I road into the night.... concept

So, I think it will look like this. Tricia, you look like a boy in this image.

Mariah Carey 8-bit

I know it's way past the holidays, but I thought I'd finish this anyway. Plus, Tricia keeps texting me about it. Watch out, there is music. I hope you like it.

In case you are interested in my process here are a few screen shots.

The Mariah (and Micheal Jackson) poses were animated in very tiny photoshop documents, then saved as bitmaps and imported to Flash, converted and resized. I learned this from Chris Pace when animating his digibird. It takes more time than drawing in Flash but the pixels remain true like actual sprites. I've tried Fireworks a little bit, but I'm more comfortable with PS.

Here is the background in Photoshop.

Here is a pic of Mariah's symbol in Flash. She has 18 main poses. To add eye and mouth movements I repeated her body frames and added the other things on top. That way had about 100 fames to choose from. I'm a little better at multiplying by 18 now.

These are the frames for the snow/confetti animation. Each flake has an 86 frame loop.

Wish me luck

Today I have done something that I have never done before, buy a real lottery ticket. It's different from the dollar I pitched in from co-worker pressure. It's also different from the scratch off ticket I once bought and won a second ticket.

Few days ago Jose mentioned that he and his family were competing for a huge mega millions jackpot. The public excitement about it was confirmed by the long line in the deli. There are always two lines on lotto nights. One for sandwiches and things and the other for lotto tickets.

Now even though I've had my share of get-rich-quick schemes, gambling was never enticing, as I found with computerized slot machines in the casinos of northern Oklahoma. There, slots were legal if they were paired with nonsensical bingo cards in the corner of the screen. Free fountain drinks and "cappuchinos" were the highlight of walking through clouds of cigarette smoke while waiting for my mom to double her $20. I often pocketed the money she said "to go have fun with." Why? Because it was like throwing fist fulls of quarters into the river. I almost always lost.

However, once in Vegas when I won (back) 300 dollars at the roulette table. It was 3am and I was very very tipsy on free booze. Someone showed me the best way to make a little bit of money at a time... place a $1 bet between two or more numbers on the table. On each spin I bet a total of $10 over 20 or more numbers. Although I can't remember the details of the game, I think it was a conservative way to play. Above the wheel there was a grocery checkout style pole displaying the last 2o or so spins. It helps those playing to see a pattern or at least imagine. It wasn't long before I began seeing patterns. Of course the factors where all things the human eye could not judge. Where exactly was the ball dropped, it's torque, which number was under it, how fast the wheel was spinning. But somehow the belief of a pattern was enough to win little bits. I never guessed the actual number. I'd like to believe that I eventually could have if drunkenness didn't beat me. So I stopped, took my winnings and staggered over to my mom who was still on the slots.

As for the Mega Millions game, the odds of guessing all 6 numbers is about 170 million to one. I did not play that night at the deli. So what has changed? Why am I embarking on a journey that will almost no doubt leave trail of losing tickets like breadcrumbs? I'm not entirely sure yet. I think of this as my art project. I suppose part of me is a sucker for lost causes, but also think I can find something here.

So far I have been studying the history of mega millions, the most popular balls and percentages of likely patterns. Basically a crash course of lotto 101. I am not a math wiz. I googled images of the ticket so I would know what to expect and I'm giving myself a budget of 5 dollars a week. I think a lot players only remember their winnings and not their losses. However, I am not trying to prove that I am wasting money. My mission is to guess the right numbers, not wish to become a millionaire.

I asked my mom for info on the game, things like buying the ticket a day in advance and must I filled out 5 separated tickets to play 5 sets of numbers and is there a box for the pay out options? She got started on winners a who had declared bankruptcy within 5 years. My first inclination was to yell out "I'm not going to win. this is an experiment." but that is the wrong attitude. Mom went on about how everyone has their hand out after you win. I asked, "couldn't you just remain anonymous?" That was the beginning of my winning fantasy. The what-if-I-do-win scenario. More youtube research was needed.

I found a news story about a man who won, lost his granddaughter to drugs and blamed his lotto winnings. He basically spoiled her rotten. Another winner was welder who's ex wife stole the ticket and divorced him, taking everything. Then there was a woman who won a game show, paid her bills, bought a vacuum cleaner and ordered lattes more often. Somehow she was not really affected. Coming into a lot of money is the true test of character and of those around you. So, what I would do? I would remain anonymous and pay my debts. I'd have to donate a portion to charity. If I became an asshole I have to give away the rest although if I did became an asshole it maybe too late. Make my films and travel...I need to stop. There. I did it. I allowed myself this part of the dream.

The thing is I am a dreamer. Not only with this lottery thing, but my entire life is chasing a dream. If I didn't believe in myself and my ideas then what is the point? So, here I am televisionless waiting to see tonight's winning numbers posted on the internet. I am also finishing up on Mariah's eye movements.

"I rode into the night to-nite"

I'm trying not to fall prey to my nocturnal nature, but here I am at 4:30am. I'm almost finished with my Mariah Carey animation which was kind of a holiday animation realized only after Tricia and I were talking about invisible note pointing.

So, Tricia is now gone. It was fun as always and this time I was free of work. I didn't go home for xmas because I had a deadline the same week and ticket prices were outrageous for only a few days home. So I decided to wait and allow myself at least a week long trip. That is why Tricia was able to stay. Even though I missed my family I was very excited to cook my first xmas dinner. A dinner that was pretty much all starch and a couple of Cornish hens. There's a picture of this bohemian feast somewhere.

Being that this is my first post of the new year I should try to think of resolutions...

My first would be to pay rent and make lots of money, but I'm not sure how to do either of those. So, I will try to keep a healthy schedule (with the exception of now) by sleeping at night and working in the morning on my projects as to not screw my body up when I freelance. Also, to run/bike 16 to 20 miles a week and to add weights to my workout. Also, to finish long over due personal projects.

Before Tricia left to walk across the desert or something...we were talking about song lyrics she wrote years ago. I might take some of her imagery and play with a little 8-bit story. Very short, because otherwise it will be stuck on my list. Those films must get finished before I die. I mean I should have actual deadlines for my personal work.

Actually, that reminds me of a conversation I had with my mom. If I died unexpectedly to not throw away my unfinished "films" which are large plastic bins of paper, but to give them to an oxberry cameraman. That's basically my last request and not to be buried/cremated in a dress or tons of make-up or have an open casket if I'm in any type of accident. Really I prefer a closed one. So, my mom says "What does the camera man do with it?"

"They shoot the pages one frame at a time. They have a camera that points down at the table."

"So they just take a picture of each page?"

"Yeah pretty much"

"Oh! That's sounds like a lot pictures. Maybe I could do something like that. That would be fun!"

"You want to shoot my film if I die?"

"Yeah, that sounds neat!"

"With your camera?"

"Uh Huh that digital one."

"oh... ok. I really wanted a film camera"

"Like a regular point and shoot? I got one of those too."

"Like a movie camera"

"Oh I wouldn't know where to find one of those."

Yeah, so this means I can't die. Sorry, that was a long tangent.

Ok, I skimmed Tricia's blog looking for something that looks like a poem. Tricia hates poetry, but she wrote a whole song for me. It has to do with a letter I wrote to fox 5 under her name.

"Tricia's Song for She Who Wronged Her"
with Morrissey stylings.

When you snuck into my email oh oh when you snuck into my email
I was mad. Oh hohoho ho I was maaaaaaaaaaaadddd (bass) yesssss
But when you lied about my rent and how much it coooooooosssssssssssts
formetolive
what was that for? What were you thinking orwereyoueven
theeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeee?
In your brain.
It's Captain Enterprising!
Oh, Oh, it's Captain Enterprising here to get something for nothing
that's stuff for naught....
Enterpri-hi-hi-hi-h-i-siiiiiine
Seven-hundred dollars for rent, you say? Surely you don't think Fox5 would fall for that,
SoundOff, SoundOff SoundOff
and if they diiiiiid, would they really sendyouacheck for that extra money not used on the requested Morrissey concert ticket?
You must be mad,
Don't tell me no.
Captain Enterprising has arrived, Captain Enterprising has arrived
stow your diaries, hide your cutting kits, cutting kits cutting kits cuttingkits
cut cut
You want to be sneaky?
How about not using a joint email account for your tomfooleries, Captain Enterprising?
Yes I found out. Yes I found out. Yes I found and I'm ashamed, it's so bad. This feeling I have it's so bad. You signed my name, you bastard you, you signed my name.
Like a Puritan at the witchstake, Joan of Arc is on the witchstake, and she's burning flames, flambe,
she's burning bu-hur-hur-hur-hurning.
She has but one name and now it's soiled, generations scorned
Oh-woah Captain Enterprising has arrived, Captain Enterprising has arrived
and neglected the spellcheck
grammar and "heartbrake" gone to heck
Cut and paste.
cut and paste paste it into Windows first to see
behold the red squigglees
When were you going to tell me?
This betrayal is like knives
I got on my bike to-nite. I rode into the night to-nite
screaming for love from hooting owls
they spoke back to me they said "how"
Yes, I did shut the door on you just now while you slowly walked down the hall.
I'm not sorry.
You think you're so sneaky
I don't think so, no no don't think sooooooooo.