Cosplay USA

I haven’t written here in a very long time. It’s mostly due to my health but also due to the fact Today.Com changed rates on me. I was about to receive a check from them then I fell short of the cutoff amount and it’s near impossible to reach now. Using the computer aggrevates my medical condition so I’ve been trying to limit it.

I have lots of things going on and lots to write about. I saw a new doctor and am feeling much better so I’ll start off with a few topics.

Heroes is back! Volume 4 now… can you believe it? Technically I feel we should be on 3 now but whatever! I still want to buy the Season 2 DVD but with all the great streaming sites it’s just not worth it. The economy is crap but one thing to look forward to is good old fashioned Hollywood entertainment.

Celebrity Apprentice is also coming back. I was pleased with the show and winner last time. I also loved the Quizno sammies the show brought to the store. They’re gone now… I’m sad about that. I love the contestant choice this time. It’s like they picked people from similar careers but I feel I know these contestants better. A few highlights are Andrew Dice Clay, Joan Rivers & daughter, Tom Green, Clint Black, and many more. Those are just the first that come to mind.

America’s Next Top Model is also starting soon. This is Cycle 12. Jeez, I can’t even count anymore. The girls this time look really boring. The first show is usually my favorite where they narrow everyone down. Youtube kind of took away the surprise by showing the confirmed contestants. I’ll have to watch to see whose personality stands out. From the pictures, I liked London and Sandra. People are saying London is short, but hey they picked Eve. ANTM never seems to care about the things real fashion cares about; it’s a show. Sandra has some awesome photos out and I see her potential. She could be a winner. There’s no plus sized models this time. I think that’s good. It’s easier to be a plus sized model and more people fit that shoe. They seem to be going back after high fashion instead of commercial models. If you watch the show though, you know they never actually know what they want.

I’m currently watching the show True Beauty. It’s produced by Tyra Banks and Ashton Kutscher. It’s kind of hokey but it works because most of the contestants are self-absorbed and oblivious. It’s also putting them under a microscope… I think of myself as a good person but there’s lots of situations I’m sure I overlook or reasons I wouldn’t respond. They make choices based on any little thing they find, but I do agree some of them are just way off from inner beauty. I guess it’s something hard to prove. At any rate, it’s entertaining and that’s what TV is for… other than learning, communication, and all that other stuff. xD

I’ve been working a bit. I consider myself lucky to have work in these hard times, but I think people that have no job at all aren’t looking hard enough. Sometimes we all have to go under our perceived market value to get work and money flow. Remember it’s better to make less than nothing and pennies stack up. It’s also a reminder to spend wiser and that we can’t throw around money like the 90’s was all about… bling on car rims, gas guzzlers, brand names, expensive handbags. If it’s for you, that’s cool but I just don’t see it as necessary. It’s nice, but not necessary.

I did another round of posing for the art school, worked at the MacWorld 2009 show, and starred as an extra in an upcoming big motion picture. I doubt you’ll be able to see me at all, being that I was to blend into the backround but I got to be in Funny People. I also got to see Seth Rogen. He looks huge in movies and pictures but he’s not actually that big/tall. He also looks like he’s thinner. I’m sure he’s been busy but maybe it’s the camera adding weight. Good times.

It’s here, whether you like it or not! The burning log on the TV started several hours ago. It seems like it burns longer each year. For those of you who have no clue what I’m talking about, they play video of a fireplace burning a log on TV and play bad Christmas songs with it. They’ve been doing this for years…

I have to say I like the holidays. I like to wrap up presents and use ribbons and bows frivilously. Also, I love bad holiday movies like The Santa Claus and Home Alone 2. Gift baskets are great too. Some people think they’re corny but not me. I love bath stuff and those wierd food baskets of crackers, meat, cheese, jelly, and whatever randomness they can find. Love it love it love it!

I can’t say I like the cold though. Also I know it’s not the happiest time for everyone. I try to make it happy for everyone I can. Even my guinea pigs and cats get gifts. Tonight we fed the feral cats that live in a parking lot down the street. Peace on earth, and giving to all. No matter what you believe or how you think of it, happy holidays to all! :D

I was working a job today with make-up so I thought this would be an appropriate topic. For a long time I neglected to wear make-up with cosplay. I spend so long getting all the parts and pieces on that I don’t even want to put on make-up. Taking those extra few minutes makes all the difference for photos.

If you’re doing a stage performance put more dramatic make-up on by choosing darker colors. Don’t over-do it though or you’ll look like a hooker or something. That’s never good D: Also don’t forget to take off the make-up before you go to sleep. Not only will it wind up all over your pillow but it’s not good for your skin either.

Some costumes call for really dramatic make-up or special effects. Airbrushing is also really awesome but not accessible to most people. Be sure to test out any body paint before the day of the event to avoid disaster or disappointment. I usually stay away from costumes that call for extreme skin coloring like blue or black. It’s typically best/easiest to choose a character that most closely matches your natural features. Different skin colors are difficult but can be very rewarding. Liquid latex is also a fun medium to work with. It cannot be used on the face but is safe for the rest of the body.

You can buy many types of make-up online but you can’t really test it that way beforehand. Costume and theatrical stores also carry great make-up. Halloween is a great time to stock up, but don’t let it sit around so long it gets old. That’s no fun. Have fun with your make-up! :D

If you sell on E-bay, you’ve probably noticed a lot of changes lately. Every year or so they make major changes. For the first few years there were lots of improvements made… E-bay stores, buy-it-now, etc… Other than the new seller listing method, I can’t say I like a lot of the changes.

They implemented a new rating system where buyers rate sellers in many areas of the transaction. The seller is unable to leave feedback for buyers and cannot see were the specific ratings come from.

I also read about the last bout of changes and it lacked a lot of specific info. Also, a lot of the changes made “have not yet gone into effect.” For example, beginning in October, sellers were no longer able to accept personal check or money order as a payment method. It claimed that sellers should remove it from their listings as of September to avoid having their listings cancelled. I saw many listings since accepting money order and check. I’ve even had buyers approach me asking if I’ll accept money order for payment. I asked E-bay to be sure. They told me it is against policy as of October, but it’s OK until January. What the hell kind of sense does that make.

They make no sense, but they sure rack up the cents in Paypal charges. Since money order and check are no longer accepted as of October and January, all payments must be made through Paypal or a fancy merchant credit card account. Paypal payments chip away $.30 per transaction plus a fixed percentage on the amount. E-bay and Paypal are related companies so they get: a listing fee, final value fee, more money for bells and whistles like additional photos, transaction fee, and percentage of total including shipping. Talk about quadruple dipping. Then god forbid if you charge a cent over actual shipping so you actually have enough money to ship it after they tag you for fees. Someone can put 1-4/5 stars for shipping cost.

The economy is bad enough. Fewer people are buying and the people who buy are buying for less. There’s also less listings and variety on E-bay lately. Is it because there is less economic function, or is it because the sellers are turned off?

Go figure I just got a pop-up for an email received from E-bay.

I heard that star ratings below 4.5/5 incur the sellers higher final value fees. Since E-bay lowered the listing fees and “put more emphasis on successful listings” charging higher final value fees… I have yet to see in print what the fees are. I don’t think I even want to see. I’ll just consider it financial rape and expect it to happen every time I sell an item. E-bay is no longer simple, easy, or a reasonable way to generate substantial income. It’s become more of a place to just get rid of things and get a few dollars.

I would like to encourage everyone to buy something small for yourself from E-bay. Come on, the economy isn’t that bad that you can’t afford a $3-10 item to brighten your day. Prices are so low right now you can find yourself a treasure or just something sentimental like your favorite book as a kid. Sellers take time and care to list an item just to get a few dollars. It’s a miracle people are still taking the time to list all these thousands of groovy things. I know I haven’t wanted to relist items lately. Sales are so slow.

And also, while you’re at it… Leave 5 stars! That’s right, don’t be a picky bitchy; you’re not an E-bay connoisseur who tests sellers and checks shipping price to the penny and quality of tape used in packaging. Sellers are everyday people like me and you. If you get your item in one piece within a week or two and the shipping wasn’t so high you didn’t want to pay it in the first place, then just leave 5/5 stars. 4/5 stars might seem pretty good to you and it even sounds good in the descriptions, but in actuality, 4/5 is not good enough to E-bay and they will charge higher fees or even cancel the seller’s ability to sell if it is under 4.5/5 stars. Harsh!

Remember, 5/5! Keep E-bay sellers alive!

With new characters, plots, and exciting secrets revealed, I must admit I still wasn’t waiting around or rushing to the TV Monday nights this season. Most times I opted to watch Heroes online a day or two after it aired. None of my friends were IMing spoilers either. Heroes, what happened to you?

I know they took a lot of feedback on past seasons and it shows. The plot moves much more quickly with little to no character development. I don’t think it turned out all positive. I’m a mixed bag on this season. Everyone kept telling me, “Well at least it’s better than last season, right?” Now I’m not to sure about that. Each season is just different, never seeming to recapture what they had in the first.

This season did provoke a lot of emotional reaction. Again, not quite sure if that’s a good or bad thing. I found myself rolling my eyes and sighing at the TV. There were some heartwarming moments. I really enjoyed seeing Hiro’s mother. The spirit walk thing was cool, but Arthur Petrelli just goes around and screws things up like he’s Mr. Thang. This leads me to my other point.

I came up with the tag line “Oh wells!!!” for parts that seem like they planned a whole lot for nothing. Sylar killed Mya’s brother and she doesn’t seem to care about that. She just cares about shopping in cheap clothing stores and bad fashion this season. Oh wells!!!

Then Suresh leaves his card for her but I mean the place is gone now. Oh wells!!! Were they just showing that he’s still into Mya? Well duh, we all know that because she’s prolly the only punani he’s seen in years if ever. Poor Suresh, his character sucks. He keeps changing his whole personality also. Oh wells!!!

Speaking of character changes, what’s up with Peter and Nathan. Peter changes so much it’s not even funny. Let’s have a look-see; Season 1 - emotional want to save world and gain lots of powers and friends, Season 2 - amnesia and barfights in ireland, Season 3 - very poor social skills and loss of powers… Ok, I don’t care enough to make a serious argument here, but you get my drift. Why is he such a jerk now? Could it be because of Caitlyn, his second love on the show, being cast away to the future that never happens? Well it couldn’t be because no one seems to give a crap about Caitlyn. Is she lost in time? Will she reappear in the current time line 2 years later? Who knows, who cares, oh wells!!!

Then Pinehearst makes the ultimate soldier! We spend time getting to know him and why he wants a power. We see his birth as a “hero” and display of awesome power. Inside we’re like OMG is he going to be the next force to recon with? He’s so strong! Then we watch him walk into a room and have his neck snapped like a pencil. Oh wells!!!

Adam was dug up from the past to bring Arthur Petrelli back. For all we knew Arthur coulda been well this whole time hiding and Adam could have been burried, but of course then the story line wouldn’t be incestuous enough where everything has to do with everyone else and effects everything. It was also a way to sign the actor’s final check because we know Adam is more expensive than a nobody actor. Oh wells, bye Adam!

Does anyone else miss Niki? I do! Tracy isn’t as cool and I miss Niki’s motherly, though sometimes slutty, presence. Nathan sure is into them clones. He’s into pretty much everyone but his wife, cuz um yea, he plays a politician. Then when things go to shit, Tracy saves him, then he turns her in to the president. I love you but oh wells! There must be one clone left for him to get with that he hasn’t. Hmm. His character is so flawed now, by the end of it he doesn’t even seem like himself. I used to like his character, even when he was acting like a crazy godsend. But now… and turning people in… he must have forgotten that exposing the secret got his wife paralyzed and him almost killed at least 3 times.

Then Elle. Poor Elle. Just when I was starting to like her she got lame and then Sylar killed her. Why bother with all that crap. The whole we made Sylar story and love and screwing, then he kills her. Sorry, we can’t afford you either as an actress. Don’t worry, we’ll probably incorporate you in some other useless way next season because people can still go to the past. Way to go. So now where did the future kid come from? Was Sylar’s baby Noah hers? She’s not around in that future either. What was that all about then? Oh wells!!!

The New Orleans thing also seemed promising last season. I’m sure this season is passing to allow Micah to grow up, voice change, go to school, and all that stuff… but really. Was all that necessary? Did they have to create the cousin or kill Niki? Hell, Niki and DL could have died together and it would have been the same. Or better yet, they could have just gone on a trip to Tahiti or Mexico, or just forgotten about them like we do with other people. Molly went off somewhere. They must have a use for her. I haven’t seen Micah’s cousin since though. I’m still sad about that situation. Why did they do that for. Niki didn’t have to die. They just don’t care, move along, oh wells!!!

So if you don’t have a use in future episodes, y’all best watch out! You’re going in the heroes graveyard! I thought for sure Angela was going there and joining her husband. I like the actress that plays Angela though so she can stick around. That’s A-OK with me. Otherwise who will cause drama and abuse ties to Nathan.

Oh wells! End of Chapter 3. Join us again next time where the plot and characters will change so much you’ll wonder if it’s the same show. Next time they’re headed in the direction all superhero plots go, government/hiding/persecution. “Burn the witches!”

In all seriousness, I still enjoy the show. It’s just for different reasons than before. Even midway in Season 3 I was still feeling it but they lost me once they kept messing with the past/future, and more importantly, the integrity of the characters. Let’s hope for an awesome Chapter 4.