all i need

just checking in...i'm still alive. halfway through finals. probable all-nighters still to come.

and remember this post? well, it sort of happened again tonight.

i've been injured over and over and not been able to run well lately. until tonight. when my sanity demanded it more than my physical health.


...
angst with those that angst.
and, when you can, go for a really good run.

currently delusional

it's weird. this year i haven't sacrificed my health as much for my art like normal...and turns out i've been a tad more functional human being. who knew, right?

but. my non-sacrifices (plus the NY trip in the middle and, oh yeah, LIFE) have all added up and now it's down to the grind. i had to sketch, ink, and digitally paint 3 characters, 3 environments, 2 props and 1 story moment (scene) in 1 (ONE) night. wooot.

soooo with one of my favorite friends/co-worker/fellow illustrator, hannah, i pulled a near all-nighter at work tuesday night. after i got 3 hours of sleep the night before.

see, both hannah and i were out of practice for pulling all-nighters. hannah actually gets her stuff done on time (even early...the crazy) and i, well........don't. either way we knew it'd be a long night. so, we --

prepared.

worked.

and looked like this.

sorry if this post doesn't make sense. umm...refer to it if you're wondering why.

sufficeth to say...i had mustard pretzel gardetto's and gatorade for breakfast this morning at work. with 5-hour energy in my bag. just in case.

anticipating the best weekend

i don't have much time to post, because general conference is starting in a couple minutes. for those who don't know, this is a time where our prophet and church leaders speak to us regarding things that will help us in these hard times. all of us. the things that matter most.

with how crazy life can get and in a world in need, everyone can benefit from conference. i am SO. EXCITED. i've been anticipating this since last conference, 6 months ago. i have SO much to do this weekend, but have come to learn that, to quote Ezra Taft Benson,

"when we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives." 

i KNOW this is true.

to watch it live, click here! 

the sessions are today from 10am-noon and 2-4pm, as well as tomorrow (sunday) from 10am-noon and 2-4pm, mountain standard time. all the sessions are different, but we strive to watch all of them because they are all amazing! if you can't take the time this weekend, they are archived.

me[h] + tidbits

i'm a blog slacker; i know. since last time, i have scheduled out my life until the end of finals, and haven't had a chance to think past that point.

also,
i turned 23 on saturday.

that day....i:
got a hair cut.
worked on a chair all day.
had a party.
saw many good friends.
warm and fuzzy surprises. 
received one of the best homages ever, blog style.
and got sick.

more on that later. maybe.

last night, i finally stayed up late (1:30am) doing homework! this was actually [surprisingly] a relief to stay up doing homework. i've averaged ~5 hours of sleep per night lately, which, if you know me, is actually really pretty decent, but i've been so physically and emotionally exhausted this semester it's been really difficult. i've been staying up doing "fun" or distracting or urgent but not important things; it was nice to stay up doing something that was, in a way, stress-relieving. i can justify doing homework.

i was also frustrated with some things. i decided to take 5 minutes to draw for fun. i forget how much i need that.

i like how this one turned out. i'll probably ink and/or color it in the future. may the rest of your day be productive, health and non-frustrative.

gonna be a good life

"i think we should make today a good day. : )"

-jeff, march 21, 8:37am

well, i'm home from new york and it's been really rough getting back into things. i vented to jeff sunday night and felt a bit better.

but after i got that text the next morning, i was reminded of the obvious: my attitude is my choice. and you know what? it's been a fantastic 2.25 days.

this morning, i drove to school (late) and it was super sunny and happy...and there were 4 songs in a row that i just completely danced to on the radio.

this was one of 'em.



ps, on top of that, it's my birthday week. i therefore give permission for everyone to be happy for no reason (and if you need a reason, it's my birthday week! go out and get yourself a gift or somethin.) i even got a text from my birthday week letting me know it would promise to be awesome. again, i extend this to everyone's week....but it's your choice. ;)

train of consciousness

car --> moving sidewalk --> plane --> air train --> real train --> {subway} --> car

.....

sunday, 6 march, 2011, 5:04 pm

i'm writing on the subway right now. 72nd st, to be exact.

above me are my old summer stomping grounds!

we just passed 66th--the lincoln center. ah! it's all coming back to me.

interestingly, i'm not finding/feeling the same rush of excitement about everything as i did the first time...makes sense,

{77th street; the train is more crowded now}

because the first time i was discovering everything with new eyes. but -- i have this odd ability to make an absolute adventure out of everything in my head (as well as my camera and sketchbook and blog). so, i could have felt the same

{86th street}

or similar on this trip as i did the first time...but i'm glad i'm not.

i'm glad i'm not because the first trip was practically nearly perfect. it was everything i wanted and needed, and it was just right for me. i wouldn't even want to try to replicate it because this trip would change things and make them different than the last time 

{96th and it is SUPER packed in this train}

so this can be a different kind of adventure. different is okay. i'm pretty relieved it's feeling all so familiar to me, but not because of my previous fears (will i get lost? how will i get around? will i get robbed? will i be okay?) -- but because of that fear of accidentally trying to replicate the past (or unintentionally doing so)

{103rd}

and having it not live up to my expectations.

{110th street}

ok...just passed 110th...agh! maybe i spoke too soon -- i tend to long for the past at times. 110th...isn't that jen's stop? maybe not...but oh, memories! she has a great little apartment. desert night and games and ooh -- 

{116 now}

this is the stop before my old stop -- the one leading to the reed's adorable little family. remembering when i sang the baby to sleep during that hard, hard night-- and the trust that she held in her eyes between her tears as she looked up at me---

{125th}

oh!! oh -- i can see the outside. now...now. this is poignant to me. i see the projects on one side -- and the corner of my old apartment building on the other! aaaagghhh...now it's settling in. how i love the 125th stop-- the train goes above ground here. i returned off of this stop every day for a month and a half...

{137th street}

and now we're passing the next stop...the only time i traveled this far was that beach day -- natasha's birthday. the one where everything went wrong and wonderful beth moved in and the mover man bled all over our floor and the train was broken so we had to go up a stop before we went down to far rockaway...and how grateful i was for that detour and for the conversation i had with dear natasha and jodi, and how much our friendship grew that day...

and now. now is where i'm off to the unknown. adventure time? yesss. i believe so. 

{145th, 5:22 pm}

231, here i come! 

passing dyckmann and 207th, the train goes above ground once more and i see a whole new scene. somewhat intimidating--there is graffiti everywhere and it doesn't feel familiar anymore. but i know that there is a diana and a jonny and a little baby waiting for me, so here i come....

.....

addendum -- above is quite literally the stream of conscious thought that i recorded on the ride here. below is the picture to prove it. i edited very little (though added some things) and as i read it through here now, i'm realizing that there's a lot more than a transportation log that has been recorded here.

post-addendum? can you do that? sure you can. here's mine.

i'm now sitting comfortably in diana's charming little apartment, with the rain pounding on the windows, the howling wind rustling the trees (are there trees in the bronx?? it's too dark to tell) and listening to sirens in the distance. 

perhaps, to an extent, i am still in awe of this place.

ART BLOGGIN!

my dear readers,

warm fuzzies started out as a mix between an art blog and a personal blog. it has since become a place where art, music, and other such random have been supplied.

i love my little blog, and now apparently 64 of you love it too! ah, it warms my heart that we can all share something together. your comments make me really happy. so does the knowledge that you take the time to read/watch/listen to the things i post on here that are well, warm. or fuzzy. or fascinating or amusing (like hand snuggleez). thanks SO much for your support and interest!

however, i have been slacking on doing my art class posts, as you long-time readers know (hey there, jeff..) and i'm still falling behind. for this reason and others, i have created a separate art blog!

now, this isn't to say i won't stop posting on warm fuzzies, in fact i hope to be more regular in the future. AND i'll still post art on here for my faithful readers. AND i'll even try to publish my 4 kajillion art class posts (all which are waiting patiently as drafts...i just need to get the images for each of them).

my plan is just to post my art posts on the art blog as well as this blog (though there might be more art on the art blog in addition to what i post here). so keep reading and looking at both blogs; don't mind me. i'll just post on both and you keep being awesome.

and now, with no further adieu, here it is!!

kartillustration.blogspot.com

warm fuzzies,
kwistin
(you know. that one girl who writes this blog)