January 30, 2009

Forget Bridezilla - Here Comes Momzilla!

This isn't something I normally talk about, but I really need to rant right now.

For the past few months, I've been locked in epic combat with my mom regarding wedding dresses.

My mom wants a western white dress with lace and beading and fussy finery, not to mention a train down the back leading into the netherworld.

My dream wedding dress is a rich red corset, A-line to my toes, with gold or champagne accents. I have always loved the red/gold color combo and I can't imagine myself in a girly-girl dress surrounded by tulle and lace. I abhor the thought of white, white everywhere. I need color, I need practicality, I need to avoid the boring and cliché. Tradition is just not my nature.

A woman's wedding is her day, but I acknowledge it's also a time for family. So I compromised. After a whirlwind of dress shopping, I finally found one that bridged the gap. A beautiful Vera Wang in ivory, with a touch of finery, an elegant chapel train, and potential for removable colored sash, to satisfy my lust for pigment. I shared some photos with my mom, and she was happy with the choice. It matched neither ideal, but held a nice middle ground. I thought the war was over.

Then this morning, I got a panicked call. She had shown the photos to some co-workers. They told her if the bridal gown was not white, it signified the bride was re-marrying, meaning it was not her first wedding. Apparently, ivory did not cut it. Even though it's close to white, her co-workers still thought it meant a 2nd or 3rd marriage, not the first.

Well. This got my mom all in a huff. Based on some shitty perception from the 50's, she re-started the battle. Even though nobody really cares about dress color these days, even though my friends and family know this is my first wedding and only their opinions count, even though Vic and I have been together longer than most married couples, my mom is twisting this archaic mentality into a big deal.

Logic doesn't sway her. Ivory looks better on my skin. In this modern age, colors no longer hold the same symbolism. Her co-workers represent a generation of thinking that I don't share. But I could not convince her that ivory is a good color. She has renewed her insistence on white.

I have tried my best to make mom happy. We have fundamental differences in taste that will never go away, but I have conceded quite a bit. I can't believe she's letting the squawks of some co-workers, even if they are her friends, ruin a compromise we made. It's annoying, it's rude, it's frustrating and presumptuous.

Fuck it. I'm sticking with the ivory dress and her co-workers can stuff their old fashioned thinking up their asses.

January 28, 2009

Garage Kits, Part 4

When the priming/sanding/putty phase is over, then begins the fun part: painting! Many modellers use an airbrush, but I haven't the budget or skillz for that route. I make do with hand painting.

You can use almost any kind of paint: oil, lacquer, and acrylic are most popular. I stick with acrylic because it's cheap, easy to clean, and widely available.

We have a vast collection of paints, thanks to Vic's game minis background:

The brands we use are Vallejo, Games Workshop, and Reaper.

Here's my brush arsenal. I prefer flat brushes, in a wide range of widths, as well as a few fine detail ones:


For paint mixing, I use these nifty chemical weighing trays (it's good to live with someone who works in a lab!):

They are coated in teflon, non-reactive, and marvelous for holding paint. Plus, I don't need to clean them, once the paint dries, I can reuse without any of the old color seeping off.

January 23, 2009

Rearranging Debt!

Just closed on our refinance! Holy hell, rates are stupid low right now! Best of all, as a JPM employee, no application or closing costs.

Thank goodness our house wasn't completely overvalued for the first mortgage, otherwise this wouldn't have been possible. We're going to save quite some money each month - we'll definitely need it this year!

January 21, 2009

Next 100 Days

After all the oratory and jubilation and homage to history, now begins the grace period...

January 20, 2009

Argh Radio!

It's so sad - one of the best alt rock stations in New Jersey (106.3 G-ROCK) just became top 40 out of nowhere. No warnings, no station announcements. Over the weekend, it just switched from White Stripes and Radiohead to Beyonce and Kanye.

Like we need another hits station. Alas, another nail in the coffin of radio music...

January 16, 2009

Best Guest Star Ever!

After 30 Rock last night, I've decided I can watch Selma Hayek talk forever. Sometimes I forget her gift for comedy. She's doing an awesome job fitting in with the cast and spirit of the show. Hope she sticks around for more!

January 13, 2009

Garage Kits, Part 3

After prep, the pieces are primed so that paint will stick. For this kit, I'm using Armory white primer:


It's a specialty product for gaming miniatures and pricey (~$7/can) but good quality. Most builders use grey, sandable automotive primer, but that stuff has been hard to find around me. Ultimately, any primer that works is the right one. As with all substances that spray out of a can, primer can be irritating, so I use a hepa mask. I also use this mask when sanding, so I don't inhale resin particles.

Here's my setup for priming. I use a glue gun to attach the parts temporarily to craft sticks. Then I spray away with the garage door wide open!


The primed piece is slightly whiter than the original resin:


There is something about priming that just doesn't click with me. I'm horrible at it. I get bubbles, uneven surfaces, "orange peel" ripples, grit, all sorts of troubles. After an initial priming, I usually have to sand out the mistakes and try again. Not to mention that priming exposes any flaws in the surface, so the putty comes out again to fix them. It's a pretty tedious cycle of priming, sanding, and puttying, and the pieces look like this for a long time:

January 7, 2009

Artwork!

Vic has toiled to get our original comic book art scanned and organized. Check out the gallery on GninjaGnome!

January 3, 2009

2008 Best iPhone App!

Please vote for "Now Playing" as the 2008 Best Feel Like A Local App from the iTunes app store.

Why, you ask?

Because Cyrus is awesome. I've known him for years and I've seen in person the love and attention he puts into this app, completely for free! It's not uncommon to see him reviewing feedback early Sunday morning (he's done it plenty of times on my couch!), plus he releases prompt updates, has fantastic response time, and carefully considers (and often implements) suggestions from the user community. He's worked through a ton of legal and technical issues, most of which are none of his own making, to keep this app running smoothly.

As one of the most talented developers I've ever met, he's built something incredibly useful, slick but accessible, and is always looking to improve. Go ahead and try it, and you can tell he truly cares about creating a high quality user experience. To me, that is exactly what a "best" app should be!


Vote for
Now Playing
in
Best Feel Like A Local App