I’m so glad that my friend Ali wanted to leave her Xbox 360 at my place so that she could use the free wi-fi I have and play Halo 2. If not for her, I probably would not have played my most favorite game of all time. The game is called Left 4 Dead. This game has changed my life. It’s a survival game where there is a apocalypse of “infected” people, which most people would call zombies. They run at you in hoards, so you have to react quickly if you want to stay alive. There are four characters you can play as. You can play as Bill, Zoey, Louis or Frances. My favorite character is Louis, if there was a zombie apocalypse, I would feel way more badass if I was wearing a business suit. You can either play with 3 other CPU players or 3 Xbox Live players over the internet. You can also add another controller and play with a friend. The strategy of the game is teamwork and good shooting, with out both of those, you will more than likely die. There are other infected characters who are far worse than the common infected. I won’t go into detail, but they will f*ck you up. Oh, and remember Mike Patton from the band Lovage in my previous post? He does the sounds of the infected people on both this game and the sequal.

My next favorite game is the sequel to the one above. Left 4 Dead 2 is the same as the first game, but with different characters, more weapons, more boss infected and better graphics. The characters to choose from on this game are Rochelle, Coach, Nick and Ellis. My favorite characters are Coach and Rochelle. Nick just seems like a registered sex offender to me and Ellis, well, once you see him you’ll see why I don’t pick him to play as. There is another new feature on this game that is awwwwwwwwwwwwwesome, and that is the melee weapons. You can use a bat, an axe, a chainsaw, a cricket bat, a katana, a machete and more. This game is similar to the first but much faster-paced and intense.

Another favorite game of mine is Half-Life 2. It was made by Valve, the same company that created Left 4 Dead. Half-Life 2 is a first-person shooter, you play by yourself rather than with team mates. You play a man called Gordon Freeman, and you go through a world full of crazy puzzles and bad guys. One villain that is particularly memorable is the head crab. The head crab is a little thing with four legs, it almost looks like a footstool, and it will jump to attack you. Another way it attacks you is it kills someone, attaches themselves to their head like a hat, and controls the dead body so that it comes after you like a crazy zombie. This game is fast-paced and exciting and just all-around awesome. One of the best games of the last decade.

Another game I love is Diablo II. It’s not a first-person shooter like the 3 mentioned above, but rather a slash-and-hack adventure. It’s a role-playing game, but I don’t like to use that term because you don’t have to wait through crap to attack something. You can play as The Amazon, The Necromancer, The Barbarian, The Sorceress, The Paladin, The Druid and The Assassin. My favorite is The Barbarian. He is huge and muscular, just like I would like to be if I was a dude. Throughout the game the more experience you get, the stronger your character gets. There are many different kinds of weapons, and they get better and better as you progress, as do the other items. The levels are intricate and almost impossible to navigate if you don’t have the little map turned on in the corner of the screen. The bosses in this game are probably the worst [best] I’ve ever seen. The final one, Diablo, takes much skill to beat. It has been 10 years and I’m embarrassed to say it, but I’ve never killed Diablo. :[ I can’t wait for Diablo III sometime next year!

Now that you’ve seen my angry lesbian side, I’d like to show you the music that fuels my fire. Back in the year 2002, I was introduced to a band called The Kills. Since that year, The Kills have been my favorite band, hands-down. They are a band from the UK that consists of Alison “VV” Mosshart and Jamie “Hotel” Hince. VV is the modern day Edie Sedgwick, although she doesn’t need a famous artist like Andy Warhol to get her noticed. She does it all on her own. She is a musical prodigy as well as a fashion goddess. Hotel plays the guitar in ways that I’ve never seen. He started out as a drummer, so it affects the way he plays in the best possible way. The only way I can describe their music is “dirty sexy rock.” It’s guitar music, really. They are by far the best live musical act I have ever seen. Their stage show is just as good if not better than listening to one of their records at home.

Fiona Apple has been one of my favorite musical artists since I was 12. She’s beautiful, talented and often perceived as bat-shit crazy. She writes her own music and lyrics, and plays the piano in a lot of her songs. Her music has helped me through many dark times. I love singing along with her. I love what she writes and how she writes it. The emotion in her voice is very raw and real. The pain you sometimes hear is very real as well. She was raped when she was 12 years old on her way home from school and she sings several songs relating to that in her albums. You wouldn’t know it if no one told you though, because of her fantastic writing skills. She will have a big place in my heart forever.

Lovage is one of the most unique bands to come out in the last decade. As soon as I heard the song “Stroker Ace,” they had me hooked. The music is very sexual in both the notes and the words. The band was created by Dan the Automator [known as Nathaniel Merriweather on the album], a Japanese-American hip-hop music producer. Mike Patton does half of the vocals. Mike Patton is an American musician, singer-songwriter, composer, producer, lyricist, multi-instrumentalist, film actor and voice actor. He is best known as the lead singer of Faith No More. He does the voices of the infected on my favorite games, Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2. I’ll get to those in the next post :] The other half of the vocals is Jennifer Charles. Her voice drips sex. End of story.

Another band I like is called The Black Keys. I first heard them on the opening of the movie Black Snake Moan. They are a blues-rock band, and I believe the best one of the last decade. If you like Led Zeppelin, The White Stripes or ZZ Top, I bet you anything that you would love this band. And even if you don’t like those bands, I bet you would still like them. The lead singer’s voice is fantastic, and their music is the same. I can’t wait to hear more music from them.

“So what went wrong, why don’t you like d*ck?” No, that’s not supposed to be “duck.” A student at this school actually asked me this question as soon as I opened up to him a little. The real kicker is, he even attended the gay club at this school saying he was a “supporter.” I haven’t talked to him since, and now I walk right past him in the halls as if he’s not even there. Some people need some act right. He is very lucky I didn’t smash his skull against the wall, but I was born a lady, and I’ll remain a lady… hehehe.

For some reason the first thing a lot of men say when I tell them I’m gay is, “What happened?” or “Well, you just haven’t had the right guy.”  These are both very VERY hateful things to say. I don’t care about the man’s pride, I have my own. I’m by no means a “man-hater”, there are plenty of dumb bitches I can’t stand as well, trust me. Stupid people are stupid. Nothing I can tell them will satisfy them when I tell them why I’m gay, because it’s not what they want to hear. I have tried many different angles with this issue, and I have come to a solid conclusion. The answer is: THERE IS NO ANSWER.

I like ladies, I like how women taste, smell and feel. Is it that hard to comprehend??? I can’t stand it when people assume something awful happened to me sexually and that’s why I’m gay, like I almost lost an eye or something and I’m just tainted forever hahahahaha… fools!!! Why do some people like hot dogs and other people can’t stand them? Because people are different than each other. Just because a hot dog is a food source does not mean you HAVE to eat it when it’s in front of you.

I have been “gay” as long as I can remember. I was in denial for a long, long time. Before I knew what “gay” was, I was in 3rd grade imagining myself as a boy and holding hands with the cutest girl in class. I don’t really desire to live life as a male, it was just that imagining myself as a boy was the only way I didn’t feel guilty about what I was thinking. Oh, another “reason” people look for in the golden answer of lesbianism is “oh you must have not had a father figure in your life.” Uhhhh no, my dad was loving and caring and AWESOME. So boo-yah.

Before you question something you obviously do not understand, consider the feelings of the person you are asking. Everyone has something about them that other people may not understand. Guys, if you find yourself hitting on a girl and she states that she is a lesbian, remember:

1. This does NOT mean she will have a threesome with you and another girl. Lesbian does NOT mean “kinky bisexual bitch” Okay?

2. Don’t say “you haven’t had the right d*ck” Unless, of course, you would like to have yours kicked to oblivion.

3. Now would be a good time to stop trying. When you seem to not hear what was just said and keep putting your foot in the door, it makes you look really, really stupid and you are giving all men a bad rep.

Now go forth and stop being a douchebag!

If my DVD collection was in a store, it would be in the “special interest” section. I think my taste stems directly from watching TV & movies with my mother. We would always watch Tales from the Crypt together before I went to bed. We would also watch silly movies like Drop Dead Fred and more serious ones like Beaches. As of today, my number one favorite movie is one called May, directed by Lucky Mckee. It is a horror story that starts out cute and innocent, but turns dark and dreadful towards the middle. The movie is funny throughout, if you are into dark comedies. The ending is sad and bittersweet, but I think the rest of the story makes it totally worth a little sadness. Moral of the story: Don’t f*ck with weird people.

My second favorite movie is one called Death Proof, directed by Quentin Tarantino. This is probably the most intense and awesome movie I have ever seen. In the beginning you are at first kind of like the villain, played by Kurt Russel. At the end of the movie, you would probably be very happy with how he ends up. The soundtrack is AMAZING, completely purchasable. There are quite a few good looking ladies in the movie, though not all of them are in one solid piece the whole time. The climax of the movie is the car chase scene. This movie is not like others made in the last decade, all of the stunts and stunt people are real. There is one woman in particular who struck my fancy, her name is Zoe Bell. Zoe is a stunt woman who plays herself in the movie, she has a big part in the car chase scene. Granted, she’s not the best actress but it is to be expected with her first speaking role. She started out being Xena, Warrior Princess’s stunt double. She got introduced to Quentin Tarantino and was Uma Thurman’s stunt double in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 & Vol. 2. This movie has me on the edge of my seat every time I watch it.

My third favorite movie would have to be Jawbreaker. It is a story about the cruel politics of high school, and the extent some girls will go to hold their status. The movie sort of emulates the 80’s movie Heathers, but sexy and with a way better soundtrack. One of the main actresses is Rose McGowan, and boy was she ever at her prime when this movie came about. She plays the best “bitch” I’ve seen to date. The rest of the cast makes the movie fantastic as well. This is truly dark comedy at it’s best.

My fourth favorite movie is Teen Witch. It is an 80’s flick with the sequins, shoulder pads, over-sized clothing and big hair to prove it. It is a story of a girl named Louise who doesn’t fit in at school, home or anywhere for that matter. She comes across an enchanted necklace that actually found her, and gives her the powers of witchcraft she was destined to have. The movie is upbeat, cute, and funny. I show this one to many of my friends and still laugh every time. Louise’s bratty little brother really makes the movie for me. He is absolutely hilarious and he played his role perfectly.

There are many artists who inspire me daily. I am subscribed to RSS feeds such as CGunit. (http://cgunit.com/) I see a new artist I’ve never heard of every single day there, and their work is absolutely amazing. There are some artists from that site that will never leave my memory. One in particular is Audrey Kawasaki. She is an erotic artist from Los Angeles who paints with oil on wood panels. Her work is like nothing I’ve seen before. I have seen it imitated, usually not very well, by other artists since she broke into the big art scene with her distinct style.

Another artist who is absolutely amazing and alive today is Shepard Fairey. I’m sure almost every eye in America and many abroad have seen at least one of his pieces. He is a political artist who creates incredible stencil pieces. His most well-known piece to date is the Barack Obama “HOPE” poster. Many people have worn his shirts from the “OBEY Giant” clothing line. He is one of the greatest graffiti artists who has ever walked the earth, and for good reason. His works are original, thought-invoking, and spectacular.

There is yet another graffiti artist I admire. His name is Banksy, and no one knows his true identity. No one knows for sure what he actually looks like. Yet you could tell his work from any others’ even without his name stenciled on or next to the piece. Banksy inspired me to start stenciling. His works are always in public places, oftentimes illegally. Some of them are funny, and some of them are bitter sweet pieces that cause you to stop and think. His layers in his stencils are flawless. His clean, edgy style has earned a place in my heart and mind forever.

My favorite artist who is deceased is Egon Schiele. I love his drawings of the women he knew that most people of that time thought were degenerates for getting naked in front of him. He was born in 1890 and died in 1918. I believe he was way ahead of his time. He had a very distinct way of drawing the human figure. I see him as the Tim Burton of his time. I love almost all of his self-portraits I’ve seen. The impact he had on the world in his short life, more so after, will continue to inspire me.

Art has been a serious part of my life for only about 4 years. Growing up, I was verbally and physically abused, so needless to say when I was a kid I didn’t think what I could do was worth much to anyone. The only art form I had was reeeeeally depressing poetry. And I liked to trace things. Once I got old enough to realize those people were crazy to treat a child that way, I came out of my shell and now I’m the sometimes funny, always weird person you know today. I began to try new things.

I started drawing in 2006. My first official drawing was of Angelina Jolie, but of course. I then started getting more detailed by drawing some of Chad Michael Ward’s photographs. That was when I started using oil pastels. Both of them just have one color. I got brave and drew one of my friends, she is mixed, so I blended many colors to make her skin tone. The drawing came out surprisingly well, considering I had no formal training at all. I would smudge the colors together with the lid of a Bic pen and then use my switchblade to scrape. I loved that I came up with my own little technique. It made me feel really good and proud of myself. Oh, and by the way, I usually only draw in pen, Bic pens, and incorporate any mistakes into the drawing somehow to make it work, or I just pretend that they’re not there. Hehehe. Once I had the two life drawing classes here at the Art Institute, my skills were refined and I could draw faces even better. I was always my best at faces. I never mastered hands or any other body part for that matter. Or sunglasses, as you’ll see below.

I discovered stenciling about a year and a half ago. My big inspiration was Banksy. His layered stencils are so fascinating and clean, I just had to try it. I started out doing a simple one-layer stencil, cut out of a piece of cardboard with an X-acto knife and used spraypaint. Then I did two layers, with clear re-positional adhesive vellum. That didn’t work out quite as planned, because I could only use them once. The reason I needed something clear was so that I could see exactly where I needed to put the next layer. So eventually I found large sheets of synthetic Mylar, which are like the transparencies that teachers used on overheads in grade school, for some of you.

With these strong, clear sheets I could easily cut out shapes with the X-acto blade and line up my layers perfectly. What’s really good about this material is I can use paint thinner to take the spraypaint over-spray off the stencil and re-use it. I made my first multi-layered stencil using this method, and ended up with 8 layers of awesome. I hope to eventually master this technique, as it is not perfect. I look forward to learning more mediums of the art world in the future. I hope to learn using my own techniques and ideas, like I have all along.

8-layer stencil of my beautiful Russian friend, Alina:

A more recent drawing using only a Bic pen and oil pastels, 2008:

(someone bent it)