The Shire Medal Will Be Fantastic, Clothing Shopping and Etsy Stage 2 Once Again

The Conqueror Challenge is really pulling the Lord of the Rings quest out - but it's going to be magnificent. Yesterday they released the first views of The Shire portion of the Quest. The quests must be performed in order:  to get to Stage 2, Stage 1 must be completed. The Shire quest is 145 miles. The next stage will be announced at 9:00 am CDT today. Here's a photo of the front of The Shire medal. Looking at the progress screen on the right, I assume that the end of Stage 1 is Bree. 

I know most of you aren't familiar with the Conqueror 
Challenge, but the medals are beautifully designed. 
They are heavy, solid, and perfect for each quest. The 
medal for the Shire has a map of Middle Earth on 
the strap, The front is Bag End, and the back is 
the fireplace mantle with the envelope Bilbo left
for Frodo, containing the Ring. And sure enough,
it actually contains a ring! Too kewl!!! 

The back, which unfortunately I can't grab a photo of, has a flip-open envelope labelled "Keep it secret, keep it safe". Inside the envelope is a removable golden ring which, they say, will be needed for the Mordor segment of the Challenge. So exciting! I'm thrilled already. This will be the Conqueror Challenge to beat all challenges, and I can hardly wait! I'm SO grateful that it wasn't an April Fool's Day joke. This challenge will be HUGE! 

I'm spoiled and I fully admit it. My favorite Target is 
right next door to my YMCA, approximately three 
miles north of my home. It's a large store, and has 
practically anything I need. But, if I can't find something 
here, I have a second Target approximately three 
miles south of my home, which is the first Target 
store ever built. It's a bit smaller, but still very 
nice. I shop at Target a lot, although I don't like 
their produce very much. I stick to my local 
grocer and my co-op (and occasionally Whole 
Foods) for my fruits and veggies. 

I took time out early in the morning and went to Target. We needed some basics - Kleenex, toilet paper, paper towels, and a few other things. While there, I thought I'd take a second look at pants - the size 4's I purchased a week or so ago, fit well, but they're a bit large. I thought "I'm going to try on a few size 2 pairs of pants and see if they fit". And they actually did! I was totally shocked. I'm wearing a set of size 2 jeans today, and I bought two sets of light-weight pants for the summer. They'll be perfect for the State Fair, on those muggy, 80-90 degree days that we can sometimes get in the summer months. I also bought three tops - small and extra small. They fit me really well, and it'll be nice to have clothes that actually fit properly, just for a change of pace. 

Of course, I'm also well aware that sizes on 
clothing actually mean nothing. Marilyn Monroe 
would fit clothing between sizes 2 and 12 
today, and so would I. I'm actually 
operating on the assumption that if it is 
comfortable and fits well, it's a great size 
for me. So, I now have several sets 
of pants that are labelled Size 2. I very 
much doubt I've shrunk quite that much, 
but it is a boost to the ego. 

I settled down and wrote the first draft of the current weekly challenge story. This week's theme is "Kuchisabishii". Where G comes up with these themes is a mystery to me, but I think I came up with something that will work. It needs serious editing, but the premise is strong. I also settled down at the laptop and did several hours of work, getting the 8mm Swarovski crystal cubes onto my Etsy page. I want to proofread through once more and double-check my pricing before going live with them, but I'm pretty happy with what I accomplished. Now to start work on the 6mm and 4mm cubes. Maybe I can do some photographs next week. 

I have a lot of 8mm Swarovski crystal cubes. Although 
I have to refer to them as Austrian Crystal (Swarovski 
doesn't allow their name used for their old product lines 
any more), they are lovely and I want to sell them. I'm 
hoping to nail the pricing and have them up on my Etsy 
page within the week. 

On that note, I'm out of here. I hope you have a wonderful weekend filled with joy and love and some laughs, and I'll be back on Monday to tell you about Stage 2 of the LOTR Conqueror Challenge. Be good (but not TOO good). 

Fantastic Worlds in Computer Games - I've Played for a LONG Time

One of the reasons I play MMPRPG (Massive Multi-Player Role Playing Games) is to get a feel for other worlds and characters. Almost twenty years ago DH and I began playing "Dungeons & Dragons On-line" and loved it. We were sucked into a fantastical world of monsters, heroes and just plain folks. It was a huge step up from the days of "Might and Magic VI - The Mandate of Heaven" (my favorite of the long series) and "Bards Tale". 

DH and I started playing games on the computer WAAAAY back when
with Wizardry - a text-based game of "Turn right, walk 20 steps. You have
walked into something hard." I didn't get that involved in computer
games until I had video, and video games in a fantasy world
changed my leisure time activities for life. My favorite game of the
early era was "Might and Magic VI:". 

We fell in love with D&D online. Played it often and knew it very well. I still kick myself when a mistaken "click" of my mouse sold a rare sword to a merchant and I couldn't reverse the transaction. ARGH! The developers of D&D Online came out with a call to Beta a few years later - a Beta I was VERY interested in - one for Middle Earth. 

We joined into the world of Dungeons & Dragons
on-line very early, more than fifteen years ago. It
was immersive, wonderful, and sometimes
frustrating. DH was more patient (or persistent)
than I was and am with on-line games. 

Lord of the Rings Online beta came live more than 13 years ago, and I was brought into the Shire and the larger Middle Earth. The books I had been reading since they were first published as paperbacks in the 1960's had come alive. I never looked back. I've been playing LOTRO ever since - sometimes intensively, sometimes taking a break of a few weeks or months, but always coming back to a world I love. 

The Midsummer Festival starts out by your assistance with and
attendance at the wedding of Aragorn and Arwen. Assisting them
gives you a basic understanding of the levels of Minas Tirith and
the types of quests that will be available in the Festival. 

Why mention this? I know it's old history to some of you. I mention it because the new Festival - the Midsummer Festival, has got me trapped, and I'm thoroughly enjoying a Fest once again - this time in Minas Tirith. Each character playing starts out with a long intro - the wedding of Aragorn and Arwen and the wedding banquet following. It's visually stunning and great fun. Then a large variety of quests open up for the actual Midsummer Festival. They take the player to and fro and up and down Minas Tirith. Total props to the programmers - Minas Tirith is stunning - beautifully conceived with surprises throughout each of the seven levels of the massive city. 

Minas Tirith is huge, and I'm always running over people
with my horse as I work my way from level to level. I'm
really impressed with the programming that went into
creating the King's city. 

If you have some time to waste and are already playing LOTRO, I recommend the Midsummer Fest. It only goes until July 20th, so start as soon as you can. Meanwhile, I'll enjoy exploring Minas Tirith in all of its glory. Have a great Tuesday and I'll be back tomorrow. 

It's Saturday and I'm Tired - Photos Today!

I'm tired and I'd rather be at the coffee shop with a caffeine IV, so I'm going to make it easy on myself. I'm in the mood for eye candy today, so I'm searching out possibilities...

This guy is starting out the file I'm naming "Yummy Mem". Isn't he
just gorgeous? I think he needs a story about him...

This young Asian man is very attractive. Again - I think
he needs to be a book character. 

I think it's the ginger beard that caught me here, since
I'm not usually attracted to blond men. But he's a cutie. 

Just step back from this for a moment. The arm is resting on a
fireplace mantle, a sword lies nearby. He'd be a pretty
perfect Richard St Vier, don't you think? 

If I'm going to have a Richard (above) then I should also have an Alec. I'd
probably make his hair a bit longer and stringier and maybe pull a few
more pounds off him, but the face here is perfect for my Alec. 

Finally, my perfect Maedhros. I've always had a
thing for red hair...

On that positive note, and with such lovely eye candy, I bid you farewell until Monday. Good dreams to all and a great weekend.

Fun Sunday, But Busy

We had a quiet Easter. We stayed home because we really didn't have the money to go out for a lunch or drinks, but we had a nice day. While I edited stories and put them up on my archive on Fairie, DH watched The Masters golf tournament and the baseball game while playing Lord of the Rings Online. I even joined him in an orc killing spree later in the afternoon to continue working on increasing a trait that my hunter wants to achieve.

We treated ourselves to Bar-B-Qued ribs for dinner while watching Bubba Watson win the Masters with a shoot-out on the 10th. It was a wonderful tournament. I love watching the Masters, it's always the beginning of Spring for me. Usually I look out my windows and see a snowy and monocolored environment that I'm still dealing with. But not this year. This year our spring came so early that our grass already needs mowing. How wonderful.

And Sunday, amidst all the Easter celebration, I didn't want to lose sight of the fact that it was also the date of the Buddha's birth. Since Easter is a moveable holiday it isn't too often that two major religions celebrate life-changing experiences of their titular heads, so I thought the fact that the Christians were celebrating the death and resurrection of Christ while the Buddists were acknowledging the birth of the Buddha was an interesting juxtaposition. Walk in beauty today.

Rambling Thoughts For the Day

So CBS went out and purchased several items purported to be anything from 10K to 14K gold and then had them tested where they turned out to be as low as 1.4K (that's 1 point 4 K) gold.  Of course they purchased a bunch of junk that never saw the hands of a true jeweler, just buying things that would more likely be sold at your local Wal Mart, but it was a good lesson.  Personally, 10K is not gold.  14K is barely gold.  My preference is 18K gold because that is true gold.  Just a quick reminder, 24K is pure gold, but it is usually considered too soft for jewelry (although many items in Thailand and other places in Southeast Asia are actually 24K gold).  So other metals are added to the gold, creating an alloy and lowering the karat of the gold.  If I was buying gold in these crazy days, and I wanted that gold to be jewelry, I would see a small, professional jeweler and I would buy 18K gold items.  I'm not going to do that, though, because that's money I simply don't have. 

I am rather amazed by the value that we place

on natural elements.  Gold has an artificial value, as

do diamonds, pearls, and other stones.  Why? 

It is completely arbitrary.  But gold is pretty.

Chickie is suffering.  She is sick, sick, sick.  When most people get chest colds, she gets sinus colds.  She is certainly entitled to sick time, but the only times she has ever taken her sick days have been when she had surgery.  So she showed up for work yesterday, but truly was so miserable.  I banished her to the back where she huddled under her blanket and relaxed for most of the day.  I called her out a few times to help on the floor or watch things while I went down to the warehouse, but let her remain quiet and warm for as long as I could.  I'm off today and she'll have to work the front.  And then she's taking three days off to attend a workshop.  So I hope she's feeling better today. 

I haven't visited Barnes & Noble for a while, so

I think it's about time.  And having a Groupon

coupon to spend - even better!

I am going to try to continue working on digital art today.  Back-To-Middle-Earth, an annual daily challenge project that occurs each March, has begun and artwork is an acceptable medium.  I have other artwork challenges coming up in other months also, so I really need to get digital art under my belt.  I think I'll be at the computer for most of the day today.  I'll also drop by Barnes & Noble to spend my Groupon coupon.  They had an offer a couple of weeks ago - $20 for $10 - such a deal.  And I brought my bead work home from the shop so that I could work a bit on that - I have a choker in the works and want to get more accomplished with it.  I hope that you have a creative and joyous day because every day when we rise to greet the sun again is a day filled with joy. 

Reviews and Betas

No, not Betas as in the fish, betas as in having a story reviewed and edited by an outside person before putting the story onto a public reading board.  I act as a beta for one author regularly as well as with a group of people who, thankfully, have even better eyes than I do and catch more quibbles than I.  The group manages to fine-tune stories beautifully and there are several members who have taught me a lot about how picky I can legitimately get in a run-through.  I'm always afraid of hurting the feelings of the author, but I can catch most spelling errors very easily and grammatical errors quite often, so I guess I hold my own with my fellow Lizards.  My hats off to them and other beta readers, though.  Because when a story is not beta-read, it can bring a good story down.  I read and reviewed at least one story last night where I did mention that they should have had their story beta-read before posting it.  The story was excellent, but the spelling and grammar errors most certainly pulled away from the tale as I was reading it. 

This is a beta fish.  This is not indicative of
the work that a beta reader will do for an author.

I have been reading and reviewing for my participation in the MEFA (Middle Earth Fanfiction Awards).  This requires me to read stories (no problem there) and review them.  The best reviews need a review of at least 1000 words.  That's really hard for me.  I tend to be quite concise in my day-to-day reviews, and expanding them to reach the word minimum is very difficult.  But I am trudging through.  I feel that I owe it to the authors who so enrich my life by writing down their visions for others to share.  At least tonight is reserved for my beta work, so I won't have to find the words for my reviews.  I just wish that the words came easier, I'll continue trying to read and review to my best ability for as long as I can, though.  It is fun to read (and in some cases to re-read) some stories again. 

Best Frients

I came the closest that I have for many weeks to not posting a listing today.  Not because anything earthshaking had happened, or I was ill, or I was depressed.  No - I had my nose in a storyline that has me totally wrapped up.  In other words - my nose was in a book. 

When I was a child it took a bit of time for me to learn how to read, but once I did, I took off swinging.  My teachers always had to call my name twice to get my nose out of my books.  The libraries, after a little bit, allowed their book limits to be breached so that I could check out twice as many books, and the school libraries allowed me to get books from all age groups.  Summer Reading Programs were a bit of a joke - the number of books that they requested, usually between 10 and 20 books for the summer, were finished within the first two weeks.  I read Great Literature, trashy novels, and everything in between. 

A few years ago I happened upon fan fiction for JRR Tolkien's vast world into which he placed the Lord of the Rings trilogy and many other books and letters.  I was returning to a world that I had fallen in love with as a child and had never truly left.  I was hooked.  There were good authors and many not-so-good (I would put my own writing efforts which have still not seen the light of day in with the not-so-good efforts) and then there were great authors.  Authors who would pull you in and not let you go.  That's where I am today.  That's why I am posting this almost four hours late and making it short and sweet.  I have eight chapters left in Isabeau's tale and I have to get back to it.  Maybe tomorrow I'll have something substantive to say, but for today I'll let my teacher call my name twice to get me to pay attention :-) 

Progress---But Still More to Come

I worked on my beadwork quite hard yesterday and finished the foreground, beginning work on the stars.  The entire starfield needs to be beaded, but this is random and non-patterned.  It still is a large expanse of fabric, though, that needs to be covered.  I like the way that it is looking, though, it has a subtle sparkle that will augment the glue-on Swarovski crystals that will also be placed eventually.  I want to take one more close look at the cosmography of Middle Earth before I glue on the crystals - I actually want to have the "Sickle" and perhaps the "Warrior" constellations pictured in my sky. 

I also wired up my etched copper yesterday.  After the disk had been cruel to my wire twice before by breaking my wire when I tried to tighten the spans, I had grabbed my round needle file and filed each of the holes from both sides.  This time I had success and didn't break my wires.  So, it was a successful studio day and I'm ready to dive back into shop work later this morning.  I have enough remaining to do that I will still be carrying my project back and forth from work and trying to get one hour or a bit more of beading finished every morning.  Have a creative day!

Studio Day - Chicken Anyone?

Today will be spent with me running around like a crazy chicken. Circles, loop-de-loops, etc - I'll be all over town from North to East, back North, then Southwest, then back North again. I'd better remember to get some gas first thing this morning or else I won't make it very far!

My day will start with breakfast with the Chickie and our friend Meghan. Hopefully Meghan's little boy, Sebi, can also join us. Meghan and Sebi are returning to Peru for a few months in two weeks, and then, after they get back home, they'll be packing up for a move to northern Michigan. So Chickie and I wanted to be sure to catch them before they left on this stage of their travels. We're going to miss them!

My afternoon will be spent working on the text and embellishments for my copper backplates. I'm still thinking about how I want to do the actual setting of the enamel - whether I want it set from the front or the back and whether I want prongs, tabs, or a full ledge. But even without determing the exact setting, I can work on the text and pictures. I want to get this to the point where I can print this out and etch it next Wednesday, so I have my design work cut out for me. I'm feeling much better about this though. I just wasn't happy with the silver - it didn't really compliment the enamelwork. I think the etched, and maybe pierced, copper will be a vast improvement. Have a creative day!

TGIS

Thank Goodness It's Saturday. OK, that's not the way that the saying usually goes, but that's exactly the way that I feel. I am exhausted, worn out, and I know that my DH will want to play Lord of the Rings Online tonight and I hope that I'm feeling up to it. The major good thing about Saturday is that I can sleep in a bit more on Sunday morning. But, since we're planning on going out for breakfast and then hitting Target for a needed shop, followed by football, I won't be able to sleep in as long as I want to. But first I need to get through today.

The ceiling repair went wonderfully and it looks absolutely fabulous! I will get Deon to quote on some other jobs that I have here. I do have a few more things that need doing, but this was a major step on our getting the old house on the market this year - VERY IMPORTANT. We're pack rats and tend to hold onto things for far too long. This place should have been sold 20 years ago (although even in a down real estate market we'll get more for it today than we would have 20 years ago).

And I have visions of Gondolin in the brain. I know how I want it to appear, but I've never drawn in this fashion before. I'd love some time to grab my sketchpad and watercolors and try and make my inner vision an external reality. I'll try and grab my pencils and play a bit over the weekend. Football games may be an extremely good thing! GO VIKINGS!

Books and Enamels

What a wonderful day yesterday. Both the mailman and the UPS man were very kind to me. The mailman brought my copy of the "Atlas of Middle Earth". I had wanted a copy of this for quite a while and had resolved to save my next 15% off coupon from Barnes & Noble for the purchase. Unfortunately when I got the coupon, they were sold out of the book. So I searched their on-line system when I got home and ended up ordering a used copy. Even with the shipping, it was less than I would have spent. I had to wait a week to have it in my hands, but the money saved made it well worth-while.

And on the enameling front, the UPS driver delivered a shipment of enamels and equipment from Thompson Enamel. I am working with some shaped copper components to make some enamel pieces that will be incorporated into my Beading For A Cure piece this year. I'm starting work on the beading this week, and I hope to cut out the copper and shape it today. The colors that I received in my packet yesterday should be complimentary for the kit, so I am looking forward to adding some of my metalwork to my beadwork. It won't be a project that will be finished quickly, but it is starting to come together in my mind. Now to see if the physical reality will allow for my mind-image to truly come to life. (That's where the fun in my artwork really lies for me!)

Reflections and Saturday Musings

The turkey has been purchased. For those of you outside the US who are wondering "why is a turkey purchase so important?", let me take a quick moment to explain. Next Thursday is a holiday in the US called Thanksgiving Day. It is traditional, on that holiday, to eat a menu centered around a roasted turkey. I have to admit that there is something really wonderful about the smell of a roasting turkey filling the house and when you have turkey along with stuffing, gravy, cranberries, mashed potatoes and corn....well, that's a meal that is near the top of my list of holiday feasts. So, I now have a turkey slowly defrosting in my refrigerator. Happy, happy me!!

I also have my new update for Lord of the Rings Online...The Mines of Moria...waiting for me to play. I have held back for a few days because I just didn't have the time, but I promised my DH that I would play with him this evening. I know I'll be tired enough to not spend more than 4 hours playing, so it'll be fine. Playing LOTRO is the closest I will ever be able to come to actually living in Middle Earth, although I very much doubt that the variety of tasks and battles that each character has to do in the game is even close to what JRR Tolkien had in mind with the books. But it's a lot of fun and one of the few things that I can do along with my DH that he seems to truly enjoy. So, once again I will take up my characters and weapons and begin to fulfill tasks, get experience points, and play with my dwarvish friend. (I'll also be starting the cloissonae work on his dwarf pendant over the next few days, so I'll get a chance to see his character in action again.)

Middle Earth and Sundays

Only five more Sundays left that I have to work. Although I don't get super busy at the shop on those days, the whole concept of having to be at the shop from noon-4pm really sucks and means that I don't really have down-time. I still have my Wednesdays off, but those are studio days and I usually am very busy on those days. My Sundays were always fairly lazy days - those were the days that we played Lord of the Rings On-Line, went to Dickie Blickie or Barnes & Noble, had drinks at TGIFridays and a relaxing evening. Those things are all nipped in the bud when we have to work. Icky!!! Only five more sundays left that I have to work.

On a happier note - I've been immersed in fan fiction of Middle Earth. The one particular author that I've been reading seems to be from Minnesota - on rare occasions in the explanatory notes that she/he appends to the bottoms of each chapter, are Minnesota references such as referring to the Boundary Waters, our winters, etc. These are stories dealing with the early history - First Age, Second Age. I'm very happy with the amount of research that was done for each chapter. Over time I hope to read most of this person's writings on the topic - there are 24 novels of Middle Earth that she/he has published. It's wonderful to drown in ME again in a Tolkienesque style of writing and with characters and history that I know so well. After all - I've been studying the Tolkien universe for 40+ years myself!