Hi everybody,

I hope you don´t mind my “wordless” blog entries. It´s just because I am short on time, and it takes years to collect a gazillion of wonderful gifts day by day, unpack them, take/edit pictures and blog all the goodies.  And as this wouldn´t be hard enough I have virtual problems. Log on, freeze, crash … log on, teleport, logged out … log on, teleport does not work …… rez a box doesn´t work … put on other clothes doesn´t work … *sighs* Oh well, I did it, and here I am with lot of pics and a couple of boxes and bags, desperate and exhausted but still alive )

Christmas Shopping Packages (just wear them all!) – item prize camp, 25 min – DemiDemi

Photo Frame (green, pink, brown) – not free, 16 Linden – Hani

Knitted Pullover Christmas Tree – Advent Train Gift 09 - Sway`s

Advent Train info

Hilde pants – Advent Gift 09 (group only) – Ivalde

Lygon Scarf brown-striped – part of subscribo-group gift (10 scarves in total) – Truth

Mistletoe Santa Hat – Advent Calender Gift 09 – Bryce Designs

Christmouse, shoulder pet – free, box under christmas tree – CatniP

Hair Minx, worn in Frosting – free – Vignette

Skin Snowfall (shape included, not shown) – former Midnight Mania skin (my bad, sorry! forgot to blog it and now it´s too late)  – Mango,Mango!/Shape It Up!

But there is another lovely skin offered for just 1 Linden, and the already blogged Lucky Board skin too, both shown in the pics below.

Skin Tropical Punch – dollarbie - Mango Mango!

Skin Silver Screen – Lucky Board – Mango Mango!

Primalot Starry Mist Necklace & Ring  – FabFree Gift, but available for everyone at Primalot

****

Part 2 follows soon – see you

Thanks to all generous designers!

]]> http://carusophoto.wordpress.com/2009/12/09/drive-thru-keys-343365-12-09-2009/ Wed, 09 Dec 2009 19:51:43 +0000 CarusoPhoto http://carusophoto.wordpress.com/2009/12/09/drive-thru-keys-343365-12-09-2009/

Drive Thru Keys (343/365 12-09-2009)

Originally uploaded by CarusoPhoto

I haven’t shot with my Holga 135BC in a while, so I grabbed it as I was walking out the door this morning. I only had a couple of shots left on the roll that was already loaded, so I figured I could grab a shot or two for my photo today and still have time to get it developed and scanned.

The Holga 135BC is a 35mm version of the classic Holga…not a Holga modified to accept 35mm (which I have also done). The thing I really like about this particular model is that it intentionally gives a very nice vignetting effect, hence the BC (“black corners”) designation.

I made this one while stopped at a stop light on Lawrence Ave. in Chicago.

Made with a Holga 135BC shooting Ilford Delta 400 and scanned from the negative.

i finished the first roll of film on my diana pretty quickly. it took 2 days for me to finish the whole 27 frames. this roll was just used to experiment on different stuff and see how it’ll come up in the prints. some of the pics are really vignetted and lo-fi looking so check it out!

Well I’ve been in the mood to make a better diorama, but I decided to try a bignette (because of my current lack of pieces needed for dioramas). It turned out better than I hoped, and I’m showing you dudes a couple pictures from it. It will be coming out on MOCpages sometime next week (probably).

So here they are:

You’ll see more soon!!!

May the bricks be with you,

~Flare

We have an arctic front that has those high, whistling winds that just sound cold even when you are indoors.  Sure enough, I started reaching for the warm and cozy clothing so that I could be comfy cozy vicariously as well.  The bulky, knit Jackie sweater that is sure to be huggably warm is from MiaMai. The aubergine cigarette pants are from Ingenue. And of course, cold weather is when you want to stay inside. You will surely enjoy this special live concert recording of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong singing that delightfully sexy song – and extemporizing to make it even more fun than usual.

For comfy cozy, you cannot go wrong with Anexx’s new knitted leg warmers and boots. Out of the box, the feet are a tad tiny. No worries, put them on – leaving the invisiprim off – so you can activate the resize script. I increased the size 15% for my avatar, before putting on the invisiprim.

The cute and sassy hair style is from Vignette and the earrings are from EarthStones Snow Flurry Pearl Earrings that I got last Christmas.

All the pink and purple had me reaching for this Belleza Jesse skin with the pale pink lipstick. Yummy!

***STYLE NOTES******
Promotional Copies are denoted by a Bold R

• Poses: Reel Expression
• Skin: Belleza Jesse Sunkiss R
• Eyes: PXL Creations Glow Yellow Green R
• Lashes: Lelutka Diva Prim Lashes
• Nails: PXL Creations
• Hair: Vignette Jaime R
• Sweater:MiaMai Jackie Sweater Purple R
• Pants: Ingenue Cigarett Pants Aubergine
• Boots: AnEXX Knit Legwarmers & Heels Pink
• Earrings: EarthStones Snow Flurry Pearl Earrings R

I’ve posted several of SlyOwl’s creations before, and his latest does not disappoint.

There are a whole slew of model techniques that boggle the mind in how well they are executed here and the subject matter as always is something a little different (in a good way).

A few things to pay attention to are the chandeliers, the fountain, the roof, the windows, and the archways.

The Best of 2009 Blog Challenge:

Memorable Night (In)

Night out? Ha! Nights are to unwind from the hectic day or, if on holiday, to unwind from whatever hapless adventure I’ve brought on myself (and the unlucky companions with me).

At the beginning of the year, during a cold snap, a lady came to the door and asked me if I had lost a puppy.  She held up this little mutt and I fell in love.  I heard very little of what else she had to say, something about having two dogs herself and being unable to keep the pup.  I felt so bad for the thing, whether this story was true or not, and so I offered to house it.

The pup, female, was very small, not any bigger than my purse, but she seemed older than her size.  She had poofy fur that felt like cotton or cashmere.  I had nowhere to let her sleep so I put her in an oversized box for the night.  She pooped all over herself by the next morning. During her bath, she looked like a soaked, miserable chipmunk and that’s when I realized she was all fur.

I didn’t want to bond with her because I knew I would probably give her away, so I kept referring to her as “the little squirt.”  No  name.  I usually referred to my other dog, a Chinese Shar-Pei pup named Hahli, as “the little girl” unless she pissed me off, at which point she became “the little bitch.”

Unfortunately, I did fall for the little squirt hard.

She was hard to resist.  For starters, I was enthralled with her spirit.  She showed absolutely no trepidation in this new environment.  She ran around enthusiastically, barking at puppy food bags that were bigger than her and pouncing on our toes.

She followed me EVERYWHERE, curious about EVERYTHING.  I  put up the baby gates that I used with Hahli, and she marched through the slots. When she got stuck and pulled back, the whole thing fell over on her.  I freed her, and she stared the gate down right before marching through the slots again.

She was a far cry from Hahli, who was skittish of every noise from crashing baby gates to the wind blowing too hard.

The squirt also did the oddest things.  She splayed out on the floor, spread eagle, and used her front paws to twirl herself in a circle on the floor.  It looked like she wanted to break dance.  She also walked lopsided as if the floor were on a slant and frequently bumped her head into the furniture.

Other times, when I put her on her back to correct her for nipping at us, she flailed her legs for a bit, then froze up and went to sleep. Like I pressed the off button or something.  I couldn’t figure it out.  After a few minutes, she would “wake up” and pick up where she left off.  I couldn’t tell if she was trying to psyche me out or if she was narcoleptic. It was bizarre, hilarious and unexpectedly endearing.

Personally I love large breed dogs, but I think there is something to smaller toy dogs as well.  She had a huge personality in a tiny body. She had fearlessness, spunk, and a curiosity that wouldn’t quit, and for three days I was charmed.

Unfortunately there was no way I could keep her. As a full-time mom, full-time worker, full-time student and all the other personal activities, I simply didn’t have the time for a new addition. I couldn’t manage the requisite training and attention, and that would be too unfair to her as well.

But I do have fond memories of her, all from that one fateful night when this little bugger showed up at my door.

Want to get into the Holiday spirit? Here’s a little Micro build to do just that. I created this model exclusively for the BrickJournal Magazine. With Christmas just around the corner, the instructions are now available for download at Brickjournal.com

For such a tiny model I packed it full of fun techniques, building secrets and sugary goodness.

Build and enjoy! (Just make sure not to eat it.)

secret
images
a door a day
don’t peek ahead of time
patience is part of surprise

Winter has come. It dusted in under a full moon, lighting the night world aglow. It’s the time of peppermint tea, warm radiators, cold winds on immobile white waves that lap at the narrow tracks made by fragile man across the great wilderness.

This is a land that could eat you alive. And I know it, and I love it for its ferocity. I’ve nearly died in water; I’ve never nearly died in winter, for there’s no such thing as the wrong weather, only the wrong clothing. Inhabitant of the northern byways, I’m outfitted for this unlikely feast.

I would be baptized into the darkness, in the ethereal hallowing of the dying world under a silver that radiates from the ground, swirls in icy breezes, fogs the sharp diamonds and the great round circle which light the black air above. It’s a full moon snow, and sleep and death have fallen. Let it rage; no joy compares to watching it melt away in the dawn of spring.

Image Credits:

Goodnight Moon http://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/ / CC BY 2.0

The early bird gets the worm but I prefer bagels, so fuck it.

Impedito anche tu!!!

Stampalo a colori e attaccalo vicino a Padre Pio sul cruscotto che dice “Non correre, pensa a me” e la foto di tua suocera che dice “Corri, pensa a me”!

EMO #3

Sia lode a Hendrix! Memé è riuscito a convincere Cresico a tagliarsi quei capelli da sc-Emo, sebbene questa sia una pratica molto maleducata nei confronti di chi i capelli non ce li ha. Ma non abbiate timore, cari amici alopeciati, che il pelato è di gran moda: se avete pochi capelli potete farne crescere tre più lunghi e dire che siete emuli di Cresico, se siete completamente pelati potete dire di essere fan di Memé… Se avete una crapa di capelli tipo cespuglio, fottetevi un po’, ma teneteveli buoni! Parola di Cresico. Rendiamo grazie ad Hendrix…

[Sì, Hendrix è dio! Non l'avevate ancora capito???]

EMO #2

Mi sa che Cresico non ha mica tanto chiaro chi o cosa è un Emo… probabilmente non ha letto la Cresikipedia o semplicemente fa come tutti gli adolescenti babbi che fanno le cose perché le fanno gli altri (mentre io quando faccio le cose sono molto metodicoooooo – ennesima citazione dai Calafuria). Ad ogni modo riportiamo qui le descrizioni di wikipedia e di nonciclopedia, tanto per par condicio, ma mischiate, così non saprete qual è la verità:

Il termine Emo si riferisce ad un genere musicale inizialmente compreso all’interno del punk rock, ed è perciò considerato un suo sottogenere. Tuttavia, nella sua evoluzione più moderna, il genere include anche sonorità di tipo melodico orientate all’indie rock e all’alternative rock. Attualmente l’emo è diventato più che altro un fenomeno di tendenza fra i giovani, in particolare fra gli adolescenti, il cui elemento fondamentale è il look, ma che può prendere le caratteristiche di una vera e propria subcultura. L’emo è spesso associato ad un certo tipo di moda relativa all’abbigliamento skate. Attualmente, sia i ragazzi che le ragazze usano spesso jeans stretti ed aderenti, hanno una lunga frangia asimmetrica in testa e gli occhi truccati di nero. Sono frequenti t-shirt aderenti raffiguranti le band preferite, cintura con le borchie colorate con tonalità accese, scarpe da skater o in generale scarpe nere, Converse o Vans. Innumerevoli sono le teorie attorno all’origine del termine emo: Secondo l’opinione più diffusa tra gli scienziati giapponesi, la parola “emo” deriva da una corruzione del termine zoologico emù, e viene usato per indicare un suono simile al gracchiare di morte di un emù. Recenti studi filologici indicano che il termine “emo” deriva dal greco, e non dal latino. Si pensa sia un riferimento al sangue (dal greco εμα/ ema) che disperdono ogni giorno per le strade; gli emo infatti sono i principali donatori dell’AVIS.

Ieri al ristorante ho avuto l’illuminazione. Di fronte al conto ho pensato: “sono legittimamente impedito ad andare alla cassa e regolare perché ho un inderogabile impegno di fronte al televisore per vedere il Dottor House”. Da ora in poi, quando in segreteria mi chiederanno il solito monte di scartoffie da compilare come documentazione tricotòmica e didimoclasta, opporrò un netto rifiuto mandando il mio avvocato con la faccia di topo gigio a dire: “Non può, si sta facendo un camparino con i colleghi”. Quando poi la sveglia continuerà a suonare con il suo giro di blues dell’unica suoneria decente, la guarderò serio nelle palle degli occhi e le dirò: “Marcello Lippi mi ha appena convocato in Nazionale e devo tornare ad allenarmi sulle ripartenze…”, quindi mi rimetterò le coperte addosso e poggerò la testa sul cuscino.

Anche io voglio fare come te!!! Diventiamo tutti LEGITTIMI IMPEDITI!!!

Con un pò di ritardo il mio commento alla questione crocifissi in aula ^^

E non so perchè ma mi veniva in mente questa canzone…

]]> http://irenepalladini.wordpress.com/2009/11/28/302/ Sat, 28 Nov 2009 17:15:24 +0000 Irene http://irenepalladini.wordpress.com/2009/11/28/302/

I wrote yesterday’s post at the caboose of the day yesterday, so nothing has happened yet for me to talk about today, but I do want to get the post out of the way. So I’ll describe something that happened to me several weeks ago and also an amusing conversation between BF and me and go off to do laundry and more laundry and listen to my new iPod. Which already has 6MB of songs on it by now. I am obsessed.

We were discussing all the weirdness of Dad and NW’s potential kid, especially the problem of keeping the entire issue from my mother (more about that another time, when I’m looking for a migraine), and BF said “Well, what’s worrying me is our wedding.”

I digested that for a minute, and then said “Oh dear.”

BF: The only solution is to have it before she starts showing.
Me: You mean…in the next four months?
BF: Right.

I cracked up. We’ve been putting off getting married for a year at least, because I for one am having a hard time figuring out what to do about it in general. Suddenly doing it within the next 120 days would be hilarious, especially because everyone knows you can’t possibly plan a normal wedding in less than a year. And because the majority of our family and friends have no clue that we’re even interested in getting married. So it was a funny thing for him to say.

He mentioned the idea of getting married in Las Vegas, and although I HATE HATE HATE destination weddings, the idea really made me stop and think. It would solve a lot of problems and would be ever so much fun. That one’s on the back burner for more thought at another time.

One day after work in early October, I was walking across the parking lot towards the garage where I park my car. The sky was unbelievably clear and bright blue, and I looked up at it. Suddenly I saw in the deep distance a plane. I could actually see the four engines letting off plumes of smoke, and could oh-just-barely see the smoke pluming into shaped clouds and then dissipating. The day was so bright and clear and the plane was so white that it looked almost transparent, as far away as it was. I stood with my head up and watched it for a good five minutes as it arced across the sky, enjoying this moment of smelling the roses.

Your dog used to eat raw hide bones but he’s been dead for three years and you don’t even know what raw hide is, or how the hell you could feed that shit to your dog. It smells like rotting and looks like papier maché skeletons.

You don’t know what Guam is either, except some sort of US territory used as a military base, and maybe—maybe not‚ has some nice beaches. A New Yorker assumes anywhere warm has a nice beach or two .

You never loved him, but now that he loved someone else your friendship was over. Maybe you think, the stirrer winding its way around the coffee mug, you were never friends at all.