Such a long stay in New England was a good idea. Really gave me a chance to clear my head and get some sort of game plan together concerning joblessness. Since my return to FL, I've become a bit of a hermit choosing to stay in and work instead of... well, anything else. Its such a huge difference compared to being north when I was outside doing something practically all the time.

It's still National Novel Writing Month and since I don't have time to work on my new story, I'm revising Signs of the Unknown to be printed in a smaller format with color pictures! Once the new proof copy is in my hands I'm going to offer a free PDF of the book for a short time and begin shopping it around to publishers.

I've got a number of new jewelry designs in the works and am looking into better casting equipment; specifically a vacuum pump and chamber. Pretty expensive, but necessary for cleaner castings. I've also got a new 8-bit era inspired pendant that will be presented some time this week. All I have to say for now is Faith-Bit.

Finally, I've been updating my website. New slide show on the title page and a few new images (nothing new to those who keep track of my work however) but I think there is a problem somewhere. Since making changes to my site, Internet Explorer loads them fine, but Firefox is very slow and will sometimes not completely load the page. It just kinda hangs. I've tried re-installing but no luck. Anyone else have trouble with the site?

It's really something you need to put serious preparation into before going, especially if you want to take part in any events and activities. We arrived early so we had our opportunity to purchase tickets for a couple of shows, but some of us weren’t willing to spend money or wait in long lines, so we just walked around Salem. The entire evening. So much walking. And even while walking we hardly stopped to simply hang around with whatever crowds were in the streets. Bars were packed, and that was about the only thing we actually tried to wait and get into, but again, impatience got the best of our party.
Salem was an amazing place to be with something happening around every corner, but next time I'll make sure to plan activates ahead of time and go with a group who would want to experience such a special occasion to its fullest. At least I got some good comments on my costume.

I've been back in New England for a week now. The foliage has gradually become more stunning and sharp and I've already been up Peaked Mt. twice to capture the vibrant landscape below. Unemployment keeps me a lot more busy than I thought it would, and the primary reason behind  this long trip is simply to get away from Florida for a while. Try to refocus my thoughts. That and Halloween in Salem.
It would be great to find a job here. Even better if my jewelry started selling regularly, but that's probably a ways off from happening.

So far I've seen Kev and we went up the mountain, then watched The Warriors here at my aunts. Such a good movie. Saw Larson and helped his old roommate Jack move some stuff out of their apartment. Fun.

And I went to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts which was open for free on Columbus Day. That was pretty cool, but my inspiration, instead of growing, became crushed by the expert craftsmanship of masters. Since I got here to Connecticut  A piece of photo manipulation has been challenging me, I haven't been able to write anything concerning a new story I'm working on, and I haven't even been able to come up with decent titles for photos that I want to post. Really thought a visit to the museum would help.

As Erik's belated birthday gift, I prepared and cooked a 23 pound suckling pig in his honor at a gathering of renfair themed goodness. It was an amazing challenge; one worthy of a barbecue king such as I. The only trouble encountered was with the spit. It would rotate while the pig remained stationary, so we manually turned it with a couple of tools to aid in reaching over the hot coals.









In the end it was quite the success, and a delicious one at that! I had the pig marinating in an apple brine the morning of the roast. It was also stuffed with apples, onions, and basted with apple cider while on the spit. Can't wait to do it again some day.

The weekend was filled with only late nights filled to the brim with booze. It all started with Damon's Venture Brothers themed 30th birthday party. It's been a long time since I've partied so late into the night. I think I was there until 3:30 and there were still people hanging out when I left!
Saturday I went to Mary and Erik's place to work on their fire pit for this coming Fridays Fellowship Party (more details to come). We wound up drinking instead.
Yesterday I was invited along with Alison and Joey to Pat O'Brien's for some drinks. The dueling pianos were amazing but they didn't know how to play White Wedding.
Finally I just got home from Mary and Erik's once again where we actually accomplished some work on the fire pit.

I just watched the new trailer for the Cataclysm expansion. This almost makes me want to go back to Azeroth, but the core mechanics won’t change, and once I’m done leveling to 85 the game becomes all about gear grinding. I shake my head in pity over friends who have raided Naxx countless times seeking the proper gear for Ulduar, and now with the new expansion on the way, all the hawt epics dropped off Yogg-Saron are going to become toys.
I guess the argument would be that it’s not the destination, but the journey. I’ll agree with that, but if the journey means mindless grinding, bad luck with loot, and uncounted hours of wiping on bosses time after time, then I think I’ll pass on this adventure.

I like games that rely on skill instead of stats. Not to say that WoW doesn’t require skill. You really have to know how to play your class if you’re going to survive any group experience, but no matter how well that knowledge, purples still beat blues.

I’m pretty sure I’m writing this post to help stay my hand from the Account Reactivation page that is currently open in the next tab over.

Tags: wow

So I've been back in FL for a week now but it still feels like I should be back north. I'm finding it hard to get back into my everyday routines here at home. Things just haven't clicked into place yet. Of course the lack of a job isn't helping. My Father has found a pawnshop all the way down in Kissimmee in need of a jeweler and while there is room for another bench, I'm not sure if I'll be joining him on a regular basis. There are other options open to me that I need to explore.

Last night I hung out with Larson and his crew up in Northampton. It started off exactly as I thought it would with a jam session full of the most trance-worthy flavors that Larson and the others could muster. I’ve seen him do a few jam sessions, but there was something tribal about this one on account of so many percussion instruments. 
There was very little conversation going on except in the way of music. I don’t understand how people can just freestyle like that with one another to create a flowing musical environment that actually sounds good. Larson offered me a seat at the drums which I hesitantly took. All of my Rock Band training paid off though and I was able to keep a pretty consistent rhythm. Slowly I began to understand how they all read and play off each other but there is something more than just musical queues and hints going on. Something out there in the ether…

A few evenings ago I met up with mcflynnthm  out in hampden and gave a framed print of this image to his Mom. It was great to see everyone. At the end of the night there was talk of perhaps working together on a project that John had begun. What epicness is to come from such a grand alliance?

The cape was pretty amazing! We stayed in the historic town of Sandwich and pitched our tents at Shawmee Crowell state forest. It was only I and Kev at first, so we toured the area, had some drinks, and walked a few beaches. One location of particular interest was the board walk; a long bridge with no hand rail that extended over a marsh. We visited there again once Larson and John arrived the next day and I have something special in mind for the pictures.
Everything we ate while camping was thrown over the hot coals of our fire pit which made the food taste even better, because fire always makes everything better. We probably ate a little too well. I think I’m done with sea food for a while.
Finally on the 4th we went to a public beach on the north coast where the entire coastline was lit by bonfires and brilliant fireworks. I remember first walking up the dunes to the beach when suddenly from beyond them the sky exploded with streams of sparkling fire.

An update on the job status; my Dad found a place that needs a jeweler and while there is room for two benches, I don't know if I will be joining him. I imagine there would barely be enough work for both of us, and I'm a little more interested in changing directions for a short while. More updates on that to come.

I leave for Cape Cod tomorrow morning and will be staying through Monday. Been looking forward to this trip since March.
My visit has been going well. Lots of photography and a lot more to come. Can't wait to start doing more with my exposures.

I was also informed today that I won't have a job to come back to. Zales is sending all repairs to a center in Chicago starting July 21st.