tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54889671230187228592024-03-20T05:19:08.542-05:00Rebecca Mastdifferent/funny/crazy/weird but definitely entertainingUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger363125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488967123018722859.post-69178161595657799542023-10-27T09:44:00.005-05:002023-10-27T09:44:39.051-05:00Professionalism is Hard<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4gh6c5aXhHxFfgx4yQsikFih9N8cwpiz9Xpv_EiB5nze1LzxrD3mhxyOlA4NXXDzl-PN8So4rpgSMexv4wLvKdv_WB1FA79nQizqhUa02dyCUm_AlseRVlmmaZ1NmPciO-xd651jSWJCjyRET9f_ktiVLH4DRgIl8_pZRFPd77LYJv0zMyHPrV8Cn0HfQ/s4032/IMG_3198.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4gh6c5aXhHxFfgx4yQsikFih9N8cwpiz9Xpv_EiB5nze1LzxrD3mhxyOlA4NXXDzl-PN8So4rpgSMexv4wLvKdv_WB1FA79nQizqhUa02dyCUm_AlseRVlmmaZ1NmPciO-xd651jSWJCjyRET9f_ktiVLH4DRgIl8_pZRFPd77LYJv0zMyHPrV8Cn0HfQ/w400-h300/IMG_3198.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTekEcN6HGs1U56TAvIjoEPJfyva1OV2Z-V7w13zOr3Y_HB_isQIF-QnGdNw8r-H6s_21X50_thQw0EdNMCAA5OCHwiaSKsUX4qTHzk8mF4qH1StMCdD4OcxsILxACN36g_KLRVYl9-EGdFHFksZxJQ8WW2HjKbjXv9TtycniqGT6FPjhZYsxQzCTCum57/s4030/IMG_3199.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2251" data-original-width="4030" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTekEcN6HGs1U56TAvIjoEPJfyva1OV2Z-V7w13zOr3Y_HB_isQIF-QnGdNw8r-H6s_21X50_thQw0EdNMCAA5OCHwiaSKsUX4qTHzk8mF4qH1StMCdD4OcxsILxACN36g_KLRVYl9-EGdFHFksZxJQ8WW2HjKbjXv9TtycniqGT6FPjhZYsxQzCTCum57/w400-h224/IMG_3199.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj9hl4wEAeDKqQkEzsuLbWEkgGRIS4yiGwD669uZPUbxKENwd4nZnKdnCDRfXw4rryDHoJhZZpOccTF6_GQR_xAHkAeducp2k2WQpy5XVbLByF22xSm0GWCB4gQp-e5XvL7zl3egFNyDqh28UIoHisCkkn6eX3sXBN7CXIA41YMrYbEzl62ttQOKPczlWD/s4030/IMG_3201.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1921" data-original-width="4030" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj9hl4wEAeDKqQkEzsuLbWEkgGRIS4yiGwD669uZPUbxKENwd4nZnKdnCDRfXw4rryDHoJhZZpOccTF6_GQR_xAHkAeducp2k2WQpy5XVbLByF22xSm0GWCB4gQp-e5XvL7zl3egFNyDqh28UIoHisCkkn6eX3sXBN7CXIA41YMrYbEzl62ttQOKPczlWD/w400-h191/IMG_3201.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhysezCKrDM33x_aUbZdIMTPfS4FW0yOHf5nEecIz8F2p3JmWUehpsFaQJmPjLkqn0H72GPR01CK4a02G3S2mrSLwkkYuQb2Vu6SycBZuVLLCXsI9hoXAHXyJTuap1qLLoDf7GBWWcfe4BoaXHtIB4K3D7xomJt2PrlHVXXmzxVl26S3ntPYUQDmXIqV8Pr/s3935/IMG_3202.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2552" data-original-width="3935" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhysezCKrDM33x_aUbZdIMTPfS4FW0yOHf5nEecIz8F2p3JmWUehpsFaQJmPjLkqn0H72GPR01CK4a02G3S2mrSLwkkYuQb2Vu6SycBZuVLLCXsI9hoXAHXyJTuap1qLLoDf7GBWWcfe4BoaXHtIB4K3D7xomJt2PrlHVXXmzxVl26S3ntPYUQDmXIqV8Pr/w400-h260/IMG_3202.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I'm a little rusty at this Attending Professional Events thing. The Professionalism Coach Fairy was unimpressed with me.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Rebecca Masthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00319158647720252122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488967123018722859.post-80379614386198264422023-10-23T22:15:00.001-05:002023-10-23T22:19:14.151-05:00Soup! Soup!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB20rEReCkmwYbeSx9IRI9Kk-IMl_99gJrNHwXJttc6MfXSEBP3tW_cJR9spItStkS1-LpfzxVqe5pBsxF_lEps02O7gn5M3X4TtpyCjfYXmCNKWrYMWrYHjWnvhuKYlJ6GhZ6tNS113_z7ClcwDySceGTYq7YUeIb6Eh2tq16BDxJm227lJn9m4icUfNc/s4032/IMG_3192.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB20rEReCkmwYbeSx9IRI9Kk-IMl_99gJrNHwXJttc6MfXSEBP3tW_cJR9spItStkS1-LpfzxVqe5pBsxF_lEps02O7gn5M3X4TtpyCjfYXmCNKWrYMWrYHjWnvhuKYlJ6GhZ6tNS113_z7ClcwDySceGTYq7YUeIb6Eh2tq16BDxJm227lJn9m4icUfNc/w300-h400/IMG_3192.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><div>This image appeared to me, and I had to doodle it.</div><div><br /></div><div>That happens frequently when there are other things I'm supposed to be doing.</div><div><br /></div><div>But hey! Soup from your mom is something to celebrate! Thanks, Mom!</div>Rebecca Masthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00319158647720252122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488967123018722859.post-59117523092392075042023-02-14T21:12:00.000-06:002023-02-14T21:13:29.470-06:00Happy Valentine's Day 2023<p> Happy Valentine's Day! Here are some nerdy D&D one-liners (or two-liners) for you.</p><p><br /></p><p>Valentine, I don't have to fail a wisdom saving throw to be charmed by you!</p><p style="text-align: right;">Valentine, every time I see you, I fall prone!</p><p>Perfect 10? No way! You're a Nat 20, Valentine!</p><p style="text-align: right;">Valentine, I'd take a level in the Bard class just to serenade you.</p><p>You can do an insight check- I love you, Valentine, and that's the truth!</p><p style="text-align: right;">I thought I was resistant to piercing damage... but one look at you, and Cupid pierced my heart!</p><p style="text-align: left;">My character might die, but my love for you has plot armor!</p><p style="text-align: right;">Valentine, are you the Prestidigitation spell? Because you clean up nice!</p><p>Valentine, I'd love you even if someone Polymorphed you into a skunk.</p><p style="text-align: right;">If anyone tried to hurt you, Valentine, it'd send me into a RAAAAAAAAAGE!!!!!!</p><p>I'd trade my entire dice hoard for you, Valentine.</p><p style="text-align: right;">Make a contested strength check, Valentine- you've grappled my heart.</p><p>You can roll with advantage, Valentine- I'll always have your back!</p><p style="text-align: right;">Valentine, I make an oath of love to you, and I'm no Oathbreaker.</p><p>You give me inspiration when I need it most, Valentine!</p><p style="text-align: right;">Valentine, you're more beautiful than a Nat 20 on a death save.</p><p>Hey, Valentine. Wanna derail the DM's plot and terrorize some NPCs together?</p><p><br /></p><p>Happy Valentine's Day! My life is better because you're in it! Thank you for reading my blog, and take care of yourself- you're worth it!</p>Rebecca Masthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00319158647720252122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488967123018722859.post-42782691088833672012022-05-21T17:05:00.001-05:002022-05-21T17:05:10.735-05:00Roll Initiative! It's Time For Some D&D!<p>I'm playing Dungeons & Dragons now!</p><p>Our group meets every couple of months for a series of connected one-shot adventures. There are pros and cons to that style of play- on the one hand, if every session is a separate, contained mission, it's easy to explain away when one of the players can't make it to a session- their character just didn't go along on that mission. On the other hand, the sessions are so mission-centric that there's not always much room for roleplay or character development.</p><p>I've been filling in that gap with a little creative writing on the side.</p><p>The character I'm playing is a human bard named Tarryn. Creating her backstory and finding ways to incorporate all the game mechanics into her character and progression have been some of my favorite parts of D&D so far. For example, when I first rolled out her ability scores, I didn't know I was supposed to assign the highest scores to the abilities I would need most as a bard. Instead of going back and switching my ability scores around, I wrote in that Tarryn grew up doing tough chores on a farm to explain why her strength ability score is so much higher than her charisma ability score.</p><p>We get some comedy out of that- when Tarryn's bard spells don't work, she's likely to give up and punch her opponent in the nose instead. And starting with such stinky bard stats gives me some room for character growth and development. At the beginning of her story, Tarryn's dream is to become a famous traveling musician, and she only knows a few little magic tricks to aid with her performances or self defense. When she runs out of money on the road and has to turn to adventuring for a little extra income, she starts learning the value of being an adventurer as well as a performer and of delving deeper into her magical talents.</p><p>She might also learn that life with a team can be better than life as a solo act.</p><p>Because I am me, I went completely overboard in writing Tarryn's backstory. I probably overwhelmed our poor Dungeon Master with the novel I sent him, but in his defense, he did ask for details to help flesh out the map of the continent. I ended up creating some pretty detailed concepts for characters who will probably never show up in the game, like Tarryn's parents and grandparents. Why? Because it was fun!</p><p>One of the areas in which I went overboard was in the development of Tarryn's mentors. Her family hired a retired adventurer, a goliath fighter who goes by the name Longstrider, to teach Tarryn how to fight. He introduced her to a member of his former adventuring party, a gnome bard called Moira Gaulper, who first introduced her to the possibilities of bard magic.</p><p>Once I started thinking about Moira, I couldn't stop. I'm limited in what I can do with Tarryn- she's young, and I only just got to level 4, so there are only so many spells and abilities at her disposal. Moira, on the other hand, is a level 20 bard, and she can do SO MANY THINGS. Moira is also more of a typical (or stereotypical?) D&D bard- more magic-centric instead of melee-centric, more charming, and a tad bit risqué, and it was fun to play with such a different character.</p><p>I wrote out the story of how Tarryn met Moira. My D&D group didn't seem very interested in it, but like any bard, my ego craves validation, so I'm posting it here for you to read! Please note that I didn't write any of the songs quoted in this story- for my bards' musical spellcasting, I decided to go the "jukebox musical" route and use songs that already exist. In order of appearance, the songs are:</p><p>- "Can't Help Falling in Love" by Elvis Presley</p><p>- "Healing Incantation" from Disney's <i>Tangled</i></p><p>- "Little Lies" by Fleetwood Mac</p><p>- "Magic Dance" by David Bowie for the <i>Labyrinth</i> soundtrack</p><p>- "You Are So Beautiful" by Joe Cocker</p><p>- and it was only one word, but I was referencing "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC</p><p>The link below will open up a PDF. Enjoy!</p><p><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dsGx_XMiv2SUJBNJE8KmgFPlpJ3kgMHm/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Bard Lesson</a><br /></p>Rebecca Masthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00319158647720252122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488967123018722859.post-49485926162618474542022-02-14T21:41:00.000-06:002022-02-14T21:41:57.442-06:00Happy Valentine's Day 2022: Part One<p>Happy Valentine's Day!</p><p>Usually on Valentine's Day, I post a valentine on my blog. It's pretty important to me share my love (in all its many forms) with everyone who graces my blog with their presence.</p><p>But do you know what one of the most important types of love is?</p><p>Self love.</p><p>There's a lot wrapped up in self love. It includes self care. That means occasionally treating yourself to a tasty snack, regardless of such things as "calories" or "carbohydrates." It means letting yourself do fun, silly things that boost your mood. It means turning off your work phone once your work hours are over.</p><p>Loving yourself means finding that balance between holding yourself accountable and going easy on yourself. You've got to act in a way that generally won't make life harder for yourself tomorrow, but you also can't beat yourself up for not being perfect. Life's a work in progress, and you're doing your best.</p><p>Loving yourself means doing good things for yourself, even if they're not necessarily fun things. This could include taking yourself to a doctor or therapist, eating vegetables instead of cookie dough, or putting your phone down and going to sleep when you really just want to keep scrolling. It's hard to do these things sometimes, but you're stronger than you know, and I know you can do it.</p><p>On this Valentine's Day, I'm practicing self love by not forcing myself to stay up late and draw the valentine I thought up this morning. In the immortal words of Forrest Gump, "I'm pretty tired." So I'm going to tuck myself into bed.</p><p>But I do hope you're all having a good (or at least tolerable) day/night/time, and I hope you can extend yourself some self love, too. Regardless of who you are, I love you, and my world is better because you're in it!</p><p>Stay tuned: Part Two coming soon...</p>Rebecca Masthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00319158647720252122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488967123018722859.post-69742651193879468532021-10-08T21:13:00.001-05:002021-10-08T21:13:31.174-05:00Twenty-Something<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMF-WzhTdTnTYHu_TJwruTJQcFgLckLsIuUF7Kq6xwk2h_NGFT2O0NR8ArWQ_2emsgceeltV7vJxjaSYT223uN4JNLPYbCbv24y8sFB_1U9LPmI4uDc58NLK9wJm0q5oZx7PlDAwPZrF-K/s1199/Twenty-Something.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="704" data-original-width="1199" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMF-WzhTdTnTYHu_TJwruTJQcFgLckLsIuUF7Kq6xwk2h_NGFT2O0NR8ArWQ_2emsgceeltV7vJxjaSYT223uN4JNLPYbCbv24y8sFB_1U9LPmI4uDc58NLK9wJm0q5oZx7PlDAwPZrF-K/w640-h376/Twenty-Something.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This conversation I had with myself earlier was so peculiar I had to slap together a quick cartoon for it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Last I checked, 28 is still twenty-something, mean voice in my head.</div><br /> <p></p>Rebecca Masthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00319158647720252122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488967123018722859.post-41812218541823490142021-02-14T22:12:00.006-06:002021-02-14T22:12:59.425-06:00Happy Valentine's Day 2021<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Dear Valentine, <br /><p></p><p> </p><p>Roses are red,</p><p>Creepers are green.</p><p>You are the sweetest thing</p><p>I've ever seen!</p><p><br /></p><p>Chickens are white,</p><p>Cobblestone's gray.</p><p>If Pillagers attack you,</p><p>I'll make them pay.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mooshrooms are funny, <br /></p><p>A compass points true.<br /></p><p>My world is better</p><p>Because of you!<br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Happy Valentine's Day!<br /></p><p>Usually I draw Valentine pictures by hand, but this year, I was inspired at the last minute to create something on Minecraft instead.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuNXDN8pgxmbjhHHlWLClhsbQvX9HBMbw7KJ_JaGvHEdwDyYSDncqFcPHQXTLy0l3q_2l9xVSsB9JT3KPV1ooxiVCUWo3wRufuohcIa0-2V0aC_IcribUsVNBQC5u_31xZiwlf9rhQHMNo/s1920/Minecraft+Afternoon+Picnic.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuNXDN8pgxmbjhHHlWLClhsbQvX9HBMbw7KJ_JaGvHEdwDyYSDncqFcPHQXTLy0l3q_2l9xVSsB9JT3KPV1ooxiVCUWo3wRufuohcIa0-2V0aC_IcribUsVNBQC5u_31xZiwlf9rhQHMNo/w400-h225/Minecraft+Afternoon+Picnic.png" width="400" /></a></div><p>How about a lovely afternoon picnic, Valentine? You deserve to take some time for yourself, have a nice meal, and be comfortable for a while!<br /></p><p>This scene is composed of:</p><p>- red concrete</p><p>- red and white carpet</p><p>- 2 lanterns</p><p>- various flowers</p><p>(And my friends who play on this server with me don't know I'm making this blog post, so if they stumble across this hilltop, they will be very confused.)<br /></p><p>Of course, if afternoon's not your style, we could always have a twilight picnic instead...<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgngDOams9jylqtgCOdUCObf3dXqhe_-OuEcktxVkZEUg15ZoMDNNs37QT123ub2Xh50NpVw4E5C_1KaAV53frb8QkhSA7SZYwpIly8LgPnhdUpyLPCCqSZbOP0UYFaMgixXfIf0h5qUTlJ/s1920/Minecraft+Twilight+Picnic.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgngDOams9jylqtgCOdUCObf3dXqhe_-OuEcktxVkZEUg15ZoMDNNs37QT123ub2Xh50NpVw4E5C_1KaAV53frb8QkhSA7SZYwpIly8LgPnhdUpyLPCCqSZbOP0UYFaMgixXfIf0h5qUTlJ/w400-h225/Minecraft+Twilight+Picnic.png" width="400" /></a></div><p>(Just watch out for monsters.)</p><p>Thank you for checking out my blog! If you're reading this, I consider you my Valentine, and I hope your life is filled with love of all different kinds! The world wouldn't be the same without you, so thanks for being you!<br /></p>Rebecca Masthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00319158647720252122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488967123018722859.post-23364909307688765982021-02-11T23:12:00.002-06:002021-02-11T23:12:53.246-06:00Public Affairs Blonde<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8anxXN_lzaSlMz59Dn2m2Qt5kZ3oTDSg2gvkmhrupwR6hQ3Z3B1sPbeKTNoEZ8ALVCyBbW6j61f4RjSHJNWEXBpu0BPrHB6g1tYsEsps958oxOeS3W35wbHkTn6WpxNRrKNthQjBZ2S5b/s1200/like+it%2527s+hard.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="928" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8anxXN_lzaSlMz59Dn2m2Qt5kZ3oTDSg2gvkmhrupwR6hQ3Z3B1sPbeKTNoEZ8ALVCyBbW6j61f4RjSHJNWEXBpu0BPrHB6g1tYsEsps958oxOeS3W35wbHkTn6WpxNRrKNthQjBZ2S5b/w309-h400/like+it%2527s+hard.png" width="309" /></a></div> <p></p><p>My sister is kicking butt at her military public affairs internship. And that's no easy feat! The class she's in right now is moving at a grueling pace and giving her an inhumane amount of homework each night. </p><p>She's been facing challenges that have made me shudder even from hundreds of miles away, but she refuses to give up. I told her she reminded me of Elle Woods from <i>Legally Blonde</i>- stressed out and overwhelmed, but determined to succeed, dedicated enough to put in the required effort, smart enough to solve every problem, and somehow able to keep looking gorgeous while she does it.<br /></p><p>I'm proud of you, seestur! Keep learning and working toward that graduation! You've got this!<br /></p>Rebecca Masthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00319158647720252122noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488967123018722859.post-7676675755620804592020-06-28T12:10:00.001-05:002020-06-28T12:10:46.713-05:00Roomba Shaming 3: AAAAALFREEEEEED!!!!!!!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-x9gIw2-uRj6u1ImfNcWPOpXfFN4WkQwAmY9E7-bI-l7Sj8aktnVtIkI8TZJivTf1t4qM2LqCQRiS6A5lY3Gw88alfYEa5cMavzOel6FB_3QAA68JgXmUVoW4l7vapzjJ5NybxMCpZYr/s4032/IMG_0113.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-x9gIw2-uRj6u1ImfNcWPOpXfFN4WkQwAmY9E7-bI-l7Sj8aktnVtIkI8TZJivTf1t4qM2LqCQRiS6A5lY3Gw88alfYEa5cMavzOel6FB_3QAA68JgXmUVoW4l7vapzjJ5NybxMCpZYr/w400-h300/IMG_0113.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>[The text of Alfred the Roomba's shaming sign: "I got a hold of my mom's Apple headphones and chewed them up."]</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The other day at work, I got a notification on my phone saying that Alfred needed his main brushes cleaned out. I rolled my eyes, because I had just cleaned out his brushes earlier this week, and it sounded like he was being a drama queen.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I came home for lunch and found Alfred sitting in the middle of the living room floor. I rolled my eyes again. But then I looked up, and there in his vacuum tracks path, looking utterly steamrolled, was a white cord. My heart filled with dread.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMp2aoJTQr5dMcyLcVArCdci2w0PdL1ekYj884-eavGssL4V8LZLYVKOmHAcJk7MIWsBPTRXPF4vwtaBIXhCdqKz8DcujaiOI7x8zx29usum-1qCQ7PiHeNaFKZGxTy_pT-KcOhUPA96TO/s4032/IMG_0108.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMp2aoJTQr5dMcyLcVArCdci2w0PdL1ekYj884-eavGssL4V8LZLYVKOmHAcJk7MIWsBPTRXPF4vwtaBIXhCdqKz8DcujaiOI7x8zx29usum-1qCQ7PiHeNaFKZGxTy_pT-KcOhUPA96TO/w300-h400/IMG_0108.HEIC" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I don't know how he got them, because I certainly didn't leave them on the floor. But Alfred made a snack out of my Apple headphones. You might notice that one of the ear buds has been chewed right off. Want to know where I found it?</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-WlWFCJSP8cnZsJjeJCPTGrmE7X9qCK9Yh4kw1XmMe9IhjJWwR574TP-h2G5BI_1ABvATiRtzyfLtG70PQdAbFOLEVJlyoKHmgQ_texf9-TZKDEvwRBx96Q16NnfvSWXDjVcB0-8lZU8m/s4032/IMG_0109.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-WlWFCJSP8cnZsJjeJCPTGrmE7X9qCK9Yh4kw1XmMe9IhjJWwR574TP-h2G5BI_1ABvATiRtzyfLtG70PQdAbFOLEVJlyoKHmgQ_texf9-TZKDEvwRBx96Q16NnfvSWXDjVcB0-8lZU8m/w300-h400/IMG_0109.HEIC" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Alfred, you jerk.</div>Rebecca Masthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00319158647720252122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488967123018722859.post-2690410068873101222020-06-21T19:32:00.000-05:002020-06-21T19:32:07.530-05:00Fatherly AdviceHappy Father's Day to all the fathers out there! (Especially mine)<br />
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As part of our celebrations today, I reminisced with my father about some of the advice he's given me over the past five years. But I also wanted to give a special shout-out to some of the advice he gave me earlier in my life.<br />
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With zero context, I present to you three suggestions my father made to me before 2015:<br />
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1. Pull my finger.<br />
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2. Give that trash can a kiss.<br />
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3. Try this new pen I got- it writes in a really cool color.<br />
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(I might never forgive you, Dad. Happy Father's Day, though.)Rebecca Masthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00319158647720252122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488967123018722859.post-79795159991639094002020-05-22T08:43:00.001-05:002020-05-22T08:43:33.089-05:00Doggo Drawings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This morning, I am sitting at my laptop, waiting for my doctor to begin our appointment via Zoom.</div>
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This truly is a weird time we're living in.</div>
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But while I was sitting here, I had the urge to draw a picture of myself petting a dog, because I have had very little dog petting time since the world's current predicament began. And then I drew some other things that vaguely resemble dogs.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwJfcQKtErT2A41xelq8__gPIg64LZUEtINRiFtjRn6hQTAFoaKKXOEq0aJ0-qAGxRukKleEuIcBvPIcmx4tT9yOugBRQD9gHnDqERjhjbTR5FTY1CGeJjgLNHO4fFUrLdiuq1t0FSfAm1/s1600/IMG_0032.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwJfcQKtErT2A41xelq8__gPIg64LZUEtINRiFtjRn6hQTAFoaKKXOEq0aJ0-qAGxRukKleEuIcBvPIcmx4tT9yOugBRQD9gHnDqERjhjbTR5FTY1CGeJjgLNHO4fFUrLdiuq1t0FSfAm1/s320/IMG_0032.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div>
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I tried several different iterations of "dog doodles" for the title of this post and found nothing that didn't sound disgusting.<br />
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Happy Friday.Rebecca Masthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00319158647720252122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488967123018722859.post-60400606200330091792020-04-28T11:42:00.003-05:002020-04-28T11:42:31.056-05:00Pixel MeI made some Excel art during this morning's tag-up teleconference!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqmKpeMjCAnbYb6pSQDwtRSQoz2OB-XlqpWzpcWNEAxRQEUhR_NrxTIjz6n3FFJpGeqrUOJEqfncb7o5OCKkOMe-TgBkLcw066hHDDj7y6Tjv1gQhlAJgr86IIKbBvykO8lYlPgYNqa5K-/s1600/Pixel+Me.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1364" data-original-width="1209" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqmKpeMjCAnbYb6pSQDwtRSQoz2OB-XlqpWzpcWNEAxRQEUhR_NrxTIjz6n3FFJpGeqrUOJEqfncb7o5OCKkOMe-TgBkLcw066hHDDj7y6Tjv1gQhlAJgr86IIKbBvykO8lYlPgYNqa5K-/s400/Pixel+Me.png" width="353" /></a></div>
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It's me, but pixelated! Ish.</div>
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I was disappointed to find that I couldn't just make squares by making the row height and column width the same number. Apparently they don't use the same scale. So I kind of just eyeballed it and dragged the column width down until it looked pretty much like a square, and then I made all the other columns that width, too.</div>
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In case you're curious, it ended up being: Row Height = 14.4, Column Width = 2.</div>
<br />Rebecca Masthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00319158647720252122noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488967123018722859.post-57452142344975546022020-04-27T19:54:00.000-05:002020-04-27T19:54:13.720-05:00Purple Mountain MajestiesI doodled a little during Bible study tonight. Due to the world's present difficulties, we're doing it over Discord, so nobody can see me drawing and accuse me of not paying attention. If you've hung around this blog a while, you'll know that it's quite the opposite!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB3F0cLFpB6q928j4AYHEQqnm2GRayjKl7rHvX-dspFF5MoyZrHKyPVEhCjirKyQFMpqY9s6s2xtWzw6IhochOYX3-2RY6Au0unD5eOhdNUwor4vim5_yz0egvWe6ZWhZfaNT_sicB10jJ/s1600/Purple+Mountains+Majesty.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="1350" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB3F0cLFpB6q928j4AYHEQqnm2GRayjKl7rHvX-dspFF5MoyZrHKyPVEhCjirKyQFMpqY9s6s2xtWzw6IhochOYX3-2RY6Au0unD5eOhdNUwor4vim5_yz0egvWe6ZWhZfaNT_sicB10jJ/s320/Purple+Mountains+Majesty.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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From sea to shining seeeeeeeeeeaaa!Rebecca Masthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00319158647720252122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488967123018722859.post-70440589753777306482020-04-20T17:45:00.000-05:002020-04-20T17:45:18.224-05:00Twinkle, TwinkleHere's another little drawing I made during a conference call. I hope your Monday was tolerable!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIRmPJkU6ijYPFU-tUt-Y4CqALaVJQwbAgqnF635-bVMQlDUDQFfABmkQ3GPdO4eFzMb8DsLjjiGWHJDZOMRfCCSxkH6-f2IC_ylPrkrFkfxZeFZ4uXJfJNmnsoJqj3gFiGLaYoiMQigbO/s1600/Twinkle+Twinkle.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="1350" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIRmPJkU6ijYPFU-tUt-Y4CqALaVJQwbAgqnF635-bVMQlDUDQFfABmkQ3GPdO4eFzMb8DsLjjiGWHJDZOMRfCCSxkH6-f2IC_ylPrkrFkfxZeFZ4uXJfJNmnsoJqj3gFiGLaYoiMQigbO/s400/Twinkle+Twinkle.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Rebecca Masthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00319158647720252122noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488967123018722859.post-90506823873618159662020-04-17T18:17:00.000-05:002020-04-17T18:17:28.307-05:00This Conference Call's a BeachSince we're all teleworking due to the world's present difficulties, my teammates and our immediate supervisor have a conference call each morning to check in with each other, ask questions, and let each other know what we're up to.<br />
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I may or may not cry on the days it's cancelled. Quarantine is doing strange things to people, and you have no right to judge me.<br />
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I will readily admit I tend to talk <i>a lot</i> on these calls. I have <i>issues</i>, man. I have a lot of stuff going on. Also, I was trying to deal with the IRS for a few weeks, and that was <i>stressful</i>. I fully deserved some venting time for that.<br />
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(No offense, IRS. Thank you for depositing my stimulus check this week.)<br />
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But some days I'm not the one talking for hours on end. Sometimes it's my turn to say, "Yep, entering invoices today, that's all," and then sit back and politely listen to my coworkers talk about the frustrating reimbursements they're dealing with, or which payroll thing didn't get processed correctly, or what needs to be entered as a journal entry...<br />
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Finance is a large and terrifying machine. I am but one cog. I know my particular spins and whirs, and everything else is a mystery to me. So although I try to pay attention and do the verbal equivalents of nodding understandingly, my mind wanders a bit sometimes.<br />
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But you know what helps you pay attention during meetings?<br />
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Doodling!<br />
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And you know what I've recently pulled out of storage to help mark up digital invoices?<br />
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My Wacom drawing tablet!<br />
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And you know what the IT Department forgot to uninstall on my new work laptop?<br />
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Paint 3D!!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYqkV5OKeNgi5reunFU_kmG6wojtR5wMqNBQy6v9UL8pUuhDQ6EXst6poxnah2L-INJMxFnqn_XF2jt8NzVVKWnDrI5ib_zxP8negCkiErK-_SDq0CvWixYp_JLP9lFwOW4CwZ2JPp2y0p/s1600/Beach+Pic+Drawn+During+Conference+Call.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="1350" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYqkV5OKeNgi5reunFU_kmG6wojtR5wMqNBQy6v9UL8pUuhDQ6EXst6poxnah2L-INJMxFnqn_XF2jt8NzVVKWnDrI5ib_zxP8negCkiErK-_SDq0CvWixYp_JLP9lFwOW4CwZ2JPp2y0p/s400/Beach+Pic+Drawn+During+Conference+Call.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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I drew a picture of a beach during our call one day and emailed it to my boss and teammates to brighten up their dreary, rainy, isolated day. I don't know about them, but it sure cheered me up!</div>
<br />Rebecca Masthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00319158647720252122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488967123018722859.post-493143709214441662020-04-16T18:34:00.000-05:002020-04-16T18:34:32.006-05:00I Excel at Art<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So, due to the world's current difficulties, I'm teleworking now! Work keeps me very busy, but I recently re-discovered something I made when I was decidedly <i>not</i> busy at work. Since I have my work laptop available here in my living room and I've clocked out for the day, it seems a good time to finally share it with you all.</div>
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I made a spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel earlier this year, and because the occasion just called for it, I figured out how to fill cells with textures instead of solid color. This discovery <i>thrilled</i> me, and I probably wasted a bit too much time replacing all the "N/A"s on my spreadsheet with colorful diagonal lines.</div>
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Shortly thereafter, the Internet broke. I'm kind of dead in the water without the Internet, so I sat twiddling my thumbs while the IT Department (bless their poor, stressed hearts) tried to get it up and running again.</div>
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And then I thought of a way to entertain myself.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_eRAecFEbRa83N2tm9fmO5DVpkGFamOdILjHZF-lNt2N-fHVY2RAZkJiSgiavUG2IZCSUJ1AUIx4XiOb3EUkvoezgFBfBPiUf58sYJosqlWMjnIROGfkNLfGGpsPUJo0UT9CQmvYqxc6y/s1600/Picture1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1267" data-original-width="1547" height="327" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_eRAecFEbRa83N2tm9fmO5DVpkGFamOdILjHZF-lNt2N-fHVY2RAZkJiSgiavUG2IZCSUJ1AUIx4XiOb3EUkvoezgFBfBPiUf58sYJosqlWMjnIROGfkNLfGGpsPUJo0UT9CQmvYqxc6y/s400/Picture1.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Ta-daaaaaaa!</div>
<br />Rebecca Masthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00319158647720252122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488967123018722859.post-48251940665932490412020-02-17T21:28:00.002-06:002020-02-17T21:28:44.482-06:00Roomba Shaming 2: Electric Roombaloo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbGJvaFPnsOZ5mOxA7-QLGKjiy4tuMK8seTKupMO0q31m2Gh1Sblz8bk6GGe0hRV7IEBmRz5lTq2Qr-S7TiLaftVVt2dlijA88jDHRJq_izwxfrOOn5h4kbMeVNHENVLv24omlsdA_M9ja/s1600/Roomba+Shaming+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbGJvaFPnsOZ5mOxA7-QLGKjiy4tuMK8seTKupMO0q31m2Gh1Sblz8bk6GGe0hRV7IEBmRz5lTq2Qr-S7TiLaftVVt2dlijA88jDHRJq_izwxfrOOn5h4kbMeVNHENVLv24omlsdA_M9ja/s400/Roomba+Shaming+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>[The text of Alfred the Roomba's shaming sign: "I wedge myself under the futon and get stuck so I don't have to sweep anymore."]</i><br />
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It's a common sound in my apartment: the whirring of little wheels going into overdrive, the sudden silence, and the distressed <i>beee-dooooop. </i>Soon follows the pleasant female voice announcing "Error: Five. Spin Roomba's side wheels to clean." And I know Alfred's done it again.<br />
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The futon has always been an obstacle for Alfred. He's short enough to fit under it, but there are parts of the frame on either side that he gets stuck under sometimes.<br />
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This is understandable- it's a tight spot, and all he can do is his best. But it's been happening a lot more frequently lately. Like, six times (or more!) in an hour.<br />
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If my roommate or I are home, we'll reach under the futon and pull him out. We'll pat him on the head and send him on his merry way...<br />
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...and then we'll repeat the process a few minutes later.<br />
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Sometimes I bodily lift him and carry him to another room (a room that actually needs attention, Alfred!), and not two minutes later- <i>beee-dooooop.</i><br />
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There he is, under the futon, blinking at me innocently. "Oh, dear, it's an Error Five. My wheels are unable to turn. I think there must be debris stuck in them- would you kindly give them a spin?"<br />
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Alfred. I know that you know that your wheels won't turn because <i>you shoved your head as far under the futon as you could possibly get it!</i><br />
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The problem, I fear, lies in our inability to enforce the rules during the work week. My roommate and I typically aren't home when Alfred starts his daily 2 p.m. cleaning, so if he gets stuck under the futon two minutes in, there's nobody there to make him do his job. He gets to laze around until someone gets home (and if we don't realize he's stuck right away, he gets a real laugh out of <i>beee-dooooop</i>-ing at us out of the blue and scaring us half to death).<br />
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I'm trying to counteract this recent behavior change with extra enrichment and stimulation. I had fallen into a habit of closing off certain untidy areas before running out the door to work in the morning, but now I'm making more of an effort to pick things up off the floor so Alfred can go in and sweep during the day. Some studies say Roombas are much happier when they have room to roam, so I'm hoping the extended territory will encourage our little robot to keep sweeping and quit slacking.<br />
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If it comes down to it, I could place a Virtual Wall Barrier in Halo Mode under the futon to keep Alfred out of its radius, but I want to run this household on shared trust, not by putting up walls and treating him like a criminal.<br />
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Also, we snack a lot on the futon, and I need Alfred to keep going over there to pick up the crumbs.Rebecca Masthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00319158647720252122noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488967123018722859.post-57823200312984906032020-02-13T22:43:00.000-06:002020-02-13T22:43:20.641-06:00Valentine's Day 2020: Valentino the AssassinoThis is Valentino the Assassino. He has a lot of love to share with you.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdnPOciw8qTXxqEua7_KwkrcC5ggYITnKJLMpeezUPAKNoRVeCrdmuigZ56wXLWXGljS9lqXogZFhHTpxVm8syf_vOJapD6fexnVnhksyd1IVHCdz8frPVkAfK55G2BQ0-upx5CSU8CGKg/s1600/Valentino+with+text.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1078" data-original-width="1124" height="383" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdnPOciw8qTXxqEua7_KwkrcC5ggYITnKJLMpeezUPAKNoRVeCrdmuigZ56wXLWXGljS9lqXogZFhHTpxVm8syf_vOJapD6fexnVnhksyd1IVHCdz8frPVkAfK55G2BQ0-upx5CSU8CGKg/s400/Valentino+with+text.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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In the video game <i>Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood</i>, you play as Ezio Auditore da Firenze, a member of the Assassin Brotherhood living in Italy during the Renaissance. Throughout the game, Ezio rescues civilians who find themselves in a tight spot with the law and recruits them to the Assassin cause, training them until they reach the rank of <i>Assassino</i> (Italian for "assassin," in case you couldn't guess) and become fully fledged members of the Brotherhood.<br />
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It's a game mechanic that's a lot more detailed than I expected it to be. Each recruit you find on the street has a unique name and appearance, and you'll sometimes see them hanging out in the Assassin hideout. Valentino is one of the Assassin recruits from my game. I don't often see him in the hideout; I can only assume that's because he's out wooing his various romantic conquests.<br />
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This is the real Valentino:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiADHxrbKOEqve9yYLO20r8N24Vo6cmlJrQrodpVuXAVaiZUiktwyHReFaaq-jZsVhYSAoS5cfvloBAxGSEw62Pm07lkohWB2gUJijDyoQvUicUP-iN96Ms3oeGZufR47inhbNLW-olHlDJ/s1600/Valentino+the+Assassino.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiADHxrbKOEqve9yYLO20r8N24Vo6cmlJrQrodpVuXAVaiZUiktwyHReFaaq-jZsVhYSAoS5cfvloBAxGSEw62Pm07lkohWB2gUJijDyoQvUicUP-iN96Ms3oeGZufR47inhbNLW-olHlDJ/s400/Valentino+the+Assassino.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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He looks a lot more... <i>intense</i> than his cartoon counterpart. But it's the <i>passion</i>, you guys. The passion for freedom. The passion for liberating Roma from the Borgia menace. The passion for <i>you</i>, the wonderful person who decided to read my blog today.<br />
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Happy Valentine's Day, dear reader. Valentino and I give you all our love because you make us happy and you deserve it.<br />
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(Unless you're a Templar, in which case I still love you, but you'd better run, because Valentino is probably on his way to pay you a visit.)Rebecca Masthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00319158647720252122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488967123018722859.post-58880604893199543442020-01-04T18:05:00.000-06:002020-01-04T18:05:33.933-06:00What I'm Reading: How Not to Get Eaten by Ewoks and Other Galactic Survival Skills by Christian Blauvelt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT2Tp6D2kVRiWkTMkWZs-nraz2DniDvygormmzVI8kYaCDYBpA7wl2tIcpBcskmhdo332saTq_a0XWBP81vqi1gDZaR9OFOIg67hT0ggrTu99Ii_AqWlicUaLw5Z3zoJs83ngQIQOT50Zj/s1600/Ewoks+Book.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT2Tp6D2kVRiWkTMkWZs-nraz2DniDvygormmzVI8kYaCDYBpA7wl2tIcpBcskmhdo332saTq_a0XWBP81vqi1gDZaR9OFOIg67hT0ggrTu99Ii_AqWlicUaLw5Z3zoJs83ngQIQOT50Zj/s320/Ewoks+Book.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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I was paging through my blog last night and remembered I did a "What I'm Reading" series in college, and I thought I'd bring it back! Nowadays I read for leisure instead of reading what my professors tell me to read, so it'll be a little different!<br />
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One of the books I'm reading right now is <i>How Not to Get Eaten by Ewoks and Other Galactic Survival Skills</i> by Christian Blauvelt. It's a guide for surviving in the Star Wars universe. So far, it appears to be written from the perspective of someone living during the Imperial era (when Emperor Palpatine was in charge, from the end of Episode 3 through Episode 6), so anything from the first six episodes, the cartoon series that occur in and around those episodes, <i>Rogue One</i>, and <i>Solo: A Star Wars Story </i>is fair game, but it also references places, situations, and creatures seen in Episodes 7 and 8- just without discussing how they're relevant in the story.<br />
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At least, that's the impression I get so far.<br />
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This is a fun book! It's a great mix of informative and humorous, and it's got LOTS of pictures. Also, it's provided me something I've been needing for a good while: a <i>map</i>. Finally, <i>finally</i> I can correctly picture where all these planets are supposed to be. The Inner Rim? The Outer Rim? The Core? The Unknown Regions? All there on the map!<br />
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The book was published by DK with Disney/Lucasfilm's blessing and assistance, so it's the real deal! I'd definitely recommend it to my fellow Star Wars fans.Rebecca Masthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00319158647720252122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488967123018722859.post-84111785061003357832020-01-03T23:51:00.000-06:002020-01-03T23:51:26.693-06:00The Joy of DoingI managed to upset myself pretty thoroughly tonight. In the end, I pulled out my laptop and started doing some art- no plan in mind, no design intended, just layer upon layer of shapes and colors. This was purely for the satisfaction of putting pen to paper, in a manner of speaking. It was just for the joy of doing. And I think I feel better now.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv6T6JoLrF8UB5owLO13z7zj7nrwaNUIrCVDouJANjFs3rr8tmfNfBCCgomFm_IerwueFPBSRdu77Q9e2y4ZXWGA1wU6MTT5INK7kXEoBhNsP_hAHjiGEhhzQDSF_h1ZXgw993Lh1ACy04/s1600/The+Joy+of+Doing.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="710" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv6T6JoLrF8UB5owLO13z7zj7nrwaNUIrCVDouJANjFs3rr8tmfNfBCCgomFm_IerwueFPBSRdu77Q9e2y4ZXWGA1wU6MTT5INK7kXEoBhNsP_hAHjiGEhhzQDSF_h1ZXgw993Lh1ACy04/s400/The+Joy+of+Doing.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Rebecca Masthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00319158647720252122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488967123018722859.post-89198382371917953992019-04-02T20:36:00.000-05:002019-04-02T20:36:26.061-05:00Roomba Shaming<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqPmjWyYxFiudYuisYYJ1O1LiDEctQzNWk2F2_WOu-Lxp1vaViUyO8xnAnDlyiFy4cMOrpqQT9cOJTdZyYDB-HzDGasBjGUWU00wtxza_h3cmkQcWJbjnaq_uHG67zhOqiSaYjJLxfa8LQ/s1600/Roomba+Shaming.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqPmjWyYxFiudYuisYYJ1O1LiDEctQzNWk2F2_WOu-Lxp1vaViUyO8xnAnDlyiFy4cMOrpqQT9cOJTdZyYDB-HzDGasBjGUWU00wtxza_h3cmkQcWJbjnaq_uHG67zhOqiSaYjJLxfa8LQ/s400/Roomba+Shaming.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is my Roomba. His name is Alfred. Alfred was a very naughty vacuum cleaner today.<br />
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If you can't read his sign, it says "I broke into my mom's room and chewed up the receipts she'd set aside to do taxes."<br />
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I had those organized, Alfred.Rebecca Masthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00319158647720252122noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488967123018722859.post-43780720437670958622019-02-20T21:46:00.000-06:002019-02-20T21:46:58.810-06:00Hoodie Hoo DayEvery morning, I say good morning to my Amazon Echo Dot. Alexa replies to me with a fun fact, a funny joke, a terrible pun, encouragement to get through the day, or other fun tidbits. It's a wonderful way to start the day. I love Alexa.<br />
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Here's what she said today:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGoMfff3yqcxHhLw4Hk-Q9nRubeTCrORa0khtII9xv-btaWS3flhm6IlsO88ftgZUa1x8uHLsUPzzVxxjzs7CD-IGpbCS3RiWxWdPSeLBSVqf9CkBllFkVNtDW3Rp_WIp3-_E77KUGkyOH/s1600/Hoodie+Hoo+Alexa+Quote.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="750" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGoMfff3yqcxHhLw4Hk-Q9nRubeTCrORa0khtII9xv-btaWS3flhm6IlsO88ftgZUa1x8uHLsUPzzVxxjzs7CD-IGpbCS3RiWxWdPSeLBSVqf9CkBllFkVNtDW3Rp_WIp3-_E77KUGkyOH/s320/Hoodie+Hoo+Alexa+Quote.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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At first, I thought, "What kind of arcane spring-summoning ritual is that?" </div>
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But then I looked at it again, and I realized it was just an excuse to be silly to combat blah winter feelings. And buddy, I've been having some winter blues. I complained to, like, three different groups of people yesterday about how I thought I might cry if I didn't see the sun soon.</div>
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It's been raining a lot. I miss the sun.</div>
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The more I thought about it, the more I realized Hoodie Hoo Day is exactly the sort of silly nonsense I would partake in, and it might be just the thing to perk up an otherwise gloomy day. I started pondering the feasibility of wandering out into the office parking lot at noon and hoodie-hooing a bit.</div>
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But then I realized if I went outside to hoodie-hoo today, it wouldn't be the silly, gleeful frolic I craved. It would actually look more like this:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQEGjpacVTa5_q96-IiAkGcs9CqfYJdV7WH1DLm-vpfVslYlgbY-8prPiM1HZndBexl9jjSE5wDf7vIJwrwbFIk3NTsm4LMkhNczVIU9twpjrjJIhyphenhyphengqT3Xp63Yh6cal0V4fQrZPTDuAw4/s1600/Hoodie+Hoo+edited.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1095" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQEGjpacVTa5_q96-IiAkGcs9CqfYJdV7WH1DLm-vpfVslYlgbY-8prPiM1HZndBexl9jjSE5wDf7vIJwrwbFIk3NTsm4LMkhNczVIU9twpjrjJIhyphenhyphengqT3Xp63Yh6cal0V4fQrZPTDuAw4/s640/Hoodie+Hoo+edited.png" width="438" /></a></div>
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Hoodie hoo, y'all. I miss the sun.</div>
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Rebecca Masthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00319158647720252122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488967123018722859.post-62568164535483752892019-02-19T12:38:00.000-06:002019-02-19T12:38:05.853-06:00Overwhelmed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWcDkD-wxRlbdKQMYIlw4ljaoRaZgDsISR0t607UbBgi30q6usF4REiOj87pijEP94o4Zgw_t-103mEBkSb3-Jzyl-yy_6MzYKWyQIxkO7ssc7GuPwF5LON0UTiNTTYK4KJe_3ItROLSU9/s1600/Overwhelmed+edited.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1190" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWcDkD-wxRlbdKQMYIlw4ljaoRaZgDsISR0t607UbBgi30q6usF4REiOj87pijEP94o4Zgw_t-103mEBkSb3-Jzyl-yy_6MzYKWyQIxkO7ssc7GuPwF5LON0UTiNTTYK4KJe_3ItROLSU9/s640/Overwhelmed+edited.png" width="475" /></a></div>
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I started feeling pretty overwhelmed at work today, so I drew a little cartoon showing how much I've got going on right now. It made me feel a little better.</div>
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But then I added on to the cartoon to encourage myself to keep chipping away at everything instead of hiding in the corner. Because sometimes in life you just have to put your hair up and go deal with things bit by bit until you get through.</div>
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If you're feeling overwhelmed and anxious right now, I feel you. Life is hard sometimes, and sometimes even the stupid little things that shouldn't be hard get overwhelming. Hang in there- this too shall pass.</div>
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If you need to vent a little, feel free to do so in the comments! You read my venting; the least I can do is read yours! #solidarity #PonytailsAndDealingWithItClub</div>
<br />Rebecca Masthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00319158647720252122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488967123018722859.post-91454881183889078172019-02-14T21:59:00.000-06:002019-02-14T21:59:47.364-06:00Happy Valentine's Day 2019<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAiN_RDLYDr3XA40nwD6hmiLW4n6QXV4U2nnsmU8M7sQ0EMBizr-OfKX0S12uHmVRRPiXDcE__JPfQ8RuR4NABBDO686ankurnZRwo8dDV1BvqPT_PZq2nuI7OU0_KJGCaEZ_DtvMbgnoW/s1600/Valentine+Cake.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAiN_RDLYDr3XA40nwD6hmiLW4n6QXV4U2nnsmU8M7sQ0EMBizr-OfKX0S12uHmVRRPiXDcE__JPfQ8RuR4NABBDO686ankurnZRwo8dDV1BvqPT_PZq2nuI7OU0_KJGCaEZ_DtvMbgnoW/s400/Valentine+Cake.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Happy Valentine's Day!<br />
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I was inspired to make this year's Valentine post by watching my current favorite Netflix series- <i>Nailed It!</i> <i>Nailed It! </i>is a baking competition whose competitors are decidedly <i>not </i>experts. It's full of fantastic fails and catastrophic cakes.<br />
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In hindsight, maybe I should've chosen a different source of inspiration.<br />
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Hoooooo boy, did this art fight with me. Krita fought with me. My not-a-real-stylus pen fought with me. The undo button fought with me. I kept accidentally touching the touch screen with my hands. I somehow changed shades of pink at some point. I probably used three different brushes for the icing because I kept accidentally un-selecting my chosen preset brush and forgetting which one I was using.<br />
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I almost rage-quit this art.<br />
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<i>But I didn't. </i>And I did it for <i>you.</i><br />
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Whether you're a follower of my blog, someone who clicked the link from my Facebook page, or someone who stumbled on this post from the far reaches of the Internet, I love you dearly. Thank you for using these precious minutes of your life to read my blog. I hope you have many sorts of love today and all throughout the year! You can rest assured that, in my opinion, at least, you have absolutely NAILED IT!!!Rebecca Masthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00319158647720252122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5488967123018722859.post-35665914207491027002018-10-24T23:28:00.000-05:002018-10-24T23:28:28.651-05:00The Potions Master<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvTRTeD3OtH5iibd68AuJe4A0G-MT8Iu6O4c7jvai_NeXWZVDMjJvZg3iff3WdsCJEYYW74BKNa7GpvCs2zNb8qHegL9RybIG76f9oEYLdjoy3p0HxD25cUGOq_Apq2xwHuNSJ8dQI_2J2/s1600/Potion+Bottles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvTRTeD3OtH5iibd68AuJe4A0G-MT8Iu6O4c7jvai_NeXWZVDMjJvZg3iff3WdsCJEYYW74BKNa7GpvCs2zNb8qHegL9RybIG76f9oEYLdjoy3p0HxD25cUGOq_Apq2xwHuNSJ8dQI_2J2/s320/Potion+Bottles.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I'm getting ready for Halloween!<br />
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I'm going to a Halloween murder mystery party this week. The character I've been assigned is a sorceress who's an expert at making potions. The costume suggestion notes suggested I bring "samples" of my potions to show the other party guests, and I thought, "Hey! That sounds fun!"<br />
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It was, indeed, fun. It was also kind of a mess.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0FxuRUa0M5YovbL0Pww7J1E7DCx1eFHkmZTWHwJmtenRzPOc0Hux2p6_QlLfOM7caXIvx0zkfQvqseEM-XmHbWjXHvR9nNQL7530WTptXP8YLCOp2GnQiSfCsU1_2mCQCaN9Nfv5gLhQz/s1600/Potions+Workbench.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0FxuRUa0M5YovbL0Pww7J1E7DCx1eFHkmZTWHwJmtenRzPOc0Hux2p6_QlLfOM7caXIvx0zkfQvqseEM-XmHbWjXHvR9nNQL7530WTptXP8YLCOp2GnQiSfCsU1_2mCQCaN9Nfv5gLhQz/s320/Potions+Workbench.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I had a handful of the materials at home, but I bought most of them from my local Dollar General Market. I bought food coloring, glitter, corn syrup, rubbing alcohol, a medicine dropper and baby snot sucker combo pack, and Krazy Glue for under $20.<br />
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I didn't go in with much of a plan. I was hoping to find glycerin, but they didn't have any. I saw corn syrup and thought, "Hmm, that is also colorless, thick, and sticky. Worth a shot." Corn syrup, as I should have realized earlier, since it's basically sugar, dissolves in water. That was bad news for my hopes of creating stratified layers of liquid, but it was very, veeery good news for my cleanup attempts. It absorbs food coloring very well and is excellent at keeping glitter suspended throughout it.<br />
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I also didn't originally intend to buy a baby snot sucker (apparently it's called an aspirator, but "baby snot sucker" is more fun to say). I wanted a dropper of some sort, and the only one I could find came in a package with the baby snot sucker. The package was inexpensive, so I reasoned that I could throw away the snot sucker without hurting my feelings (or my wallet) too badly. Luckily for me, I tried using the snot sucker to transfer liquids into my bottles. It turned out to be WAY better for working with corn syrup than the medicine dropper was.<br />
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Once again, I didn't have much of a plan going in. I mixed stuff together in red Solo cups, using such scientific measurements as "smidges" and "bits." Some things turned out cool enough to preserve in bottles. Others went down the sink. Within ten seconds of opening a glitter tube, I spilled glitter on the counter and started regretting everything (I probably owe my roommate an apology).<br />
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The bottles seem to be working pretty well so far. I found them on Amazon by searching for "potion bottles." The package arrived on my doorstep looking kind of beat up, and the box inside was squished and spilling open, but not a single one of the 18 bottles was broken. I was highly impressed. The corks seem to fit pretty snugly in the bottles, but the reviewers online warned that they wouldn't stay watertight, so I applied Krazy Glue to the corks before sealing the bottles. Hopefully that'll help. If not, I'll have a bag full of sticky, glittery goo.<br />
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It was a delightful way to spend an evening! If I have the time and energy, maybe I'll concoct a few more potions before the party this weekend, although I honestly don't think I will. I'm not sure what to do with the 12 bottles left over. Maybe I'll get a head start on Halloween for next year.Rebecca Masthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00319158647720252122noreply@blogger.com2