http://search.deviantart.com/?q=by:Swingblues&section=today deviantART RSS for by:Swingblues en-us Copyright 2009, deviantART.com Sun, 27 Dec 2009 05:04:43 PST deviantART.com http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://s.deviantart.com/minish/widgets/apple-touch-icon-precomposed.png http://Swingblues.deviantart.com/journal/25039564/ http://Swingblues.deviantart.com/journal/25039564/ Sat, 30 May 2009 19:52:43 PDT So we have two Featured Deviation areas now? Ah well, it could have been a lot more confusing than this. So if anyone out there still cares and still remembers me, I'm here to say I have not forgotten dA; I have just not been in the best circumstances to be as involved here as I used to be. I have to try to do better on that, but it's really tough with all the hours I work. They just recently put me in charge of maintaining the men's dress shirt and tie department, too, so that's even more hours and more work. *sigh*

I'm still slowly but surely accumulating drawings in my manilla folder for when I get to use the scanner again (we need a new computer first). They are mostly my Care Bears and My Little Pony OCs, but I do have a few other things, too, such as a pic of Fritha and her sister Kelda and their kite that was supposed to be for but who knows when they'll get it now? I also have a halfway decent anthro cat/girl thing in there. It will be nice when I get to that stuff. It's an improvement over my old art and I find I'm not quite as enthusiastic about finishing the old art when I know I can do better now.

Oh, and on a completely random note, I finally got a copy of part 2 of the Ouran High School Host Club anime. It took me 3 months to find it, but a friend of mine from college who works at the FYE in the same mall where I work told me when they were getting a shipment in, and I went over there on my break and he found it for me! It even came with a calender, which I totally did not expect. This it absolutely my favorite anime now! (Sorry, Inuyasha... )

Ahem. Anyway, I guess that's it for now. I will try to at least get some photos I can upload, if I get to go anywhere good this summer. See ya later!

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http://Swingblues.deviantart.com/journal/22621344/ Fri, 16 Jan 2009 19:22:38 PST
I have still been drawing some in my rare spare time and have accumulated several pieces I'm excited about finishing, but there's still the problem with having no scanner and a certain someone hogging the internet 24/7, so even that is on hold indefinitely. I'll have to fall back on some of my older, already-scanned stuff. Well, that's all for now. Hope your Christmases and Hannukahs (can't spell >.< ) and whatever else you celebrated were good and that 2009 brings you all joy! TTYL!


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~Swingblues http://Swingblues.deviantart.com/journal/21037037/ http://Swingblues.deviantart.com/journal/21037037/ Fri, 17 Oct 2008 19:12:01 PDT I might even put the DVDs of some of these shows on my Christmas list this year. I kinda miss them. And holy crap! the anime of Ouran High School Host Club is finally coming out on DVD the day after my birthday!! I can't wait!

Anyway, there's not too much interesting stuff to say about what's going on in my life, at least not stuff I'd share here. We are having some troubles in my family that are wearing us all out a bit, but everyone has that to some extent. The only thing is I managed to get a job, but it's not what I wanted. Just a regular mall retail job that a friend helped me get. I do hope I'll get into the libraries someday, but I guess it's going to take a while. I haven't started yet, but I'm really nervous; as a rather quiet and shy person, I'm worried about how badly I could mess this up. T_T Ugh...if anyone out there prays, I'd really appreciate it if you said a little one for me.

Now what else? I want to end on a happy note, so I just wanna ask if anyone out there likes corn mazes? They are so much fun! Last weekend, I went to one with my parents and we got so lost! But we managed to get out again, even without the use of a map. My mom was especially proud since she suggested most of the paths we took. She was whooping with joy; it was so funny! And it was so pretty and fall-ish out in that field. My mom took beautiful pictures of the pumpkins with the light of the sunset on them. She takes tons of lovely photos; I always say she could've been a photographer or an art teacher if she hadn't become a mom first. I'm considering making a special folder for her in my gallery and submitting some of her photos into it so she can get comments on them, since she doesn't use the computer and it wouldn't make much sense for her to get her own account. What do you all think, hm?

Well, I think that does it for this month. LOL I would like to thank everyone who has faved or commented on my art these past few months, and those who have watched me; I'm so grateful for your interest in my little doodles. I have a bit of art to upload now (finally!), so until next time, take care!


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<... ]]> ~Swingblues http://Swingblues.deviantart.com/journal/19046517/ http://Swingblues.deviantart.com/journal/19046517/ Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:45:39 PDT It's been all cloudy and gloomy for like over a week, but yesterday and Monday were pretty interesting because we had SEVERE bad weather. Monday was the day of my first concert with the summer wind ensemble, and I was torn over whether to go or not because we had a scattered thunderstorm warning all over the northeast. I had been hearing thunder in the distance all day. The main problem was that the concert was going to be in for the 4th of July celebration in Independence Park in Bristol, right next to the ocean, just where you don't want to be when lighting strikes, and because if my clarinet got wet it would be ruined (it's wooden and really expensive). In the end I decided to go anyway, and luckily no lightning struck us, but it did rain quite a lot. Oddly enough, it had been clear for a while, but it started pouring again exactly when we began to play! We had a tent over the stage, but there was nothing but trees to protect the audience. In spite of that, the whole audience stuck around through the entire thing. They were sitting there in their lawn chairs with raincoats and umbrellas! That's dedication for you, huh? Those Bristolians sure love the 4th of July.

Yesterday, there was a huge hailstorm, too! Once I finished running around the house and closing all the windows to keep the water out (and I wasn't entirely successful, either ), I just had to stop and watch it because it was kind of cool! I had never seen an actual hailstorm before. It didn't last too long, but it did make a mess: some of our shingles broke off, there are dents in our fence and siding that look like someone shot at them with a BB gun, and there were small tree branches and leaves all over the lawn and stuck to the house. Also, all of my neighbor's floodlights got broken. After the storm, my mom and I went out and picked up some of the biggest hailstones we could find and put them in the freezer. They're about the size of quarters.

I did take a really short video of the hail falling outside my bedroom window towards the end. I might post it on Youtube sometime if I can figure out how. Maybe no one will care about the crazy weather, but it seemed interesting to me. Yup, that's New England for you.

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http://Swingblues.deviantart.com/journal/18453586/ Thu, 22 May 2008 19:31:17 PDT because it looked like fun and because I'm sure no one wants to have to see my medical rants on my front page anymore. I know I don't.

Movies you've watched.
Over 85 = no life

( ) Grease
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End
( ) Boondock Saints
( ) Fight Club
( ) Starsky and Hutch
(x) Neverending Story
( ) Blazing Saddles
( ) Airplane!

Total: 4

(x) The Princess Bride
( ) Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy
( ) Napoleon Dynamite
( ) Saw
( ) Saw II
( ) Saw III
( ) Saw IV
( ) White Noise
(x) White Oleander
( ) 50 First Dates
(x) The Princess Diaries
(x) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement

Total: 4

( ) Scream
( ) Scream 2
( ) Scream 3
( ) Scary Movie
( ) Scary Movie 2
( ) Scary Movie 3
( ) Scary Movie 4
( ) American Pie
( ) American Pie 2
( )American Wedding
( ) American Pie Band Camp
( ) American Pie Naked Mile

Total: 0

(x) Harry Potter 1
(x) Harry Potter 2
(x) Harry Potter 3
(x) Harry Potter 4
(x) Harry Potter 5
(x) Resident Evil 1
(x) Resident Evil 2
( ) Resident Evil 3
(x) The Wedding Singer
( ) Little Black Book
(x) The Village

Total: 9

(x) Finding Nemo
(x) Finding Neverland
(x) Signs
(x) The Grinch
() Texas Chainsaw Massacre
() Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
() White Chicks
(x) Butterfly Effect
( ) 13 Going on 30
( ) I, Robot
( ) Robots

total: 5

( ) Dodgeball
( ) Universal Soldier
(x) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
( ) Along Came Polly
(x) Deep Impact
( ) KingPin
(x) Never Been Kissed
( ) Meet The Parents
( ) Meet the Fockers
( ) Eight Crazy Nights
( ) Joe Dirt
( ) King Kong

Total: 3

( ) A Cinderella Story
( ) The Terminal
(x) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
(x) Dumb & Dumber
( ) Dumber & Dumberer
(x) Final Destination
( ) Final Destination 2
( ) Final Destination 3
( ) Halloween (the original)
(x)The Ring
(x) The Ring 2
( ) Surviving Christmas
( ) Flubber

Total: 5

( ) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
( ) Practical Magic
(x) Chicago
( ) Ghost Ship
( ) From Hell
( ) Hellboy
( ) Secret Window
( ) I Am Sam
( ) The Whole Nine Yards
( ) The Whole Ten Yards

Total: 1

(x) The Day After Tomorrow
(x) Child's Play
( ) Seed of Chucky
( ) Bride of Chucky
(x) Ten Things I Hate About You
( ) Just Married
( ) Gothika
( ) Nightmare on Elm Street
(x) Sixteen Candles
( ) Remember the Titans
( ) Coach Carter
( ) The Longest Yard (the original)
( ) Gridiron Gang
(x) The Grudge
(x) The Grudge 2
(x) The Mask
( ) Son Of The Mask

Total: 7

( ) Bad Boys
( ) Bad Boys 2
( ) Joy Ride
( ) Lucky Number Sleven
( ) Ocean's Eleven
( ) Ocean's Twelve
( ) Ocean's Thirteen
( ) Bourne Identity
( ) Bourne Supremacy
( ) Bourne Ultimatum
( ) Lone Star state of mind
( ) Bedazzled
() Predator I
() Predator II
() The Fog
(x) Ice Age
(x) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
( ) Curious George

Total: 2

( ) Independence Day
( ) A Bronx Tale
( ) Darkness Falls
( ) Christine
(x) ET
( ) Children of the Corn
( ) My Boss's Daughter
( ) Maid in Manhattan
( ) War of the Worlds
( ) Rush Hour
( ) Rush Hour 2
( ) Rush Hour 3

Total all together: 1

( ) Swimfan
(x) Miracle on 34th street
( ) Old School
( ) The Notebook
( ) K-Pax
( ) Krippendorf's Tribe
( ) A Walk to Remember
( ) Ice Castles
( ) Boogeyman
( ) The 40-year-old-virgin

Total: 1

(x) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
(x) Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
(x) Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
(x) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
( ) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
( ) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade


Total: 4

( ) Love and basketball
( ) Hostel
( ) Waiting for Guffman
( ) House of 1000... ]]> ~Swingblues http://Swingblues.deviantart.com/journal/18327420/ http://Swingblues.deviantart.com/journal/18327420/ Wed, 14 May 2008 20:06:37 PDT

Hi again, fellow artists! I'm still alive, I just haven't been finishing much art lately. I have been drawing a lot, though; in fact, I just scanned like 9 new drawings yesterday! Now I need to force myself to color it sometime. But I am always around checking my messages and browsing people's galleries, even when I'm in an art slump. Plus, I doubt anyone's noticed, but I did a little cleaning in my gallery and scraps to get rid of the stuff that makes me wonder why I ever posted it in the first place. Now there's more room for the new and improved stuff!

News-wise, there's not too much to say. Still looking for jobs, and everyone keeps saying they're set till the end of the summer. C'mon, people! Give me a break already! There is this one library that's expanding its building and adding new jobs, so I'm hoping I'll have a chance there, and I'm still harassing the people at the bookstore near where I live and the people at many other stores, too. Unlikely as it's looking, I really hope somebody's gonna give in eventually. In the meantime, I'm babysitting at the church nursery like always.

Other than that, the most interesting thing that's happened is the many doctor's appointments I've had lately. First, I had a biopsy done on this large, raised mole on my back. I'd had it for years and never thought a thing of it, but then I read this article in the paper about melanomas and freaked out! The mole turned out to be benign, thank God, but now I have the wound on my back that's taking FOREVER to heal. It itches all the time and of course I can't scratch it, and the skin around it is getting all red and sore from ripping the Bandaid off everyday. The other doctor's appointment was for my ear, which kept itching inside and sometimes blocked up when I rubbed it. I was so scared I was going deaf or something! I did have a punctured eardrum once before. But it turned out to be that I just had a bit of wax buildup, and after the doctor cleaned some of it out and gave me some eardrops, it's been fine. Wow, I hadn't gone to a doctor for anything in 2 years, and suddenly I'm there every week.

Well, that's about all I have to talk about for now. Sorry it was so boring. Ah, I do have this one thing that's kind of interesting: [link] posted a link to this game in his journal and it's driving me crazy! If anyone tries it and can get past level 2, please give me a hint! Bye for now!


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http://Swingblues.deviantart.com/journal/17201938/ Wed, 05 Mar 2008 20:38:01 PST

Waah! My subscription is ending on Friday! I'm seriously gonna miss it a lot; I love being able to see thumbnails in my inbox. Now I'll have to go back to taking ages to go through my deviations, or skipping some without looking, which I hate to do. I've been spoiled. *sigh* Oh well. I just wanted to do this while I still had the chance, just 'cause it looks like fun. I'll probably delete it once the thumbnails disappear. Anyone who wants to, give it a try!

Taken from

1) Answer the questions below
2) Take each answer and type it into dA search box
3) Take a deviation from the first page of results (may use ' popular' or 'newest' ) and post thumb (for subscribers) or link (non-subscribers)
4) You can't copy the persons answers who posted this before you


1. The age you will be on your next birthday: 24


2. A place you'd like to travel: Ireland


3. Your favorite place: home


4. Your favorite object: books



5. Favorite food: pumpkin pie


6. Your favorite animal: dog


7. Your favorite color: purple


8. The town/state/etc in which you live: RI


9. Name of past pet: Tasha


10. A dream come true: Going to Disney World


11. Your nickname/screenname: um…Swingblues?


12. Middle name: Danielle
~Swingblues http://Swingblues.deviantart.com/journal/16901388/ http://Swingblues.deviantart.com/journal/16901388/ Fri, 15 Feb 2008 15:53:46 PST

I was just cleaning up my journal a little bit because the sight of all those icons in one place was getting on my nerves. Now I'm going to keep only some of them in my main journal and there are links to special journals that will hold the rest of them. I hope that will make it feel less cluttered around here! And just for kicks, I did this quiz because I've never done one before. Ignore if you want.


Nerd quiz tolen from (who stole it from someone else XD)

ANIME/MANGA NERD
[X] You watch anime.
[X] You read manga.
[X] You buy/collect anime DVDs or manga volumes
[X] You own some other form of anime/manga merchandise.
[X] You have referred to an anime character as 'hot' before. _{It might not have been out loud, though.}
[ ] You have cosplayed.
[ ] You have done so in public.
[ ] You have been to an anime/manga convention. _{Yeah, I wish.}
[ ] You have created/joined a fanclub for an anime/manga character.
[ ] You have created/joined a hateclub for an anime/manga character.
[ ] You have squealed when you found out somebody had the same name as an anime character you knew. _{Who does THAT?} O_o
[ ] You enjoy drawing anime.
[ ] People you know know you as the 'anime' person.
[ ] You know that it is pronounced 'mawnguh' and not 'manga' like it is spelled.
ANIME/MANGA POINTS: 5 _{Not as bad as I expected!}

ART NERD
[X] You like art.
[ ] You actually consider yourself an artist.
[X] When using art supplies, the brand of them matters to you. _{Well...sometimes, yeah.}
[ ] You have a favorite brand.
[X] You have asked for art supplies as a Christmas/birthday gift before.
[X] You give people your drawings as gifts. _{Not recently, but I used to before I had money to buy stuff.}
[ ] People actually ask for your drawings.
[ ] You are known as 'the art person' at your school.
[ ] Instead of just 'brown' or ' ink', you'd be specific; it's 'sienna brown' or 'blush pink'. Or whatever.
[ ] You have taken an art class outside of school.
[ ] You have considered a career as an artist.
[X] Your school papers are always covered in doodles. _{My notebooks.}
[X] You have a favorite artist.
[ ] Your drawings have been framed.
[ ] You carry a sketchbook with you everywhere you go.
ART NERD POINTS: 6

MUSICAL NERD
[X] You play a musical instrument.
[X] You play more than one instrument. _{But I need to relearn the second one; I'm years out of practice and was only a beginner.}
[X] You actually really enjoy playing your instrument.
[ ] You've given your instrument a name. _{My high school clarinet was named Marcie, but my current one doesn't have one. I'm past that stage.}
[X] You've participated in an extracurricular activity for your instrument.
[ ] You are known by what you play.
[X] You listen to classical music.
[ ] You are wondering whether that refers to the classical music genre or the classical music time period.
[X] You have a favorite composer. _{Mozart rawks!!}
[ ] All of your friends are from your band/orchestra class. _{In high school, yes; since then, no.}
[ ] You write music.
[ ] You've had discussions with your friends about music; your favorite composers/instruments/musical time periods/key/etc...
[ ] You have considered a professional career with your instrument.
[ ] You are never nervous playing for other people.
MUSICAL NERD POINTS: 6

VIDEO GAME NERD
[X] You play video games.
[ ] You own more than 4 different video game systems. <sub>I don't use... ]]> ~Swingblues http://Swingblues.deviantart.com/journal/16900644/ http://Swingblues.deviantart.com/journal/16900644/ Fri, 15 Feb 2008 15:02:56 PST Continuation of the list of artists I watch and admire:


]]> ~Swingblues http://Swingblues.deviantart.com/journal/16900623/ http://Swingblues.deviantart.com/journal/16900623/ Fri, 15 Feb 2008 15:01:10 PST Continuation of the list of clubs I've joined:



]]> ~Swingblues http://Swingblues.deviantart.com/journal/16458962/ http://Swingblues.deviantart.com/journal/16458962/ Fri, 18 Jan 2008 12:14:08 PST

Is something wrong with the submission thing, or is it just my computer being evil again? I tried uploading something just now, but nothing happened when I clicked on the file I wanted to open. I mean nothing at all. Maybe I should try again tomorrow; my Internet connection is so tempermental, maybe it's just having an off day. Which reminds me, I am so pissed because even though I've tried at least 10 times and spent hours and hours waiting, I still haven't been able to download the full version of WolfQuest! I looove the demo so much and I just HAVE to get this game somehow! Has anyone else tried it and gotten errors over and over? I'm beginning to think it's just that my Internet is too slow (it's dial-up ). I managed to download a cool-looking game called The Endless Forest, but it only plays at 4 or 5 frames per second on my computer, so it kinda sucks. I just really want WolfQuest, though; I'd totally delete the Forest one if I could only get it. Hopefully someday I'll be able to afford to switch to high speed... *wistful sigh*

Anyway, aside from my computer troubles there's not much to say. Still no luck with jobs; I've applied for things I was sure I could do even though I may not have all the specific experience they want, but apparently nobody wants to cut a poor kid some slack and give them a little training to get them in the door, even when their GPA and all their school records indicate the person learns quickly and is not an idiot. I really didn't want to, but I may have to just work at a store for the time being if this goes on much longer. I think I'll also volunteer at the Historical Society research library; that way I can get experience and they can't reject me for not having any! I think I might like library work, but I want to try it before I go through the trouble of getting a Master's degree in it, you know what I mean? Well, it really hasn't been that long yet, so we'll see what happens.

One more thing: art-related news! I've been in kind of a dry period for art. Haven't really felt like scanning or coloring anything, etc. Plus, I think I'm tired of doing all those club contest entries; I think I need to just do some random art for myself for a while. I may go back and color some of my old stuff that's just been sitting on my jump drive, fix it up a little if I can. If I can't I'll post it as is, unless it totally sucks. I also have lots of photos I need to upload, I just can't so them all at once because then it gets to be too much. Oh! but yesterday I felt inspired all of a sudden and I finally did my refs for Sheela and Ruan! I may hang onto those till Aria's is done, though. Hers will take a tiny bit more work than the others. But at least I finally did it. I know will be happy; she's been wanting to draw Ruan like all year! Well, that's it for now, I guess. Happy New Year to all (better late than never, eh?)!


P.S. A big DA welcome to my dear friend who finally broke down and joined! She still hasn't posted anything but hopefully she will soon. In any case, I'm just so glad she's here and enjoying everyone's wonderful art! Go give her encouragement!


http://Swingblues.deviantart.com/journal/15883848/ Tue, 11 Dec 2007 06:37:37 PST

[link] <---One of my friends just sent me this link in an email. It's a little animation involving a cartoony Santa and his reindeer singing a song which I believe is a recording of Elvis. I have no idea who the person is that made this, but they are a genius, whoever they are. I literally LOL'd. It's the cutest thing ever and will really get you in the Christmas spirit. I SAY EVERYONE MUST GO WATCH IT NOW. Well, at least I'd like it if you did. Spread the holiday cheer!


EDIT: Okay, I just remembered that that's not Elvis, dur! It was late when I watched it, so I must've been tired or something. But when I woke up this morning, I realized that was the wrong version of "White Christmas." Anyway, I actually still can't remember who that is singing, but I suppose someone who knows could tell me. Whatever. Just enjoy the video. *headdesk*






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http://Swingblues.deviantart.com/journal/15636094/ Fri, 23 Nov 2007 13:39:14 PST

Huzzah, I finally figured out how to make my journal pretty! Of course, the template I used helped. LOL Man, it's totally gonna suck when this subscription runs out; I have to enjoy it while I can! ^_^

Anyway, this is just a random update to get all this stuff up here. I don't actually have anything to say, except that I hope everybody had a nice Thanksgiving and now I can't wait for Christmas to get here! I have so much decorating and shopping to do, I don't even want to think about it... Well, until next time!





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http://Swingblues.deviantart.com/journal/15418867/ Thu, 08 Nov 2007 10:52:38 PST

Just a very quick update to say that is the most awesome guy for buying me my first subscription ever! He was giving some 3-month ones away for Halloween and I suggested a couple people to him I thought should get one. Well, he gave subscriptions to the people I suggested, which makes me very, very happy, but then he randomly gave me one too! How's that for generous? Thanks so much, Kev! You rule!

Now I just need to try and figure out how to use all these new goodies on here. And to go finish more art when I have time.


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Some awesome artists (check 'em out!):

~Swingblues http://Swingblues.deviantart.com/journal/14763981/ http://Swingblues.deviantart.com/journal/14763981/ Sun, 23 Sep 2007 20:01:44 PDT I've been drawing a lot, but sadly I'm usually too lazy to color anything. Which is why I'm really surprised I actually finished something today! I did one of those nifty pixel IDs that were really big like two months ago, but it took me this whole time to finish it because I'd never done pixel art before and kept messing up. It was very frustrating and sometimes I just didn't feel like working on it for weeks. I think I worked it all out now, though, and I'm very happy with the result. I can finally get rid of that old crappy ID! About time, too; Sheela doesn't even really look like that anymore.

Also, I have some lovely photos from my summer trips to the zoo, the butterfly house, and the Newport Mansions (well, the yards anyway; you're not allowed to take pictures inside) and they all look 1000 times better than last year's because I used my digital camera instead of a cheap throwaway camera. I'll put a few of those pics up every now and then, but first I have to figure out which are the best ones. Sorry to ~Saritadawolf for being so late with her birthday present. I already drew it and scanned it, but again, I always procrastinate on coloring. Don't worry, Sarah! I seem to have gotten some inspiration or something, so maybe it will get done very soon.

Well, that's all I really have to say right now. No news on the job front yet, but I'll post something when that changes. For now, I'm just looking forward to fall and pumpkins and leaves and my birthday (Oct. 27, for anyone who may want to give me things ) and trying to get someone to go with me to King Richard's Faire. I don't want to miss it for the THIRD year in a row! Till next time, peeps! LOL!


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Some awesome artists (check 'em out!):

http://Swingblues.deviantart.com/journal/13039754/ Mon, 21 May 2007 15:13:03 PDT Seriously, though, I have been insanely busy and had no time or energy to think up anything to say. My last semester of college has involved writing much longer and more difficult papers than any other, including my Honors project on Shakespeare. It came out to 41 pages (the longest thing I've ever written) and it was apparently good enough for the Honors and Scholarships Committee to accept it and give me college honors. YAY! I would have cried if they rejected it after all that work.

And now that that's all done with, I have finally graduated! Graduation was actually Saturday, but between that and my friends' parties, I've been too exhausted to even go on the internet for the past couple days. After this crazy semester, I think I have a right to crash for a while anyway, don't I? Now I just have to figure out what to do with this English degree; you can do a lot with it, but it's not obvious stuff like some other degrees prepare you for. I'm going to try working in a few places to find out what I really like, and then I'll go back to school for a Masters degree in it. I'm thinking of starting off with library work, since I can totally spend all day in the library if given the chance. So this summer will be time for a job search, and hopefully some fun on the side too! I am quite a bit nervous though. Wish me luck . . .

Well, that's it for now. If anyone else out there has also graduated recently, I want to say Congratulations and best wishes for the future!


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~Swingblues http://Swingblues.deviantart.com/journal/11652215/ http://Swingblues.deviantart.com/journal/11652215/ Thu, 01 Feb 2007 19:27:03 PST I hope everyone had a nice holiday and vacation and all that. Mine was pretty boring, but I don't mind because all the lovely sleep I got totally makes up for it. Well, and I got to go to a movie at least. So now it's back to college. God, did I have a nightmare of a time these past two days! I'm supposed to graduate in May, and yesterday I met with my advisor to go over my transcript and we realized that I was going to be one credit short. It wouldn't have been such a distaster if tomorrow wasn't the last day to add classes to your schedule. I had to run all over campus today trying to find people at the Records Office and the chairpeople of departments that offer one-credit courses so I could figure out what to do. It's hard to add classes at a time like this because a lot of them are full, but I don't want to have to take a summer course and graduate in August for just one credit! But it all turned out okay in the end because I managed to get a weekly half-hour clarinet lesson that's worth one credit. I'm so glad I didn't have to take Sight Singing class (cuz I can't sing)! I love when things work out. *sighs in relief*

Nothing else has really been happening lately. I did want to say that at some point in the future, I'm going to clean some of the old, crappy art out of my gallery and put it in scraps. A lot of it is just stuff I posted when I first started out here because I wanted to have more in my gallery, but I think I've even improved a little since then and I'd rather only have things I worked really hard on in my gallery. (This includes notebook doodles, they'll have to be only the best ones I do to go anywhere but scraps. ) And that's about it for now. Time to go recuperate from the "last-credit marathon" for a while! lol

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http://Swingblues.deviantart.com/journal/11164872/ Sat, 23 Dec 2006 17:01:46 PST ) and it's time to hurry up and do everything for Christmas that I put off when I had all that homework. That includes decorating, shopping, wrapping, and drawing giftart. Geez, am I going crazy or what! Ah well. I got one giftart done, but it looks like the others are going to be late. I guess it's okay though, since the people they're for don't even know I'm giving them anything and won't miss it for a while longer. XD The tree is up now but only has one set of lights on it...this will be a fun Christmas Eve alright. Well, if anyone out there has waited as long as I have, I wish you lots of luck getting everything done in time, and I wish everbody Happy Holidays! See you later!


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~Swingblues http://Swingblues.deviantart.com/journal/10999830/ http://Swingblues.deviantart.com/journal/10999830/ Fri, 08 Dec 2006 20:58:34 PST Sorry I haven't been around too much lately, but I have been so busy with school that I haven't really had time to do anything else. I have managed to do a few drawings here and there and they've built up so I technically have quite a few things I could post now, but I still have to color them, so it will be a while. Coloring is tough for me and I never like how it comes out, so I tend to put it off. I will work on it as much as I can on my vacation because I will finally be able to do things that I WANT to do, not just what I have to do.

Anyway, Christmas is coming and all the lovely movies and music are playing and I do a bit of decorating whenever I can, so I'm in a better mood than I've been in for months! I'm trying to do giftart for some people (but I won't say anymore about that yet ) and I'll be going shopping for my family and friends soon, and that's always fun. I can usually get everything I need at one store, so I don't find it as stressful as some people probably do. On Christmas Eve, I'll be playing my clarinet at my church's 5:00 Mass like I've done for the past few years; it's so nice, we have a few college and high school students and lots of middle school kids in the "band," plus these two really great violin players and some singers who come every year. It will be great! And then my whole family will go to my uncle's party at his house! As for Christmas day, I don't really know what we're doing for that, but I hope someone will come over for dinner.

I might not make another journal for a while since I never know what to say and don't like doing it that much, so I will just say to everyone right now, just in case: Happy Holidays and have a great New Year! And thanks to my watchers and the people who always chat with me - you know who you are - I heart you guys. See ya next time!

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http://Swingblues.deviantart.com/journal/10196413/ Tue, 26 Sep 2006 18:31:02 PDT It's me again, not dead yet! lol Well, I just found out there is this option in the journal now so you can put in your mood and what you're reading and listening to and everything, and I figured I'd try it out and see if it works. I couldn't get it to show up on my old journal, so here's a new one and I may as well update while I'm at it!

So my art class at school isn't really what I expected, but it's okay. Now that we've gone from drawing boxes and piles of junk to drawing plants, it's much more interesting. I just hope the next part of the class is as enjoyable. As for posting stuff online, I don't think I'll be able to do it because we draw on giant 18''X 24'' paper and that would never, ever fit in my scanner. My other classes are English classes, and I always enjoy English classes, especially the Shakespeare-related ones. Weird, because a few years ago I really hated Shakespeare. The most awesome class is the one on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. We get to read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and maybe watch the movies in class eventually! I wonder what kind of papers we'll have to write in that class.... And last but not least, work in the writing center is now going full swing. I've has more good appoinments than bad ones, so it all evens out, I guess. ^_^

In other news, my newest obsession besides the Ouran manga is a video game called Okami. It's awesome, at least in my opinion, so of course I have to tell you all about it now. The world of the game looks just like the paintings on one of those Japanese scrolls you sometimes see - totally gorgeous! In the game you play as Amaterasu, a sun god who has taken the form of a wolf to save the world from a monster called Orochi. Orochi takes over areas of the world and pollutes them with evil until everything withers and dies and the once-beautiful place becomes a wasteland. By defeating the monsters and helping the people and animals, Amaterasu brings eveything back to life. Seriously, I love the sequences when you have to bring a dead Guardian Tree thing back to life, and then all of the flowers and grass and clean water rush back into an area like a huge green river of life! (God, I sound so sappy, but it's totally great so I can't help it! ) If you like games with a relatively relaxing atmosphere, animals, nature and all that stuff, I'd definately recommend this game to ya!

Okay, that's my review for the day. lol I haven't been geting much of a chance to draw for my own enjoyment since school started, but hopefully I'll be able to squeeze something in soon. Thanks to everybody who faved/watched/visited me or commented on a picture lately! You guys make my day. See ya later!


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http://Swingblues.deviantart.com/journal/9954857/ Sun, 03 Sep 2006 18:53:28 PDT
*sigh* Well, of course I knew this day would come eventually, but it just seems like it got here so fast! I'm not even close to ready! I mean the first day of the new school year, which for me is technically this Tuesday, but I don't actually have classes til Wednesday so I'd count that as the first day. My senior year of college - scary!!!! I still don't even know what to do with my degree....but I'll try not to worry about that now. Something may come to me over the course of the year, after all. (read desperate optimism ) I don't really have much to talk about right now, but I wanted to say that I might not be able to be on dA as often now as I have this summer. I'll still do whatever I can, but everything I do will probably take a lot longer these days considering that my leisure time is practically nonexistant when I have all those evil papers and projects to do. *dies*

On the other hand, I am taking an art class just for fun this semester, so if we do anything interesting and it comes out decent, maybe I can post it! Maybe I'll learn some useful techniques to improve my art. Everything I do now is just based on years of trial and error and observation on my own; I've drawn for my own enjoyment since I was little. I want to thank everybody who's watched me and commented lately, especially ~Kunzai and ~WolfSunset who I haven't been talking to that long but they're still so very nice to me! But you are ALL awesome too. See you later!

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http://Swingblues.deviantart.com/journal/9630692/ Sat, 12 Aug 2006 18:11:40 PDT Mood: tired, but more or less happy
Listening to: Christmas music, because I just feel like it
Reading: stuff for a stupid school project
Watching: Man of La Mancha

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Hello again! I'm happy to announce that my summer of doing nothing interesting is officially not a total loss! Yesterday was the first good day I've had in a while. My family and I went to a butterfly zoo in Tiverton. It's basically just a greenhouse filled with flowers and hundreds of free-flying butterflies from all over the world. You can walk around and look at them on the flowers, and others are always flying across your path. Sometimes they even land on you! I wore a bright-colored shirt for that reason and I ended up getting about 6 butterflies, although 2 of them actually landed on my camera.

They were all so beautiful! But even so, I have a new favorite (so much for the monarch ). It's called the Scarlet Rose. I took lots of pictures of it and the other butterflies, and I'll post them as soon as I get them, assuming they come out good enough. I'll also see if I can remember any of the interesting facts the people as the zoo told me. That's all for now!


EDIT: I am so mad!!! Practically none of my butterfly pictures came out. Stupid evil camera. I need to get a better one. Oh well, I'll try to fix the ones I can and maybe post them.

Also, today was my first day of actual work at the writing center because I had an appointment. It wasn't too bad, the girl was pretty nice and seemed interested in what we were doing, and also her paper was already done and she just wanted help with her revisions. I still felt pretty awkward about telling her she needed to fix stuff, though. I guess this will take getting used to. And hopefully soon I'll get payed. Yay! One of the other tutors said the checks already came in, so now I just have to find out where to go to get it. ( Hint, hint: help me out here, Laura! ) Okay, til next time!


EDIT #2: Oh boy, now I've done it. I just put up some of my pictures from the butterfly zoo, the only ones that were halfway decent, and they're still blurry and look horrible! But I just couldn't help it. It bothered me so much that none of my pictures were really that great that I decided I'd try to get a few fixed up, no matter what. And this is what came out because I was desperate. You can still get and idea of what they look like but the beauty of them is definately lost. I hope the Emerald Swallowtail will make up for the others because it's more in focus, and I put some interesting stories about the butterflies in with the pics, so that might redeem me somewhat. I also put in a link to a site where you can see better pictures of these species. Believe me, the really bad ones will all go to my Scraps as soon as my gallery gets big enough.

Oh well, I'd better get to work on my entry for ~Saritadawolf's contest. THAT will look nice, I promise. At least until I get more practice and a better camera, I'm way better at drawing than I am a photography! http://Swingblues.deviantart.com/journal/9348388/ Tue, 11 Jul 2006 21:27:58 PDT Mood: relieved and pissed off, all at the same time
Listening to: the “whoosh” noise my computer keeps making
Reading: my homework assignment for the week
Watching: Inuyasha, in about 5 minutes

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Okay, well today was technically my first day working as a tutor at my college's writing center. For anyone who doesn't know what that is, it's just a place on our campus where people go for help with writing. We talk with them about what they need help with on their papers and try to figure out ways to help them become better writers and stuff. I was all freaked out because I've never taught anyone anything before and I have no idea what I'm doing yet. I mean, I'd hate to mess up someone's paper in my learning process; that's like when you get a trainee hygenist at the orthodontist's office - painful!!

But after dreading today all week, I got there and found out I had no appointments. Since we have to stay for our whole shift no matter what, I ended up just sitting there and reading old tutor journals for 3 hours. So it's kind of a relief, but all it means is that next week will be the same thing all over again. Oh why am I such a worrier?

On the art front, not much progress since I finished my contest entry. Curse the evil schoolwork that keeps my from doing anything enjoyable this summer!! Oh well, it'll be done when it's done, and then I'll post it. That's all for now, people, so thanks a bunch if you actually read all that! See ya later!


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~Swingblues http://Swingblues.deviantart.com/journal/9192793/ http://Swingblues.deviantart.com/journal/9192793/ Mon, 26 Jun 2006 18:58:49 PDT Maybe soon I will have a few more people to be my friends. I know it takes time, it's just going so slowly . . .

Anyway, thanks to my 4 watchers, you're all so nice. And I am working on several deviations at once now, so who knows when they'll be done? Soon, I hope. See you later!



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]]> ~Swingblues http://Swingblues.deviantart.com/journal/9080034/ http://Swingblues.deviantart.com/journal/9080034/ Thu, 15 Jun 2006 18:15:52 PDT I know it's not the best, but it's mine and it's a labor of love. I want to thank everybody who stopped by my page so far or commented or whatever. Now I will work on my better (I hope) art and go check out some other people's stuff, get me some faves in my list, put together some friend/artists-I-admire lists, and all that good stuff.

Please take a look at my tiny gallery and leave some comments if you can. Constructive criticism or just plain praise (not that I expect any ) are welcome but FLAMES BAAAD!

Also, if anybody knows any good clubs I can join, especially ones for people who draw animals, please let me know! I only know about one right now, but I might like to join others, too. Thanks, all! ]]> ~Swingblues http://Swingblues.deviantart.com/journal/9071498/ http://Swingblues.deviantart.com/journal/9071498/ Wed, 14 Jun 2006 21:58:44 PDT I hope to meet some nice people, see some nice art, and share my drawings with you all. Just so you know, my artistic ability has been developed over many years, mostly through doodling in my notebook margins. Therefore, I ask you all to be patient with me since I have no formal training at all and am still trying to figure out things like shading and blending colors. My crappy version of Photoshop is not helping much. But I will try my best anyway, so please give me a chance!

I will hopefully have something up here soon. Lady Ryuu misunderstood me a little cuz my art is not actually ready yet, but I'm working on it. Happening to get her 10K while randomly checking out her page made me think I better join now so I could tell her, and now I have more motivation to draw! Well, as long as I get my summer work done too. College sucks sometimes.

Thanks for visiting! ]]> ~Swingblues</sub>