A couple weeks ago I mentioned a cupcake shop. It's in a new outdoor mall, the majority of which has been open since September 2008 (some of the shops didn't move in until later).

Anyways, this place has some oddball merchant choices, which is neat, and some big box stores like a Walmart supercentre. I just wish they hadn't canceled the new 531 bus route expansion. It was supposed to be up and running a year ago when the mall opened. Then it got delayed until Jan 2009. Then July 2009. Then Jan 2010. Then July 2010. Now it's been canceled.

Not that I mind walking 3 blocks and over an overpass, from the bus and back to the bus. But the seniors from White Rock do, especially in rainy or icy weather. But Translink doesn't care -- they canceled the White Rock to Langley route they promised us. I grew up out here, and I've seen that White Rock is a majorly senior living area. So what are they supposed to do?

They approved a property tax increase and gas tax increase to maintain Translink's funding commitments for this and other new services they promised to provide. The 531 bus was IN the planning AND the budget. So where is the money going?

Langley Township is protesting the cancellation, and White Rock is just shrugging their shoulders, saying they're "not surprised."

Oh and get this, Translink started a bus shelter upgrade project. They took out ALL the bus shelters in the region, and won't be replacing them with the new ones until after the Olympics end in February.

They do realize it rains almost 75% of the year right?

Hey guys, well I link this in all my journals but since its way down at the bottom it doesn't get much love



Please go check it out if you have the chance

I'm a hobbyist photographer, I had an extra account I'd created a few years back for non-comic art and ended up using it for my photos. I don't have a lot of photography involving models, but I do take a lot of images on my trips of things and places.

Last December I got caught in a snowstorm on foot in downtown Victoria, while I was photographing it at night in the snow. My purpose was to take images I could share with artists for reference when drawing/colouring snow scenes. A few of the photos I picked out to post there for artistic value but I still don't know what to do with the rest of them. I'm hesitant about posting anything as stock in my photography gallery because a few people tend to assume everything is stock.

Give it some holiday love? And maybe leave some feedback on what to do about stock, etc. I'd appreciate it

UPDATE: PAIRS ARE NOW POSTED!!! Find your name and contact your partner. If for some reason your name doesn't appear in one of the pairs please let me know -- I had to redo the drawing of the names three times.... first time I coughed and they kinda flew away. Second time my cat tried to eat them. Third time she rolled all over them.

Rest in Peace September 10th 1984 - June 23rd 2009


DEVIANTART 2009 HOLIDAY ART SWAP

Spread the fun!!! Spread the word!!!! Any DeviantArt members can sign up for it, they just need to comment on THIS journal in order for me to put their name on the list.

Signup closes Monday November 30th. Please remember to check back here on Wednesday December 2nd for the list of pairs! The pairs are now posted!!

It's that time of year!

The annual Holiday Art Swap was something I participated in back in 2006 over at the PencilJack forums, and it inspired me to host one here on DeviantArt. The first annual DeviantArt Holiday Art Swap took place Christmas 2006 with over 80 participating artists, and Christmas 2007 saw an amazing leap in participation. Christmas 2008 blew us away with 200 artists!

This year it's off to a bit of a late start but the holiday cheer prevails! Because of the late start we've extended the deadline to after Christmas, so that everyone has plenty of time to complete the gift for their partner



Rules and Explanations:

You sign up for it while signup is open. When signup closes, names will be paired off. The pairs are picked at random from a very cute little snow cap. I hear kittens and cookies are involved too but that rumour has yet to be substantiated.

Get together with the other person and request something that you'd like each other to draw/write/create. It's your responsibility to get in contact with the person you're paired with. An optional part of the gift exchange is asking for a mailing address for your partner (see 3 points down from here).

The goal is to complete the gift for your partner by Christmas, but this year because of the late start, let's say the deadline is January 15th, 2010.

When the 25th is past, everyone can start to post scans of their gifts here on DeviantArt and I'll make a whole journal entry with thumbnails so that everyone can show what they got from their fellow deviants. When you post your gift to your partner, please comment on this journal with the link so I can access it.

When you're done, if you are willing and able, something nice to do is to mail the original to your partner in the mail as a physical Christmas gift. A tip is to email them a high resolution scan in time for Christmas though so they can see it and also in case it gets lost in the mail! I understand that some countries are expensive to post mail from, or that the service is unreliable, or just that you might not be able to afford to mail something out. That is why this is optional, but I encourage it. The reason for encouragement is the awesome feeling you give a fellow artist when they open their mail and see something that you made just for them.

This is for fun, it's not a contest. But you and your partner will be getting each other's work, so give as good as you hope you will get. Skill level does not matter its the thought that counts!

Spread the fun! Spread the word! Any DeviantArt members can sign up for it, they just need to comment on THIS journal in order for me to put their name on the list.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!


THE PAIRS:

*KrIsTiaNo and ~Conejita-Ginny
*AtomicTiki and *Sof-Sof
*Mulv and =dynakor
=YukiMizuno (artist/writer) and ~ejtomlinson
~thecancerman and ~Geniss
*genjyosanzo and ~E2POC
~delta-india-oscar and ~josaho89
*Vegemoon and ~DonnieSieg
*EmperorNortonII and ~Rawbot
~Chasse-Lune and *jpruitt0692002
~2equals8 and ~Lyricanna
~DeathPoint and ~Cowhat-Ninja
~Garhoul and ~WerewolfgirlX
*TOAFS and ~Luced0
=alichapuis and ~EnfantDeRiviere
=culdesackidz and =imakoi
~Atuki and *Akua
=xJoeDx and ~grostieta
=angel-ink and *valiantonov
~LittleCorax and ~Surllio
~JamieGambell and *therealArturo
~thincage and =Zorgia
~Jaala and *JazylH
=killaCaravagio and *RedEyeLoon
~Scarlet-Adrianne and *shadowcatxavier
*GrnDrgn and *bardoftheseas
~nancynismo and ~aaronturon
~morganza and =Stigmartyr762 (writer)
=Daequitas and ~st-valentines
~sleepinartist and ~Penguin-Enigma
*sandara and ~MoNyOh
~CBartguy and =mechangel2002
~PresidentNelson and *saintpepsi
*MissusPatches and *Rehugun
~mytymark and *windriderx23
*charligal and ~darkdaysartist
=PSOWILL and *Artassassin
*radical-jojo and ~luqkhyjonas
*inkermark and *bandeau
~weaselton and ~NickGuy0320
^pinguino and ~theRealSEA
*Chaosbandit and =charactersink
~thunderking and ~Xulia
=caziman and ~SonofReorx
~Dajs and ~sunglasses-mage
~Jukkart and ~LordSantiago
~SilentNomad and *Cinsev
~Rensing and =hulkdaddyg
~Puttycad and *nork
~joshyartist and =Spike-NL
~gwdill and ~jeansinclaird9arts
~Mousyman and =Lylla4
*fig and =JACE1020
=vandalhandle and ~Zynite
=ColdStone and *Crazedms20
~FayeSiiHikura and ~turbosuo
~stitch07 and ~aReino
*kagstar and *HARDRICKART
~DarkVixen28 and ~Djubiria
*livewiredstudios and *BatteryMunkey
~thawk and ~jeremy-thebeast1
~caz-divad and *vibog-3
~Capn-Chaos and =Cyberborg
=anti00gravity and ~nopickup
~smifink and ~Scadilla
~Nick-is-Safferion and *Sheepy-Pie
*Witchofdarkseas and =Raithe
~ArtMer and ~chopstyx
~dirtydarkart and ~mannymederos
*SteveRiker and ~LordVenom05
~jigsaw808 and ~chris-foreman
~Sektor2814 and =metal-icarus
*Ederoi and *broken-nib
~jonasthegiant and *kazarr
~archfeind and ~Shovel-Genocide
*Cole-Dawg and =billmeiggs
*Orrinoco and ~Song64
~Batuxa and *NiniriAZ
~sketch515 and *NickMockoviak
~aerugo and ~Harlequin-Ink
~yenten and ~writerman34
*Jebriodo and =jwwebb
=tan2k and ~josh627
*WinterheartStudios and ^Thiefoworld
~Art-Style and ~DW-DeathWisH
~PsiLance and ~ultrabape
~banshuwa and ~gaering
*Dreamerzina and =damyannn
*grrlmarvel and ~mangagirl
*shadowyzman and =angelmarthy
*Phantomfan97 and ~belituca
*AnakMoon and =questingraven
*TheHoyt and ~Chandraraj
~Graphlex and ~RKdiaComics
~DarkmasterUndertaker and ~CaptainCougar
=Hiesben and ~Irisminomaru500
~Kerkopes and *Shnek
*Iris-Cougar and =CrystalMask (writer)
`innocencedied2nite (writer) and =nanasfreak
~Flufi-Demoness and =silver6kraid
=shazmatthews and *Tonioart

Guess who got their paycheque today?

They shorted me a bit, but I'm happy I got anything period. I just hope they don't do that to anyone else!

Happy Christmas everybody!

The gash on my leg is healing well, but something happened to my ankle and lower leg. I don't know if its from walking on icy sidewalks this weekend, but it feels like someone karate chopping the back of my lower leg (above the ankle) when I walk and its making me limp.

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The ever awesome dedicated Recipe #6 in his 30 Days of Cookies event to me! I'm Rocky Road Crumble Bars

Yummy!

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So we have a new outdoor mall with a specialty cupcake shop. I had one for breakfast one morning with a hot chocolate, and read a book.

YUMMY.

Okay, I'm done. Oh... wait...



Okay now I'm done

A couple weeks ago I signed onto my first official sketch card set, and I received the cards earlier this week. This is the set I mentioned a couple days ago.

I'll be doing 50 cards for the Moonstone Maximum set, which means drawing characters like Zorro, The Phantom, Sherlock Holmes, Captain Midnight, Robin Hood, Wyatt Earp, and others!