Thanksgiving break was…..eventful, to say the least.

EVENTS:

Dirt Bike Riding
Good Food
Family
Broke My Car
Beach
Music
Long Drive
Broke My Car
River
Rain
Sun
Dogs
Babies
LIGHTS
CAMERAS!

COCAINE*!!!!!!!!!

………..just kidding

………..about the rain, it doesn’t rain in Oregon.

MUSIC that I listen to when I’m all hopped up on COCAINE*!!!!!!!!!

Ratatat – “Beat 5″

*Disclaimer: Cocaine is bad for you and should not be taken lightly. It is mentioned for humorous reasons and is not associated with Chromatica in any way.

]]> http://inksplodge.wordpress.com/2009/12/02/got-your-tinsel-in-a-tangle/ Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:39:50 +0000 InkSplodge! http://inksplodge.wordpress.com/2009/12/02/got-your-tinsel-in-a-tangle/

Me: What d’you call those things, you know,… those little shiny, sparkly things I told you about yesterday?

Husband: I don’t know…but I think we definitely ought to get some.

Done all your Christmas Shopping? Of course not.

Got the decorations up yet? No, neither have I.

At least now that the boy is more grown up, ‘Father Christmas’ doesn’t get all the credit for my gift-buying efforts.

Me: You are incorrigible!

Husband: Well, stop incorriging me then!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Update…if you look very carefully, you’ll notice that it is actually snowing on my blog.
If you have a WordPress.com blog, go to your Site Admin., click “Appearance”, then “Extras” then tick the snow box – thanks WordPress team, you’ve made me a very happy snowbunny.

I think that I should write a sonnet down

Though I have been unsuccessful before

T’would sparkle in my miser poet crown

Then close shut an ever open door

This shiny sonnet should be something new

Maybe the grass grows high and trees grow low

Though my list of earthy poems is few

I should write one Green so my skill will show

I could stick with love it is an old theme

It’s been tried and tested and lives on still

Writing of Venus and beauty and dream

A sonnet with lace and trim and frill

If I write a sonnet I might regret

So not writing one is much better yet

Today is the MoLeNET Conference, the second conference MoLeNET has had. Last year the conference was at the Emirates Stadium, this year at the Grange Hotel near St Pauls.

Gloucestershire College will be there in force today. Last year I did a ten minute slot on the Glossy Project. This year, Alan Graham will be presenting in the research strand on what we did in the Shiny project in terms of research. Whilst Rob Whitehouse will be doing the ten minute slot on the use of video assessment and the impact on learning. Rob Allen, who has done some fantastic work on mobile learning in plumbing and heating will be on our stand. And…. myself and Greg Smith, the college Principal, will be delivering one of the keynotes.

Glossy and Shiny have had a real cultural impact in the college and I hope to share how we achieved this in the college.

In case you were wondering, our third MoLeNET project is called Sparkly and is about sharing what we do with two partners, Stroud College and Royal Forest of Dead College Royal Forest of Dean College.

Update: Oops that should be Royal Forest of Dean College, must have dead on the brain!

Young Gavin Rossdale! Marilyn! So genderqueer and cute!

Actual content soon, I promise.

For me, Camden is all about the tacky feast for the eyes. I haven’t actually bought anything there for a long time, but sometimes I go just to take it all in.

Photographed by doug88888

Taken through a UV filter at Chiswick, England.

– License

Today has been good, and relaxing. I have slowly been getting my stuff done, in between watching old movies, cooking, and playing with the puppy. Dragon had the day off as well, so we have been lounging around together I really like days like this. But I still have a lot to do.

I looked up my Earth and Space Travel test online, since I took it this week. It is the class that is most difficult for me, but I did much better than I thought I did! It is a two-part test, and only one part has been graded so I will not know my entire grade until next Tuesday, but if I felt a lot more prepared for the second half of the test than the part I saw today, so I am not worried anymore. It is pretty relieving to know that I probably won’t fail the class. I always worry about this for some reason. Even if I am doing really well in a class that is my best subject, i always worry about what my final grade will be, because most professors weigh assignments so heavily that just screwing up once can wreck your grade. And since I have to maintain a certain GPA to keep my scholarship, I just fret for no reason.

Tomorrow we’re going to Dragon’s mother’s house. It is her birthday, and we also didn’t spend Thanksgiving with her yesterday, so we’ll probably take her out to dinner. So that’ll be fun And then Sunday we’ll be going out-of-town to see my father for a second Thanksgiving, so I really hope I can find some times this weekend to work on a few of my projects. I am behind where I want to be. Why does that always seem to happen?

Dragon and I were not brave enough to try to go and venture out into Black Friday territory. However, I needed a few things from the store, so we waited until noon, when Fred Meyers’ sales were over, to leave. He bought me a white chocolate peppermint mocha, that made me incredibly happy…it really is the little things in life that matter. I have been craving one for a while, but just couldn’t justify spending $5 on something that I could make myself at home. I am glad he made the decision though, because it was OMG good, and perked me right up.

We were at the car door about to go home, when he decided to go back in for something else. A new Xbox 360! As I wrote about before, ours could no longer get on xbox live, and while we could still play games, we couldn’t play online, watch Netflix, or unlock any achievements. And that was just sad! So, now we have a new shiny. And for their Black Friday promotion, they gave us a gift card with a rebate on it, which is awesome because it is our closest store and we go there often. I am hoping that since I have been such a good girl today, Dragon will use it to get me a certain Hello Kitty lava lamp that would look awesome in the kitchen *bats eyelashes*

Speaking of shiny, Dragon does not appreciate it the way that I do. His mother works for Mary Kay Cosmetics, and while I certainly do not use them as my main supplier, I try to buy something from her once or twice a quarter. We went there last week for her Christmas open house she always does, and I asked Dragon to pick something out for me, as an early Christmas gift. That way it would be something he liked on me. He got me a really nice sparkling body powder. It smells heavenly, and comes in a sleek black case, with a poofy pink puff with a bow, to apply the glitter to your chest, shoulders, etc. I am so in love with it! It gives me a nice shimmer and smells so feminine.

Today, when Dragon was not looking and was preoccupied on the computer, I may have sprinkled a bit over his shoulders and chest.

“Mmm.” He sighed, not realizing what I had done, but simply liking the feel of the puff-ball on his skin.

“Now you smell good!” I said, leaning in for a whiff. I am not sure what it means that I like my man to smell like myself. I am either incredibly narcissistic, or a lesbian.

“Gahhh!” His tone turned sour, when he saw what I had done. “Don’t do that.”

“But REAL men sparkle!” I screamed, knowing he would catch onto the Twilight reference.

“I’ll kill you…”

“But now you’re shiny!!!”

And then it was time to run away, or risk a serious spanking.

I am Shii. Twi-hard (or is it Twi-tard?) , possible lesbian, Space test annihilator, and distracted by shiny.

Good day.

<3Shii

There is now an online key to the 86 species of Chrysididae in North America!

It is, of course, quite useful, but the best parts are all the detailed photos of these lovely Hymenopterans.

Thanks go to Nigel Jones for his lovely photo which you must view at full size, and to the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center for creating this valuable resource!

Project Icon Set Download
These icons are free for commercial use! These 18 icons cover all aspects of project development and are transparent png files.

Social Media Cloud Download
These 25 social media cloud icons are free for personal use with a link back to the designer’s site. 60 X 60 pixels.

Smiley Icons Download
20 cute emotion icons from a Chinese designer called Manto.

Windows Icons Download
Extensive icon pack for windows programs.

Basic Download
42 high quality icons for your web application, software or GUI design.
Sizes: 64х64, 48×48, 32х32 & 16х16.
Formats: Windows, Mac OS and Png.
These icons are free for commercial use with a link back to pixel-mixer.com.

Sleek Download
50 stock icon in PNG and ICO formats. Free for personal and non-commercial use. May use commercially if designer is contacted.

Grayscale Download
Icojoy team is happy to present a new free icon set. These icons are free to use in any kind of project. There are 32 16X16 icons in ico, icns, tif, and png file format.

Monster Download
Really cute monster icons in icns, ico, hxq and pgn formats.

Cars Download
Snazzy cars icons in png format created for free use.

Thanks for reading! Check me out

We actually got it set up a lot faster than I thought we would, so without further ado, our Christmas tree. I have a few more photos on my flickr too. It’s so pretty and shiny. I’m a happy pet

<3Shii

So.

It’s been a while.

And I feel as if I should have just given up.  I haven’t blogged since August, why pick it up now? It is a valid question.  To which I don’t really have an answer, except that, well, I feel like blogging again.  So here’s the scoop:

The Captain and I are engaged.  And I could not be happier.  After all that nonsense about moving out to California, and then moving all the way back, the Captain and I are finally beginning to plan our life together.  When I was moving to San Diego, and when I was in San Diego, we had no idea just how long it would be before we’d be able to live near each other and then to get married.  So while I was devastated to lose my job, I am grateful that I’m finally home, with my Captain, much sooner than we’d expected.

An October 2010 wedding is planned.

PEACHES, HOLY CRAP. Best show of my life, hands down. And I have been to many shows. Just not ones so… freakin’ badass. She crowdsurfed! I touched her knee! Also, seeing Peaches in a pink leather one-piece with giant sleeves of the future, standing on top of the crowd, singing? Three feet away from my FACE? Amazing.

I have many thoughts about the teaches of peaches, many of which are not for this blog. But something I do want to blog about – women performers in nude jumpsuits. Throughout the show, Peaches took off layers of one-pieces/leotards (and added crazy capes/jackets/armwarmers depending on the song). Finally, she got down to a nude, sleeveless bodysuit (also a tiny belt which had a flashing LED over her clit – but hey, it’s Peaches). Nude without being nude.

This might not be a post on its own, but I have also been listening to the new Dragonette album a lot this week. The title song, “Fixin to Thrill,” happens to have an exceedingly awesome (fourth-wall-breaking!) video in which the frontwoman, Martina Sorbara, wears a tight nude shirt and tights, and draws her silhouette/features on her body.

I’m really intrigued by this revealing-without-revealing, especially when considering Peaches, who has historically been known for flashing a lot of skin. The video I’m embedding below is one of her tamer ones (she and Iggy Pop kill zombies!), and yet I still hesitated about linking to it because I don’t think any of her videos are safe for work (no criticism here!). Yet Peaches is wearing more than, say, Britney Spears or Lady Gaga in this video – she has on a jacket, bra, and hot pants, and keeps the jacket on for the first half of the video. Her body is not perfectly toned, although it would be harder to be more perfectly toned than Iggy Pop in any case. Her lyrics are often sexual; in this as in many other videos, she grabs her crotch to assert that point.

Why are we afraid of a sexuality that’s not for us, one that’s not about eliciting our desire but about asserting hers? If a man were performing this role, would we find it objectionable? Why do I feel better about embedding “Kick It” than the video for “Set It Off,” in which Peaches simulates masturbation and has visible (and progressively more ridiculous) pubic hair?

Why are we equally surprised by a body that is both offered to us and denied to us, like Martina Sorbara’s in the video for “Fixin to Thrill” or Peaches’ costumes last night? A body which refuses our gaze and/or mocks it?

Thinky thoughts, for sure.

One last note: The first zombie that Iggy Pop pushes off is a skinny, blonde girl in a revealing bikini with a perfect, tanned body. I can’t help but think that was a deliberate choice.

i’m a thief too

i really could not help but steel this beauty from hatch life – check this car-blog out – it’s sick

Dutch designer Bas van Beek makes some fun vases from making molds of other vases, then splicing them together a la Dr. Frankensten. Also, according to many websites, he thinks Dutch politics are stupid. What does that have to do with wonky bong-looking vases, you ask? Right.

More HERE.

Yesterday was an alright day. Went for a nice long drive, did some shopping. Finally picked up a set of demitasse cups. Espresso doesn’t feel right in a normal sized coffee cup. Finally got a fog free mirror for the shower. This is a big event for me because it also has a built in radio. And a tiny little LED light (and again, we come back to my love for shiny things that glow). Also bought one of those “soothing, stress relief fountains”. Broken, right out of the box. Kinda stressed me out, actually.
Ironyyy.

There’s been a lot of crap going on lately. Tires with sidewall damage, rusty pipes, leaky washing machines…nothing too big, but enough to make you tired, y’know? But there are a few people out there who I talk to, and suddenly all of that doesn’t seem to matter. It’s nice to have people you can vent with.

I’ve been gaining more and more control over my life. I’ve rebuilt myself. Better. Faster. Stronger. I had the technology. You’d be surprised how much you can better yourself with the help of an MP3 player. All jokes aside, I’m a lot healthier than I’ve been for quite a while. It’s a good feeling, but I’m not done yet. I still have a ways to go.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Thanks for reading, internet.
If you’ll excuse me, I’d better get back to working on those miles.

I wasn’t going to do this. I really, really wasn’t. I was having fun.

I had 2nd thoughts through the ENTIRE thing. From day 2. Not day 1, ’cause that’s when I was impulsive. But day 2 I felt like, Ok, I want to do this, yet I don’t want to do this, because it feels like nothing more than a popularity contest. Joie said Oh just do it! You’re good at this sort of thing, you’ll have fun. And there’s a gorgeous bracelet that was added an extra prize.

So I did.

As I read, and visited competing bloggers, I see bribes for votes. Now I’m not thrashing them, don’t get me wrong. To each his/her own. And it was a creative strike. Kudos. However, I didn’t feel like that was fair. (at the risk of sounding like a child.) So I told Joie, again how I felt, and that I thought of withdrawing myself from the competition. (it was just starting to get fun) Again, she reminded me, oh just have fun with it! So I trudged on. No giveaways for my votes. NONE. No extra entries for a vote. No monetary promises. The only promise I made was to show off my socks, and pics of me wearing the mighty tiara. No tiara for me folks. However I’m upholding my end of my deal. You did vote for me, so at the bottom of this post, I am showing off my feet.

Then today, I’m on twitter, with my tweep buddies, and blog followers, and fellow bloggers, and I see that someone has tweeted a bit of something about how one of the competitors has offered to pay voters. WHAT?

I’m frustrated to say it nicely.

I worked hard for my votes. Ethically. Fairly. Socially. The way I thought this was going to be with everyone. Maybe I was a nut to think such things? No matter, this is how I feel. And if I don’t get it out …. well I’m venting. It’s my right isn’t it? What do you think?

I have my tiara. It’s a great circle of readers,and loyal friends, and many others that I have worked with. My shiny tiara will never fade. And has no monetary value. But, it’s mine. To keep. Forever. Really, I’m disgusted that it come to this. Disgusted.

Maybe I’m wrong to remove myself. Maybe I’m wrong to be upset/annoyed/irritated. I don’t know. But I know one thing, I’m walking away from this wearing my big girl panties. Maintaining my dignity. And I’m not afraid to say my morale’s. I have a lot of other things to do, that are much more constructive.

I don’t stake claim to fashion queen, or drama queen for that matter. I’m a mom. I take care of my elderly mother. I.AM.A.LADY. I have full intentions of keeping that too! I’m perfectly content hugging my little ankle biters doggies, and putting deer meat in for dinner tonight. Yes! Deer meat Venison. Fresh.

Thanks, to whoever you are for screwing it up for the rest of us. And I’m damned glad I apparently gave you a run for your money! lol Literally. I got something that you lost. Dignity. New Friends.

Thanks for reading, I already feel better.

Best of luck, and well wishes to those of you that are going to hang in there!

P.S. The bracelet would have been prettier on me anyway! You should have been tossed from the competition by your toes. TOES.

Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming.

These are old, so I’ll combine them as one.  I’ll try to do them daily, but we all know how I am!!

10/24/09 Note to self: Kitteh does not like when I rap in his face.

11/05/09 Dear Kitteh: Please keep your fucking foots outta my drink, K?

11/12/09 Ass Cuddles: Ur doin it right

11/12/09 Dear Kitteh: Thank you for the shiny new quarter in the shower

Shrödinger’s Rapist: or a guy’s guide to approaching strange women without being maced.

Now, you want to become acquainted with a woman you see in public. The first thing you need to understand is that women are dealing with a set of challenges and concerns that are strange to you, a man. To begin with, we would rather not be killed or otherwise violently assaulted.

“But wait! I don’t want that, either!”

Well, no. But do you think about it all the time? Is preventing violent assault or murder part of your daily routine, rather than merely something you do when you venture into war zones? Because, for women, it is. When I go on a date, I always leave the man’s full name and contact information written next to my computer monitor. This is so the cops can find my body if I go missing. My best friend will call or e-mail me the next morning, and I must answer that call or e-mail before noon-ish, or she begins to worry. If she doesn’t hear from me by three or so, she’ll call the police. My activities after dark are curtailed. Unless I am in a densely-occupied, well-lit space, I won’t go out alone. Even then, I prefer to have a friend or two, or my dogs, with me. Do you follow rules like these?

So when you, a stranger, approach me, I have to ask myself: Will this man rape me?

Yeah.

My AWESOME housemate got us tickets to see Peaches on Friday. I am really excited. I feel like there is a post about Peaches forthcoming on this blog. But not today. Instead, I will link you to this ridiculous video (not entirely safe for work?), in which Peaches sings and Feist makes out with a bicycle. Seriously. They used to be roommates.

UNISEX EYES!

Bling Strands are gorgeous, and are a huge hit for my daughter and I. I’m sure these are a huge hit with other little girls, younger and older ladies as well! I was afraid it would be a very daunting, and frustrating task to put these in her hair. It did take some patience, but it did not make me mad. I don’t have a lot of patience, so that’s pretty good. Ha!

Since I didn’t think this was going to go very well, I let my daughter check out the Bling Strands website, so she could put them in my hair also. Being 11, I wasn’t sure if she’d be able to really get the whole slip knot, and push to the bottom of the hair, tie twice, tug strands, not the hair sequence. Granted, I am now missing a few strands of individual hairs as she says she broke them, but I have a small painful area where it proves her wrong. It is a little late, and she is 11. She did manage to get the hang of it quicker than I originally expected. I now have 2 strands in my hair. I put a few in her hair also, and I really think their darling.

Last summer she begged me to let her get pink and purple highlights in her hair. It’s just hair right? She’s very persuasive. Well since the school won’t allow kids to have those in their hair, this is an absolutely wonderful alternative that is as temporary as we want it, or as permanent as we want it. I really like these Bling Strands, and if my daughter doesn’t want to put them in my hair, I’m headed for the salon in town to ask them what they’ll charge me to put them in.

Here is a picture of the Bling Strands in her hair. I didn’t add very many tonight, but will be putting more in tomorrow for her.I think we added 5 or 6 strands tonight. It was a little tricky getting the hang of it. But it really did not take very long. To show her how to put them in, I showed her using a piece of string, hubby’s hair was too short. He’s almost always our guinea pig.

My daughter adores Bling Strands, and is already choosing the colors she wants for a future purchase. (I can feel the very near future, since she wants to pay for them with her own money.) Take a look at the colors they have to offer. Fifteen (15) different colors to be exact. Suitable for light or dark hair.

“Bling Strands LLC, is a Utah based business. Showing women of today how they add shimmer and dazzle to their hair with just a simple knot. The idea of tying a shimmering strad of iridescent thread into hair, started in Asia. Joanne, and Angela caught the vision and brought Bling Strands to the United States.

Bling Strands are wonderful way to add that extra touch for special occasions, like proms, weddings, vacations, anniversaries, dance and cheer squads, and especially for every day wear.

Bling Strands don’t have an age limit, or a specific style. Light or dark hair, long or short hair, you can be sure that Bling Strands will have you turning heads.”

It’s great, with Bling Strands, you add the amount of effect that you want. Just add 1+ strands, and you’re on the way to be fab!

The folks at Bling Strands are offering two of our readers a chance to win their own Bling Strands!

Win It

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This giveaway will end on 12/03/09 at 11:59 PM CST

Admittedly this post is a tad early, but I’m ready to get these holidays started! I’m actually not traveling this Thanksgiving, but I figured you might be traveling … even if it’s just be from Big D to Funkytown. (That’s Dallas to Ft. Worth for you non-DFWers.)

And what does a good road trip or plane ride need besides great company? Good tunes, man. So in honor of the turkey that sacrificed himself (or tofu for all you weirdos), here’s some tryptophanic tunes. Bon Appetit!

1. Half Way Home • TV on the Radio
2. Two Weeks • Grizzly Bear
3. Shiny • The Decemberists
4. Hideaway • Karen O and the Kids
5. Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want • She & Him
7. Turn a Square • The Shins
8. Albatross, Albatross, Albatross • Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band
9. Lisztomania • Phoenix
10. Dashboard • Modest Mouse
11. Shampoo Suicide • Broken Social Scene

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Want more mixed well? Check the archives here.