JE's Ramblings

Or should I rather feel annoyed?

Well, since my parents weren't home (surprise outing they were invited to by my mother's boss - surprise meaning they had no clue what they would be doing) today I opted to take a train earlier. It was pleasantly empty where I didn't have to worry about getting a group of four seats (which means more space for my bag and me with the laptop :D), but it turned out to be not so quiet.

( story about a girl who forgot her purse (not me) )

Now, I really should either get back to making icons or post the non DW icontest entries I still need to post. Decisions, decisions.

So, I've been trying to prioritise my fandom life because I simply don't have as much time this semester as I usually have. This included limiting the amount of icontests I participate in. I arrived home (aka my student flat) just now from roughly two hours travel, ready to submit my 10 icons (since the mod was generous enough to up the number from 6 since there were so many caps since it's one of the mod's favourite episode) and while I check my flist (on lj) before submitting I see a notice that the mod closed the challenge early because there are 95 entries already and the voting would have to be posted in seperate posts with more. So now I have made ten icons for nothing. That time could have been used to search for pictures and making icons out of them for disney_icontest. Thanks so much, dear mod, for wasting my time.

Next time I'm in need of cutting icontests of my participation list, this one will be right at the top. No matter how much I liked it beforehand. It will even top the one icontest which I've been considering to drop all weekend long because in 9 challenges I've never won and usually got less than 5 votes (in total on all three entered icons) if I got any at all. I'm still wondering if they're all that much better (I've seen crappy icons get the same amount or a vote or two more than I did), I'm that crappy or (which I'm going by) my icon style just isn't compatible with the one most voters prefer in which case it doesn't matter how good the icons are.

I know I might overreact, the mod apologised after all, but I'm still miffed since I really like Parting of Ways as well and there were several icons where I fought with the colouring which meant I spent more time on making those icons than I usually do. Part of me is angry because the mod should have expected nothing less. There were usually 40-50 icons and this round you could enter nearly twice as many... it's only logical that there would be this many. Besides, it's an easy thing to code a html site, upload it somewhere and vote that way. It's not the most comfortable, but at least it would mean that nobody would be excluded just because they tend to submit on the last day!

Hell, I could have used the time to post the 300+ icons for various icontests that have collected since my last icon post or actually replied to some of the posts on my flists instead of just bookmarking them for later.

I'm scared. I just logged into Photobucket to collect a few more banners and skipped right to other posts while the page compares the data and lets me in. Now I go back and the whole thing is in pink! I hate pink. I've got an aversion to pink fuelled by my past fear/hate of red (as a kid I was convinced I'd have nightmares if I saw something red before going to sleep, partly because I was scared the house would burn down without anybody noticing during the night). Now I'm afraid to go back to the side and check out if all pages are this pink.
Whatever happened to the average blue/white? Or is this something that goes along with the broken copy function? Really frustrated me as I copy/pasted my entries to various challenges. It usually copied the links just by clicking on it, it even told me so, but when I went to paste it, it hadn't.

( update about me )

Also, my laptop is set to German, my Firefox is set to the UK (since I prefer the English interface), so why the hell is Megaupload in Spanish/Portuguese??

So... about 1 1/2 week are over and only so many left to go of my practical semester. Officially, I'm working from 9am to 5pm... considering that I need nearly an hour one way, I'm out of the house from 8am to 6pm and that is if I don't need to go shopping for food. I pretty much like what I'm doing so far. Most of the time it's getting familiar with the programs that I'm supposed to be writing a browser based help system for. One part of it already exists and I'm supposed to use it as a template (the programs are for newspaper ads - one for taking them in and the other for putting them on the actual page)

( read more... since I started rambling )

So... my first day at work is over. I was so anxious in the last 24 hours and 5 minutes in it was gone (considering I had done two trial days...). I think, if things are continueing the way they are the next 18 weeks will be fine and then I can give a 5 minute defence of what I did for the Professor (in front of everyone :( ) There will be 3 exams for me this year, two for a better grade (and I'm really glad we get one attempt to get a better grade if we pass the first time - but only during the next exam time, not any later) and one right on schedule and after how well I did on databases this last semester, I'm confident about it, even if it involves a week with just this class.

After that, there's only one class and my bachelor thesis left. And possibly one more class which I think sounds really interesting, but isn't needed. I mean, there's a certain amount of Credit Points I need and the mandatory classes don't cover all of them. As of this last semester, I have more than enough to cover the gap so I don't need the other class.
Media Law 2 does sound very interesting though even if it might not matter to me. At the end of Media Law 1 (which was mandatory), the lecturer (who actually works for a TV Channel) said that Media Law 2 would contain things about working independent and how you need to be insured and which laws are important. Considering the large amount of independent workers in the branch (programmers and others), it certainly IS a good thing to know. On the other hand, I do plan on working in Great Britain once I graduate and not Germany (which the laws are obviously for :D )
Nonetheless, one can never know if I'm truly going to end up in Great Britain - but wouldn't it be great to be there for the Olympics ;) - I kind of already asked my mother if she wanted to go with me... Her response? Then you better make sure you end up there so we have a place to stay.

In case anybody noticed, the day made me kind of hyper and I really should make screencaps for the next challenge on tv_icontest, but for that I might have to change the fanvid I'm listening to. I'm addicted to the song :D
I also got a really great grade on a project and actually won Mod's Choice and Third Place for Challenge 51 at the dw_icontest over at LJ. So long after participating and I finally won something :D

So, I better start working on my list for tonight - shower, screencaps, challenge and banners. It's only 8:45pm after all and I have to be up by 7am the latest.

(And I really should see about finding out more about Pushing Daisies)

So... I'm done with ignoring emails/comments/etc... or well. At least I'm going to take care of the comment notifications I got this week for both LJ and IJ. Can't keep it for much longer.

I also need to make icons for the icontests... Let me think, it's 9:30pm I had planned to do it tonight and there's plenty of time - I just don't feel like it.

On another note - I'm not sure if I thought exactly that when I got up (instead of something similar), but I certainly started thinking it (again) when I stood in front of the dentist's door. I kept repeating "I'm going to die". While I know it's not that bad, I usually refuse to go see a dentist. The last time was two years ago (I think). I had an appointment on Monday where he found cavities (no surprise there - as far as I know he very nearly always finds at least one *scowls*) and I got the one today to take care of one - considering I don't have time to go for another couple of months (- I refuse to get an appointment on a Saturday!) I at least know that I won't have to go any time too soon - hopefully.
I usually get something for the pain beforehand, but I'm not sure if it's really working (although, I guess the most comes from the memories associated with the sound). It doesn't help that I was at a very interesting point in New Moon (where Bella confronts Jake for the first time since he's joined Sam Uly(sp?)) and I haven't picked it up since... too busy reading fanfiction for the fandom :D

... Now I better get back to those emails... before I run wild with all possible Crossover ideas for Twilight or the other bunny that got stuck reading fics.

I did brilliant! The results for the latest torchwoodlims round @ LJ is in and I didn't get any negative votes... mind you neither did I get positive votes, but that hardly matters. I'm still getting better, what with three negative votes in the first round and two in the last one.

On the other hand, I did play it safe this time aside from a very gentle brush I used on the background I only played around with the color. Guess I lims isn't the right place to play around with something new.

I'm strong and ignoring the two books (New Moon and Eclipse) that arrived not even two hours ago lying next to me, instead typing up stories I've written over the last several months while I couldn't get anything out whenever I sat in front of the computer.

One of the ideas was Ginny sending Harry cookies laced with love potion which he ended up not eating since Dudley stole them and therefore "attacking" Ginny when she goes along to fetch Harry. My notes about the discussion (of the possibility - only speculation so far) contained this line:

Molly: "She wouldn't!" (silence) "She would, wouldn't she?" (silence) "How could she?"

My ultimate goal will most likely involve her getting redeemed, especially since I had Dumbledore telling Ron it was all right to use Harry to become famous and rich himself and how far off would it be to say that Dumbledore encouraged Ginny to go this way without her realising how wrong it is? They're all teenagers and they still have to learn what it means to live their life. I mean, I remember the idealistic way I considered certain things.

There's only one problem left - I have no notes concerning the time frame. I need to take into account what happened during the past school year and without a time frame I can't do that... oh the difficult choices.

So... after some time of few icons being made, I finally posted some again.

Half of them are icontest icons and the rest is for Torchwood...

Samples:


They can be found here

Took long enough. Then again, I spent most of Thursday working on a uni project, nearly finishing it. I got an email from my Professor about a problem I ran into and just need to fix it.

The scariest part? All those LJ and IJ posts I bookmarked to comment on after having them open for most of the day due to being too tired late at night... I guess they got plenty full again. Really need to catch up again.

... I participated for the second time at brit_chllg on LJ, this week the theme was tea and not finding many good pictures (having never made stock icons on a large scale) I ended up picking a cup at home, filling it with tea and taking pictures.

Now, two icons where made from the same picture I found online, two more where made from the same picture I took and the last was the first I made. I didn't like it at all. I keep thinking it's too dark, I used a random texture (I had made with a screencap from wmp) since I had to cut the background and if I had kept it a blank white it would have looked terrible... anyway, exactly that icon, the one I liked least, made Mod's Choice and got the most votes out of the icons I entered.

On the other hand... I hadn't expected to win anything with the way the poll was going for me.

As seen on my friendslists on IJ and LJ

Your result for The Perception Personality Image Test...

HFPS - The Humanitarian

Humanity, Foreground, Big Picture, and Shape

Take The Perception Personality Image Test at HelloQuizzy

Alright, I caved, I created my 8th asylum. This time it's an icontest (since I've become so addicted to them). It's called tv_icontest and offers a challenge for different TV Shows each week.

I originally planned to make the first challenge for Torchwood with the theme duos, but as I was about to make screencaps for it (since I only had crappy ones for the scene I wanted) I found out that the files I had were corrupt. So I switched it with the second challenge, which was the CSI episode "Big Middle" (which is now the first challenge).

Now I just have to wait until Wednesday(?) when my last post to asylum_promo is a week old to add it to my regular pimp there. To think I originally did those posts on Saturday... until I kept forgetting and posting the next day which eventually turned into Wednesday.

So... now I'll answer comments on IJ and LJ before heading to bed - or cleaning my bed of the stuff I threw on it when I started cleaning my room and stopped halfway through.

So... Some time ago, I entered my first two lims.

I got eliminated in the first round in one of them, with a lot of comments about the icon being oversharpened (I really, really should have done something about that as I had worried about) BUT I got one positive as well about texture use... I didn't use one, but I think it's about the background which I manipulated by hand! I guess I was a bit too proud of it and ignored the important part of the icon.

The other one I got three negative votes in the first round and this time 2. But I'm still in. Just waiting on my comments from there (asked for them like a minute ago ;) ) I wasn't satisfied with my icon this time. The problem was that my original colour made Gwen's face too yellow-ish and the icon I got eliminated in the other lims, was mostly yellow and people told me it made the face look sick. Didn't want a repeat of that. However, the only ways I could figure out how to resolve that reduced colour all over and since I was told my last icon for this lims was too washed out and needed more colour.

Although, I better pack up for the night. It's midnight right now and I plan on getting up early-ish since I get more work done when I'm up early. No matter if it's for uni or
something fannish.

Taken from silentflux @ LJ

( cut due to result size )

Couldn't resist when I saw this mindlessly surfing LJ...

( click here for graphic )

I got my new laptop last Wednesday and a lot has happened since.

At first I switched one of my projects since I was cutting the deadline pretty close and I didn't want to keep anyone waiting on their grade. The teacher offered me more time since I don't need the grade at the end of the months. I haven't received an answer on that email yet (should resend it again since I know there are trouble with the mailsever)

I also got most of my data from my old computer on an external harddrive (finally! the computer still operates with USB1 and it took forever) and I just need to combine it with what is on my parents computer and decide what goes where. On the up side, I already transfered all pictures I have on this one so I can work on icons...

( my talk about icons )

So... before I download more useless stuff or refresh the browser, I better check out the countless brushes I downloaded... and possibly prepare more for the texture post I wanted to do...

I'm excited. Yesterday, my dad and I ordered a new laptop for me. All expanses together it costs just a bit under 550€ (529€ for the computer + the cost for shipping+other stuff).

This time it's an Acer - I'm not going with Fujitsu Siemens again after my last one (even though my first one is one as well and is still in working order). It's got 2GB RAM, 160GB harddrive (if memory serves me right - either way it's way more than I used to have) and Windows Vista Home. I would have preferred XP Pro, but the laptop with 95% the same set up that had XP Pro cost 70€ more! - Guess I'll have to go with Vista after all. At least I'm starting to figure out how to change the things I hate about Vista (e.g. not being able to use the right click+explorer to open a new windows explorer - quite by accident I found I could now do it with Ctrl+n) on my parents' (mothers') computer.

One more advantage of Acer - It's got 4 USB interfaces instead of the usual three. That'll be dead useful. I tend to have a problem with three since I tend to use one for my mouse (whenever I use one and it's kind of helpful for making icons, etc) and two are needed for my external harddrive. That usually meant I had to disconnect any of those if I wanted to plug my FlashPen in or some other device using USB.

I had tried a hub for that once... but guess what? I couldn't use the mouse via hub nor could I use the external harddrive with both USB cables connected to the hub, meaning at least one of them had to go to the laptop an the other to the hub and the connection cable is real short. Guess that was caused by one of those two cables being needed to power the external harddrive.

It should be here sometime this coming week. Best of all - it's got an integrated wlan!! Since my new one (that's getting replaced by the new new one I'm just talking about) is broken and my old one doesn't have wlan at all I had to use a cable (short enough that I had to sit next to my parents computer) or the computer my parents have (and which I'm using right now) whenever I'm at home. Considering my last exam for the semester was on Friday...

Still got a project to finish though.

Now I'll go back to my usual squeeing and worrying about the contests I participate in (always the same there - some give you two weeks, some only one and every time I wonder which ones need icons made for :D)
That reminds me... a little voting pimp for the rounds I participated in:
dwicontest Round 12: Voting Post
DW Icontest @ LJ Round 48: Voting Post
Whocaststills @ LJ Round 3: Voting Post

Started at: 9:24pm (CET)

( click here for meme )

Time finished: 10:19pm

I'm insane. It's 2am and I've got a "presentation" at 10am. We're doing projects and I'm doing a chatbot... the clue? Originally, I was going to be part of a group, but I never heard anything from them after I gave them my ICQ number for contact. Lazy as I was, I never really bothered contacting them myself (not that I really knew their full names to find out their email address... or wait, those might have been in the original list of who was going to do what - now I remember)
or bothering with a makeshift project in case I ended up alone... I started that at 9pm (I had planned the whole day yesterday!)

I got most of the code done, so the questions get asked and the user gets told if the answers are correct or not (- pretend exam), but I was supposed to do it with a program our teacher invented. I just didn't get it to work. I should ask her tomorrow. Good thing we have the end of July as our due date. Tomorrow's just so everybody knows what we did so far.

Only got a simulation without a head to show. I'll better ask the teacher about it and don't forget my PC so she can tell me where I went wrong with the installation.

I guess I might be asleep by 3am (if I don't need longer to fall asleep) and am hopefully up by 8am so I can get a couple of more questions/answers in and do a couple of other things. Not to mention that I need to head in earlier as I'm meeting someone who isn't in that course who wants to give me my notes back from a course he had to do this year, which I did last year.

All that joy!

Before my brain crashes and I start mixing languages/ruin my spelling, I head off to bed.

Asylums I created and manage! Feel free to check them out and join.

( 10prompts )
( harry_slash )
( stargate_xover )
( dw_threesomes )
( dw_fest )