Return to Blogging and New Gaming Space

 

(New Gaming/Play Area/Project Workshop Area)

I'm back!  

Sort of.

It's been nearly a year since my last blog post.

My hiatus from the internet was not by my choice.  About now I'm coming up on my One Year "Lungaversary."  For instance, two days ago marked my first anniversary of the last time I worked or drove a vehicle.

From the summer of 2019 until December of 2021, I was battling Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), until my lungs collapsed.  In the first week of the Holiday Season, I was hospitalized and had a bi-lateral lung transplant.  Everything fell into place within a few days that needed to be, in order for me to have a transplant.

This was a miracle.  I now have a second lease on Life.

The downside is that I spent 4 months in the hospital, from late November 21 to mid March 22, most of it in the Intensive Care Unit.

I've been in Recovery Mode ever since, and will be for at least several more months.

This has left me with little time or energy to blog.  It took me until mid May to be able to climb stairs, and my daily walks are still limited to about 5 minutes/hour, at most.  My hands shake to a varying degree which makes counter-clipping hard and painting miniatures impossible.

However, my health has improved a bit, thanks to my wife being my 27/7/365 caregiver.  

In addition to taking care of my health needs, she's been working on the house, or coordinating contractors to add improvements and upgrades.

One of the most considerate things she did was clearing out a space in the garage, pictured above, to be used for:  Gaming, a play area for the grandkids, and a workshop area.  My step son hung up a Velcro pile tape along the garage entry, in order to set up a custom-made screen.

Two of my grandkids already tested out the area a couple months ago, playing with a large set of spongy blocks we have.

Since I can't be left alone, my friend Joe, has come over to sit with me, while my wife runs errands, or takes a well-deserved day off with family and friends.

We've utilized this time to binge-watch war documentaries, war movies, and play a long-running game of Admirals' War.

(Cover Art to Admirals' War)

It's a 10-turn game, with each turn representing several months of World War II naval operations.  We started playing in the last week of August.  Since we're new at this game, this session has been more of a learning experience.  Joe manages to visit 1-3 times a week and we squeeze in 1-2 turns each time.

We finished the Movement Phase of Turn 10, and are planning on engaging in the last sea battles of the war later this week.

I didn't take any pics of our game, but my next blog post will be some sort of After Action Review.

Thank you all for your support.

 

Cubicle 7's Call for Freelancers

(Image:  Wrath & Glory logo by Cubicle 7 Games)

Last year, I went all-in for the Wrath & Glory Warhammer 40,000 (WH40K) roleplaying game (RPG).

In addition to the core rulebook, I bought the starter kit, the gamemaster's screen, a battle map, deluxe wrath & glory tokens, along with all six of the specialized card decks.

(Image:  Cover art from the Ulisses North America version)

Several months ago, I logged on to Ulisses North America's website to see if there were any new products.  Not only were there no new products--but there was no Wrath & Glory at all.

But the new WH40K RPG didn't die, instead Ulisses transferred the license to Cubicle 7 Entertainment.

This company currently produces five other games including the Warhammer Fantasy RPG, so they have experience with the Warhammer 'verse.

Now fast-forward to this past Friday night and I catch this notice, initially on the Wrath & Glory Facebook page:

So I decided to heed the call.

The deadline is 20 September 2019, but I noticed fans already responded by sending in their CV/Resume and writing sample.  So I'm behind the power curve already.

I must admit, I had to look up what a CV--Curriculum Vitae was.

I just finished padding updating my resume.  And as Fate would have it, I'm currently working on a WH40K webcomic based on my last post about my Chaos Cultists.

My cunning plan is to submit it as my writing sample and submit my package by the end of this week, early next week.

The competition is stiff, but I like the idea of earning some cool points and geek cred by saying:  "Yeah, I applied for that gig."

(Image:  Cubicle 7's proposed cover art)

Stern Rake Studio--10th Anniversary

I originally started this blog 10 years ago today as therapy while I recovered and convalesced from hernia repair surgery.

Since then, I've branched off into making YouTube movies and concocting webcomics, like The Chronicles of Culhwch y Drewllyd, derived from the games I've played.

It's been a rewarding "journey" and I hope to continue this internet "voyage" for another 10 years--hopefully even longer.

Thank you for your readership and support.

Technical Troubles--Continued

(Image from:  Superpages--Top 10 Common Computer Problems)

Well folks, I know it's been over a month since I posted anything.

You see, shortly after my desktop was declared Dead on Arrival (DOA) by the nearby computer repair shop, my laptop need repair.

Technically, it was a simple problem:  Replacing the power receptacle that had come loose, which was only intermittently recharging the laptop.

As it turned out though, the part needed to be ordered from a warehouse in California.  But Californians are dealing with bigger wildfires than we are in Washington State.  So shipment of the new power receptacle was delayed until some of "the smoke cleared."

I'm still in the process of setting up my laptop with the additional functions I relied on my desktop for, along with trying to utilize my iPad Pro more effectively, so I can blog remotely.

I hope to get back into my haphazard blogging schedule shortly.

Thank you for your patience!

Stern Rake Studio Website

Well, I finally launched an actual Stern Rake Studio website yesterday. 

I've been tinkering with it for over a year now. I'm not 100% satisfied with it, but I'm not sure what else to do with it. 

So instead of letting it continue to lay dormant, I thought I'd launch it. 

I'll continue to work on it when I figure out how to improve it.

In the meantime, I hope you like it:

SternRakeStudio.com 

Another New Tool of the Trade

(Image from Amazon.com)

Back in February, I announced I got a new camera, which I'm still trying to figure out all the functions.

If that wasn't enough, I thought I'd use the funds in my tax return to buy a new laptop.

The influx of funds wasn't the only factor in this decision.

For years I've been using a Toshiba Satellite a305-s6905, which actually got a decent review on CNET--back in 2009.

But it wasn't the age of my laptop that was bothering me.  Starting about a month ago, anytime I logged on to the internet, I'd get a message along my toolbar notifying me that Google Chrome won't be supporting Windows Vista.

So I was presented with choice to either upgrade my laptop to Windows 10, or buy a new laptop.  (Later I found out my old Satellite doesn't seem compatible with Windows 10).

When I began my search for the best laptop for my needs,  (or as any computer illiterate like me could fully fathom what I need), I discovered that every laptop, along with just about every other techno-gadget on the market, were better than my current model.

Based on the performance statistics--and the price discount Amazon.com offered--I decided to buy an HP Pavilion Flagship with a 15.6" screen.  I was thinking about buying the version with a 17.3" screen, but I liked the handiness of the 15.6" screen my Satellite has and thought the larger one would be too big.

My New Tool of the Trade was hand-delivered to me two days after Easter.  Seriously.  The UPS guy arrived just as I was heading to the gym that afternoon.

Since then I've been transferring files and learning the ins & outs (mostly outs) of my Flagship.  While I'm certainly experiencing "growing pains," I'm happy with my purchase because even if I don't learn everything there is to know about my Flagship, I can at least tell it's a better model than my Satellite.

New Logo for Stern Rake Studio

(The image I settled on--for now)

I have two announcements.

First, I purchased a couple of domain names, "Stern Rake Studio dot Com" and "Stern Rake Studio dot Net" through 1 & 1.  It will be a while for the Stern Rake Studio website to be up & running.  I'll have to construct it, or more than likely, have someone help me build it.

While I'm happy with my purchase, I'll probably end up contacting 1 & 1's customer service.  In my zeal to obtain the domain name, I didn't proofread my purchase as thoroughly as I should have.  The "dot com" domain will be listed as "stern-rake-studio,"  while the "dot net" domain will be "sternrakestudio."

I'd like the dot com to be all one word, like the dot net one is.  I decided to purchase the dot net in addition to the dot com, to thwart anyone else from using the Stern Rake Studio name and possibly confusing any viewers.

Of course, 1 & 1, along with every other domain company attempts to get customers to monopolize every possible permutation of their chosen domain name as possible.  I figured grabbing the dot net name would be enough.  I don't feel the need to corner the Stern Rake Studio market.

At least not yet.

The second announcement is that I've changed the logo to Stern Rake Studio.

Since I'll have a bona fide website (eventually), I thought I should have my own logo instead of hijacking one off the internet, even if the image is public domain.

I staged a hypothetical fight between HMS Orpheus and the Carmagnole, from my Sails of Glory collection, and took over 185 pictures using my old Panasonic Lumix and my new Nikon CoolPix cameras.  The reason I snapped so many pictures is because it was a partly cloudy day and I made several setting changes on my camera, along with turning interior lights on and off.

After deleting all the blurry images, I played around with the color and lighting on each photo using the Windows Paint program and Paint.Net.  Then I used Paint.Net's ink sketch program to make it look like I drew the images.

I wanted to use this image...

...of HMS Orpheus conducting a stern rake maneuver against Carmagnole with "guns blasing," thanks to the Windows Paint program.  Unfortunately, when I uploaded this on to Blogger, the only image I got was of Carmagnole's bowsprit and foremast.

Here's another image I would have liked to use:

I even took "reverse image" photos, but none of them came out as well as I wanted.  The Carmagnole's hull was too dark in all of them, which made it hard to spot the ship's gun ports.

I also took pictures using a grey cotton ball to represent Orpheus' cannon belching smoke.  I would have used the Windows Paint program to make the image more "realistic," but I didn't like the way the cotton ball obscured the details of HMS Orpheus.

For now, I've settled on the current header picture for this blog.  I plan on coming up with a better image--hopefully sooner, rather than later.

In the meantime, among the various photos I do like, I made images with "Stern Rake Studio" imprinted on them using various fonts.  These will be used as logos for future webcomics and YouTube videos.

I'm sure I'll be making more improvements in the future.

New Tool of the Trade

(My Nikon CoolPix P530 camera, accessories, and of course, the multi-lingual owner's manual)

Other than my Valentine's Day and President's Day greetings, it's been almost a month since I posted anything of substance.

The reason for this literary lull is that I'm finally getting around to figuring out the new camera I bought early last month.  And yes, this includes reading the owner's manual.

For nearly eight years now, I've been taking pictures for my blog, YouTube videos, and webcomics with my trusty Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 camera.

I love the Lumix's handiness and ease of use, although I certainly haven't mastered it.

My biggest problem has been adjusting the light setting (natural daylight, overcast, or indoor lighting) for the environment I'm shooting in.  Once I've taken a batch of pictures I'd use the Windows Paint Program in my laptop, and/or the Paint.Net program I downloaded to adjust the color and brightness of each picture.

I certainly haven't mastered this technique either.

I hardly use the built-in flash because it seems like the subject, usually one or more miniature figures, would be in an over-bright "spot light,"  while the areas outside the "blast zone" would be darker than normal.

Despite my questionable skills with a camera, for the past year I've been wondering if it was time to "up my game."

When I finally decided to take the plunge, the choice was fairly easy:  The Nikon CoolPix P530 was one of the least expensive cameras available at the Base Exchange (BX) I usually shop at.

Getting a camera with a built-in lens is the proverbial double-edge sword.  On the one hand, it's convenient to have a permanently attached lens, but the flip side means that I'm limited to what this lens can do.

Right now, I don't see myself needing a myriad of separate lenses.  For the work do, I think one lens will suffice.

Besides, the learning curve on this camera is long, and steep enough as it is.

(Image from:  English Language & Usage--The Meaning of a Steep Learning Curve)

Of Spammers and Derelict Sites

(Image by Seraphmx)

 Last week I discovered the Reading List on my blog's administration page was overrun by Indonesian gambling sites. 

In response, I changed my password and filed a complaint with Google, who owns and runs Blogger.

The gambling spam was still in my Reading List the following day, so I fired-off another complaint to Google.

On the morning of the third day, the spam was gone, so I thought my problems were over.

But then a couple days later, I discovered two spam posts from the same Indonesian gambling sites.

This time I Googled "Spam found on Blogger Reading List."  Fortunately, I found a woman who had the same problem two years ago.

The first person to respond told her that the problem wasn't her blog, but one or more of the blogs she had on her reading list.  Spammers hijacked one of the blogs she was following and was using to spam other blogs.

It was like facehuggers infesting a derelict spaceship.

(Image:  The derelict ship in "Alien," found on Electric Shadow)

The recommended solution was to find the infected blog and delete it from her Reading List. 

I was following over 100 blogs.

Was I reading them every day?

No, of course not, but they were blogs I was interested in and would check out some of them when the mood struck me.

So I scrolled through my list.

I found five that were infected.  

However, I didn't just delete the five infected ones--I deleted over 40.  Some of them were from close friends and family.

These blog owners hadn't posted in anywhere from 1-5 years.  I figured sooner or later, these "cyber derelicts" would be too inviting for facehugger/spammers.

There were some I hated deleting, but I didn't want to run the risk of being spammed, or worse, passing along viruses.

(This Halloween-appropriate image found on The Richest: The 10 Most Dangerous Computer Viruses Ever)

Now I scroll down my Reading List every day I log on and scan for facehugger/spammers.

Possible Blogger Account Hack

I think my Blogger account has been hacked.

On my Blogger homepage there's usually a Reading List displaying the latest posts from the blogs I follow.

About an hour ago, instead of seeing other bloggers' activities, I now have a list of Indonesian gambling sites.

I filed a complaint to Google, which runs Blogger, along with initiating a password change.

I'm not tech savvy enough to determine whether reading any of my blogs will cause any virus or malware to be transferred, but I thought I'd transmit this warning.

I hope to get this resolved soon.

Please accept my apologies.

Examining Current Works-in-Progress

(A self-standing magnifying glass to aid my aging eyes)

Like most wargamers, I have a lot of figures to paint and/or assemble.  As part of my "Studio Expansion," I managed to put most of the unpainted/unassembled figures into one storage bin.

(My Box O' Projects)

In addition to the boxes of Warhammer 40K figures, the box contains several pounds worth of micro-scale miniatures, ranging from fantasy and sci-fi, to World War II and modern; along with a handful of 25mm historicals.

 

Five years ago, I began my wretched hive project.  This now consists of several one-story buildings of scum and villainy.  Several weeks back, I stumbled across larger storage trays that will make suitable three-story buildings.

(Top edges trimmed off the storage trays from Walmart)

These buildings have now been primed and I still had some textured paint left over.  Unfortunately, the spray cans were all clogged, so I'll have to purchase new ones.

 

I haven't had any problems with my old non-textured paint--yet--and I resumed my 6mm terrain board terra-forming project. 

 

(My 6mm Terrain Board #5)

I'm currently working on the fifth board.  This is the last piece featuring the river.  After I complete this, I'll have one last piece to renovate.

 

(Another view of Board #5)

I'm always frustrated that my gaming projects seem to move at glacial speed, no matter how much time I have available to devote to them. 

 

The same goes for my writing projects.

 

I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling this way.

 

I guess you can't rush the creative process.

 

Bare Bones Impulse Purchases

One of the hazards of wargaming is impulse buying. 

Several weeks ago, I stumbled across some Bones Figures by Reaper Miniatures while browsing through the Game On! store I ventured in to.

I happened to like some of the figures, along with a loose assortment of D&D Miniatures they had.  So I bought them with little consideration about integrating them into my current collection.

Miniatures need to be painted and the folks at Reaper, of course, recommended their own line of paint.  During my Enfilade Final Hour Fly-By, I picked up a starter paint kit from a vendor in the process of packing.  (I'm afraid I didn't catch their company name).

While I can't remember who I bought the paint kit from, I do know the good folks and regular Enfilade attendees at Monday Knight Productions.

I can't remember an Enfilade where I didn't buy any of their 1/285th-scale buildings. 

This year was no different, and I purchased several items that caught my interest. The items pictured above included animal pens, a power generating station and a middle eastern village.

Now all I have to do is paint all this stuff...

Studio Expansion

A lot of Life Changes has occurred on the "deck" of Stern Rake Studio these past two years. 

 

First, my wife's job allowed her to work from home.  Then my daughter and her boyfriend moved-in and stayed with us for over a year.  During this time, my wife moved her work station into the studio, so things have been rather cozy for us.

 

When my daughter and boyfriend moved out, we rented a storage/shipping container for them to take all the furniture we set aside for them.  Now we have a spare room and more open space in the garage--although still not enough to park one of our vehicles.

 

So Stern Rake Studio has re-expanded.

 

My wife re-arranged the garage, and our spare room into sitting/hobby room for both of us.  There's still enough floor space in the Sitting Room to place a portable mattress for the occasional house guest. 

 

The above picture is of the surviving half of my old desk underneath some shelves.  This now serves as a paint station.

 

Here's a few more picture's of the Studio expansion:

Paint, glue and Flocking storage:  To the left is my collection of acrylic paints in the desk drawer.  On the right is a partial view of a roll-away shelf where I store spray paint, glue and terrain flocking

 

In the Sitting Room:  My well-used (or abused) folding table, which I use as another work station.

 

The Sitting Room Closet:  Has given me additional space to store games, miniatures and terrain that were previously on a utility shelf in the garage.

 

Now that the Studio "deck is cleared for action," I've started chipping away my unfinished pile of metal, plastic and cardboard. 

Coping with Windows 8

This may indeed be the incorrect way of doing screenshots, but the image illustrates what I want to do to my PC after uploading Windows 8. 

I've had my PC, which came with Windows Vista, for several years now.  Prior to Halloween a writer friend of mine offered her e-book for free for a few days and then on sale for less than $2.99.  I wanted to support her work and get the book, but the problem was I didn't--and still don't--have a digital reader.

Prior to the end of the sale, she announced you could still buy the book even if you don't have an e-reader, provided you have Windows 8.  About the same as my friend's book sale, I noticed my Windows Vista-based programs on both my PC and laptop were acting "clunkier" than ever before, despite doing regular virus scans, disk cleanings and defraggings.

After thinking about it for a few weeks, I figured it was high-time to upgrade.  However, I wanted to "test the waters" first by uploading the program on to my PC, before I upgrade my laptop.

I'm glad I held off upgrading my laptop.

I've been dealing with glitches and hiccups every time I turn on my PC. 

My friend Dale later told me on Facebook, that Windows 8 was primarily designed for touch-screens.  Since my PC isn't a touch-screen this could explain a lot.

Here's just an off-the-cuff list of the issues that have plagued me:

Right off the bat, a program called PCSmartFix popped up during the upgrade process.  I thought it was part of the Windows 8 package.  After the upload was completed I clicked on the desktop icon, which sprang to life and announced that I had 8,142 items wrong with my computer.  PCSmartFix could fix it all and make my PC run like new--for $29.99. 

I e-mailed the group  saying no thanks and initiated the uninstall sequence.

Windows 8 also came with some type of browser program (I think) called AVG Guard, which automatically added another tab.  I uninstalled this too, because it was seriously hindering my web browsing.

However, with AVG gone, my screen sprouts pop-ups like it was infected with the measles.  My friend Adrian suggested I adjust my pop-up blocker, which I did.  But the only setting that seems to work is "high," in which case I have to click the "allow once" button that pops up everytime I move to another page.

Another annoyance is having to scroll to different pages to do anything, rather than clicking on a desktop icon.

The biggest problems for me right now thoughis :  I'm not able to directly upload all the photos I recently took for my webcomic.
And when it comes to blogging, I'm not able to type anything within the main body area of the Blogspot program.

Some of these issues may be unrelated to Windows 8 and just happen to erupt now.

Then again, this could all be "operator error."

Whatever the reason(s) though, it's delaying my writing projects and seriously trying my patience.

(Image from mdjunction.com)

 

Desktop Wallpaper for Miniature Backdrops

(Image from WallpaperUp)

Yesterday I spent nearly four hours looking at pictures on Wallpaper Up. It's certainly easy for any writer to get distracted while "doing research" on the internet.

But I swear this wasn't the case--for the most part.

I've been on a quest for exotic miniature backdrops to add to my meagre collection, which can be seen here and here. Most of the stuff I found, like Ez Scenes are more suited for model railroading, depicting 1950s American and Europe than the "...galaxy far, far away."

After a couple of hours of fruitless trolling, I was about to give up in despair. Then I stumbled across Wallpaper Up. The site is actually designed to provide desktop wallpaper for computer screens. But that didn't stop me from spending an additional two hours downloading and printing various images to use as backdrops for upcoming chapters of Breakout from Bongolaan.

I focused my search on: Planets in Science Fiction, Futuristic Cityscapes, Futuristic Landscapes and was just taking my first peek at Battle Scenes and Star Wars, before calling it a night.

Of the 50 images I downloaded, I printed nine pieces of wallpaper art on standard 8" x 11" cardstock, that I felt would be large enough for close-up shots. There's at least two dozen photos and on-line artwork I'd like to enlarge and paste on 20" x 30" poster boards.

"I'd like to..." being the operative phrase. To accomplish this, I'll have to take these to a print or photography shop. I may trim this list down, once I get over the sticker shock of the cost per page.

In the meantime, it's back to trolling through Wallpaper Up for more images, like this...

Studio Assembly Complete--Minus Some Finishing Touches

 

A couple weekends ago, my wife and I finished assembling my new corner desk, from Office Depot's Magellan Collection.  We both like the style and size is appropriate for my new studio.  The only problem we had was one of the shelves and the back of the drawer, each had a chunk gouged-out of them.  This was most likely caused by how the desk was packaged and then shipped.  When my wife called our local Office Depot, they knew right away what the problem was and ordered us replacements. 

 

By the end of last week, I was able to do the final floor and shelf/storage arrangement.  It took me nearly all day to complete, but I can honestly say I'm done.

 

Almost.

 

I just have a few of the finishing touches I alluded to in the title. 

 

This includes installing the un-gouged drawer back, which arrived just as I was loading the desk.  While I have my PC up and running, it's not connected to the internet yet.  So we'll either run a cable to the router or get a wireless device installed in my PC.  Finally, I'll take a good look at some of my boxes-of-odds-and-ends and determine if any of the items are worth keeping. 

 

So, hopefully soon it will be "full speed ahead" on my writing and miniature painting projects.

One Minute of Shameless Self-Promotion

 

 

 Okay, it's more like one-minute and seven seconds, according to YouTube.  I finally finished making my YouTube Channel all snazzy--or at least as snazzy as I can get it.

The biggest problem I had was how to get a picture to fit into the Channel Art frame.  That's the long banner-like image you'll find along the top of various personal channels.  Every picture I have was too small in its original format to fit into the banner, which has a pixel dimension of 2120 x 1190. 

There are on-line instructions on how to resize images, but they're written for people using Photoshop, which I don't have.

But I do have Paint.net, often referred to as a "poor man's Photoshop."

One day I was playing around with the program and--behold! 

I stumbled across the Resize function, under the Image Tab of the toolbar.  I took the Raking Fire image I've been using as a logo, made some adjustments on the wording and installed it as Stern Rake Studio's Channel Art. 

It's not exactly how I how I envisioned it would look like, but it will certainly do for now.  At least it's better than the default black & gray cube art.

With the Channel Art in place, I then turned to making my Channel Trailer. 

Basically, this is a one-minute and seven second advertisement for Stern Rake Studio.  So along with a sampling of movies that are currently "on the air," there's a call for viewers to subscribe.

I also hope my current fans enjoy it.

The channel trailer is labelled as a first edition, because I intend to update it as I make more movies and hopefully get better at what I'm doing.

Move 99% Complete

I've been off-line for nearly two weeks because Janet and I are in the throes of finalizing our home consolidation.  Two Saturdays ago was the "Big Move."  The plan was to rented a U-Haul to move all the big and/or heavy furniture out of my old place.

But as von Moltke said:  No plan survives contact with the enemy.  The enemy in this case was her home plumbing.  Just as we woke up to start our day, Janet noticed the carpet in the family room was damp and when I tried showering, water was backing up through the washing machine drain.  We thought the septic tank was plugged. 

 

But when the plumbing team arrived, they discovered the pipe between the house and septic tank was broken.  It actually broke several years ago and either the previous owners or some shady contractor spliced the break with Duck Tape.

 

 

Yes, Duck Tape, man's "other best friend" and multi-purpose fix-it-all.

 

Now I know there's some talented folks out there who can make anything out of Duck Tape, like...

 

...flowers (image by "DuckTapeBandit") and would you believe...

 

 

...ball gowns.  Check out the winners' incredible outfits of Duck Tape's Stuck at Prom. 

 

 

 

Not only can teens win scholarship money with Duck Tape, but the stuff can last several years as field-expedient plumbing.

 

But keep in mind, it will probably fail at the worst possible moment--just like it did for Janet and I.

 

So Janet ended up staying home to deal with the pipe repairs, while her son and I took the U-Haul and hauled my furniture out of my old house. 

 

SNAFU #2 occurred when we had the truck half packed and realized the truck was too small and it would take a second trip to remove everything we planned on removing that day.  After a quick lunch break we brought the second load just as the last plumber was putting new sealant on and around the septic tank.

 

Despite the hectic (and expensive) chain of events, we managed to get everything placed inside the new home where we wanted it, more or less.  (We did some adjusting the following day).  The only casualty, other than some strained ligaments/muscles/tendons on triceps and thighs, suffered during the move was my L-shaped studio desk.

 

It's so large we had trouble getting it out of the original room, so we had to discombobulate it.  The problem was, we discombobulated too much.  When we went to lift on portion of it, the wood split in several places and the whole thing fell apart.

 

 

The above picture isn't actually my desk.  I found this on line to give readers an idea what my desk looks like and how it came apart. 

 

I'm not as broken-up about it as I thought I'd be.  That's because I've had my doubts as to how we'd be able to carry the desk up the narrow staircase, through the narrow hallway and maneuver it into my new Studio.  Especially since the remaining desk-half is larger than the one that fell apart.

 

Looks like a trip to Ikea is in order.



"Trimming the Sails"

I haven't been too creative this past week, primarily due to a high operations tempo at work and moving preparations. 

However, what I did accomplish was a lot of on-line "sail trimming."  I discovered several links were no longer functioning, or active.  So I trimmed down the number of side-bar tabs and deleted non-functioning links.  I also deleted blogs and websites that haven't had any activity for the past year.

One of the tabs I deleted completely was the Radio Stations tab.  Just because they were my favorite stations, doesn't mean they're my readers faves.  So "over the side" they went.

I changed the Humor tab to Comic Strips and moved the non-comic strip sites to Entertainment.  I also changed the Webcomic tab to Webcomics and Publishers.

What's the difference between Comic Strips and Webcomics?

Not much really.

I didn't use any strict literary definition, just my personal observation and personal preference in organizing.  The comic strip sites usually display a 1-row, 3-panel of sequential art, as seen in the daily funnies.  Often these strips are episodic, that is, each strip encapsulates a complete story.  On the other hand, there are strips that have a story arc that spans several days, or weeks.

Wheras, most webcomics have a full-page appearance, much like a printed comic or graphic novel.

Like I said, not very scientific and I know there's one, or more exceptions to my organizational criteria.

Since blogs aren't suppose to be static, but continually evolving, I may do some tweeking to my reorganization.  And I promise I'll keep a better "weather-eye" out for defunct links.

100 K Views!

 

I've been off-line for the past several days.  During this time, two momentous events occurred.

 

First and foremost, my fiance and I got married!  We had a small wedding, which was officiated by a friend and attended by 27 other close friends and family members. 

 

While my bride and I were preparing for our wedding day and playing host and hostess for visiting family members, Stern Rake Studio received over 100,000 views!

 

 I'd like to extend my thanks and appreciation to the Studio's subscribers and occasional readers for your support.

 

Your encouragement inspires me to provide quality content for you to enjoy.