Chaos Love: love, life, design and more.

So she is looking a little too much like Angelina Jolie... I think she has to be cute but with a touch of vehemence. I've put two days of work into a basic geometric construction of her face and body. I have also made this insanely hard for myself, because I haven't bothered to scan in any proper sketches as reference. Nothing wrong with making up body proportions right? I'm exagerating everything anyway.



I probably will just finish up her basic shape and start on arms another day. Thats a whole other bag of potatos.

Posted in: art, chaosgurl, transformers on February 28, 2007 at at 6:02:00 PM 0 comments    

Like sand running from my fingers, I felt Laika fall out of my prospects. This has me down for a couple of reasons.
One being that I have had my eye on this company for awhile and I only have heard great things about it and the wonderful work they do and I only wanted to live here in Portland to be a part of it. However, today I have been told that I don't fit in. And I'm at a loss of how to convince them otherwise.

I'm also down because of the nonchalant way that I was let down. I had all my hope out on the table and Roland came into the store. I worked the courage up to say hello to him and he seemed relieved he finally had a good chance to tell me that there was nothing he could find that I could do within his animation dept. I kept a smiling face and he said he would "pass along" my stuff. Meanwhile, my heart had fallen onto the carpet.

It's not that the Mac Store is a bad fit for me in general, but idea that I have to look at it as being a more permanent workplace for me is almost too much to bear. When will my time come? How can someone like Roland come in and talk about CHANCES and then just brush me off? My self-being is down today.

Posted in: chaosgurl, employment, portland on February 24, 2007 at at 5:44:00 PM 0 comments    

So, im working as a manager at a reseller at the moment called The Mac Store. The job is easy and I generally am on the internet or looking at cool new products. However, the bar has just been raised and I have realized a lot of things. First of all, in America, a customer's needs are met at the top cost. If they don't like it, it is replaced even if the item was bought months ago. People are particular, and they want the best they can get for the least dollar. We are told to meet these needs.
However, I worked in Apple Centre in Sydney for a year and a half. If someone had a problem we were trained to say NO. Sorry mate, try the manufacturer, try Apple, try somewhere else besides here. Thats the way it was. Someone would have a problem with an iPod and exclaim "In LA, they replaced it for me on the spot!" And we we'd say Wow. This isn't LA.
These expectations have suddenly become real to me because this is exactly what we do at the Mac store. We match that price, we replace your printer, we give you a student discount just because you might leave if you don't get it. The customer is not allowed to leave without being happy because they come first, money for the business comes second. It works out in the end.

The American consumer has an expectation that I now must strive to meet. Its so hard to break out of saying "NO" all the time after what I was trained to do in Australia, where the meaning "customer service" is radically different. Here in the US, we bend over backwards for someone, just for the hope that they might come back. We offer advice, set-ups, repair, whatever they need in order for them not to make a fuss.

The funny thing is I feel like a complete tool doing this. I really enjoyed just saying NO. Get your whining ass out of my store because you don't know how to work an ipod that you bought. No discounts, no free support, no replacements! It was a clear cut line. It was a backwards system where the customer is always at your mercy.

It's a clash of culture, sure, but it really makes Americans seem like complete jerks when they go abroad and are used to people like me replacing their faulty products on the spot. I think its an important lesson to be learned that the service we get here is superior but don't expect it worldwide. Other countries have different rules, hard to believe but true. So, basically, I'm just boiling down some cultural faults that cause Americans in general to be regarded as consumer whores...

More rants later...

Posted in: apple, australia, chaosgurl, united states on February 23, 2007 at at 11:15:00 PM 0 comments    

CB: Lifted straight from Column 8 in the Sydney Morning Herald... I don't know whether to laugh or cry about this. And it certainly makes you wonder about truth in advertising:

Seen on a 'Secure Parking' ticket at Kogarah: "No promises regarding the safety and security of this car park are to be inferred or implied by the use of the word 'secure' in our trade name or logo."

Huh?

Posted in: chaosboy, Sydney, weirdness on February 22, 2007 at at 1:02:00 PM 0 comments    

CB: So, I've been trying to get this dang Police Record Check thing done for a month or so now. It's been easily the most frustrating part of obtaining this US Visa... Wentworthville Police Station claimed they were just a shop front station and couldn't fingerprint me, while Parramatta was just decidedly uninterested. All sorts of guff about how they were a very busy station and I would just have to come down and take pot luck... blah blah blah. So they told me I should try Blacktown and weren't much help after that.

So I tried to ring Blacktown a couple of times and got no answer, the phone just rang out.. I was starting to look up numbers for Castle Hill and Merrylands just in case I needed them! Frustration was probably at my highest point here.

This morning, I was up early after a chat with Chaos Gurl and decided to give Blacktown one last call... and I got through! The constable who answered the phone started to give me the Official Line... you don't live in our Local Area Command (LAC), you need to go to the station that's in your LAC, blah blah blah... but I'd had enough by this point. I told him that Parramatta didn't care, that I lived right on the boundary of three LACs (which I do!) and I really didn't care which one did the deed. And then I told him that I thought criminals and people in custody were getting better customer service than me, seeing as I have to pay $175 for the privilege of having my fingerprints taken!

That seemed to do the trick, because he then told me to come down to the station right away to get the prints done! Well, I didn't need to be asked twice, and 20 minutes later, I was at the station!

The constable on duty seemed to be a bit of a greenhorn and had to ask another officer for help a lot, but we eventually got there. He took me down to the custody area, which looked exactly like the ones seen in all the cop shows and we went through the whole process of getting ALL my prints... four fingers, then thumb, then roll prints of all five fingers, palm and writer's (side) palm! Repeat for other hand. And you have to get the pressure just right, or the computer rejects your prints as too light or too dark!

I asked the officer how they managed to get drunken or violent people to do this and he just smiled and said, "We hold them!"

The whole process took about 2o minutes, then I produced all my ID, paid my $175 and went on my way. Almost everything is done for the Visa Interview now... just a few financial details to finalise before I can start the final phase!

Posted in: chaosboy, immigration, Sydney on February 21, 2007 at at 4:14:00 AM 0 comments    

CG: I bought some art!!

I'm a sucker for original art. I just can't seem to resist and the shop I was in was just too cute to walk out with my arms empty. It's places like this that re-instate my faith in Portland's art community. When the winter gets you down, sometimes you need a boost of inspiration to realize that other people aren't just sitting around waiting for sun like you are. They are out making stuff happen and making awesome stuff.

Not that I sit around waiting for the sun all the time, but the rain does keep one indoors watching YouTube more often than not.

This place was a little nook of brilliance. The guy runs the shop out of his loft apartment with girlfriend and two adorable little kitties. There are murals and paintings everywhere and other arts of all mediums. While talking to him, I realized he was kinda a big deal. He's done shows, stencils, murals all over the world. I felt humbled in his presence.

I walked out with this set:




So check out Klutch's website at www.streetlevelpdx.com. I know summer will be a lot more fun with artists like him around organizing shows and collaborating cool people and ideas.

Posted in: art, chaosgurl, portland on February 20, 2007 at at 4:53:00 PM 0 comments    

CB: So I've had this bag of coins hanging around my place for years... and I mean years. And it's a big bag too, one of those old Woolworths calico shopping bags. So when I was at the bank today, I asked what the best way of getting this coinage in my bank account was. The manager handed me a whole stack of money bags... and a scintillating evening of counting money ensued. And the total at the end of the night... a lazy $225. All of which will be greatly appreciated in the near future!

Posted in: chaosboy on February 19, 2007 at at 3:55:00 AM 0 comments    

CB: Well, another item on my US Visa Scavenger Hunt has been crossed off the list. Went to the bank today to get a letter proving that I am a model banker with heaps of money, and to my surprise, they were very helpful and accommodating. The manager sat down with me and wrote out the letter just as required, which certainly makes my life easier. Now, I've just got to get those dang fingerprints done!

Posted in: chaosboy, immigration on at at 3:47:00 AM 0 comments    

Ok, so I was just a bit bored at work and drew this lovely little picture of my landlord. And it kinda got me thinking that my mother was right and I should be trying to find another place soon.....



My place ain't too bad. The heat works and all but maybe I should be more worried about the gas than I have been, after the great example of my landlord next door...

But you know, I thought he might make a great super hero instead. Like Landlord Man!! Always prepared! Always on the lookout! Always THERE! Lord knows I use Landlord Man all the time! He does the dirty work, thats for sure. He usually wears normal garb but this outfit is truly an original and I'm sticking by it!

BTW, I'm making a 3D model of Chaos Streak so stay tuned for that trainwreck!! Love CG

Posted in: art, chaosgurl, portland on February 18, 2007 at at 9:07:00 PM 0 comments    

So, recently this week I have been promoted from a customer service rep to an assistant store manager at the Apple Reseller store in which I work. I am happy with this new position because I get more money but on the other hand it has had me a bit down. There are a lot of benefits to working with this company and there is even room to move up but I never had intentions to be working in retail as a career. No offence to retailers, but it just isn't my calling in life. Right now, I have all my bets put down on one company who I know will hire me someday even though it might not be tomorrow or the day after...and I know the first "real" design job is the hardest but these people are why I came to Portland in the first place!

Posted in: chaosgurl, employment, portland on at at 9:34:00 AM 0 comments    

CG: Wow. My baby is amazing! Here we have Chaosboy's Australian BIRTHDAY TODAY and he sends me the coolest, most badass gift for Valentine's Day yesterday! I already sent something awesome to Australia but I'm fighting for words and struggling to honour his b'day when I just can't escape the spotlight after this awesome rendering of me as a sexy Transformer. I just can't believe what a surprise this was! I am really in awe at how cool I am.


They call me Chaos Streak and I transform into a pimpin 1958 Plymouth Fury (also famously known as Christine) and my ultimate weapon is mind control (because those manual weapons can get heavy and clunky). My awesome rocket boots enable me to fly around because its easier than turning into a car. And Im also 40 feet tall.


I drive around with Senex Prime, speed racing the corners, always from something shooting at us as we strive to save yet another endagered robot planet. That Senex is such a hottie.

Happy Birthday my love! May we always be on an adventure, drive cool cars and be awesome robots with witty satire and rockin 80's music themes.

Posted in: art, chaosgurl, chaoslove, transformers on February 14, 2007 at at 8:13:00 AM 0 comments    

OMG I pray the Great Spaghetti Monster does not strike me down with a downpour of thunderbolts but I have posted these pics in the forbidden iWeb format!! I'm sorry I'm a sinner! I'm just too damn lazy!! click here!

There was a lot of chest hair, a lot of booze, and a lot of Steely = Good Times

Posted in: chaosgurl, party time, portland on February 13, 2007 at at 8:37:00 PM 0 comments    

Recovered this older video of a fashion show I helped co-ordinate with Melanie Adcock in Chicago 2003. It's low quality but entertaining in the least! We had gathered over 20 artists from around the country to come together and show us what they could do within the means of "wearable art." The space was also a gallery of the artists' other strange installations but when the show started there were 3 times as many people packed in than what the space originally allowed! I helped out with this project as a free internship to start and was pretty successful even due to the fact that we had no money, it rained, and the artists nearly walked out before the show!

Posted in: chaosgurl, shows on February 11, 2007 at at 8:57:00 AM 0 comments    

CB: Chaos Gurl's previous post regarding Convention vs. Fun in weddings has got me thinking a bit. As you may or may not know, I have been previously married, and that wedding ceremony was one of those "conventional" weddings with suits, the white dress and all that tradition that she mentions...

So where does that leave me? Does this previous wedding become the "wrong" kind of wedding, to be denounced as boring and uber conventional? Should I go out of my way to make our wedding different and unusual, just to turn my back on this past?

After a bit of thought, I don't think I need to worry. My previous wedding was "right" for the time, place and relationship I was in then - it suited us as a couple. We enjoyed planning everything together and had a fantastic day with our family and friends and I wouldn't have changed a thing.

But Chaos Gurl is a completely different person to my ex-wife, and by that alone, our wedding is going to have a character that suits us as a couple. I also know that I have a different outlook on life than I did back then – more outgoing, more adventurous and more confident – and this also will have an effect on our wedding.

I know that I don't want to revisit the past, or replace it with a newer, but almost identical, present. I want to experience new things, try different approaches to life and Chaos Gurl inspires me to do that every day. I have nothing to worry about.

Posted in: chaosboy, chaoslove, wedding on February 10, 2007 at at 2:19:00 AM 1 comments    

CG: So I went to a rockin fashion show called Doom Town and it was rather low budget but entertaining in the least! I was hoping to get some wedding dress ideas of sorts when i dropped my camera in the crowd. With a drink in my other hand, I managed to collect the memory card and battery that fell out. When reassembled, it didn't turn on. Then the event started. The styles were made of cheap fabrics and second hand clothing, but some of the ideas gave me inspiration to draw some things later on...

In the meantime there is a rockin' boutique in Newtown, a million miles away, that has incredibly stylin' and inspiring designs!! I am aiming for this lovely green number with the feathers. I have my own mods planned for it in my head.

As for my camera, it dried up after falling in someones drink on the floor I believe, and it works now. It had better! I've had this camera for years! At least 4! Kodak needs to recieve some sort of award for that!

Posted in: chaosgurl, portland, shows, wedding on February 9, 2007 at at 11:35:00 PM 0 comments    

CG: So a lesbian named Jen gave me her cell number, her work number and her email yesterday at work. I had helped her resolve an issue of transferring information from her computer to a hard drive after all the guys had givein up on her manic craziness. She also wanted me to trade my 12" powerbook for her scooter. Needless to say, I might have lost that piece of paper she gave me...

In other news, I'm going to a show tonight and Ticketmaster hasn't sent me my tickets. What does one do in this situation? Do I pay AGAIN to get in after already purchasing 2 tickets? Should I lay around at home and write a soppy blog about it? Ticketmaster has been called, we will see what happens. The place I'm going is the Crystal Ballroom owned by McMenamins. It's one of the few places in the world that has an original "rolling floor" – awesome for dancing, hard for walking in heels. And I want to take pictures dammit!!

Posted in: chaosgurl, portland, shows on at at 6:04:00 AM 0 comments    

CB: So what are we looking at here? Believe it or not, this is a group of 300 or so man-made islands in Dubai that have been specifically designed to look like the Earth from space. So for a lazy couple of million bucks or so, you'll soon be able to have an exclusive condo in "Africa" or "Europe"... totally, totally insane. When you think of the energy and effort involved in even thinking of something like this!

And just in case you think I'm making this up... click me!

Posted in: chaosboy, weirdness on at at 1:08:00 AM 0 comments    

CG: I've never paid attention to weddings. They are odd, medieval-like affairs, with traditions that must be obeyed and families that must sit on their own designated sides. There is always a cake, there is always a ring bearer, there is always a white dress amongst black suits. I think people are getting the hang of getting away from this convention, but after scourging the internet, those people all seem to be in Australia. Maybe its that cool and laid back atmosphere that people just feel the need to put together something a little off track. And I'll get back to that...

The idea of an anti-wedding is appealing but the law says that we must go through the motions in order for my Cameron to stay in my country. Would we get married if the US Govt wasn't standing in our path? Maybe, maybe not, but we would be together anyway, and it would still be perfect.

So with this Blog, I plan to explore a bit more of this conventional vase that we find ourselves in and how we can crack through it but still keeping it in one piece.

Posted in: blog, chaosgurl, chaoslove, wedding on February 8, 2007 at at 8:51:00 PM 0 comments    

The Anti-Engagement Ring
Originally uploaded by chaosgurlpink.

CB: So, this is Chaosgurl's engagement ring! Yes, it's a tattoo! Yes, it's on the right hand, rather than the left! But it's still perfect in every way and suits her so well. Tyler at Infinity Tattoo in Portland did a great job with a very fiddly job... as he said, "It's like trying to tattoo a hot dog!"

What I want to know is when did he try to tattoo a hot dog??

Posted in: chaosboy, chaoslove, portland, united states on at at 5:16:00 AM 0 comments    

CB: Part of my Visa application is getting a NSW Police National Criminal Record Check. This involves filling out a simple form, then going to the police station nearest to where I live to have my fingerprints taken for a rather large sum of money. Easy, right?

Wrong.

Both the information pack from the US Consulate General and the NSW Police website say that you can ring to make an appointment, but this isn't actually the case. Because the fingerprinting machine is in the custody area of all police stations, members of the public can't use it while (alleged) criminals are being processed. Which is pretty much all the time.

So the whole process boils down to me ringing the police station and asking if its alright for me to pop down to have my fingerprints taken. So far, all I've got is a lot of disinterested police officers telling me that they're either just a shopfront station and don't do fingerprints, or that I don't live close enough and perhaps I'd like try another police station which serves my area.

This could take some time...

Posted in: chaosboy, immigration, united states on at at 3:43:00 AM 0 comments    

CB: This is really just a test of Flickr's "Blog This!" command, but I regard this picture as one of the best architectural shots I have taken, so I thought I'd share it! Photography is something I have really got into over the last couple of years, my creative outlet. I currently use a Canon EOS350D (or Digital Rebel XT for the Americans out there!) with two lenses: a 17-85mm and a 70-300mm telephoto zoom. Great kit! I also have a super compact Panasonic Lumix TZ-1, which I carry with me almost every day. A great camera for its tiny size.

And if you don't know what Flickr is, I heartily recommend it as one of the best photo sharing community sites out there, well worth checking out!

Posted in: architecture, chaosboy, flickr, photography, united states on at at 3:03:00 AM 0 comments    

CB: This is the blog of Cameron Booth and Christine Garcia, otherwise known as Chaosboy and Chaosgurl. Cameron's also known as Senex Prime, but that's a whole other story...

So why a blog?

Many reasons, including keeping various friends and family up to date with what's going on in our lives. You may or may not aware that we are engaged to be married, and Chaosboy is furiously trying to get all the arcane documentation required for his Visa in order so that he can get to the States for the wedding. We'll let you know how he goes! But there'll be plenty of other stuff... photography, music, life in Sydney and Portland and general musings on life... stay tuned!

Posted in: blog, chaosboy on February 7, 2007 at at 8:04:00 PM 0 comments