darkSpyro

Welcome to my open journal-ish thing! I'm just gonna post my ramblings here whenever I feel like it. Feel free to take a read or whatever.

March 26, 2019

"Probably the Best Shirt Website I've Found Yet" ~ ThunderEgg

So, I was on the internet looking for some t-shirts. I am a little obsessed with shirts, to be honest. On this occasion, however, I was specifically looking for some that would compliment my form. I usually just buy a shirt because I like it's design and throw caution to the wind on whether it actually looks good on me. (Keeping on this tangent) I've been watching some of those self-improvement TV shows, and they usually have people who are sad and don't know how to dress themselves, so I figure it's about time I pay more attention to this.

I got bored of looking at workout tees on Amazon. I have a Superman one I really like and was hoping to find something similar. So, superheroes were out of the picture. What's arguably better than superheroes? Pokemon! So I looked on the interwebs for some cool compression Pokemon tees. Unfortunately, there aren't that many.

I mean, there's this one, down below. It's kind of creepy, though. And on Aliexpress. Sorry, I'm not willing to buy copywright infringing products on Chinese sites. Amazon is way less sketchy.


From there, I ran into a cool looking pic from Pinterest. Here's my hot take on Pinterest, by the way. They steal art. Me no likey. I know this sort of thing happens everywhere, but I feel like its especially prevalent on Pinterest. Some of my own art has been kidnapped and put on there, so I have a bit of a vendetta against the site. Plus, it's just mostly middle age white moms who use it, and I get enough of them in my daily life already.

Here's the image by the way. Not really a big Pokemon Go player, but I respect it. I consider myself a Team Instinct kind of person, and I like the overall complexity of the design.


The nice thing about whoever posted this on Pinterest is that they linked the image to the original site. So, I took a look at the link. "Damascusapparel.com... hmm, what a name."

I went to the site and scrolled down some of the images. As of today, they have some pop-culture stuff, so I was hoping to see some stolen property that I recognized. No Pokemon, no Spyro...

Wait, what's this?

Then, I found it. The best shirt I've seen in ages. Entitled something dramatic like: Kill Nihilism. (Here it is on the site, for the curious: https://damascusapparel.com/co...ism-sonic-shirt)


Not really into the depressing name, but I appreciate the irony. It's stinkin' Sonic the Hedgehog juxtaposed with the idea of nihilism! Now, I've only played one Sonic game all the way through, but I sort of get that he's not a nihilistic kind of guy. He's more of a chill kind of dude. A symbol of the 90s. I feel an attachment to him because he sort of gives me the same vibe as our Lord and Savior, Spyro the Dragon.

Although the shirt is beautiful and perfect in almost every way, there are two things about it that prevent me from buying it. The majority of the design is on the back. I like having a busy design in the front, which sort of obscures the parts of my body that I'm uncomfortable with. Secondly, it's a $50 shirt. I don't feel like it's worth it to me to spend $50 on such a shirt. Maybe if it depicted something that I care even more about. Or, if I had more spending money.

I have yet to find a shirt that I want to purchase, but I certainly learned a valuable lesson. Sonic and nihilism mix surprisingly well. Oh, and Pikachu's face should NOT be on someone's chest. Maybe as a tattoo... but not a shirt.

April 8, 2019

"Backs are basically zippers"

I've been having some shoulder tightness for the past couple of months, as anyone stuck at a desk or computer for hours a day does. I tried getting a massage to fix it in August, but that didn't really help. Seeing as my shoulder is still having problems, I swallowed my pride and finally went to a chiropractor.

He said a ton of mumbo-jumbo that I think makes sense about how everything in your back is connected, and that my shoulder issue stems from a different region in my back. So, for the treatment, he kind of shoves me in some weird angles that I think are supposed to stretch out your muscles.

Now, I'm used to stretching. Sometimes if you roll your neck or something, you can hear your ligaments moving around. They make a sort of cracking noise. What the chiropractor does results in essentially the same thing. A lot of stretching and a lot of cracking.

The cracking is much much louder than I thought it'd be. In fact, loud enough that if I really listen, it kind of sounds like a zipper on a jacket being zipped up really fast.

My shoulder isn't better yet, but at least I get to hear some funky zipper-ey noises as it receives treatment.

Quote: ThunderEgg

April 8, 2019

"Backs are basically zippers"

i dont like that thought very much

Quote: Vespi

Quote: ThunderEgg

April 8, 2019

"Backs are basically zippers"

i dont like that thought very much

*laughs evilly*

June 3, 2019

"Hormones make you hungry"

'nuff said.

July 26, 2019

"Paperwork"

So apparently paperwork is a thing that people have to do. Thought it only existed in movies. Can't understand WHY no one would tell me, but that's beyond the point.

Actually, I thought a LOT of stuff only existed in movies. Like:


Am I missing anything else? Yes -- I am?

Gee, I guess you have a lot to learn when you become an 'adult'.

November 12, 2019

Crows

It's crow season in the city! I keep seeing them fly around the buildings. I've always lived in the suburbs, so it's an ethereal sight.



This isn't from where I am, but it has a similar vibe.

It's cool seeing them fly around during sunset. They look like living silhouettes.

Quote: Drawdler

I thought hedgehogs were completely fictional as a kid

owo did you think they were blue and bipedal, too

how interesting and mundane!

December 24, 2019

Cards Against Mormanity




Soooo. I played Cards Against Humanity with some of my Mormon friends(?) last night. To catch everyone up, CAH is like edgy Apples to Apples, and Mormons are well known for condemning PG-13 things.

The deck we used was a modified version of one of the ones you can print online. The person who brought it said it was "clean". I was curious to see how this would turn out because the point of CAH is to be as crude as possible.

So, we played the game. I noticed a funny pattern. There were no sex cards or cards with swears. But all of the racially charged cards were still in the deck...

I personally don't take CAH to seriously. Cards I play don't stand for my political opinions. To me, CAH is a study of what a group deems taboo. It's nerdy, but I've got a sort of detached, analytical way of looking at it. Suffice to say I don't win often.

What I learned was incredibly ironic. This group of young Mormons thought that sex (a function literally built into most humans) was bad. They thought swears (a facet of language that can be used to express strong emotions that otherwise can't be communicated) were bad. But they had no qualms with racism.

It's kind of sad to me. I was raised Mormon, and part of what they teach you at church is that we should love everyone. If you're going to go so far as to censor CAH, I would expect racially charged cards to be the first to go! Furthermore, I feel like censoring CAH is kind of pointless. The goal of the game is to be as taboo as you can be. Censoring cards limits that. If you're going to go as far as to say the game you're playing is "clean", you can't be taboo. Apples to Apples, in this case, is a better option.

But at the same time, Apples to Apples is really boring.



At least to me.

There's not much I can learn about people from Apples to Apples.

January 25th, 2020

Hunting Cats

So I'm cat-sitting this weekend. I'm taking care of these two cats in a one-bedroom apartment: Jacques and Margot. Jacques is this really fluffy Siamese-looking cat. He has a good temperament and is really snugly. Margot, on the other hand, is an extremely anxious tortiseshell.

Jacques look-a-like
(J is a darker brown all over)


Margot look-a-like
(M has shorter fur)


I figure as long as I give M space, everything will be okay for the two of us. First thing when I get into the apartment, M and J greet me. J is curious, but I think he recognizes me. M starts hissing. They're right at the front of the door, so I sort of try to walk around them. I feed them and then bring the rest of my stuff into the apartment.

I walk around getting things ready for the weekend. Have my boots and jacket on in case I accidentally get to close to Margot's space.

Later in the evening, I end up in the bedroom where I start preparing to sleep. Distracted, I keep the bedroom door open. J and M walk in. M very s l o w l y crawls under the bed. Her eyes are teary. I wonder if she's sad, but I look up the cat facts, and decide that she's probably stressed. I would be, too if my owner left for the weekend and I had to deal with an invader. She's pretty close to me, so I think maybe she remembered that I'm not a threat.



Unfortunately, every time I move, she starts to hiss. I figure she'll get out from under the bed, so I busy myself with something else. A good amount of time passes, and she's still under there. There's no way I'm going to bed with a growling, hissing cat right underneath me! I don't want to stress her out more by trying to grab her, though. What I decide on doing is to make a path for her to leave the room.

I set out food right outside of the door where M can see it. I wait. Nothing.

Okay.... Hmmm, maybe I can direct her with pillows? Originally, I wanted to try to shove her out from under the bed. This is a bad plan because (1) I could make her more stressed; (2) I could push her over the edge from fear-mode to attack-mode; and (3) I thought the bed had stuff under it, but it was pretty empty, so M could just move to another place under the bed.

Pillows aren't going to hurt her, so I decide to make a path with them. Slowly, I walk around the edge of the bed, blocking things off until the only way she can get out faces the door. I also close the closet so she can't run in there. As I do this, I unintentionally get close to where Margot is and she hisses and bats at me. Luckily, I'm wearing my boots, so no scratches! Jacques looks scared and confused, but I can tell from his temperament that he's a little scared of Margot's behavior. I am too, but I try not to show it. If I let her sleep in the bedroom while I sleep on the couch, she'll get the wrong idea about who's in charge.

I sit on the corner of the bed opposite the door. I know M is scared of me, so I figure she'll avoid this area. I read for a while, but she doesn't budge. I move around and stretch my shoulder. Nothing.

I decide it's unlikely she'll move. She's scared. Cats go under beds when they're frightened.

Taking my boots, belt, and jacket off, I decide to try to go to sleep. Since M is scared of me, I doubt she'll outright try to attack me. She only bats when I get too close. J is on the bed where I'm going to sleep.

I turn the light off, and put my blankets over me. At least I'll have protection on the off chance M goes berserk. I won't rest easy, but at least my body will have a chance to be still. I think of my dnd character in a war campaign. I'll sleep attentively, like a soldier.

30 min later, I hear crunching. Has J got off the bed to eat M's food? I sneak a peak. No. He's still in the same place. Elated, I decide M has moved! But I wait to shut the door. The food bowl was really close to the door and I really don't want to traumatize her more than I have. Jacques jumps off the bed and eats, too. That means Margot has moved down the hallway.

Hooray! I can sleep for real, now.

--

This is my adventure so far. I still have the rest of the weekend for cat-related excitement, although I'd like to think that the bulk of it is over.

February 21, 2020

In Which I Whine

I live in a suburban area not far from the city. I'm currently a college student who takes a train to and from the city to get to class. Basically, I'm dependent on the public train.

The train causes me some anxiety for no particular reason. Doesn't make sense to me. All I have to do is make sure I pay to get on and then sit for about an hour. Because the train isn't my favorite part of the day, I tend to sort of try to delay getting on. Today, I'm a little early to the station, so I hide in the public bathroom for a little bit. Not the best start to the day, but certainly not the worst.

I get out and the train arrives. My headphones are on, and I'm desperately trying to focus on my drawing app. Usually a podcast or music playlist will to to help distract me. It isn't working today, so I listen to a song on loop. That tends to help, and in this case, it does.


Unfortunately, this is only the start of my troubles.

A few stops in, there's a woman who gets on behind me. She's white, appears to be wealthy, and has the soccer mom haircut. Yes, a Karen has decided to sit near me. At first everything seems okay. I'm almost into the calm-zone.

But then I hear it: a CRUNCH.

A minute passes. Another CRUNCH. Minute and thirty seconds. CRUNCHHH.

She seems to be eating something, but at an excruciatingly slow pace. I turn around. What could be so satisfying that one takes the time to eat it very slowly? Carrots. Baby carrots. Of course. One of the loudest foods out there.

Few things cause my psychic discomfort, but I've already encountered two of them: train rides and loud chewing. Surely I'm at maximum capacity.



The train stops at the station just outside of the tunnel into the city. Over the speakers, the conductor is muttering something. I take my headphones off, but I can't quite understand what is being said. Everyone is getting off the train. I hop off, figuring that something is halting the transit. Sure enough, an employee of the train system tells us that the train is out of service and that they've brought a public bus for us to take into the city.

At this point I'm in panic mode. Not heart-racing, sweat-inducing panic. The cool panic of feeling nothing. I make no expression and do not attempt to talk to anyone. I simply follow the crowd, attempting to avoid touching anyone.

The bus appears to be over-full. Standing in front of me is a person gripping the loops that hang off of the roof of the bus. They're to help you balance when the vehicle moves. Great. I'm going to have to stand.

We start to move, and I'm jostled around. Usually, people only need to hold onto one loop to stay stable on a moving bus. Unfortuantley, I'm short and (embarrassingly) not very strong. I'm currently grasping one loop, and am getting shoved back and forth by the power of physics. I desperately grab for another loop and hold on for dear life. In this process, I turn around and see the people behind me. There's seats galore!



But I can't get to them. The person that boarded before me is blocking my path. In fact, a woman in the back appears to be hoarding three seats. She fits easily into one, but has her legs spread out in order to prevent anyone else from getting near.

The bus eventually drops us off at a train station with the promise that we'll be picked up shortly. I sit down and attempt to draw on my phone again. We're in a rough part of town and I don't want to interact with anyone. My headphones are on once again.

I hear an alcohol-toughened voice. Someone in front of me, dragging a bag of their belongings is addressing me. I look up. Too late! They know I've heard them. This could be bad. Only two days ago, I'd been approached by someone wanting money, and advised that there are a lot of crooks in town.

Their important message: "Nice rings."

I mutter a vague thank-you, hoping that will be enough to regain my privacy. They walk off.

I breathe a sigh of relief. The train arrives.

I've survived. Late to class, naturally. But I'm alive.


Now to repeat this all again come Monday.

February 25, 2020

And When You Thought I Was Done Complaining (or: I Am Incredibly Thick-Skulled)


Surprise, surprise! The train was having problems again today! This time, they didn't even bother calling down busses for us. It got to one of the stops and just stayed there for 10-20 minutes. With the doors closed. Effectively trapping us.

Some high person started complaining about how heartless our fellow passengers were for not getting them to their destination. At least a nice person decided to sit next to me. I felt better knowing there was a buffer between me and the shouting individual.

Naturally, I was late to class. Sort of.

We had planned to meet at a science museum to practice drawing animal skeletons. Super exciting! I had to figure out a route to the museum, but I was pumped to finally draw some animal subjects. There was a strange man outside of the museum, but I didn't pay him any attention. You get a lot of unique people in the city. I got inside and walked up the stairs. The alarm lights were flashing, but I couldn't hear any alarm sounds, so I figured someone had accidentally turned them on.

I began to creep around the museum, attempting to find my classmates, and explain the train problem to my teacher. To my surprise, right as I headed down a hallway, a fireman came out of one of the doors. He gave me a funny look, and I asked him what was going on, and if he knew where my classmates were.

No. There was no one in the building. Hadn't I seen the flashing lights?

Befuddled, I exited, glaring at the man standing right outside. Why hadn't he told me to stay outside?

I waited around for a while and sent a confused email to my teacher. Finally, I committed to the long walk back to school in the hopes that I'd meet up with my class. Unfortunately, they weren't in the drawing studio, so I waited around in an extra room. About an hour later, I checked my email and found that the class had been allowed inside the building. I'd already done about an hour of walking, so I decided to call it quits.

I have a ton of make-up work to do now.

May 20, 2020

Weather


After several days of abnormal heat, I was woken up this fine Saturday by cool rain, a flash of lightning, and a burst of thunder lasting 5 or 6 seconds.

It's been a while since I've experienced a thunderstorm, so I'm excited. One of the lightning/thunder combos caused car alarms to go off, which was pretty novel. The sky is completely slate gray, so I can't tell quite where different clouds are rubbing up against one another.

Feb 18, 2020

bird

i saw an eagle yesterday. i wonder what it was doing around here. didn't think i was in a place where eagles like to be.



dang, they're really big!

also i think i'm going to continue typing with this punctuation because i like it better now.