From the NYDailyNews.com:

Four new giant balloons — Spiderman, The Pillsbury Doughboy, Ronald McDonald and Sailor Mickey — debut at the 83rd annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Although crowds will see them for the first time on Thanksgiving morning (or at the balloon inflation event the night before), it takes months to design and launch a giant balloon.

The process starts with selection. “To get up in the sky you have to be instantly recognizable, everyone has to understand who you are,” says Amy Kule, parade producer. “The Pillsbury Doughboy is a great example. This is his first year in the parade and when we tested the balloons you just knew instinctively he belonged up there.”

Balloons start out at the Macy’s Parade Studio in Hoboken, N.J. where they are meticulously molded out of clay to be 100 percent faithful to their original character design. They are cut and sewn into balloons offsite, then tested a few weeks before the parade. It’s a painstaking process that requires an incredible amount of attention to detail to an enormous balloon.

Kule says that this time of year is both incredibly intense, but also a lot of fun, “I’m filled with anticipation and I don’t get much sleep on the eve of Thanksgiving,” she says. “But by the time I see that first balloon, with three million people watching it, instead of being uptight or nervous, I get a sense of calm.”

Even though Kule is thrilled to see so many new balloons in the parade this year, she has a special place in her heart for a returning favorite. “SpongeBob makes me laugh,” she says. “Balloons want to be round and he’s this big square body. That’s no easy feat.”

Spiderman

This year, Spiderman returns to celebrate both his second appearance in the parade and Marvel’s 70th anniversary. The first Spiderman balloon debuted back in 1987 and was a Thanksgiving regular for about a decade. The new design features far more defined muscles. Says Kule, of his time off, “Spidey’s been working out. We should all look so good in tights.”

The Pillsbury Doughboy

A total newcomer to the parade, The Pillsbury Doughboy promises to be a new favorite. The biggest problem with this balloon? Millions of people will want to poke that belly, but with the Doughboy clocking in a 46.4-feet tall, they won’t be able to reach.

Ronald McDonald

This is the iconic clown’s third parade appearance and this time he’s come back as an athlete. Ronald McDonald dons what may be the world’s largest pair of ice skates for the occasion to glide through Manhattan with ease come Thanksgiving morning.

Sailor Mickey

This will be the fourth Mickey Mouse balloon design in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and Mickey was one of the first characters to appear in the parade back in the 1930s. This new Sailor Mickey recalls the classic Steamboat Willie version of the famous mouse, but with modern styling.

Der heutige Tipp des Tages kommt aus dem Themenbereich Shopping/ Online-Einkaufen – Spielzeug/ Spielwaren: ballonsupermarkt-onlineshop.de – So beschreiben die Seitenbetreiber Ihr Angebot: “Eine reichhaltige Auswahl für Geburtstag, Geburtstagsfeier und Geburtstagsdekoration. Luftballons Geburtstag, Folienballons Geburtstag. Helium und Ballons. Schöne Geburtstagsartikel. Eine grosse Auswahl an Hochzeitsartikeln. Luftballons Hochzeit, Herzballons Hochzeit, Folienballons Hochzeit. Hochzeitsdeko mit Seidengirlanden. Herzballons steigen lassen am Hochzeitstag. Hochzeitsgirlanden schmücken den Hochzeitstag. Ballons und Helium- Sets zur Hochzeitsfeier: Golden Hearts beglücken die Hochzeitsgäste. Hochzeitsglocken dekorieren Ihren schönsten Hochzeitstag. Folienbalonherzen schweben auf dem Hochzeitsfest. Wabenherzen aus Seidenpapier dekorieren Ihre Hochzeit. Superauswahl zum Kindergeburtstag: Luftballons Kindergeburtstag. Folienballons Kindergeburtstag. Geschenke Kindergeburtstag. Originelle Scherzartikel beleben die Kinderparty. Schöne Ballons und Helium- Sets beglücken die Kinder auf dem Kinderfest. Jedes Kind darf einen Luftballon, der mit Helium gefüllt ist minehmen. Diesen Kindergeburtstag werden die Kindergeburtstagsgäste nicht so schnell vergessen. So schöne Folienballons mit Micky Maus, Tele Tubbies, Bärchen, Pooh Bär, Bob der Baumeister und viele andere schöne Ballons. Grosse Auswahl an Folienballons: Ballongrüsse zum Valentinstag, Ballongrüsse zur Hochzeit, Ballongrüsse zum Geburtstag. Versenden Sie Glückwünwche zum Geburtstag mit wunderschönen Folienballons. Das erfreut das Geburtstagskind. Selbstverständlich können Sie eine Geburtstagskarte mit Geburtstagsglückwünschen beilegen lassen. Verschenken Sie Ballons zum Kindergeburtstag: Sie finden im Ballonsupermarkt eine Riesenauswahl an Luftballons. Luftballons für Ballondekorationen. Luftballons für Halloween, Luftballons zum Valentinstag, Luftballons für Verliebte, Luftballons für Trauernde, Luftballons für Kinder, Luftballons für Kranke mit der Nachricht: Gute Besserung. Ballonzubehör für Luftballons erhalten Sie im Ballonsupermarkt schnell und güstig. Ballongas in bester Qualität. Party, Partyartikel, Festbedarf für alle Gelegenheiten. Dekoartikel für Geschäftseröffnung, Betriebsfeier.”

Und das sagen andere über dieses Webangebot: “Grosse Auswahl an Ballons, wäre ideal für unser Verkaufsportal.” (am 23.09.2008), “Riesen Auswahl an Ballons, ein tolles übersichtliches Angebot!” (am 28.05.2008),

Weitere Details über diese Website auf dem bunte-suche.de Webportal, ähnliche Webangebote finden Sie in dem bunte-suche.de Themenkatalog Shopping/ Online-Einkaufen – (Online-)Fachgeschäfte: Spielzeug/ Spielwaren

DAY AFTER OUR PARTY — WOKE UP HELLA EARLY FOR OUR SALE AT THE FASHION FUNKTION IN HOLLYWOOD. A WONDERFUL CLUSTERFUCK OF ADORABLE BRANDS AND FRIENDS AROUND L.A. EVERYONE SOLD THEIR GOODIES AT GREAT PRICES. BUT CHECK OUT OUR DMPC DIMEPIECE BALLONNNSSSS!!!! MORE PICS SOON, ONCE I GET EM’

Me demandez pas pourquoi ni d’où ça vient mais bon…

Moi, je trouve ça indémodable!

.. Et pourtant… C’est Allemand!!

Oh, holy heck!

Approximately one hour ago, one of my dearest of dear people on this earth, the incomparable Cappy, who I consider a brother, a counselor, and a friend with the depth and nuances that only come from years and years of real conversation, turned the big 3-0.

In a perfect world, I would have insisted that he call in sick to work today, and he’d swoop over to my house to spend the birthday in style. We’d gorge ourselves on baked goods and guzzle bottles of beer while playing cards, maybe ogle some movies.

Then we’d bounce over to Outback (I associate that place with the Cappy and only the Cappy from way back … like, over a decade) to do some damage to fat steak and even taller glasses of booze. We’d laugh at the out-of-work-supermodel waiters and waitresses and repeat many times that they got no use for spoons there.

But, that’s not the case. It’s not a perfect world even at all. It happens that he is in Iraq right now. Second time, no less. If it was me, I’d be down. It’s not me and I’m down. I think that’s why I went all nuts with Makery Monday. I needed to do something because this day was important to him (10/27, not the 26th, to be clear; it’s already tomorrow where he is cause he’s from the future and stuff, being in Iraq), which makes it important to me. My friends are the family I choose for myself. I’ve chosen Captain Jerrid Kyle Allen to be a confidante and counselor for the last decade and a half, plus, and I continue to choose him every day. He’s the Man. You don’t even know! I can’t believe we are not together this day!

“Birthday” by DasPenre on deviantart.

So let’s all turn to the east and blow booze and kisses, okay? I miss you and I love you and I can’t wait to see you, brotha-from-anotha-motha and dearest old friendoh. Happy birthday, JKA.

“Basement Kitchen Cake” by vivavanstory on deviantart.

Lisa Mitchell – Neapolitan Dreams

You’ll go and I’ll be okay,
I can dream the rest away
It’s just a little touch of fate,
it will be okay
It sure takes its precious time,
but it’s got rights and so have I

I am filling this day up with friends and fun. About to hit up Where the Wild Things Are with kidlet and Special K. (edit: Geo is coming now, too.) Then we are going to a pumpkin patch with Paolo and Miss D, which is the thing I’ve been hiding from, because I have such strong memories of doing that with my husband. That is why I am absolutely going with my friends, and carving up the pumpkins afterward, too. At first I didn’t know about the pumpkin carving because I was afraid it would run late, but the heck with it; we can spend the night again if it gets dark and I don’t like the lay of the traffic and mood of the night. I need to be around people, specifically my favorite people.

I turn my head up to the sky
I focus one thought at a time
I do not let the little thieves
under my tightly buttoned sleeves

Deepest of the dark nights
here lies the highest of highs
Neopolitan Dreams, stretching out to the sea

ATOM est une installation audiovisuelle artistique composée de ballons-led, de lumière et de son…

Magnifique…

ATOM est une installation audiovisuelle artistique composée de ballons-led, de lumière et de son…

Magnifique…

Costumava ser um dia meio como “mágico”, talvez algo como um segundo aniversário ou um pré-Natal (oqrs).  Mas conforme a gente vai ficando mais altinho, o 12 de outubro das crianças perde a sua magia e passa a ser mais um feriado, assim como muitas outras coisas que costumavam ter todo o seu encanto e os perdem nos anos, infelizmente. Dá tanta saudade, né? Saudades do gosto especial que os bolinhos de bacalhau tinham no Natal, do cheirinho de boneca nova, de sentir os olhinhos brilhando ao ver as pratelerias gigaaantes das lojas de brinquedo lotadas de caixas rosas, rs. Saudade dos pensamentos inocentes, de achar que se a minha mãe estivesse ao meu lado, nada de mal nunca aconteceria comigo. Saudade até de achar que responder exercícios de matemática no quadro seria a coisa mais amedrontadora que eu passaria na vida (bom, até hoje eu me torço ao pensar na idéia uahsd, mas-). Ai, mais do que tudo, saudade da falta de preocupação. Eu só vivia a minha simples vida dia a dia, e era feliz assim. Agora não; faça isso faça aquilo, seja isso seja aquilo, aja assim aja assado se não você será um adulto fracassado. AI, ME CANSA. E pensar que me diziam para aproveitar bem a minha infância porque ela é a melhor parte da vida e eu como criança bobinha achava a maior besteira; eu não podia dirigir, usar vestido, salto e batom, como poderia ser a melhor parte da minha vida? Mas acabou que até o momento foi mesmo, e isso é triste não? D: Por que a melhor parte veio primeiro? Mas não sejamos tão dramáticos; ainda há tantas coisas a serem descobertas e desfrutadas nessa emocionante jornada agoapsod 8D e eu continuo bobona do mesmo jeito que eu era, já passei da infância e já passei da adolescência também hein. Acho que a situação está um bocado ~crítica~ agora. HM.

Feliz dia das crianças* amigos. Que o melhor lado dessa fase ainda possa estar vivo de alguma forma em cada um de nós!

Com vocês, os deuses do leste no melhor do estilo xuxaria.

*(dia das crianças atrasado porque eu estava no Rio sem biquini pra ir na praia/piscina e sem nada mais pra fazer a não ser assistir o  AADBSK3 que finalmente tinha chegado depois de 3 meses de espera).

Paysage d'hiver

Irène Brand peinds depuis son enfance. Aujourd’hui, ses acryliques pleins d’humour et de couleur sont les images de son enfance pleine de souvenirs heureux.

Témoignage d'amour

Trois bateaux

Renseignements / Réservation /Achat

Emberek, váltottam. Blogot. Ezentúl itt olvashatjátok a firenzei szösszeneteket (és nem a google-féle bloghelyen), és ugyanitt hagyhattok kommenteket is. Még csak regisztrálni sem kell, szóval hajrá, írjatok minél többen!

Egyébként, lehet, hogy albérletet is váltok, mert időközben heten lettünk „itthon”. Ráadásul úgy, hogy az a három lakótárs, aki sikeresen elsajátította az angol nyelvtanítás alapjait (ha-ha-ha!), már kiköltözött. Helyettük jöttek hatan. Remek. Főleg a reggeli forgalom a fürdőben, na meg persze a kosz és a rendetlenség a konyhában. De ma például rend várt, amikor hazaértem. A fene sem érti ezeket!

Képzeljétek, időközben szert tettem egy olasz adókártyára, ami persze nem jelenti azt, hogy adóznék is, de állítólag ez mindenhez kell. Hmm, hát, legyen! Vicces, hogy szinte semmi sem kell hozzá, csak a név, meg az otthoni és az itteni lakcím, sőt, akár interneten is lehet igényelni… De azért nekem el kellett mennem a hivatalba, mert az egyik kedves(kedő), de hozzá nem értő kolléganő azt mondta, hogy nekem aztán feltétlenül el kell mennem oda, és lehetőleg még aznap csináltassam meg. Mondta ezt fél 12-kor, és az iroda fél 1-ig volt nyitva. Kedves…  De megcsináltam!

És képzeljétek, volt már egy látogatóm! Tike. A múlt szerdán jött, szombatig maradt, aztán együtt elmentünk Ferrarába meglátogatni egy barátnőjét, illetve az egész baráti társaságot, na, meg persze azért is, mert volt egy „Balloons Festival” Ferrarában. Viccesek voltak a hőlégballonok, íme itt van pár.

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Egyébként a látogatásokkal kapcsolatban: mindenki tudja már, hogy mikor jön? Szóval ki mikor?? )) Mivel nem tudom, hogy hogyan alakulnak a dolgok (albérlet), nem lenne rossz, ha körbenéznétek szállás ügyben, mert Tikével ugyan szerencsénk volt (éppen itt volt még az egyik lány, akinek a szobájában volt egy extra ágy), de nem tudom megmondani előre, hogy hogyan alakulnak a dolgok. Lehet, hogy nem lesz matrac, amit fel tudok ajánlani, a földön meg mégsem kellene aludni. Ja, és a hálózsákra is gondoljatok, mert egyelőre még nekem sincs rendes takaróm.

Nem mindenkinek, de azért pár embernek közületek mond valamit az a név, hogy Maurizio, ugye? Nos, tegnap felhívott és közölte, hogy visszatért Firenzébe (egy héttel ezelőtt) és egy évig marad. Soha jobbkor.

Egyébként innen kívánok sok erőt és bátorságot a gekkókhoz Renának Kairóba! ))

Csók mindenkinek!

Mountain of ballons

Saturday in pm, needed a haircut and the best place to have it is downtown Querétaro, Mexico.

The mexicans people love balloons, all kinds, any colors as long as it is a balloon.  Here in the old centre de Querétaro, almost everyday, there is somebody carrying a pile of balloons on his back, selling it to the local children and families out for a walk around.  Yes, there are two feet underneath those ballons.

Entrance to the hairsalon

This is the entrance to the hair salon, an old door without any age, a small place with beat up old chairs and a friendly smile each time we go there.

The hair salon does both : men and women, the old fashion way.  If only this chair could speak for itself, with the hay in the back sticking out, oh the stories we would listen to, well into the night…

The cost of a haircut is 4$US (40 pesos).  The woman cutting the hair that day is a young one, around 30 years old, the daughter of the daughter of the owner.  This is a picture of the first owner on the wall, above all the chairs (3 of them), an old black and white picture that has seen better days…

Little colors for a girl'hairs

She cuts hairs without wetting them, just cutting very fast all around without giving it any style basically.  When all the head is done, then, she starts asking questions how we would like to style it.  Depending of the style chosen, she will wet the hairs with a spray bottle filled with water and will cut more if needed.  All in all, it takes about 10 minutes, done, simple and the rest of the style : do it yourself at home…

Saturday downtown Querétaro is also the night to go for private music concerts.  We have been going since 2006, very seldom missing a Saturday.  The concerts are private, with very limited spaces available and taking place in a hunted house now turned into a museum Casa de la Zacatecana.

The balcony above the room where the concert is taking place

This house stayed closed for many years and only recently did they decide to open it to the public and turn it into a museum (visit this site to know the story of this casa).  The acoustic of this place is remarkable and very appropriate for concerts.

Claudia Ramirez, violin I, Guillermo Villalobos, violion II

The cuarteto ‘Sonus’ was formed in 1998 with four very talented musicians.  One of the best concert I have listened to in many months.

Luis Obregon, Clarinete

Their program was filled with Rock and Jazz music, very nice.

Valery Sekretow, violoncello

From Led Zepellin, to Metallica, from Jimi Hendrix to The Eagles, we finished this wonderful evening by stopping by my favorite place to eat, the San-Miguelito, just a few blocks away.

San Miguelito, Querétaro

I love this place, located in an old hacienda full of history and ghosts that we can feel all around us when we eat.

Close up of a set table at San Miguelito

All the articles seen on each table, including the tables and chairs are for sale.  Those glasses are locally handmade made and over the years, I came out to own a very nice collection of two of each, having them all now.

View of the back of the resto, going to the gardens

The resto not only serve food but also has an open garden at the back where reception, family gathering can take place.

Cathedral of Querétaro, view at night

On our way out of the San-Miguelito, just above our head to the right, there is the Cathedral of Querétaro, always lighted at night, so peaceful and full of history.  Good night all!

Unter Umständen ist’s sogar aktuell.
Aber mindestens beständig, wenn auch auf andere Art.

IT WAS MARCH 20.I HAD STARTED MY DAY BY GOING TO MY BEST FRIEND’S HOUSE AND THEY HAD MADE ME CHILAQUUILES THEY WERE SO GOOD AND AFTER I WAS TIME FOR SCHOOL, THEY HAD SURPRISED ME WITH A LOT OF BALLONS AT LUNCH WE HAD LIKE A MINI PARTY ME IT WAS A GREAT BRIRTH DAY BECAUSE I HAS SPENT IT WITH MY TWO BEST FRIENDS.

This is Able Design’s submission for Design Event 09’s “Democracy” project.  Entitled “Reliance” the poster is based on the idea that understanding and compromise keep a democracy afloat.

f2.8   1/25   ISO 800

It happened during a round of the oldest of sports. I am of course referring to the game where you bounce a balloon around a party trying to keep it from touching the ground. It was so fun until it all went sour. It was like an Irvine Welsh novel. The balloon bouncing was like all the heroin. And the broken sunglasses were like the dead baby. Yeah it was exactly like that. It happened so fast too. I just rolled over on them and they were done. It was pretty devastating. But this is just the first part of the story.

To be continued…