Okay, I'll bite. I'd like a new Verizon Android, because T-Mobile sucks and so does my phone; I'd like a Books Of Adam portrait of me and Adrian; a frogman t-shirt; and peace on earth or something.

My faith in humanity has been restored. I was expecting to have to do quite a few drawings, and maybe a single afghan. As it turns out, only one drawing has been commissioned so far (and it was requested that Elijah do it!), and I am already committed to doing three afghans, a tea cozy, and a cross-stitch sampler. That's how successful things have been so far, and we are astonished and grateful. And that isn't even counting the marvelous people (friends and strangers alike) who have chosen to donate without receiving anything. Amazing.

In light of the tremendous response to this fundraiser, I feel that it's important to show my work, so that everyone can be assured that we don't intend to "take the money and run", as it were. Please note that the item created does not necessarily reflect the amount donated; choice of commission is entirely at the discretion of the donater.

This list will be updated frequently.

( Beneath the cut, for your reference and mine, are completed works. )

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! The response to the fundraiser has been overwhelming so far, and we're extremely thankful to have so many good friends.

Thank you all so much.

Adrian's just had an invasive surgery. An expensive invasive surgery. On top of this cost, he's also going to be missing two weeks worth of work. And Christmas is coming.

So it's time for me to drum up some funds.

With this in mind, I am having a Preston Family Surgery/Christmas Fundraiser.

By clicking on the "Donate" button below, you're helping us immensely, but it withers my soul to ask for charity, so in return, I am offering goodies.

$5.00 - A drawing, subject matter of your choosing (some restrictions apply). I am not a terribly good artist, and the quality of my work varies greatly depending on the subject matter and how drunk I am, but I ENJOY doing it. You also have the option of a drawing made by Elijah. Granted, he's six; but he offers a wider variety of subject matters than I do (since he is less self-conscious about his work), plus everything he makes is so fucking cute. This is listed as the $5 item because all I can promise is that it will be a tangible reminder that you did our family a solid. *

$15.00 - An animated gif or icon, subject matter of your choosing. Some restrictions apply. I work best with video that is <30 minutes long. *

$25.00 - A scarf or a draft excluder, your choice of colors (yay my mum works at Michaels). These are things I know I can make. It has also been suggested that I could make hats or washcloths; I will be happy to make the attempt if that's what you wish but please know that the style would be experimental at best, especially for a hat. If you choose to have me try washcloths, you would receive a set of 4. Love in every stitch! *, **

$100.00 - A single-person afghan, colors of your choosing. *, **


* Yes, I am aware that none of the items offered are worth as much as the donation attached to them. That is because this is a fundraiser, not a proper sale.
** These things take time-- maybe as long as a couple of months, depending on how many I have to crank out. Try to be patient with me; I have arthritis in my hands.

Of course you can have any combination of the above items you wish; for instance, if you have no use for an animated gif, we could make you three drawings. If you don't need a scarf, hat, draft excluder or washcloths, you could have an icon and two drawings. THERE ARE SO MANY OPTIONS!

This post is being left open, so if you know any other good-hearted people who have money to throw away this holiday season, you can direct them here.

Thanks in advance to all who choose to participate. Every little bit helps a lot.

EDIT: For those interested in seeing what sorts of things people are commissioning for their kind donations, please follow this link.

http://yoisthisracist.com:

"If BET and Black History Month are not considered racist, then would White Entertainment Television and White History Month be racist?"

Uh, that shit already exists, yo! They’re just called different things, namely: All Other Television and White History Eleven Months.

Anonymous asked: "Is white people playing funk music racist?"

A lot of you guys seem to conflate ‘wack’ with ‘racist,’ but this is a perfect example. This is shit that is definitely wack, but probably not racist.

( More feeds under the cut! )


Okay I guess that's enough for now.

willful:
- Done in a manner which was intended.
- Intentional.  
- Stubborn.  

ignorance:
- The condition of being uninformed or uneducated. Lacking knowledge or information.

willful ignorance:
- A bad faith decision to avoid becoming informed about something so as to avoid having to make undesirable decisions that such information might prompt. It may also be shown as for a person to have no clue in a decision but still goes ahead in their decision. *

( To keep this topical, fuck willfully ignorant people. )

*Definitions courtesy of wiktionary.

This song makes me think of Quin. I hope she'll watch the video, and then maybe after, the movie (Kick-Ass); it seems to call to the deep part that she and I have always shared, despite aught else.



We are young
We are strong
We're not looking for where we belong

We're not cool
We ARE free
And we're running with blood on our knees.

:D I have done good work here today.

Adrian and Elijah were playing Mario together and Adrian commented that Lakitu was the Troll Guy of the mushroom kingdom. So then I went photoshoopin.




And then I did a bunch more! Go here to see them all.

WARNING: The following video may boil your eyeballs and explode your eardrums in a way that a cool guy wouldn't look back on. If you have already watched this video, PLEASE don't watch it again. If you have children, pets, or significant others in the room, you may wish to ask them to leave, lest they put you away for fear of your sanity. Pregnant women and heart patients are advised not to watch this, because blah blah blah medical.

( You have been warned. )

This video actually makes me sad. This young woman is actually completely devoid of talent, in a way that autotune could never hope to compensate for. And though she's "cute", she's actually fairly unattractive as far as making a talent-free video goes.

The problem is that some asshole (apparently the sort of asshole who always throws money at talent-free kids in the hopes that one will become a sensation of some sort-- sadface that he's sort of succeeded here) told this girl she was attractive and talented. And he gave her enough money to make what could have been an interesting, fun video and song, if she'd had the talent to pull it off. Unfortunately, she doesn't.

Consequently, she has become an internet sensation-- if, by "sensation", one means "laughingstock". If you try to look up her video on YouTube, you have to wade through a lot of e-famous video snarkers cashing in another fifteen minutes of fame making fun of her before you can even find her actual video.

I feel terribly bad for her. It's like if someone gave you $1000 bucks to buy a gorilla suit and go on a rampage through the mall-- with the promise that the stores would all pay great money for the fantastic publicity. By the time you realize that you aren't making a dime for your stunt, the person who made the promise is rolling in dough from contracts to keep you out of the mall in the future, plus YouTube commissions, while you're trying to pay off your fines and figure out how to show your face in public again.

This is clearly a girl who hoped to ride the coattails of Ke$ha and her ilk, and was told that that would be no problem. Now she's made an awful song (that she didn't even write, but will get blamed for), with awful vocalizations, that are frankly going to make it so that she's ashamed to go back to her own school.

I just feel bad for her.


*****


I know I promised a positive post. But the scanner is SO HARD TO USE, and I have to use it on Adrian's computer and then find his link to the network folder so I can access the pic from my computer, then shrink it and make sure it's in okay shape for viewing and SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU DON'T KNOW ME

PARTY PARTY PARTY POST





( Come inside and join the gif party! )
Unlocked at time of posting so you can invite yo friends.

http://emigree.livejournal.com/52781.html

And repost on your own journal.



Unrelated personal post to come later, because I haz thoughts.

+



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AND THAT INCLUDES YOU GUYS

http://omglasergunspewpewpew.com

I see you with my guest stats. It makes you look like creepers. Pop in here and say hi or something for fuck's sake, I don't bite.

To find out who's creeping in YOUR journal, go here. This doesn't work if you have opted out and gone invisible.

Please spread the word about this.

As RaceFail 09 continues, it has become clear that there are those who are hellbent on marginalizing and silencing people of color. In the past few months, minorities have been denigrated by bigoted authors and publishers who have also asserted that Fen of Color are rare and pratically non-existent. Despite numerous discussions and attempts to enlighten on the fact that POCs are fans, writers, artists and just as integral to this genre as our white counterparts, we are continuously dismissed.

On Monday May 18, 2009, we are asking anyone who identifies as a POC/non-white to post this banner, their speculative short stories, artwork, poetry or simply write a post on their favorite fandom on their blogs as an act of protest to show we will not be silent or invisible. The day of protest is entitled Fen Of Color United or more aptly, FOC_U.

White allies can also show solidarity for this event by posting this banner and expressing the need for diversity and speaking out against the bigotry in the genre, through posts and/or their creative work as well.

In addition, a new community entitled foc_u has been created. It's designed to be a safespace for POCs/non-whites and white allies to discuss the issues pertaining to RaceFail and a place to counteract its destructive effects. And it's also a fun place for everyone to also discuss their favorite fandoms. While memberships and posts are under moderation for the time being (until the community gets more established and input is welcomed), everyone is encouraged to join and make this a home.

You can help out by spreading the word and reposting this banner on your personal blog or creating one of your own if you'd like.

The gauntlet's been thrown and I for one think it's past time for us to take a stand and let our voices be heard, whether some people want to hear them or not.

If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to stop by foc_u.