abygishblog

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More item posts to come soon.

I did 12 items that I submitted myself, and I collaborated with the team on at least four more.

But scroll down for the first three item posts.

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August Hunt 2022, Item 19: Chillax's Chill Cave

So, this was a two-parter that had me solve a puzzle for a password before I could get the actual item description. Here's the puzzle before and after coloring:

The password being "door". Once that was entered, I got an update. Here's the part of the Trello board with the first part, as well as that update:

What I ended up doing was choosing a covered bus stop 🚏 next to the community gardens, where I keep a bunch of plants, near work. Truth is, I didn't want to have to explain this to a bunch of people waiting for buses, so I chose this one for the fact I pretty much never see anyone there. Also, that means I wouldn't need to displace anyone trying to sit there. I did have to wave away a couple buses, though. 😆

I loaded up my car, parked at the gardens, set up a bunch of stuff, took pics, then loaded it all back up. Bread slice cushions (I bought some time ago to take pics with the cat), candles, incense, some live plants (the coleus {in the teal pot} belongs to a neighbor), and a bunch of books. Most of the books I just recently bought at a Half Price Books. Not for this item, of course, but they came in handy. The GISH 2016 book I got from the book "hide and seek" item. And I placed the pumpkin spice coffee I had simply been drinking then. Why is this available already? It's only August....

Anyway. Here are some pics I took:

And here's my final submission:

Is it just me, or do those real candles seem like edits? Especially the ones on the left, thanks to the position of the sun.

I said "not-so-aesthetically-pleasing" because what's behind the fence is actually one of the trailers used at the gardens. We use it for cool storage of produce (for a fresh food donation program), a kitchen, and a bathroom. It's also where we keep dry food for Sonny, the community cat that chooses to live in the gardens. He's feral, but he's cute.

And here's the update to Trello, after I'd submitted it:

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August Hunt 2022, Item 40: Hide and Seek Books

I think this was the second item I submitted. Basically, I had to coordinate with (give hints to) someone from another team, so they could find the book I hid.

In reality, I found someone local (as expected) through Twitter, and we coordinated to "find" each other's book that we "hid". And I actually placed three books for them, not one: Brave New World, Brave New World Revisited, and Watership Down. Which are extra copies I picked up at Half Price Books, since I didn't want to lose my own copies. (This led me to buy a bunch of books and a few records there. Some of the other books were used later, for another item, but not purchased for that reason).

Me (and books) at the Little Free Library inside Sunshine Community Gardens:

I put a note and ponytail holder on them to keep them together. People actually exchange books here, so I wanted to make sure all three books got to Nichole.

Nichole, from team Bananacorns, placed an extra copy of the 2016 GISHWHES Show All Your Colors "Hall of Fame" book, which I didn't have, so yay. Me, when I went back to that Little Free Library (walked to it from work, during break) to pick up the book she'd exchanged them with:

The side by side I created for submission:

The submission itself:

The Trello board, once it was submitted:

Honestly, the hardest thing about this item was deciding whether to give away these copies... or keep them and give away my older, more worn out copies. 😂

[abygishblog]

August Hunt 2022, Item 123: Plushie Picnic

This was the first one I selected to do, and I think it's the first one I submitted.

Here's a screenshot of it on our team's Trello board:

[The Undertaker icon means it's one of my assignments. Hihiiii!]

I went around the apartment and grabbed a lot (but not all) of my plushies, including an unlicensed Bitter Rabbit and a licensed Sebastian. I ended up using 14 plushies, but I also wore cat paw xmas stockings as gloves and a plush cat mask. Therefore, I donated 15 meals to the World Food Program, and I chose their Ukraine food campaign.

The GISH commandments are wild, and this year one says not to show any spoons, but in August they wanted to see paper straws and sporks. So, I tossed about 30 (accidentally said 20 in the submission) paper straws onto the blanket like confetti, and there are two sporks (made of titanium, which apparently gets super hot under the sun) on a couple of the paper plates.

As I also said in my submission, I served actual food (sandwiches and a meat/cheese/cracker plate), and so I shared them immediately afterwards with neighbors who helped me with the setup and photos.

Here are the two best photos from the shoot:

And a couple insets from the photo I submitted:

Why does a nearly 45 yo woman without kids have all these plushies? Because she wanted the plushies.

Actually, the little orange dog to the lower left is the oldest toy I still have. He's a Dakin "Drooper the Dog", and I've owned him for at least 40 years, probably longer. He's super rare now, as he's been long discontinued. I grew up calling him a Hush Puppy, but that was a different, much more popular toy of the 1980's; I might have once had one named Bruno.... But my Dakin toy dates back to the early 70's, before I was even born, though my exact one might be from post-1977. I'm not sure. This is how he looked when I first received him, but his face is mostly missing now (only his eyes remain):

Also take note of the picnic basket 🧺. It's something I saved from my parents' house when I moved my mom into assisted living and cleaned out the house to sell it. The basket has an eagle on it and is quite vintage. It might be as old as the Dakin dog, if not older.

[abygishblog]

Instead of continuing the "things I do for GISH" posts, now I can discuss items in detail and show the final results, so I'll be posting those soon.

[abygishblog]

The things I do for GISH: 2022 edition, part six

Dog kissing booth. My sunflower shirt has a skull in each flower center. 💀 🌻

Angel 😇 and Devil 😈 playing hopscotch. Do you see what I'm adding to the 6? 6️⃣6️⃣6️⃣ 😆

Some of my neighbors have been very helpful. Helping me stage photo ops, posing for pics, taking pics, and making charity donations.

Took a bunch of photos of Neil de Grasse Tyson "wearing nature", but I still have to turn that into a stop-motion video.

Tomorrow I plan to:

Finish the Tyson one 🌸

Make a "rainbow beard" from melted crayons 🖍

Stand on a pile of dirty laundry and GISH "detritus" 🧺

Create a children's book and place it on a library shelf 📖

And whatever else I can manage.

The hunt stops Sunday at 12:59AM central time.

[abygishblog]

The things I do for GISH: 2022 edition, part five

Today, I set up a Free Toy Library at my apt complex's playground. Thank goodness for Dollar Tree. This was expensive enough buying everything there. 😆 I know these toys will probably disappear, never to return, but what matters is kids get some toys to play with.

I've been drumming up some donations for Random Acts' campaign to help LGBTQIA+ Ukrainians and disabled Ukrainians, and there's another post a bit farther down with the link.

Right now, I'm building a "kissing booth" for my dog. And I'll also take photos of Neil de Grasse Tyson "wearing" clothes from nature. That one's hard to explain. It'll be easier once I get some photos. Ultimately, it will be a stop motion video.

[abygishblog]

The things I do for GISH: 2022 edition, part five

Today, I set up a Free Toy Library at my apt complex's playground. Thank goodness for Dollar Tree. This was expensive enough buying everything there. 😆 I know these toys will probably disappear, never to return, but what matters is kids get some toys to play with.

I've been drumming up some donations for Random Acts' campaign to help LGBTQIA+ Ukrainians and disabled Ukrainians, and there's another post a bit farther down with the link.

Right now, I'm building a "kissing booth" for my dog. And I'll also take photos of Neil de Grasse Tyson "wearing" clothes from nature. That one's hard to explain. It'll be easier once I get some photos. Ultimately, it will be a stop motion video.

[abygishblog]

The things I do for GISH: 2022 edition, part four

Yesterday, I painted the clay coins I made with metallic acrylics. They are very large, but when I put them with really large playing cards... and then remove my hand from the shot, the cards make the coins look smaller.

Today, I made a portrait of Jensen Ackles out of mac and cheddar cheeses. So, here's Jensen Mackles and Cheese:

I used regular macaroni, whole wheat macaroni, sharp yellow cheddar, and mild white cheddar. All glued down to black foam board (and then cut out). I didn't draw anything, really, but I did occasionally use the glue as a basic sketching medium.

[abygishblog]

In partnership with Legacy of War Foundation & Random Acts, we’re setting a goal of raising $100,000 to assist LGBTQIA+ Ukrainians and Ukrainians with disabilities. Will you donate $10 to help? (You can donate what you want, but only donations $10 and up will go towards our team quota, so make sure it's at least $10 USD or the equivalent of that in a different currency, if you are trying to help my team.)

💙💛🇺🇦🏳️‍🌈💙💛 #GISH

Team GISHthisWay's team donation page.

[abygishblog]

The things I do for GISH: 2022 edition, part three

August 1: A bad drawing to not so bad clay figures...

...and once they are dry, I will paint them....

I also bought bins and toys to set up the Free Toy Library, but I'm not ready to stage that quite yet.

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The things I do for GISH: August 2022 edition, part two

July 31: I can't go into too much detail or show you any finished submissions... yet, but...

I included a(n unlicensed) Bitter Rabbit and a (licensed) Sebastian plush in the picnic scene I did. I ended up donating 15 meals, since I had 14 plushies at the picnic, but I also dressed up as a plushie! Here are a couple teaser pics:

I "hid" some books for my collaborator to find, and she's planning on "hiding" one (or more, perhaps) for me to find tomorrow. I'm giving her extra (to me) copies of Brave New World, Brave New World Revisited, and Watership Down. She's in turn leaving me an extra (to her) copy of the GISH 2016 Hall of Fame coffee table book, which I don't have.

And I've picked up some new items to add to my previous list, like:

Making my own cryptocurrency, based on a cryptid. I've chosen a cryptid for the design but won't show/mention it here just yet.

Creating a dog kissing booth. My dog has no idea about this. 😆

Creating a Free Toy Library at a playground. I'll do that at my apartment complex's playground.

[abygishblog]

The things I do for GISH: August 2022 edition, part two

July 31: I can't go into too much detail or show you any finished submissions... yet, but...

I included a(n unlicensed) Bitter Rabbit and a (licensed) Sebastian plush in the picnic scene I did. I ended up donating 15 meals, since I had 14 plushies at the picnic, but I also dressed up as a plushie! Here are a couple teaser pics:

I "hid" some books for my collaborator to find, and she's planning on "hiding" one (or more, perhaps) for me to find tomorrow. I'm giving her extra (to me) copies of Brave New World, Brave New World Revisited, and Watership Down. She's in turn leaving me an extra (to her) copy of the GISH 2016 Hall of Fame coffee table book, which I don't have.

And I've picked up some new items to add to my previous list, like:

Making my own cryptocurrency, based on a cryptid. I've chosen a cryptid for the design but won't show/mention it here just yet.

Creating a dog kissing booth. My dog has no idea about this. 😆

Creating a Free Toy Library at a playground. I'll do that at my apartment complex's playground.

[abygishblog]

The things I do for GISH: August 2022 edition, part one

July 30: I've got three assignments I'm planning out right now.

Set up a picnic 🧺 for plushies 🧸 , make a meal 🥘 donation for every plushy I use for the photo, take a photo 📸 of the picnic and the proof (receipt) 🧾 of the meal donation I made.

Create a relaxing area for sitting/meditation/etc 🧘‍♀️ in a public space, like a street corner, and take a photo 📸. In order to get to the next part of this item description, I had to color this in to get the password.

Leave a book in a public location and send hints to a collaborator from another team, so they can find your book. And they do the same for you. Take a photo 📸 of yourself with the book you are going to leave behind and also a photo of yourself with the book you find. State which team you collaborated with.

I'm also doing some team items, like replacing the heads of rare Amazonian insects with our own faces (photo edits). I ended up changing my bug, because others chose similar bugs, and I couldn't find a scientific name for the one I originally wanted. So, I have now chosen the Peanut-Headed Lanternfly, Fulgora laternaria:

And now I just need to take a headshot that can be easily edited for the item. Then a designated teammate will turn us all into "specimens" in a bug collection. Like an old pin board. I'll do makeup a bit, perhaps, to match the bug....

Ah, what else?

Someone on the team designed a Gish mascot, or something, and now it needs to be rendered in clay. They are gonna try to do it, but I have offered my help, since I have several kinds of clay. 😆

Updates to come....

[abygishblog]

The things I do for GISH: August 2022 edition, part one

July 30: I've got three assignments I'm planning out right now.

Set up a picnic 🧺 for plushies 🧸 , make a meal 🥘 donation for every plushy I use for the photo, take a photo 📸 of the picnic and the proof (receipt) 🧾 of the meal donation I made.

Create a relaxing area for sitting/meditation/etc 🧘‍♀️ in a public space, like a street corner, and take a photo 📸. In order to get to the next part of this item description, I had to color this in to get the password.

Leave a book in a public location and send hints to a collaborator from another team, so they can find your book. And they do the same for you. Take a photo 📸 of yourself with the book you are going to leave behind and also a photo of yourself with the book you find. State which team you collaborated with.

I'm also doing some team items, like replacing the heads of rare Amazonian insects with our own faces (photo edits). I ended up changing my bug, because others chose similar bugs, and I couldn't find a scientific name for the one I originally wanted. So, I have now chosen the Peanut-Headed Lanternfly, Fulgora laternaria:

And now I just need to take a headshot that can be easily edited for the item. Then a designated teammate will turn us all into "specimens" in a bug collection. Like an old pin board. I'll do makeup a bit, perhaps, to match the bug....

Ah, what else?

Someone on the team designed a Gish mascot, or something, and now it needs to be rendered in clay. They are gonna try to do it, but I have offered my help, since I have several kinds of clay. 😆

Updates to come....

[abygishblog]

My GISH Book Bash 2022 items, part 2

I made this adult version of the “touch and feel” baby books. Still had to be sfw, though.

But what I actually had to submit was a video of someone else reading it out loud, so I asked a neighbor… who agreed to do it for beer… and then he wasn’t available when he said he would be. So, I found another neighbor to read it, and she gladly accepted the two beers I’d brought for him. Valarie had to read it several times to do it fast enough. The video had to be 15sec or less for points. Here’s the one that was submitted.

I also had Valarie take a short video of me responding to the age-old question about life and everything. Idk if I want to post that video here, plus the final video is spliced together to have several people in it. I used the only take we did, and we should have done more takes. I wasn’t that happy with my performance. 😔 Maybe I’ll add a link to it later.

Then there’s one more individual item I did: a sentence diagram that looks like a bloody autopsy. At least that’s the basic idea.

[abygishblog]

My GISH Book Bash 2022 items, part 1

“Creepypasta” and “book art” about someone who inspires me:

Remake of a book cover featuring myself and a public manifesto for good:

Art inspired by Effin’ Birds and a children’s book page:

Flash-fanfic when Castiel is handed a mop in Heaven and told to “clean up his mess” (Enochian and English) — these were requirements of the item! — and a (very quickly made) ad for “GISHCORP 100% Organic Anapest Control”:

A quick attempt at writing my life story on myself and a haiku about mistakes: