In my previous journal entry, I told you that my father was going in for surgery to replace his right hip. It's been a few days, and I now have another update for you.

It would seem he's recovering from surgery rather well. He's not having any reaction to the anesthesia like he did last time. He's been up out of bed a few times, and despite the stiffness of his leg, he's doing rather well with walking. The only complains he has is that there is no rotary fan in his room, and that he can't hook up his X-Box 360 to play Assassin's Creed: Black Flag. He's projected to be released to go home this weekend, maybe today (Saturday) or Sunday, with orders to keep resting until he's fully healed.

In light of his return home, I've decided to do something a little out of the ordinary. While I'm out doing my weekly shopping tomorrow, I plan on picking Dad up a warm blanket. This blanket was supposed to be a Christmas present, but I think he will get better use out of it during his recovery than he would if I waited until Christmas Day. The last thing I want is for him to catch cold, and have to be put back in the hospital.

Well, that's it for now. I'll update everyone on how my Dad's doing when I next see him, or when he comes home; whichever comes first...

A while back, I did a journal entry about my father having hip replacement surgery on his left hip. In it I think I mentioned his right hip was in need of replacing as well. Well, I got a major update on that topic.

As of earlier this evening I found out that my dad is going into surgery tomorrow to have his right hip replaced. This came on rather quickly, just in the past week in fact. It seems a patient canceled their operation, and my father's surgery was bumped up way ahead of schedule to fill that spot. He is supposed to be checked in at 6 a.m. Evansville I.N. time (that is 7 a.m. Washington I.N. time). I do not know for sure the exact time his surgery is to take place, nor do I know for sure how long it will take.

I had originally planned to be there with him for moral support. I also planned on doing a bit of Christmas shopping while I was in Evansville. Sadly, that does not seem to be possible. I have been sick for the past two to three days. I'm currently running a high fever (99.8 F/ 37.6 C the last time I checked on it), and we all know that most hospitals do not want people coming in as visitors if they're sick and running a fever; too much of a risk of making patients sick, and developing a "super bug" immune to medication. So, it looks like I'm stuck at home, again, nursing a cold...

Well, it's that time of year. Once more I find that it is my birthday. My 27th birthday. I've not much to say about it other than I thought I'd be out on my own by now, holding a steady job, possibly married, with children in the planning. Instead, I'm living with my parents, on Disability with barely enough to pay rent and buy personal food. Funny how life works out, huh?

Anyways, I'm not doing much to celebrate my new age. Just sitting back, enjoying a few presents, and looking forward to the dinner I picked out.

It's been a while since I last did anything with my journal. So, in light of this, I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon, and let everyone see a bit more of the person behind the Minifig.

1. Why did you join FurAffinity?
Well, I originally joined FA for the artwork. I migrated to the site after an art-site I was part of put a ban on anthropomorphic and animal artwork simply because a certain moderator blew up over what he/she thought should have been a free commission.

2. What does your username have to do with you?
My username has very little to do with me. It’s a name I thought up when I was first exposed to the internet. I was playing Pokemon Crystal at the time, and I thought, “Kanto rocks a lot better than Johto.” Since then, it’s kind of stuck as my default username wherever a username is required. Currently, however, “Kantorock” is the name of my primary fan-created Mobile Suit from the Gundam series.

3. What is your current avatar of?
I have a few avatars. My first avatar was of a Fireshifter, a subspecies of Remalon featured in the Extinctioner comics. My last one was of my Star Wars Twi’lek fan character, Selene Dai’Ru’Lek. Currently, I’m sporting an avatar is of my as I last appeared in my local Dungeons & Dragons game.

4. How many watchers do you have, and how many do you watch?
Currently I have 103 watchers. This surprises me, as in my opinion, I’m not much of an artist. As for those I’m watching, I am currently watching 515 people. I would like to narrow that list down for the sake of my new submission inbox, but I enjoy everyone’s art style.

5. Do you have more than one account?
No, I do not. Considering that I do not create erotic or sexually orientated materials, I do not see the point in having more than one profle.

6. Name 3 of your favorite artists on FA.
Hmmm... that’s a tough one. I have many favorite artists here on FurAffinity. If I had to pick just three, I would have to say that  sethtriggs,  terriesmith, and  jollyjack are at the top of that list.

7. What artist do you admire because of their personality?
I can’t really say that I admire any artist because of their personality. I’m not really one to connect with the artist on a personal level outside my own close circle.

8. Do you comment, fave, or both?
I +fav more than I comment on art. I used to me notorious for +fav’ing any piece of art that caught my eye. Now, I try my best to leave behind some sort of comment telling the artist what I like and don’t like about a certain piece.

9. What do you typically post on FA?
That’s an easy one: 3-dimensional, computer-generated Lego sets. What can I say? I’m a Lego Maniac, and will be until I die.

10.What's your favorite submission in your gallery?
I don’t have a singular favorite submission. I do, however, enjoy my “D&D: The Lost Chapters” more than anything else in my gallery.

11. What are the things you wish you could draw better?
Everything. While I was an avid artist back in grade school, I somehow lost my talent to draw when I turned to writing. I’d really love to learn how to draw again, but without proper tutelage it will be impossible.

12. How many hours a day do you spend on FA?
Not many. Maybe between 1 to 2 hours. Most of that time is spent clearing out my new submission inbox and reading new journals.

13. Are you a fast, slow, or medium typer?
My typing speed depends on how I’m feeling. Generally, I’m a fast typer. However, when I’m not feeling well I find that I start to “Hunt & Peck” more than I normally would.

14. What is the most annoying thing people ask you?
There are two things that people ask me that I find annoying. The first is “What program did you use to create your Lego sets?” The second question is “What program did you use to display your Lego sets?” I always tell which programs I used, it’s right in the description. It drives me crazy to have to answer those questions time and again when the answer is right there in the submission description.

15. What is the most annoying/offending comment you've received?
“What program did you use to create this model?” Seriously, people, look in the description.

16. What/who inspires you?
I don’t really have anything or anyone that inspires me. Usually, a thought just enters into my mind, and I go from there.

17. Everyone has considered leaving FA once or twice. Have you? Why?
Actually, believe it or not, I’ve never thought of leaving FA. Since I don’t go into the politics or drama of the site, I have never had a reason to leave.

I'm not one to boast or brag. I don't like the attention doing so brings. Especially when it comes to things that I have either worked on, or am currently working on. I have a habit of keeping projects as secretive and quiet as possible. However, there comes a time when I feel like showing off the things I'm working on, or at least making others aware of them. This is one of those times.

What follows is a list of (and some links to) projects I'm currently working on. This is mainly for the curious who wish to take a look into what I'm currently up to work wise. It also serves as to straighten out my cluttered list of projects, to a lesser extent.

Anyways, without further ado, I present my current workload.

RPGs
ZOIDS: The Cooperative Creative Writing Project
This is my main project I'm developing for my Zoids forum, Zoids: Battle Century - found here: http://zoids-battlecentury.zforum.biz/. Its game style simple, and is somewhat based on "Faith-based" forum role-playing with some Zoids console game battle mechanics - specifically Zoids: Legacy - loosely integrated into the overall system. While it is still currently in development, I have released the majority of its content on my ZBC forum, as well as having uploaded a W.I.P copy of the entire book to my FA gallery, which can be found here http://www.furaffinity.net/view/10401050/. Sadly, I haven't been in the mood for Zoids in a few months, so little to no progress has been made with this project.

Transformers Prime: Heavy Metal Mayhem - Factions & Subgroups
As a lover of resource materials, and a Co-Founder of a Transformers: Prime Yahoo! Group RPG - which can be found at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Transformers-Prime - I've taken it upon myself to flesh out the various warring factions and their subgroups of the game. I have most of the factions completed; however, there seems to be two or three that have decided to fight my attempts to define them. Currently only the third w.i.p. draft is uploaded to the Yahoo! Group. I have no plans on uploading it here, so if you're interested in taking a look at it, head on over to the Yahoo! Group and apply for a membership.

Transformers Prime: Heavy Metal Mayhem - Races & Ethnicity
As stated above, I'm the Co-Founder of a TFP rpg. Since all games need a reference to which kinds of races and species are allowed to be used as Player Characters, I've been writing up a summery of each species accepted in the TFP game. It's currently in its third draft, and is about half-way to full completion. Sadly, only the first draft is to be found on the group. I have no plans on uploading it here (or anywhere else that is not the group), so if you're interested in taking a look at it, head on over to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Transformers-Prime, and apply for a membership.

Thundera: A 2011 ThunderCats RPG
Recently I was appointed Head Moderator of a refurbished role-playing Yahoo! Group that focuses on the 2011-series ThunderCats. I've been charged by the Administrator -  chakat-fleetfoot to get the game up and running. To that end, I've completely overhauled the group's look, and have installed a set of rules. I'm currently working on a summary of acceptable races to be used by Players when creating their characters. If you're interested in seeing the group, or interested in a newly launched 2011 ThunderCats rpg, then head on over to http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/Thundera/, and apply for a membership.

Veil of Shadows: Racial Resource Guide
I've been a part of the Yahoo! roleplaying group "Veil of Shadows" ever since I started on-line roleplaying. For the most part, it's been slow and vague in details. However, I had an idea to change that. Gaining permission from its owner -  chakat-fleetfoot- I have begun to undertake the task of creating a D&D inspired sourcebook containing all the races available to be used as Player Characters. For the most part, it's been a fun project, if not a bit insulated as I rarely get any "official" feedback on its contents. Unless: iconchakat-fleetfoot: gives me permission, I will not be uploading the racial guide anywhere other than the main group. If you're interested in viewing the guide, or are interested in a High Fantasy that focuses of anthromorphs, head on over to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Veil-.....cles-of-Ashara, and apply for a membership.

Digimon: Recoded
There’s not much to say about this project beyond the overall concept: Digimon fighting a war against the Dark Masters without the aid of the Digi-Destined. So far, I have yet to “research” (that means brainstorm) the subject further. I’m tempted to abandon the whole thing, but there’s something in the back of my mind that keeps telling me to hold onto it.

Fiction
History of Zi
History of Zi is my primary Zoids fiction that I’ve been working on for years. It depicts the “official” history of my fan-verse “Zoids: Battle Century.” It takes on many elements from the already established Zoids continuities (canon and fanon), but is mainly inspired by on the original “Battle Story” and the latest “Concept Art” reboot. So far, I’ve written two chapters, which has had some success on Zoidspoison, Phen0type, and Fanfiction.net. Though I have not been in the mood to do anything with Zoids for the past few months, I do hope to revisit this budding series with a new chapter detailing the events that led up to the first true war on Planet Zi.

Zoids: Battle Century - Battle Report: Rehistory
Battle Report: Rehistory is my attempt to look into the “behind-the-scenes” lives of the people that populate my Zoids fan-verse “Battle Century.” For the most part, it’s meant to “reproduce” the various letter correspondence, notes, journals, magazines & tabloid articles, and reports that make up part of Zi’s information network. Some of the chapters are done in the style of high ranking military individuals, and contain information that they may not want known. Others contain heart-felt letters between family members, or musings of a personal sort. There was never any intended order to them, despite myself having given each entry a chapter number. Currently there are 4 chapters, all of which can be found both in my gallery here, and on Fanfiction.net. As much as I’d like to add another few chapters to this project, I doubt I will do so, as the inspiration for them has been missing for a long time…

Transformers Prophecies: Deception Rising
Deception Rising is my take on how the Great Cybertronian Civil Wars began in my Transformers fan-verse “Transformers: Prophecies.” While it was originally based on IDW’s take of things, I have recently began to overhaul and revamp the entire series to better reflect new information and new concepts that I’ve stumbled across. I’m not going to say any more on the subject other than I hope to get a framework of the story worked out in the near future.

Transformers: Zoic Wars
Transformers: Zoic Wars combines two of my favorite continuities: Transformers and Zoids. It takes place during the IDW’s Transformers Beast Wars in the last decades when the Autobots and Decepticons were “upgrading” themselves into Maximals and Predacons. Specifically, it centers around a group of Autobot Maximals shot down over Planet Zi to find that a group of Decepticon Predacons have begun to ramp up their Infiltration protocols. The Maximals must find a way to bring the Predacon presence on the planet to an end while they repair their ship and attempt to dodge the attention of the planet’s local governments. While the concept behind the project is sound, I have not made any progress beyond drawing up its character bible. I hope to one day fully develop it, but its currently on the far back burner, where it will remain until my muse dictates otherwise.

Star Wars: Force of Darkness
Star Wars: Force of Darkness is your typical Star Wars story. It focuses on a group of unfortunates thrown into a galaxy spanning war to establish a new galactic government. What sets Force of Darkness apart is that it’s set thousands of years ABY into the future when all the hyper-lanes were instantaneously reorganized seemingly overnight, causing a complete breakdown in galactic civilization. Currently this project is in the brainstorming stages, as I’m still waiting to hear back from several artists about using their ship designs that I plan to use as the main starships of the various factions that drive the story.

Monster Rancher: Return of the Baddies
This fiction projection takes up right where the original anime series left off, but incorporates content from the various games so far produced. The storyline revolved around a Zan (a type of mantis/scorpion ninja-like Monster) as he combats a rising number of Baddies (“evil” Monsters that have turned on humans and their Monster partners) that seek to revive Master Mu (the anime’s originally main villain) through the use of human souls. To date I have yet to fully develop this project beyond the initial premise and the main character. I’d love to develop it to fruition, but I’ve yet been able to get my hands on the anime dvd series, nor have I been able to get any of the games beyond Monster Rancher Advance or Monster Rancher Advanced 2.

ChakaMech: Memories of Tomorrow
ChakaMech is one of my more recent creative projects. ChakaMech is a hit, long-running “In-Universe” Chakat Universe science-fantasy space-mecha opera television and video game series based in an alternate universe where magic and technology co-exist side-by-side. The series itself tells a war-story, revolving around the struggles of the “Emblem Republic” as it desperately tries to defend itself against the hyper-advanced civilization known only as the “Chæzaré.” So far, I haven’t really developed this project as much as I would like. I’m tempted to throw this out to all the chakat fans, and see where it goes, but I’m not confidant enough in its foundation to do so.

Lego: Space Wars
I’ve mentioned Lego: Space Wars a few times on past gallery submissions. It’s an amalgamation of the various space-themed sets produced by Lego - along with many MOCs – thrown into one cohesive universe. It’s been with me ever since I first started playing with Lego-style building blocks. In recent months, however, I’ve found myself coming up with an overall storyline for the series that focuses on The Lego Team’s attempts to find the “Key of the First Builders” before the organization known as “Agem” can claim it, and through it subjugate the brick universe. To that end, I find myself including more and more non-Lego sets into Lego: Space Wars with each new set released by Kre-O and Megabloks. Currently I have the framework down for this project, but that’s as far as it’s coming until I manage to get my muse back.

RPG Characters
Oh-boy! This is a tough one. I’ve been creating original characters and fan characters for neigh on a decade. I’ve lost count as to how many I’ve actually made, and hold no interest in numbering them anyways. Sufficed to say, I’ve created a number of characters for a number of topics, most of them created on a whim. Now days my list of characters is not as impressive, numbering less than 30, most of whom I’m still tweaking.

With that said, I am not going to list them here. I don’t really like to share them, as I view them as works-in-progress. Those I do share – specifically Selene and Quicksilver – have been developed so much that I feel that any more tweaking is inconsequential. If you’re interested in learning about my characters, then please join the forum and groups I role-play in and take part in them. Otherwise, I’m not talking about them; though, I might reveal some details for the asking.

I thought I'd give all my watchers a heads up. I'll be updating my gallery within the next few weeks, clearing out my old projects, and replacing them with cleaner updates if I can. That means all my old posts dating back before my submission Lego BattleTech: Mechbay will be removed and (possibly) updated. If an update cannot be found, then it will not be re-uploaded. So, leaf through my submissions, and save what you like to your hard-drive of choice, because the chances are that they won't be there for much longer.

It's day 7 or my vigil, and things are starting to calm down.

Mom's doing fine. Her pain has greatly subsided, and now she's just taking one Pircocet instead of two. She's still groggy and hell, and doesn't have all her balance back. However, she is feeling well enough to get around the house on her own.

Chad is taking a proactive approach to his recovery. Since his fever broke, he's been trying to do most things for himself. However, Dad and myself have been limiting the things he can and cannot do. We don't want him to overdo anything; there is no way any of us want to be rushing him to the E.R. He still can't use the bathroom by himself, and I'm reluctantly learning the ends and outs of "caring" for other people's "properties."

Dad and myself are divided on caring for the rest of our family. Mom has called upon him to care for her, and she "elected" me to care for my brother. I wouldn't mind it so much, but Chad's got me running ragged. I can't seem to sit down for more than ten minutes before he needs me to do something. I'd say something about refusing, but it's my duty as a Big Brother to make sure he's protected, even if the threat is from himself.

Day (night) five of my vigil, and I have another update.

Mom's not doing so well. She contracted a mild fever late last night that lasted until earlier this afternoon, for which I am greatly thankful. She looks horrible, and seems to be in a state of twilight sleep, where she's half awake, and keeps drifting off at the drop of a hat. She claims to be hot, but her temperature is normal. She also can't stop coughing, which is still worrying. Dad has said that if she doesn't improve within the next few days then he's going to take her to the emergency room. Suffice to say, I'm somewhat scared.

On the brighter side of things, Chad - my brother - is home finally. His fever broke over last night, and he was discharged around 6 p.m. He's in a bit of pain, but he says it's a welcomed relief when compared to the pain he was in before. Currently he's in the bathroom suffering the side-effects of hospital-grade laxatives. I'm tempted to make a joke at his expense about the matter, but it wouldn't be right; I know how it feels to be stuck in the bathroom, unable to do anything but sit there and take it... >.<

Dad and myself are somewhat relieved by my brother's homecoming. At the same time, we're also worried about Mom. "It never rains; it pours" as my grandmother used to say...

It's day four (night actually,) and I've got another update about Mom and Chad.

Mom's doing a bit better, but still in pain. She's been coughing all day, trying to get the last of the anesthesia out of her system. Moreover, she feels like there's something stuck in her throat. She knows she doesn't, but the sensation is still there. Other than that she's starting to move around without any help. Of course, Mom still has problems bending over, turning her head, and moving her arms, but that's expected after her type of surgery.

My brother, on the other hand, is not doing so well. He contracted a fever sometime last night, and it hasn't left him as of when he last called me - which was just right now as I write this update. The fever itself fluctuates wildly between 98.9 F and 103 F. I'm not entirely sure why he has a fever, but it's got me more than worried. Dad tells me it's a natural response to the body undergoing such trauma, and reminds me that he went through the same thing when he had his second hip surgery. Still I can't help but feel a bit helpless. After all, he's my little brother. He grew up on my shirttails (somewhat literally, as he learned to walk by holding onto my shit.) I've always been there for him; I've always looked out for him, always blazing the trail knowing that he would have an easier time in his life. Now, I can do nothing but sit by him, and wait. It's depressing...

I've got another update concerning concerning my mother and little brother.

My brother is feeling a lot better; though he's a bit lonely. He's still in a lot of pain, but he claims the morphine is taking the sharpness out of it, making it a really deep ache. The nurses have allowed him to get up and walk a little, mainly to the bathroom, and back to his bed. He's eager to get back home, but that's expected for anyone spending all their time in a hospital. At least his room has a west-facing room, and the sunsets it gives are spectacular.

Mom, on the other hand, is already home. She was released mid-afternoon, and arrived just after 6 p.m. Her ride home was a painful one, full of bumps, dips, potholes, uneven roadway, and the varying speed of traffic. To say she was miserable when by the time she got into hr recliner would be an understatement. For the most part she's been in pain. Her incision is really itching and aching, and the tape holding the gauze over it isn't helping anything. She's been sleeping on and off between bites of yogurt. The dogs were excited by her arrival, particular her Chi-wienie Tippe, whom is virtually attached to her by Velcro. Right now Mom's reclined back in her chair, eating pudding, and watching television. So far she hasn't really asked for much without being asked; she hates being waited on, and I can't rightfully blame her. Hopefully things will star to look up for her in the coming weeks, when the pain begins to dull more, and she regains her mobility again.

As for Dad and me, we're still exhausted as hell. Too much running to and fro, and worrying how things will turn out...

I got updates concerning Mom and my brother, Chad.

Mom's doing well, though she's in a fair amount of discomfort. Her surgery didn't last all that long, only about two hours long (She went in at 7:30 a.m. and got out around 9:40.) There were no complications that the surgeon told us about, and she was in her room by 11 a.m. Dad sat with me until her operation was finished, and then went to sit with Mom for most of the day. Her doctor is going to be keeping her overnight for observation, and then she will most likely be released sometime tomorrow afternoon.

My brother's also doing well, be is in a far greater amount of discomfort, which is putting him in a slightly bad mood. His surgery went without a hitch despite lasting about 5 hours straight, having started at 11:15 a.m. I stayed behind in the waiting room doing what family pf patients do best: waiting patiently with a mix of worry and anxiety. The surgeon, as he explained it to me in brief when my brother was in recovery, went in to see what the damage was, found the previous equipment extremely loose and totally ineffective, removed said equipment along with a few discs, put in new equipment to replace the old along with new discs, and stitched him back up. It must have been exhausting work, for he looked worn out; it didn't help matters that he had just finished up working on Mom when he came to Chad. Anyways, Chad was in his room by 5:30 p.m., and on a morphine drip to help manage his pain. I wasn't informed of any discharge date for him as I write this update. However, that may change tomorrow when Dad goes to pick up Mom.

To say I've had a long and tiring day is an understatement. I went to bed at 11 p.m. last night, woke up at 4 a.m. this morning, and didn't get home until 9:3 p.m. this evening. I am thoroughly exhausted.

Well, tomorrow's the big day. Mom's going in for surgery to fix her neck, and my brother is following her to fix his back. I just learned of his schedule earlier today. Talk about things coming in pairs...

Well, I knew it was coming to this point for some time now. Yet, I didn't think it would come this fast. What am I talking about? Well, it has to do with my mom and my little brother. They are in need of corrective spinal surgery.

My mom has two herniated discs in her neck that are pinching her spinal cord, causing a number of problems for her ranging from headaches to numbness throughout her body. She also has spurs on a few of her neck's vertebrae due to osteoarthritis.

My brother is in need of surgery on his lower back to correct a possible mistake from an earlier surgery that's causing him to lose his ability to walk and sit due to severe amounts of pain. As a child he fractured a vertebra in his lower back, and underwent surgery to fuse the bone back together. Sadly, the bone never took, and the surgery itself was performed by under-qualified individuals at the Daviess County Hospital (which is right in the town I live in) - itself having a reputation for being a poor quality care facility despite recent upgrades.

I learned just yesterday that both of their surgeries have been approved by my mom's medical insurance, and that dates have already been scheduled. Mom's going in on the 6th, for a 3 hour-long operation. My brother's in sometime within the next two to three weeks (not sure exactly when) and will be at least a 4 hour long operation.

Mom's recovery period, as her surgeon told her, will be about 4 to 6 weeks depending on how quickly she heals. She'll be out of work for the first 3 weeks, receiving only three-fourths of her regular pay.

My brother's recovery period will be anywhere between 4 to 6 months - physical therapy not included.

Coupled with my dad's recent hip replacement, you can only start imagine the stress this is putting me under. I haven't been able to attend classes at my local Samaritan Center because we're running to Evansville almost every single day for tests. Moreover, I've been saddled with all the household chores until Mom and Chad are fully recovered. This stress has got my depression ramped up, and is causing by Irritable Bowel Syndrome no end of trouble. To say I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place is an understatement...

Well, it's official. The struggle for image re-colouring is on!

Confused, I'll explain. The FurAffinity group  zoidsfur is hosting a colouring competition for their newly elected mascot, a Brave Jaguar. The winner of the contest receives a simple coloured full-body image drawn by  irishwolven of a Zoid of their choice, as well as having their winning colour scheme be the official colour scheme of the group's mascot.

The rules are simple, and can be found here ---> http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/4512869/. If you're interested in Zoids, or just want to try your hand at something different, I would suggest joining in.

Already there are two submissions in the running. The first submission is done by myself,  kantorock, and is the second version I did. the first version, while interesting, wasn't something I would want as a group icon. However, I will most likely upload it after the competition is over. The second submission is done by  crytuf. In my opinion it is rather impressive, as it incorporates all the group banner colours. I especially love the yellow shoulder, hip, and leg armor. However, there's a few flaws, which you may not notice right off hand, unless you happen to have access to a side image of a Brave Jaguar. So far no one else has submitted an entry, but that's not saying much.

Anyways, I encourage you to head on over to  zoidsfur and its website, http://zoidsfur.weebly.com/, and keep an eye on how the competition is going. I also encourage you to cast your vote for the winner once the polls are up.

Until next time...

~Kantorock

Well, I was afraid something like this would happen. It would seem my family has expanded by yet another dog. It's a(neutered) male chiweenie that my dad calls "Rocky." Approximately 6 to 8 months old, his markings are almost identical to a rottweiler, right down to the brindle dots on the eye ridges.

To be entirely honest, I'm not thrilled at the prospect of another dog in the house. Sure, he's cute as hell, and isn't all that noisy like our other chiweenie is. It's just that I know who's going to be taking care of him: myself. Beyond that, I still have a bit of a bit of a chip on my shoulder about having a male dog back in my life. Mikey, my brother's male Chihuahua, was more than a handful to live with and take care of. Even though I know neither two dogs are the same, I cannot help but feel the same way about Rocky...

Finally got my medications last night. Slept like a log the entire night through, and all the way until the late afternoon today. I'm still recovering, and will probably be back at full strength by the end of the weekend.

While I'm on the mend, I'm thinking about revisiting my roots as a Spriter. I stumbled upon my old cache of Pokemon Sprites earlier today, and an idea came over me. I've always wanted to do my own Pokemon game, but my experience in hacking them goes only as far as using cheat codes with the help of Gamesharks and Action Replays. So, I figured why not craft my own unique Pokemon story in my own unique Pokemon world. While I got a firm idea of the direction I want to take the story, I'm currently unsure what format the comic should take. Should it be more like the games, or should it be more like the animes, or should it be a combination of the two? I just don't know...

So, for the past few days I've been feeling crappy. I've been out of several medications, and it's causing me problems to no ends. Normally I wouldn't mind it so much; however, one of the medications I'm out of helps keep my schizophrenia in check. While I'm not going to "freak out" anytime soon, I haven't been able to get more than 10 hours of sleep in the past two days. I should have my meds by later tonight, but you would be correct in saying that I've been having a hard time not being myself.

As is typical during these situations, I develop an obsession with certain things. For some reason, I've affixed myself to an old favorite this time around: Pokemon. I recently pulled out my game cartridges, and downloaded them to my computer. Suffice to say, they're bringing back a lot of memories.

I used to be a big time Pokemon fan while growing up. It was all sparked by the Nintendo Power promotional video that I was sent showcasing the upcoming Pokemon Games "Pokemon Red" and "Pokemon Blue." I remember waiting anxiously for my local game store to put have them in stock. I spent an entire year hunting down rare Pokemon, trading them with the kids at school, and generally nerding out over the release of the anime, and the introduction of the Trading Card Game.

Currently I'm playing Pokemon Black Version. It's amazing how far Pokemon has come from its original Gameboy release. The 1-D fuzzy sprites, non-existent animation, and utterly ugly storage system has certainly evolved into a polished jewel that, while not perfect, is certainly far superior to its original incarnation. The only thing I find lacking is the fact that my favorite Pokemon - the infamous and original Missingno - is incapable of being used for fear of screwing up my computer...

I just thought I'd let everyone know that I've finally started uploading to my Pixiv account. I've been part of the site for a while now, and I thought it was about time I finally get my butt in gear. You won't find a great lot of site-exclusive content on my gallery. In fact, chances are that I'll be submitting more here and on DeviantART than on Pixiv.

Pixiv = http://www.pixiv.net/member.php?id=3783411

If you've been following the latest news about how things are going in my life, I've got another update for you.

I'll start with my father first. After seeing his surgeon this morning, he's been cleared to use a walking cane in place of a walker. He's almost ecstatic about his new freedom, as he no longer has to depend on everyone else to do things for him, such as fix his meals. We've already noticed a great improvement over how he used to be. He's up and moving about with greater ease, and is even helping me out with the household chores. His only complaint is that he can't feel a damn thing except pressure between his left hip and his left knee. I am of the opinion that the painkillers - he was given morphine - are doing their job.

As for myself, I'm finally able to eat on a regular basis. I'm still not over the occasional bought of nausea, but at least everything else has cleared up. And for that I'm thankful.

Well, here's another update as to what's going on.

As of yesterday Dad's been released from the hospital. He recovered quicker than expected, and they let him go early. Currently he's lounging back in his recliner eating an evening snack. He's happy to be back home, and everyone's happy to have him back. He's particularly glad for food that actually has a flavor and texture to it (even if said food is burned or undercooked half the time...)

As for myself, my symptoms are improving. I'm off the chicken broth, and am able to keep down most of my food. I'm still suffering from the occasional rush to the bathroom, but I'm improving with every passing hour. I'm still not up for some foods - mainly fruit - but I should be by the week's end. Oh, how I miss my pears, oranges, and peaches...

For the past week or so, I've been feeling under the weather. I wake up weak, shaky, with a queasy stomach, and an extreme urge to vomit. At first I thought it was my blood sugar being either too low or too high, but when I checked it, my glucose was normal. So, I made an appointment with my doctor to find out what was wrong with me.

Seems I've got a stomach flu virus that's been floating around town for the past few weeks. I've been ordered onto a special diet for the next week. For today and tomorrow I get nothing but clear liquids - primarily Gatorade, water, and broth. For a week afterwards I've restricted to a "brat" diet of rice, applesauce, toast, baby food, and bananas. Since I'm allergic to bananas (their almost chemically identical to ragweed), and I'm not touching baby food, my dietary options are rather limited. Thankfully I haven't contracted the other type of flu; there's no telling how much suffering I would be in considering the severity of this year's flu season...

Well, Dad's had his surgery. It happened this past 4th. The surgery itself took longer than expected. Seems the biotech department had given the surgeon the wrong size of ball prosthetic, so a new one had to be ordered. This caused him to lose more blood than expected. Because of this the hospital kept him for observation until earlier this afternoon.

As of this afternoon Dad's been moved from Saint Mary's Hospital in Evansville to Washington's Daviess County Community Hospital. There he'll be undergoing rehabilitation. How long he'll be under their care is anyone's guess, as it all depends on how well he's fully healed, and able to walk unassisted. Of course he's wanting to forget the rehab, and come home, but everyone is against that idea. His heath is paramount at this moment, and a slow recovery is the best way to get well quickly.

Well, I've got some bad news concerning my father. Seems he's broken his left femur while trying to stand up the other day. From what I understand, the fracture happened just below where they used the main screw to attach the ball joint. It's not bad break, but it's enough to warrant him to undergo surgery again to put a plate in to reinforce the bone. I don't know when his surgery is scheduled, or even if it is; for now, Dad's been ordered to keep off his left leg.

Why does it seem trouble always comes in pairs...?

Well, it's been about a week since Dad was discharged from the hospital, and he's getting better every day.

The first few days were uneventful; Dad slept most of the time, and was generally out of it thanks to the painkillers he was prescribed. Day 3 was not much different, save only in the fact that Dad had woken from his stupor. On day 4 Mom and myself took a hammer, crowbar, and screwdriver to the bathroom, trying to make it more "handicap" accessible. We got the job done; however, looking back, we should have done it before Dad went into surgery. As for the past few days, Dad's been on a speedy road to recovery. Everyone already notices a great improvement in the way he's walking. He's still in a bit of pain, and is kind of depressed, but that's to be expected. Now if we can just find a way for him to stop trying to get everyone to do things for him...

We,, I visited my dad int he hospital today. He seems to be doing a lot better since the last time I visited. He's in a bit of pain, but it's being managed.

When we got there the nurses had managed to get him out of bed, and into a chair. After lunch, they had him in physical therapy, lifting his leg and manipulating his hip. After therapy it was back to his room where he slept on and off for the rest of our stay.

The nurses say he's making great improvement, and should be able to come home tomorrow afternoon once his doctor signs off on him. Sadly, I won't be there to help pick him up from the hospital. I'll be spending tomorrow cleaning up the house, and generally making it ready for him when he arrives.