LeopardWolf's Blog-spot: January 2015

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Negativity In New Budweiser Commercial

Really not liking the new Budweiser commercial with the puppy and Clydesdale made for the Super Bowl this year. The original commercial of the series was nice and uplifting. This one is just poor taste. It once again makes wolves and coyotes out to be the stereotypical "bad guys". Not cool at all.

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Let The Contest Begin

I'm holding a contest that is pretty easy to win, and multiple prizes will be available. Interested? Then read on!

You have many chances of winning, in many different ways. Each option is listed below, with the amount of entries into the contest that each option will get you. You can do one of these things, or you can do all of them. The more you participate, the better your chances of winning!

=======================================

Step 1 : Comment on this post . - 1 Entry

Just make a comment on this post letting me know you saw it, and you get 1 chance at winning the contest. It's that easy!

***Simply "Like"/Fav-ing the post does *NOT* count. You have to leave a comment.

Step 2: Like / Follow my Facebook page. - 5 Entries

http://www.facebook.com/leopardwolfsdesigns

Like and follow my LeopardWolf's Designs Facebook page if you haven't already. Everyone who likes and follows my page ( including those currently liked/following ) between now and March 15th will get 5 chances at winning the contest!

***Don't forget to add me to your news feed so you don't miss updates!

Step 3: Share this post on your timeline/status update/journal/etc. - 10 Entries

Share this post and tell everyone about this awesome contest and get 10 chances to win. The more people who participate, the better the prizes will be! Nothing to lose and everything to gain.

***Make sure and comment here when you share this post and link to the share, so that I can verify and add your entries!

Step 4: Become a Patreon. - 20 Entries

http://www.patreon.com/leopardwolf

All of my Patreon subscribers with current pledges get 20 chances at winning the contest, even at the $1 pledge goal! It's that simple, and puts you way ahead of the game for your generous support!

You must keep your Patreon pledge active through March's payment cycle to qualify for this ( normally completed in the first week of the month to middle of month, you'll get a confirmation for it ).

============================

This contest will run from now until 11:59pm CST March 15th, 2015.

For each entry you will get a slip with your name on it. So if you get 10 entries, you get 10 slips and thus 10 chances to win. At the end those slips will be placed into a container and violently tossed about to mix them up good and proper!

A blind drawing will then be held to determine winners. Winners will be announced the following week. Winners will have 2 weeks to contact me to claim their prizes, otherwise those prizes are forfeit.

1st Prize: Value Of $100

2nd Prize: Value Of $50

3rd Prize: Value Of $25

Winners will need to share a physical mailing address for me to send prizes to. I will not ask for your address unless you are one of the winners.

No purchase necessary, void where prohibited, and all that silly jazz.

Friday, January 23, 2015

Art Stuff / Upcoming Contest

With the support of people through Patreon and other contributing sources, I am excited to say that I have started investing money into new supplies and have several works in progress underway and more planned in the near future.

In celebration, I plan to hold a contest with prizes for those who participate. Stay tuned for details!

Jewelry and wearable art wise, I have new designs and materials on the way. For a long time I have tried to stay as close to natural materials as I could. They are typically more durable and look nicer in my experience. Natural stones, bones, wooden elements and metals have been a primary focus, occasionally including glass and acrylic elements.

I normally try and stay away from plastic beads overall unless it is specifically requested for a design. In some cases I have such elements from jewelry that was assimilated and repurposed for materials. So I figure I might as well use what I have, try random designs and see what happens. Enough people seem to like that sort of jewelry that it remains popular.

Painting and sculpture wise I have a ton of new stuff I hope to finish and share soon. I'd like to invest in some new mediums and materials, but I can only do that with your help. A small pledge of $1 goes a long way when everyone gives a little. Please consider supporting my artwork and creative projects through Patreon so I can keep sharing them with you!

Sneak peeks at materials and WIPs are on there. Finished items will be posted for Patreon subscribers before they are available on Etsy or elsewhere to the general public.

Like and share my page and check back frequently so you don't miss anything!

http://www.patreon.com/leopardwolf

Creativity Flow

I am inspired by many things in the world around me, especially by animals and the natural world. Besides my cats and dogs, one thing that has always had a special place in my heart is water and aquatic life. I grew up exploring the creeks, marshes, and swamps near my home along the Gulf Coast. I love going to the aquarium, or even just to the local pet store, to watch the fish and other creatures. I've almost always had an aquarium or at least a betta fish on my desk. I enjoy sitting listening to the flowing water, its soothing and helps in meditation and daydreaming. I love watching the fish as they glide along effortlessly. The colors, the way light flickers through the water and the plants sway with the current, it all inspires my creativity.

When we moved from Minnesota, I had to leave my 29gal aquarium and all my supplies and fish behind. It made me very sad and I figured it would probably be a long time before I could have an aquarium again because of our living arrangements. Recently I thought about getting a betta, inspired by a nice little desktop setup a friend had. That idea evolved thanks to Mike's help in funding the "fish fund" so I could have that little slice of happy back.

I ended up finding a beautiful 13gal slim profile wide view tank kit for the same price I would have paid for the 5gal. Just the right size to sit next to me on the dresser, and large enough that I could get the other fish I really wanted.

Community tank inhabitants currently include: School of neon tetras, school of emerald green corydoras catfish, one happy male betta, one mystery snail, and some ghost shrimp.

Aqua-scaping counts as a form of artwork, right? I created the environment. It is aesthetically pleasing. The fish are happy. They make me happy.

What inspires you?

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Art Snark

It's hard to watch someone else take your original creative ideas, modify them, and then proceed to profit successfully off of them. Meanwhile you struggle in the mud just to make ends meet and never seem to be able to keep your head above water. Especially when you are in a position where you *really* need the source of income, because you have health issues that limit you from keeping a "normal job". And because they are well known and successful, you'd just be seen as "imitating" them, rather than the other way around. Story of my life.

Sunday, January 18, 2015

I'm Not Allergic To Death!

In relation to my previous post about zoanthids / palythoa and palytoxins in saltwater aquariums. Conversation between me and Mike.

Me:

Did your mother or Frank ever say anything about that saltwater tank thing with the zoanthids?

Mike:

Mom sent it to Frank, I think Frank just shrugged it off.

Me:

Of course he did, because he knows everything.

Mike:

Indeed.

Me:

Well, if he ever decides to boil stuff from his tank to remove those things, take yourself, Ember, and Ranger, and leave. Haha.

Mike:

Yeah

He was like, it's only if you're allergic to them, and I was like, no, it's not.

What part of 'Second deadliest poison in the world' did you not comprehend?

Me:

Ughghg yeah. It can happen to anyone. Allergies or not.

Allergies will just make it worse.

Mike:

Yeah, cyanide will only kill you if you're allergic to it.

Me:

LOL! You totally should have said that to him.

Mike:

It's time to release the deadly neurotoxin.

But it's okay, you're safe if you're not allergic.

Me:

::Giggles hard::

Mike:

Sarin gas? I'm not allergic, I'm good.

I'm pretty sure everyone is allergic to death.

Me:

Ahhh GLaDOS would be sad to find out Chell was not allergic, in that case.

Mike:

That's how she lived.

Me:

Truth!

Mike:

Radiation will only hurt you if you're allergic.

Ask the Twins.

Me:

That stuff literally inhibits stuff on a cellular level, with sodium-potassium ATPase pumps and causing a disruption of the flow in and out of cell to where it free flows both ways which = no neuron or muscle function. Which in worst case means your lungs and your heart don't function like they should. So unless you are not allergic to that...yeah. :-P

Mike:

I'm not allergic to cellular-level failure.

Me:

Ignorance is bliss?

Until you die. Then it sucks.

Mike:

I'm not allergic to death!

Me:

So either you are a vampire, or a zombie?

Mike:

I think I'd rather be a zombie.

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Two 911 Calls In One Day

I had to call 911 twice today. Once to report a brush fire on the side of the interstate in Slidell as we headed to the farm. Then again just now coming home to report an accident we were almost involved in. Damned I-10/610 road split. At least 6 cars I think, two separate accidents domino effect. It happened just ahead of us. Just saw swerving cars and break lights and traffic coming to a sudden halt. I was afraid to stop and risk making it worse because idiots were still flying down the highway toward where it happened even with all of us throwing on our emergency flashers and a semi trying to block the lanes and slow people as we passed. I called 911 because it literally just happened and I doubt anyone involved in the crash was coherent enough to have dialed, didn't see any of them with their phones in hand yet. Two cars were smashed and totaled and spun around facing the wrong way on the road. I heard people screaming and crying. I really, really hope no one was seriously injured. Thanking the gods we stopped in Slidell for Starbucks before heading back across the lake and that there was a delay with them making my coffee. Otherwise we would have likely been involved in that accident. Adrenaline is still pumping.

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Possible Dangers In Saltwater Tanks

Spent the evening reading about toxins and venoms in marine invertebrates, when I should have been working on art stuff. Originally it started off art related. I was looking up some info and references for art stuff.... but who can resist looking at related links about organic toxins and venom. Only until you come across an image that looks exactly like something your father-in-law has in his saltwater tank and go ..... o_O

I knew zoanthids / palythoa contained palytoxin and other toxins that can be deadly. Many marine invertebrates do. I have always wanted saltwater tanks, and aside from the insane cost of one, stuff like that is really the major thing that makes me leery of trying live corals / reef tank stuff. I've always been fascinated by corals, anemones and zoanthids ( they reminded me of the deeper sea organisms like tube worms ). Like some alien life form of awesomeness. And they're easy to keep. But they can also be highly toxic.

Don't be scared of zoanthids and palythoa. Don't get rid of any you might have just because it is possible for them to be dangerous. I just want to make people aware of how dangerous they can be and to be careful when handling them. It's really no different than precautions you'd take having a lionfish in your tank.

The best thing to do is wear goggles or a face shield to protect your eyes ( they squirt water ) and gloves to protect your skin, and use tools like forceps or special tongs when handling aquatic invertebrates. Be careful with your fragging - do it under water so organisms like this can't shoot water at you, and so there isn't a risk of dust/debris being inhaled, among other things. Always wash your hands extremely well after handling anything in your tanks even if you wear gloves and use other tools.

Reports say that Palythoa toxin can build up in your system over time through bio-accumulation, and lead to symptoms one might assume is bad allergies or a mild case of the flu. There was also mention of scientists studying Palythoa toxin finding that the toxin might be found in other nearby corals that do not produce it on their own (I'd have to do more research to find out how true this is ). It's always a good idea to know the history of your frag sources and to keep a list of items in your tank, just in case.

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

New SD Friends

Today I made some new friends. A couple came by to pick up the reptile tanks I was selling, and it turns out they are reptile geeks, and not only is she a dog training geek, she has a service dog too, and knows another person in New Orleans who has one. Funny enough we're all members of a SD community on FB and never realized it. Yaaaaay I don't feel so alone anymore and have new local friends to relate to!

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Blue Tube

I finally got the new compound cream my rheumatologist wants me to try in place of the corticosteroid shot. It had to be made by a local specialty pharmacy and shipped to me. It's in this amusing little blue pump tube. You can see one of my awesome random little blood blisters and split skin too.

I tried it tonight, and I'm not sure what to think. Most topical creams I have used have menthol or camphor, so you feel them as soon as they go to town. However when I applied this stuff, I didn't feel anything but the sensation of eww on my skin. It has a watery cream gross texture ( why do all my new skin medications treat me this way? ) that feels weird when applying and a little goes a long way it seems.

Even though I didn't feel anything, it did seem to lessen the discomfort in my wrist and in my neck/shoulder area when I applied it. But I had also recently taken Aleve, so that may be why. Either way, didn't last long. Doctor said I'd probably have to try it for a week or so to see any therepudic results. Greaaaat. Let me smear gross on myself for a week and hope it helps.

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Monarchs need milkweed!

I am plotting to grow sooooooo many milkweeds and to share knowledge and resources with everyone so they can successfully grow them too. Monarchs need milkweed! It's what their caterpillars eat. Let there be tons of MILKWEED!!!

Art Update

If you aren't watching my DeviantArt account or following me on Patreon, you're missing art and creative updates, WIPs, and more.

http://www.patreon.com/leopardwolf

http://leopardwolf.deviantart.com

======

Tumblr And Facebook

I think I will probably become more active on Tumblr now that I am starting to figure out how to better use it. I am already fairly active on Facebook, mostly because everyone I try to keep up with has chosen to use that over anything else. I will still be cross-posting here, though image shares might be more limited.

Everyone has moved to Tumblr or Facebook because it is so much easier to share content as far as image and video uploads are concerned. It seems to have a much better foundation for interaction and networking.

Who else is there so I can add you and we can keep in touch?

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Encourage Communication

I've seen a steady and yet gradual decline of interactions across numerous communities, art and social related alike. So many creative and inspiring things go unnoticed, or only noticed by a few, and rarely commented on. It's a shame really, because where you find one gem, there are normally many more hidden with these artists. Communities are about coming together and sharing. Not just in the visual, but in the written as well. Take the time to comment on art that you like, especially if you add it to your favorites. A brief comment of why you appreciate the work is encouraging to the individual who took the time and effort to create it.