Unicorn Poop

I trained my arms yesterday and they are still a little achy. Yesterday, it felt like their muscles were falling off of my bones and onto the floor. It was funny because I went to use the machine that has the bar you pull down but it was too high up, so I jumped for it. The guy working out next to me offered to help me. Mikey said I probably looked like a child trying to work out on the big machines. After my, what would you call them- reverse chin ups?- I went to another side of the machine and used the individual handles that I could reach by myself. It was a great workout and I think it kickstarted my day yesterday which was one big sparkly unicorn rainbow dump. I am proud of myself for getting back to the gym right after my cold. Today's workout was hard. I went for five minutes on the elliptical, stretched my legs, and got back on for another five. To think, I used to be able to stay on an elliptical for an hour. I will build back up to that if I believe in myself.

Oh the amount of clients I have is beginning to pile up, which I love and hate at the same time. It means more money but it also means I do not have time to work on my mayoral campaign or my recreational writing. At least it keeps me busy and gives me hard deadlines.

Mikey caught what I had. He's in the beginning of it so he can rest this weekend but that means he will not be able to help me with some of the things I needed his help with. They will have to wait until next weekend. It also means my parents cannot come up and go to the Y with us until at least two weeks from now. I need to get working on their Christmas present. It is going to take forever. Not telling what it is. It's a secret!

Back to the Real World

From what I can tell, I might still have a cough and it has been keeping me up for the past two nights. It might have been allergies and the vacuuming I did today might help. It ends up being a tickle in the back corner of my throat that will not go away until I drink water, have a cough drop, and wait it out. We will see what happens tonight. I did not go to the gym today because I still had a bit of that cold lingering in my body but I promise I will go tomorrow.

At least my schedule is back to normal and I have mostly caught up with my house chores. I was incapacitated for less than two days and the house turned into a mess. This is why it is so hard for me to take a sick day and when I need a mental health day, I feel like a waste of space. I need to let myself be flawed and have bad days. It is going to happen and there is little I can do to prevent them besides eat well, exercise, and keep up with the rest of my mental health maintenance.

Also, I cut my hair this evening but forgot to thin it out. It was filthy when I did it but it turned out better than expected. Now it is so much easier to wash my hair and it is not touching my collar or the back of my neck. I want to dye it but my MAGfest costume prevents me from doing so. I need blonde short hair. I also need to lose some weight to fit into my costume. Not too much like I would need a miracle, just enough to get back on track of losing the weight. I can spend more time at the Y when I do not have a ton of clients. For now, the workout in the gym area will be fine with the occasional sauna and swim, maybe on weekends.

Speaking of weekends, this weekend I plan on going around the neighborhood and cleaning up garbage since I missed the beautification day a few weeks ago. We were out and about getting our eyes checked and running important errands. I forgot about it and I feel bad. If I am going to be mayor, I need to be involved in this type of thing and show my support for my neighborhood, despite the meanies who do not like Khaleesi or me.

One Big Adventure

I got a good start to the day despite not having sleeping well last night. I am on schedule for the writing I have to do and jotted some notes for a few stories I might do. There are more things I want to do but I do not think I am going to be able to get them done since it is late. After a certain hour, it gets harder to get things done. I have a lot of fiction ideas going through my mind, but most of them would have to be published under my pen name, especially if I am running for mayor. Which reminds me, I need to get the paperwork in and get the ball rolling. I need to contact the elections office and ask questions first.

We finished the first season of Assassination Classroom. The second season starts next year and I cannot wait. It has become one of my favorite animes. It is funny and suspenseful. The premise is different and the entire story is heartfelt. The best teacher in the world is one who will eventually blow it up. We did not know if it would have a second season or end with 23ish episodes but the first season ended rather abruptly. We might look into the live-action movie if we have time before the second season starts.

My boots for my Mereb costume came in this afternoon. There is faux fur on the inside and they are suede on the outside. They are perfect for an adventuring and fantasy costume and super comfortable but I do not how they will feel once I have spent 12+ hours walking around in them. Gotta make sure I have plenty of clean socks!

MAGfest 2016: Starting to Prepare, Failing.

The Gaylord Resort filled up in about 24 hours and we were not able to score a room. I had to secure a room at another hotel and I have to call every day to check for openings. The sucky part is the rooms are full only for Friday and Saturday which is when the Game Grumps and JonTron will be there. If you are going to the con, stay for the whole time or bunk with other people. Do not take up rooms if you are only staying for half of the con. I had a dream last night that I snagged an opening. Waking up and realizing I had not filled me with dread and stress. This morning I was so stressed I was sick. It has since calmed down and I have gotten a good amount done. I have to look up. Think positive. Kick ass if I have to.

At least we will get a group discount with Sam, Tom, and his friends: $10 off each person. Someone else is handling the registration though so I have little control over when it gets done. I have to trust that it will get done but the Gaylord filling up so fast has made me paranoid. Another bonus is that I feel semi-confident in making Mikey's costume. Most of it is just a toga wrap and wrapping purple fabric as a cape. The hat might take a little creative thinking. Mikey can help me with that. Maybe pipe cleaners as a base, just have to make sure they stay secure and can hold the fabric. Other than that, I just need a sword, boots, white sweatpants, and his accessories. I need to robe and boots for my costume but that is it.

MAGfest XIII 2015

Completely forgot to post something before we left for MAGfest. I ran into a bunch of snags beforehand (like my computer dying) and I was cutting everything close when it came to deadlines.



 My brother Eric and his girlfriend Crystal had a blast and got a LOT of attention with their costumes. That was really important to me this year. MAGfest is what we save up for and is our vacation. I was glad that I could share that with them.



We ran into ProJared and noticing how skinny he was, I just had to squat lift him. It is a sign of affection, honest.

 

Mikey and I were just talking about having never seen someone cosplay at Recette. And here she is with her dolla's!



 A Cards Against Humanity haiku. We played a lot of this game. I hope it does not get tiring after awhile. I might have to put it aside for now and play it again in a few months so I can forget all the questions and answers.

 
The Hot Pepper Gaming Crew were taking photos after their LIVE show.

I know someone who went to the Game Grumps panel



Shovel Knight

I love when someone comes to a convention as Kora or Katara. So pretty!

So, that's about it guys. Mikey came down with a case of con flu, so I am taking care of him today while trying to get my other work done.

Road to MAGfest 2015- January 12, 2015

So, here's the full costume aside from the mole being on the wrong side. I have trouble switching perspectives:

Road to MAGfest 2015- January 9th, 2015

The last piece of my costume came in last week, the gakuran. It is a military style jacket that male high school students wear as a uniform. It was custom made for me. The sleeves seem a bit short when I move but they sit right when my hands are at my sides. It came earlier than I thought it would. I think they were able to ship it faster than expected. I will put on the entire costume to take a picture for the blog.

If you have not noticed, I went from posting a bunch of Let's Play videos at once (as many as I recorded at once) to posting on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Right now, we are doing different badges of Monster Loves You, Cthulu Saves the World, and I am going to be redoing Theme Hospital level by level when Mikey cannot LP with me.

Why so many LPs at once? Well, sometimes we want to do a quick LP in one session, other times we have the time and energy to work on a larger LP, and sometimes Mikey does not want to LP or we do not have time to do it together, so I have to have one to do myself.

I hope you will watch the LPs and like, comment, subscribe, or whatever you want to do. It's a hobby.

Road to MAGfest 2015- December 15th 2014

Finally got around to braiding half of the wig. I did it while we watched Kamen Rider A to Z so I did not have time to take any pictures securing it to Mikey's head, brushing it, and all that stuff. Most of them out have been me rolling my eyes, wiping my eyes (reading subtitles and concentrating on knots), and curses under my breath. It was a good thing that wig was not Mikey's real hair or he would have been screaming and crying. The back looks terrible but I don't care. Half of it is down anyway.

Road to MAGfest 2015- December 2, 2014

Less than 2 months left! I did not wholly stuff myself during Thanksgiving, just regular stuffed :p.
Costume pieces are starting to come in. I just ordered my gakuran jacket and it will be cutting it super close as to when it gets here but I was sick for the past few days and of course I wanted to lose some weight but that is not going to happen. I may not be able to look the most awesome, but my brother is going to be bestest Cartman!


I found this jacket on Ebay and used black nail polish to paint the buttons red.

Jacket is done!

The only pants I found that were that shade of brown were sweat pants, but no one will notice with the jacket and shoes

And these came in yesterday. The hat should be here in a few days since I forgot to tell the seller which hat I wanted. So there's his and Mikey's is done. Now to finish up us girls' costumes!

Road to MAGfest 2015- November 19, 2014

My shoes are finally done! And they look terrible! So here is how I did them.

Bought normal shoes, about $5 at WalMart, the closest thing I could find that was not expensive.



I would have to paint the bottom and sides an orangish yellow hue. I tried nail polish which asphyxiated me for a few hours and ran out too fast. So I went with fabric paint which I had left from last Halloween.

Mixed it on a paper plate, hoping to get the right color.



Tape up the shoes (I should have used painter's tape).



Coat of white.



1st coat. Other coats not pictured for some reason. Probably because I was too busy trying to keep them away from the animals to dry.



Finish off the sides with nail polish.



Peel off the tape (I needed a safety pin to cut the paint in parts).



A little olive oil to remove the sticky scuffs.



All done! They look cheaply made and badly modded. Perfect. They are kind of slippery on the carpet but seem fine on hardwood. Right now, I'm just hoping the fabric paint does not slide off while I am walking. More testing needed.



The scale says I have lost a pound. The weekend was full of good food though since I went to a baby shower, had dinner with my parents, and could not resist some coconut pudding from my inlaws. It was rainy and cold today so I had no time to do my cardio. I could do my weights... I could...

Road to MAGfest 2015- November 17th, 2014

I have never done a cosplay with a wig before. To show you guys how inexperienced I am, I shall admit that I bought a Halloween wig at first. Ick. I knew it wouldn't work when I tried to brush it. So I spent money on a good wig from a recommended seller. It looks a lot more like the wig he wears. But Sarah, we don't want to ruin this thing and it is already getting tangled! How do we brush it out and take care of it? TO THE INTERNET!

 

... yeah, I was using the wrong brush. Luckily, Mikey was at the store at THAT moment and picked me up a three way pick.




So, I used two videos for advice on keeping my wig on my hair. This one:



And this one since I have short hair (I was not sure about getting the bobby pins to side onto the wig though).



Finally, I found a video that shows me how to braid my wig. I am thinking of keeping one side up and one side down so I can play with the down side and it will distinguish me from other characters.



I'll post what it looks like when I get it parted, braided, and fit onto my head properly.

Road to MAGfest 2015- November 10th, 2014

Once again, I have not written in a long time but it is weigh-in day. I have stayed about the same but we switched out the summer clothes for the winter clothes so I will have to judge my progress by the sizes of my long jeans. Right now, I have on size 20 jeans and they feel perfect. I am not at the size 16 going on size 14 I once was but I am also not spitting out of size 22s.

I had another bad weekend but my week was not so bad. I think I am truly learning to control how much I eat and what. But it is also that "time of the month" so who knows how much I will gain by the end of it all. I must be strong! Womanly wiles begone!



My wig came in last week and it has been giving me a lot of motivation to keep up my work and making me feel better. I wear it around the house and brush it VERY gently. I wore it out when I walked the dogs this weekend to see how much it moved on my head. It itched like crazy but my natural hair does that a lot too (no, I don't have lice, fleas maybe :p). I need to look up how to take care of a wig and how to part on that is not a fully parted wig. I found a tutorial online and I will see what I can do. I have never owned a long haired fancy wig before. We have one that is like Chucky's hair from Child's Play but it is short, spiky, and is supposed to be messy. No real brushing needed.


If I had a second to spare, I would finish up the shoes and post about them but alas I am so swamped today I do not really have time to even do this post but I know I have to keep up with it. I like doing it, don't get me wrong, I have just had so much to do, I always forget about it!

Road to MAGfest 2015- November 4th, 2015

After a disappointing Halloween, getting pukey again, and still waiting for my wig (I swear the arrival date keeps getting pushed back!), I finally have time to post the haul I got on... Friday?



I think the big package was the boots I accidently ordered, but the others are both glasses. Here are my navigator glasses. It was a bit tough to pop out the lenses but I read online that putting them in hot (but not boiling) water helps. It took awhile but they came out and look quite huge on my face.

The others were the 3D glasses for Mereb's costume. They feel odd on my face but they work. I'm glad 3D technology has gotten better over the years because the red/blue stuff messes with my vision.

Notice that they are not the wooden color as on the show. The ones I found that were that color were in fact made out of bamboo and were hella expensive. I'm anal about getting this costume right, but I am not spending a ton of money on a cheap prop that will be hidden in my sleeve anyway.

Road to MAGfest 2015- October 30th, 2014

Oh, Mr. Postman! I didn't know you cared! Let's see what goodies lay inside...

Well... aside from Zombie's eye cream and a new battery for my cellphone (that thing held a charge like Howie Mandell holds year-old sponges). Maybe now I can take more than two photographs without having to hit my phone for more power.

My revolver! It's smaller than I would have hoped, but it's a child's toy gun. It was expensive as it is for a kid's toy that does not do much other than look semi-real and click. Thanks again Sam for pointing me in the right direction!

At first we thought that the seller had sent Mikey the wrong item because it came in a box with a machine gun on it, but his shotgun was in the box rather than a machine gun. So we're all good.

Now Mikey and I both have the guns for our cosplays. The glasses are set to come in today or tomorrow and the wig next week.

Got a bit of practice with drawing muscles. The shoulder turned out okay but drawing decent lines on an un-braced human body is tough. The shading needs to be lighter too. I might have to look at that video again to get the shading down. At least that was somewhat clear.

As for the weight loss front, I'm exercising and eating decently, though I have cravings for pizza, nachos, and a Ranch BLT Crispy Chicken from McDonalds. Holy crap those are good. I doubt I could recreate it because there aren't any chicken patties that big. If I made it with a chicken breast it might work but then I have to bread it and fry it... now I'm craving that sandwich even more...

Road to MAGfest 2015- October 28th, 2014

So... the scale says I might have GAINED a pound. I think its broken. I shall chuck it out the window. I have yet to do that "do these jeans fit?" test though. Just thinking about it frustrates me; combined with the fact that I cannot buy the gakuran until I know where I will be weight-wise when MAGfest comes around. Everything else is on its way I think.



Thanks to my friend Sam who knows a little something about guns, I found a good replica of what he calls a "Magnum revolver". I understand these two words but I would not be able to pick one out in a crowd.

Another thanks to my awesome cousin Nancy who gave me the idea of putting paint on the bottom of the canvas shoes to create the orangish hue on Tamao's shoes. My next post will probably consist of me painting the shoes terribly. Nancy has a lot of theater experience so she's the one I go to when I have costume questions, unfortunately for her.

Hesitant to cut off all my hair yet just in case a miracle happens and I do end up getting that robe for Mereb's costume. I'm too ambitious.

Road to MAGfest 2015- October 27th 2014

I just thought of something last night. The gakuran (it has a name! No one told me this! Maybe Justin did but I don't remember) I found may not be the best quality if it is so cheap. It will probably work for the cosplay but I wish I could afford one of the more expensive ones because they look so good. Probably the best thing to do would be to buy the cheaper one and if I get the funds later, buy the real one and sell the older one if I can, but it is a lot of money to shell out.

And I bid on the wrong kind of shoes. It is nearly impossible to tell what kind of shoes he is wearing. What the hell, Muro-san? Can't you wear shoes that are easier to identify?





I am thinking of going either with black martial arts shoes (they look more like what he is wearing but you would not wear those outside nor to school, would you?) or plain black canvas sneakers. In either one I'll be comfortable and able to move freely. Any other ideas from my intelligent readers?

I should not allow a costume to stress me out this much.

To help pay for the costume though (along with a few other things), I am going to be selling some clothes and shoes I do not wear. Most of my stuff is too old to give away let alone sell but I will do my best.

Weight loss is going great. I have lost at least a pound. I weighed myself today and it said I lost three but it was nearly two hours after I normally weigh myself. I hate to say that I am not eating, but I am having trouble doing so. I am either not hungry (mostly in the morning but I have to eat then to take my meds) or I am just not interested in food. I will grab something that will stop my stomach from cramping but it is normally a raw vegetable or some crackers.

I know it is not really a healthy way to lose weight but at this point, I don't care. I have been fat since second grade and if I do not get a handle on it now, when will I? This is what feels okay and what is working. I am still working out as much as my mind will allow me to and not being a lazy sod. I have a few things to cling to now and I do not have to rely on food to get through the day. When the stress really gets to me is when the desire to eat the pain away comes back, but I fight it tooth and nail.

Road to MAGfest- October 24, 2014

Well, where to start? Someone outbid me on the shoes at the last second and the people making the robe want $54 since it is custom made. I might ask the other places I tried for the name of their wholesaler so I can get something from them or if they can recommend one of their retailers for what I need. We will see how long it will take the lady to make it so I can make a decision whether or not to buy it.
The reason I hesitate is because I found a Japanese male school uniform for the same price and I would rather be Ogane Tamao than Mereb. Especially now that I have seen the movie. But I already got so much for Mereb's costume.



But this week has been super productive and I am on my way to being thinner and healthier. Last time I looked, I had lost a pound. Today was a super exercise day. I did everything I was supposed to do; cardio, weight training, and core exercises.

Road to MAGfest 2015- October 20th 2014

Weigh-in time, and I think I did okay this week. I might have lost a few ounces if not broke even. That is actually progress since I have been teetering back and forth. The weekend I just had must have helped because I was sweating and running around everywhere. Running with Khaleesi is hard and I hate it but if it means progress, I will do it. My fridge is full of vegetables and my lunch has been a big bowl of raw veggies. I will be hungry again later but now I have had my veggies and I can make better decisions when it comes to eating.

I finally found someone who can make the outer robe for me! They are a life saver. I cannot believe no one else can make a simple custom robe yet they sell ones that are embroidered. Some said they ordered them in bulk but they could have at least given me the name of the wholesaler so I could ask them if they had any clues. None of that matters now anyway because I found a company that can do it. They even got back to me on two different colors that they could do for the sleeves and lining. I am really excited to get it and try it on with my dress.

The boots are also on their way too. Depending on how long it is going to take for all of it to get here (the robe still needs to be made), I want to take a picture of all of it.



I guess it is time to think about how I am going to do my hair. It is thick enough that it can look like a wig. I don't know anyone who knows a lot about hair. I cut my own hair and I cut Mikey's too because I never liked getting my hair cut and it is super expensive now. What I am thinking I need to do is layer it the opposite way I normally do so the ends curl under instead of up. It also needs to be a little longer than my hairline so it covers it.

Do ya'll think I should have the inner layers cut short or that I need those layers for fluff so it still looks like I have a wig on? I'm not worried about after the convention. I can make any hair work for me and it is not like I really care what my hair looks like. I'm more concerned about the color and people thinking I am not a real blonde. I am proud of my blonde hair even if I dye it constantly. It will be my first time bleaching my hair. I have bleach from a tri-color kit.