Charmedseed Studios

If you were around the anime con scene in the 90s and 00s, you probably met Kevin Lillard.  He probably took your picture, if you were a cosplayer.  If you had a website back then, you probably watched A Fan’s View like a hawk for days after a convention.  Kevin was a fixture in the community for years.  He is a genuinely wonderful person and a joy to be around.  Nothing buoyed my spirit at a con more than seeing Kevin walking toward me in full photographers regalia.

Kevin was a newspaper writer and photographer as well, in his daily life.  As newspapers have begun to fail, he was one of the many journalists who were laid off.  And it’s taken its toll.

“When you live in your car in an abandoned parking lot along a major interstate highway, you see interesting traffic from time to time. Around 8 a.m., eastbound sirens announced the approach of police traffic,led by a plain white box van with a large door on the left side, followed closely by an armed personnel carrier. It took a moment before I recognized the two vehicles, which I had seen on the streets during my now-ended career a s a reporter for the Indianapolis Star. I saw those same two vehicles downtown a couple of years ago when covering a so-called bomb threat involving a man who had left a backpack next to what was then the police department's downtown district headquarters. The white box van carries the police department's tactical robot so the small convoy must have been headed to a SWAT call out.

I'm in he same position of life as the street person whose backpack led to that fuss of years ago. Out of work and out of money, I've been living in my car for the last month, spending days at a nearby library, sending out mostly ignored online job applications. Already there's no money to buy food and the last things to eat were some peanuts from a vending machine at the Anderson newspaper where I had my last job interview. I spent my last change to make a 50-cent call at a pay phone hoping to speak to a recruiter and reached only voice mail. The car where I've been living started running out of fuel on the way to the library and I barely got there. With no money there will be no fuel and no way to go from place to place. Even if there is another job offer there will be no way to get there,with no money and no fuel. Unless there's some sort of miracle,this is the end of any hopes I had. All of the prayers have been answered with messages of failure. This is where we have learned what God really wants.”

This heart wrenching post came from Kevin’s Facebook today and sparked a movement to help save one of our dearest friends in the cosplay community.  If you have anything to spare, please give Kevin a hand by donating via PayPal, courtesy of ACP or sharing any resources for support you may have in the Indiana area by filling out this GoogleDocs form, courtesy of Soni.

Our community is amazing!

I have finally joined the rest of the planet in the 21st century and created a Facebook page for costuming.  I would be delighted to link up with other cosplay pages on FB, so come on over!  See you there!

I am a week and a day (officially… of course I was back and forth and into this and that all summer) into my new position as technology teacher for the elementary grades at my school, and I’m finding more and more that it is clearly my place in the universe.

I am incredibly lucky to take two of my deepest passions – technology and education – and blend them into a learning experience that is so essential, so needed in our schools today.  As I’ve told colleagues and even some of my older students, use of computer technology and the Internet has moved so fast in the last 15 or so years that it’s nearly impossible to understand the consequences of it.  It was my generation that developed the Internet as we know it, all the promise and pitfalls, the miracles and bullying, the beautiful and horrifying edges of all of it.  We ran headfirst into the technology without thinking what we were creating; the Internet was – is – my generation’s atomic bomb.

I have been charging my oldest students with using what we’ve created for good, demanding that they learn how to use it well, with grace, for proactive means.  Even the littlest I am pointing in the direction of positivity and understanding: first and foremost, listen.

It’s a transformation for me, too.  In my new position, much of the staff has come to rely on my technology literacy for their everyday uses; even the administration has given me responsibilities that I’m suited for and challenged by.  That’s given me the opportunity to take charge, use my areas of competence, to help others, smooth paths, and open doors.  I feel proud of what I do for students and colleagues alike.

My principal sent me an email last week after seeking my advice on a particularly pesky problem, saying that my new position seemed made just for me.  I can’t help but agree.

A few pieces I finished this morning after them sitting in my “to-do” pile for months.  The green pair were actually just purchased, but one of the earwires was broken.  A few fun new things for school, which starts in a week!

What “to-dos” have you gotten to lately?

Nick and I are planning on purchasing a new home in the next year, and one of the most exciting projects for me is developing my studio space.  I expect to locate it in a ‘loft’ space immediately off the stairs on the second floor of the home, and it is subsequently open to the rest of the upstairs.  I want to be able to keep it very tidy and clean things up in a jiffy when I’m finished working, but I also want the space to be pretty!  I checked out a few options on a recent trip to Ikea and here’s my plan!

The majority of items are from Ikea, with a few accents thrown in from Urban Outfitters.  The curtains are pieces that I already have (and got lucky finding images of the patterns online!).  I really want the space to be more than just a work space, also a place to enjoy relaxing, reading, playing games, whatever I’d like to do! The sofa is also a sleeper, great for those extra guests we may have.  I’m sure I’ll also be able to find lots of places for the kitsch I already have and any extra small storage I may need.

What do you find that you need in a studio space?

Current information on the shooting at a theatre in Aurora, Colorado from NBC.

Nick and I are safe; we were sleeping in our home in Brighton when the shooting occurred.  Of course, the theatre where the shooting occurred was mere blocks from our old home in Aurora, and that really makes the incident still more disturbing.

But we are safe, all our friends in Colorado are safe; just please keep the victims, families, and all of Colorado in your thoughts and prayers.

If you are able, please donate blood, it is a surefire way to help the victims and support our community.

So, have you all been watching Craft Wars?  I thought it sounded a little silly at first, but it’s AMAZING.

Three crafters compete each week for $10,000 by making one small project in an hour that will eliminate one contestant, and one MASSIVE project as the final test, to be done in 5 hours.  They’ve done patios, playhouses, and even pet palaces!

I’ll be honest… this is the first reality show I’ve ever seen that I actually want to pursue being on.  I love the idea of the challenges, and I think my unconventional cosplay skills would give me a real edge on the floor.  And yeah, ten grand isn’t a bad deal either!

Check it out Tuesday evenings, or at TLC’s website!

In my search for healthier eats for myself and my husband, I came across the recipe for kale chips.  Nick LOVES them, as he is a fan of more seaweedy type snacks and things like wasabi peas.  It was a little too strong of a kale taste for me, but I love that he loves them!  They’re really easy to make, too!  All I do it cut the leaves off the ribs (the kind of stalk part in the middle), and tear them into bite sized pieces.  I lay them out on a Silpat mat and spritz them with some olive oil, flip them, and spritz again.  Sprinkle a little kosher salt and pop them in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 12 minutes.  Slide them out, into a bowl, and it’s OM NOM NOM time!

What healthy snacks do you like to make?

FINALLY AFTER A MILLION BAJILLION YEARS (really, like a year and a half, but in Internet time that's like ETERNITY), I have managed to update my costume website. Hey, look at that! Finally got pictures up of Ophelia and everything!

There is a lot of stuff that’s just not done yet – I have a lot of the older costumes to update the pages to the new layout – but there are plenty of new things and (I hope) a more streamlined look.  I hope you enjoy!

Go get it!  =)

Dear efirstbank,

I must say that I switched to your bank after leaving Chase and Wells Fargo due to their unfortunate behavior regarding the average customer; there I was treated like a number.  I had anticipated that I would not have that experience with 1st Bank because you are a Colorado company.

Unfortunately, I was wrong.

I'm deeply disappointed by your "Free Checking" campaign - in my experience, your checking account is anything but free.  I've been charged for neglecting to use your bill pay service and charged for my debit card (seriously?  Didn't that policy end around 1996?).

This is frustrating to a customer like me.  I am a public school teacher, and those little charges of $5 and $10 amount to a lot.  That is money I could be spending in my classroom, on my students, on children, and you are taking it away from me.

My experience with your bank has been disappointing and sad.  I will not recommend your services to anyone and I will be switching to a teacher-supportive credit union as soon as possible.  I also want to express how unfair and misleading your "Free" checking campaign is.  No part of your checking service is free.

I hope that you consider the repercussions of your marketing and customer service, particularly in the case of the average customer.

Sincerely,
Beverly Warner
Brighton, CO

PS: Deleting my complaint from your Facebook timeline was super classy.  Very nice.