Category: Features

Halloween 2007!

mike d. 5 Comments Features, PaintBrush!

October is well on the way so I suppose it’s about time for a Halloween MSPaint event.

Last year’s event, complete with over 30 entries, was a big hit. This year I thought I’d continue along the same lines as before with a ‘make a costume for mike d’ contest.

But this time with a bit more flare.

I’ve created an MSPaint body template.
halloween2.PNG

Included in this template are a series of eyes, mouths, heads, skin tones, and bodies to allow you all sorts of flexibility in making your best costume for me.

For starters, click on the thumbnail above and save the image to your computer.

Next, get this final template. This will standardize entries and help with sizing etc.
halloween2a.PNG

Open up two MSPaint windows and copy the body components from one MSPaint into the canvas of the final MSPaint template. Then, add some accessories and some color to make the ultimate costume!! Finally, add a title and e-mail it to me! (MikeDiDonato AT gmail D0T com)

Really, anything is allowed, but if you’re looking for a theme I’ll start you off with SuperHereos and Supervillains.

MSPaint tip:

When you’re pasting each component into the final template, make sure you have this highlighted in the toolbar:
mspainttip.PNG

It’ll help a lot.

Here’s a quick one that I came up with just now. Dr. Hurt. Dr. Hurt’s shield has the chemical composition of cocaine engraved into its face. He’s intense.

If you have a hard time getting the files or manipulating MSPaint send me a quick e-mail and I’ll help you any way I can.

Halloween MSPaints will appear in the ‘quickthoughts’ section for as much of October as I can provide.

(side note: if you feel restricted… feel free to make your own ‘bodies’ or features. there’s no rule saying you have to use only what’s provided)

Good luck!!

Climbing + wedding = ?

mike d. 8 Comments Features

Tony and Paulette are getting married on Saturday, Oct 6th. Amazingly, Paulette has agreed to let Tony do some quick rock climbing in between the ceremony and reception (Paulette is awesome). Unfortunately, Paulette said she didn’t think she’d be able to do it herself because, well, it’d be hard to get a harness on while wearing a wedding dress. In fact, even the approach would be tough considering the fact that wedding dresses are phenomenally and notoriously white.

well, unbeknownst to Tony and Paulette there has been a conversation in the works regarding the difficulty of allowing Paulette to climb on her wedding day. A solution was necessary.

In response to this conversation I received an e-mail from my sister Alicia that contains perhaps the single most bizarre link that has ever been provided to me.

Trash the Dress.

What?!

WHOA!

the last two images are, well… a little strange, but that first one? HOLY HARDCORE.

These are some of the hottest most amazing wedding pictures I’ve ever seen.

Secret History

mike d. 1 Comment Books, Features

The Secret History is a book that I picked up last Saturday at the Meriden Library. This was the last book in a ‘reading list’ provided to me by a librarian friend. And I’m glad that I ended with this one. To be honest, my excitement for reading waned slightly upon completing the last book: The lake of dead languages. Just enough so that I hesitated when I picked up this one… would it be any good?

I’m very glad I grabbed it. In my recent reading surge I’ve found that outside of the basic ‘good writing’/’bad writing’ separation there seem to be books with good plots, books with good characters, and books with both. The books with good characters, I think, are far better than books with good plots. Though you are free to disagree with me on that one.

‘The Secret History’ by Donna Tartt is one that, I think, has excellent characters and a pretty good plot. What makes the characters unique is that they are outcasts with deep flaws that are really tough to get your head around.

Our main character is Richard. He comes to a school and joins a group of students studying Greek: Henry, Charles, Bunny, and Camilla. The students are exceptionally bright, but fall into trouble when they find themselves in the midst of a murder.

Now, typically I think murder mysteries get a bad wrap. I think they can be seen as cheap entertainment. Despite the fact that this book deals with a murder… it’s hardly a mystery. I read it as more of a journey of a group of students and the interactions between them. The characters are just so wonderful.

I highly recommend this book. If you happen to read it, throw your thoughts in the comments.