Surprise!

Want to know what the two surprises I mentioned on my Facebook page Saturday are? If you read yesterday's post, you'll understand when I explain this first one:

Sundays are back! But not like you remember them: I'm going to be scanning old notebook pages, drawings, writings, and all sorts of things, and posting them up here. It'll range from really old (like elementary school days) stuff to current projects, but it'll all be original, hand-made work. Messy, chaotic, full of mistakes, and most importantly: human. I want to go back to crossed out mistakes, eraser smudges, illegible writing, doodles in the margins, and all the evidence of the imperfect path taken to make something. I want to make something more than just a serious of zeros and ones displayed as pixels on a computer screen. I want to create.

Surprise number two is the announcement of the free art giveaway contest winners: everyone! Insert maniacal laughter here. I tricked you all! That was the plan all along! It's my gift to you for supporting me. I am constantly amazed at all the support I have; you guys are absolutely incredible. So I hope you enjoy the art. It's going to take me awhile to do it all, since I am pretty busy, but just be patient and I'll get the art to you as soon as I can.

Anyway, if you haven't noticed yet, there is a poll on the top of my sidebar. I would love if you voted in it. And I'd especially love blog comments (or Facebook ones). I love hearing from you guys. Honest! I'd rather this blog be a community and a conversation than just a lonely or tyrannical monologue.

Have a wonderful week!

P. S. I have a meeting with the PHS principal a week from tomorrow. Updates about PHS's theatre program will henceforth be posted on the Ironic Sea Serpent blog and Facebook page.

Weekly Riddle Contest and Other News

Happy Monday! Coming this week:

Today, the brand new Weekly Riddle Contest "rules" (they're more like guidelines) are laid out below, and the new riddle is, of course, down there too. I'll be pointing out an artist or two during the week along with some other yet-to-be-determined posting, and Friday will be dedicated to the art of crashing classes, learnt either through success or failure. (I sure hope it's success!) Finally, it's the weekend, and I'll post up a freewrite along the lines of the Notes I used to post up on Facebook nearly daily awhile back on Saturday, and then I'll take all your votes into consideration and write up the next installment of the "Write with Me" series.

Onto updates:

1. I've taken up ukulele and guitar. I'm rocking at uke already, but my fingers are way too weak for much guitar playing right now. Soon!
2. I'm selling art now! Email me at ethraen [at] gmail [dot] com for more info.
3. I start college today. Crazy.

Weekly Riddle Contest Rules

1. Each Monday, a new riddle will be posted. If not, you are free to send many angry emoticons my way.
2. Riddle answers are now to be submitted via email to ethraen [at] gmail [dot] com, in order to allow everyone a chance to solve the riddle. 
3. The winner is the first to submit the correct answer. 
4. Wrong answers will receive a "wrong answer" reply as my time allows.
5. Each week, the prizes will vary, and not everything will be equal each week.
6. Not all prizes will be virtual, silly, or otherwise the sort of prize a starving artist would give, nor will the "big" prizes necessarily be for the hardest riddles. Just check back each week and give each riddle a shot.
7. All participants will be entered for a monthly prize drawing. Consistent participants, both in the Weekly Riddle Contest and the "Write with Me" storyline, will have higher chances of winning. 
8. All rules subject to change without your consent. My blog, my contest, my rules.
9. Best of luck!

And now, without further ado, this week's riddle!:

Stronger than steel, yet brushed away in the flick of the wrist.
Though you throw me out, I still hold onto your clenched fist.
At the sight of me, some might squirm or twist,
But I'm harder to see than haze in mist.
Who am I?

This week's prize is an unreleased (even to my closest friends and family) free-verse poem called "Step," hand-written, decorated, and signed on plain 8.5" by 11" paper. Remember you have to EMAIL your answer to me (ethraen [at] gmail [dot] com) to win. Good luck!