Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Nails From Long Ago
I haven't had polish on my nails for over a month. My right index fingernail has broken twice, and my cuticles look horrible. So, I will take you back in time a bit.
LA Girl Metal Antique Gold with a Nicole by OPI Brilliant Idea gradient accent
I topped that combo (somewhat haphazardly) with OPI Turquoise Shatter and a full coat of Brilliant Idea on all nails.
LA Girl Metal Antique Gold with a Nicole by OPI Brilliant Idea gradient accent
I topped that combo (somewhat haphazardly) with OPI Turquoise Shatter and a full coat of Brilliant Idea on all nails.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Not Monday Muppets
It seemed fitting to allow Jim Henson (with the assistance of Frank Oz) to sing Happy Birthday on his own birthday.
I have been watching a lot of Star Trek lately, which is probably why I'm reminded of the following speech in remembering Jim Henson.
Image of Death is that state in which one exists only in memory
And that leads me to the final stop on this fragmented AV assisted train of thought.
I really wish I could pull my thoughts together a bit more eloquently, but it is difficult to articulate the respect I have for a man I never knew, and harder still for me to explain why I mourn his loss still today. I don't worship or idolize him, but genuinely respect him as a fully flawed person capable, with an amazing group of people, to change the world. The changes that really matter, the ones that have a lasting impact, are the small changes made by caring people, for they grow with us. He changed the world with puppets... what will you use?
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Overheard at Fail House
Eli - "You know that frog that's been showing up on the back doors? I'm calling him Ned. I wonder if he's out there now."
*wanders off to look*
"Hey, there he is... and there he is again; there are two of them!"
Eli's Mom- "Well, two Neds are better than one."
*wanders off to look*
"Hey, there he is... and there he is again; there are two of them!"
Eli's Mom- "Well, two Neds are better than one."
Monday, September 19, 2011
Things of Which I Should Be Ashamed
I don't understand Tumblr or Twitter. This isn't an issue of not understanding why people would utilize such things, but a genuine stupidity as to the functioning of the things. I stare inquisitively, but have never mustered enough interest to try to figure them out. I understand what they are meant to be, but there just seems to be too much going on in a way that I can't decipher what is trying to be communicated to me. At 25 years old, I think I am meant to understand these things intuitively. Instead, I take a disturbing pride in my obliviousness.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Things of Which I Should Be Ashamed
Things I don't quite find shameful, though I know I probably should.
I go through a lot of dishes for a lone person. The five cats are fed about three times a day, plus there are bowls for dry food and water that need to be washed often because they are disgusting (both the cats and the bowls), all of which adds up to a lot of dishes. Plus, I do occasionally eat, and sometimes I even cook. I usually have to run the dishwasher every day, or at least every-other day.
I unload the dishwasher (a cabinet that also cleans!) about once a week. I pull things out as needed, and when I need cat dishes, or am out of spoons, I add dirty dishes to the clean dishes that were left behind. Things that aren't used often sometimes get to go on three full rides through the water-park before I muster the energy to carry them a few feet to their homes. While this certainly doesn't conserve energy in a fossil fuel burning sense, it most certainly conserves my energy, a far more limited resource.
I go through a lot of dishes for a lone person. The five cats are fed about three times a day, plus there are bowls for dry food and water that need to be washed often because they are disgusting (both the cats and the bowls), all of which adds up to a lot of dishes. Plus, I do occasionally eat, and sometimes I even cook. I usually have to run the dishwasher every day, or at least every-other day.
I unload the dishwasher (a cabinet that also cleans!) about once a week. I pull things out as needed, and when I need cat dishes, or am out of spoons, I add dirty dishes to the clean dishes that were left behind. Things that aren't used often sometimes get to go on three full rides through the water-park before I muster the energy to carry them a few feet to their homes. While this certainly doesn't conserve energy in a fossil fuel burning sense, it most certainly conserves my energy, a far more limited resource.
Overheard at Fail House
A new series documenting things said (usually by me, as the cats aren't good with English) within the walls of my little house.
"Why are you sitting in pee?"
Monday, September 12, 2011
Passion and Compassion
Cross-posted here
I'm not a person who feels moderately about things. My opinions and loyalties tend to be rather adamantly on one side, or of unswayed, absolute indifference. That said, it has been a while since something has caused me to feel intense abhorrence and more than a little ill. I am non-violent, and a supporter of human rights for all, but violations of those principals will be a life-long battle, and are on a plane different from my other objections and feelings of injustice. I wouldn't want you to think me completely unfeeling, though I'm not entirely sure why.
The issue that has me fuming is the fate of the Barnes Foundation Gallery. I'm sure this is something of which well-cultured individuals are acutely aware, but I do not travel in such circles, which caused this to come as a shock to me. The appalling account of government officials (Ed Rendell, for one) and charitable trusts grabbing at a priceless art collection, blatantly counter to the will and intent of the man who amassed, curated, and shared it with students, is told in the documentary The Art of the Steal. Now, I'm sure this documentary is a bit biased toward the side of those wanting to keep things the way they always were; but I'm kind of okay with that, mostly because I know there is almost nothing that could sway me to the other side of the argument. As much as I am a liberal who loves change and progress, I am also a natural historian, moved by things that evoke the past.
Watching Rendell brag about destroying a national treasure, a landmark of art and education, is disgusting. The argument that it is for the good of the people, and will turn Philadelphia into a great city is pathetic. Even if moving the collection into the city makes Philadelphia a must see location for art lovers, it is done at the expense of justice and of art itself. Dr. Barnes had the insight and foresight to purchase these great works when galleries across the world passed them up, and scoffed at their validity as art. He, therefore, had sole rights as to the fate of these works. They do not belong to the people, they belonged to one man. Rendell talks about the need to have the works readily available to viewing by the public. At what point, in his mind, do personal possessions become fair game for public ownership? I know that it isn't so cut and dry, as there was a foundation set up, making them not really personal possessions, but violating a will, a trust, is a personal attack; a personal attack on a dead man. Perfect, he can't fight back.
I would love to see the collection, but I don't think I could force myself to walk into the new location; it would be akin to crossing a picket line. Maybe I shouldn't form opinions using such limited source material, but when I have a physical reaction to a person's defense of his or her actions, it tends to be an accurate assessment. Sometimes, first impressions are the best impressions; and even if they aren't, they are the most lasting of impressions. This film got to me first, and has shaped the way I will see this issue. I seriously doubt the ability of the people on the other side to be able to speak as passionately about the collection, the art, or of the intent of its original collector, the things which are important. Anyone who can muster any passion for speaking about increasing tourism or the standing of a city is a person not worth listening to, for their passion is really for money and power; the combination of which seldom leaves room for anything else.
I've been a bit obtuse in my description because I hope that anyone interested will watch the film, or read about the situation. I don't think there is anything that can be done to stop the move, as things are well on their way, but sometimes outrage is best directed at things the imminent. There need be little plotting, strategic management, or holding back when there is no chance of success. There is nothing to lose, as everything at stake is already gone. That lost can still be mourned, remembered, and the actions of those involved examined and extolled or condemned. From my perspective, one side is severely lacking passion and compassion, though I think they might disagree (even if they didn't really believe it). Is a mission to bring something of intrinsic value to the people a noble quest even if it is achieved in an unethical, or at the very least, unsavory, way?
I'm not a person who feels moderately about things. My opinions and loyalties tend to be rather adamantly on one side, or of unswayed, absolute indifference. That said, it has been a while since something has caused me to feel intense abhorrence and more than a little ill. I am non-violent, and a supporter of human rights for all, but violations of those principals will be a life-long battle, and are on a plane different from my other objections and feelings of injustice. I wouldn't want you to think me completely unfeeling, though I'm not entirely sure why.
The issue that has me fuming is the fate of the Barnes Foundation Gallery. I'm sure this is something of which well-cultured individuals are acutely aware, but I do not travel in such circles, which caused this to come as a shock to me. The appalling account of government officials (Ed Rendell, for one) and charitable trusts grabbing at a priceless art collection, blatantly counter to the will and intent of the man who amassed, curated, and shared it with students, is told in the documentary The Art of the Steal. Now, I'm sure this documentary is a bit biased toward the side of those wanting to keep things the way they always were; but I'm kind of okay with that, mostly because I know there is almost nothing that could sway me to the other side of the argument. As much as I am a liberal who loves change and progress, I am also a natural historian, moved by things that evoke the past.
Watching Rendell brag about destroying a national treasure, a landmark of art and education, is disgusting. The argument that it is for the good of the people, and will turn Philadelphia into a great city is pathetic. Even if moving the collection into the city makes Philadelphia a must see location for art lovers, it is done at the expense of justice and of art itself. Dr. Barnes had the insight and foresight to purchase these great works when galleries across the world passed them up, and scoffed at their validity as art. He, therefore, had sole rights as to the fate of these works. They do not belong to the people, they belonged to one man. Rendell talks about the need to have the works readily available to viewing by the public. At what point, in his mind, do personal possessions become fair game for public ownership? I know that it isn't so cut and dry, as there was a foundation set up, making them not really personal possessions, but violating a will, a trust, is a personal attack; a personal attack on a dead man. Perfect, he can't fight back.
I would love to see the collection, but I don't think I could force myself to walk into the new location; it would be akin to crossing a picket line. Maybe I shouldn't form opinions using such limited source material, but when I have a physical reaction to a person's defense of his or her actions, it tends to be an accurate assessment. Sometimes, first impressions are the best impressions; and even if they aren't, they are the most lasting of impressions. This film got to me first, and has shaped the way I will see this issue. I seriously doubt the ability of the people on the other side to be able to speak as passionately about the collection, the art, or of the intent of its original collector, the things which are important. Anyone who can muster any passion for speaking about increasing tourism or the standing of a city is a person not worth listening to, for their passion is really for money and power; the combination of which seldom leaves room for anything else.
I've been a bit obtuse in my description because I hope that anyone interested will watch the film, or read about the situation. I don't think there is anything that can be done to stop the move, as things are well on their way, but sometimes outrage is best directed at things the imminent. There need be little plotting, strategic management, or holding back when there is no chance of success. There is nothing to lose, as everything at stake is already gone. That lost can still be mourned, remembered, and the actions of those involved examined and extolled or condemned. From my perspective, one side is severely lacking passion and compassion, though I think they might disagree (even if they didn't really believe it). Is a mission to bring something of intrinsic value to the people a noble quest even if it is achieved in an unethical, or at the very least, unsavory, way?
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Daily Felid
Spot On
I always enjoy looking at the categories Netflix divines for me; every time I click back to my "Watch Instantly" page it's like shaking a Magic 8 Ball.
Cerebral British Television Documentaries...
Oh, Netflix, if only everyone understood me so well. Your ability to produce only four items in that category was rather disappointing, however, and may force me to watch More Things Like Phineas and Ferb instead.
Cerebral British Television Documentaries...
Oh, Netflix, if only everyone understood me so well. Your ability to produce only four items in that category was rather disappointing, however, and may force me to watch More Things Like Phineas and Ferb instead.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Daily Felid
Friday, August 12, 2011
Sickly
I think I have bronchitis... in the summer. My immune system seems to actively recruit pathogens. To top off all of the fun I'm having, Scarlett has a urinary tract infection, which explains why she has been peeing on things, and Mika sneezed blood today. I'm a little terrified about the bloody nose, but am glad Scarlett was finally able to see her veterinarian, and was given a shot instead of pills. I hope to get back to regularly scheduled programming soon.
In other news, I'm knitting a giant thing, and writing a pattern for a not so giant thing. The temperature has dropped just enough (it's only getting into the high 70s indoors) that I can start on holiday knitting projects, so I have stacked up about 3 times more than I will likely be able to finish. It's my nature. The parts of my hands I can feel are already sore. There is a good chance this doesn't end well.
In other news, I'm knitting a giant thing, and writing a pattern for a not so giant thing. The temperature has dropped just enough (it's only getting into the high 70s indoors) that I can start on holiday knitting projects, so I have stacked up about 3 times more than I will likely be able to finish. It's my nature. The parts of my hands I can feel are already sore. There is a good chance this doesn't end well.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Eddie Izzard Franken Collections Swatches and Recipes- Part I
I still have a couple of polishes to add to the Doctor Who Collection, but I don't have them finished yet. I have very specific colors in mind, and have done a lot of testing. I'm also having an issue getting all of the shimmer out of the bottles I want to use.
To keep me from going completely bonkers, I started another collection that has been in my head for almost a year. This is part one of that collection, inspired by Eddie Izzard. This collection is 12 polishes, divided into two sets, Executive Transvestite and Action Transvestite.
I took pictures for these and had more trouble than I normally do. Before I uploaded them, I decided to take a picture of one of the cats. When I went to change the setting on the camera, I realized it was already in "cat" mode. Most of the pictures were crap, and I had to redo them, which explains my terrible cuticles. I wore one polish from this collection last week, and took photos of it then, which accounts for the difference in nail length, and disappearing henna.
Speaking of henna, please ignore the giant gap on my index finger. Acetone eats henna, and I really like this design. I was especially glad I left the giant gap after I had to redo swatches.
All swatches are over Gelous, and topped with Sally Hansen Insta-Dri. The recipes were mixed in 0.45 fl oz bottles, and I recommend adding the most abundant color, or clear (when used) last as to prevent overfilling. Now, on to the photos.
Executive Transvestite - dusty mauve with a hint of red shimmer and glitter (1 coat)
To keep me from going completely bonkers, I started another collection that has been in my head for almost a year. This is part one of that collection, inspired by Eddie Izzard. This collection is 12 polishes, divided into two sets, Executive Transvestite and Action Transvestite.
I took pictures for these and had more trouble than I normally do. Before I uploaded them, I decided to take a picture of one of the cats. When I went to change the setting on the camera, I realized it was already in "cat" mode. Most of the pictures were crap, and I had to redo them, which explains my terrible cuticles. I wore one polish from this collection last week, and took photos of it then, which accounts for the difference in nail length, and disappearing henna.
Speaking of henna, please ignore the giant gap on my index finger. Acetone eats henna, and I really like this design. I was especially glad I left the giant gap after I had to redo swatches.
All swatches are over Gelous, and topped with Sally Hansen Insta-Dri. The recipes were mixed in 0.45 fl oz bottles, and I recommend adding the most abundant color, or clear (when used) last as to prevent overfilling. Now, on to the photos.
Executive Transvestite - dusty mauve with a hint of red shimmer and glitter (1 coat)
Monday, July 25, 2011
Saturday, July 23, 2011
FingerPaints Fall 2011 Fall Fashionista Swatches and Review
I stopped by Sally Beauty to pick up some Gelous and better clips to use when I cut and henna my hair. I noticed a new display of FingerPaints, and my mom pointed out the buy two, get one free deal they were running. I love FingerPaints, I love dusty and murky colors, and I really love free things. I got six of the nine, and decided to swatch them before they are lost in the yet to be sorted and stored nail polish abyss.
All swatches are over Gelous and topped with Sally Hansen Insta-Dri. You can click to see them bigger, but they are all cremes, so you're really just going to see the air bubbles brought on by the absurd humidity. I feel like I'm slowly drowning, accumulating a bit of water with every breath. Not only is it sticky and miserable, but it's not conducive to smooth nail polish, especially cremes.
Cordur-Orange
Cordur-Orange is a spicy, medium orange. The second photo is most color accurate, though it did change slightly in different light, losing the dusty quality and appearing a brighter orange. This is one coat.
To-Teally Chic
All swatches are over Gelous and topped with Sally Hansen Insta-Dri. You can click to see them bigger, but they are all cremes, so you're really just going to see the air bubbles brought on by the absurd humidity. I feel like I'm slowly drowning, accumulating a bit of water with every breath. Not only is it sticky and miserable, but it's not conducive to smooth nail polish, especially cremes.
Cordur-Orange
Cordur-Orange is a spicy, medium orange. The second photo is most color accurate, though it did change slightly in different light, losing the dusty quality and appearing a brighter orange. This is one coat.
To-Teally Chic
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Steamed
I haven't been doing much of anything lately, I'm in a bit of a funk. It doesn't help that Scarlett has started peeing on the furniture. I clean the couch and recliner everyday, it's like Groundhog Day, but with cats and pee and without Bill Murray, so maybe a little bit better than Groundhog Day.
In trying to clean up the pee, I turned to steam. My Shark steamer decided to stop working entirely, so I got out my My Little Steamer. Steam is steam, right... well, not really, but in this case it would do. I filled it up, added a bit of vinegar to help with the pee smell and my very hard water, and fired it up. Now, I've added vinegar before, it's like cleaning out a coffee maker. I did not expect it to start shooting out boiling water (I would have expected that from a coffee maker, however). It burned my feet a little, and nearly got Emi, who has a fascination with steam that I really don't understand.
Because I don't learn, I assumed that the issue was vinegar related, and tried it again the next day (maybe not so much better than Groundhog Day) and again burned my toes with the fountain of boiling water that spewed forth from my little yellow steamer. And, again, Emi was nearly caught in the line of fire. I did have enough sense to scoot her out of the way, but not enough to move my feet.
Determined that steam would be my ultimate weapon against pee, I decided I needed a new steamer, though I did contemplate using the steam mop on the couch. My nocturnal nature meant that it was after 9 PM when I made this discovery. I struck out at Wal-Mart, but was able to find a garment steamer at Kohl's, plus I got some Kohl's cash and a cute dress. The steamer is great, but I'm having trouble keeping up with Scarlett.
I've started taking her to the litter-box a few times a day, because I think the issue is that Jasper and Emi like to watch her. I'm hoping it will work, because I'm really sick of cleaning up pee, and I like my furniture and can't afford new. Furniture protection and cat transport has been taking up all of my energy. It's an exciting life.
In trying to clean up the pee, I turned to steam. My Shark steamer decided to stop working entirely, so I got out my My Little Steamer. Steam is steam, right... well, not really, but in this case it would do. I filled it up, added a bit of vinegar to help with the pee smell and my very hard water, and fired it up. Now, I've added vinegar before, it's like cleaning out a coffee maker. I did not expect it to start shooting out boiling water (I would have expected that from a coffee maker, however). It burned my feet a little, and nearly got Emi, who has a fascination with steam that I really don't understand.
Because I don't learn, I assumed that the issue was vinegar related, and tried it again the next day (maybe not so much better than Groundhog Day) and again burned my toes with the fountain of boiling water that spewed forth from my little yellow steamer. And, again, Emi was nearly caught in the line of fire. I did have enough sense to scoot her out of the way, but not enough to move my feet.
Determined that steam would be my ultimate weapon against pee, I decided I needed a new steamer, though I did contemplate using the steam mop on the couch. My nocturnal nature meant that it was after 9 PM when I made this discovery. I struck out at Wal-Mart, but was able to find a garment steamer at Kohl's, plus I got some Kohl's cash and a cute dress. The steamer is great, but I'm having trouble keeping up with Scarlett.
I've started taking her to the litter-box a few times a day, because I think the issue is that Jasper and Emi like to watch her. I'm hoping it will work, because I'm really sick of cleaning up pee, and I like my furniture and can't afford new. Furniture protection and cat transport has been taking up all of my energy. It's an exciting life.
Monday, July 18, 2011
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