I got the job, ladies and gents! Yippee! Today was my first day of work, and I gotta tell ya, it was pretty damn sweet. The job is basically this: Photograph the abstract metal art pieces and sculptures, edit the photos so that they look spectacular, and prepare the eBay listings for them. The main goal that the studio is aiming for is to make the images look as close as possible to how the pieces look in real life. A lot of times, people will see the images and think that it has blue or orange when it really doesn’t; it’s simply a light reflecting the wrong color onto the piece. My job is to correct old images and take new photos with the correct lighting and camera settings for the best final result. I spent the majority of the day taking photos, which is like heaven for me, since I love doing that anyway!

One of the nicest things about the job is that I get paid on Tuesdays. That means next week on Tuesday, I’ll be getting my first paycheck, which is so desperately needed right now, even if it will only be about $240 for Friday, Monday, and Tuesday. I work 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, 9 to 5. I’m so excited! Hopefully now, with the money coming in from the two book covers, and this job, I can finally fix my DAMN CAR! LOL. Until then, my wonderful hubby Audi is driving me to and from work.

Tomorrow, my parents are coming up to visit my family in West Palm Beach, and Audi is gonna drive me over there so I can spend some time with all of them. Later on in the evening, I’m going to the movies with the neighbors to see Alice in Wonderland in 3D. Audi’s really not in the mood to see it, but he said that if I wanted to go with them, that it would be cool. Heh. What a party pooper! ;D

Anyway, that’s pretty much it for now. Still waiting for a final confirmation from Random House, and planning on enjoying my weekend before *giggle* going back to work on Monday! XD

Ciao!

Art, Audi, Entertainment, Family, Friends, Fun, Job, Life alice in wonderland, Art, Audi, car, Family, studio, work

Yes, yes I am lonely. Why? Cuz my hubby has been away at his dad’s house for the last few days and I want him back. Now, preferably. Thankfully, he just called me and let me know he’s on his way. Yay! While I do enjoy having the bed to myself, I do miss having him in the bed with me. Awww. How romantic. =P

I’ve got some great news. Amelia Atwater-Rhodes and her agent seemed very happy with the book cover, and after fixing just a few minor things, I’ve sent off the (hopefully) final revision. Wee! I’m so excited. Plus, I’m so grateful because we really needed this money. Things are getting tougher every day.

I’ve sent out a BUNCH of resumes and job applications in the last few days, but I’m most excited about this one job in particular. An artist with a studio literally down the street from my apartment needs someone to work in-house with digital photography, Photoshop, event planning, etc. I am planning on going down there tomorrow and dropping off a resume in person to accompany the one I sent via e-mail. I am really hoping that they haven’t gotten someone to fill in the position already. It pays $10/hour, which is excellent considering right now I’m making $0/hour. Haha.

I’ve also entered a contest on deviantart.com being held by a OOAK (One of A Kind) miniature and figurine sculptor. The premise of the contest is to use a photo in her gallery of her dolls and create a digital work with it (meaning a photomanip, digital painting, mixed media, etc). You can see my entry here: Fairytale. I REALLY hope I win, because the prize is either a custom doll, or the cash equivalent once she sells it on eBay. To be honest, I’d rather have the money since I could definitely use it more. Thankfully, the lovely lady holding the contest is understanding of this, and said that if the winner prefers the money, that it would be totally fine. Here’s to hoping I win! *crosses fingers again*

Still busting my butt on those commissions. The hardest part is actually finding the stock. The three ladies I have left to do commissions for had A LOT of demands for their works, so it’s taking longer to finish them. *sigh* But, that’s OK. I don’t mind a challenge.

Anyway, that’s all for now. Now, just gotta wait for my hubby to come home. Ciao!

Art, Audi, Job, Life, Love Art, Audi, book cover, Job, studio

As soon as you think shit has hit the fan, a shining ray of light comes beaming right into your eyeballs.

Random House has contacted me about making another book cover for them, and this time they wanted an original artwork based off of a concept for Amelia Atwater-Rhodes upcoming novel. I’m SO excited, and I feel so truly blessed. I’m so grateful that fate has granted me three book covers with my art on them. I’ve pretty much finished the artwork, but I am just waiting for an OK from the last model. As soon as I get hers, I’ll send the preview along to my contact at Random House, and see what they think.

Valentine’s Day is coming up, and I have a feeling that nothing particularly special is going to happen for it. (Yes, I know I have a hubby to spend it with.) The thing is, he’s never been much for celebrating it. But, we’ll see what happens. Perhaps he’ll surprise me. Hehe. Speaking of which, Audi and I will be driving down to Miami this weekend for Valentine’s Day.  Hooray for visiting the family.

Anyway, that’s all for now. Ciao.

Art, Audi, Love artwork, Audi, book, Family, valentine's day

Oh boy, life has been hella interesting lately. My computer caught a nasty virus. Long story short, I ended up having to just salvage all my important files and wiping the hard drive to install Windows XP again. Much thanks to my amazing and wonderful Audi for helping me out. I LOVE YOU, BEBE!

Now, while the situation might sound really bad, I think it might have been a blessing in disguise. I basically got a brand new computer out of the deal. Sure, I have to now re-download and re-install a lot of programs that I lost, but none of my photos or files were lost. I am now going to be EXTRA careful on the interwebz.

The only downside is that I didn’t have a computer for about a week, so I lost a lot of precious time that could have been spent working on my commissions. I’m right back in the groove now, though, and I’ve been working on the group shot. It’s almost done, actually. Right now I am in the process of finishing up the details. The hair has been the most aggravating part, but I have a feeling they are all really going to love it. Sorry, ladies!!

I’ve applied to work at Publix and at Gamestop. Both are pretty much in walking distance, so if I get a job at either, I’ll at least be earning a steady income. I’m going over to my cousin’s house tomorrow, and she said she’d print out the Job Application Form for Gamestop. I’m mostly visiting though for my grandmother. She’s been missing me a lot and has been asking when I’ll be able to pass by again. Awww. Hehe. So, I’m sure she’ll be very happy to see me tomorrow.

Ohh! And I played the demo for Bayonetta. HOLY MOLY!! That game is the very definition of the word EPIC. Now, I REALLY want to get a job just so I can have enough money to buy the game. Haha. So nice to see I have my priorities straight, huh? Forget the light bill and the rent and food… THE GAME. Haha. I’m nuts, huh?

Anyway, I am off to work on those commissions some mo’. Ciao!

Art, Audi, Family, Job Art, Audi, Bayonetta, commissions, computer, virus

I kind of have been Gaga-fied lately. I’ve been working on an entire series of photos based on Lady Gaga’s music. Each photo shows off a different make-up design inspired by different songs. You can check out the photos at my deviantart gallery or at in my Facebook gallery.

I’m gonna be driving down either the 22nd or the 23rd to Miami for the holidays. I’m really hoping things start picking up for us. I’ve been feeling pretty useless and miserable without a job, and it doesn’t help that the commissions just aren’t coming in fast enough, even with being DIRT CHEAP. *sigh* It sucks. A lot. If there was ever a time when I needed another book cover deal, this is it… hell, a few book cover deals would be even nicer, but I’ll settle for just one. LOL.

I just finished contacting a few publishing companies to see if they are in need of any artwork for upcoming releases. An acquaintance of mine from dA said she did that a while back, and I had no clue that you actually could. So… here’s to hoping one of them writes me back with some good news.

I’m gonna go to bed now… my hubby is beckoning me away from the computer to watch Bladerunner with him. Heh. Ciao.

Audi, Family, Life Audi, lady gaga, money, publishers

My car is pretty much kaput until I can take it to a mechanic. And since I don’t really have the funds for a mechanic, it’s basically sitting out in front of my apartment, collecting bird poop and falling leaves. Hooray. The problem with it is that it accelerates on its own. After much research through forums and websites, it turns out the problem could be one of many things; the fuel injector is malfunctioning and giving too much power, or the Cruise Control is stuck, or a vacuum hose is leaking, etc etc etc… All I know is, I’m not a frigging mechanic.

I’ve been doing some cheap commissions lately, since we really kind of needed some income badly. I don’t regret turning down that job with Olan Mills, because I know I would have HATED getting up just to go stand at the front of K-Mart to convince people to buy photos. No thanks. Let the little old lady who’s retired and bored and had her interview right before mine have THAT job. So, basically, here’s how the commission prices go:

Commissions for <b>$5</b>:
- Photo retouching (Using a photo of you, your friend(s), or a loved one and making it look professionally taken; Image MUST BE High-Res.)

Commissions for <b>$10</b>:
- Portraits (Using a photo of you, your friend(s), or a loved one and making it special; Image MUST BE High-Res)
- Digital Art Piece (A simple digital work in a style of your choosing; dark, surreal, fantasy, etc…)
- Tattoo Designs (If you’ve got an idea for a tattoo, I’ll draw it out for you.)

Commissions for <b>$15-$20</b>:
- Uber Portraits (Using a photo of you, your friend(s), or a loved one and making it extra special; Image MUST BE High-Res)
- Specialized Digital Art Piece (A work based off of your own personal idea or concept, done in my style)

So, if anyone’s interested, just email me at neugotisch(a)hotmail.com. I’ve added three of my latest commissions to my website, in case anyone is interested in seeing what kind of results you’ll be getting.

As far as personal stuff, things are fine. I’m going to be heading down to Miami for Christmas, and I hope that these last few days of the year are kind to both me and Audi (as well as everyone else, of course).  I seriously can’t believe a DECADE is so close to ending. Cripes, where does the time go?

Anyway, I guess that’s all for now. Ciao.

Art, Audi, Family, Friends, Life Art, Audi, christmas, commissions

Well, I was completely dreading the trip my hubby and I were taking down to Miami for Thanksgiving, but thank goodness, it was actually a rather pleasant experience. Our friend Ellen dropped us off at the train station, and as usual, it was a boring ride down. When we got there, Audi’s sister, Karen, was nowhere to be found. Turns out she took the wrong exit and ended up getting stuck in the airport, fighting her way out of the traffic jams. When we finally made it to her apartment, Audi’s mom and niece were so happy to see us. His niece was the most excited, though. She was jumping up and down and wanting to play and so on. She’s SO cute, and so smart! She has this very mature way of speaking, so it sounds like you’re talking to a 20-year-old as opposed to a 5-year-old. LOL! We played some Wii, watched some cartoons, and then we all went to bed.

The next day, Audi drove us all in his mom’s car over to the Metro PCS store (I think it was Metro PCS, anyway) so she could pay her cell phone bill, and then he drove me over to my parent’s house. In the meantime, he went shopping with his mom. I hung out with my dad, and then later with my mom when she came home from work. My brother was there, too, and we talked a little bit here and there. Afterwards, our friends Dave and Sandra drove over to pick me up, and then to pick up Audi so we could all hang out. We had made plans a few days earlier to hang out on Wednesday, since neither of them had to work the next day (Thanksgiving day and all). That was some of the most fun I’ve had in a long time. We played Magic the Gathering (because we’re all such raging nerds) until the crack of dawn. When we finally decided to call it quits, we walked outside and the sun had risen. Magic the Gathering. My anti-drug and drug all at the same time.

After eating some breakfast and catching a few Z’s, I got my stuff together. Audi had some fun taking pictures with my camera while I was taking a nap on the couch, by the way. ;D haha. Dave and Sandra drove me to my parent’s house again, and they drove Audi back to his mom’s place. A few hours later, my family started showing up. My brother, my niece, my aunt, my cousin (and her three kids aka my godchildren), and my grandma all came to celebrate Thanksgiving with me and my parents. It was a REALLY nice time. All the kids behaved, the food was wonderful (especially that pumpkin pie, YUM-MY!), and there was NO drama whatsoever. That’s a holiday that deserves some major thanks! After my extended family left, only my niece was left to head out. I was originally going to have my niece drive me over to Audi’s mom’s house, but my dad offered to take me since it was already getting late. I get there, and the first thing Audi’s niece says is, “You’re late!” LOL. I love that little girl. I had some more Thanksgiving dinner, talked to some of Karen’s friends, and once again, watched cartoons with Audi’s niece.

Finally, we all went to bed. The next morning we woke up (officially woke up, since Audi’s niece kept waking us up every hour on the hour) and got our stuff together (again). My parents came by to pick us up and drop us off at the train station. After another boring train ride, our friend Arthur came to pick us up. Before dropping us off at our apartment, he swung by the new house that he and his wife are in the process of moving into. The house is AWESOME, and has a lot of room, which they’re going to need since Ellen is pregnant. ;D

Anyway, that’s the gist of my trip. It was a really nice time, and despite a few tiny moments of drama, I had a lot of fun. And now, I am off to do my weekly features for deviantart, and then watch a movie with the hubby.

Ciao!

Entertainment, Family, Friends, Fun, Life Audi, Family, Friends, magic, thanksgiving

At long last, my review and story about the KMFDM concert that took place on October 29th in Orlando, FL. Let me just say that as far as intimate club live shows go, KMFDM are currently #2 in my book (VNV Nation still kicked their ass in the performance and after-show department).

Let me divide my review/story into two parts: My story and Audi’s story. It seems that we both had very interesting and different accounts of this particular evening.

My Story
So my side of the story begins at home, fighting the ever growing pain from wearing Audi’s boots (since I had to throw all of mine away). At first, if I just kept my feet in certain angles, it wouldn’t hurt so bad. But as the night went on, it got worse and worse.

After arriving in Orlando (a lovely 2.5 hour drive I might add), we had the unfortunate mission of looking for parking. We got to the club when there was only two people in line. By the time we found parking (6 BLOCKS AWAY BTW), the line went around the corner. Blah! Whatever. We got in line and waited until about 9:20 when they finally opened the doors. Some dude with a flashlight came down the line checking ID’s and he told me I had to get rid of my spike collar. My aggravation rises further. It’s bad enough that my feet are screaming in pain, but now I have to find somewhere to hide my damn necklace. Audi suggested throwing it in the bushes and getting it later, but that was not an option. I made this necklace nearly 10 years ago when I was too poor to buy the real thing. It has memories attached, dammit! Thankfully, the people in line behind us were kind enough to put it in their car so we could pick it up again after the show.

Finally, we get in, and walk over to the bar. Audi gets a beer, and I went over to the vendor booth. I bought myself a pack of 5 buttons, which was a VERY reasonable $5. You can’t even get that price at fucking Hot Topic; well if you’re lucky enough to find a KMFDM button at all in there! Audi walks over with me to look around, and I go wait right in front of the stage. Audi bids his farewell (since he doesn’t care much about either band) and I didn’t seem him again until KMFDM left the stage.

After waiting for about a fucking hour, Angelspit finally comes on stage. I will mention the few things I liked first. I liked the way Destroyx, the lead singer, danced and moved. She was really fluid and sexy, and really gave a nice performance to each song. I also liked… well, honestly, that’s the only thing I liked. Everything else pretty much sucked hardcore. Let’s list them off, shall we?

- 50% of their synthesizers were fake. How do I know this? Audi has been living and breathing synths for nearly half his life, and he told me they were fake. The bulk of them were just fancy looking face plates that provided a half-decent light show.
- She doesn’t actually sing. It’s just “talking with style”. I hate that. A lot. I hate that she’s not even mildly talented and she’s making more money than me. Jealousy? Yes, bitch.
- The other member of the band, Z00G (which is a terrible fucking name to begin with) had the most ridiculous looking “fake mohawk” I’ve ever seen. It was composed of triangular leather cutouts with rivets in it. Puke-fest. Grow a real goddamn mohawk, and then I’ll be impressed.
- They performed EVERY SONG to backtracks. Now, I have no problem with backtracks, since sometimes they’re simply necessary. But when your entire live show is composed of singing over the shit you already made in the studio…. there’s a big problem.
- The only thing that irritated me more than the band was the fans. One asshole in particular kept yelling stupid shit like “Take off your top” and “Show us your tits”. Hey, douchebag, it’s a concert, not a strip joint.

Now, on to the stars of the night, KMFDM. Pure and simple, they kicked ass. What was even more amazing is that I knew every single song they played. The only song I wished they hadn’t was “Looking for Strange”. I don’t know why but I can’t stand that song, and it’s very rare for me. Normally, I can listen to every single KMFDM album straight through. But there’s really not much else to say. They were just simply amazing. The only bad thing about the show was some bitch who kicked me in the head while she was body surfing.

Here’s the songs they played. I don’t remember the precise order. Sorry.

- DIY
- Bait & Switch
- Megalomaniac
- Adios
- Looking for Strange
- Light
- Tohuvabohu
- Hau Ruck
- Son of a Gun
- Godlike
- Saft Und Kraft
- WWIII

That’s the end of my story, for now. Let’s move on to what happened to Audi, and then the two stories will merge when we reach the end of it.

Audi’s Story
As soon as he left me, he went back to the bar near the main entrance. However, after about 10 minutes, he started feeling silly just standing there, so he ordered a Long Island Iced Tea. He then went to the other bar on the far end of the club (on the other side of the stage) and went all the way to the back so no one would be behind him. He had already put in his earplugs, so he was set. As soon as Angelspit came on, he thought they were so terrible that he immediately began writing about how bad they were on his Blackberry.  Just before they performed their last song of the night, he headed outside,  sat right next to the vendor table, and started fiddling on his Blackberry. After the last song, people started coming out to the vendor area since Angelspit was going to come out and sign autographs. Audi ended up becoming the photographer for all the people wanting photos with one or both of the Angel spit band members. Finally, after all that was done, he sat back down and started doing stuff on his Blackberry again.

Finally, the roadie behind the vendor table asks him, “Hey, man, everything OK?” Audi then began explaining about the problems with his hearing, how I was inside enjoying the show, etc etc… He and the roadie ended up getting along really well, and they started talking about a bunch of different shit. Eventually, after having so many alcoholic drinks, the roadie had to use the restroom. So, he asked Audi if he could watch over the booth for him while he went to the john. Audi did so and sat behind the table while the guy was gone. As soon as the roadie came back, he thanked Audi and told him that he wanted to pay him back for helping him out. He asked Audi, “What shirt size is your girl?” He ended up giving him a KMFDM shirt for me!! (insert a ‘holy shit’ right here) A few seconds later, someone came up to buy a shirt, and it cost $40. LOL.

A few minutes later, the lead singer from Angelspit came back out, and she was dressed in plain clothes. She walked over to the roadie and started chit chatting. Audi took this opportunity to talk to her. See, he had recognized her when she first came on stage from a promotion video for Doepfer DarkStar Energy synthesizer. So he went up to her and asked her about it. She confirmed it and they both started talking about synthesizers. It turns out she actually knows quite a bit about synths. She told Audi that they have some amazing analog synths that are worth about $4000-$5000 EACH.

Finally, KMFDM finished performing and the crowd started  coming back out. Audi bid his goodbyes to both Destroyx and the roadie, and went looking for me. This is where our stories converge… After finding me, we looked for the people who were holding onto my necklace. We found them outside, I got my necklace, and after thanking them profusely, we headed to the car.

After a long and grueling drive back home, I finally saw my feet for the first time since before putting them on… I had second degree burns on both tendons from having the boot scrape against my skin. The skin has already scabbed over, but it still hurts to walk.

So that’s my story. I’ve uploaded the best pictures from the show, a pic of my outfit, and the stuff I got from the show to this Facebook album.

Audi, Entertainment, Fun, Life angelspit, Audi, concert, firestone live, kmfdm