Textures

I have been playing around lately with texture in my paintings. I've only so far tried tissue paper, tracing paper, or coffee grounds to see what type of different surfaces I can make on a canvas, and I've been pleasantly surprised each time.

I found this site called ArtistTerms.com, which suggests a whole slew of different textures which can be used .. ones I had never even thought about.

I am currently trying the one with elastic bands.

I will someday photograph and show you all the paintings I've been doing, when I get a decent digital camera that will show them without blurring =)

Encyclocentral Explains it all

If you are looking for information on Auto & Trucks, you might want to give Encyclocentral a visit.

By visiting the above link you will find informative articles concerning autos and trucks, all written by experts in the specified field. But you don't have to limit yourself to just autos and trucks, there are many categories to choose from that might interest you.

I found the Hobbies category interesting, as it covers a lot of gaming articles. Another category I visited and found to be interesting was Gadgets & Gizmos, with a lot of good articles on new technology.

Check it out, you might find something you didn't know existed!

This post sponsored by PayPerPost.

Scattergories Meme.

Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following... They have to be real places, names, things... nothing made up! Try to use different answers if the person in front of you had the same 1st initial. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question.


Your Name:
Sera

Famous Artist/Band/Musician:
Skid Row

4 letter word:
Slim

Vehicle:
Saturn

TV Show:
Scooby Doo

City:
Seattle

Boy Name:
Shawn

Girl Name:
Stacy

Alcoholic drink:
Scotch

Occupation:
Sheriff

Celebrity:
Sanjaya!

Food:
Spaghetti

Something found in a kitchen:
Spatula

Reason for Being Late:
Snow on roads

Would a dehumidifier benefit you?

When I was little, I had severe allergies and also was sick a lot with colds and bronchitis. I remember my grandparents had a dehumidifier and although back then I didn't know much about what it was for, I knew it was something that helped me breathe a bit better.

What I didn't know was that it was controlling things like dust mites, condensation, and mildew and mold.

I also didn't know that on a hot day, it can regulate the humidity levels and help you get a better night's sleep .. sounds like something I could benefit from right now!

There are many positive benefits to the way a dehumidifier works, and you can read about them here.

Aprilaire dehumidifiers offers a site where you can read about various dehumidifier tips and also find ones that would be best for your situation and your home.

This post sponsored by PayPerPost.

Lethargy vs. Insomnia

I am so tired, so why can’t I sleep?

How can a person feel so plumb worn out yet be so wide awake?

I am constantly sleepy and sluggish yet I have a really hard time falling asleep at night, mostly because I just lay awake thinking of everything I need to accomplish tomorrow, the next day, the next week (or even the next month, the next year) … it goes on and on until I finally realize it’s already 4am and I have to be up at 6:30.

I hate that I don’t have a steady schedule. I never thought I’d say this, but I actually envy you 9 to 5′ers out there.

Check out Mint Credit Cards

Have you heard the buzz about Mint credit cards?

They have recently lowered their typical APR to 14.9% (variable) and offer 0% on balance transfers until August 1, 2008. Also 0% on purchases through January 1, 2008 .. how great of a deal is that?

Mint credit cards also offer a 0% bonus offer until April 1, 2009 on credit card balance transfers (2.5% fee) debited to your account during October of 2008.

There are many other perks as well: such as Mint gift cards, discounts on home owner's insurance, and discounts on motor insurance.

Mint has online servicing, which is a quick and easy way to manage your card via the internet.

Why not check them out now to see if they are the company that is right for you? You can ask questions, compare rates, use the loan calculator to tabulate your loan needs, or apply online right now.

This post sponsored by PayPerPost.

A fun little widget ..

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

This was lots of fun ..

Try it!

It's easy and it only takes a few moments.

Save a bunch with coupon codes

With gas prices always being so high all the time, I rely a lot on coupons to get some good discounts when I am planning on traveling. And since I am always in search of good travel deals, these Travelocity coupons really come in handy.

Couponchief.com offers free coupons, coupon codes, and even online coupons which can save you quite a bit and get you some really great deals.

Right now I would love to go somewhere nice to have a little vacation, and would also love to rent one of the Green cars from Hertz through Travelocity and take it on a weekend getaway just to try it out! You can save $25 on a weekend rental.

CouponChief.com has also recently made scanning coupons easier and added "how-to" screencasts for some top merchants like Target, Best Buy, Amazon, Overstock.com, Kohl's, Home Depot, Gap, and Dell.

Travelocity just happens to be my favorite store, but there are so many more to choose from .. check them out and see which one is your favorite!

This post sponsored by Payperpost.

A meme ..

YOUR REAL NAME:

Sera Strawbridge

2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (first 3 letters of real name plus izzle.)

Serizzle

3. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (fav color and fav animal)

Orange Wolf

4. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, and current street)

Renee Iroquois

5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name, last 3 letters of mom's maiden name)

Strseker

6. YOUR SUPERHERO NAME: (your 2nd favorite color, favorite drink).

Purple Propel

7. YOUR IRAQI NAME: (2nd letter of your first name, 3rd letter of your last name, any letter of your middle name, any letter of your moms maiden name, last letter of your moms middle name, 3rd letter of your dads middle name, 1st letter of a siblings first name)

Ernunms

8. YOUR GOTH NAME: (black, and the name of one your pets)

Black Hunter

A new twist on bidding at bid4prizes.com

Want an Apple iPhone? How about a Bose surround sound system or a brand new BMW?

At Bid4prizes.com, you can bid on products like this with what they say is a fun twist, the LOWEST bidder ends up being the winner.

There are two ways to bid, either online or with your mobile phone. The general idea of the game is to find a prize you like and place a bid to win it; the lowest unique bid is the lowest bid cast without any other player bidding on that prize with the exact same amount.

for example: On the 50” HDTV every penny from .01-.75 all have two or more bids on them but .76 only has 1 bidder. When the auction ends whoever bid .76 owns the low unique bid and wins the 50” HDTV. Make sense? Sound like fun?

I think I would most like to win the BMW 3 Series. I mean, how cool would it be to drive it around and tell everyone that you won it at an online bidding site for a very low price? Not to mention all the money you save by bidding on it, that would help you with keeping up with today's insane gas prices.

You can join for free or become a premium member of Bid4prizes for $9.99 per month.

Women in art through the ages.

This is about the coolest thing I have seen in a long time.

Not only do I love most of those paintings anyway, but it is so neat how someone put time into making them flow together, they are so fluid and seamless, like they were meant to be that way in the first place.

It's beautiful .. enjoy!

What can Motivator do for you?

Have you ever heard of software called Motivator?

It is motivation software that claims to reprogram your mind so that you can achieve absolutely any goal in the next two weeks. Through something known as programmed rehearsal it is said to be able to change life-long habits. Perhaps you have heard of it before and just forgot, because it was very popular back in the '80s!

Motivator is a piece of software that helps remind you of your goals.

Here's how it works: it displays messages on your computer at set intervals which help to regularly reinforce your goals and provide much needed motivation.

By always reminding yourself of your goals, you can achieve them no problem! You can use Motivator to change even the worst habits within just two weeks.

It's pretty simple: just install Motivator, setup your messages, and watch as they appear on your computer screen. Full instructions are provided upon download.

The software is absolutely free .. so why not give it a try? They do guarantee that you will not need a credit card to download the software.

This post sponsored by PayPerPost.

Never work a Cruise In if you don't have to.

Ok, so I have a new respect for people who work fast food in large, busy cities, because tonight I got a small taste of what that would be like ..

They had a Cruise-In at the restaurant where I work, and boy, was it a doozie.

I knew it was going to be bad, but I didn't know how bad. There were people EVERYWHERE, wanting EVERYTHING, and not very happy to have to stand in line and wait for food and drinks when it was about 90 degrees outside and they had already been out there in the sun for quite a while.

I think I didn't stop moving from 5pm until 9pm .. finally took a 30 minute break .. and then it was back to slaving again. Finally sat down at 12:45am .. when I finally got to go home.

*sigh* I am exhausted. The next one is June 30th .. I will be more prepared for it!

So excited about The Police!

Did you love The Police back in the day? Were they not one of your favorites? Did you know they are going on a worldwide tour this summer? YES! I am so excited .. though I know I may not get to see them because a lot of shows around me are already sold out .. *sigh* I will live though .. because I am more excited that they will be releasing a new Police cd which will be a must-have for any Police fan out there, and sure to be a major seller!

Check out the track listing of the Police cd, it's going to be so good!

Disc: 1
1. Fallout
2. Can't Stand Losing You
3. Next to You
4. Roxanne
5. Truth Hits Everybody
6. Hole in My Life
7. So Lonely
8. Message in a Bottle
9. Reggatta de Blanc
10. Bring on the Night
11. Walking on the Moon
12. Don't Stand So Close to Me
13. Driven to Tears
14. Canary in a Coalmine

Disc: 2
1. Do Do Do de da da Da
2. Voices Inside My Head
3. Invisible Sun
4. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
5. Spirits in the Material World
6. Demolition Man
7. Every Breath You Take
8. Synchronicity I
9. Wrapped Around Your Finger
10. Walking in Your Footsteps
11. Synchronicity II
12. King of Pain
13. Murder by Numbers
14. Tea in the Sahara

I would LOVE to own the cd because I am a big fan of The Police, and since I might not be able to catch them on tour this summer due to shows near me being sold out, then the next best thing would be to own the cd!

I do have a sob story to go along with this, I once had a ticket to see Sting in concert one summer in Columbus, Ohio and I was too sick to go. I ended up giving my ticket to a friend because I had strep throat and there was no way I could have sat through the concert and actually enjoyed it. I felt so terrible for missing the show.

A few days after that, I went to a yard sale on OSU campus, and found a huge framed poster of The Police, the same photo as the one shown above on the new cd .. for FOUR DOLLARS! I was so excited, and I still have it to this day.

I vow that if I won a copy of the cd from PayPerPost, I would play it to death and tell everyone I know that are Police fans that they MUST go out and buy a copy asap.

Please remember me PayPerPost when you are choosing those who deserve the cd! I grew up listening to these songs .. they all hold a special place in my heart and would be a great collector's item for Police fans like myself =)

This post sponsored by PayPerPost.

Kids These Days!

(Setting: At work, Saturday evening, sorta busy 16 year old co-worker: You want to do me a favor? Me: Not really, I'm sort of busy. 16 yr old co-worker: I'll give you a quarter if you'll go up and tell the manager that I need to go home early, I just threw up in the restroom. Me: (laughing) A quarter huh? Yeah, ok, that'll pay my rent AND put gas in my car. Hell, might even have something left over to get my nails done. A whole quarter, WOW! (more laughter) 16 year old co-worker: (glares at me and stomps off) The End.

* * *

And get this .. the co-worker's name is Mirage. I thought she was joking, so I laughed. She didn't.
It's really her name. God help us .... that's our future right there! haha, I'm scared!

Pirate Flags!

How cool are these? If you are a fan of pirates maybe this would look nice on your wall somewhere .. a Jolly Roger Flag. These flags were initially flown by pirates back in the day to scare their victims upon attack.

They offer many different styles and kinds to choose from. All made from a durable superknit polyester or standard polyester, and all are finished with a strong canvas heading and metal grommets. Would last a long time! And they are inexpensive as well.

Check them out ..



This post sponsored by PayPerPost.

Need design inspiration?

Here's 34 places to look for inspiration that you might not have known about before, online and off. My personal favorites are Threadless and LogoPond. I handed in my 7 Deadly sins book this week, but still have a painting to work on and my geology lab test on Friday. Tomorrow my Freehand update project is due .. wish me luck, the professor has been a bit mouthy lately!

PPP Direct Launches!

You probably already know that you can make money with PayPerPost, but have you heard about the new PPP Direct?

First, go here to check out the details and here to watch the overview video.

PPP makes it possible for advertisers to directly approach Posties (that's you, when you write for PPP) to get them to write special blogs. It cuts out having to log in and search for open, qualified opportunities. You control the way it works: you specify the minimum amount you wish to be paid for the opportunity and put a widget on your blog so the advertiser can find you. When they decide they want you to write for them, they contact you via clicking the badge attached to the widget and viola, it's that easy!

The way PPP Direct differs from the competitors is it cuts out the massive overhead. Some competitors charge 50 to 100% markup and keep up to half your money, but PPP Direct only charges a 10% fee, 5% of which goes to transaction fees for PayPal and credit card processing. Not bad, huh?

It's secure, easy to use, and even provides tax statements at the end of the year to keep Uncle Sam and the IRS happy.

See it live in action at andybeard.eu!

This is a great opportunity to take advantage of .. go check it out now!

If I don't rant, I'm going to EXPLODE.

First things first, if you are going to come to eat at a busy, low-cost fast food restaurant on a SUNDAY NIGHT after church then you best be a little fucking nicer to the employees. Isn't that what God would do? Treat people nicely?

God wouldn't come in and gorge on double cheeseburgers and ice cream I guess, but still .. wouldn't he treat people with respect?

And doesn't the Bible say something about gluttony?? I think I heard that somewhere before. It's one of the 7 Deadly Sins, no?

*sigh* People irk the hell out of me ... the after church crowds are the RUDEST bunch of people I've ever had to deal with in my life. They are snotty, grouchy, mean, impatient, and just downright ugly. Not only that, but they treat me as if I'm the dog shit beneath their shoes.

Shouldn't you be treating everyone with respect and love? Isn't that what your religion is supposed to be based on in the first place? You would have thought the crowd tonight just got out of a Jerry Falwell service ... hateful bunch of asses.

Frankly, I'm sick and tired of it. If you want to be served and get quality food and quality service, then GO EAT AT A DAMN SIT DOWN RESTAURANT .. stupid assholes. Oh but that would involve leaving a tip and paying a little more .. so I guess that's not an option.

And quit handing me your stupid ass pamphlets and leaving them all over the restaurant for me to clean up! Nobody reads them anyway, it's a total waste of paper!

Tonight a guy handed me a piece of paper and said, "I just wanted to give you a free ticket."

"A free ticket," I said. "A free ticket to what?"

"A free ticket to Heaven. Here, be my guest, tell them I sent you."

???!!! Effed up. Just totally effed up.

Check out Pingo!

If Paul and I had to rely on calling each other for the time we spent with me in America and him in the Netherlands, we would have racked up some major phone bills over time. But there is an inexpensive International calling card provider out there, called Pingo. Carrying a calling card is a good thing to do, especially good to have in the event of an emergency or when your cell phone may not be charged or available service when you need it most.

Pingo, a pre-paid calling card service, has no hidden fees, no surprises, and offers the best competitive rates worldwide. You can save on calling from 35 countries, auto-recharge which will automatically recharge your card when you reach $5 USD, and even get $5 USD just for signing up! They also have a refer-a-friend program that can earn you free calling.

Sign up online or just give them a call. If you do it in time for Father's Day, you can get $10 in free calls.

Check them out at pingo.com, or you can call 1-888-YO-PINGO if you have questions.

This post sponsored by PayPerPost.

Both Survivor and American Idol make me grrrr ..

Is anyone hating the recent outcome of American Idol this year? I am. I never thought it would come down to Blake and Jordin. NEVER. Melinda, you got screwed. And so did you Lakisha. I hope you both go very far despite the outcome on AI.

And about Survivor, OMG .. I don't even want to go there. I can't BELIEVE what Dreamz did to Yau-Man .. that was just so entirely wrong it makes me sick. Dreamz, you symbolize every piece of $hit person in America who can't hold true to their word. Earl was a great player but I really believed Yau-Man deserved to win. He was a genuinely good person, it was obvious .. and it's really hard to find people like that nowadays.

Yau, if you ever read this, you were my favorite. I wish you the best of luck in your life.

What can AIMpromote do for you?

Ever heard of customer relationship management software? Neither had I, until just now.

Customer relationship management (CRM) software) is normally confusing to the average person, but AIMpromote can alleviate the confusion and provide quick and easy solutions. AIMpromote is a better solution for customer relationship management. They offer a whole slew of features which you can read about on their website by clicking the link above, things like visitor tracking, website analytics, and task calendars.

If this sounds like something that your business might benefit from, please give them a visit. They do offer a 14 day trial if you would just like to give them a chance.

Jerry Fartwell, dead at 73.

I don't often mention current events, but tonight Larry Flynt, Tinky Winky and Kraft Foods employees everywhere are all screaming hallelujah because televangelist Jerry Fartwell was finally struck down, er .. I mean, he collapsed and died. Probably directly after saying something really ugly too.

I hate to see anyone just drop dead, but what a narrow-minded, racist, judgmental hate monger he was ('mental' being the operative word there.) Lest we forget his comments about 9/11?

If you feel like having a laugh or getting really pissed off, here are some other Fartwell quotes. Some of them are real gems.

Yes, I do love PayPerPost!

Have you ever seen ads on blogs and wondered what they were all about?

If you visit here often you probably already know that my blog is devoted mainly to my PayPerPost writings. Why do I love PayPerPost you might ask? Well, since I signed up back in March of this year I have already been paid $69 and I am due another $38.50 for my more recent posts. What's not to love about that?

I also love the fact that it's so very easy to use. It's simple to log in, find opportunities to write about, publish it to my blog, and viola, I'm done! And every time I get an email saying they have paid me for an opportunity is just a really great feeling .. especially when it says, "Go tell all your friends how easy that was!" they are right .. it's the greatest way to make a little extra cash.

I am envious of those people who have earned a lot with PayPerPost and I wish I had more time to devote to it; but I'm happy with what I've earned so far, and I will continue to work at it. Right now it's nice for having a little extra to put gas in my car or buy a few little indulgences here and there!

Thank you PayPerPost for being so awesome!

If you are interested and would like to join, please click the button below:

Cobra vs. Baby

People are all angry about this video and at first I could see why, but then I read where the cobra's fangs had been removed and mouth was sewn shut.

Can it still do damage? Maybe .. I don't know. The baby sure doesn't seem to mind.

1800nodrugs.com

I've blogged on the topic before and I'll do it again, it's the topic of drug rehab ... if you or somebody you care about are in need of finding treatment for a drug or alcohol problem, a place you can turn to is 1800nodrugs.com, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation referral service.

The service is of no-cost to you, and is designed to help drug addicts, alcoholics, chronic relapse victims, and their families find a rehabilitation organization that is of the best quality.

With the thousands of drug rehabilitation and alcohol rehabilitation organizations in the United States, knowing which one is best for you is a daunting task.

So, give them a call .. it can't hurt, or just visit the link above to see what they are all about.

This post sponsored by PayPerPost.