April + May's Events

Since I've been slacking horribly when it comes to blog updates, I'll catch up the best I can with this post.

I already posted what I managed to make  in early April when I was still in Delaware, but I did a lot more once I got home.

I worked on the head of the dog more early in April, fleshing out the cheeks a bit and giving him a pouty lower lip.

I turned 24 on the 18th and had an amazing day. My incredible boyfriend and family got me the most thoughtful and delightful gifts. One of these gifts was an order of Smooth-On resin and silicone to truly start my adventure into toy making!

I eventually added arms to my pit bull sculpt...

...and then legs! (And yes, he is a male dog.)

When May rolled around, it really became crunch time. In order to make the May 5th deadline for the Art Kickstart Sculpture Contest, I had to kick myself into overdrive. I worked like a madwoman, priming, sanding, and then attempting to mold the head of the dog.

Unfortunately I went into the molding process without much planning and ended up with an impractical mold, wasting valuable silicone in the process. I had to scrap it and make the executive decision to just go ahead and paint the original.

This pup...

...soon became this pup! Using the Bully Breed Rescue logo as inspiration for the paint colors, I used washes, rubs, and straight color to give it texture. 

All of my hard work and determination paid off in the end, because it was chosen as one of the 12 finalist pieces!

I didn't end up winning of course, because there were so many incredible artists who also took part in the contest. It was an honor to make it into the top 12 though, and a really great experience overall.

I managed to nab a mint-in-bag Zagoran on the Japanese geekery site Mandarake for an incredible price. Being the mature adult I am, I played around with it the moment I received it in the mail, taking ridiculous photos. 

On the 15th I saw Demetri Martin live. My mom bought me two tickets for my birthday, so naturally I took Jon with me. Demetri was hilarious, and yes, his nose really is that big.

The end of my Medical Terminology class also brought some pibble time with BBR's amazing adopt-a-bulls. Demo was my personal favorite, he was so affectionate and goofy.

The end of May didn't go so well. I had some awful allergies and PMS from hell. I know that sounds a bit pathetic, but it was really bad. I was snappy, irritable, and temperamental, and basically did absolutely nothing but played League of Legends and sleep.

Sooo, that's about it!

I'll post what I've been up to so far this month later today or tomorrow.

Work and Play on Vacay: Day 2

It's five minutes past midnight and I really have to pee after downing a whole can of diet root beer, so let's get this over with.

Today was pretty much no work, and all play... but I did get some neat stuff for some work tomorrow.

Let's start with the morning.
Jon attempted to wake me up this morning, but being the nocturnal person I am, I didn't want to get up. See, my stupid alarm went off at 4:30am because I had forgotten to shut it off the morning before, and it woke me up. I couldn't fall back asleep so I browsed Instagram on my phone and played iOS games until about 6:30am or so.
I don't think I actually got up until around 11:30am, and I'm pretty sure Jon had to wake me up anyway.
I ate breakfast, we showered and got ready, and left for an adventure in Dover, Delaware at around 2:00pm.

We first stopped off at PetSmart for some "dog therapy," as I like to call it. Basically petting dogs makes everything happy. (Okay, the kitties helped a bit too, but I'm much more of a dog person.)
There weren't all that many dogs up for adoption, but there were some very friendly and cute ones... except for one. There was a very aggressive boxer that went from licking and sniffing my hand to suddenly going berserk and lunging at the cage, but thankfully I pulled my hand away in time.

Bruce was one of the more memorable ones. We went to meet the dogs on the other side of the room, then returned to his cage. He was just lying there completely still, staring at us with this crazy look on his face like, "Yep. Just airing my balls out. YOU MAD?"

My favorite was a throwaway pit bull mama, of course. She was named Hannah and we actually got to meet her in the playpen. She wanted nothing more than to coat our faces in a thick layer of dog slobber, even if it meant knocking us over on our asses.

After our dog visit, I decided to get some things I'm missing for my first venture into toy customizing and sculpting. As an early birthday present, Jon got me a fantastic set of clay sculpting tools in a handy zip-up thing. (I really can't think of the word right now. Is it a case? A bag? Ugh!) I also bought myself a journal to write some rantings in (as in the rantings I can't share on my blog) and a can of Krylon Primer White.

I can honestly say I have no idea how primer is any different than white paint, but apparently it is.

Primer, sculpting tools, journal, and leg. I'm wearing corduroys. They are unbelievably uncomfortable.

After our trip to Michael's, we went to Chick-fil-A, where I indulged in my guilty pleasure of chicken nuggets, and laughed uncomfortably at the Jesus music.

Our lunch/dinner (linner?) was pretty short, partially because I inhaled my food, and partially because the lyrics to the music were so horrifically cheesy and I didn't want to offend anyone with my giggling...

The next destination on our list was the Dover Mall, which was surprisingly pretty empty. I managed to snag a $4 scarf from Old Navy and a really nice faux-denim jacket/sweatshirt/thing from PacSun for $13.

(I'm the queen of the clearance rack, just an fyi.)

We ended our adventure with Rita's, which is a "water ice" and "custard" place... Basically "shaved Italian ice" and "extra creamy soft-serve" for those who don't speak South. 

I had mango ice with orange cream custard.

Before...

...and after, Jon is weirded out by my inevitably orange tongue.

We got back home at 7:00pm, and I honestly don't really know how I spent my time up until now. I think I'm so exhausted that time started slipping by unbelievably fast. To my knowledge, all I did was check and play on my phone while Jon played Metal Gear Solid 3, and watched an episode of Bob's Burgers.

I should probably get some sleep now. Tomorrow we need to go to Middletown to pick up my meds, which will inevitably end in us getting Rita's again. We also have to pick up Jon's mom from dialysis, and I have to finally face my fears of cracking open the box of Super Sculpey and seeing how bad my clay skills are. HA.

A Little Pro-Rescue/Animal Activism Blurb

I'm a pro-rescue dog-lady and am against puppy mills... And I'll tell you why. 

We made "dog." We domesticated them, took them into our homes, made them dependent on us. We have made them man's best friend and their lives are enriched by human interaction and companionship just as much as we are by theirs. For us to neglect them, exploit them, or abuse them is the worst act of betrayal we could possibly commit. They love us with every fiber of their being.

I often joke that I'm not for the basic right of pet ownership, but of "a human for every dog"... Because every dog should have a human to call their best friend. We created them as we know them today, and we sure as hell should accommodate them.

What Happened To Me?

Here's what happened in a nutshell... with PUPPIES.

Beneful. Deathful.

I've never been much of an activist.
Sure, there have been many movements and causes that I've supported to and donated a little bit to, but I've never actually fully taken part in increasing awareness for any kinds of issues.
That all ends today.

Over the past week, I've been made aware of an awful outbreak of issues regarding Beneful, a popular pet food made by Purina.
After a lot of online research into consumer reports, and the ingredients contained in Beneful, I've come to my own personal conclusion that this stuff isn't just garbage...
...it's POISON.

I am not a vegetarian.
I am not a raw-diet advocate.
I am not a holistic hippie.
I am not saying that Beneful is poison because it doesn't agree with my worldview on food.

I'm saying it's poison because of it's awful, low-quality, and potentially toxic ingredients.

I will be releasing a video at some point analyzing the ingredients in Beneful.
When it's posted please watch it, and spread the word.

HelloInterloper Loves Bully Breed Rescue!

On September 2nd, I attended a Bully Breed Rescue event at the Country Cow Deli in Fairfield, CT. Not only did I get to see my favorite bully, Drake, but I also donated some new earrings to one of their raffles!

Clockwise: Drake the mush from BBR, me getting up close and personal with an adorable puppy from Animal Nation, and my donated earrings all packed into a bag!

Chilling with Drake!

BBR is an awesome pit-bull rescue based in New Canaan that has adopted out many lovable bullies, and I've been an avid supporter ever since I met Hamilton (now named Hambone) while going to a local restaurant with my boyfriend. I am one of those annoying people who always stop and ask dog owners if I can say hello to their dog... and they were overjoyed to let me meet him! After explaining where they got their pup from, how lovable he is, and how it gets tiring seeing people literally cross the street to avoid their dog, I couldn't help but be intrigued to find out more about this rescue group and their events. (After all, I had worked as a dog washer for over half a year, and was missing working with dogs immensely!) I wasn't scared of pit bulls at this point; my job had showed me that pit bulls were some of the most loving dogs imaginable.

After attending an event in February, I was hooked. There is something hilariously cute about big, tough-looking pups wanting nothing more than to give you a kiss, get a belly rub, and a cuddle! I've been attending their events ever since. This was my first time donating however, and I hope that my earrings can help raise some money for this amazing rescue group!

I even got an Instagram "Thank You" from the Vice Pres of BBR! :)

Some glamour shots of Drake... He's currently up for adoption by the way!

Looking for a bully buddy and live in the CT/NY/MA/NJ/PA/RI/VT area of New England/Tri-State Area? Or maybe just want to find out more about Bully Breed Rescue?

Check out their website!

Bully Breed Rescue