If the title of this journal made you laugh and think of British guys dressed in women's clothing, then we are kindred spirits.

So, I've been writing some in my huge absence from dA, and drawing a lot. I don't know if I'll be able to get on a lot anyway, because of classes and work and the usual crap.

I'm still drawing - what I mostly do now are random portraits of people during school that I do within the space of 5 or 10 minutes. Some of them are pretty good likenesses.

I'll put up a bit of the poetry I've written. Not much of it has a lot of meaning, but I like some of it. I'm still figuring out how to think and write and relate to myself and other people. And now that I'm tiring of writing about the general themes of my life that dominated my emo-ness last year (and I understand them and can basically deal with them now, better than before at any rate) I want to work with my characters for real. They are beginning to develop some depth, though I still have problems making decisions about what angle I should go for on them.

Of course, all of this is subordinate to AP classes and studying for AP exams and Science Fair and etc. Stuff comes up, you know? My latest idea is to paint John Lennon. I've come to love the Beatles recently. But I'm low on time and low on diligence. I mostly write and draw during school. But hey, what are those spare moments in class for?

Anyway, that's what I've been doing in my long absence. I probably won't be looking at, well, any of the deviations I've missed at all, though if I get time I might poke around on dA looking at art. However, I think I need to spend less time looking at others' art to model my lines and shapes on right now, and more time developing my sense of 3D forms and ability to express them coherently. That calls for independent work and practice, more than admiration of others.

Also, I am much more secure and happy than last time I was on, and I feel like I have an identity at the moment. That's partly a function of the recent spring equinox; springtime, the equinox, the Easter season (in a Unitarian kind of way, not a Jesus-worshipping kind of way), and my birthday (in April) are all tied very closely to my sense of self. Spring makes me happy. It's exhilarating.

Life is pretty good, though it's pretty crazy. I'm just getting a handle on life and a feel for what I want to do with it. That should be helpful next year, as I'm supposed to be starting my college search in earnest as a junior.

Thanks for reading this far, if you have. My sincerest salutations to you all.