Green Lantern - Movie Reiew

I don't know what all the bad publicity has been about, Green Lantern wasn't too shabby.   In fact, I found it quite amusing.  A pick-me-up type of film.  I only reason I can think of is that people were in love with the comics and found the movie paled in comparison.  I've never been one for comics though.  Personally, whatever I read/see first is always my favorite.  I think it's because I get a certain feel for the characters and the idea of them in my mind is shattered when I met their counterparts.

One more thing, Green Lantern is not weak against the color yellow!  That's like saying fire is weak against water because it's blue (bad analogy I know, but I can't think of a better one at the moment).

What I didn't get was how calmly Hal reacted to learning about aliens.  Most people, I expect, would freak out.  But, he took it in stride.  Almost like it was an everyday occurrence.  Honestly though, I think I would react the same.  I mean come on, thinking we are the only ones in the universe is just arrogant.

Nora Update

I realized a few days ago that my blog is turning in to one of those about someones new baby/kids.  I never understood the point of those.  I mean why would I care about your kids?  I don't know them.  Still, even if Nora is not human I still consider him mine and absolutely adorable.  I can't wrap my head around the fact that someone would find Nora uninteresting.  I assume it is the same for other parents.

Anyways, Nora is about an inch long now and no longer needs to be feed consistently throughout the night. ^_^  

I am still going to do two or three night feedings until his feathers grow in but I can finally sleep now!

Little Finch Update

Nora is growing so fast.  He/she is still very small though.  This afternoon Nora started peeping for food.  So cute!

Song For Castiel

I believe this is the perfect song for Castiel...

How to Draw a Fox in Pastels

I would like you to keep in mind that I figured this out on my own and therefore I'm not an expert and this certainly isn't the only way of doing things.

You will need:

• Pencil
• Eraser (optional)
• Pastels (I think mine are oil but I've heard good things about chalk pastels as well, it's your choice)
• Damp Towel (I use my fingers to blend so it's just easier to clean up with)

I always start with a simple sketched out form, nothing too detailed because you won't see the marks in the finished product anyways.  Keep in mind that there is no need to be perfect.  I think a lot of people try too hard to make everything perfect and end up with a product they hate.  Plus, in nature nothing is perfect.

Start by adding a dark brown, never black, for the darkest part of the ears.    You can smear the  colors a bit  but don't go crazy.

I used a lighter red brown here, you always want to work in the direction  the actual fur goes.  This way you'll get a more natural look.

Now, here the picture is split.  I only colored in one ear so you can see the difference and get an idea for what your finished picture will look like.  You might want to take a break at this point and make sure you like where you're going.

Continue working down, always using darker colors first and lighter on top.

Once you have the basic colors down, you can go back for a touch up to make the fur appear more distinct.  Often times using pastels it blends together too much and you don't want that.

Same as before, you want to use dark colors first, but blend less in the eyes.  What I mean by this is to add all your colors first before you smear just enough so that it looks natural.

The white fur is really quite simple,  add some grey lines for depth and  smear white on top.

Your end result should look something like this.  

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below!

Nora

My finches abandoned a day old chick yesterday.  Obviously, I've elected to take care of him/her.  Since it's so small I have to feed it every two hours day and night for the next couple of weeks (after that it's only every four hours).  I've decided to call it Nora after one of my favorite manga characters.

Nora has this thing were he/she lays on its back, wings (and I use that term loosely) stretched out and does nothing.  I often wonder what it's thinking in these moments.

Castiel

Recently, I have been sucked back into Supernatural and after watching several funny clips of Castiel on YouTube I came across this awesome fake trailer.  If only this was the real thing...

Here is the song from the trailer (one of them anyways)...

Henry - Attack Conure

Lately, Henry has been more and more of a pill, screaming all day long and he's shown no improvement on the hand-taming front.  Just a few hours ago he "violently" bit a family member.  Of course, I blame them.  If you know a parrot bites you don't go up and stick your fingers in the cage at every opportunity.  It probably didn't help that I laughed but how could I not?  For some twisted reason I find it immensely humorous when someone else is in pain for no other reason than stupidity.

Still, I really need to find a training method that works.  Clearly, what I'm doing now is not improving the situation.  Although, sometimes I think it does in a very small way.

Movie Review - Cloud Atlas

It's rather inspiring when you come across a movie like Cloud Atlas.  I suppose some would argue that it can be hard to follow but I don't see how the director could have made it any clearer.

Violent, unpredictable, profound and still manages to make you smile.  Who could ask for more?

Netflix

You know how on Netflix they have the "because you watched..." thing?  Well, I was going down the list and came across "Dark Movies for Hopeless Romantics".   What the hell is that suppose to mean?  I haven't even watched many romantic movies!

Oh, the indignity...  

Hemlock Grove

Hemlock Grove is undeniably addictive and best of all there is a gorgeous werewolf.  Although I must say the fact that he eats his own skin after he changes is more than a little gross.  Also, after watching just two episodes I would expect to know what the show about.  So far all I've got is that the town is full of unique individuals and something is going to happen soon.

Movie Review - Iron Man 3

Overall, Iron Man 3 was a pretty good move and there were tons of funny bits.  That said, it was a little long and yet again I seemed to be siting right next to the speakers.  Honestly though, they showed a bit too much in the trailers.  There were no surprises like in Oblivion.  I did find Stark's PTSD to be fairly interesting though.  I hadn't expected it to be as bad as it was.  I was also impressed with his ability to make weapons out of common household items.

*SPOILER ALERT*

In the end of the movie Tony had the shrapnel taken out of his chest.  But doesn't that glowing thing also power the suit?  I suppose it would be fine if he made a suit with reactor included but what about when he's only wearing part of it?

Baby Finch Update

Baby Finch

Sorry so long on the update!  This morning the baby finch made it's first flight out of the nest.  Well, it was more of a collection of hops. >_<  She/he is so cute.

Fox Drawing

 Finally finished!  ^_^

Fox Drawing Continued...

Originally I was going to draw the fox really detailed but without color.  The fact is I'm too lazy to do that kind of drawing.  Instead, I decided to use pastels.  Which is just as hard because I don't use them often and still need to work on my blending skills.  I'm happy with how it's turning out though.  ^_^

Old Songs

It's been years since I heard these songs.  I still love them.

Trying to Draw a Fox

Tried to draw a fox, but Henry won't stop screaming.  I can't think straight.  I'll just have to finish it some other time, which seems to be a reoccurring thing for me of late.  *sigh*  

Graceland

I wasn't particularly interested in Graceland (I've seen one to many cop shows).  However, it was very  intricate and I was on the edge of my seat without realizing it.  I do love a good mystery.

Looking forward to more episodes!

Sword Sketch

Another sword, nothing too fancy...

Reference

Moments

I've been trying to find out where I left off in Supernatural and ended up re-watching this episode.  So funny.

Snoqualmie Falls

Went to Snoqualmie Falls today.  Sadly the trail was closed, but I still managed to get some good pictures!

Babble

Today was a long day and very hot.  I am so tired.  Having multiple pen pals is a real strain.  It's basically having five different conversations at once.  Still, I'm learning a lot.  I realized two things; one, I barely know any Japanese.  And two, I remember a lot more than I though I did from school.

Driving back from the animal sanctuary I took these...

My Bees

My honey bees came today!  I tried to get some good shots of them swarming around the hive but they are too small and my phone ran out of space.  >_<

I did manage to get these though...

Newly painted and just set up

The whole set up (it's a little messy in this pic)

My bees!  They're balled up around the queen.

Useful Sites to Learn Gaelic (Scottish)

• http://learngaelic.org/
• http://www.omniglot.com/writing/gaelic.htm
• http://thelanguagechronicle.com/scottish-gaelic-learning-resources/
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/alba/foghlam/learngaelic/index.shtml
• http://mylanguages.org/learn_scottish.php