Yesterday was very very busy, so I never had time to sit down by the computer and just write. Right now I’m waiting for the coffee to boil up and the croissant in the oven to be done as well.

Over these past two days, there has been a competition in our class of 40+ students. We were supposed to create illuminated alphabet (choose a letter and create an illustration for it, however you want, but you need to see the letter somehow) that would go on a wall on the Isle of Wight. Two people from our class would be selected as winners and be named “resident artists” of this Isle and get their artwork on a huge wall (I suspect) as well as being fed and wined for several days while working there. It sounds awesome, but I never thought I would have a chance of winning.

My entry is nice as an illustration, but it would not look good on a wall because of its subtle wishy-washy colours. The illustration is also not clever at all. Some of the people from my class had REALLY clever ones that just left me in awe. I based my fisherman character on my dad, so he has the same belly, arms, jeans, eyebrows and tash!
The teachers have sent off all the 40ish illustrations to the Isle of Wight where some people will decide which ones they like the most. It might take a few days (or a week?). Very exciting! I know which ones I think might win. Will not say names on the blog I’m afraid.

Started properly drawing again now. I bought a very expensive A4 sketchbook which I can have with me everywhere and just sketch/paint/collage whatever in. I’ll attempt to scan some pages next week as I won’t be near a scanner any of these coming days.

Today I will try to get to the ceramics room and see if I can start working there.

Feeling a lot better, sickly-wise. Just snotting now and then and having some coughing fits. Otherwise I feel fine. No major headaches or fevers. Will see if I’m fine enough for African Dancing tomorrow. :O

Yesterday me and Tom decided that we needed to truly settle this thing with the ring. I am very bad at confronting people when I think they’ve done something wrong and I’m upset with them, mainly because I don’t want to hurt them. Tom came with me to the jewellers and instead of us meeting up with the salesman who had been handling the ring business, we actually met up with the assistant manager (who had been on holiday for about 3 weeks). He did not know anything about my ring for the simple reason that he had been away, but he did NOT seem impressed with his co-worker’s handling of my ring business. In fact, I believe the salesman was later on getting shit for not keeping in touch with me etc (serves him right… I feel bad for even thinking that, but man, I’ve been upset!).

The assistant manager apologised several times, but Tom never said it was alright or anything. He was very direct and didn’t sugar coat any of his words. I was a bit all over the place though. I was really upset, but tried to tone it down, and I was feeling guilty for being so upset. Later on, Tom told me about my body language and how it had been perceived. We have both read this Body Language book (I borrowed it for my project), and I found out so many things about the way I act that I didn’t know before. Like, I have a tendency to move into people’s personal spaces a bit too quickly, and I can also come across as quite ‘aggressive’ in the way I jab with my arms when I speak when I’m excited. I also tend to lean forwards, which is a sign of aggression (you are about to headbutt someone). So I can understand why some people sometimes back off from me. Sheit!

ANYWAY. Back to the ring stuff. Yes. Tom spoke to them quite harshly without offending or being aggressive and got the assistant manager to promise that the cast would be there next Thursday. So this week. Apparently the gold smiths had already made two previous casts, but scrapped them because of imperfections (hence why it had taken so long). I am still a tiny bit sceptical, but we will go back there on Thursday and see if they’ve kept their promise. Hopefully the salesdude has been spanked a bit.

Just got home from a roleplaying session with Phil and friends. Was very enjoyable. It is the only game that I am actually able to play on an irregular basis, now that University has started. Phil (who is GMing), knows that I can’t attend regularly and thus gave me a character which will drift in and out of the game without disturbing the balance or whatever you would call it. I was a bit sceptical at first about being given a premade character, but actually got to know her very well, very quickly and enjoyed it thoroughly.

On the drawing front, I’ve had some hurdles to get over. I have these doubts of what I am supposed to be doing and thus find myself not being able to produce anything of quality of late. I’m getting over it slowly. Have many questions in my head though. “Why am I doing this?” “What am I trying to do?” “Am I doing enough?” “Should I focus more on this or that?” “Should I scrap that?” etc. Bleh.

Now it’s time to go to bed and prepare for tomorrow. I have had one week of being completely out of it because of Illness. Now it’s time to hit back. I’M BACK BAYBEH.

Yayness. I’ve done something useful today!

Jen’s Comic Diary!

Has been updated with two new entries. Whee. It’s awesomely fun to ink these little meaningless comics. Kind of a break from everything else that’s going on.

Still have a headache from hell and snotting yellow goo everywhere, but otherwise I’m actually feeling better and I believe that if I stay in today, I’ll probably feel good enough to venture outside tomorrow. Which is important since we are going to the ring making place and telling them we’re switching to another jeweller. I am so disappointed and sad over that entire thing. I let myself be charmed by the sales people in the jewellery store and believed that they would make sure my engagement ring was being made, but they haven’t contacted me since. Even though I’ve been back and poked them in the ribs. I’m not even sure I’ll have my ring by Christmas.

It’s all just very discouraging. :(

Today I will have NO coffee (I didn’t have any coffee yesterday either… But hey) and NO milk stuff.

I’m gonna drug myself up on orange juice and watch Animal Cops.

My life is teh suck right now.

Another day of being too sick to go anywhere. I was supposed to go to some houseviewing today, but I couldn’t get out of bed and my throat was so dead I had to have Tom call the estate agents to tell them I couldn’t make it.

Later on I woke up when the doorbell rang. A delivery man was outside with a package for Tom that we had been waiting for. He seemed to find it amusing that I was croaking answers to him rather than speaking. I sound awful right now :P

Not even sure I can go in to Uni tomorrow. Man, I’m lagging behind. Just keep on doing some reading and sometimes some light sketching, but it’s hard to even have the energy for that.

This is so BORING. Bleeeeeeh. Heeelp.

Alright. Today I will try to go to Uni again. I still feel rubbish, but at least I could get out of bed (even though I had to wait an hour later than usual to do so). I’m making a healthy packed lunch with veggies and I had fruit for breakfast (as usual). Hopefully my body will go: “Oooo! Healthy stuff! Let’s HEAL.”

We’ll see. I’m also refraining from drinking my usual lattes at home. I have straight espressos instead with a little foaming on the top. Not enough to be called a macchiato.

I feel so behind on everything and I’ve only been out of it for two days. Telling myself not to stress over it though. It’s kind of working.

Got out of bed no earlier than about 13:30. Still haven’t eaten anything. Had to skip Uni today even though we had the deadline. I wonder what our tutor will say. Feeling like I’m really missing out. I hate being sick. It forces you to relax and do nothing. I hate relaxing and doing nothing. My way of relaxing is drawing! I can’t even do that properly.

Nosebleeding from snotting everywhere. Oh god. WHINE WHINE :D This sucks so much balls!

So, I’m ill. Old news now. But that’s not it.

I went to Uni this morning, feeling very very bad, but refusing to stay home. Arriving at Uni, we get briefed of a 2 day project of Visual Narrative. Basically, 12 panels of a narrative based on two completely random images that we received. We are advised to be as freaky and creative as possible, but to also have fun. I wasn’t able to do anything at Uni. So I went home. I’ve been trying to work on this narrative at home, but my brain is not working, I’m snotting everywhere and I have a dull headache.

This thing needs to be handed in tomorrow at 2pm. I am only done with a few sketches.

I’m not even going to start on how much other stuff is planned for this week, including a visit to the jewellers (who have been deceiving me and still not made my ring, one of the major bad things in my life at this moment), house viewing with eager estate agents (who really want us to buy a house with them), essay task hand-ins (I haven’t even begun writing) …

Why must I be sick now? This is a nightmare. No sleep for Jen. Lots of coffee.

It’s been more than a week feeling a little dodgy, but now it has seriously broken out. I only just got out of bed to have some breakfast that Tom made for me and it’s 1.30 pm. That’s half a day gone already. :P

Tom brought some fruit for me in bed which ultimately tempted me out. I’m sniffling, coughing and can hardly speak. Headache as well.

I wonder what will happen about Uni tomorrow… We’ve got a Narrative Workshop which I really don’t want to miss, and in the evening there’s African dancing. :( Oh man…

This is about as sick as I ever get though. Add a fever to this and it would be the sickest I’ve ever been in my entire life. So I’m normally a very “healthy” person. Or however you describe it.

I’m sick right now. I got really sick today and can’t sleep due to crappiness. So I thought: Hey, why not make a tiny homepage for my little useless comics about my life? Yes. What a good idea.

Here you go:

JenJen’s Diary. All events are from real life, but I love exaggerating things by adding drool and stuff like that. :P

Let me know what you think. I just did this today, so be gentle. *looks innocent*