    A. My body is nothing special.                                                        B

20   A. I try not to be a show off.                                                         B

21    B. Sometimes I am not sure of what I am doing.                              A

22    B. I rarely depend on anyone else to get things done.                     B  1

23    A. Sometimes I tell good stories.                                                   B

24    B. I like to do things for other people.                                           A

25    A. I will never be satisfied until I get all that I deserve.               A  1

26    B. I like to be complimented.                                                         B  1

27    B. Power for its own sake doesn't interest me.                               A

28    A. I don't care about new fads and fashions.                                B

29    B. I am not particularly interested in looking at myself in the mirror.  A

30    B. It makes me uncomfortable to be the center of attention.           A

31     B. People can't always live their lives in terms of what they want.   A

32    A. Being an authority doesn't mean that much to me.                       B

33    A. I would prefer to be a leader.                                                  A  1

34    B. I hope I am going to be successful.                                           A

35    B. I can make anybody believe anything I want them to.                 B  1

36    B. Leadership is a quality that takes a long time to develop.            A

37    B. I don't like people to pry into my life for any reason.                A

38    B. I don't mind blending into the crowd when I go out in public.    A

39    B. There is a lot that I can learn from other people.                       A

40    A. I am much like everybody else.                                                  B   

Total: 7

• Authority: 1, 8, 10, 11, 12, 32, 33, 36             2 out of 8

  • Self-sufficiency: 17, 21, 22, 31, 34, 39      1  out of 6

  • Superiority: 4, 9, 26, 37, 40                       1  out of 5

  • Exhibitionism: 2, 3, 7, 20, 28, 30, 38           0 out of 7

  • Exploitativeness: 6, 13, 16, 23, 35               2  out of 5

  • Vanity: 15, 19, 29                                         0 out of 3

  • Entitlement: 5, 14, 18, 24, 25, 27                 1  out of 6

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you take the test be sure and leave your results in the comments OR if you post your results on your blog leave me a link so I can see please!

Dr. Drew's Narcissism Test

        Have you taken the test yet? Do you love yourself more than you should? Average is 15. Are you above or below? I'm about to take it and find out!

Copied from: HERE

 

"Authors Drew Pinsky and S. Mark Young, a professor of entertainment business at the University of Southern California have studied celebrities and the general population by administering a widely used screening tool called the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI), which is included in The Mirror Effect.

The book advises answering the 40 questions below in a single sitting, without asking for help or clarification. It notes, "There's no such thing as a good or bad result on this test. Scoring high on the narcissism inventory, or high on any of the component categories, doesn't mean you have a disorder, or that you're a good or bad person."

Print this out or track your choices of which statements best match you — then test your friends, family, that guy at the office — anyone who's narcissism score you want to know.

1. A. I have a natural talent for influencing people.
B. I am not good at influencing people.

2. A. Modesty doesn't become me.
B. I am essentially a modest person.

3. A. I would do almost anything on a dare.
B. I tend to be a fairly cautious person.

4. A. When people compliment me I sometimes get embarrassed.
B. I know that I am good because everybody keeps telling me so.

5. A. The thought of ruling the world frightens the hell out of me.
B. If I ruled the world it would be a better place.

6. A. I can usually talk my way out of anything.
B. I try to accept the consequences of my behavior.

7. A. I prefer to blend in with the crowd.
B. I like to be the center of attention.

8. A. I will be a success.
B. I am not too concerned about success.

9. A. I am no better or worse than most people.
B. I think I am a special person.

10. A. I am not sure if I would make a good leader.
B. I see myself as a good leader.

11. A. I am assertive.
B. I wish I were more assertive.

12. A. I like to have authority over other people.
B. I don't mind following orders.

13. A. I find it easy to manipulate people.
B. I don't like it when I find myself manipulating people.

14. A. I insist upon getting the respect that is due me.
B. I usually get the respect that I deserve.

15. A. I don't particularly like to show off my body.
B. I like to show off my body.

16. A. I can read people like a book.
B. People are sometimes hard to understand.

17. A. If I feel competent I am willing to take responsibility for making decisions.
B. I like to take responsibility for making decisions.

18. A. I just want to be reasonably happy.
B. I want to amount to something in the eyes of the world.

19. A. My body is nothing special.
B. I like to look at my body.

20. A. I try not to be a show off.
B. I will usually show off if I get the chance.

21. A. I always know what I am doing.
B. Sometimes I am not sure of what I am doing.

22. A. I sometimes depend on people to get things done.
B. I rarely depend on anyone else to get things done.

23. A. Sometimes I tell good stories.
B. Everybody likes to hear my stories.

24. A. I expect a great deal from other people.
B. I like to do things for other people.

25. A. I will never be satisfied until I get all that I deserve.
B. I take my satisfactions as they come.

26. A. Compliments embarrass me.
B. I like to be complimented.

27. A. I have a strong will to power.
B. Power for its own sake doesn't interest me.

28. A. I don't care about new fads and fashions.
B. I like to start new fads and fashions.

29. A. I like to look at myself in the mirror.
B. I am not particularly interested in looking at myself in the mirror.

30. A. I really like to be the center of attention.
B. It makes me uncomfortable to be the center of attention.

31. A. I can live my life in any way I want to.
B. People can't always live their lives in terms of what they want.

32. A. Being an authority doesn't mean that much to me.
B. People always seem to recognize my authority.

33. A. I would prefer to be a leader.
B. It makes little difference to me whether I am a leader or not.

34. A. I am going to be a great person.
B. I hope I am going to be successful.

35. A. People sometimes believe what I tell them.
B. I can make anybody believe anything I want them to.

36. A. I am a born leader.
B. Leadership is a quality that takes a long time to develop.

37. A. I wish somebody would someday write my biography.
B. I don't like people to pry into my life for any reason.

38. A. I get upset when people don't notice how I look when I go out in public.
B. I don't mind blending into the crowd when I go out in public.

39. A. I am more capable than other people.
B. There is a lot that I can learn from other people.

40. A. I am much like everybody else.
B. I am an extraordinary person.

SCORING KEY:

Assign one point for each response that matches the key.

1, 2 and 3: A
4, 5: B
6: A
7: B
8: A
9, 10: B
11, 12, 13, 14: A
15: B
16: A
17, 18, 19, 20: B
21: A
22, 23: B
24, 25: A
26: B
27: A
28: B
29, 30, 31: A
32: B
33, 34: A
35. B
36, 37, 38, 39: A
40: B

The average score for the general population is 15.3. The average score for celebrities is 17.8. Pinsky says he scored 16.

Young says it is important to consider which traits are dominant. For example, an overall score that reflects more points on vanity, entitlement, exhibitionism and exploitiveness is more cause for concern than someone who scores high on authority, self-sufficiency and superiority, he says.

The seven component traits by question:

• Authority: 1, 8, 10, 11, 12, 32, 33, 36

• Self-sufficiency: 17, 21, 22, 31, 34, 39

• Superiority: 4, 9, 26, 37, 40

• Exhibitionism: 2, 3, 7, 20, 28, 30, 38

• Exploitativeness: 6, 13, 16, 23, 35

• Vanity: 15, 19, 29

• Entitlement: 5, 14, 18, 24, 25, 27"

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'll post my results later. Hehe....I know. You wanted to know now, didn't you? You'll have to come back! See what I did there? I pulled a Ryan Seacrest. Don't you hate it when TV shows do that? Make you wait for the results? Or like Days of Our Lives; Their most interesting show is always Friday and Monday so you'll come back to watch next week.

Seacrest OUT! (not TOO corny, eh)