Thank you, Khrome!  Heh heh, when I look at the last photo the perfectionist in me says, "the mask should be in a different position, your hand could be at another angle..." Well, you get the idea.

I just found out that my friend's surprise b-day dinner is being moved up to tomorrow. Hmm, I think I'll give her money. Not the most original idea in the world, but with gas costing over $3 a gallon over here, who doesn't like money?

Wow, this journal is on page 9!

Panpeus--Thanks! I'm kind of surprised at how quickly the pages are accumulating.

About the gas, I live in Hawaii where everything is more expensive than the continental US. I think the average price per gallon is $3.40  on Oahu and almost $4 on the outer islands. I, ah, don't know how to drive so I usually catch the bus, but I feel sorry for my friends (and everyone else) who have to pay that much for gas.

Thanks for putting it in a different perspective, BB! lol. I hadn't thought of it that way.

Hair ramblings--It's a good thing I didn't go into construction; my measurements would create lop-sided homes. Why do I say that? Well, earlier in the summer I had guessed that I would hit waist at 30" and calculated my hair's growth at .57" a month, so it would take six months to reach waist. But apparently that turned out to be completely off  because right now my hair is just barely touching my waist (which apparently turned out not to be at 30"). I think by the middle of November it will definately be at waist, even on bouncy-first-day-hair days and not just at the end of the day when my hair is a bit lank. I'm rather happy about this, but at first I was rather skeptical and kept rechecking my hair in the mirror to make sure that I wasn't just seeing things. Yay for skepticism and slightly OCD behavior. Ack.

My ends have been feeling rather dry lately. I think I need to buy shea butter pretty soon and start up with the weekly deep conditioning treatments again. I hope the shea butter works. I tried oiling earlier in the summer, and while my hair was smoother, I didn't like having crunchy ends.

Thanks for the info, Khrome! I think I'll pick some up the next time I go to GNC. 

www.limebarb.com does commission works.  If you showed the 'look' that you were going for, I'm sure that Barb and Julia could make it for you.

Their most recent costume is Rydia from FFVI.  It's got 400 hours worth of hand beading on it.  They're the best costume designers in the midwest.  And perhaps nationwide.

Panpeus--Thank you SO much for that suggestion! I was looking at Limebarb last week, but it never occurred to me to ask them about making a gothic outfit.    Heheh, I know what I'm going to do with my first paycheck when I finally find a job. Ugh, I'm so responsible. *sarcasm*

Khrome--lol. Your drawing "schedule" sounds like what I've been doing for the past couple of years. I don't have  a scanner so I'll need to photograph the drawings and crop them. Depending on how that turns out, I'll post a thing or two. Don't expect anything amazing from me. 

I wish I had seen that episode of America's NTM. I would have had a lot of fun there if I had been them! The EGL look is really cute, but I think my personal preferences lean towards EGA. If I really do ask Limebarb for a commission, I want to get this jacket and blouse made:

Jacket

Blouse

I luv Atelier Boz! But my pocketbook wouldn't.  >_<

Thanks, Lisabelle! Yeah, when I saw that coat on the AB site, I almost shouted, "I MUST HAVE THAT!!!!" I've wanted to have a frock coat for years, but it's hard to find a pattern. I think I looked at designs from the more well known pattern makers--Simplicity, Macalls, etc--as well as stuff from Amazon Drygoods, but never saw anything I really like. Pft, as if I know how to sew something more complex than a drawstring bag.