photos, slightly modified, from Stonehenge Collectables, with permission

Last year on Christmas we posted a photo of the English Heritage Stonehenge snowglobe, the one sold in the shop near Stonehenge. So it seems fitting as the holiday approaches to post another snowglobe somewhat less official, but certainly modeled roughly after Stonehenge, as proven by the trilithons and the packaging, which includes this bit of art:

There can be no doubt that is Stonehenge. As Bob at Stonehenge Collectables says, “Had the graphics artist who produced the artwork for box and label created some stones graphically and not used an identifiable view of Stonehenge taken from the south, looking north, any commercial connection to Stonehenge could be disavowed.” True except, as we said, for the trilithons, which you won’t find in any other ancient stone circle we know of.

We’ll give this 5½ druids, partly for that little walkway spiraling up the base toward Stonehenge. It would be six if they’d used something white instead of that clear plastic glitter. Don’t they know that’s for unicorns?

We”ll end with this photo of last year’s and this year’s globes, and a warm wish for a joyous Yule season for all of our readers, wherever and whoever you are, whatever you believe, and whoever you love !

[And for extra holiday fun from last year, click here to see the Stonehenge model at Babbacombe Village while decorated for Christmas last year.]

via

Sometimes there are things you want to blow your own company’s trumpet about, but such behaviour would be totally well un-English.  So it is great if someone does it for you.  Nick Burcher gets what we’re all about and has said so and that is lovely.

There is also a video of the Sky Movies HD Christmas Snow globe on YouTube here:

These Sky stunts may not have the (initial) reach of a mass doordrop or traditional TV / print campaign, but for the people who experienced them these are truly memorable. The real ROI comes from the secondary impacts though. This type of activity has the ability to be amplified by word of mouth, supplementary news coverage, through the YouTube / Flickr views and through people like me posting to Twitter / blogs etc.

Being social is not just about doing something on Facebook, it’s about doing something that makes people talk – and the Sky stunts are amongst an ever-growing number of advertiser initiatives designed to create conversation and stimulate positive word of mouth.

Hi.  This morning my elf and his little friend were playing with one of my snow globes.  He loves watching the snow in them.  This one has a switch that continuously blows the snow which is cool!

Happy Sunday!

Can it REALLY be the last day of school today?  Where has the year gone?  Summer Holidays are looming, Christmas is around the corner, what am I going to do with the kids for 6 weeks?  Scrapbook of course!  Just like the last School Holidays, I’m going to try working on some personal scrapbook pages over the summer.  I still have that Disney Trip to finish, among other things.  It’s still my goal to average one layout per day, but you never know what the summer may bring!  Keep checking in all summer, I’ll post everything I create!  I’ve finished my workshops for the year, and don’t have another one booked until January 23rd (unless you want to book one!?!?!?!) so I have plenty of time to spend with my kids, and scrapbook.  Looking forward to it!

I’ve had another play with the Sweet Treat cups this week.  I took this idea from Kirsty Brown here.  She links to the original creator so have a look at that one too!  Mine is a bit less ornate as I was working with the children to make this one for one of the teachers.  I plan on making more of these this week to give to my friends for Christmas, but I need to order some more cups and glitter, I seem to be running out!  The snowmen were coloured in my my 7 year old Emma.Project Recipe:

Papers: Bordering Blue, Bella Rose DSP, Whisper White, Riding Hood Red

Stamps: Window Dressing, Many Merry Messages, Polka Dot Background

Ink: Staz On, Riding Hood Red

Markers: Real Red, Green Galore

Accessories: 1 3/4″ circle punch, sweet treat cups, dazzling diamonds, heavy plastic (for back of “snow globe”, water, Kiwi Kiss striped ribbon

I was really excited when riding the Light Rail the other day I noticed a lovely bit of Christmas spirit… Some frat house… I don’t know which one it is (like it really matters…?…) had one of those obnoxious giant snow globes and giant Santa Clause next to him. Christmas spirit WIN!

I vowed to take a picture during my next ride, but was sad to see it was already deflated, most likely due to b.b. gun sniper fire from an opposing frat house. Short lived WIN, but a rare Light Rail WIN nonetheless.

I have a few really fantastic FAILS to post, but have been dealing with this pesky b.s. called finals. ugh. Once I beat the hell out of them like a nine iron to an unfaithful Tiger Woods, the hilarity will continue.

Get excited.

<3 lightrailgirl.

YoYo Snow Globe – created by our Gardening Editor, Aunt Dots. I love this idea, I think it is so clever! It’s one of those “Why didn’t I think of that?” moments I’m just happy she shared it with us!

Trace a circle about 2 inches approximately in diameter on your choice of cloth. Cut out. Turn under a narrow hem around the edge with even stitches. Pull up tight and secure the thread.

Flatten the yoyo.

Using fabric or any craft glue spread some on a styrofoam ball.

Overlap the yoyos to hide the styrofoam ball. Cut a piece of rickrack or ribbon and make a loop to hang the ball. Add some extra loops for decoration. Secure the loop with glue and a long straight pin.

Yoyos are very pretty and dainty when you make them smaller also. I’ve use circles as small as 1 1/4 inches. Merry Christmas, Aunt Dots

How to Make a Yoyo

The Glue Process

The Yoyo Snow Globe!

]]> http://chillipepperpenguins.wordpress.com/2009/11/20/exclusive-igloo-upgrades-new-igloo-catalog-cheats-november-december-2009/ Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:51:30 +0000 Captain Chilli Pepper http://chillipepperpenguins.wordpress.com/2009/11/20/exclusive-igloo-upgrades-new-igloo-catalog-cheats-november-december-2009/

Hello Penguins! There are a lot of cheats out today! Has anybody noticed the Igloo Upgrades?

Well, check it out!

Look at these new igloos! Sweet! Throwing snow in your igloo finally makes sense!

Brr… Its Chilli in here for once and its not spicy! GASP!

]]> http://swatchbook.wordpress.com/2009/11/17/shake-things-up/ Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:31:21 +0000 swatchbook http://swatchbook.wordpress.com/2009/11/17/shake-things-up/

I love snow — at least gazing dreamily out the window at it. That’s why these little babies are so perfect. I’ll set one on my windowsill and imagine myself frolicking through the fields with the snow bunnies. (-Allie)

Snow Globes, $29 each, West Elm.

It amazes me how quickly days pass by.  It’s always been that way for me.  I’m sure  I thought Christmas or my birthday or whatever longed-for day in the future would never arrive when I was small, but I don’t remember that.  I just know that every day I wake up thinking “How am I going to do everything I want today?” and every night I wonder where the day went.

This card has been waiting patiently in the To-Do list of my mind for a while.  A few days ago, it actually made it to the paper To-Do list, which is a significant step on the road to “git ‘er done”.  This was going to be a Dasher Snow Globe, because I had a lovely comment which put that idea into my mind, but Dasher is off visiting Crystal and his Snow Globe Debut will have to wait.

• Patterned Pines and All Holidays Stamp sets
• Whisper White and Brushed Gold cardstock
• Old Olive and Tempting Turquoise Classic Ink pads; Chocolate Chip Stampin’ Write Marker
• Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint, Old Olive wide grosgrain ribbon, Irridescent Ice Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Stampin’ Sponges

Cards are SO difficult to photograph!  You can’t see the Shimmer mixed in with the Tempting Turquoise sponged on as background, but I promise you it’s there.  The First Star just to the left of the center Pine is stamped in Shimmer Paint too.  And the base of the globe is gold, not olive.   Really.

I’m working on posting the template for the Snow Globe card since so many of you are interested, but for now, leave me a comment with your email address if you would like a copy.

If you’re interested in an Over-The-Top Snow Globe, check out THIS tutorial over at SplitCoastStampers.  But don’t say I didn’t warn you.  Your To-Do list will languish for days if you get hooked on those.

I took this photo this evening for my project365 blog and i haven’t yet made an entry here so i thought i’d chuck it up here too. I do intend to make this my primary blog/outlet I’m just easing into it, figuring out how this all works.

On another note, i stumbled across the book Dear Old Love (compiled by Andy Selsberg) yesterday in the book shop next door to work, and i have been thoroughly enjoying it ever since. Its a collection of anonymous notes to former crushes and lovers and its just delightful. Some are sad, some are mean, some are sweet and some are just hilarious. Its kind of made my weekend.

aka ARE YOU A CAN’T MAN ?

After recently giving man birth to two weighty irreverent tomes titled and written in ways that will puch you in the nards.. and kick you when you’re down… this is the fourth… the third one is still in the works…

Recently someone talked to me about writers block… another of the veracity…and appropraiteness of my writing, whether I was being a little harsh on my subjects – My reaction. Felt like cold cocking them both with a typewriter….

Let me illustrate – you can call it the cleft of venus.. or you can call it a cunt – calling it the elixir of life wont change it if you planning on going down on it (cunnilingus to those of you not schooled in the finer art of slang).. You can either be a bushman of the Kala-Hairy or you can go up mount Kili-Man-JAR-o and plant your flag (more like spray it – dogs piss on their territory – we seem to jizz blast it).. or my favorite – you can be both – an explorer of the Wild flower that turns your better half into a Wilde-Beast and a Master climber that makes her TINgle and as wet as the Niagra Falls…

Got your attention now, have I?

You liked that last part didntja?

Well I got more – liters I tell you –

I dont agree with the treatment of the Fairer Sex in most parts of the world – I’m not talking about here – half of them are still on the lower limit of Puberty… And if they’ve crossed that hallowed line – well their brains still havent caught up to it…
I dont agree that lollipops (talking bout the candy here, boys), cold coffee and ice cream should still be the way of life of the Enlightened 20 year old… Bring out the Cuervo (tequila, you asshole) and lets start the jello shots..

GULP

I’m not saying I’m knee deep in pussy, standing Satisfied and Sated – (maybe finger deep) – but come on – the Boys have at least got CPR done on their favorite and most-missable organ.. Mostly by females.. While the lasses dont even have anything of the electrical persuasion to twixt their nethers (vibrators you cunt)..

I’m of course not talking about the sluts… its amazing we have either conspicous virgins or internationally declared sluts (registered in Malaysia baby) – a day wil come when they discover the largest collection of dildos in the whole world – (even after the dildo has gone the way of the dodo) – it’ll belong to a certain large… (ahem ahem – no we dont say large – we say horizontally challenged nowdays) person from Bangor… the second largest collection will be on a freight train to Kenya…smelling of shit…

It seemed they were asking me – why disturb the universe…

Cuz a snow globe is only beautiful when you shake it…

Good Night and Good luck…

Really, how do you know we are not living in a Snow Globe?

Santa launches Edinburgh's Christmas

 

By Cara Sulieman

EDINBURGH faces a nightmare before Christmas – the threat of overrunning tram works ruining its planned festive party.

Council chiefs have unveiled a glitzy four day extravaganza for the city centre next month to feature giant snow globes, elves and musical fountains to boost trade hit by disruption.

But even before the fake snow settled at yesterday’s launch, sources revealed that time will be so tight, any last minute hitches with the tram works could pose huge problems.

With some small work continuing into the first day of Edinburgh Sparkles, it will be a tight squeeze for the contractors who have to be clear from the site before the party can begin.

Bus stops

It was revealed that even as the first festive revellers start to descend on the party, workmen are likely to still be putting up bus stops and painting white lines back onto the tarmac.

Senior events officer Paul Philip from Events Edinburgh admitted: “There will still be bits and pieces getting tied up on November 26.

“Bus stops need to be replaced and the white and yellow lines painted on so that the road is ready for the buses on November 29.”

But tie Limited – the council owned company formed to work on the tram project – insisted that the work will run to schedule.

Round the clock

Mandy Haeburn-Little, Director of Communications for Edinburgh Trams, assured: “Work is coming along well on Princes Street with round the clock working to ensure that we will be in a position to hand back Princes Street to the city in time for the planned festive activities.

“Supporting these initiatives helps create a very special experience in the city centre and allows us to say thank you to the retailers, traders and people of Edinburgh.”

Organisers are using the scheduled break between the road works finishing and traffic returning to the iconic Princes Street to put on a spectacular four day festival.

A range of small events will be taking place along the street including musical fountains, giant snowglobes and an animatronic polar bear.

“Animation”

Running from November 26 to 28, it aims to give the shops and businesses a much-needed boost after months of disruption.

And events company She’s Gott It, who are organising Edinburgh’s Christmas celebrations, say they are also confident the festivities will bring the life back into Princes Street.

Nickie Gott, Managing Director, said it was the best part of the festivities for her this year.

She said: “I’m really looking forward to the animation of Princes Street, that’s going to be really lovely – the celebrations will extend all the way down and brings Christmas to the whole of the city centre.

“It will be a great chance to celebrate the return of Princes Street and to see it being used again.”

“Great Christmas”

The economic benefit to the city was the emphasis at the launch of the programme yesterday (Weds), with events designed to bring shoppers into the city centre during the recession.

MD Gott added: “This year there has been a emphasis on what the traders need – we’ve been out and spoken to them and tried to accommodate what they need whilst bringing a great Christmas shopping experience to people.”

Edinburgh City Council are gearing up for a merry Christmas season.

The Lord Provost, George Grubb, said: “Edinburgh’s Christmas is a true highlight in our calendar and one which brings real economic benefit to Edinburgh in terms of retail and tourism.

“We look forward to welcoming people as they enjoy the extended programme of festivities within our unique and stunning surroundings.”

See more of our pictures at our Flickr site and videos at our dedicated channel,  Deadline TV.

Okay think positively now. This is just a mental hemorrhage after all. After it’s said and done, I guess there can only be one thing left. Let’s hope it’s solace.

There’s a bud of green dried plant life on my desk, and my arm is itching. I think the bugs are crawling out of the woodwork, but they’re smart sons of bitches. You can’t see them with the naked eye you see. I want to smoke the bud, to fill my lungs with its sticky, bitter-sweet aroma. It tastes like death, and I like it. There’s going to be a full moon tonight; there’s going to be a storm. The tide is high and I’m following suit. Care to guess what ill is born?

When I want to be cute, I like to believe that we have power over our reality. That we can induce meaning into every aspect of existence, to give things value, to make them of worth where before there was none.  These things can be people, places, or objects. Twenty questions and you’ll never guess what I have in mind. I’ll give you a hint, it ain’t Tallahassee, It’s Wichita. These are the dog days and I’m a hound with a big nose. My mind is reeling, and I haven’t touched the greenery yet. Dear gwad! The bud is calling out to me. The crawlers are crawling again. The roaches are stacked end to end!

My fingers sweep across the keys like razor blades against a chiselled jaw. It’s magic time. I’m giving meaning to my little world. I’m shaking up a snow globe.

There’s a dark half in all of us, gwad willing. A thug, a bully, waiting to be loosed upon the scene, and it’s a loose scene, man. I’ve been there a few times. It isn’t pretty but it’s home. This is home too. I’ve hung my hat in more places than I can remember. It ain’t lonesome, out here on the steppes. It’s just quiet: solitary confinement of the soul, from everyone and everything. A chill touch and an icy stare, and I’m left cold and bare. I am redone. There’s a beating of the drums in my head, and there are half-naked jungle dancers in my heart. The blood boils. Am I this? Can it be? Dr. Frankenstein is me.

Where have all the children gone, I say! Experience quells innocence, don’t you know? And the righteous are the last to be idealistic about anything of any real importance. Don’t look at this in the right light. There is none. Be it as it may, there are other sides to every half, it’s true. It’s a constant struggle to see which one will win out. Then it’s all up to the psychopomp to take the loser away. Oh, Leave him your Pennies, your pieces of Cheese. He’ll be needing them soon enough. Hell hath no furry like The father’s scorn. it’s in me, and in you. Zombieland. The winner loses and the loser wins.

I hate to say this but the Scientologists are right. You can make a religion out of anything, and enough blind arseholes will institutionalize the damn thing. It’s enough to make one… Drunk n staggering through a blind alley, I retrieve the .38 from my rain coat. It’s soaked. There’s a good many souls falling like rain these days; the sky is blotted out by them during the dusk. And at night they are simply a grey wash, an amorphous skin over all the world. On the other side… that’s where we find the solution. And we can never have it – must never have it. I raise the slugger high, squeeze, and hear click. Nothing. I point it down the alley towards the street entrance. Maybe some unexpected soul will walk by… Click. At this point, the bullets would do more damage in a box of cereal. I put the gun to my temple hoping maybe, chance is with me.

Lucky charms can’t save you now, old boy. The time is nigh. There are crowds to please, y’know? Sometimes the dark half just has to be unleashed rather than destroyed; another voice to be heard over the din. Onlookers, pedestrians, slack jawed yokels. A little bit of morbid curiosity never hurt anyone. There you have it, I’ve convinced myself. Smoke time. Edit. Break. Recommencing phase two. Stellar groove, man. You’re not a has-been if you never was, right? Wrong. We’re all has beens. I’m just hoping baby, I’m not going too insane. Too much experimentation and too few solutions. The myriad hypotheses of an idle mind. Background Chatter.

Whether I like it or not, it’s time I let the beast out once and for all. Straighten some of this mess out with the tact of an army drill sargent. Mow the lawn, shave that beard. Tomorrow’s another shitter, I hear. All you saints and sinners stand up. Musical chairs. Daddy’s gonna make you dance. So grab your partner and do-see-dough. There’s a hurricane in the air and we all have to be paired off before it hits. I’m going to be the Champion of the world, I sure will. I only wish I had a golden tuxedo. Leave a shinny corpse. Keep your allans on, I’ll think of something. Ain’t nothing else better to do standing in the rain on a Monday night. Or Tuesday morning. Trust me I’ll find one. Black smoke fills my lungs, my brain ignites. Trust me.

There’s a memory out there for all of us. Once so precious, and one so valuable. When that’s lost, then there’s nothing left. We didn’t ask to follow. But there was never any chance of turning back for us anyways, and the next 3,000 days are going to be a real bitch. This memory is what keeps us sane, I think. In spite of everything, there was something magical about the whole deal. Out-of-Past experience. And you liked it. Hell, I liked it.

If memory serves there was a cherry pie, steaming hot on the sun soaked sill. The aroma… well, it was divine. A mother’s caress, a father’s wink. family. A blanket of belonging. I’ll take the wise advice of a rhetorical old man, ‘don’t bother with the hard stuff; we all get sorted out in good time.’ That’s the value we should assign; an appreciation for the little things. The trivialities. I suppose we are cursed and blessed. If there’s one thing I’ll always miss, it’s the family dinners.

Let’s hope that memory remains with us unto our graves.

Meaning, I better savour every last one. The world I know… My known world, may not be there forever. Look at me! Now I’m peeking into the snow globe.

Click

So there is a FULL SIZE REAL LIFE Jeep inside this gigantic inflatable snow globe.  Now, I know you are thinking I’m never going to need a life size inflatable snow globe but if the occasion does arise you will know where to find it…along with anything else you may want to put your logo on!

I’m back into collecting business on eBay.  Selling collectibles on eBay can be profitable and fun.  I was selling mainly

Cottage Cozy

sunglasses but got burned on those.  Some of them got pulled I was told I was selling sunglasses that carried their trademark by another company.  I got them at a small store and thought nothing about it.  But that’s okay, I’m moving on.

Lately I’ve enjoyed going to estate sales and other auction type venues.  I love looking up the items to see what their worth and how much money I can get.  Sometimes their worth nothing, but then their worth something to someone somewhere.  Plus, they add color to my shelves for a while.

Come and visit my shop - I’m adding new items all the time and you just might fine something you like.

I just think they are so cute, the couple in this snowglobe… they dance to the tune of ‘fur Elise’.
The text says a wedding is a time when the fountain of love starts to shower its gifts on two hearts that beat as one. If that’s not tacky, I don’t know what is. They will definitely join us at our wedding party, one way or another.

(Photo part of the ‘Love Thursday’ postings inspired by Chookooloonks.)

See also Qussa.nl: Stories from Afar and Up Close

ANOTHER DAY AT THE THRILL FACTORY :: BY CARRIE ROLLWAGEN 

YOU DON’T KNOW BOREDOM UNTIL YOU’VE DUSTED a shelf full of beaded lampshades to Esther’s exact specifications. This involves removing a stack of shades, sitting them on the shelf below, spritzing the shelf with Pledge, wiping it down with a rag, feather dusting the shades themselves, then putting them back on the shelf exactly where they were before you started. “There’s no room for error,” she says. It’s also implied that there’s no room for creativity.

This process is repeated on each of the twelve shelves. Then the entire dusting process itself is repeated every other day. In case you’re wondering, that’s not enough time for dust to actually collect. Talk about pointless.

I don’t really mind this tedium, but Miranda’s about to crack, I can tell. The trouble with Miranda is, she actually cares. She honestly loves the jewel-toned, fake-historical, world-traveler-wannabe merchandise we sell. She loves to set up displays, and I know she dreams of completely filling her tiny one-room apartment with Kirkland’s sconces and candlesticks.

Esther works here because she’s in love with the pseudo-power of retail management, and she fully exercises this power by cutting us down frequently. She’s especially tough on Miranda, who can’t seem to remember to check ID when she takes a credit card. I don’t know what’s sadder, watching Esther get off on yelling at a sixty-year-old grandma, or the fact that Grandma Miranda still forgets to check ID after working here for a year. It’s amazing how much you grow to care about a job that you never wanted, about people who bore you to tears.

Miranda’s main joys in life are Kirkland’s merchandise and pictures of her grandkids. I want my life to be bigger than that. I hate everything about this town, from the heat to the strip malls and even the beach. I don’t want to settle like Mom and Dad have. Like I’m afraid Josh is going to. I want to get away, be something. Do great things. Start a band.

Sometimes I think a band is my ticket out of here. I’m thinking power pop, edgy and serious, but also accessible. And June could be my drummer. Okay, she doesn’t actually play an instrument, but neither did the Ramones in the beginning. I’d play guitar and sing. Sort of a White Stripes meets The Donnas thing.

I’ve never admitted this, but sometimes I make up little adventures for our two-girl band (which is called Visual Purple, by the way). The fact that I invent these stories is a testament to the crushing boredom that is my life. But I think it’s better to have an imaginary life than no life at all.

Everything in this store is pretending to have a history, from suitcases covered in fake travel stamps to shells sold in bags meant to look hand-gathered from the beach. It’s all ugly at first, but it does kind of grow on you. I can actually imagine a cool apartment with some of this stuff, maybe one of the big, thick rugs, a few of our funny monkey lamps, and those huge elephant end tables (they’re shin killers, but I secretly love them). Put it all together with a killer sound system, and it could be sort of awesome. Kind of vampire chic, like a purposely gaudy lair.

I realize my vampire obsession is out of control. I mean, I bought the soundtrack to Twilight — even though it’s filled with songs by possibly the worst bands ever — just because Rob Pattinson (a.k.a. Edward, a.k.a. the hottest vampire ever) sings on it. I sacrificed two hours of salary just to hear Edward Cullen singing through my headphones.

If it weren’t for Twilight, who would I crush on? June likes Peter Parker, but I couldn’t deal with Spiderman running off every two seconds to scoop another damsel in distress off a rooftop or whatever. Vampires are like superheroes that don’t have to go around saving the world.

The pocket of my work-issued apron vibrates and I pull out my cell phone to read a text from June, doing a quick check over both shoulders to make sure Esther’s not around. My ponytail swishes across my shoulders. I really hate wearing a ponytail. It’s so pep squad.

I want to dye a few chunky pieces of my black hair bright blue so at least my ponytail could be subversive, kind of Gwen Stefani meets Morticia Addams. I tried to talk June into doing it with me, but I know she won’t. She’s always embarrassed to be herself. It makes me want to protect her, and it also annoys the crap out of me.

I cradle my phone so that Esther won’t be able to see it, even if she does happen to turn around.

whens your break?

it's slow so come by whenev.

cool … cinnabun?

YEAH!!

At least my fingernails are black, I think as I type out my responses. That’s a little punk rock. Esther complained, but the lights in here are kinda dim, so I told her it’s actually a deep wine color, and therefore in dress code. I don’t think she bought it, but we discussed it on the day our scanner broke, so she didn’t have time for a fight.

Once I got over being pissed at June for not getting a job, I realized there were hidden benefits to having a best friend who’s free to pick up coffee drinks and the occasional lunch so you don’t have to spend your entire break in line at the Food Court. It’s pretty sweet of June to do this, but I don’t expect any less from her.

She shows up ten minutes later, Mochalatta Chill in hand, a weird look on her face. I assume she looks strange because she’s just seen my brother with Bryanna. We never talk about it, but June’s majorly in love with Josh. I pretend I don’t know, because I know he’ll never like her. Never even notice her, probably. I can’t bear to be brutal and shut her down, but I don’t want to encourage her to hope for something that’s impossible.

“Did you get this from Two-N-Jenn?” I ask.

“Yep,” June says. “But we’re back on a no-name basis, post-birthday.”

“The way it should be,” I say, taking a sip of the drink and then stashing it under the counter. Esther isn’t actually that strict about food at work—mostly because of her pack-a-day Diet Coke habit—but it’s not a great idea to rub it in her face that I’m going against the official rules, either.

June jumps as we hear a chirp coming from somewhere behind the counter.

“What was that?” she asks.

“Cricket,” I say, leaning behind the counter for another sip of sugary goodness.

“Are you guys playing a rainforest CD or something?” she asks, looking for the source.

“June, rainforest? Crickets? Really?”

“Okay, I didn’t mean, like, the literal rainforest. You know, one of those white noise machines or …”

I give her a look.

“Okay not white noise,” she says. “One of those nature CDs that help you sleep.”

“What do you think this is, Sharper Image?” I ask. “That’s not a CD. That’s an actual cricket.”

“Uh, what?” June’s jaw doesn’t literally drop, but, metaphorically, it’s on the ground.

“Yeah, I know,” I say. “Seriously. The place is invested with crickets now. We have so few customers that we’re literally being overtaken by Mother Nature.”

“How could you not have mentioned this?” June asks. “Crickets at Kirkland’s. Classic. Amazing.”

June picks up a candlestick. It has a special finish that’s supposed to make It look like an antique, but it really just looks badly sponge-painted.

“Miranda says they’re good luck,” I say.

“Candlesticks?” she asks, surprised. “How come?”

“No, not the candlesticks,” I say, taking it out of her hand and putting it back in its exact place. Esther is extra critical about candlestick placement. “The crickets. They’re supposed to be good luck.”

“Oh,” she says. “How come?”

“No idea.”

“Hey, Steph?” June says, and she looks really nervous.

“Yeah?” I pick up the feather duster and start in on a row of rhinestone encrusted elephant bookends. What is it with this place and elephants?

“I … um …”

“Just spit it out,” I say, a little irritated because I think she’s going to want to talk about Josh, negating our unspoken agreement not to discuss her crush on my brother.

“Okay,” she says, taking a deep breath. I don’t let it show, but now she’s even making me nervous. When she does start talking, it comes out loud and fast.

“I kind of accidentally applied at Hot Topic and I got the job and I start tomorrow and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before,” she says. Then she stops short.

I can actually feel the blood drain out of my face. I’m not very tan anyway (bad Floridian) and I’m sure this isn’t helping. I probably look like a vampire, and not the good sparkly Twilight kind.

I want to speak, but I can’t. I can’t even process what she’s said, not really. I kind of hear a ringing in my ears. I don’t know how long we’re standing there, but June’s looking really uncomfortable, and this pause feels like forever. I hear a cricket chirping into the silence. How appropriate.

“I’m sorry,” she says, and she really does look sorry. For once, I can actually hear the voice of reason in the back of my head. “Don’t get mad,” it says. “This isn’t worth losing your best friend over.”

I still can’t speak, but I put down the feather duster, and then I put my arms around June, which is weird because we never do this, and because I’m at work. I feel like any minute Esther’s going to start yelling at me for showing affection when I should be directing my attention to overpriced knick knacks.

I pull back and June looks totally shocked.

“June, that’s wonderful!” I say. It sounds totally fake to my ears, but maybe that’s just the ringing because she seems to buy it. “I’m so happy for you. For real!”

“Really? Because I was thinking about not taking it if you weren’t okay with it.”

“Not okay? I’m totally okay!” I’m saying this too loudly, and Esther turns around and gives me a look. Her attention is quickly diverted though, as she walks over to redo a display that took Miranda all morning to create.

“June that’s wonderful. Wow. Hot Topic. Wow.”

“I know,” she says. “I’m scared out of my mind, but I’m a little excited too.”

“Good for you,” I say, and she can’t hear how hollow it sounds because there’s a loud crash from the other side of the store.

Miranda has just thrown a glass snow globe onto the floor, and it’s shattered everywhere. Or, I guess she dropped it. I can’t imagine Miranda doing it on purpose. On the other hand, her face is full of anger, and it sure didn’t look like an accident.

“Esther, I worked hard on that display,” she says. At first her voice is forceful and kind of mean, and I’m about to be a little proud of her, even if she is about to get herself fired. But she wavers at the end, and her tears start to flow immediately.

June’s the only customer in the store.

“You’d better go,” I tell her.

“Okay,” she says. “Text me later.”

“Yeah, sure,” I say, and June walks quickly out of the store.

Miranda, Esther, and I stay frozen until she’s actually left. I still don’t know what to do, so I walk over to Miranda, put my arm around her, and lead her to the back room so she can get cleaned up.

“It’s okay,” I say to her as we walk. “You’ll be okay.”

I get a dustpan and broom and sweep up the mess Miranda made. We’re still totally slow, but I keep busy redusting and organizing behind the counter. Who knew we could lose so many pens under the register? My Mochalatta Chill sweats condensation and goes bad as I work out a complex pen retrieval operation using the lid of an empty gift box.

After a couple of aborted attempts (they end in tears) to rejoin us on the floor, Miranda stays in the back all day. Esther and I are at the registers when my shift ends and, for once, she actually cuts me on time.

“Go ahead and clock out,” she says, and I shut down my register and walk toward the back.

“Oh, and Stephanie?” she says in a strained voice.

“Yeah?” I say, turning back.

“You did a good job today,” she says. “You know, with the snow globe.”

I know she means with Miranda, but she can’t say it.

“Oh. Yeah, um, okay. Thanks.”

I’ve never been so relieved to slip my apron off. I take out my ponytail and don’t even bother to brush my hair, even though I know it’ll look all crimpy and terrible. I just have to get out of here. Between praise from my brutal boss and betrayal from my best friend, it’s been a long day.

Suddenly, it’s all too much to take. My mouth fills with saliva and I can’t tell if I’m going to cry or vomit. I walk desperately around the Personalized Pens kiosk, hoping for a trash can in the front. I’m so out of it that I circle the thing twice before realizing a kiosk has no front. And no trash can, either, apparently.

I’m almost relieved when tears fill my eyes. Crying is better than losing my lunch all over a display of ballpoints. I race to the bathroom, but it’s being cleaned and I can’t get in. I’m heading for the privacy of a Sears dressing room when I’m stopped by one of those clipboard Nazis trying to get me to take a survey.

“No thanks,” I mumble.

“Oh, come on,” this pixie-cut blonde in an ugly Walmart suit says, and actually grabs my arm. Isn’t that, like a violation of my rights or something?

“I’m busy,” I say, and pull away, but Tinkerbell doesn’t give up. When I turn around, she steps in front of me confrontationally.

“It’ll only take a minute, and you can get 20% off a new cell phone cover!”

I look at her for a second and then, I can’t help it, I burst into tears. Not the nice girlish ones. The flooding, messy kind.

Tinkerbell turns on a dime and races down the escalator, stealing looks back over her shoulder at me as she goes, looking horrified.

Somehow I feel my way to a bench outside Master Cuts and collapse. I figure I’ve just lost my last shred of dignity, so I put my face in my hands and let myself sob.

“It’s not fair,” I say into my snotty hands. “It’s just not fair.” I hate that my sentiments are so unoriginal, but there it is. I’m the one who dreamed about Hot Topic. I’m the one who had enough courage to apply. I’m the one who actually cares about the music, and knows everything about Twilight, and owns Doc Martens. It should have been me. “It’s not fair,” I say again.

“I know it’s not fair, sweetie,” says a roundish woman who sits down beside me.

“Now honey, don’t you worry, we’ve all been through this.”

“You have?” I sniff. Somehow I doubt this woman—who is wearing Crocs and Gator-printed scrubs—ever got screwed out of a Hot Topic job by her best friend.

“Of course,” she says, and smiles, running a finger through my hair. “But don’t worry, dear. It’ll grow out.”

That’s when I realize that Crocs lady thinks I’m crying because I got a bad haircut. I look up and see a girl who’s about to go into Master Cuts give my head a once-over and turn away immediately.

And suddenly this woman’s comfort is meaningless, because she’s wrong. It’s not my hair that’s the joke, it’s my life. And that’s not something that will just grow out.

Challenge: fill one role of film with photographs of a single object. A snow globe my grandmother gave me from 36 different view points – a few examples.

Untitled 1

Untitled 2

Untitled 3

Untitled 4

This will be me, talking to Mr. Tot in a few years if things keep up…  We joke, in a half ha-ha, half oh-jeez-you-know-it’s-coming-but-we’re stuck-with-it-so-we-might-as-well-laugh kind of way, that my mind will complete its transition to apple and cinnamon oatmeal shortly.  How shortly is anyone’s guess.  Still sweet and kind of ‘picy, but mush, pure mush.   Motherhood is supposed to target those memory cells for immediate deflation, but is that really all this is?

This entry was prompted by my doctor’s appt this morning.  I’m thoroughly convinced that lack of sufficient drugs have been impeding my memory, at least recently… I feel like I’m drugged if I don’t take drugs (prescribed medicine). [And yes, that is pure speculation as this goody-too-shoes never got into drugs]  And by feeling drugged, I mean it’s hard to think – I feel like I’m in a cognitive fog, and can’t seem to clear the waves. I’m thoroughly terrified or maybe just depressed that the ramp-up phase for this new drug will result in another month of feeling like my head is in pea soup.  Currently, it comes and goes, and the going is all that keeps me functional.  Even so, I have to write everything down, because there is no guarentee that any information will stick.  My head is a bit like one of those snowglobes, where every bit of info is a piece of snow, and it gets periodically shaken.  No nice neat organized library or file cabinet in my head, no siree.  Whooa, somebody just shook it again.  What was I saying?  Seriously.  

Sit right back and you’ll hear a tale….

Normal or not?  

I frequently joke about forgetting something, and other people joke back, especially to the effect that it will only get worse with age.  My memory has been bad since I was young.  My mom often related a story from when I was young, or asks me something about it, to which my response is, ” Mom, I don’t remember that AT ALL.”  But what IS normal?  Since it’s hard to get into other people’s head, how do we know?  I guess if you’re functional, your memory is not bad enough to be considered a problem?  Do I have to burn down the house (I’ve gotten lucky on that count) or get lost for a few days?  Maybe they should put a bus stop in front of my house as a precaution.  I hear that Alzheimer’s patients are magnetically drawn to bus stops.  They have taken to putting fake bus stops outside nursing homes.  

So to give some background to my memory problem, or what I perceive as my problem…  [God help you all if you're right here with me.]

The unrequited quest for gooood sleep:

I think my memory-making capacity was impaired by the fact that I couldn’t stay awake.  In junior highschool, my teachers thought I was on drugs because my eyes were always half closed.  In college, though I attended all my classes, I slept though a great many of them, not that it alleviated my fatigue as the constant head-bob is hard on your neck and not conducive to the rejuvenation that eluded me.  Early in my career, I slept through so many meetings, my boss sent me to the Stanford Sleep Clinic.  This was a lovely experience which I don’t care to repeat – where they stuck a tube up my nose with a whole mosh pit of interns jostling for front row seats.  They then told me not to cough or make it come out as they would have to put it back in.  The only thing worse than having it in was the process of getting it there.  Then I slept with electrodes all over me and when I had an incredible need to turn over, I feared I wouldn’t be able to without dislodging the offensive intruder in my nose.  I pressed the call button once, and waited, pressed again and waited. I held that thing down and would have screamed if I could have, “get the *$^&@#  in here!!!!!” but I had to settle for banging on the wall behind my head.  Fortunately their control room was adjacent or I might have had to be admitted someplace where the padded walls wouldn’t let me knock.  The nurse yelled at me for not just pressing the call button.  I would have reached up and throttled her if I could have.   I have to believe that only sadistic people were working there – it must have been a requirement on the application — Do you enjoy inflicting pain, driving people crazy, and acting there must be some misunderstanding because of course you would be happy to help? But I digress.  I could only croak out a whisper, but she turned me over and I managed to sleep, sort of.   By some miracle I survived the process which lasted the entire next day as well, only to be told that yes, I had a sleep problem, but no, they couldn’t tell me what it was. Oh joy, I was unique, wasn’t that special?  They did tell me I woke up a lot, which accounted for my fatigue and for my vivid sensation of leading a double-life.  I remembered an excruciating number of dreams (you don’t remember your dreams unless you wake up out of them) all of which I physically felt the effects of. I remember fighting fires, and ducking machine gun fire.  I could remember my dreams better, or at least as well as real life.  It didn’t help that many of my dreams were mundane  and just slight variations on real life.  Did I eat that last bit of ice cream or was that in my dream?  Oh yes, and did I mention I sleep walk? I have gotten stuck in my own closet, and regularly sit bolt upright, try to climb my walls, beat up Mr.Tot (intruder in my bed!!) or freak out over any number of possible scenarios.

I was always exhausted.  Who knew what new adventure I would be on each night?  Periodically, my dreams were horrifying and involved violence.  Those times were awful.  I did, however, entertain my colleagues by reciting my dreams – and they in turn would psychoanalyze me.  Now THAT was fun.  This all ended when I went on medication to prevent migraines at about age 30.  

Chapter 7: Chasing the dosage…

I’ve had migraine headaches since I was 13.  I distinctly remember my first one.  I was away from home and thought I was going blind – there were black spots hiding big chunks of the book I was reading and then, the headache was intense.  It was scary. Migraines have been a defining force in my life ever since.  None of the headaches since have been cut as clear-cut as that first one, and indeed it took many MANY years before the doctors and I understood that all of my headaches were probably migraines.  There are non-headache migraines which involves peripheral symptoms – such as light sensitivity, noise sensitivity, nausea, perception distortion, stiff neck, and a variety of other lovely side dishes.  information regarding migraines seemed to evolve slowly.  

In highschool I had a headache for a month straight.  I had severe light sensitivity the first three years I lived in California to the extent that I did not want to go outside.  Sunny California which everyone thought was wonderful but for me, it was torture.  At one point, I had a headache that ebbed and flowed, but peaked so severe that I just laid in the dark and cried, for about three weeks.  I decided it was time to seek help.  I had previously sought help for a long list of ills which I told the doctor might be perfectly normal, but I figured I’d include everything, such as my active night life (meaning my dreams!), temperature swings, and a myriad of other stuff, my doctor told me to see a pyschiatrist/ ologist.  I didn’t bother.  This time I just asked for help with the pain, and for the first time in 17 years, went on medication to deal with my migraines.  I had already tried a host of holistic remedies, but mostly they just made me burp from taking umpteen pills and cost a bundle. Surprise!!! Most of my other symptoms went away as well.  

I went on Amitriptyline, which is an antidepressant, and caused me to pig out and gain 30 pounds in 6 months.  However, it did wonders for my head, and my sleep.  I rarely remembered my dreams, and being headache-free and symptom-free, I felt like what I imagined a normal person must feel.  It felt like heaven to me.  Sing the Alleluiah now… Now just for that weight thing… The doctor switched me to Propranolol – I think it was 10 mg/day way back then, and I managed to lose the weight, and was a happy…  oh wait, my marriage went to hell, and I got divorced.  But that’s another story.  Internally, my body was finally a reasonable facsimile of what it should be.  I no longer cringed when I walked outside, nor felt like I needed to hold on as I walked down the hallway because it went up or down hill in my version of reality.  And miracle of miracles, I could stay awake though (most of) a meeting.  Hey, they were long and boring after all!  But life was good.  It was amazing as far as my lack of headaches went, AND my much improved sleep. I think my friends missed my wild stories of talking whales, lions with men’s heads, bizarre hovering platforms, and other utterly twisted stories, but it was all for the better cause. [Sidenote, the night our neighbor killed his wife, I dreamed that Scott Peterson, remember him? was trying to hit on me - it was very creepy - and I told Mr.Tot about my dream BEFORE we heard about Nancy Cooper going missing.]  And yes, I still got some headaches, often when I traveled or was sick with something else, but they were few and far between and conventional OTC medication usually took care of them.  Do you hear all those angels just now?  Life was GOOD.  On that front anyway.

Through the years, my dosage has increased and my blood pressure has decreased to the point where I get light headed on occasion, and here-we-go-again – foggy-headed-TIRED.  It varies between 84/52 and 96/62 most of the time.  Soooo, a concerned do-gooder ObGyn’s assistant suggested I talk to my regular doctor about trying new meds.  The first guy, meh!  I wasn’t impressed with.  He put me on the same medication (propranolol) at half dosage but slow release.  I determined that this was not the answer.  I had trouble getting out of bed, and trying to get through my day.  Mr.Tot thought I was cranky – I didn’t have enough thought process to be cranky.  My brain was moving in super slo-mo.  Alternatively, I could function but with a headache.  I couldn’t win.  So this morning, my regular doctor whom I’ve only seen twice in 3 years despite going to her office many times (arrgh) changed me to Topamax (seizure med which seems to prevent migraines as well).  However, we have to ramp up to full dosage, and I’m just not looking forward to the possible pea soup interlude.  Hence my need to spill my guts.

Exhibit A

Today’s doctor’s appt went something like this:  

When was the first day of your last period?  Ummm, hmmm, I think a couple weeks ago… 

When was your last Pap?  Umm,  hmmm,  I’m not sure, I’ll have to call my ObGyn.

When was your last mamogram?  Ahh!  I haven’t had one yet, because at 40 I was pregnant, and then I was nursing until Halloween of last year.  Was it just last year?  Man that seems eons ago, oh what?

When was your last tetanus? Ummm, no idea

Well if you can’t remember, it was probably more than 10 years ago, we can give you another one.

No, it could have been last year, and I still wouldn’t remember.  I better look it up. (provided I remember by the time I get home)

I remember one time in California when I went shopping somewhere, and as I walked out of the store, I had a profound loss of short-term memory.  I had absolutely no clue where I was – I knew I was in a parking lot of course, but didn’t know where my car was, or what street I was on, or anything. It lasted only about 15-20 seconds, but it was truly disturbing.  

think about random things through out the day, but sitting down to put them on paper – whether blogging or making a list – poof! gone…

It’s a constant struggle – some days easier, some days harder. 

Distractability factor – 100% 

Exhibit C….  what?  oh maybe it’s Exhibit B then.

silly things I have done lately

   – check out person today asked me which doctor I had seen and at first I could only remember Tot’s old doctor. It took me a bit longer to recognise that the name I remembered was tot’s doctor and not mine

   – turned the oven on to preheat, put the food in, and when the timer went off – it wasn’t done because… drum-roll please, I hadn’t set the temperature. (I always set the temp knob back to warm with the thought that it won’t be as bad if I forget to turn the oven off.  Don’t question my pea-soup logic )

   – I set up the coffee-maker to make coffee, but it wasn’t filling – I hadn’t put the top on the carafe to trigger the coffee to come down, so it overflowed.  Mr.Tot got lots of grounds, and I had a big mess to clean.

    – I couldn’t remember my friend’s kids’ names that I see frequently

    – Frequently forget to change tot’s diaper during the day unless she stinks of course.  Oh well, she always gets a fresh one in the morning and at night, isn’t that enough???  (kidding!)

    – when our garage was clean enough to park in, I regularly forgot to close the garage door when I left in the car.

    – I changed my doctor’s appt so I could go to FL to visit my parents.  When I got back, I checked my calendar and saw the original appt but interpreted it as for the week I was back.  I went to the doctor’s on wrong date – D’oh!

    – I FREQUENTLY listen to directions and promptly forget part of them before the speaker has even finished speaking.  Pea Soup is cloggin my ears, I swear.

   – I have even forgotten about Tot in a store, but fortunately Mr.Tot was with me and remembered.  Oh great CPS will be after me now!!

   – I am forever forgetting things I want to blog or details I want to add….  

I often feel like I’ve forgotten something very important, but rarely figure out what it is…

I have to make lists, but I usually can’t remember what all to put on them at one sitting – they are works in progress.

I always make a list for the grocery store, but hmm, forget to take the list.  

Insert about 57 more silly things here that I can’t remember …

Yes, I know a lot of these are common – hence my question  – what is normal? 

I do all the finances.  Lord help us you say?  Even with my issues, it’s safer than having Mr.Tot do them.  Trust me on this one…. However, I occasionally have to verify Mr. Tot’s business expenditures – While checking the credit card bill, I always have to preface my questions to Mr.Tot with, ” I know you’ve probably told me already (6 or 7 times), buuuuut what was this one for?” 

Mr. Tot jokes about the future:  We have to have kids, so they will be able to take care of us.  But man will they get away with murder…   [His memory is questionable too, but it seems to be better than mine.]

I have a friend in California who claims that having a bad memory is, or can be, a blessing.  You can’t remember the bad things.  Perhaps, but it does leave you feeling lost.  By this point, you’re all probably thinking how pathetic this all sounds.  Either that or wondering when you’re going to see me looking for the nearest bus stop…  Go ahead laugh.  Mr.Tot and I do….   If you don’t hear from me for a while, I may have forgotten I even have a blog…  

One thing I look forward to when traveling to other countries is that I will have the chance to buy snow globes. I have about 50 pieces of snow globes, of different sizes and sometimes, shapes.

A snow globe is a transparent sphere, usually made of glass (although I have a couple made of plastic). It encloses a miniaturized scene of some sort. Sometimes, it’s just a character from movies or TV. In the Philippines, one of the most popular sellers of snow globes is Precious Moments although its snow globes can be quite expensive.

So when I travel to foreign countries, I always look for snow globes that show something about that country, probably a famous tourist spots. Even my husband who travels for business looks for snow globes to add to my collection. If I have friends or family members who also go out of the country, they know the one thing that I want for my pasalubong.

These are just some of the snow globes I have collected over the years.

I have two kinds of these Great Wall of China snowglobes–the large one and this small one.

 Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (given by sister-in-law)

 The Hong Kong Harbor

New York City

 Barcelona, Spain

An elephant snow globe from Phuket, Thailand