Due to changes in LiveJournal policy, I will be making my once completely open journal, friend's only in order to comply. All future posts will be friend's only till further notice.

--Edit--
I will open general posts back up again, and any artwork or adult topics will be friends only. I will search for a way to open my journal back up again, with an RSS feed or something. I'm still looking.

Ok so this generation's Elvis is now gone. Who will take up his mantle. The radio was tossing around names like Usher, Justin Timberlake, Kanye West, to name a few. It will be interesting to see who the public will elevate to that status. One of my coworkers wonders if it will be a girl.

Personally I doubt it will be a girl, this go round. I hate to say it but women like Madonna and Janet have had more success and longer chart topping longevity but never came near that status in the public eye. Yeah it's a double standard and it sucks but even the most iconic women never seem to reach that pinnacle. So I'm not banking on Christina Aguillera, Beyonce, or any other woman taking that mantle held by Elvis and Michael.

Usher's Confessions album was his Thriller. I'm not banking on Usher being as innovative and ground breaking. Like the moon to the sun, he is a reflection and I'm not seeing him truly being able to break free from the "New Michael" name he has been given. This goes for the ones that follow right behind him like Omarion, Chris Brown, and Ne-Yo. I'm not seeing them break free from the Michael comparison enough to be of that status.

Justin will fall short. He has all the makings of what should make the next icon except people were already comparing him to Michael and Usher. Granted he shares a similar history to Michael with coming from a boy band and then being the one who blew up after leaving. He is probably the closest candidate but I think he will be more like Roy Orbison than Elvis. Justin just doesn't have that touch of crazy. He is a great entertainer and will have longevity. People will come to see him for years, but will never be considered a king.

Kanye West? Too niche personally. Granted he is innovative and willing to bear his soul, but he just doesn't have the broad appeal needed to be that level of icon. Does he have the touch of crazy? Yeah he has that in spades. I see Kanye like Prince was to Michael. He rubs many people wrong, but you can't deny his talent. I think like Prince, his dedication to his art is both his strength and his undoing. I just hope he doesn't show up in ass-less pants.

The way I see it, each icon was never manufactured. It's not going to be a cookie cutter that the music industry is banking on being the next big one. I think it will be one they give a chance to but never expected. There was a few year gap between Elvis and Michael, so we will have time before we see another King rise up. It will be interesting to keep an eye on current artists and see who it will be.

Personally I'm hoping he will be Latin this time. Granted there was the Latin explosion of 1999/2000 but it's been long enough that another explosion could happen if the right guy was heading it up. Someone who is like Ricky Martin, Marc Antony, or Enrique Iglesias who is known to the Latin community but will cross over and stay. For those wondering, I do not see it being a reggaetonero. So no PitBull, Daddy Yankee, Wisin Y Yandell, Zion Y Lenox, NORE, Tego Calderon, Big Mato, Don Omar, or the others. It's too niche. The Latin community in the US is growing fast. We have already become the majority in many southwest cities. We live in just about every state in the union. Our food is becoming common place and our culture is permeating ever facet of life. Plus for those of us from the Caribbean, we have West African influences so it's like a third coming of black music (Elvis (Rock 'n Roll), Michael (Motown Pop)).

I drew this for th0rbear back in 2005 and I was surprised when I went looking through my scans folder and found it. So I decided why not go ahead and color it.

These two will always be my favorite characters in Bleach. I guess I have thing for bad girls with a heart of gold.




Yoruichi and Soi Fon

I drew a Jedi back in 99 and then did an updated version in 05. I never got around to coloring the 05 one till now. The original line art is behind the cut.

( Orignal )



Time for bed.

Spider-Ninja, Spider-Ninja,
Does whatever a spider can
Spins a web, any size,
Catches thieves just like flies
Look Out!
Here comes the Spider-Ninja...

Ok, I'm done with him. I tried working on this sooner, but being out of town and other distractions kept me busy till this weekend. I will definitely have to post about what has been going on these past few weeks. I promise to force myself to post. I have been bad lately about posting very little.

After a discussion with theseanz over who would be picked for a ninja black ops/spy team for team for the X-Men, I decided to draw this one up. I figured who else better than Spider-Man for the ninja treatment. He would probably make a really compelling story if they reset the whole Spider-Man universe to Edo period Japan. Though they would probably employ magic for the reason that Peter becomes Spider-Man and his rogues gallery has their powers. It would be kick-ass though.

I decided to revisit my character, Harshad "Harry" Narsimha, from my old White Wolf's Changeling: The Lost game I used to play. This time I drew him the way he was before passing through the hedge.

I finally finished off musclecubtx's Shinigami.

Fox News (My coworker showed me this article.)

I heard about this years ago. I can't recall what I was watching at the time, if it was a travel show, Public Broadcasting, or general wacky news, but they were talking about this popular facial in Japan. The mask uses bird poop as the base. My first thought was, "What will those quirky Japanese do next." I kind of figured it would be one of those things people will go to Japan to get done. Kind of like the spa treatments people go to Europe for. I never actually thought it would make is to the States. Wow I guess I was wrong.

I know people will do some crazy things in the name of beauty and there are products we buy that have some rather dubious beginnings. Like did you know a popular red dye comes the dried and powdered bodies of Cochineal bugs? Or that makeup used to be derived from whale fat? Better yet that soap was once made from rendered animal by products? Talk about rubbing bacon all over you, mmmm. But that aside, I just don't think I could go so far as having an avian dookie mask. Distilled yeast pee is one thing. Especially the Rum and Vodka variety, but poop is something else entirely.

Eek! My pants have a small tear in the inside thigh. I'm hoping I can make it through the day without it getting worse.

Ok here is my next project that I'm working on. I finally got things set up so I can start drawing and working again. This one is for musclecubtx. This is his Shinigami, ala Bleach. Of all of my friends, DJ is definitely Squad 4 material. Here is the pencil scan before I start cleaning it up and coloring it.

Ok I'm back at work today. I swear I feel like I needed an extra day to recoup. We got in to Dallas around 7, but dropping off casmire, coolhipfrank and then picking up theseanz meant not getting up to Plano till 9. I was drained after the drive. Honestly it would not have been as bad if my A/C had not died between Mc Allen and San Antonio. So from San Antonio all the way home we were sweltering like we were in a sauna for 6 hours. Other than that the trip was a blast. There was hot Mexican beef everywhere and joshualore was loving it.

Josh's extractions took about an hour and a half. He was in and out in no time. Luckily for Josh, he was taking great care of his teeth till they could be pulled so there was no inflammation, infection or problems. The dentist was amazed Josh lasted as long as he did before getting them taken care of. We spent maybe a total of 3 hours in Mexico. We did get some alcohol there. It was only like 5 bucks cheaper than in the states. According to Danny's sister Sarah, the prices are basically the same if you had bought them on the US side and you don't have to worry about taxing or confiscation.

We had fun hanging with Danny's Dad, sister and grandma. We went to a party at Sarah's that included Rockband. Ooh man drunken bad singing is funny. We also had fun with Tito and pheonixfulder. They took us to the nice little Italian place and this Shake and Malts place. Then we all went to see The Strangers since the A/C in the theater for Indiana Jones was busted. We also got to visit with ubercub and fzks_cub on our way through Austin. Which was a nice break and it was great seeing them again. We also got to spend a night in San Antonio with goingfor400, scyth, and hex_scratchmore. Soon we need to spend a weekend down in Austin and San Antonio. It's hard to see anyone when you are just passing through.

As a fair warning, on the movie The Strangers. Rent it, don't see it in theaters. It is a basic fright movie. Once you see it, there really is nothing to draw you back for a second look. It was fun to watch but not one you have to see in a theater.

I read about legionbear's passing the day it happened. I have been meaning to post something but I didn't know what to say. He was one of the sweetest guys I had the pleasure of befriending on LJ. He was a beautiful person inside and out. I was looking forward to getting the chance to meet him in person and giving him a big hug. Even though he passed his memory will live on in the hearts and minds of his friends. Plus I still have the character we created together. It's at least my small way of showing his life left a lasting mark on this world.

Huge huggs bigbear4xl. I wish I could give you some kind of advice to make thing easier, but I know there is nothing that can ever lessen the pain of losing someone you love. It's a pain your heart has to release on it's own and when it is ready.

I hate when fate fucks with me. I was in a car accident this morning. I was Coit and Frankfurt, next to the Wal-Mart when I had to stop so I was not sitting in cross traffic even though our light was green. Well the lady behind me didn't pay attention and ran into the back of me. My car jerked forward and I flopped around like I had a seizure. I guess it was a lucky thing I was relaxed instead of rigid. Well we pull off into the Wal-Mart parking lot and I call my coworker to tell him I will be late. When I get out there is no damage to my car or hers. None, not even a noticeable dent or large scratch. She asked what should we do and I told her not to even worry about it. I figured as hard as it felt she hit me that there would have been something but no. So we parted ways and I arrived 15 minutes late to work.

Family night was a lot of fun as usual. joshualore made BBQ Chicken over rice (TM). We also watched Steve Byrne's comedy special. He is a really funny guy. There are three parts that make me laugh without fail, "I'm Celebrating You", "Doggy Style", and the Bruce Lee porn. "I'm Celebrating You" is all theseanz. After he told me about the Monday Night Football Chip Dish, yeah that is totally him. Though I will admit I am tempted to do it so I can add it to my list of funny sexual mishaps. Though I would have to run for cover because Josh might kill me if I did.

That night ubercub and fzks_cub came up from Austin for the weekend. It was great having them stay with us. They are really sweet guys. Plus they are just as geeky as we are. They didn't make it in time for Family Night since they got there around 2, but they did get to meet most of the family.

Saturday we hung out all day and then had dinner at Jakes. It's a great burger joint. It reminds me of Players in Austin. Plus they have Sweet Potato fries which of course is always a win for me.

Sunday plano_cutie completed his move into the house with the help of roundnfurry. Scott, what will we ever do without you. You and draegonbaer need to come on Family night soon. Also midwestlineman paid us a surprise visit since he was unexpectedly in the area. It seems like everyone from Austin was coming up. Then we had a cuddle orgy on the couch. You can see the pictures on Josh's journal. I swear I'm not as naked as I appear. I had boxer-briefs and a shirt on and Josh made me look slutty with like angles and stuff. That is my story and I'm sticking to it.

My main desk is almost back up again and it only took me a month. Well actually I had a design in mind but I waited till I had a chance to hit the Container Store to do it. I needed to purchase a couple additional posts for my wire shelves so I could convert it to a desk and leave my drawing desk free for... well drawing. What really surprises me is how bloody expensive Metro wire shelves and their knockoffs have gotten. I recall seeing them at the pizza place I worked in back in the 90's. They were not that expensive back then. Hell the set I have, I purchased for $20 a couple years ago and now they are going for almost $70 at Target. I figured it might have been cheaper to buy an additional set but the price changed that idea quick. The two rods alone cost me almost $20. But apart from that, the desk looks nice. and it should function quite well. Also joshualore commented that metro is like an erector set for adults. Which, you know, after thinking about it, is very true. If I had the money I would build all sorts of things with them. Especially with the new add-ons and the plastic liners/enclosures by Chadko. Some of the examples they have on their site look awesome, like the glass topped end table. Once I'm done I will get a picture of what I did.

Presenting musclecubtx's new baby girl.....Ikea Target Johnson (Target is pronounced in it's original French. tar'jay.) Or better known as TayTay.

Family night on Friday was a great. Finally a Family Night where I did not have to go to bed early. I can say the baby name was all Jay's fault. He suggested Ikea when we were talking about ghetto names, and then DJ said, "I will not name my child Ikea." So of course I had to say she will be called Ikea Target Johnson and well it went down hill from there.

Some people wonder what is Family Night all about. Well, we watch TV shows, play video games, listen to music, eat, drink, talk, tell jokes and generally it's a way to decompress from a long week with people you can count on to make you laugh. Even if you arrive pissed and angry, something will happen that will make you laugh and for a moment it makes everything else no longer matter. Discussions can be as frivolous as fashion to serious things like politics or religion. We literally discuss everything.

We had just about everybody in attendance. The secretary of course was absent due to Battle Star Galactica commitments. Which means there was no evidence of what happened that night. Or at least very little.