Halloween Folf Logic

Interesting day that was, waking up to rain.

I spent the night before working on a fox mask. Got everything done with that.

Well... almost everything; I forgot the paint!

Anywho, didn't have much time and went to Carrington with family to get financing stuff done (and still dying inside in regards to this path).

Rain happened, and kinda threw off family plans. I wanted them to come to Campbell with me for Trick or treating with furries (kill two birds with one stone, they say), but we all decided on getting sushi and watching movies at home instead (understandable, hyperactive little sister + rain = not good mix). Personally, it felt a bit... Fresno to me, however fun it was. On an impulse, I applied folf logic for the evening, caught between two decisions for events that evening (Either trick or treat at Campbell or Party in South San Francisco). Something that I was very undecided upon until reaching Diridon, at which point folf logic went as followed:

1. Rain happened. Seeing as the Campbell meet would be migrating to Santa Cruz, I'd rather go on something that won't swerve off the path and into the mountains (like, say, a train).
2. I never finished that fox mask, and by the time I was at the station, the last light rail that'll make it to Campbell on time had passed in front of me.
3. Free food?

Ended up buying a Caltrain ticket at last minute, and boy do I regret that choice. The party was a bore, and barely knew anybody. Drunk strangers popped by and police came later. Joy. Combine this with reading tweets today on the various fun times had down in Santa Cruz gave me a case of FOMO and has made me really question my decisions.

Eh, what's past is past. There's always next year.

Hasta marfle!

Valleydoge

So I am aware I've been neglecting Valleydog  and Project CanisVulpes as of late, so I figured I'd give a bit of low down of  what has been going on behind the scenes:

• So yeah, I obviously did not meet the Rainfurrest deadline (which has in turn caused some depression, but I digress). 
• I did work on two scripts and performed two read-throughs. Said scripts have and are undergoing rewriting. 
• So far after some brainstorming and conceptualization, I have at least 6 episodes lined up. Now to convert into scripts
• I am working on character models slowly, as well as redoing the existing cast. Some subtle, others drastic. 
• I am hoping to have significant progress come the new year. 

Thank you for your patience, the seven of you who pay attention to this. This is seriously a major dream of mine and am willing to persue as much as I possibly can and then some.

Hasta Marfle!

Headed For the Hills

Spent the weekend up in Sacramento. Family time, but much needed vacation you might say?

Scenery porn be abound, so do enjoy the pictures, which will say a thousand words.

Side note: I tried a Starbucks secret menu item - "White Cinnamon Chai" - the other day. $5.50 for what can be best described as drinking a liquified cinnamon roll, frosting and all. Delectable diabetic dessert in a cup.

Departed San Jose Diridon one early Friday morning in what may be the quickest wake up process I've done for a vacation - up off the bed and out the door in roughly 30 minutes, meal and all, not leaving a thing behind (okay, maybe deodorant).

Met up with a fox upon arriving in Sacramento around noon time, and had some fun through the afternoon with him before taking the SacRT's Light Rail to Folsom around four.

and waiting...

and waiting...

for a good half hour past 5pm before the train arrived (which apparently had tech issues). I'd make a comment on the service, but that's another topic. tl;dr I'm spoiled by San Jose's more reliable and frequent VTA in comparison.

A good hour later I had arrived at Folsom proper to some trick-or-treating event, had what may be the best sushi dinner before spending time with family.

 Woke up on Saturday around 6.. no 8 am (seriously, these shorter days are getting to me). I snoozed, having surreal dreams until 10 am to some hearty take-out diner breakfast while bonding and catching up on Doctor Who (those 2D people... freaky).

Went out for hiking by Folsom's old powerhouse around noon.

That thing is a work of beauty. For something of a prototype, that they delivered a fraction of what now the dry Folsom lake delivers but then was surplus is quite impressive.

Plus, I have a thing for early 20th century architecture.

 

May have still been fresh from Doctor Whoathon, 

but why do I feel like an alien is just around the corner here?

Charmingly quaint.

Also  did some hiking to the water of Lake Natoma/American river. For being  in an urban area (okay, suburban, but still, sprawl), it's a nice little break of nature. 

Given the current drought, I'm surprised that said lake still has water (then again being directly below the dry lake kinda helps).

 Almost like something out of a Thomas Kinkade painting... 

...only less houses engulfed in flames

Later went up the foothills to El Dorado, for, like, fancy shopping. Got a fairly a good view of the expanse of sprawl. Living in the Bay Area for a couple of years can make you forget that open spaces are actually a thing.

Got lunch and groceries at Nugget, a fancy market chain in Sacramento area (that I dearly miss when living here) that can be best described as a Whole Food's decor and selection with small town service and reasonable prices.

You pretty much get a wide variety of foods and brands... like, say, this: 

The rest of the day was fairly casual and low-key, and nothing to write home about beyond further Elevations brainstorming. This lead to me pondering my own morals, feeling for the characters, with a lack of trust amongst friends followed by ambiguity thereof, and lying/bending truths to maintain a friendship. 

But it's fiction, mostly. Well, no explosions, reality-bending coyotes, and walking antennas... we hope.

Woke up on Sunday to a lazy start at 8am again and homecooked breakfast. Watched over a hyperactive sister (and wanted to show her Sailor Moon, given her love of pretending to fight monsters, but the dubs were since removed from Hulu, boo) before rest of family arrived to homecooked Filipino-style lunch. After that, it was off to Apple hill, for apple stuff of appleness. 

A good hour of travel to just past Placerville, on the foothills of the Sierras (and I swear I could see a bit of snow, too). Through winding roads until reaching these groups of stands and stores on the hill. Charming little spot, with apples and apple accessories for your fruity indulgence (and corndogs, if you desire). Chilly as hell, but, like Lake Natoma, also pleasant break into the rural wilderness.

Fun little gathering, went back to the house in Sactown, getting voicemail on phone again (yay), and then was on my way back to San Jose into the evening.

I honestly didn't expect to enjoy my time (and frankly wondering if I'm getting Stockholm syndrome for Sacramento area), but it was pleasant to say the least, and much needed. Something to look forward to in later visits; I do love a good travel.

Hasta Marfle!

Collegiate Marflebarks

It is surprisingly easy to fall off track.

Listening to Look Left's Transitions. Particularly fond of I'm Not Giving Up, Let it Follow, and Inspiration.
That dude is good for a one-man band.

College isn't working best for me. Okay, hasn't been working at all. I can't find myself to concentrate in lecture halls, and prefer to do more engaging tasks like Project CanisVulpes instead of actual homework (which I tend to put off due to the relative easiness of the tasks themselves).

In a fit of desperation, I took the familial suggestion of checking out Carrington college for a 9 month Medical Billing and coding course. While my family has a long line of being in the medical field, my aunt and I are the only two who have no interest in such, but at the very least I won't be working with patients, and it's bread/butter at very least. As long as I can work on project I shall be fine.

I tried out a commute and tour. "Campus" is in a south corner of San Jose, a wealthy suburb of Blossom hill, just off the Santa Teresa Light Rail (which, yay better direct convenience than Cogswell!). Bit skeptical, but fairly doable. Just one frequent bus ride to a frequent Light Rail train, and I could fall asleep on the latter.

Thoughts on tour and plan: I could feel myself dying inside, but whatever keeps the loans at bay while I work on my true plan, works.

Spaced Out

So NASA Ames had their open house the other day. Given such a rare opportunity (and free one at that), plus chance to finally do a rare family outing, how could I resist?

For frame of reference, NASA Ames over in Mountain View opened up their campus for the first time since the 90s, so obviously major event. What was witnessed left a lot to be desired.

Given large crowds, knowing sleep habits (and expecting an actual tour), I booked in advance tickets set for 10am.  Needless to say, we still needed to wake early, but at least not at a ridiculous hour.

Ended up waking up around 7 am, planning to leave at 8 to drive to closest Light rail station between us and NASA (because, y'know, traffic). Ended up leave a little past 9 because Filipino time, and apparently everyone else had the same idea of not parking onsite.


Such crowd

Very wait

• 30 minute LRT to NASA/Bayshore
• Another 30-45 minutes of waiting in a zigzag line to enter the facility and board busses. 

To say the least, not quite the best coordination, but we made it in. Passing by the empty hangar shell (which I was absolutely surprised to find it was, indeed, a barebones skeleton), we arrived at the campus proper, which, in itself, is quite pretty.

Plaaaaanes

After a lunch at the food truck zone (yay 30 minute wait for sushi burrito), we were off to the biggest tease of the day - the walking tour of the NASA campus proper('s exterior walkways).

No entry.

 

So you get what you pay for. In this case, if you wanted to see the actual workings of the base, you needed to reserve for an extra fee well in advance. As for rest of us, well... we got stands. 

The future of space travel.

 

That's not to say the place was pretty (seriously, all those trees). Some of the architecture was cool, though. Like that wind tunnel. 

Seriously

 This thing is huge!

 

Plus, exercise is always good, think I walked off that sushiritto after a good hour. Scenery porn aside, the place was underwhelming, but glad to have tried it out at very least, with knowledge of the next time this place does open up.

Now I have heard of other NASA sites being more exciting and open year round. May have been in past, or this is just one of the more... formal sites, closed off for the sole reason of nothing much in public eye. 

It was a good day. Tiring yes, but experience. You get what you pay for. 

Hasta marfle!

Reaching Elevations

Instant Coffee is by no means a suitable substitute for regular coffee.

I've been doing some on and off work regarding Elevations as I recover from a Rainfurrest burnout, and frankly, act of desperation. I've done some external research to better help in forming story. What I had planned to be a simple "Valleydog in the Bay Area" in similar slice-of-life fashion is starting to transform into something more... serial.

The more I think about it, and combined with my own personal experiences of actually living in the Bay, the more I feel the story be more concrete than just a college dog rooming with a bear and having wild adventures. Like, there needs to be a true sense of conflict. An antagonist.

It'll come to me.

Likewise, the initial setting, San Francisco, proved to be a challenge to work with without stepping onto stereotypes due to my own lack of, well, actual experience in the city beyond quick visits and whatever SF Gate posts. Looking elsewhere, eliminating the obvious (Santa Clara/San Jose is, frankly, a giant suburb and nothing to write home about), I tried to get as close to the city without actually being in city proper.

The solution? A fictitious town along the Peninsula, Santa Alta.

^Really cruddy phonepic of a quickly drawn map.

Partly based on various Peninsula towns (cities?), chiefly South San Francisco and San Bruno.

Okay, so South San Francisco only without 101 right next to the main street.

With that came the main setting, an old apartment above a crepe shop, just by the train station.

As for the antagonist, I did some research, and brainstormed a dingo, Edward Kiln. Suave, but flaky. A con man who had a habit of betraying those who took him in, easily manipulating others, and runs a posse of rats and coyotes, spies so to speak, keeping track of happenings and interactions with an Ethiopian Wolf named Elliot King - a silent recluse - or is one at beginning of story. I won't reveal much further beyond things go berserk when Max, the main character, a husky, finds himself under the care of Elliot for the night.

The only issue I do have so far is figuring out the relationships to the characters, like, how the marf are they all connected. I guess I could use Henry Montague's baking service as a connection, but it's a stretch.

Anywho, rambling I be. Thanks for reading, and hasta marfles!

Tsukini Kawatte, Oshoki yo!

Had a dream the other night, while I cannot recall bulk of it, I can attest to it containing the following:

    Something about the Moon Princess and Sailor V in Seattle.
    LA's Metro Blue line being expanded hap-hazardly through desert hills to get to Santa Monica via the OC

 Feel free to analyze the above however you wish.

Okay, so I have been watching a fair bit of Sailor Moon and I am hooked! It may be a simple story, and frankly a girly bit of childhood nostalgia, but coming from not paying much attention to it as a kid and watching it now (combined with low standards courtesy Nostalgia Critic), the storyline is surprisingly captivating. Plus all the narm kinda has a charm to it. Like it doesn't take itself seriously, which is cute!

That and the music. Such groove, very 60s.