Takuji Suzuki has recently released a prieview of his Ts(s) spring/summer 2010 collection, the second coming from this relatively new but very impressive brand. We featured Suzuki’s fall/winter collection here a while ago, with it still being one of my favorite overall collections of the current season, so I was very pleased to get a glimpse of what was ahead for spring/summer 2010.  The collection is with in the same vein as his previous effort with worn-in looks done in relaxed but tailored cuts, paired with nice textures and patterns. Ts(s) has show with only their second collection to be a leader in the new movement of menswear and designers. Keep reading for the full collection after the jump…

Images: Jamoollife

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Who says tasty fries have to be bad for you?

INGREDIENTS

Prep Time = 10 minutes
Cook Time = 22-25 minutes
Serves 3-4

©2009 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This recipe originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at http://cavemancooking.wordpress.com authored by Caveman. This recipe may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.

What I used:
-The She Space Utterly Fab Fall in Glee Club Dropout- intense salmon copper iridescent twinkle with layers of gold and copper (this appears a bit more orangey on the skin than the pictures show)

-The She Space Share Your Secrets- sheer rose tree bark brown (this is actually the color I use on my brows! Totally matte!)
-Aromaleigh Elemental Lustres in Flash- smoky mocha with a hint of bordeaux with golden sheen

-Aromaleigh Rocks Glam Glitter in nowherefast- taupe shimmer with multi shimmer

-Allure by Jen in Iced Peach- delightful mixture of peach, pink, and shimmer

-Physician’s Formula Mineral blush in Rosy Glow- matte rose
-NYX round lipstick in Perfect- brownish rose (I buffed it into my lips here to give it a more “stained” look)

Glee Club Dropout in inner vee. Flash on lid. Share Your Secrets in crease and wetlined underneath. Iced Peach as highlight. nowherefast mixed with Aromaleigh sealant on outer eye area. Don’t Flash and Share Your Secrets go together SO WELL? It made a nice, different textured smokey eye for sure! (Plus, my eyebrows are brushed all down for some reason and I keep thinking “They look sad” lol I make myself laugh a lot!)

On another note, I won Erica from Every Little Girl’s Addiction amazing giveaway! I picked 5 NYX round lipsticks and she picked 5 (it could have been all my choice, but it was awesome to get some surprises! I also won Liz from the Product Junkie’s  freaking awesome Givenchy giveaway too! I wanted to get a picture of it but I tore into it so fast >.< I’m trying really hard not to fall in love with Givenchy as its wayyy out of my price range, but oooh, that lip gloss? Fab. That mascara? Luscious. The shadows? Gorgeous. *sigh* I’m trying not to love them.

Click on em to make them bigger! These totally renewed my love of NYX round lipstick (side note: which I will never, ever buy at Ulta again, they are $5!!!). I especially love Thalia, Perfect and Violet Ray…Hell, I pretty much love them all! It was awesome to have Erica pick some of her favorites because now I have some that are out of my color comfort zone. I mean, has anyone ever seen me in a dark purple? Nope, but you will now!

Whoa, long post! I’ve got tons more to go…but I need to catch up on all my lovelies first! Check out Erica & Liz when you get a chance, they are such sweethearts with great blogs!

Once again, I was bored with my normal routine and felt like doing something different! I haven’t worn this much eyeliner since, uh, 8th grade perhaps? XD

What I used:
-Fyrinnae Iris- Medium-light purple with a frosty green shimmer
-Fyrinnae Anemone- light sky blue with gold shimmer, but does appear to be a shimmery gold/green in the light
-The She Space Libra Collection in Harmony of Heart- intense iridescent copper and pink pearl with a subtle flash of lilac and blue
-The She Space Hark the Raven- black velvet with a hint of crystal twinkle
-Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Zero- black
-Urban Decay Afterglow blush in Quickie- bright pink with shimmer
-NYX round lipstick in Thalia- medium cool plummy mauve
-NYX round lipstick in Harmonica- light pink shimmer

The colors look slightly faded in these pics, mainly cause “sunlight” isn’t supposed to be grey. Anyways! I heavily lined my eyes with Zero, smudged, then added Hark the Raven on top. Then I used Iris on the outer lid and Anemone on the inner lid and up to the browbone. Lastly, I used Harmony of Heart to highlight.

Nom nom nom, I’m so obsessed with Iris lately…I’ve worn it TWICE this week! I have colors I’ve never used (ever) so I feel a bit guilty about it. You can’t really see in the pictures, but Iris has the perfect green flash to it. So lovely! I also tried NYX Thalia for the first time. I noticed that it looks different on different people, so I wasn’t sure if I would like it….but I do! It’s such a perfect color to get me out of my “nude” slump without being too dark. I added a bit of Harmonica on top for some shimmer, but Thalia is my new favorite lipcolor ever! (Thank you Erica!!)

Please ignore the dumb face here. Guinea pigs make me laugh when I’m trying to take pictures! Gus was staring at me from his cage and started crying to get my attention (He doesn’t understand why else Mommy would be in the dining room/kitchen unless she’s going to snug him!). My hair is finally growing out and I’m liking it much more. It was razor cut so it was sooo pointy and sharp for weeks! It’s finally soft enough for me to style and it look cute. I need to dye it though. Believe it or not, I’ve got about 2-3 inches of roots in there…my natural color is a strawberry blonde, just a few levels lighter then this. No one can even tell I’ve got roots, but they drive me NUTS! I know I’ve got some hair dye lying around somewhere but I need gloves and have been to lazy to buy them. Silly LK. You are too lazy.

Ah, its probably gonna be a few days until another post because of Thanksgiving and all that. I always get hella depressed around the holidays and this year is no different. Lots of family drama and bullshit that SO does not need to happen. Sometimes I feel like I’m more mature than most of my extended family, which is weird cause I’m the baby. Even my husband’s family is pissing me off this year! I hate getting forced into gift exchanges. I’d rather no one get me anything and save our $100, thankyouverymuch.

Anyhoo, Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! I’ll be hitting up 4 different families and be sure to stuff my face at each! I’m going to my Dad’s for Thanksgiving for the first time ever and he has HOMEMADE everything- cheesecake, 4 different kinds of potatoes, bread. I’m gonna be in heaven! He’s a firefighter, and such a great cook, so I can’t wait!!

Not really! This look just reminded me of those damn Bratz dolls that my nieces love so much. They freak me out with their giant heads and slutty little bodies. Creepers!

I wanted to try something a bit different with my eyes, can you tell I’m so uninspired lately? I’m bored with the normal application techniques I use. I wish I could watch youtube videos, but they bore me to death. I can’t do it. The only videos I ever watch are Gloria’s “tutorials”! I can’t remember for the life of me who linked these, but they are hilarious! I love the Ganguru one…”Purity lipstick” XD

-Detrivore Primer

Read Here

Panty shields up, Captain! We’re rebooting the Ovarian Operating System . . .

I know, the title of this blog alone makes you want to click fast and away. But I have to tell you a tale of consumer eco-angst removed from the simple and often expensive decision to buy local, organic products and food. But first, a little herstory . . .

There’s already been enough shame, secrecy, and taboo surrounding “that time of the month” and all the other fine euphemisms invented to be humourous or circumspect about the mystery of menstruation. There are countries where tampons weren’t and still aren’t sold because you’d have to “touch down there.” There are women who follow this practice willingly, even in forward thinking countries. They build huts and red tents and spas for this exact purpose. To wear pampers or to be pampered. Elsewhere.

But it’s moved beyond that to a place where we’re supposed to celebrate and “have a happy period,” a campaign from a company that stupidly chose their brand name to be “Always.” As in, “I’ll ALWAYS bleed, and I’ll ALWAYS wear these things.” At least Kotex, Tampex, and Playtex (all with –ex as a suffix to mean “out, from or away”) sound almost medical or medicinal. And it’s not ALL feminine hygiene, even wounded soldiers are prone to use a tampon (French for “plug” or “stopper”) to halt bullet wounds from weeping. “Always” doesn’t seem to imply medical or even chronic, instead, it implies a life sentence. Doesn’t your uterus protest? Well it should. War is hell and there’s a war in your drawers and the sick folks at Always were also responsible for aerodynamic pantyliners and pads. That’s right – they got your code red covered in homeland security and you can feel secure each month knowing there’s a little, white F-16 in your pants.

It’s not just a troubling war at home either . . . it’s covers many land masses and miles of ocean.

Spastic Plastic

Your average lady uses 16,800 tampons in her lifetime, that’s 250 to 300 pounds of tampons and applicators. Tag on a few thousand pads and panty liners, and your ecological footprint is looking more like Sasquatch. Of particular offense are the plastic applicators some tampons are encased in. They are casually tossed into wastebaskets where they later escape the curb trash or landfill, trotted off by animals, resurfacing in parking lots and playgrounds and a host of other locations you’d rather not see them appear.

They come back from the watery depths to haunt you, too.

Plastic tampon applicators from sewage outfalls are one of the most common forms of trash on beaches. Yeah, you thought food wrappers and glass bottles and needles were the only gross & hazardous materials washing out to sea and coming back in with the tides. You flush them and that’s just the beginning. For building owners, pads and tampons that are flushed down the toilet are the most common cause of plumbing problems. Further down the flow, they end up the sewage treatment plants and surf into a lake or onto a river, and on into the ocean where they pool with the rest of the plastic detritus at the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. There it all sits and breaks down into ever smaller particles until they are the size and color of plankton or worse, are pelletized high-density polyethylene (HDPE) white “nurdles” that resemble fish eggs or food to sea creatures. Then the birds and fish ingest these hormone disrupters and concentrated toxins like PCB and DDE and the circle of life gets a big kick in the nurdles.

But it’s not just the animals somewhat removed from you, you’re an animal too, and guess what it’s doing to you by directly inserting it? Your conventional feminine hygiene products contain a mixture of rayon and cotton. Rayon is in your blouses, dresses, lingerie, linings, scarves, suits, ties, hats, socks, the filling in Zippo lighters, blankets, window treatments, upholstery, tire cord, yarn and diapers. It’s highly absorbent but no good at retaining shape and as far as biodegradability goes, it’s a real loser. Most importantly, synthetic materials like the Rayon used in tampons show an increased risk of toxic shock syndrome (TSS), particularly for superabsorbent tampons. So if you’re a bleeder, you’re a feeder.

And sweet, white cotton isn’t much better up in there. Cotton is highly pesticide-intensive; 25% of pesticides used globally are devoted to growing cotton. To achieve that lily-white look, pads and tampons are bleached with chlorine, a process which creates dioxins, a known carcinogen and those bad boys shouldn’t be placed anywhere near your reproductive organs. And you swear you never smoked a cigar in your life. Especially in a donkey show.

Think Outside the (Tampon) Box

It’s getting easier to select tampons, pads, and panty liners made from organic, unbleached cotton which is cultivated without the use of pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, sewage sludge, irradiation, petrochemicals, or genetic engineering. All of which we now have think about when looking at the towering isle of soothing, pastel colors, reminding us that yes – we’ll be back out there swimming, riding ponies, surfing at the beach and smiling while playing miniature golf in NO time.

O.B. tampons: small box, no applicator. Compact, simple cellophane wrapper covering them, easy to use, and take up very little room in your purse. It is unfathomable, but some women simple aren’t down with getting that up close and personal with their own lady bits and maybe getting their finger a little spotty. Come on darlings – this is no time to be prim and squeamish. If you haven’t seen it in a mirror to understand how it goes together and pushed the buttons to see how it works, you don’t deserve to have sex and should just hang an “Out Of Order” sign over your girdle loop. Get over it. Get into it. It’s yours. Deal.

OG-style Tampax: wrapped in paper, cardboard applicator that breaks down relatively quickly if they happen to get loose in the environment. Preferable to the Pearl brand, which has an indestructible plastic applicator strong enough for shotgun shell casings and is then further wrapped in coated paper. Awesome. Go ahead. Try running them over with your car. You can’t destroy them. They’ll only get dirty . . . and more angry. That plastic rocket launcher is just one more wasteful obstacle between you and your nana. I don’t even want to go into the perfumed varieties. Now on top of your plastic fetish, you’re going to open a vapor-impermeable pouch and stick this vulcanized, alcohol soaked albino vampire into your hoo-ha where no one and nothing but your senseless cervix can smell it? Well it doesn’t work and now you smell of lightly talcumed meat. Fail. p.s. Talc is closely related to the potent carcinogen asbestos and talc particles have been shown to cause tumors in the ovaries and lungs of cancer victims. So hey – go easy on sprinkling the Johnson’s about your leaky basement. It’s a safety hazard. You’ll slip and fall. No need to announce “clean-up on aisle one.”

Natracare and Seventh Generation: chemical-free, non chlorine-bleached, simple packaging which means even less waste. Eco-conscious enough with all the key ingredient and disclaimers including no animal-testing and skin-tested only on fellow humans. You can sleep well in the knowledge that no bunnies had to hop about with a maxi pad strapped to their fluffy bums and instead, some nice lady in a lab got itchy a few times. This is still within the normal scope of your monthly cycle.

Jade and Pearl Sea Sponge: natural tampons inspired by the traditional use of sponges by menstruating women of ancient times. So if you want to bleed like Cleopatra, this is your bag. The Egyptians invented the tampon too – so you can thank them for that little wonder. Sea sponges are available in Teenie, Regular, and Large and you precision(?) fit to size by trimming the sea sponge and experimenting with insertion. Wow. Try not to think about doing dishes or wiping counters or a nice hot sponge bath because really, I can’t see how this is either sanitary OR relaxing. So Sally, if you’re worried about sullying up the seashore, (welcome to my new menstrual tongue twister) this is all the rage amongst mythological aquatic creatures. Apparently, sea sponges are what mermaids use.

Menstrual Cups – i.e.: Diva cup, Mooncup, Instead Softcup, Lunette, Keepercup, LadyCup, Femmecup, Miacup: Ok. Here’s where I drawn the line. This ain’t a Dixie Cup, or a Sippie Cup, a Tommee Tippee Cup or an Ice Cream Cup. This is none of those fun, sweet, childlike associations. But I trust you probably got over that the first time you sprung a leak and wrecked your favorite Underroos or your expensive lingerie for failing to count the days. Maybe I just haven’t been brave enough to go with a new, miserable experience, but let me get this straight . . . i fold a plastic, rubbery cup into a jelly roll, insert this, it pops open like a tulip, i “stir” it around to make sure the umbrella’s been fully deployed, which may take some coaxing and pushing and twisting, and then I pull it out by its dangling tail at intervals, wash it and reinsert it like tiny, portable Tupper Ware?!?!

Oh, hell no!

i am not about to wash my snatch basket in the sink (and carry special, mild, perfume-free, hypo-allergenic fem soap) in between classes or you know, when i take a restroom break to freshen up while out to dinner. i mean, how does one do this discreetly? Oh, and once a month, i get the distinct displeasure of a 5-minute boil for my little traveling jellyfish at the end of the cycle in some dedicated kitchen equipment that never sees food. Or, hey, i can use rubbing alcohol (and not hydrogen peroxide) to sterilize it. But I have to be extremely careful not to soak it too long and allow it to dry completely and not degrade the integrity of the plastic and rinse the residue so I don’t fuck up my vaginal pH.

O.B. tampons sounding better all the time, huh? Can you imagine wringing out your sea sponge? Wouldn’t you rather “touch it” now?

Go With The Flow

There was a time when i worked at a place so uptight, they wouldn’t allow the female staff to carry in a purse. Whether this was for security or to keep outside worldly distractions such as cell phones to a minimum was unclear, but the idea completely incensed my friend Nicole.

“What?” she snapped. “Where are you supposed to carry your tampons, up your ass?”

i explained to her how bad the work environment sucked and how tension and impossible precision reigned, thus, the topic of anal retention seemed a very fitting description. The job had me so upset, i couldn’t poop for a week. Then i quit.

And many light flow days from then, here i was on a Wednesday nite, standing there in the supermarket isle, paralyzed by too many choices and horrible, far-reaching consequences of those attempts at informed decision. There i was: hungry, cranky, wanting ice cream and a heating pad at the same time, thinking about plumbing, and ocean waters and marine life and cancer of the Yoni.

i turn to the woman next to me who is clicking and sucking at her teeth in audible consternation, just like me, and we both smile nervously, amazed at the mini internal crisis over what we’re going to buy. Neither of us will move first, both seem to be wondering how the other will select, looking for a brave trend to follow. Somehow, there’s a preposterous sense of worry over being judged, like bringing a film or a music cd or a book to the checkout clerk, the fear of choosing poorly, unwisely, without taste or sensibilities. “Hmmm,” she says. “Yeahhhhh,” I mutter slowly and drawn out. And we both start giggling.

My cup of joy is overflowing

I consider my internal flowchart for assessing absorbency needs:

junior – aww, isn’t that cute, you inked!

light – Miss Kitty has a nose bleed.

regular – oh, yay. my period’s back.

super – omg that’s a lot of blood.

super plus – jesus, maybe you should go to the hospital!

ultra – uhh, i think that blood clot just asked for a cigarette.

i am looking for regular. Just something in between, just a few tampons, a starter pack, a holdover since i don’t see any of my normal go-tos. And all they have is “a mere scratch” or “Carrie – Prom Scene.”

So i think of the dolphins and the salmon and the seabirds and i grab the 10-pack with the small, recyclable cardboard box and no applicator with the green looking package and eco-claims to fame and the woman next to me does the same. Just enough to soldier on.

It’s all i can do, really. If i don’t want to leave with anymore acronyms. Say, add PTSD to my PMS. Christ Almighty in a hybrid – i can’t even BLEED with out feeling guilty about it in my new sustainable world concept! i leave with my chlorine-free, biodegradable, non-applicator, no plastic, rayon-free tampons and my razors (which are free from animal testing) and a pint of, yes, sorry, blood orange sorbet, and it’s a good thing. While i’m happily eating my cool treat, i don’t need to imagine poor, naked bunnies hopping around with razor burn and nicks with only a maxi-pad to keep them warm. And after all this guilt, i just want to sandwich a washcloth and tuck it in my drawers or just sit on a sock and call it good.

Museum of Menstruation and Women’s Health

for all your bleeding needs . . .

The gorgeous and sweet Miss Madeleine Bouquet is having a makeup contest where the only rules are “something Sci-Fi themed”. Well, I’m not sure if this counts, but I decided to do the 3 girls from Final Fantasy X2, Yuna, Rikku and Paine.

First up is Yuna!

What I used:
-Hi Fi shadow in California Girl
-Avon black liquid liner
-Physician’s Formula mineral blush in Rosy Glow
-TKB Trading mica in Tangerine Pop- basic orange
-Sephora shimmery lipgloss
-Gosh Velvet Touch lipstick in Darling- nude
-The She Space Share Your Secrets (for brows)

Yuna has the most simple makeup out of the three and what I really wanted for this was glowy with pale orange lips, defined brows and some serious liner! Of course, I took like 100 pictures and this was the only one that showed the colors accurately…so of course, I have the dumbest face XD

I wanted to keep the focus on the liner, so I took a kabuki eye brush and dusted California Girl all over lid to brow and as a highlight on the face. (It’s so soft and shimmery in person! Loves it!) Then I drew the liner on…the flash made it look a bit wonky though. Then I dusted Share Your Secrets on my brows and Rosy Glow on my “cheekbones” (or lack thereof!). Last I used Darling to “nude” up my lips, then used a big fluffy shadow brush to gently press in Tangerine Pop mica. I smooshed my lips and topped off with the Sephora gloss!

Next up is Rikku, the feisty, silly one (so of course, she is my favorite!)

What I used:
- Aromaleigh Pure Hue in Sunshine- bright yellow fine shimmer
- The She Space in Hot Cha Cha- intense golden berry with layers of hot pink and copper
- Detrivore Psychopathia- bright red
- Fyrinnae Mad Tea Party Collection in Painted Roses- Sparkly, glimmering deep coral…leans towards orange, but the pink hue shows up better when the light hits it
- Collection 2000 Glam Metallics Coloured Liquid liner in Punk- blue grey metallic
- Revlon Fantasy Lashes in Lush
- Too Faced brightening blush in Papa Don’t Peach- soft peach

Well since Rikku doesn’t actually wear makeup, I decided to use her red, orange and yellow scarf as inspiration! I also added a pop of blue to match her head scarf!
Sunshine in inner lid. Hot Cha Cha in middle of lid. Psychopathia in outer vee and under eye. Painted Roses in crease. Punk as liner. Lush lash right in outer corners.

Last is Paine, the badass chick of the three. I wanted to do a dark smoky eye with some purple for her. What I used-
- The She Space Virgo Collection in Paralell Worlds- pearl pink taupe with light crystal twinkle
- Hi Fi My Pain- a dark, bloody burgundy with cappuccino sparkles
- TKB Trading Mica in Blackstar Red- black mica with red undertones
- Stardust Blush in Dinner for Two-
- Gosh Velvet Touch lipstick in Darling- nude
- Almay Intense i-Color Liquid Liner for Eyes in Purple Amethyst

Parallel Worlds in inner vee and highlight. My Pain on lid and into crease. Blackstar Red as liner. Purple Amethyst liner in crease. Gosh darling with a touch of Blackstar Mica in the middle of lip.

Hope you enjoyed my inner dork coming out!

October 17th. A memory:

5:30 am- Up, dressed and ready to go, yet moving slow. Hadn’t been up this early the entire time of being in Korr, but there’s a first for everything I suppose. Jamie and I are milling around trying to be productive. “Alicia, Laura’s here!” We fill up our water bottles and head out to Laura’s car still needing our head torches. Even the sun was still asleep. But it was the morning our students had been preparing for weeks for. It was Retreat Day for Tirrim Secondary School, Form 1. We were headed to Ngurinit, a good hour (if not a little more) drive up from Korr. It’s nestled in the mountains that I see outside my window every morning. Jamie and I had been there before. The second weekend we were in Korr, Grant and Lokie went up for a night and took us with them. It is an absolutely beautiful place. With absolutely beautiful missionaries stationed there. The Knowles family and the Richardson family are both with Master’s Missions and are living in Ngurinit serving there. Temple Knowles is probably one of the funniest men I have ever met, but I have had to take mental note to never repeat any Kiswahili he teaches me or I’ll be telling the little children of Korr that, “I want a beer” or “I’m a drunk baboon.” Duly noted. So of course, I’m excited to be going back. The kids had worked for weeks to come up with 8,000 Kenyan Shillings and by the last possible second they had it. So here we are. Ready to go before the sun had even realized we are awake. We are excited.

6:00am – We are at school and all of our students are buzzing. Excited yet still half dead. The previous week they had taken their midterm exams so that means they didn’t sleep. At all. They would stay up till 2am then get back up at 4am and continue studying. Exams are huge here. They determine your whole future. These kids don’t plan to waste theirs, so they prepare. Big time. So this retreat should be a fun relaxing time for them to get away from stress and enjoy the love of the Lord, if they can stay awake for it. But I should know better than to doubt these kids. They’re just astonishing. Lack of sleep could never keep down their excitement. By this time the two trucks are loaded down with our bowls, spoons, knives, camel meat, potatoes, sufurias, mommas for cooking, cups, chai and 32 students and 9 teachers. We are ready. And loaded. “Lord, please keep all 44 of us safe on these two trucks through this bumpy road and flowing lugas (river beds) from the rains last night. Please let us get to Ngurinit safely and with your protection Lord. Watch over us and keep your hand on us. Let this day be of great rejoicing to you and of your Great Might and Awesome Beauty, Lord. Let us be joyful throughout the day and let us remember your many blessings that you have laid on us. We love you Father. In Jesus name, Amen.” A resounding, “Amen” followed and then we all shout “Goodbye Korr!” And all we see behind us is a pile of dust. Only thing ahead of us now is one long path headed north. Ngurinit ahoy!

7:00am – We are well on our way now and Jamie and I sit in the front of the truck with Laura squished as can be. We are very quiet. Laura is driving her car and we are following the driver, Malimo, in Nick’s car ahead of us. Laura has never been to Ngurinit so this is going to be very fun indeed. We don’t say too much to each other. The three of us crammed in the single cab. We just stare out the window and watch the sun rise as we approach the mountains. It’s too beautiful to ruin with words. All we do is listen. The kids have been singing since we left Korr…and they haven’t stopped. They keep singing songs of praise and hymns. They are so excited. So thankful. Riding in the car alone is half the fun. It’s so rare just for them to get to experience that. We trek on and finally I have to do it. “Jonathon?”, I ask, “can I request a song?!” With a loud shout he responds, “Everyone quiet! Madam wants to request a song!” I tell him my selection and they are off! Now all I hear is Lucy leading them in a beautiful courus of “Who am I? Who am I? Who am I not to praise the Lord. Who are you? Who are you? Who are you not to praise the Lord?…” and so on and so on. I listen as we move closer and closer to Ngurinit. I sing along to myself in the cab as I allow my hand to catch the breeze as I extend it out the window. The weather is cool from the rain. It feels good on my arm. The kids lift their arms as well and we pretend that we are flying as we sing and breathe in the beauty of our Lord. Who am I not to praise the Lord? Nobody, that’s who. They continue to sing. I continue to hum. Inside the truck we giggle and enjoy the excitement of our students. It is a very good morning.

8:15am – We pull in through the small town and make our way to the other side. The towns people are starring. Mouths open wide. I almost feel embarrassed because of their reactions. But it doesn’t bother the students one bit. They continue to sing. Louder than ever. “Who are we? Who are we? Who are we not to praise the Lord?” Continuing on and on. In about 5 minutes we have crossed to the other side to the Master’s Mission’s compound where we get out and load up our water. We had made contact with the Knowles family ahead of time and they helped us immensely with supplying us with water so that we didn’t have to bring our own. We go and see Beth Knowles and Karen Richardson and some of their kids as well. As we get out of the car I see their excited faces. We embrace in nice warm hugs. I realize then that I had missed hugs more than I thought I did. Last hug I got was in America. I must come greet these people more often. Can only spend a few minutes here. We have much to do. Tutaonana leo friends, we are off on our Tirrim Secondary Adventure!

8:30am – We reach our campsite. Settled in between the mountains and right above the creek. Perfect. We unpack. The kids have already been split up into teams. Some collect firewood while others peel potatoes and some fetch more water. Everyone sets right to work and the mommas set up the fire and start boiling water in the sufurias for chai. On completion of all of our tasks, Principal Kakume announces that there is a waterfall just up that mountain and that he thinks it would be fun to hike up there and see it. It’s a cool day and I’ve been allowed to wear trousers so a hike sounds like fun. All three of us wuzungu (white) teachers agree that this should be exciting and head up with our Kenyans. Lord help us.

8:38am – “So Kakume”, I begin to ask, “how far up the mountain is this waterfall?” His responds with, “Uh, I think maybe about 15 kilometers.” “YOU’RE JOKING!”, I insist. He laughs and assures me by saying, “Yes I am. It shouldn’t be more than 8 kilometers.” “WHAT?!” But then we were off and I’m already well on my way. I might die of exhaustion. Oh Lord please help us.

8:40am – 9:00am – We hike up and pass three little areas where the water is really flowing. All of the kids stop periodically to wait for their pictures to be taken. All the teachers happily oblige. We continue hiking until we make it. The waterfall. It’s not huge or grand. It’s not even clear, but its wonderful. Just marvelous. Something just makes it look so perfect. I love it. The dirty water is flowing from the resting builders at the top and into a pool that has been created by the dam. Some of the kids just couldn’t help themselves. They jump in and cool off with a brisk swim. I decide to stand on the edge of the dam and watch them jump in one by one. Only the boys swim which in that moment I am pretty grateful for. Let’s not get all awkward by throwing the girls in there too. I don’t know how to handle awkward flittery-ness with 16 year old American kids at Sky Ranch let alone 16-20 some-odd year old Kenyans swimming. About 6 of the guys who knew how to swim jumped in and were quick to show off their skills. Trousers and all. Everyone is cheering them on. “Madam! Get a photo of me swimming!” “Sure thing darlin!” Good good stuff.

9:25am – The kids are out of the water and drying off in the sun. It has begun to warm up and I’m getting hot. We have rested long enough and decide that it’s time to go back down to the campsite for chai and rolls. As we prepare to leave the waterfall, Principal Kakume makes an announcement. “ Let us all be sure to help our three sisters, the white ladies, down the mountain to keep them safe”. Jamie, Laura and I nearly die laughing. Talk about not being PC. So perfect. We begin heading down the mountain and it is very slippery indeed. Now, thanks to the principal’s request I have 6 kids pulling on me saying, “Madam, let me help you!” Very kind, yet a little counterproductive. Still I took their hands and let them feel like they were leading me. Joseph really was quite a good helper. Always helped me jump over the water. He’s the one that’s 27 and in 9th grade. He’s had a heard life, as most of our kids have, but he is so eager to finish his education. He wants to learn so badly. He’s so sweet. They all are. So we continue on. John the Math teacher is helping Laura and shouting things to the girl students like, “Lucy! Do you need help? Oh never mind. You’re black.” I almost peed. I love that John can also laugh at the ridiculous request to help our “three white sisters”. Gotta love the good intensions behind it though. Kind hearted and ridiculously hilarious. A perfect combination.

10:15am – We are down and safe back at the campsite and the wuzungu sisters made it alive no help to our overly eager students pushing and pulling us every which way or the snake that make its appearance half way down the mountain. I can handle a lot of things, but I don’t do African snakes. Good thing I had about 8 Rendille warriors surrounding me at all times. That snake didn’t stand a chance. The chai and rolls are ready now so we rest as we enjoy our snack. I can’t drink Kenyan chai because they put far too much milk in it and Laura can’t drink it either because she can’t have caffeine so she brought special tea bags just for us. Hibiscus. Two spoons of sugar. Delicious. It made our tea red and no one knew what to make of what we were drinking. “Madam! There is something wrong with your tea!”

10:30am – We begin to clear a place to be able to play some games. I speak Spanish to some of the kids because they think it’s funny. I teach Jonathon and Musa and phrase about their tea being hot and Jonathon decides to test it out on a person. He turns around and gets confused and accidently says, “Madam Jamie, tu eres caliente!” He just called his teacher hot. I think he was trying to tell her to be careful cause the tea was hot. Regardless, that’s not what ended up coming out. I told him what he had said. I had never seen a Kenyan blush before. I am so proud in this moment. Jamie just gives me a look which screams, “you would”. I can not stop laughing. Abednego the Kiswahili Teacher is helping the kids clear a place with his ponga (machete) and hacking away at all the debris. I was sure someone was going to loose an arm. But no. I must learn that “camping/roughing it” for me is everyday things here. It’s like forever living out the RPTS stereotype all the time. I’m in heaven. Why didn’t I bring my Frisbees?!

11:00am – Jamie and I are teaching games like “Down By The Banks” and “This Is So Much Fun”. We play on and on for about an hour. John the Math Teacher has some games of his own that we play. Too funny. All the kids were laughing and so was I. We have fun together. All of us. Just the 44 of us out together in the woods. I like it.

1:00pm – Lunch is ready and we are starved. Each kid gets about 6 heaping spoonfuls of rice from Jane, one of the mommas who came to help and cook. She loads their plates up high. Then she pours on so much camel meat and potatoes I was sure we were going to run out. But no, there’s plenty. Finally at the end of the line the girls, Emily, Angeline, and Lucy, from the class had made chapatis and served them to us as we passed. Everyone loves chapatis. So good. Everyone gets 3 of their own. As it comes to me I only ask for 2 scoops of rice. That’s all I can handle. I sit with my rice and camel and potatoes and chapatis and watch my students gorge themselves. They have never eaten this good before in their lives. It is silent in the camp. No one is talking. Just eating. Enjoying. Loving the meal. It really is a delicious meal. Especially with the chapatis. As we eat it begins to sprinkle, but then the rain grows heavier for a few minuets. We all find shelter under the large trees that decorate the campsite. The short rain brings the cool weather back and has now made our seats wet, yet no one cares. We have delicious food. Nothing can distract us from that.

2:00pm- We are playing more and more games and the kids are coming up with some of there own. Something to do with mangos and how many someone’s mother bought at the market. “My mother went to market and bought 6 mangos.” “6 mangos?” “How many then?” “14 mangos!” I don’t know. I got out in the first round anyway. But they just laugh and sing and carry on. Enjoying the day. And I’m enjoying them. Their smiles are worth everything. It is a perfect afternoon.

2:30pm – We take our last chai and start to prepare to go home. We thank Jane and the other momma with us for cooking, thank the pastors of the Church in Ngurinit (which one also happens to be the brother of one of our students, Job) and wash and clean our dishes. But of course we cannot do anything until speeches are made. Kenyans love speeches. Love love love speeches. So the Principal Kakume calls on some people and they awkwardly stand and said their thoughts about the day. “Today was a very good day. With lots of funs with our teachers and fellow classmates. I would very much like to do this again next term!” It is sweet and awkward and so not American and I love it.

3:15pm- We are packed up and ready to go back home. A lot of the kids have family in the area so we have allowed them to visit their relatives while we are in town. As we drop them off and then the car in front of us, Nick and Lynne’s car, is blowing terrible black smoke and making horrific noises. Oh dear. Something’s very wrong. I offer to lay hands on it and pray for miraculous healing but only the Americans thought that was funny while the Kenyans really considered letting me do it. We go to the Knowles’ for lack of any better idea. They take a look at it and decide that there is water in the engine and we need to new petrol and they are the only people in all of Ngurinit we could get it from. Praise the Lord. Yet we feel absolutely terrible about taking their petrol. But they are kind and say they don’t mind. Sweet sweet people. After about 30 minutes the cars are reloaded, hugs are exchanged and we are ready to go home.

3:50pm – We wave goodbye to Ngurinit as well as the two students who had brought their bikes along with them. They live in Illaut, and Ngurinit is only about 40 kilometers away opposed to Korr which is something ridiculous like 150 kilometers. So off they go on their bikes into the sun. Good luck. God speed.

5:30pm – We pull into Korr. A sight for sore eyes. They kids have been singing the entire way home. They just love riding in cars. They wave as we pass people walking who smile and wave back. Most of them clap for us as if we were the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. They students love it. They feel so special. We pull right up in front of their dorms and drop them off. Each one shakes all of the teacher’s hands and thanks us each for an amazing trip. I must admit, I had a blast myself. Just incredible. John Byicha comes up to Jamie and whispers, “I’m so happy that I think I will write a composition about this day.” And he walks inside and begins writing. Right then and there.

After that we head home, eat a little dinner, shower and pass out and don’t wake up for church the next morning till almost 9am. It was a perfect day. Everything was wonderful. It’s a day our students say they will never forget, but I don’t think they realize that it is a day that will be hard for me to ever forget as well. Every second of it is burned in my memory. I smile as I remember every detail. Perfection. My students. My kids. My friends. My family. I am trying to remain patient but constantly itching until the next time we can all take another trip together.

Some days you just don’t feel like putting on gobs of eyeshadow…Today was one of those! I only used two colors! Oh, and glitter too, cause I love it! I’ve started to clean up my kit and I found a bunch of She Space colors that I have never even used…eep!
What I used:
-TSS Cancer collection in Celestial Glow- smoky charcoal berry with a layer of twinkling iridescent gold and crystal
-TSS Utterly Fab Fall LE collection in Evasive Elegance- sunlit fleshy coral rose shimmer
-Collection 2000 Glam Crystals Dazzling Gel Liner in Hustle- purple-y silver-y taupe-y sparkle!
-Stardust blush in Dinner for Two- shimmery cool rose
-Fyrinnae lip lustre in Very Berry Happy- semi sheer milky pink shimmer
Evasive Elegance all over lid to browbone. Celestial Glow in outer vee with super fluffy brush and as liner on bottom lid, all dry. Hustle on top lash line.
Meh. I wasn’t that happy with it, but too lazy to take it off and do it again! I did take off the pink lip though, I didn’t think it “went”. I love Celestial Glow, I forgot how much! It looks so pretty in the jar too, I wanna like roll around it in XD

Do you ever find makeup that you never used just sitting around in your stash? That made me feel so guilty, ugh!

I get so many questions on what mineral companies I like and what I would recommend, so I decided to start a little thing called “Five Favorites”! From now until the end of December, I’m hoping to post one or two of these a week sharing my favorite indie (and maybe not so indie) products for a different category! Feel free to email, cbox or comment asking for a new category, thats what will make it fun! Oh and I won’t include any limited editions, cause that makes it such a pain!
Today I decided to go back to my old standby, purple eye shadow. I love me some purples and at one point, I was buying them all up from every company I could find! Lately, I haven’t been as into them, but my tastes change all the time. So, here we go…

It was really, really hard to only pick 5!

In no particular order, here are my five favorite purple eyeshadows! Each one has that “special something” to it…something that makes it unique and an awesome addition to a collection!

1. Aromaleigh Gothic Lolita collection in Violet Ruffle- violet with lush silvery glow & complex periwinkle and rose tones
2. Stardust Neon Femme- futuristic purple with subtle blue undertones
3. The She Space Virgo collection in Miss Status Quo- metallic grape shimmer with a very distinct layer of copper, then aqua and gold sparkle
4. Hi Fi shadow in Pixies- bright, iridescent purple! Lots of glitz…just like a vision of pixie dust!
5. Sassy Endless Party- vibrant purple with blue and purple sparkle

Click on the links above to see a look or swatch of the color! Of course, each one of these shadows are layered and complicated so they look much more gorgeous in person!

Wanna know which purples almost made the list? TSS Convicted, Reap & Sew, Tinted Wisdom, Vixen is a Virgo, Aromaleigh Colette, Lush Memoir, Morbid Curiosity, doubledare, Evil Shades Mysteria, Exposed Organics Paradise, Morgana Mesmerize, Mum Mum’s Craft’s Wisteria, Pure Luxe Deviant, Frolic, TKB Pure Purple. It took me a long time to narrow it down!

What are your favorite purple shadows? Do you like any that made the list? Anything you want to see in the next installment of Five Favorites?

I think it’s about time for one of those every few years whoooshy music/aesthetic changes. That are unplanned but come as a relief when they do happen. Everything is a little uneasy right now. This first image is form Halloween 1973. Today was pretty much uneventful; last night was (began) excellent. I dressed as TSS – Toxic Shock Syndrome this year. Red tights, bloodied skin, a string from the centre of my head and a billowy dress with a strange organic/carnivorous anemonic pattern that faintly resembles a gangrenous tampon. Possibly my favourite costume ever?



I also acquired a wondrous guitar on the L train last night. 3D, made from mostly cardboard, that fake-wooden laminate stuff and thick vinyl tape, with pushpins and bulldog clips for pegs and dental floss strings. It’s pretty similar to a Warlock in body shape and surprisingly heavy given its materials. The guy made it for his office halloween party, except it was cancelled due to a mass firing. And he didn’t want to take it home because of some inexplicable wifely wrath (?). A little sad, but I’m glad I have it anyways. Speaking of custom instruments, these countervielles and counterharmonium, built by someone I interviewed a few months ago are especially fascinating, and lovely too with intricately carved oudlike soundboxes. My own oud playing meanwhile is (still) unsurprisingly not making too much progress, though I’m a bit more comfortable with fretlessness now.

Meanwhile the fratboys appear to be pre-rioting? Kent state version Morningside? There’s already a paddywagon waiting. huh.

Right – a slightly new set up to these mixes. Based on my radio show Press Selection on rhubarbradio.com, each mix will feature 4 different areas of forward thinking, new, underground and experimental music and play 3 or 4 tracks from each.On this mix there’s recent releases in dubstep and heavy beats , Norwegian hardcore and metal  from the online editorial NoMedia. The label Anticon, playing 3 of their artists producing abstract hip-hop and leftfield beats and finally 3 tracks of ambient and abstract electronica from the Breathe-comp.com compilation Tracklisting below with links.

Dubstep/Beats Recent and New Releases:
1) Encanti - Dubfish (Vermin Street)
2) Chango – Offensive Actions (RogueDubs Records)
3) Fat Pat - Kayhole (Rapidfire Records) 
NoMediaMusic.com
4) Sigh and Explode - To Raise Dead Bodies Belongs to the Blackest Art(Mas-Kina)
5) Dominic - Get Rich and Try Dying (Fysisk Format)
6) Monolithic - Twist of the Knife (Roggbif Records)
Anticon Records
7) Sergenti and Polyphonic - Bon Voyage
Teenage Fantasy - Portofino
9) Odd Nosdam – Wig Smasher
Breathe-Comp.com
10) TSS Tortue Supersonic - K2
11) MAKAC – Obsolete
12) DJrefugeeSW – Disco Dark
 Extra Track:
13) Ras G and the Afrikan Space Programme - Spacewayz

DOWNLOAD: (right click and save) JK MIX OCTOBER 2

Easy to make and incredible on the palate. May be the juiciest chicken you will ever eat! Leftovers make great tacos, salads, chicken salad sandwiches, or just old-fashioned cold leftover chicken.

INGREDIENTS

1 Whole Chicken (5-6 lbs)
1 Can of Beer (warm, 2/3 empty)
2 Tbsp of Texas Select Seasonings™ “The Juicy Pig”
1 Very Shallow, Oblong Aluminum Cake Pan (disposable)

RECIPE

Place cake pan centered under BBQ grill, then light. (NOTE: If using charcoal, first light coals and allow to grey-out. Then spread coals evenly around perimeter of grill, leaving hole in the middle of grill, and place cake pan in hole.) This is important in order to avoid flame-ups!

Remove neck, liver and gibblets from chicken and rinse bird well inside and out in cool water. Then liberally apply TSS The Juicy Pig seasoning to both inside and outside if chicken.

Take can of warm beer and pour out 2/3 of it. (NOTE: I know this is sacrilege for many of you. So, pour it into a beer mug and throw it in the freezer … it will be perfect by the time the bird is done!) Use a small punch or finishing nail and poke numerous holes in the top 1/2 of the can.

Hold the bird vertically and place the can as far as possible into the large hole between the legs (insert joke here). Then place bird with can centered on grill over drip pan.

If using gas grill, turn off middle burner. If using charcoal, see note above. Cover grill and try to keep hood temperature around 300°. Should be done in 70-80 minutes.

Don’t peek for at least an hour, but keep an eye out for flame-ups or rising temps. Whatever you do, don’t take your kids out for a quick bike ride or your bird may end up looking like this:

The skin should be very crispy. But, even if the skin gets overdone a bit, no worries! Just peel off the burnt parts and the meat underneath will still be the juiciest you’ve ever had … REALLY!

Serve with any sides you’d like. This time, we made rice pilaf and a caprese salad made with homegrown tomatoes and basil:

Prep Time = 10 minutes
Cook Time = 70-80 minutes
Serves 4-6

©2009 UFishClub.com/UFC – Unemployed Fishing Club™ All rights reserved. This recipe originally appeared on the UFC – Unemployed Fishing Club Forums at http://ufishclub.com/ufcfishingforum.html authored by Caveman. This recipe may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.

Quick, easy and absolutely delicious.

INGREDIENTS

12-20 (depending on size) Raw, peeled, and veined medium-sized Shrimp
4 Corn Tortillas
1 Tbsp of Texas Select Seasonings™ “Herbal Red” (or more, to taste)
1 Cup shredded White Cabbage
1 Tbsp Mayonaise
1 Tbsp Sour Cream
1 Tsp Chipotle Chili Powder (or more, to taste)

RECIPE

In small bowl, mix together mayo, sour cream and Chipotle Chili Powder. Cover and chill until needed.
Place shrimp onto skewers and cover liberally with TSS Herbal Red seasoning:

Place shrimp skewers on the grill and cook until done. I like ‘em on the “crispier” side:

Just before removing shrimp from grill warm up the corn tortillas:

Put White Cabbage and Chipotle sauce on tortilla, add 3-5 (depending on size) shrimp, and garnish with avocado and/or salsa:

Prep Time = 10 minutes
Cook Time = 10 minutes
Makes 4 tacos

©2009 UFishClub.com/UFC – Unemployed Fishing Club™ All rights reserved. This recipe originally appeared on the UFC – Unemployed Fishing Club Forums at http://ufishclub.com/ufcfishingforum.html authored by Caveman. This recipe may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.

Good morning, Sunday Saloners!  I’m sure some of you are still sleeping off that read-a-thon, so it might be a good afternoon .  Yesterday my roommates and I went to Luray Caverns in Luray, Virginia, so She and I did the read-a-thon a day early.  I’m so glad we did because it was totally worth it!  We got up at 5 am and you can see our horrendous morning faces here.  We managed to stay up until 1:00 am, but it was still a good run!  Then early yesterday afternoon it was off to Luray, fulfilling one of She’s lifelong dreams.  The caverns were awesome and fortunately we have some pictures to prove we were there.  The drive itself was an adventure because the trees were beautiful and we stopped at a little cafe for dinner on the way home that had amazing deserts and amazing corn chowder.  Then I came home and worked on a paper for my Introduction to the Study of Literature class on “Entrada a la madera/Entrance to wood” by Pablo Neruda.  It’s one of the best poems I’ve read of Neruda’s and I think my paper went well.

Read-A-Thon

I read 6 books for read-a-thon!  I could not have been happier with my book and page number count.  Reading graphic novels really helped the eyes between longer books.

Books read: So Yesterday by Scott Westerfeld, The Silenced by James DeVila, Embroideries by Marjane Satrapi, The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness, Sloth by Gilbert Hernandez and Disquiet by Julia Leigh, 100 pages of The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Pages read: 1734

I thought all of my books were good choices for read-a-thon.  They were mostly fast-paced, mostly fairly large typeface (VERY important in the wee hours of the morning and night!) and interesting, too.

Yesterday, after getting back from the caverns, I did some cheerleading!  I’m sorry if I didn’t get to your blog, I was thinking about you and cheering you on in my mind, I promise!

Luray Caverns

For those of you who don’t know about Luray Caverns, it’s one of the largest and most beautiful cave formations in the United States that has lots of cool formations like gorgeous stalactites and stalagmites, fried eggs, a pipe organ that plays using rock formations, and the mirror lake also known as the Lake of Dreams.   The whole place was seriously amazing: GO THERE.  You’ll love it, really!

My roommate, me and She

I added a bat and an owl to this one for effect.  ACTUALLY, there aren’t any bats in Luray Caverns.  And there probably aren’t any owls.  I also might have been singing a song in this picture.

Draperies!

Pablo Neruda: The poem I wrote my paper about!

Entrance into wood

With scarce my reason, with my fingers,
with slow waters slow flooded,
I fall into the realm of forget-me-nots,
to a mourning air that clings,
to a forgotten room in ruins,
to a cluster of bitter clover.

I fall into shadow, the midst
of things broken down,
and I see spiders, and graze on forests
of secret inconclusive wood,
and I pass among damp uprooted fibers
to the live heart of matter and silence.

Smooth substance, oh drywinged rose,
in my collapse I climb your petals,
my feet weighed down with a red fatigue,
and I kneel in your everlasting cathedral
bruising my lips on an angel.

Here I am before your color of the world,
with your pale dead swords,
with your united hearts,
with your silent multitude.

Here I am with your wave of dying fragrances
wrapped in autumn and resistance:
it is I embarking on a funerary journey
among your yellow scars:
it is I with my sourceless laments,
unnourished, wakeful, alone,
entering darkened corridors,
reaching your mysterious matter.

I see your dry currents moving,
broken-off hands i see growing,
I hear your oceanic plants
creaking, by night and fury shaken,
and I feel leaves dying inwards,
amassing green materials
to your desolate stillness.

Pores, veins, circles of smoothness,
weight, silent temperature,
arrows cleaving to your fallen soul,
beings asleep in your thick mouth,
dust of sweet pulp consumed,
ash full of snuffed-out souls,
come to me, to my measureless dream,
fall into my room where night falls
and falls like broken water,
and root me to your life, to your death,
to your crushed materials,
to your dead neutral doves,
and let us make fire, and silence, and sound,
and let us burn and be silent and bells.

Have a great week everyone!  Thanks for a wonderful Read-A-Thon!