Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION The Anywhere Machine The Totally Selfish thread

I'm jealous of your tree Rhonda! Growing up we always had large real trees (I live in Connecticut), but the last two years we've had the fake ones (last year with my roomates, this year with my fiance). I mean, it still looks nice...but its just not the same.

It is a beauty. It's almost a shame to decorate it!
I've never had an artificial tree, though my folks went that way a few years back. I'm sure it's easier!

But I'd miss that divine smell!

That's exactly the part I miss the most. My parents still have a great one, and I've been over more than usual to smell it

My family and I are not exactly on speaking terms, so it's just me and Mr. Cramer and whoever drops in. We do the tree thing and have a big feed but I don't know what I'll make this year. I did get a turkey today for the cats & dog.

I always liked to work over the holidays. People (especially those with kids) wanted the time off and the office was almost empty. It was really low key but I got a whole lot done and those of us who were there went out for really long lunches.

Maybe you and Shawn could celebrate when he comes back. Just make up a holiday. In the meantime, hang out with us here!

mechana, your post totally depressed me. I will be your best friend if you want.

Cobalt, Audrey Hepburn? I thought you were straight?

Things I collect? Tough one. Microheroes. My wife and I "collect" empty wine bottles and corks. (from our trips) Any cool art. I try to hit the stores for framed paintings that are on sale. We just rotate the pictures on the walls.

She's been my crush since I was like 11 years old . I can't help myself. My other crushes include Donna Reed, Lauren Becall and a few other classic starlets.

I have modern ones too, so no worries there! Don't forget, we've already agreed on you having Giselle and me having Adrianna Lima

Mechana - any movie star crushes you've had for awhile?

Mechana,

At least you get Christmas Day with Shawn.

I'm pretty much off the holidays. They don't bring me the joy they once did. I don't have anyone to shop for. With my dad, about 5-6 years ago, being low on cash and ideas, I got him nothing. For years he had been saying "Don't get me anything". And he actually thanked me for getting him nothing, so I continue to do so. And a couple of years ago he sytarted saying "Your weekly visits are like Christmas gifts for me".

As for the rest of my family, about 8-9 years ago we started exchanging names at Thanksgiving. But I think the subset of families still got gifts for each other. About two years ago we started doing a yankee swap* Which isn't quite so personal as getting a gift for a specific person (or getting one either) And we meet up for that on New Years day. On Christmas itself, I usually go to my dad's and then we go to my brother's for dinner.

But I don't decorate seeing as no one visits my place. I do send out a few crhistmas cards. But that's it.


* for those who want to know what a yankee swap is Yankee Swap rules

Hey, sorry to bring everybody down!

As I said, I know the world is probably full of people far lonelier than I this Christmas. I shouldn't complain. I've always been lucky enough to be surrounded by the people I love. My Mom always makes such a big fuss at Christmas, I get pretty sentimental this time of year. Even my too cool brother loves going home. I'm 38 years old, and would you believe this is only the 3rd or 4th Christmas I'll have celebrated without my parents? Plus Shawn being away so much is really tough. Combine the two, and I'm just a big baby right now.

I just finished watching Hairspray(2007). Now that's a feel good movie! I had a big stupid smile on my face through almost the entire movie.

Who would've thought John Travolta could be a role model for fat chicks, but he can shake that padded butt!

QUOTE]Originally posted by Cobalt Kid

Mechana - any movie star crushes you've had for awhile?[/QB][/QUOTE]

Oh that's tough one. I'm very fickle and my celebrity crushes never last for long.

Past crushes include James Marsters as Spike, David Boreanaz, Adam Baldwin, Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor.

I think my only eternal love is Keanu Reeves. And I also have a serious thing for Alan Rickman, despite the fact that he's older than my father!

If you've got a family you're close to, it must be very difficult to be separated from them for a big family holiday like Xmas. Hopefully, next year will be different for you and you'll get out to see them.

You recommended a book last year or the year before - A Winter's Tale (?) - I forget the exact title but it was a very strange story about New York. Beautiful, enchanting book. Have you reread it lately?

Do you ever think about getting another cat?

Oh, and Audrey Hepburn - I sometimes wish I was Audrey Hepburn or at least look and sound like her.

Until Shawn gets back....
(((((((((((((((((((Ronda))))))))))))))))

Don't worry about bringing people down... it's an excellent opportunity - for all of us - to bond with friends!

I will second the motion that straight guys can and do appreciate Audrey Hepburn!

how often do you get to teh States? Do you get jobs through the mail or do you have to interview for books?

I don't have to travel for work; all my business is conducted via email, files are transfered by FTP, I get paid by mail.

I don't have to interview for books, though sometimes I have to "try out" by doing a sample page to see if they like my approach.

When I worked for a studio, work came in based on the studio's reputation; I worked anonymously with another colorist.

I guess I got my first big freelance break by "ghosting" for a fairly well known colorist who was behind schedule on an important project.
When the editor found out and saw how my pages were pretty much indistinguishable from the other guys, he was impressed enough to give me a book of my own. I also picked up jobs that this colorist passed on, but recommended me for. I guess it's all about who you know, and I've been lucky enough to know some generous people.

I've gotten jobs by randomly sending out submissions to editors and having them offer me something based on my resume/portfolio. But the coolest of the cool is when people just contact you out of the blue and say: hey, I saw your work on book X and loved it; do you want to work for me? And that is just starting to happen to me now.

I still gotta hustle though. Even when you're busy, you never know what the next month will bring, so I always have my eyes and ears open.

Only every day! Just two things holding me back now:1) my lack of car makes me nervous about being prepared for emergencies. When Leroy was sick I had to take her to the vet a few times in a cab, and it was nightmarishly stressful for us both!
2) In theory, I'd like to be able to start travelling with Shawn more, and I'd have no one to care for the cat, unless I hired a service. I'd feel so guilty leaving them.

I have a general question for this time of the season...

What are your family holiday traditions?

The big one in my Dad's side of the family is the making of homemade cinnamon yeast roles. If they are made right, there is no defense. We also make "Christmas Candy" which is basically a log of dried fruits (figs, dates, and such) and coconut that's held together with a corn syrup/water/sugar mixture and then fermented for a month in a cool, dry, dark closet. It's fairly yummy. Both of those are handed down through my Dad's mom's (Grandma RIP) recipe book.

My wife and I are trying to come up with our own little Christmas thing now that our first child was born earlier this year, but so far we are not really coming up with anything.

So lets hear it... What are your families' holiday traditions?

We would tape the Christmas cards we got around the door frame to the living room and dining room.

Well the Christmas traditions have evolved as I've grown up and gotten older. I have no children of my own to pass them along too, but maybe some of them will be of interest to your young family!

The tree: when I was young we lived in a very remote area, and it was our tradition to cut down our own tree! My Dad always made us get up insanely early (it was always dark!), and it was inevitably the coldest day of the year. So we'd bundle up like crazy and drive out to the woods and wade through snow up to our waists and pick out a tree. And because they were wild they were never the perfect specimens you can buy. I know this isn't a practical tradition for many people, but what memories!

The cookies: every year my Mom would make sugar cookies in holiday shapes and buy us tubes of colored icing and sprinkles etc., then turn us loose to decorate the cookies. My brother lost interest in this one pretty young, but I kept it up as long as I lived at home, and would sometimes invite friends to help. The funny thing is I never ate the cookies! I decorated them and my brother would eat them. My Mom still makes a few every year for him and his son.

The stocking: we always had gifts under the tree, but the stocking was the most fun. They would be stuffed with small things, little gadgets, silly toys, candy. My Mom always did a great job of finding imaginative little inexpensive gifts, and we always had a blast opening them. Still do.

Ornaments: one year when I was quite young, I gave my Mom a Christmas tree ornament as a gift. She loved it so much, it became a tradition, and every year I put an ornament in her stocking. Since I've been old enough to live on my own, she has done the same in return. When Shawn moved in, she began sending him one too. And then he started getting me one every year too. And since my brother has settled down with his family, I send them ornaments every year too. So each ornament on the tree is memorable and personal and the tree itself is like a time capsule. Every year I hunt to find the most unique and original ornaments that I can! My Mom's collection also includes ornaments that belonged to her mother. Her collection is very precious to her, and someday it will be passed on to me.

The Grinch: other holiday classics come and go, but every year I must watch The Grinch! And A Christmas Carol from 1941, starring Alistair Sim. Best version ever! And if I can watch it with my Dad, so much the better.

The baking: my Mom goes crazy with the baking! Last year I counted a dozen different kinds of dainties, not to mention the four kinds of pie! Every year she tries a couple of new recipes, but there are always classics that she makes year after year: butter tarts, mincemeat tarts, shortbread, date cake, nanaimo bars, turtle squares (my favorite), some kind of fudge with marshmallows in it, so many I can't remember them all!

I myself make the turtle squares (so named for their similarity to Turtles chocolates), shortbread for Shawn, and I used to make rum balls to take to work when I had a "real" job. Everybody loves rum balls!