Hopluv’s Neighborhood

And before I begin let me qualify my thoughts as I am a Cancerian and emotionally-driven person who cries when she's happy, cries when she's said and many times feels first and thinks second.

Don't make sensitivity a weapon.

I'm all for explaining to people that you may potentially be thin-skinned and making requests to consider your heart before entering into a potentially combustible dialogue. At all times we should take into consideration how our thoughts and expressions of them may make others feel. A defensive maneuver will almost always beget a defensive maneuver. It's the fundamental rule to conflict. You hit me, it hurts. I hit back, you hurt and the dance escalates until two people are saying or doing regrettable things. Rather than using your sensitivity as a license to kill, use it as a means to find more productive ways to speak with love. Rather than letting your sensitivity give you an unrealistic sense of entitlement and petulant expectation, try and commit to the notion that it always takes two parties to create a disagreeable relationship conflict. You are hurt...in some ways big or small, they are likely hurting, too.

Don't make sensitivity a wall to constructive criticism.

There comes a time in every adult's life when you have to suck it up and face tough talk. Especially when the tough talk potentially saves you from a choice, an action or measure that could have long-term or especially painful consequences. While I am sensitive, I expect and almost demand that the people I love, give it to me straight, particularly when I screw something up. Because I am human. I am going to do that. And yes, you can give straight talk without pulling out the clubs and knives. So keep in mind that sometimes when people speak sternly to you, it is more important to identify the value in their statement...especially when you know behind the annoyance that statement is coming from a place of love. It's nice to hear only about the wonderful things we do; but it's better to hear about the ways we can grow and elevate to keep amazing ourselves and others. Never use your 'sensitivity' as a means to avoid owning your stuff.

And you know how I feel about owning your stuff. 

was walking home and saw this

Noname

I was working out at the school gym and they have a nice TV with cable on it so I was watching AM on MTV because I need to know what the kids are listening to these days and this commercial came on!  WT? Um, I know, I am probably late to the game but really shake weight...really?!?!?

It's just like that Schick Quattro Commercial!

But I was cracking up with this shake weight commercial. Because hello! yes, my mind went there!

And then I saw this on YouTube

um..ok Shake Weight..O.K.

FLY ABOVE ALL THE DRAMA (AKA THE SINCE EVERYONE IS MAKING POSTS...POST)
AND THE MOD ELECTIONS ARE BEING HELD UP I'D FIGURE I'D GIVE MY $.02

I WAS IN NO WAY INVOLVED WITH THE SEKRIT COMM, AND MORE THAN LIKELY NEITHER WERE ANY OF THE OTHER APPLICANTS WHO I'M SURE HAVE ALL BEEN ACCUSED ALSO. I'D LIKE TO SAY THAT WHEN IT WERE OPEN THEY'D PROBABLY BE TALKING ABOUT ME, BUT I'M PROBABLY NOT ON THEIR RADAR.

THE PEOPLE ON THEIR RADAR? LOUD, OPINIONATED, SMART, BEAUTIFUL, SNARKY, AND UNFEARING. IF YOU WERE TALKED ABOUT IN THAT COMM IT'S BECAUSE YOU WERE ABLE TO DO SOMETHING THAT THE MEMBERS OF THAT COMM HATED AND THAT WAS TAKE THE ATTENTION OFF OF THEM FOR MORE THAN FIVE SECONDS.(

(EDIT: I JUST HEARD I MAY HAVE BEEN PROMOTED, BUT WHEN IT'S AT SOMEONE ELSE'S EXPENSE? NOT PROMOTION, JUST DEMOTION OF THE OTHER. I'M STILL NOT SURE ON THE DETAILS, BUT THAT'S THE INITIAL REACTION)

AND DON'T COME AT ME WITH "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT" BECAUSE IN KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. SOMEONE ASKED ME ABOUT MY EXPERIENCE AND I'M GOING TO TELL YOU IT.

SOME OF YOU KNOW TWOP, BUT DO SOME OF YOU KNOW ABOUT TWOP SUCKS (NOW BITTER BUT BRILLIANT)? I WAS A HUGE JACOB SUPPORTER AND WOULD KISS HIS BUTT ALL UP AND DOWN THE TWOP BOARDS. ONE DAY A FRIEND SENT ME A LINK TO TWOP SUCKS AND I SAW PEOPLE SAYING THE MOST HATEFUL AND HURTFUL THINGS ABOUT YOURS TRULY.

IT WAS BAD (REAL BAD MICHAEL JACKSON) AND THEN I GOT MAD (REAL MAD JOE JACKSON) AND THEN? I REALIZED THEY HAD NO IDEA WHO I WAS! THEIR OPINION OF ME WAS BASED ON A FEW STATEMENTS MADE ON A SITE THAT I BASICALLY LIVED AT, BUT IT WAS COMPLETELY ONE DIMENSIONAL. SO I JOINED, ANSWERED SOME QUESTIONS FROM THE HATERS, AND MADE SOME REALLY COOL FRIENDS THAT I STILL TALK TO THIS DAY.

DURING MY TIME THERE WE BEGAN TO QUESTION THE REGIME. THE VERY THINGS WE WERE HATING ON TWOPPERS FOR (OH YEAH, I JOINED IN AFTER A WHILE, SHUT UP, I WAS YOUNG! BESIDES, IT WAS MOSTLY TO HATE ON JACOB HATERS, HEH) WE WERE DOING OURSELVES. SO I GOT AN INVITE TO TWOP SUCKS SUCK AKA LYLE LOVETT'S NEEDS (INORITE). THERE, THE JACOB LOVERS HATED ON THE JACOB HATERS THAT HATED ON THE JACOB LOVERS (DON'T THINK IT CAN'T GET MORE META PEOPLE, CAUSE IT GOT EVEN MORE META BUT THAT COMES LATER) AND WE TALKED ABOUT GASBAG MEMBERS WHO WE DIDN'T LIKE.

LATER IN I'D CREATED A JACOB FAN FORUM (DID I MENTION I WAS CRAZY FOR A WHILE? AND YOUNG? AND MAY HAVE BEEN WELL INTO MY 20'S WHEN THIS HAPPENED?) AND A FEW SPLINTER MEMBERS FROM TSS/LLN WERE MEMBERS. WE HAD A HIDDEN FORUM WHERE WE JUST TALKED TRASH ABOUT THE ENTIRE SITUATION. IT'S ACTUALLY KIND OF FUNNY HOW SIMLAR ALL OF THIS IS, THERE WAS A SOUTHERN SASSY BELL, A GAY GUY, A MOMMY BLOGGER, A RESPLENDENT FOREIGNER, AND A DISGRUNTLED HOUSEWIFE!

WE MOSTLY JUST RAN AROUND BEING JERKS IN THE PRIVACY OF OUR OWN FORUM WHEN SOMEONE IN THE GROUP HAPPENED UPON SOME CACHED PAGES FROM THE MOD COMM OF TWOPSUCKS. THEY EXPOSED THE MEMBERS AS HAVING GHOSTNICS AND SOCKPUPPETS ON THEIR OWN BOARDS! THEY WOULD POST AS THEIR SOCK AGREERING WITH SOMEONE AND THEN COME IN AS A MOD BANISHING EVERYONE. INSANITY, RIGHT?

I DIDN'T THINK IT WAS FAIR TO HAVE THIS INFO AND NOT GIVE IT TO THE BOARD AND ONE OTHER GIRL AGREED WITH ME. WE WANTED TO RELEASE IT. THE REST OF THE GROUP (ABOUT 5 OTHERS) DIDN'T WANT TO AND THEY WERE VOCAL BUT NOT REALLY BEYOND "YOU GUYS WE SHOULDN'T DO THIS, THIS IS BAD!" WHAT TRANSPIRED NEXT IS WHAT I SEE HAPPENING HERE AND BASICALLY RATTLED MY WORLD.

INSTEAD OF CONTINUING TO TALK ABOUT IT, THE SPLINTER GROUP DECIDED TO START A GMAIL THREAD (TOLD YOU, MORE META!) WHERE THEY CALLED ME EVERYTHING BUT A CHILD OF GOD. DURING THIS TIME I HAD A LOT OF PROJECTS IN THE MIX AND THEY ANALYZED EVERY ACTION I TOOK AS SOMETHING TO OUT THEM AND DERAIL THEM AND SELL THEIR SECRETS TO THE KGB OR WHATEVER. ONE OF THEM EMAILED ME THE THREAD (AND THEN LATER ONE OF THEM ACCUSED ME OF HACKING INTO THEIR EMAIL ACCOUNT TO GET IT) AND WHEN CONFRONTED ONLY ONE GIRL DECIDED TO TAKE THE HEAT OF MY WRATH (Y'ALL, IT WAS ON MY BIRTHDAY Y'ALL!). SHE ASKED ME TO EXPLAIN MY ACTIONS AND I DID TO THE VERY DETAIL AND SHE BELIEVED ME. SHE ADMITTED SHE GOT CAUGHT UP IN THE CRAZY AND I FORGAVE HER AND WE'RE STILL E-COOL TO THIS DAY. SOME OF THEM APOLOGIZED AND WE'RE GRAVY, AND SOME I HAVEN'T TALKED TO SINCE.

DON'T THINK ALL OF THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS. HONESTLY, I GET WHAT IT'S LIKE TO HAVE PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT YOU, BUT YOU HAVE GOT TO GET A THICKER SKIN ON THE WEBS. WHO CARES? THEY DON'T KNOW YOU AND 9 TIMES OUT OF 10 THE THINGS THEY SAY HAVE NOTHIN TO DO WITH YOU! I HAD A GIRL SAY I CAUSED HER TO GET A REPRIMAND AT WORK BECAUSE SHE WAS TAKING TOO MUCH TIME WADING THROUGH MY BS! UMM... INTROSPECTION MUCH?

FLY ABOVE THE HATE! STRUT! SOME AWESOME LYRIC FROM A KRIS SONG! FRIDAY I'LL BE OVER YOU!

BUT WE NEED TO HUNKER DOWN AS A COMM AND DECIDE WHAT WE WANT TO BE AND HOW TO GET THERE. AND WE CAN'T DO THAT IF WE CAN'T GO THROUGH A SINGLE NIGHT OF PETTY DRAMA. BREATH BEFORE TAKING ACTION. LEARN TO LOOK AT AN ENTIRE SITUATION AND NOT JUST THE PART THAT EFFECTS YOU. LEARN HOW TO PUT YOUR PERSONAL FEELINGS AND FRIENDSHIPS ASIDE FOR THE GREATER GOOD WHEN NECESSARY. LEARN HOW TO BE HATED, HOW TO LOSE FRIENDSHIPS, HOW TO MAKE TOUGH DECISIONS AND HOW TO STICK BY THEM.

I'M GOING TO FLOCK THIS, SO PLEASE, OTHER APPLICANTS USE THIS AS YOUR WAY TO CLEAR YOUR NAME IF NECESSARY. MEMBERS, USE THIS AS A WAY TO VENT AND GET OUT WHAT YOU WANT. SAY WHATEVER, I DON'T CARE, BUT SAY IT AND THEN LEAVE IT SO WE CAN MOVE ON. NO, I'M NOT A MOD AND PROBABLY NEVER WILL BE AT THIS POINT, BUT I LOVE THIS COMM TOO MUCH TO SEE IT BURN DOWN. I'VE SEEN THAT BEFORE AND IT'S NUTS, BUT IT IS PREVENTABLE. LET'S PREVENT IT.

I LOVE YOU GUYS. NOW I'M GOING TO SHOWER!

Really? November? It's cold. It's dark. I'm stuck in a rut of stupid seasonal discontentment right now. I don't like the extreme cold, and I don't like the dark. Yes, it gets dark every night and I'm ok with that, but is daylight savings really necessary? I didn't enjoy the extra hour of sleep that some people may have. It frankly changed my schedule a bit and now I'm waking up at the buttcrack of dawn, before my alarm goes off, and it's just crap.

Ugh.

November does have good things that come with it... Thanksgiving is awesome. Gotta love to eat (not gain weight). Christmas is around the corner. The economy picks up a bit so hopefully that means more money in my pocket if we make good on sales. Plus, I am taking an actual "paid vacation" to go see my 'rents in Florida for New Year's. I'm very excited for that.

I love my parents.

The kids are super excited and are now desperate for the day when we'll go see their Floridian grandparents... They've even taken to crying because today is not the day, nor will tomorrow be. So we're taking it one day at a time, enjoying the time we have left of the year and hopefully it will be sunny and brisk in Jacksonville and it'll be a damned good time.

So let's make it through the month, and get on with the new year already!

I hope some people understand the reasons why some things are done they way they are done.

Vamp Brittany, me as the french maid & Judy as a sexy cop at many of the house parties we crashed on Halloween.

Hey hey, what's happening! I'm sorry I have been M.I.A, but it has been CRAZY this last week.. I still don't have my car, but I've definitely been staying strong & making things happen.. all the while having fun with my friends & I am so thankful for every breath that I take.

Sexy mamas

Me & Mario.. he was dressed as an 80's cholo, haha.

Me & Lady Gaga {from the VMA's} (aka Rosa); I didn't even know this was her house we were going to! I haven't seen this girl in 5 years! such a small world!

I feel October was such an eventful month because good things & bad things happened. I'm just ready to bid 2009 goodbye & start fresh. I've lost 17 lbs the past 3 months & I feel like a new woman. I can't believe my trip to California is only 3 weeks away! I can't wait to see my friends & family over there.

I finally got cable service, AT&T U-Verse with DVR! It's amazing to have it after not having any type of TV for a year & 2 months!

I decided I'm going to join a bellydancing class starting next week! I'm really looking forward to it & I think my friend is coming along.

I GET MY CAR BACK TOMORROW! thank you Jesus! It costs $9,500 to fix, ouch! So thankful for insurance!

Until next time..

Freelance life can be tough. Long gaps between commissions. Accounts departments who just can't seem to find your invoice. Not to mention the ever-present need to get your work seen by the people who count.

Jonny Wan, a freelance illustrator from Sheffield, knows all about that. A graduate of the Manchester School of Art, he's constantly striving to ensure his unique illustrative style (think abstracted facial expressions, patterns, symmetry and hand-drawn lettering) snags the attention of creative directors everywhere – and he does so via Business Cards and Postcards from MOO.

MOO first caught his eye at his university degree show, where he noticed that all the students' cutest promo materials were produced by the same company – MOO! Then we tempted him with a free Business Card sample, giving him a chance to try our ordering software ("simple, logical and gives the user complete control") and evaluate our print quality and finishing ("very pleasing"). Duly hooked, Jonny ordered a set of Postcards and some Business Cards featuring a range of his work, and is preparing to send them off to art directors as we speak.

As an illustrator, working in a visual medium, presentation is very important to Jonny. "I like to make little promotional packs of my postcards and business cards", he says. "I send them out packaged in self-seal clear bags. It's good to put real thought into how the art director receives your promo materials – it's boring to just whack some cards in an envelope."

Like many creative types, Jonny's happiest when he's working, even between commissions. An example of this is his self-initiated "Can't Afford It" project. Whenever he wants an item of clothing he can't afford, he draws it instead! Eventually to be self-published as a book, working like this helps him improve his work rate, hone his Photoshop and Illustrator skills, and keep his unique style fresh and ever-evolving.

No matter how his style develops, MOO's short print runs means that his promotional materials are always in step with his latest work. "As an illustrator, your style is always changing and improving. The last thing you want is to end up with a thousand cards of the same design. You need to keep existing and future clients up to date with your freshest, latest work, because essentially they will hire you based on what they see on your promo material. It's no good for an art director to commission you only to find that your illustrative style has changed or moved on." He laughs. "After all, you wouldn't be happy buying a Jay-Z CD to find a Metallica disc inside, right?"

When designing his cards, Jonny also took advantage of a new feature that allows users to upload images for both the front and the back of the Business Cards. "Anything that gives you more options allows room for creative control – and it's that kind of flexibility that keeps me coming back to MOO. The ability to upload images for both sides of the Business Cards enables you to make the cards completely unique."

"A business card is usually the first point of contact between a new client and an illustrator, so it's important your card jumps out at people while being straight and upfront with your contact details. The fact that the cards can be individual rather than generic also gives a sense of professionalism – people can be impressed that you've put the effort into designing your own cards. A little effort can go a long way."

Jonny's constantly thinking of new ways to promote his work using MOO products. "I love the Stickers – I can see them being a very unique selling point. They're a little different and unexpected, which is beneficial in an industry where everyone strives to promote themselves in a unique way."  

MiniCards appeal to him for the same reason. "MiniCards are great because they get straight to the point and don't take up a lot of space. Art directors get bombarded with samples every morning. They open their mail and have to make snap decisions about what to keep and what to chuck."

"They're more likely to pin a MiniCard onto their noticeboard than, say, a leaflet, because they know it won't take up a lot of space. And if your work's on their noticeboard, they're more likely to bear you in mind when it comes to commissioning. And that's what it's all about!"

Thanks for talking to us Jonny! We look forward to seeing more of your work soon.

Like Jonny's work? He's available for commissions so get in touch, and say hello from us too.

Ok, one of my students showed me thing..(um..someone just started singing "blame it on the ..a..a.a..alcohol..." walking out of the library)..let me focus...Bourne 4 is coming out but this movie, "Green Zone" is just like all the Bourne movies!