The Musings of Wendy Withers

Sick rant

2008-11-12T20:43:00.000-08:00

I've been sick the past few days, and I'm finally starting to feel better. But, while I was sick I noticed a couple of comments that have always bothered me and finally understood why.

The first is "Well, if you're lucky at least you'll lose a couple of pounds."

Like losing weight will make my body's rejection of food any better. Like it will make me thank my lucky stars for the dizziness and sweat pouring out of my skin.

The second is "Haha, maybe you're pregnant."

I don't think I could spiritually handle carrying the messiah at this point in my life.

I think these comments bother me because of the gender based assumptions that Western society throws down our throats. That all women want to be thinner, and that all women of baby making age are at risk of becoming pregnant. (Like pregnancy is a disease, not a choice.)

The people who say these kinds of things don't understand how inconsiderate it is. What if I like being fat and don't want to lose weight? What if I'm infertile or suffered a miscarriage recently and don't want to be reminded of it? What if I feel so wretchedly sick I don't want to look at a brightside? What if I'm a lesbian or just don't see kids in my future?

I wish people would think before they opened their mouths, not only about what they're saying but why they feel the need to say it.

I also think it's interesting that it's women who say things like this. I'm not sure if it's a way of leveling the playing field or a lame attempt of making me feel better.

The adipositivity project, or fatties are beautiful too

2008-11-11T19:01:00.000-08:00

I was going to write a scathing post on the feral children who wander my street at dusk, pushing their three wheelers around in the road with no supervision and their diapers sagging around their knees. But, that post will have to wait, for I am delight.

I just found adipositivity, which is a project to promote fat acceptance by showing the world how sexy us fatties really are. Here are my five favorite pics from the project; since nudity is involved I've just posted the links.

Jammies.

Is it hot in here?

Lingerie.

Little Red.

Calming nude.

I found my reactions to the pictures and which ones I thought to be attractive interesting. I like larger women, but there are some body types I really like, and some not so much.

My Super Sweet 16 grow up in Exiled

2008-09-15T18:13:00.000-07:00

I haven't heard good things about Exiled, the show that takes spoiled teenagers from My Super Sweet 16 and pairs them with tribes in remote locations around the world. I stumbled upon it by chance a few minutes ago, and I have to admit, I actually like it.

The arguments I've heard against the series have been valid. It shouldn't be up to other countries to educate spoiled rich kids in what it means to be human. And, spending a few days with a non-Western tribal culture shouldn't be the worst punishment imaginable. Some people pay a good chunk of money to have the same experience these girls have.

The reason I like the show is it gives girls who have spent their entire lives (in most cases) cushioned by the luxury of their parents the chance to expand their worldview. At worst, the girls will go home with a feeling of discomfort they've never felt before, which will make them grow as people. At best, they will find a new strength and determination they never knew they had. And, to top it all off, other Westerners (okay, Americans) will get a glimpse of cultures they didn't know they should care about. One of my biggest beefs about American culture is we're blind to the world outside our own borders, especially if the people in the outside world look and act differently than we do. I think any opportunity to show Americans, especially young Americans, the glorious diversity around the globe is a good thing.

This season's action dramas and feminism

2008-09-11T16:53:00.000-07:00

Between Monday and Tuesday, I found myself being drawn into two action dramas, the returning Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and the new Sons of Anarchy with one of my favorite actors, Ron Perlman.

I think one aspect that draws me into both shows is the strong female characters. In Terminator, Sarah Connor is like the MacGyver of modern mothers. She's resourceful, fierce, and a strategist who can survive just about everything. The competing Terminators so far this season are also women (if you can call them that) who are all the more intimidating because under the soft skin and big eyes are really killing machines crafted of an intricate network of wires, steel, and living tissue.

In some ways to me, the journey of the main Terminator, played by Summer Glau, is like that of women through history as she tries to prove her humanity in the face of the doubts of those around her. Last season she discovered art in the form of ballet, which gave the biggest hints that she was on the path towards becoming a human machine, and in the first episode of this season she declared her love for John Connor, and more surprising, she meant it. Through the machine's journey of self discovery, she is becoming more than a weapon, more than a tool, more than a machine, and because of her superhuman strength, more than an ordinary woman.

In Sons of Anarchy, it is clear that Gemma, played by Katey Sagal, pulls some major strings when it comes to her son Jax and Clay, the leaders of the SOA. She's not afraid to kill to get results, and she uses seduction, power, and quick thinking to get what she wants. She is cold and calculating, but you can tell she is tuned in when it comes to her family and will do what she thinks is best, no matter what it takes to see its fruition.

Dr. Tara Knowles has also been introduced as a strong woman. Not only has she had the courage to leave the jurisdiction of the SOA and come back to do good in her hometown, she also was intelligent and hardworking enough to finish medical school. It is clear there will be sparks between her and Jax, but it remains to be seen whether or not Jax will be up to being involved with such a strong, together woman.

Another thing I like about these shows, and it's somewhat controversial, is that the people who make the show are brave enough to put these women in danger. The mothers aren't June Cleaver. They make hard, and sometimes bad, decisions that impact the story lines of the shows. They get hurt, and sometimes women end up with a boot in their face or with an overdose coursing through their veins and making them froth at the mouth. But, instead of being victims who constantly need to be saved by the men around them, at times they save the men. I think this shows a maturity growing in Hollywood, where a gender paradigm is beginning to shift, and people are beginning to rethink the roles of men and women when it comes to power and protection.

If you agree or disagree on any of this, please feel free to leave a comment.

The Terminator series is available on Amazon and pretty much anywhere you can buy DVDs, and individual episodes of Sons of Anarchy are available for download from iTunes.

On Sarah Palin and censorship

2008-09-08T16:28:00.001-07:00

I'm hoping this will be my only Palin related post, but I can't make any promises.

Palin is anti-abortion, pro-guns, and is in the pocket of the religious right. But, none of that matters to me as much as what I've read on her stance on books. Here's an excerpt from Time Magazine:

Stein says that as mayor, Palin continued to inject religious beliefs into her policy at times. "She asked the library how she could go about banning books," he says, because some voters thought they had inappropriate language in them. "The librarian was aghast." That woman, Mary Ellen Baker, couldn't be reached for comment, but news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire Baker for not giving "full support" to the mayor.

It was easy for me to decide whether to vote for or against intellectual freedom.

Remember, when you vote for a president, you're also voting for their running mate.

New blog for Vampire LARP

2008-09-07T20:38:00.000-07:00

I'm moving all posts about the Vampire: The Masquerade OWbN LARP game I play to my new blog. My welcome post is now up at Wendy's Guide to OWbN LARP!

The problem with the new 90210

2008-09-02T17:23:00.000-07:00

I'm watching the new 90210 as I type this, and already (23 minutes in) I'd rather be helping a friend move than sitting here in front of the screen.

I wasn't the biggest 90210 fan; I rediscovered the series in high school, think '98 or '99, in reruns. I watched the Walsh twins live through high school angst mixed with real world problems. There was anorexia, binge drinking, drug use, you name it and those crazy, beautiful white kids with problems were getting into it.

In this new 90210, the problems of the cast aren't as believable. The kids look plastic, their worries seem forced. Instead of introducing a pair of kind of shy, kind of ordinary teens from the Midwest into the world of Beverly Hills, an alien world to them, the new show introduces a pair of alpha teens into a town they already know from summer visits and romantic trysts with the hottest boy at West Beverly High.

From what I can tell, there's nothing new to watch in the 90210 zip code; the show seems like a rehash of every other teen show out there. The Peach Pit's been revamped, the teachers are now hotties, and many of the adult cast could pass for high school students.

Even the original cast members can't save this show in my eyes. Add a Brenda, an Andrea, and some other characters that really wouldn't mesh in The Hills, and I might consider watching again. Until then, you've lost me.

The makeover of Wendy Withers

2008-07-25T10:01:00.000-07:00

I won a full makeover (i.e. hair and facial, etc.) in a contest, so next week I will be transforming into a whole new me!

I will be using this opportunity to make the Wendy outside look a lot more like the Wendy inside. (The Wendy inside has crazy hair and looks pretty darned cool, while the Wendy outside, on most days, looks like she stepped out of her mother's yearbook from the 1950s.)

So, I am excited over a girly thing like a makeover. Part of me is worried about my tomboyish soul, but another part is thrilled that I will be getting an edgy update. I may post pictures, if I can hijack a camera by next Wednesday.

Wish me luck!

RPG sickness

2008-07-21T20:51:00.000-07:00

At some point, I think my gift for writing has almost become like a sickness when it comes to creating and fleshing out LARP characters. Most of you who read this blog know I role play; I've written about it.

The thing is, after I've played a character for a while, I end up writing elaborate backstories and histories for them.

It's even worse then when I'm creating characters for novels and short stories. I should probably go to this much trouble for my literary works.

Here is the current history for my Sabbat Character for OWbN LARP in the St. Pete chronicle. Now you can see my diseased brain at work.

Just as a caution, this baby's 16 pages long in word, and a part of it is pretty graphic. And, this is probably going to be kind of hard to read, because if I formatted it, I would be up all night. This is just more evidence of my general nerdiness.

Character History Worksheet

Date: 7/28/08
Player Name: Wendy
Character Name: Babylon, Bitch, Monica Stewart
Clan: Lasombra
Concept: Very annoying, vapid Lasombra of doom!

Character’s Mortal Life – Personal Information

Describe What Your Character Looked Like (including sex, height, weight, eye color, style of clothes he/she wears...etc.):
My character was a small time model in Tampa, working mostly trade shows and photo shoots for local businesses and magazines. She was an exotic beauty. She has glossy black hair, brown eyes, and brown skin. She looks like she could have some family from the Middle East or possibly some gypsy blood. She wears the clothes a young feminist women studies major would wear; i.e. tees with feminist slogans on them, long skirts, sometimes scarves in her hair, and other comfortable, casual clothes. She wears a lot of black and blue and either little makeup or dark grungy makeup.

Date Of Birth: 07/24/1984
City and State: Army Base in Germany
Ethnic Background: mutt background
Character’s Religion: Spiritualist
Explain Why Your Character Was Or Wasn’t Religious:
Babylon used to attend one of the spiritualist camps in Florida, where people try to contact spirits. It’s not really religious, but it has some religious aspects. It’s more of a philosophy that has to do with contacting the dead through different divining means. That’s where she learned to be a medium and fortune telling; her parents were spiritualists, which is why she got into it. Since she has amnesia, she doesn’t remember going, but she still retains her skills. At the moment, she is more of an Agnostic and is beginning to believe that power lies within her instead of from an outside source.

Character’s Intelligence:
Average

Was Your Character Educated (circle one): Yes

My character received a standard, high school education. She got okay grades when she applied herself. She became a model before she graduated, so she decided to forego a college education

List Your Character’s Hobbies as a Mortal (examples: reading, writing, painting...etc.):
My character watched a lot of TV and modeled. She started dating in high school but was labeled a tease and decided dating wasn’t worth it. She also dabbled in witchcraft and fortune telling. She met some mages but didn’t really get into it, so she learned a lot about the Tampa mage world but wasn’t a mage herself.

Describe Your Character’s Favorite Place to Hang Out as a Mortal and Why:
She hit the clubs a lot, because she liked to feel others’ eyes on her.

List and Describe One OR Two Relationships That Had an Important Impact on Your Character as a Mortal:
Her best friend was a dumpy girl who lived a few blocks away from her as a child. She liked her, because she felt she could confide in her, but at the same time she knew people’s eyes were drawn to her because her friend wasn’t that attractive. She also had an important relationship with her mother, who was overbearing and controlled much of her life in a stage mother type capacity.

How Sexually Active Was Your Character (circle one):
Not Very

Describe What Your Character’s Opinion of the Opposite Sex Was:
Men were there to take care of her and buy things for her, but not much more than that.

List And Describe Two People Your Character Most Admired as a Mortal and Why:
Oprah: Oprah is self assured, a strong woman, and is always together. She’s also really rich and knows how to get what she wants out of life and from other people.
Dr. Phil: Dr. Phil is a life leader and a top-notch psychologist in Babylon’s view. He’s also really rich and knows how to get what he wants out of life and from other people.

List And Describe Two People Your Character Hated as a Mortal and Why:
She hated bitches who thought they were better than her and people who thought they had all the answers.

List What Your Character’s Two Favorite Books Were and Explain Why They Were His/Her Favorite:
Babylon liked The Vampire Chronicles because they were easy to read and were about sexy characters. She also liked Dr. Phil’s book about the seven life laws; even though she didn’t read it all the way through or go through all of the steps, she got a lot out of it.

List What Your Character’s Two Favorite Movies or Plays Were and Explain Why They Were His/Her Favorite:
Babylon liked Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Gone with the Wind, because they centered around female role models for her.

List What Your Character’s Two Favorite Musicians/Bands Were and Explain Why They Were His/Her Favorite:
Babylon liked The Backstreet Boys and Nirvanna, because she liked the stories the songs told.

If You Could Choose One Song To Represent Your Character As A Mortal Which Song Would it Be and Why that song?
Beauty Contest by No Doubt

When Your Character Was Young What Did He/She Want to Be When They Became an Adult?
talk show host

Character’s Mortal Life – Family Information

Make A Selection That Best Describes Your Character and His/Her Family’s Social Class (circle one):
Upper Class

Describe the Neighborhood(s) Your Character Grew Up In:
She grew up on Davis Island, in an upscale condo. No diversity, no real crime. Just a lot of rich white people.

Mother’s Name: Leslie Stewart
Place of Birth: Atlanta, GA
Ethnic Background: blue blood
Mother’s Age at Your Character’s Birth: 37
Mother’s Religion: spiritualist
Explain Why Your Character’s Mother Was Or Wasn’t Religious:
It was more of a family hobby passed own.

Describe the Appearance of Your Character’s Mother:
Blond, frosted hair in a rich woman’s helmet hair cut, wore the best in rich casual clothing, i.e. well cut suits and tshirts and khaki pants that cost hundreds of dollars each.

Describe the Personality of Your Character’s Mother:
Overbearing and controlling. She needed to have constant updates of Monica’s (Babylon’s) activities and whereabouts.

List A Couple of Hobbies/Favorite Past-Times of Your Character’s Mother:
Charities and social organizations.

Did Your Character’s Mother Have A Profession (circle one)? Yes
What Was Her Profession? stage mother/ PTA mom
If Your Character’s Mother Did Not Work, Explain Why She Did Not:
Describe Any Psychological Disorders “Your” Mother Suffered And How The Disorder(s) Effected “Your” Mother’s Life (at home, with friends, at work):
OCD, perfectionism, made her very difficult to be around her, even though she was very popular.

List Any Addictions “Your” Mother Had, State The Year And “Your” Mother’s Age When She Started Using The Addictive Substance And Describe How The Addiction Started (examples of substances: nicotine, alcohol, marijuana, heroine, LSD...etc.):
Valium, prescribed

Make A Selection That Best Describes the Relationship Your Character had with His/Her Mother (circle one):
Bad

Describe In More Detail their Relationship:
Lesley is overbearing, and Monica (Babylon) has been trying to break away for years but hasn’t had the guts. She’s survived years of her mother picking her friends, picking her hobbies and classes, and picking her modeling jobs.

Father’s Name: Major Larry Stewart
Place of Birth: St. Peter Minnesota
Ethnic Background: Swedish
Father’s Age at Your Character’s Birth: 33
Father’s Religion: Lutheran
Explain Why Your Character’s Father Was Or Wasn’t Religious:
He attended Lutheran church and a Lutheran college until he got married, then he stopped going.

Describe the Appearance of your Character’s Father:
He looks very Midwestern and very Scandinavian. He has close cropped hair and is always meticulously groomed.

Describe the Sort of Personality Your Character’s Father Had:
He is kind of boring and tended to do whatever his wife and daughter wanted.

List A Couple of Hobbies/Past-Times of Your Character’s Father:
target practice, hunting, football

Did Your Character’s Father Have A Profession (circle one)? Yes
What Was His Profession? Major in the Army

Make A Selection That Best Describes the Relationship Your Character had with His/Her Father (circle one): Okay

Describe In More Detail their Relationship:
Babyon likes being able to control others, and her father was pretty easygoing.
Make A Selection That Best Describes the Relationship Your Character’s Mother and Father had with Each Other (circle one): Okay
Explain Your Answer:
Larry did everything Lesley wanted, and she let him.

Describe How Your Character Felt About How His/Her Mother Was Treated By His/Her Father And Vice Versa:
Monica thought her father let her mother walk all over him, and she thought her mother was a bitch to her father.

Did Your Character Have Any Siblings? (circle one) No

Did Any Significant Family Member or Close Friend Die During Your Character’s Mortal Lifetime?
No

Character’s Mortal Life – Profession and Skills

Did Your Character Have a Specific Profession? Yes
If Yes, What was His/Her Profession?
model

What Were Your Character’s Favorite Job(s) and Why?
She liked magazine shoots the best, especially when they were in whimsical locations, like on garden swings, because they made her feel magical and like a princess.

What Were Your Character’s Least Favorite Job(s) and Why?
Photo shoots on the beach. Because of the sand.

List Any Special Skills/Abilities Your Character Had To Help Him/Her In A Professional Career:
She is purty.

Character’s Vampiric Existance – Sire’s Information

Name of Sire: Vinn
Sire’s Clan: Lasombra
Sire’s Apparent Age (mortal years): early 20s
Sire’s Age (total years): unknown
Sire’s Birthplace: unknown
Sire’s Ethnic Background: European
Sire’s Religion: unknown

Describe the Appearance of Your Character’s Sire:
He has long, black curly hair, a goatee, and is overweight. He has dark brown eyes and wears jeans and button down white tshirts.

Describe the Personality of Your Character’s Sire:
He likes to annoy people, but he also likes to teach. He can be eager to please but is also lazy and likes to get away with doing as little as possible, especially if it involves work.

Give a Summary on the Life of Your Character’s Sire:
unknown

Describe When, Where and How Your Character First Met His/Her Sire:

He started stalking her after seeing her in a club. She literally met him after she was embraced. She met him at her apartment after he tricked her.

Describe Your Character’s First Impression of His/Her Sire:
Her first impression was that he was black smoke. Her second impression was that he was a tubby slob loser, which was more correct.

Describe “Your” Sire’s First Impression of Your Character:
From afar he was fascinated with her grace, poise, beauty, and power.

Describe What the Relationship Was Like Between Your Character and His/Her Sire Before the Embrace:
n/a

Character’s Vampiric Existance – The Embrace

The Date of Your Character’s Embrace: 01/01/07
Your Character’s Age When Embraced: 22
Describe the Place Where Your Character was Embraced:
She was embraced in her apartment, a sterile environment kept immaculately clean, with leather furniture and chrome accents. Her walls were white and she barely had any art gracing the walls. The color scheme was mostly browns, and she had a giant 50” screen TV.

Describe How Your Character’s Sire Embraced Your Character:
He knocked on her door, said he was the pizza guy, dropped shroud on her when she opened the door, and embraced her after she passed out.

Character’s Vampiric Existance – After The Embrace

Describe How Your Character Reacted to the Embrace:
She was traumatized and fought against him until the feelings of his blood bond began to kick in. Then, she began to dote on him and depended on him for everything. She wouldn’t feed for a long time until she’d fed on his blood first.

Describe Your Character’s First Kill (include a description of where your character first hunted and his/her first victim, how did your character go about doing it and finally was your character successful? How did your character feel afterward?):
They step into the night together, his arm draped across her shoulders. He walks to her right, looking for her perfect target. He needs someone small and weak. They can’t put up much of a fight or a fuss. He wants it to go down outside, with him whispering instructions in her ear. It will be real training. Her future is set; she will be strong. She will be self-sufficient. They will find her limitations, so she will always have the safety of knowing what she can and can’t do.
In the cool night air, he knows they’ll live forever. He’ll continue to fall asleep with her slight form in his arms, her hips pressing against him, his arms wrapped around her, just under her breasts. If she dies, he’ll kill her himself, but he can’t see that in the stars above them. They just twinkle merrily, showing off.
Vinn weighs every woman who walks by against his list of what’s needed. Too muscular, too old, too young, too fat, too thin, too thick- they all get passed by. He does notice Monica seems unaware of the women drifting by. This worries him. While she seemed interested in leaving the apartment, she seems not to care about who’s chosen for her first. He begins to lecture her about the importance of this night as they flow through the stream of night revelers.
“You know, this is the first night we’ve been hunting together. You’re going to have to learn your prey. You’ll have to learn who you can take down and who you should leave for someone stronger. It also isn’t that great to pick someone on drugs or who’s been drinking. That shit can effect you, too. You need to pay attention.”
Vinn gazed at Monica, who was nodding her head as she jumped from one sight to another. She seemed more intent on pulling Vinn close to her and staring down the people walking by than actually listening to what he had to say. Vinn sighed.
“You know, this is important. But, as long as you’re with me, you’ll be fine. Just don’t come out here alone because you think you can handle it. Wait until I think you’re ready.” Vinn places a soft kiss behind Monica’s ear, pushing her hair out of the way with a finger. Monica nods as she turns to stare at a tall, dark man who is walking with his own girlfriend. She snuggles a bit closer to Vinn and squeezes.
Vinn shakes his head, catching movement out of the corner of his eye. He firmly halts Monica and turns her around to watch the woman shuffling away. He’s found her.
The woman is the perfect prey for a beginner. She’s a chubby woman with flab swinging from her weak arms. She’s also simultaneously talking on her cell phone and looking through her purse for something. She has no idea what’s going on around her. Vinn gives Monica a gentle push towards her.
Monica looks back at Vinn once, grinning, then glides after the woman. He watches Monica tap the woman on the shoulder; it appears she’s explaining some kind of inconvenience by the way she’s flailing her arms. The woman barks something into her phone, then takes Monica’s arm as she leads her into a back alley.
Vinn is close behind as he follows them. He watches the woman struggle against Monica as she’s pulled close, but Monica’s stronger even though she’s smaller.
Monica feels into the woman’s mind. The lady grows limp in her arms- Monica can feel her life draining away. She chews at the woman’s neck while reaching out to her. The weight of Vinn’s eyes on her almost makes her miss the small spark she can feel under the mother’s.
Monica stops; she can feel the woman’s breath weak against her chest. Part of her is repulsed, but the repulsion is soon dwarfed by the curiosity she feels. It’s not as if it makes a difference.
Monica curves her hand into a clawed paw and scoops into the woman’s stomach. The woman’s breathing ceases as Monica explores the warm, gory contents of her body. Finally, she pulls out a small lump in a sack.
It didn’t survive past it’s mother’s death, and is uninteresting to Monica. She shrugs as she tosses it back towards the body. She turns around to the sight of Vinn backing away.
They walk back in silence. Monica is jittery; she thinks Vinn is disappointed in her for something. Maybe she should have let the woman live longer. Maybe she took too long. She goes over what she did over and over, trying to find a better strategy.
Vinn is more horrified than disappointed. He thinks of what he should say to make Monica understand the importance of life, even though they are bringers of death. He’s never brought a woman over- perhaps she’s taking to the life better than he realized. It’s impossible for him to erase the picture of Monica standing over the pregnant woman, her eyes wide, arms covered in gore, staring at the baby that only took up part of her palm out his mind.
(From the first draft of the short story “Monica,” published in Arrhythmic Souls Magazine.

Describe Any Changes in Your Character’s Appearance After the Embrace:
She has fine, dark features. She is paler and leaner, which makes her dark eyes and hair stand out more. She wears street clothes more and carries herself differently, so she isn’t noticed as much as she was before, and when she is it’s usually by an entirely different set of people. She often looks like she’s looking for a fight.

Describe Any Changes in Your Character’s Personality After the Embrace:
She still tries to control people, although now it’s more through pop psychology. After her bout with amnesia, she is jittery and wants to get in the middle of action more often. She is also searching for herself, so her current philosophy is that she should try everything once to find out what she likes as well as try to find out who she used to be.
Explain Any Changes in Your Character’s Religious Beliefs After the Embrace:
She sees herself more as the center of the universe than ever before. She also depends on her fortune telling more than before and the snatches of memory she has of the occult. She is drawn back to that world because it is something of an anchor in a storm; she is searching out other supernatural creatures and trying to find ways to give her life meaning.

Did Your Character’s Sire Abandon Your Character After the Embrace? Yes
If the Answer is Yes, Explain What Your Character Did After He/She Was Abandoned:
She searched for him to bring him back, and she came back with amnesia, her sire’s resentment, and an enemy.

Did Being Abandoned Strengthen Or Weaken Your Character? Strengthened

Explain Your Answer:
She had to depend on her own resources and break away from her codependency. She also doesn’t remember her mortal life, so she doesn’t have to deal with horrors like her mother dying at her Sire’s hand or know that she was ever dominated by another soul.

How Long Did Your Character Stay with His/Her Sire? 8 months
Which Best Describes the Relationship Between Your Character and His/Her Sire After The Embrace:
Okay

Describe How Your Character was Treated by His/Her Sire After The Embrace:
She was treated as a servant; he gave her the name Bitch; his words were “Bitch, get me a beer.” When she started to complain about disrespect, he told her that was her new name. Even though she was blood bonded to him before they rejoined the Sabbat in St. Pete, there was a constant war of wills.

Describe Where Your Character And His/Her Sire Stayed/Lived:
They lived in her apartment until they moved into the Apathy pack house. The apartment started to decline as Vinn made more and more messes and Bitch decided to stop cleaning up after them, and even worse still after he got her puppy that added to the mess.

Describe How Your Character was Educated on Kindred/Cainite Affairs:
Vinn told her very little, then took her to St. Pete so she could learn by doing. She knows even less now that she has amnesia, but she tries to hide it.

If Your Character Did Not Receive Kindred/Cainite Education or was Purposely Misinformed Explain Why:
Her Sire was lazy and didn’t care. He was also probably more than a little spiteful.

Did Your Character Part Ways With His/Her Sire On Good Terms? No

Describe the Scene of Your Character’s Departure:
She doesn’t know what happened and possibly would not recognize her Sire if she met him on the street.

Describe How Your Character Felt Being On His/Her Own:
At first she panicked, then she set out with a purpose. She was going to find her Sire and fix him.

Did Your Character Travel? Yes
List the Places Your Character Went, When and How Long He/She Stayed:
She traveled in teh SouthEast and then headed for Mexico to find her Sire, where she traveled from Sabbat stronghold to Sabbat stronghold. She woke up on a cruise ship coming back from Mexico with amnesia; she only knows about her past from her diary.

What Was Your Character’s Favorite Place and Why?
Her favorite place is the fairy bar, because she can get high. She also liked being on the cruise ship, because of the nightlife and the feeling of the waves.

What Was the Worst Place Your Character Traveled To and Why?
She had to go find some sort of relic with Jack Castor in the sewers, but she doesn’t remember that now. Now, the worst place she’s been was a ghetto house.

How Did Your Character Pass the Night Hours Away?
She watches a lot of TV when she isn’t looking for a fight or new experiences.

If Your Character Has Made Any Friends/Allies Explain Who They Are, How Your Character Met Them and Why They Are a Friend/Ally to Your Character:
She spends a lot of time with Dante because he is a link to her past. The only person she actually thinks of as a friend is Craig the BSD; she is fascinated by his werewolfness and wants to ghoul him as an elaborate experiment. She is also drawn to his darkness and what she sees as his deep philosophy regarding life. She met him at the mage bar.

If Your Character Has Made Any Enemies Explain Who They Are, How Your Character Met Them and Why They Are an Enemy to Your Character:
Her sire is an enemy, and it has to do with her trip to Mexico, when she followed him.

Describe One Positive Experience Your Character Had During His/Her First Year or So On His/Her Own:
She stole a giant screened TV from the Snack Pack. Now she throws away their invoices when they send them.

How Did Your Character Benefit From This Experience?
She thought it was fun and that she was pulling something over on the Snack Pack, plus it made Dante happy.

Describe One Negative Experience Your Character Had During His/Her First Few Years on His/Her Own:
She was attacked by another Sabbat member during a large battle with an important Camarilla figure. He put her in torpor.

How Was Your Character Affected By This Experience?
She distrusts other Sabbat members.
***Choose 2-4 key moments in your character’s Kindred life. Include the date and a detailed description of the event that occurred***

1. Joining her Sire’s pack and leaving his blood bond behind. It made her question her relationship with him and begin to pity him for his general unhappiness. It also led to her following him when he left, because she already felt superior and wanted to help him through his problems.

2. Receiving her first bow, which symbolized her ability to defend herself. It was made from the leg bone of a human (by one of Tony’s old characters); she felt as if she was a deadly weapon with it.
3. Rejoining Apathy and listening to Dante’s stories about her past, like when she killed a Methusula. It made her feel like she could find a home for herself even if she couldn’t remember her past.

4. Any of the times she spoken with Craig. She believes he offers a unique world view and is fascinated by him as a person as well as him as a werewolf. She is sure she can transform him into some sort of super werewolf vampire hybrid if she ghouls him.

Character’s Vampiric Existance – Your Character’s Sire Presently

If Your Character’s Sire is Still Alive Answer the Following---
Presently, Where Does Your Character’s Sire Live? she doesn’t know
Does Your Character Still Stay In Touch With His/Her Sire? No
If Your Character No Longer Speaks to His/Her Sire Explain Why:
She has amnesia, so she doesn’t know where he is or much about him.

Character’s Vampiric Existance – Your Character Presently

Describe the Current Appearance of Your Character:
She’s kind of edgy, but not edgy enough to be taken seriously. In fact, no one could mistake her for someone to take seriously by looking at her or speaking with her. She wears a lot of band and feminist shirts and long skirts as well as long stockings and canvas sneakers or boots.

Describe Your Character’s Personality Presently:
She talks to much about everyone’s feelings and their problems. She likes hearing the sound of her own voice and thinking she’s helping people. She currently struggling against her own humanity. She follows the beat of her own drummer and doesn’t really take into account what others want or feel when it goes against her own needs. However, she is very soft hearted when it suits her and has a bleeding heart, especially for children or people who might be useful to her in some way. It’s more of a sickly sweet fake softheartedness.

List A Couple of Hobbies/Favorite Past-Times of Your Character and Explain Why He/She Has These Hobbies/Past-Times:
She spends a lot of time at the Mage bar drinking fairy blood and getting high, when she’s not watching TV. She would probably be surprised to find out she was a conservative prude as a mortal. She feels more from controlled vampire blood substances than she did with anything when she was alive. She is also still interested in fortune telling and the occult.

List Your Character’s Two Favorite Books and Explain Why They Were His/Her Favorite:
She’s still into Dr. Phil’s Life Lessons, and she reads a lot of feminist magazines. The Bitch feminist reader is a favorite.

List Your Character’s Two Favorite Movies or Plays and Explain Why They Were His/Her Favorite:
Now she likes The Matrix, because she feels it explains her existence in some ways. She also likes Queen of the Damned, because she can relate.

List Your Character’s Two Favorite Musicians/Bands and Explain Why They Were His/Her Favorite:
She thinks No Doubt adequately explains her worldview. She also says she loves Ani DiFranco, even though she doesn’t think she’s heard their music.

If You Could Choose One Song To Represent Your Character As He/She is Today Which Song Would it Be and Why that song?
“Too Late” by No Doubt.

She thinks her feelings for the BSD are on par with Romeo and Juliet.

Name of the City Your Character Currently Resides In: (This is your Home Chronicle)
St. Pete

Date of Your Character’s Arrival to the City: reentered in May
What was the Last City/Town Your Character Reside In? Tampa

What Made Your Character Decide to Travel to This City?
finding her past

Does Your Character Know Any Kindred or Kine Already Living in the City? Yes
If So, Who Are They And How Does Your Character Know Them?
Dante, in her pack
List and Describe At Least Three Goals Your Character Wishes To Accomplish While In the City:
Find her past and therefore herself, ghoul the BSD, help people with her own brand of pop psychology

Out Of the Goals Previously Listed, Which Is Currently The Most Important for Your Character and Why? Right now, the BSD, because she is creepy and obsessed.

Character’s Vampiric Existance – Character Opinions

What Does Your Character Have To Say About the Camarilla?
Those poor people are misguided and uninformed.

What Does Your Character Have To Say About the Sabbat?
Lofty goals, but at what cost, if they’re willing to attack their own for no reason?

Lasombra: At least someone can add some class and substance to existence.
Tzimisce: Kind of creepy, but they come in handy in a pinch.

What Does Your Character Have To Say About the Independents?
Maybe they have the most freedom, but where’s the safety in numbers?

What Does Your Character Have To Say About Mortals?
They have their purposes.

Character Sheet Information – Negative Traits. Merits, Flaws and Derangements

List Any Addictions Your Character Still Has and Describe How They Affect Your Character:
She is becoming addicted to different magical bloods.

List Any Other Of Your Character’s Flaws and Explain How and Why Your Character Has Them:
She is soft hearted towards useful people and children, she has amnesia from when she went to find her sire, she has an enemy from when she went to find her sire, she is vengeful when crossed, and she has sire’s resentment from when she went to find her sire.

List Your Character’s Merits and Explain How and Why Your Character Has Them:
She has medium from when she was a spiritualist, she has daredevil because it’s a part of her personality and possibly from her amnesia, and she has catlike balance which added to her grace when modeling.

List Your Character’s Negative Traits and Explain Why You Chose Them For Your Character:
She is condescending because she believes she is the center of the universe, she is impatient, and she is oblivious, because she is really, really naive and stupid.

Character Sheet Information – Backgrounds and Influence

**Fill in the dots for the backgrounds your character has and then explain when, how and where you got them and also who they are.**

Street 3
She keeps her ear to the streets more than anything; since she left for so long she lost her occult and other contacts.

Haven 3
She is working on decorating and fortifying the Apathy pack house.

Dr. Wendy's Read Along Blog

2008-07-18T20:33:00.000-07:00

For those of you who live under a rock, I have some advice.

Go watch or download Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog! Right now! No, really! Do it!

Do it!

Do it!

So, Joss Whedon has made another musical, this time about a geeky mad scientist who falls in love with the girl next door. Umm, I mean the girl at the laundromat. And, only he can save her from the evil (umm, I mean good) Captain Hammer.

Filled with catchy tunes and witty one-liners, the internet show made me laugh out loud, even though I'm sitting at home sick. Neil Patrick Harris and Nathan Fillion are super awesome.

The third installment comes out tomorrow (Saturday July 19), and you only have a limited window to view the whole miniseries before it's taken down. I downloaded the episodes from iTunes, so I could watch them over and over again for the rest of my life, and I'll probably buy the DVD when that comes out. (By the way, this is my disclosure. I'm a super geeky Joss Whedon fan.)

So, like I was saying, check it out. Otherwise, you'll be missing out on knowing why for the next few months I'm going to be annoying my friends by telling them "My hammer is my penis."

The immense amount of interest has already made the Dr. Horrible site and Whedonesque go down, so you should probably enjoy it while you can.

Joining the George Carlin bandwagon

2008-06-23T20:12:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. Everyone's been babbling about George Carlin's death today, mourning the comic in a blog cloud of sorrow.

I'm not going to mourn his death so much as a dying breed of comic. Carlin made sure to put everyone on edge, something you don't see all too much these days. To me, it seems like young comics who rail against the system do so to make those who support them cheer and those whose views oppose them draw back in horror and rage. Plenty of other comics keep to politically correct topics.

Comedy is getting bland, and it's our fault. When a comic tells a joke that offends a particular group of people, we get together in our mob-think and crush them. No black jokes, fat jokes, gay jokes, ____________________ <- (insert your subculture here) if you know what's good for you. Unless, of course, you are a card carrying member of whatever group you're joking about. Then, it's all fun and games.

Life in general is getting surreal and fuzzy around the edges. It's going to be interesting to see where we end up as a species.

I think I'm the only girl I know my age who has listened to the hippie dippie weatherman on their own record, playing on their own turntable. (The same can be said about Django Reinhardt.)

While you watch endless YouTube clips of the comic mastermind and read all of the reports on his death, take a few moments to think about what he stood for. Think about his constant struggles against society, and then thank the people who carry on this tradition all around you, because they're what makes America great.

Queer as Folk and the cult of the modern woman

2008-05-08T19:11:00.000-07:00

I’ve finally gotten around to watching the last season of Queer as Folk. I only have one disc left, and then I’ll be finished with one of my favorite TV shows of all time.

When the series first came out, I actually didn’t want to watch it. I’d heard too much about it in the media, and I thought it was another Will & Grace. (At the time, I thought Will & Grace was a televised abomination, only to become addicted to it a few years later in reruns. I was against the character of Jack, who I thought was a parody of real gay men and was invented for cheap laughs.)

Then, I was working at a Hollywood Video in North Carolina, and I could rent DVDs for free. My coworkers, women ranging from their late teens to middle age, were raving about the show. Some of them couldn’t stop talking about it; I even heard about QAF parties going on around the country.

So, I took the plunge and rented the first season. My ex husband and I were instantly addicted, sucked into the lives of Michael, Brian, and their gay universe. Back then, I didn’t really identify as bisexual, but I was still sucked into their world.

The argument can be made that QAF is so compelling, so mesmerizing, because of the acting. Hal Sparks, Gale Harold, Sharon Gless, and the rest of the cast drew viewers in with believable and touching performances. The argument can be made that the controversy of the subject matter, from gay sex to relationships with minors, drew viewers in with promises of voyeurism. The argument can also be made that the series came out at a time when the gay community was finally gaining ground in being recognized as just another group of regular people by other Americans. But, none of this explains why the show appealed to so many straight women, whether they be married, single, old, young, mother, or barren.

I don’t really have the answers, but I do know why I started watching QAF five years ago and why I’ve continued to watch it to the point of obsession to this day.

The characters in QAF aren’t compromised.

The writers of QAF don’t judge the characters they write. Brian and Justin love each other throughout the series despite their respective ages. Emmet is flamboyant and fabulous. Michael owns his own comic book store and can be tender and loving. These characters grow throughout the show’s run, but it never feels like the writers are forcing them into their roles.

QAF shows men being tender with each other.

I suspect this is a large reason why so many married women watch the show. They can watch men show tenderness. Even more amazing, they can watch men show tenderness with each other. There are no stereotypical men characters, although the characters do fall under common archetypes in the gay mythos.

There are strong female characters.

From Justin’s mom to Debbie to Mel and Linds, the women speak their minds and make their own decisions. Even if it goes against what society or their families want, they do what they feel is best for them.

The show covers a lot of very old material.

Call it a soap opera. Call it a modern take on a Greek tragedy. Call it whatever you want, but QAF includes a lot of themes found in stories written since the beginning of literature and drama. Characters deal with repercussions from their own hubris. They tempt the gods and fate and live to tell the tale. There is doomed love on an epic scale that screams for us to care about these people and their lost chances. And, the characters all go about their daily business oblivious to the fact they’re living the classics.

I know that I’m a little late to jump on the finale bandwagon, but all of this has been knocking around in my mind the last few days. Especially about the universal appeal of this series when it comes to women.

So, dear readers, why do you think a series that revolves largely around gay men is loved so much by a broad audience of women?

:/

2008-02-26T21:25:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure if I'm going to keep this blog up. I think this blog space is going to die a slow death due to my new site. So, check out the site (in the very first birthing stages) and stay tuned for much awesomeness.

Nerdery Week, The End

2008-02-23T07:48:00.000-08:00

I was going to post pictures of my LARPing last night for the last day of Nerdery Week, but my camera died, and the few pictures I did take were too dark. (Boo, camera, boo.) So, instead I'll just write about it.

Imagine a group of 20-30 20-somethings standing around outside at a college campus. They seem to be organized into loose groups, and most are talking pretty loud. There might be two or three women in the group, but most of them are men.

A couple guys step forward and start talking about the goals they have for the city. Then, a few visitors are presented, and everyone goes back to arguing and talking amongst themselves. Suddenly, someone pulls out an old sheet of paper that's falling apart at its creases, unfolds it, and gets into a fighter's stance with one hand behind their back. Their foe mirrors them, and anyone else who wants to get in the fray.

"Okay, one, two, three." Someone calls.

At three, everyone throws out a hand, some have it balled into a fist, some have it laid out flat, palm down, and some have it with two fingers sticking out of their fist.

"Okay, Brian's rock beats Gabe's scissors, but Gary's paper beats Brian's rock."

Did I mention that these people are dressed up in costumes? The rock paper scissors determines who's won a particular round of battle. The papers carry the stats for their characters, and they usually stay out for four to five hours then go for pizza and continue talking about the game and strategizing.

This is what I do at least one day a week.

This is OWbN LARP.

Nerdery Week, Day 5

2008-02-21T20:54:00.001-08:00

I thought today I'd show off my religious nerdery and my new nerd space. Sorry guys, no video today.

My friend, Orianna Kurrus, gave this chest to me when she moved a few years back. The chest sports a host of cave type paintings and a Pope head superimposed over a Shiva body. Buddha and Quan Yin are hanging out together, and I've got my menorah set up. I also am a big fan of incense and candles, so they're all there, too. Jesus decided to join the party, even though he's slowly being buried under an avalanche of stuff, and yes, that is a stuffed sperm off to the side. The painted tray was painted by my mom.

The top of the chest holds an assortment of religious statues and artifacts for ritual. The Shiva/Pope is shown in better detail, as well as the Prehistoric cave painting designs. The blue fairy was a Christmas gift from my mom.

In one special section, I've got a stone with a Star of David, pottery from Israel, a pet rock, and a squirrel carved from some mystery substance.

I just set up my new computer desk/work station. I've got both my laptops side by side and am currently watching the first episode of Red Dwarf on Netflix. I think I'm going to like this setup a lot more than the old one. I can watch movies on my computers from my bed and keep both laptops on a safe, level surface.

I've got my computers set up with a portable keyboard and mouse, so my wrists stop aching.

You also might want to check out Nerdery Week days three and four.

Other showoff nerds can be found at:

Tappity Tappity
This Man's World
Blue Birdland
Caryle's Corner
The Poisoned Apple
Uvulapie and His Amazing Hillbillies
Unhinged
Susan Sandmore
The Bookshelf Muse

Something's Holding Us Back: The beginning

2008-02-20T19:39:00.000-08:00

Jenna Walsh slumped over a dented, rusty office desk in an office piled high with comics wrapped in shiny plastic and invoices dating as far back as 1988. She was the lone female employee at Merlyn's, the only comic book store in a three county radius. She scanned an online order form on an IBM reject from the 90s; she was trying to decide how many issues of the latest Dark Knight comic would fit in the store's budget. For the past two hours, she had been visiting sites of independent comic publishers, trying to find the next top seller for the store. She was still trying to live down ordering 100 copies of The Devil’s Panties. She found out the hard way adolescent boys in Mabel, Florida wanted to feast their eyes on heroes battling villains and big-breasted babes, not a geeky female comic book artist dealing with the realities of bills, biker boots, and cottage cheese thighs. So far, only five copies of Jennie Breeden’s comic had sold. This was a disappointment for Jenna, who was one of thousands of readers who regularly browsed Breeden's site. Chuck, Jenna’s boss, saw the comic as wasted space in the store.

Jenna’s cell phone buzzed in her pocket; she jumped at the sensation. Once, twice. At the third vibration, she pulled it out and flipped it open. She did not recognize the number, so she hesitated before answering. Phone calls were rare.

“I can’t hate you. I’m sorry. I can’t do it any more.”

The voice on the other end of the line made Jenna think back to phone calls made late at night, years before. Conversations that ended in screaming matches, where tears would stream down her face and burn her skin with salt. The slight whispers of the small white desk fan in front of her and the whir of her computer disappeared until the voice on the phone was the only sound she heard.

Nerdery Week 2008, Day 4

2008-02-20T19:25:00.000-08:00

This being Nerdery Week, I've decided to show off my fiction side a bit. Think of this as a look into the nerdery of my mind.

Due to working on a school project, I may have to postpone my religious nerdery until tomorrow. In the meantime, I'll post the beginnings of the first two chapters of the novel I'm working on. I'm also going to post the first two pages of the first chapter of the novel I'm finishing up. I plan to send the first three chapters off to agents in the next few weeks.

So, here they are:

Chapter 1 Preview

Govi’s eyes shone clear blue as he squinted against the blinding sun. His lips pulled back against two shiny, alabaster rows of teeth. His smile was bright; his shoulders were loose as he sauntered towards a tight cluster of muscular men surrounding a petite, petrified woman. All he could see of her was the top of her head, covered with sleek black hair.

There was no sulfurous odor emanating from him, his eyes didn’t glow red, and he didn’t have black talons crusted with the blood of innocents. He certainly didn’t have bestial, cloven hooves peeking out from under his trouser legs. Instead, he had supple skin with a youthful glow that translated into a warmth which radiated out to any fingertips daring to caress him. Even his scent was honeyed with the lemon juice and cinnamon his attendants added to his bath water.

“Relax, you don’t have to fear me. One day, I would like us to be friends.”

His voice was velvety smooth and barely a whisper.

It was clear- the legends were wrong.

Chapter Two Preview

Claire sat still and breathless in an overstuffed, dark crimson chair. The armrests were glistening oak; the cushion sat so high off the ground Claire’s feet hung almost a half foot above the polished marble floor. The dusty air of the room hung in her throat and created silvery, glittering motes in the morning sunlight streaming through the window that faced the garden below. Wrought iron bars separated the room from the glass and created black shadows stretching almost to Claire’s chair.

Claire’s muscles trembled and ached as she forced her body not to move. Not to make a sound. She could feel the sharp point of a quill biting into the bottom of her right thigh, but she still did not move. Even when she swallowed the burning bile rising in her throat, the movement was cautious.

The sound of footsteps could be heard outside the formidable solid metal door. Claire imagined the smooth black leather of Govi’s boots advancing towards her. The air she held in expelled from her lungs as her heart began to thud.

Nerdery 2008, Day 3

2008-02-19T22:12:00.001-08:00

Okay, I'm officially a little late on this. But, better late than never.

See, this week is the new, official nerdery week, where nerds show off their nerd lairs. And, I have the perfect nerd lair to be shown off.

So, I don't have the cool poster layout or menagerie of action figures of Thomas Kingsley Troupe or Matt of Blue Birdland's many video games. (I used to have Earthbound and a SNES, but let's not bring up that horrible mess.) The other nerdery showoffs are Susan Sandmore, Catherine J. Gardner, Dan, from This Man's World, Caryle of Caryle's Corner, and Jeff of May The Force Be With Y'all.

Now, for the juicy stuff. Here's a special video intro, complete with celebrity guest stars.

And, now for the pictures of my main lair, which I hope to rearrange before the end of Nerdery Week.

On the wall behind my bed, which (unfortunately for my wrists) has become my home office, are pictures of me and my friends. At the very top is a pic of me and Nathan Fillion. The painting is by Orianna Kurrus, it's "Blood and Milk."

Next to my bed is a purple trunk I also got from Orianna Kurrus. The Hello Kitty doll my mother got me for Christmas live on top of it, as well as my GRE practice book, my Stitch 'n Bitch day calendar, and some other random stuff.

Next to the trunk is some wire shelves that hold some house plants (not pictured), a few videos and DVDs, and knitting projects. Waterworld lives on one of the shelves, as does Ranma and Animation Show.

My mom knitted me an afghan for Christmas. And, I couldn't help but take a picture of my pink and blue Chococat goggles (by Panzer Kitty).

And, my newest obsession is knitting socks. I just finished my first one and am almost finished with my second.

Stay tuned for tomorrow, where I show off my religious nerdery.

Friday's Fantastic Feminist

2008-02-15T09:51:00.000-08:00

If you guys liked the Friday Fat Chicks better, let me know. I'll change back. But, I had to write about one of my favorite artists. Even better yet, she's a feminist who makes cute little boobs and vaginas for people to wear as jewelry.

She's Tangerined!

So far, she has an Etsy account and Myspace and Blogspot blogs that pretty much say the same thing, so pick your poison. In addition to her woman parts necklaces, bracelets, and charms, she sells acrylic paintings made with recycled materials and all manners of horns and sculpted wearable art. She's definitely worth checking out.

Stalking Nathan Fillion p. II

2008-02-14T08:13:00.000-08:00

I am an amazing writer. So amazing, that I wait weeks to write the second part in a two-part series. So long, that I'm sure no one cares a whit about it any more.

And, it's Valentine's Day! I'm having an undead Valentine's party, but right now I'm focusing on my writing, for online and for my gender class (I'm skipping to write and catch up for the weekend, so Monday and Tuesday I'm not stressed out when the computer lab messes up printing out the paper, again).

Enough babbling! Here's the grand finale of "Stalking Nathan Fillion."

It's fitting that I'm listening to Tales from the 'Verse as I write this. I found the podcast on iTunes a couple weeks ago. For those of you who've never checked it out, it's a podcast of Firefly and Serenity fanfic.

We left off in my previous post with me leaving FXShow on Saturday, thwarted for the day. After a nice dinner and a fitful night's sleep, I woke up late, to an overcast gray sky that tricked me into thinking I woke up much earlier than I did. I checked out of my hotel and drove to the con, plopping down another $10 for parking across the street and a few blocks away. I walked to the convention center lugging my purse, my laptop, and two digital cameras once again past the Wendy's convention and their giant, inflatable version of me.

My first stop, once inside, was to pick up the picture I took with Fillion the day before. I found it amongst a pile of pictures of people with all of the celebrities at the event, from Adam West to Nicholas Brendon.

I sighed as I peered at my own goofy smile and Fillion's slightly unhappy face. I zipped it into my computer case for safe keeping.

I looked for Katie Jarvinen, my contact with the con, and asked her whether I could schedule Fillion in for an interview. Her answer?

He was booked for the rest of the day. No Fillion interview.

Instead of admitting defeat, I interviewed a number of writers and artists. I also got video footage of the Whedonverse Q&A; once I get it edited, I'll throw it up, I hope in the next few days.

Was I a touch tearful that I couldn't interview Fillion? Not really. It would have been nice, but the interview Nicholas Brendon granted me provided a nice highlight to the con.

And, I'll always have the memories from the three seconds I did come in contact with the elusive star.

And, the picture.

Stalking Nathan Fillion, P. I

2008-02-01T07:16:00.000-08:00

I arrived at FXShow in Orlando and immediately knew something was up. There was a line that stretched from the double doors leading into the main convention room to a small makeshift room made out of red and white curtains.

After asking around, I found out the line was for photo opps with Nathan Fillion, a.k.a. Captain Tightpants from Firefly and Serenity of the Whedonverse and one of the celebrities at the event. On impulse, I decided to shell out 30 hard-earned bucks to get a picture with him and see if he'd tell me who I could talk to to schedule an interview with him.

Adding to my impulsive decision was the fact I'm a Browncoat. A picture with Fillion couldn't hurt.

The line moved fast; the staff members inside the makeshift photo room were fast and efficient. Every shuffle brought me closer to my quarry as I listened to the people around me talk about Fillion and Whedon related news and gossip.

As myself and three other people were herded inside the photo area and handed over the tickets that promised us each a pose with the star, I was struck by how strange the event was. Fillion, ever affable, reminded me of a congenial politician kissing babies and wooing voters. Either that, or it was like a sideshow where two-bits extra could get me in to see the two-headed cow, or in this case a picture with a man who, up to this point, existed in my fantasies of living in a run-down transport ship at the edge of outer space.

"Hey sweetheart, how're you doin'?" He asked as he put his arm around me and smiled for the camera.

"I'm with the press," I blurted as I thrust my press pass towards him. The corners of his lips began to turn down as he glanced at me, so I continued, the words tumbling forth from my mouth. "Do you know who I can talk to to arrange a short interview with you?"

"No, I'm sorry I don't," he replied.

We both smiled and glanced back at the camera right as the flash went off. I could feel sweat build over my body as I began to tense up.

"Okay, I'll ask around." At that moment, I just wanted to get out, but our picture didn't turn out very good, even for speed shot standards. The photographer looked at his digital display and looked back at us.

"One more time, guys," He told us. We smiled wide, and Fillion pulled me back to his side for a second pose. Then, I was out of the stifling photo room and gulping the climate controlled air of the rest of FXShow. The whole fiasco behind the red and white curtains couldn't have taken more than a minute, and it felt more like ten seconds.

Ten seconds of failure. But, I was persistent. I love a good challenge.

After talking to three or four members of the FXShow staff, I was granted an interview with Nicholas Brendon (the resulting article will be posted soon) and told that Saturday was a busy day for Fillion, but it was likely I could talk to him on Sunday, when things slowed down.

Sunday worked well for me; I had a hotel room waiting and wanted to talk to as many artists and authors attending the con as possible. So, I explored the con to get my bearings, set up a couple of interviews, and drove to my hotel to check in and eat dinner, knowing the next day I could pick up my 8x10 of me with Fillion and have another crack at an interview with him.

Back from FX

2008-01-27T18:29:00.000-08:00

Read about it here.

Greetings from FXShow

2008-01-26T19:21:00.000-08:00

I'm too tired to type it all out again. Here's what I've been up to.

Off to FxShow

2008-01-26T06:33:00.000-08:00

And, I'm heading off late and alone (my photographers bailed). I've got two digital cameras and my MAC; both photographers offered up a camera in response to me kvetching.

Also, my Artist's Passion email went kaputz, so I don't have any big-name interviews set up (also because none of the talent agents involved called me back) so I'm going to try to get into some autograph lines and attend the Whedonverse panel on Sunday, but other than that I'm going to be focusing on artists and crazy people in costumes.

Friday's fabulous fat chick: Figure magazine

2008-01-25T09:16:00.001-08:00

I look through magazines like Cosmo and Vogue and instantly become indignant because of the waifish, sickly women strung throughout the pages. Collar bones and ribs on display for everyone to see.

A flip through Figure, on the other hand, provides a cuddly good time with the big, beautiful girls out there who are making it the big, bad, fat-bashing world.

Sure, Figure isn't as edgy as MissBehave or Bust or as future-minded as Bitch. But, what it lacks in trend appeal it makes up for in the way it mirrors other mainstream fashion magazines, only with a fat girl angle.

There are bland features on exercise and diet alongside celebrity interviews. Fashion spreads show off the latest styles in career wear, sportswear, and lingerie. Yet, instead of anorexic models picked for their slender form above all else, Figure provides readers with sumptuous curves and happy faces.

The most recent issue, with Camryn Manheim on the cover, included a feature on advice for what to do if a stranger shoots off a fat hating comment in your presence. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the link to the article online, but it reminded me of an article I recently read on the Utne Reader Web site.

"Love Your Fat Self" explores what it's like to be a fat girl in today's society, and it specifically showcases the life of Gareth, an active, involved, and tuned-in woman who is beautiful and fat. It shows how others see and treat her despite her accomplishments and pleasant personality.

The woman plays with yarn. What's not to love about someone who crochets?

I'm glad I picked up the new issue of Figure when I did. With graduation the need for a real job looming, my morale has been at an all-time low. Especially when I'm confronted with the other students in my department (many of them look like they've been bred specifically to be botoxed and augmented news anchors). I hadn't picked up an issue since high school; it helped me remember that a good magazine doesn't always have to support a cause or showcase innovations. Sometimes it's good to cuddle up with a warm cup of hot chocolate and look at sexy pictures of big girls in lingerie.

Some good advice

2008-01-25T07:05:00.001-08:00

Thanks to Some Go Softly for posting this. I may actually get off my computer at some point today.

Also, in my new age of MAC, I've discovered iTunes and podcasts. I'm becoming an NPR nut.

My LOL for the day

2008-01-23T20:05:00.000-08:00

I'm trying this out on my new MAC with ScribeFire software for Mozilla Firefox. It's going to be weird posting until I get Microsoft Office installed on this computer if I ever decide to. I might just keep the old computer and back text files up on jump drives until it goes kaput.

Now, back on topic:

I found this picture here. Finally, LOLs for G-D.

And, so fare, ScribeFire is awesome for moving pictures from one place to another. I'm becoming some sort of tech geek.

Fido, my new favorite zombie movie

2008-01-19T06:05:00.000-08:00

Zombie movies usually aren't that great. I admit that. It's one of the reasons I like them. Either the premise is good but the production itself is "B" quality (think my all-time previous favorite, Chopper Chicks in Zombie Town) or the production quality is good, but it's nothing more than a slick action flick (think Dawn of the Dead).

Then, along came Fido.

Fido is a Canadian film reminiscent of the American '50s. It's about the perfect nuclear family living in Suburbia. But, instead of worrying about the Cold War, they worry about the zombies outside their fenced-in town. And, instead of owning a cute border collie, they own their own zombie slave.

The film does a good job of exploring human nature, our ability as humans to dehumanize our enemies, the possibilities of love, and the multifaceted nature of being a zombie.

These aren't just moaning and groaning sacks of rotting flesh. They're beings with feelings who just happen to have the natural impulse to chomp on human flesh, thanks to some sort of radioactive dust.

Why is it that Canada comes up with so much of the stuff I want?

PAINTBALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-01-18T21:21:00.001-08:00

A few years ago, I was on duty for the security firm I used to work for. I was posted at a gate situated on a very dusty dirt road, making sure paintball teams were entering the fields and the fans were staying out at a local tournament. That was my first taste of paintball; because of errant pellets from the teams' guns, I had little bruises all over my body and paint splatters all over my company-issued polo shirt. Surprisingly enough, I loved the unexpected surprise of getting hit by random paintballs. Thus begun my infatuation with the sport.

I haven't played much since that day, but when I have it's been memorable. Even though I think of myself as the ultimate pacifist, the thought of sneaking around and shooting people with hard capsules filled with paint exhilarates me. The added pain when a pellet hits makes it a lot more exciting than laser tag.

Like everything else in my life, paintball is limited by my lack of funds. And, most of the guys I know don't think of asking the lone girl to come with when they play. So, paintballers out there, if you have a girl friend who hangs out with you a lot, think of asking her to come along the next time you go out to the field.

I've been nosing around Ultimate Paintball, and I think if I were to shell out the money for my own paintball set, I'd go for one of the spyder paintball guns. The sets available wouldn't set me back too much, and I'd get pretty much everything I'd need to get started. Then, of course, with paintballs, cleaning kits, the special playing clothes, and different upgrades (all available through Ultimate Paintball), paintball would slowly eat away at all of my money until I was forced out onto the street. Computers are already doing this to me, so I guess I can always dream.

This post has been sponsored by Ultimate Paintball.

Wendy's tip of the day

2008-01-17T19:44:00.000-08:00

Don't lick hot things.

Last night, I made Thai spring rolls for the first time. I stir-fried some veggie lemon chicken (it was wonderful, I'm planning a post just about that) with Bragg's and some mushrooms. In a fit of pure genius, I licked the metal spoon I'd been stirring with. That was yesterday; my tongue is still swollen.

Today, I woke up with my tongue glued to the roof of my mouth in a huge amount of pain. So, I skipped my creative writing class's office hours, went to my second class, and ate cold foods today. Sandwiches, potato salad, and ice cream. My tongue feels a lot better now.

So, don't lick hot things. Last night was grumpy; there was lots of foot stomping.

New developments

2008-01-15T19:26:00.000-08:00

After writing the post about my suckie bed (even though I love the people who gave it to me for free) I finally decided to bite the bullet. But, I didn't buy one of those thousand dollar mattresses. I bought a down alternative feather bed. For $60. I could feel the tension in my back unknotting a few minutes ago. It's heaven.

And, I am now an intern. A virtual intern. (I swear I'm a real girl.)

Paul Bradshaw, who writes Online Journalism Blog, just started Journalism Enterprise. I'm going to be writing reviews for JE and doing basic intern things when he needs them. The power of the internet is exciting.

PPP versus Pepperjam

2008-01-15T18:51:00.000-08:00

It's kind of funny that Pepperjam would use Pay Per Post as a way to create buzz about their product. You see, Pepperjam is another Affiliate Marketing company. I guess, in the weird way of the internet, it makes sense.

There are some advantages to Pepperjam. They list some big-name clients, like Jelly Belly, Sesame Street, and New Line Cinema. They also boast features like chat rooms and a knowledge base affiliates can use for research.

They also have their own blog to keep affiliates abreast of the latest industry and network news, and joining is free.

However, in the info I received from them, it states, "Pepperjam Network has its own affiliate program that pays out up to $7 per approved publisher application."

I make more than that on PPP. It could be an upside, if you consider the minimum amount PPP pays out is $5, but I usually end up writing posts that pay out $10 or more. PPP limits the number of sponsored posts per day and the number of sponsored posts you can have in a row up on your blog. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if Pepperjam does this, so I can't really compare their price with PPP's.

With all of their bells and whistles (i.e. chatrooms and knowledge base out there to help bloggers, which PPP doesn't have) this looks like a great site to start writing paid blogs for. Before making a decision, I'd check out their Web site to see if it's the right fit for you. Here's what their press release has to say:

Pepperjam Announces Launch of Next Generation Affiliate Marketing Network

Pepperjam, a two-time Inc. Magazine fastest growing company and industry leading full-service internet marketing agency, today announced the launch of Pepperjam Network, a proprietary next generation affiliate marketing network.

If you are an advertiser or affiliate and would like to sign-up for Pepperjam Network please visit www.pepperjamnetwork.com.

“Pepperjam Network represents an evolution in affiliate marketing. The creation of Pepperjam Network represents eight years of research and development and the combined ideas, feedback, and intelligence of hundreds of affiliate marketers and advertisers. Pepperjam Network will forever change the face of affiliate marketing by putting power back in the hands of affiliates and advertisers to build long-term, profitable partnerships through better communication tools and transparency,” said Kristopher B. Jones, President & CEO of Pepperjam.

Among a variety of affiliate marketing enhancements, Pepperjam Network addresses the two primary shortcomings of other existing affiliate networks, namely (1) poor, unreliable communication tools and (2) lack of affiliate transparency. With Pepperjam Network, affiliates and advertisers can communicate in real-time via Pepperjam Chat™, thereby providing a reliable communication system to build stronger, more profitable partnerships. Pepperjam Network also provides advertisers with an unprecedented measure of affiliate transparency, which helps to establish trust, protect brand integrity, and lays the groundwork for open, long-term, profitable relationships.

Pepperjam Network also introduces pepperjamADS, which is a first-ever affiliate marketing widget that affiliates can use to serve customized contextual ads from one or multiple Pepperjam Network advertisers at the same time.

Pepperjam Network was designed to make the experience of affiliate marketing profitable and educational, with the goal of allowing affiliates and advertisers to truly understand and maximize the critical affiliate marketing channel.

Unlike the traditional networks, Pepperjam Network uses Web 2.0 technology to provide affiliates and advertisers with an easy-to-use, cutting-edge interface designed to facilitate and optimize the affiliate marketing process. For instance, Pepperjam Network offers industry leading source-level tracking and reporting - this robust technology is especially beneficial to search marketing and sophisticated super affiliates that want to take advantage of the most up-to-date technology available to track commissions at the keyword level.

Here is just a sample of what many industry experts are saying about Pepperjam Network:

“Even after all these years using Commission Junction on the merchant and affiliate side, I still find it terribly clumsy to find what I want. With Pepperjam Network it is quick and easy. Pepperjam Network is what an affiliate network would look like if it were built from a wish list from both the affiliate and merchant perspective,” said Shawn Collins, Cofounder of Affiliate Summit.

“As both an advertiser and a affiliate, I am on the lookout for affiliate marketing systems that meet all our company’s needs. Pepperjam Network is without a doubt the most comprehensive, practical and useful affiliate marketing system I have seen to date. Pepperjam Network demonstrates that it is possible to combine style with substance in a network that provides site owners and advertisers with tools and resources to increase their bottom line,” said Joel Comm, New York Times Best-Selling author and CEO, InfoMedia, Inc.

About Pepperjam:

Pepperjam is an industry leading full-service internet marketing agency offering marketing services and advanced technology in the areas of pay-per-click, search-engine optimization, affiliate marketing, and online media planning and buying. The company was founded in 1999 by internet marketing expert, accomplished speaker, and published author Kristopher B. Jones. Pepperjam has received numerous awards and achievements, including recognition by Inc. Magazine for two consecutive years as one of the fastest growing privately-held businesses in the United States. Learn more at www.pepperjam.com.

This post was sponsored by Pepperjam Network.

How Stuff Works

2008-01-15T05:07:00.000-08:00

I admit it, I dislike Wikipedia with a vengeance. I even know two guys who work there, yet I have no love in my heart for the online encyclopedia.

Here's the reason: the two times I looked at Wikipedia for information, the information was wrong. Once was with Jonathan Safran Foer, when I was writing an article about him for The Tampa Tribune. In a talk he was giving at the Jewish Film Festival, he told us the information I'd just looked up that afternoon was incorrect.

So, I'm biased.

But, I do love How Stuff Works. It doesn't have any super verification process that I've seen. However, I've never been told the information I regurgitate from the site is wrong.

I used it for my LED post. I've used it before in articles about scientific happenings at my university. It's never let me down.

How Stuff Works has links to consumer guides, shopping sites, encyclopedias and maps. It's like one stop shopping for people who want to be in the know.

Creating warmth for the holidays

2008-01-14T19:13:00.000-08:00

Since I was in high school, my mom's big thing for the holidays has been her Mickey Mouse Christmas topper. It's an animated robot Mickey who waves a lit lantern around in the air. Anyone who falls asleep while the Christmas tree is plugged in is sure to drift off with the creepy "whrr whrr" of his robot arm in their ears.

This year, even though there was trauma when Mickey's lantern burnt out, the focus wasn't the horrific topper of Disney doom. It was LED christmas lights. This was a typical conversation between me and my mom:

Me: I'm worried about school. I need a job, and Tampa isn't the best market.
Mom: Do you think I should buy LED lights for the tree? I think they're having a sale on them at Kmart.
Me: Ummm... They save energy. Maybe. Didn't your tree come lit?
Mom: What? (She's hard-of-hearing.)
Me: (louder) What are you going to do with your old lights?
Mom: I'll throw them away. Don't these LCD, LUD, whatever lights stay cooler than regular lights?
Me: (still louder) LED. I don't know. LED lights are used in lots of stuff. My computer has an LED monitor.
Mom: Oh, well, do you think I should buy them? They're on sale.

Then, we went to my sister's house, where she does have LEDs on her tree. The tree was beautiful; I couldn't really see any reason not to buy them. And, after checking out How Stuff Works (which I'll review in my next post) I found out LED lights do save energy. They are cooler. And, they don't burn out as quickly. So, LED it is.

The possibilities for my own use of LEDs are pretty much endless. About two years ago, my room in my old commune-type-college dorm was covered in Christmas lights that cast a rosy glow over my room, transforming it into either a very festive place, or possibly some sort of love den. I love decorating with string lights; I hope my landlady doesn't mind holes in the ceiling.

This post was sponsored by Holiday LEDs. They offer Halloween, wedding, and rope lights. The picture was taken by me, and it is a picture of my tiny all-year tree next to my mother's Christmas tree. Next year, I'll take a picture of scary Robo Mickey.

New focus

2008-01-14T18:13:00.001-08:00

I'm starting this year with a new focus. I'm going to be trying to focus topics and improve my writing in Artist's Passion and My Musings 2.0. I'm going to try to include more in-depth interviewing, more researching, and more linking.

I've noticed I haven't included very much feminism in this blog lately. It's partially because nothing has infuriated me or made me jump for joy lately. I'll still be including feminist theories and rants, starting with a shout-out to an Utne article I read a few days ago. I'm wondering if I should integrate more powerful women in Friday's Fabulous Fat Chick and open up the topic to all women I look up to.

In the future, I'd like to incorporate more video and audio into my blogs. Today, I learned how to do some basic editing in Media 100. Soon, I'd like all of my interviews to be video recorded.

I'm thinking a computer-upgrade is in my near future. I'm going to go to the campus computer store tomorrow to see about my options. I'm pretty sure I want a MacBook, since I'm going to be using for design and multimedia editing.

That's about it for now.

User-generated content and YawpBox

2008-01-14T08:55:00.000-08:00

Just a few months ago, I was dragging my feet about user-generated video. I know videos get millions of hits, but I just wasn't into it. I mean, if my mother can get all excited about the skateboard riding dog and the people out there who made their wedding party dance to Thriller, how cool can online videos be?

Then, I realized how easy it is to upload videos to these sites. How easy it is to embed them onto my own sites to show potential employers that, not only do I know how to make videos, but hundreds, maybe even thousands, of people are interested in seeing them.

Now YawpBox has a way to reach millions of viewers in a format that brings user-generated videos to the world audience in a viewer-friendly format. Every week, they show a new episode of YawpBoxTV, featuring the best videos from their network, with the hosts Lex and Terry discussing the footage. The show gives anyone with their own video camera a chance to compete with others for their own 15 minutes of fame on the show, 15 minutes that could potentially reach millions of viewers, producers, and company heads.

For YawpBoxTv, YawpBox has a special Lex and Terry challenge page, where users can see the video topics Lex and Terry are looking for for the show. The topics range from "Have you ever had a mullet" to "Show us your craziest holiday footage." It makes me think YawpBoxTV will soon become an America's Funniest Home Videos for the digital age.

It also gives millions of people the chance to have their voices heard on important topics. User-generated content gives everyone an equal chance to speak for and against the topics they are passionate about. Think about Joy Nash from Fat Rant. A few years ago, the only outlet she would have had for her rant was friends and family, maybe the men and women who read feminist magazines. Now, her rant has gone world-wide.

Even better, user-generated videos allow us to see what others are watching and share what we like, even if it is a dog riding a skateboard.

Urban Urchin correction

2008-01-12T06:16:00.000-08:00

I just checked out Marnie Ann Joyce's blog at Curly Purly. There was a mistake in the Urban Urchin pattern, or, as I know it, yesterday's Stitch 'n Bitch calendar pattern. Here's the correction from her blog:

Wherever you see "s2s" in the decrease rounds, the pattern *should* read "sl 2, k1, psso" meaning “slip 2 stitches knitwise at the same time, knit the next stitch, then pass the two slipped stitches over the knitted stitch and off the needles. ”

I'm glad she posted this correction; I'm going to start the pattern today, after work.

Kate Nash video

2008-01-11T21:59:00.000-08:00

I found this video on Pop Culture Buzz (part of the 451 Press network, where I have my artist's blog.) I think I have a cavity forming, just from the sugary-sweet sets and the premise of "I just want a kiss." Yet, it's a song I could easily obsess over.

Relaxation time

2008-01-11T15:17:00.000-08:00

After eight hours of sitting in front of a computer, hefting boxes, and helping extremely angry people with the problems (mostly due to books that haven't arrived in time for their classes) the thought of my very own Massage Chairsalmost makes me want to cry.

My day job takes its toll after a few hours; I'm just glad I'm not a manager.

If I had the money, I'd probably buy the iJoy robotic massage chair on the Human Touch site. The red model has two things going for it: it's red, and it has a modern design I like. I have a bad habit of making large purchases simply because the item is red; it's like a sickness.

Out of all the chairs presented, I think I like the Perfect Chair the least. Even though the guy in the picture looks like he's found his moment of zen, the chair is kind of scary. I think I'd feel like I was perpetually falling backward.

I don't know, maybe it's just me.

Unfortunately, I have to settle for disappointment; I don't even have the funds for a hand massager right now. Although, if anyone would like to donate the red iJoy 100 to me, let me know.

This post was sponsored by and pictures were taken from Human Touch.

A Pay Per Post Catch-22

2008-01-11T15:05:00.000-08:00

My Pay Per Post entry for My Dream Art Collection just bounced back. The offense: I added that it was sponsored by Park West Gallery.

Here's the problem: due to my code of ethics, I must disclose every paid post. Due to Pay Per Post's own policy, I must disclose each post and who sponsored it.

So... I'm doing an experiment. I'm going to see if the gallery will accept a post that simply says it's sponsored, and if PPP will accept the same thing. There's a chance PPP will deny every post without disclosure and the gallery will deny ever post with it.

Fun times.

Getting my monies

2008-01-10T20:41:00.000-08:00

So far, all of my Pay Per Post payments have come on schedule. I have half the monies I earned, and I will be getting the other half in the next few days.

The downside is because of my schedule at work, and because people jump on writing opportunities, and because a lot of the advertisers don't want Blogspot or Wordpress blogs in their postings, I haven't earned very much. However, it has been enough to earn a little spending money on the side and get used to a paid blogging system.

I have a few projects I'm looking at for the months leading to graduation.

In 15 minutes, it will be 113 days and counting.

I've turned in my graduation application. I no longer have a minor, because I decided to take Israeli Films and Fiction instead of an anthro class I would hate but would give me the last three credits towards my minor.

I'm pretty happy with my schedule now.

My dream art collection

2008-01-10T20:14:00.000-08:00

If I could build an art collection for my home (preferably my future home will be a palatial country estate or a converted urban hotel) I would build a collection dominated by Dali and Goya. Some Picassos would be thrown in there as well. And, of course, my collection wouldn't be complete without art by Orianna Kurrus displayed prominently on my walls.

Acquiring a Picasso, Goya, or Dali seemed horribly, and unfairly, out of reach. I don't have the money for such a purchase, and buying a piece by one of the masters is impossible, right?

Not so, thanks to Park West Art Gallery. The gallery has a significant fine art catalog available on PDF; it includes works by the masters listed above, and more. (Unfortunately, they do not offer paintings by Orianna Kurrus at this time.)

Because of the cruise they offer, I can now fantasize about a vacation on the high seas mingled with the excitement of a high-stakes art auction. Thank you, Park West Art Gallery, for adding to my dreams.

The picture was taken from Orianna Studios. This was a sponsored post.

Geek Graffiti

2008-01-10T19:39:00.000-08:00

Leave it to Web Urbanist to write about something as cool as geek graffiti.

From graffitied RSS buttons to graffiti projected onto surfaces, I just wish I'd thought of it.

Yarn porn

2008-01-10T17:39:00.000-08:00

Yarn makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. Sometimes I think I knit not because I get to make things for people and keep my hands occupied at the same time but because I get to play with warm, fuzzy skeins of yarn.

Thanks to the Stitch 'n Bitch day calendar my best friend Moira bought me for Christmas, I can drool over yarn once a week, when I get to the yarn distributor page.

This week, Spritely Goods was showcased.

The yarn artist, Stephanie Martin, hand-dyes her own yarns and makes unique soaps featuring felted wool built into the bars- a built in washcloth. The site also provides reasonably priced bamboo needles and crochet hooks, kitchen ware and crafting kits.

There are also ready-made gifts for those not knitting-inclined and patterns for those who are.

My favorite yarn featured on the site is Bumbleberry. The club kid in me wants it for new hair extensions; the beads strung onto it just add another dimension of yumminess.

Just from drooling over Martin's supplies for a few days, I have to worry for my wallet. It's empty now; it might be even worse in the future. One day, I'm going to be one of those scary cat ladies who knits and doesn't see the futility of trying to keep her cats from peeing in her many stacked boxes of yarn. Then, one day while reaching for a box of Merino, my boxes will topple and I'll be smothered. Hopefully, my fresh corpse will keep those cats alive for a few more weeks and the smell will alert the neighbors that something is wrong.

Pass the toast

2008-01-07T06:50:00.001-08:00

I was scrolling through Smashing Magazine and found something that made me chuckle.

Move over stickypads, here comes toast!

I also thought the Sony Apple remote was quite cute.

Writing delayed

2008-01-06T18:19:00.000-08:00

I've been working about 40 hours a week at the bookstore, and my writing, on all fronts, has suffered.

When I get home, I'm usually just not in the mood to write. I'd rather knit and watch old episodes of Buffy I have on DVD.

However, I'm seriously thinking about submitting to Yes Means Yes, a feminist response to the rape issue. I still have some time to pull something together.

Tomorrow starts a new semester, the first semester in my graduate career. My graduate level course is a multimedia journalism course; I read over the syllabus, and it scares me. But, I'm going to take the jump anyways and see where it takes me. At the least, I'll be learning flash, video and audio editing and buying my own Web site domain. I have no reason not to face this head on; everyone knows fear is the mind killer, and I must face my fear.

I graduate in May, then I'm joining the working world for a few years to pay off student loans and broaden my horizons. Eventually, I really want to work towards a master's in cultural reporting at NYU. I enjoy dreaming big.

On conventions and office hours

2007-12-30T17:25:00.000-08:00

Here's the deal:

I started the routine of holding office hours on the weekends. And, there's a big sci-fi/ comic convention coming up. I blogged about it on WordPress here.

I think the office hours went well and will go better when I can network more and set a firm day, time and location.

As for the convention, I'm going with a press pass and am trying to set up interviews with some of the stars/guests attending. Please go to the convention Web site and look around. If there's anyone you want me to try to get an interview with, let me know. I'm already working on interviews with Nathan Fillion of Firefly and Serenity, Nicholas Brendon of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Psycho Beach Party, Greg Grunberg of Heroes, Jeremy London of Mallrats and various other movies and TV shows I've seen and Fat Momma of Who Wants to be a Superhero?.

The Sweeney Todd experience

2007-12-29T18:04:00.000-08:00

I went to see Sweeney Todd Christmas night with my friends. It was, by far, the best movie-theater experience I've had in years, and I'm not saying that because I scammed my friend Alex into buying me a cherry coke and stole Josiah's popcorn.

The music made me giddy, and the blood-letting made me light-headed. I loved Helena Bonham Carter's hair and her clothes. I loved the dreary sets, and once again remarked on Tim Burton's obsession with bleached-out blond hair on his damsels in distress.

There were mixed reactions from my group of friends. My friend Alex loved it and wants to see it again. My friend Josiah thought it was sad and moving, and my friend Jason utterly hated it. I'm surprised he didn't leave the theater in the middle of the movie and wait outside for us, chain-smoking through his contempt.

I also don't think Dreamworks and Warner Bros. did a good job of marketing to its intended audience. Not all people are going to like all movies, and the "this is a slasher/horror flick" marketing brought in a lot of people who were unsatisfied with their experience. Out of the 50 or so people who were in the theater with us that night, at least 10-15 walked out within the first 30 minutes. That's not a good thing.

So, if you love musicals and murders (in films) go see Sweeney Todd. If you don't like musicals or aren't willing to try new things, don't bother.

Picture of Sweeney Todd stolen from Thompson on Hollywood. Picture of Depp and Carter from FilmPeek.net.

Random acts of kindness

2007-12-26T16:40:00.000-08:00

Quite a while ago, I realized what I wanted my New Year's ~~resolution~~ revolution to be. I want to practice random acts of kindness next year. Fortunately, the gal over at Crafty Chica beat me too it. Kathy Murillo writes about her exciting RAOK shennanigans over the holidays in her blog.

Yay RAOK!

I'm thinking about randomly giving out knitted goodies, for starters, and in the gold ol' stand by, the local coffee shop/ tea house.

Blogging award

2007-12-19T17:54:00.000-08:00

I received my very first blogging award!

Thanks to The Shameless Lions Writing Circle and Catherine Gardner of The Poisoned Apple, I am now an award-winning blogger. (Not that I'd ever gloat about something like that...) And, I'm supposed to pass this thing on to five people, so I pick Howard Troxler, for his powerful way of pondering all sides in his writing, Kevin Walker, for having words powerful enough to hook me at an early age, Joe, for having the power to get his voice out there in trying times, Wade, for having the power to write about his dreams of wrestling and comics without stooping to the lowest possible level, and Keli, for having the power to call others out on their senseless acts.

Looks to be a chilly night...

2007-12-17T18:37:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I hate Florida life. It's very hot down here. From around March to mid-December, the weather is unbearable to me. I'm sweaty, grumpy, and lethargic.

However, there is one plus about living in Florida that trumps all other. Lording our winter weather over the Yankees. (Let's forget that I'm actually a Yankee for just one moment here...)

Even though I love snow, there is something to be said about the fact my tiny space heater heats my entire tiny apartment.

It's a chilly 46 degrees out there, so I thought I'd put the little baby to work tonight.

And, for those of you who demand multimedia excitement, I even took a video. ~~I'll have it up as soon as it's accepted on YouTube~~. Here it is:

Holi-daze

2007-12-14T07:31:00.000-08:00

You're driving to work this morning, and you remember you forgot to send Aunt Myrtle a Christmas present this year. What do you do?

You could scour eBay when you get to work and hope you find something nice in an auction ending in the next few seconds.

You could go to Amazon or Barnes and Noble and order a couple of books, hoping her tastes are similar to yours.

You could send her an E-Card, even though she sent you almost $50 worth of your favorite chocolates this year.

Or, even better yet, you could send her one of the many Gift Baskets from Delightful Deliveries.

A gourmet gift basket is a great gift to send the message "I love you enough to send you these tiny little sausages and some chocolates; it cost me a bundle."

Plus, Internet Retailer ranked the site No. 1 in the nation for 2008. Here's the press release about the honor:

DelightfulDeliveries.com Recognized as Hot 100 Retail Website

Internet Retailer Ranks Website Among Best in Nation for 2008

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DelightfulDeliveries.com, the premiere Internet Gift Retailer and America’s #1 Gift Basket Website, today announced it has been named one of The Hot 100 Retail Websites for 2008 by leading industry magazine, Internet Retailer. The Hot 100 list represents the best of what retailers are doing online, highlighting innovation and setting the standards in online for what the rest of the industry should be doing.

DelightfulDeliveries.com, a privately-held company, with one of the largest and most unique selections of gourmet gifts, ranked alongside larger sites such as Dell, Nike and Amazon.com, by building its award-winning site on selection, functionality, speed and the complete customer experience. A recent re-design has improved the customer’s shopping experience to make holiday gift-giving easy and enjoyable, including rating and reviews, behavioral recommendations and free shipping offers.

“We are extremely honored to be recognized as a pacesetter in online retailing,” said Eric Lituchy, Founder and CEO of DelightfulDeliveries.com. “We pride ourselves on using the latest technology to make gift-giving fun and easy. Being named among the best in the nation validates we are succeeding in our efforts to deliver the best possible customer experience.”

In addition to making Internet Retailer’s The Hot 100 list for 2008, DelightfulDeliveries.com was recently recognized by Inc. Magazine as part of its Inc. 5000, which highlights the fastest growing private companies.

DelightfulDeliveries.com offers over 2000 unique and delicious gifts from America’s best brands to the finest boutique shops. Consumers can easily shop the site by gift or food category, occasion, type and best-seller. Corporate gift-givers can choose from hundreds of customized gourmet treats.

For additional information, and to see a complete selection of gifts available, visit www.DelightfulDeliveries.com.

About Delightful Deliveries

DelightfulDeliveries.com is an award-winning website that began in 1998 and quickly established itself as one of the premier Internet gift retailers. Its mission is to bring great products to gift-givers, while providing world-class service. The company selects its offerings from a broad variety of fine food gift products for consumers and for corporate gifts, and gathers them in one place to make the selection process quick and simple.

This post was sponsored by Delightful Deliveries.

Speaking of New Orleans

2007-12-13T19:33:00.000-08:00

While I was browsing through Feministing, I saw a new post about protesters barricading themselves between a bulldozer and a housing project. New Orleans has to do some major thinking about how they want to rebuild the city. They can either tear down the affordable, low-income housing and kill the heart of the city, or they can build more low-income, affordable housing and keep New Orleans the multi-cultured, multi-hued, lively birthplace of jazz it's always been.

Remembering New Orleans

2007-12-13T18:28:00.000-08:00

The first and only time I visited New Orleans, I was on a road trip from Florida to Minnesota to try college on for a try.

This was New Orleans in all its pre-Katrina glory, although there was a hurricane on the horizon while we were there (it was the fall of 2000).

Even though my traveling companion wasn't that great (there are many, many reasons why I left him) The Big Easy became my favorite city, both for fond memories and my own fantasies. Before Katrine, The Advocate was my first choice paper to work at, because I wanted to be close to the city.

I love cities steeped in history. Walking through the picturesque streets and seeing the old brink buildings with wrought iron railings and accents was a perfect way to enjoy the day. Because we were there during the off-season, we got discounts almost everywhere we went.

I loved the altars at Marie Laveau's House of Voodoo and Reverend Zombie's Voodoo Shop. I bought witchy trinkets, a bright green feather boa, and a House of Voodoo poster I eventually traded for a Minnostan's soul.

I had Po' Boy sandwiches and frog legs in dive bars and found a used bookstore off the beaten track, where I bought a collection of Shakespeare for under a dollar.

I have so many fond memories of New Orleans, yet I regret I never got to take a tour. A historical walking tour or ghost tour would have been perfect.

The next time I go, I'm going to consider Trusted Tours & Attractions. There's even a Trusted Travel eNewsletter. If you sign up for the newsletter before Dec. 31, you can enter to win a free iPod Nano.

The times, they are a changin'

2007-12-12T14:16:00.000-08:00

And, so am I! After some consideration, I realized that my new Word Press blog should be my professional/ show-off blog, because it has some features that will show off my drive and talents. So, this will be my review blog.

Word Press will be my professional-type blog with my resume and other such things.

I'm going to start out on this blog with some blog reviews and branch out to book and movie reviews when the chance arises.

I'm also going to play around with what I can do on Word Press, so jaunt over there when you get a chance and let me know what you think about things like the layout and stuff. And, for those of you who have me on their blogroll and don't want to be inundated with reviews ever day, add my other blog instead.

http://wendylbolm.wordpress.com

I'm also going to continue to write for 451 Press

http://artistspassion.com

and Sticks of Fire.

http://sticksoffire.com

That is all.

I need a better bed!

2007-12-12T05:56:00.000-08:00

I'm posting this because, thanks to the sleep I just got, with my worn out mattress and two cats, I am obsessed with buying a new mattress/ mattress pad.

Right now, my mattress sags in the middle, making it impossible for me to get comfortable. It dips all the way down to box spring. I have a foam mattress pad and two blankets on the mattress for added cushioning, but they don't work. They do, however, bunch up in uncomfortable places.

Eventually, I'll probably get enough money together to go to Target and get a feather mattress. I used to sleep on a feather mattress all the time, and the experience was so much better than I'm having now...

Even better than a feather mattress, and something I definitely can't afford, is a Temperpedic mattress.

I've only slept on a Temperpedic once, and it was heaven. Angel Beds offers Temper-pedic type beds for lower prices, so when I have enough money to replace my entire mattress, I might consider buckling down and getting one of their memory foam mattresses. I'm always a bit put off by the memory foam mattress pads they have at department stores, because they seem so thin... A mattress seems like a much better option for me. Until then... An eight inch thick feather bed is in my future.

This post was sponsored by AngelBeds.

Working with PPP

2007-12-12T05:12:00.000-08:00

There are two more things I like about the PPP system I didn't have a chance to mention in the last PPP post, because I didn't know about them yet.

1. The sites I've posted about have been more reputable than I thought they'd be.

I expected there to be a lot more payday loan and free ringtone sites on there. But, I've written posts for the Amelia Island Web site, Sweeney Todd, and a new informational site. I can see how, in today's economy, using PPP as an advertiser makes good business sense. Think about it: You're the owner (or even just a marketing guru) of a Web site with a fixed budget. You can either pay thousands of dollars to an advertising firm for a campaign that may not work in today's digital climate or pay $5 a piece to 100 bloggers to advertise for you. I'd pick the bloggers.

2. The fact that I print my true feelings about a site/ product hasn't been counted against me.
Like saying the dating site should include OkCupid or that PPP makes me feel a little weird when I post it on this blog. All of my posts have been approved.

And, I have started my new blog, just for PPP and reviews.

Dating site reviews

2007-12-11T21:42:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time, I was a lonely girl on the internet. I was constantly trolling for guys on Myspace, and I was signed up for Yahoo! Dating, Match.com, Matchdoctor, and who knows what else. I was a dating-site-profile-making-machine.

I've mellowed a lot since then. The only dating site I still check every once in a while is OkCupid, and that's to check to see what new quizzes they have for me to take. My favorite are the zombie survival quizzes, I love to see how I'd do in a zombie apocalypse.

I think one of the reasons I was so unfulfilled with all of my profiles was that there was no handy guide to see which ones were made for me. Fortunately, there is now a Web site dedicated to reviewing Dating Sites.

Prime Dating Sites only has a few reviews up so far, but the reviews they have could have helped me in my more desperate days.

I would have known not to bother with E Harmony. I didn't know it was a site geared towards "heterosexual singles who have marriage on the mind;" I was rejected by their matching system right off the bat.

I would have also found out about Chemistry.com, which uses scientific guidelines to connect the lovelorn together.

While the Yahoo! and Match.com reviews are accurate, they are probably the least helpful for what I was looking for.

Because, what I was really looking for was OkCupid, and I found it long after I started dating someone. As a quiz-farm, OkCupid is great. As a dating service, it's also great, because it has an IM function, a bunch of questions you can answer to match your compatibility with other people, loads of quizzes to compare others' answers to yours, blog functions, and a host of users I was interested in. While I was using the other dating sites, I never met a single person off of them, because I just couldn't find anyone I actually wanted to meet in real life.

I'm really glad Prime Dating Sites is cataloging these personals sites for Joe Normal who wants to find a date on teh interweb. However, I think OkCupid is a good place to start when they write up their next review.

This post was sponsored by Prime Dating Sites.

Do you feel the outrage?

2007-12-11T21:13:00.000-08:00

I've begun to realize that the horrible things humans do to each other comes down to one root cause: dehumanization.

I've been reading (do not click the link if you don't want to see the horrible things people are capable of) The Rape of Nanking for the past few weeks, because I read a book about Iris Chang. I've read similar books about similar atrocities; I feel I should be a witness to the tragedies forgotten by history. We like to forget about things like genocide, and we do unless the victims fight to be remembered.

Through reading Chang's book and following some current news stories, I've realized that in every case of one human or many abusing another human or many the abuser/s have used tricks of the mind to turn their victim/s into something less than human. So, one of the reasons the Japanese could do things like hold Chinese beheading contests and rape so many women is that they didn't think of the Chinese as other humans. They thought of them as animals. The same thing happened to the Jews around the same time, during WWII. And on, and on, and on.

So, imaging my surprise/ shock/ disgust when I read about a 10-year-old rape victim in Australia. According to the (Australian) judge trying the case, the girl (an aborigine) "probably agreed" to have sex with the nine men who gang-raped her.

She then proceeded to give them lenient sentences and told them they shouldn't have sex with underage girls any more.

So, the rapists and the judge both managed to dehumanize a young girl described as having mild intellectual impairment.

The system that was supposed to protect her failed her.

Cool Place: Amelia Island

2007-12-11T20:33:00.000-08:00

I've been to Amelia Island once or twice, but it was when I was a kid, and I've been meaning to get back for ages. I might go soon, because now and through the end of February, the hotels and inns on the island are offering a Lodging Special.

For a reservation for two nights, you can get a third free.

I've never spent the night at Amelia, so I think this would be a fun getaway for me. I've been to their nature parks, and family members have brought in pretty impressive fish and oyster hauls.

While I do love the nature, and they offer eco tours, I think, for my dream stay, I'd do things quite differently.

Fernandina Beach looks like my kind of place. A small town lost in time.

The Ash Street Inn looks like it would be my hotel of choice for my dream getaway. They have a spa. They have cozy porch breakfasts. They even have wireless internet access.

I would probably go horseback riding on the beach during my stay; I can't even remember the one or two times I went riding when I was younger. I'd definitely check out the walking tour of the island and try to catch a river cruise that goes to St. Mary's Georgia.

I would eat at the sushi bar, because I'm weird like that and never pass up the chance for sushi. I'd also check out Cafe Karibo's gumbo.

At night, I'd settle in, turn on the television, and snuggle in my lush bed and breakfast bed. In the morning, I'd eat cut fruit on the porch right before a relaxing massage.

After earning a degree in a dying career field, I could use a vacation.

My secret desire...

2007-12-11T16:52:00.000-08:00

I've often fancied myself a bit of a drag queen. In fact, when I was a little girl, I really, really, really wanted to be a drag queen before I found out non-male people can't really sign up for the hallowed occupation. So, I immediately settled for the future title of club kid, because I was always watching the pretty, candy-colored people on talk shows.

And, even though I often marvel at my own beautiful body, every once in a while I wonder if I wasn't supposed to be a gay male. I've even been told by gay friends that the only thing I'm missing is a small but very necessary appendage.

So, really, what can I do? While I can change my appearance, I'm never going to make it as a gay man. It's biologically impossible, and I'm not willing to give up my girl card.

The answer?

Augusten Burroughs.

I vicariously live the life of a gay man through his books.

Burroughs is the best-selling author of Running with Scissors (a movie was based on it), Sellevision, Dry, Magical Thinking, and Possible Side Effects. I just finished Possible Side Effects today. Just like his other memoirs, I felt giddy the entire time I was reading it.

Okay, I don't really care about his crazy mother. Or, his brother and father. Or, even his grandmothers. I read his books, because he is (to me) a literary genius who manages to put all of his faults down on the page. I can relate to just about everything he says. I've lived in squalor. I have an addictive personality, even though I tend to eat instead of drink or spend hundreds of dollars on Nicorette gum.

Burroughs can be shallow, selfish, and judgmental, just like me. And, he writes about it all without apologies.

Someday, I'd like to have either enough strength or enough self-absorption to put myself out there like he does.

Using the Pay Per Post system

2007-12-10T11:55:00.000-08:00

So far, writing for Pay Per Post has been pretty easy. And, yesterday I found two writing gigs I wanted to write for; two gigs I would have written on my own, eventually. They were the Sweeney Todd post and the camera post.

I think I might start a new blog and transfer my PPPing to that blog. It will be a review blog for blogs, the internet, and general life things. It's just a little weird writing about serious feminist/ world issues in one post and promoting something in another. Which is itself weird, since I would have eventually written each of the PPP posts.

I think my biggest bit of weirdness is from their link system. Instead of using my own words, I have to copy and paste their links directly. So, the Pay Per Post link has to say make money. However, since this is advertising blogging, I can see why they would do something like that; they want their links to be eye catching.

And, really, I am already making money with the PPP system. More than I'm making with the 451 Press system, even though I've been writing for 451 for two months now. I'm making more in two days with PPP than I've made in two months with 451. There's definitely an upside to that.

The PPP system also gives me more freedom. I make a blog on whatever category i want, then I categorize it in the system and submit it for review. The review takes a while, but I didn't have any problems with it. 451 gave me the blog they wanted me to use, which was awkward to begin with, because I was taking over someone else's work and turning it into my own.

I also like that PPP has a variety of opportunities on their site, and the opportunities seem to be updated frequently. I had no trouble finding the Sweeney Todd or camera opps on my first glance at their bulletin boards. They were straightforward with what they wanted, and I didn't feel any moral twinges at accepting the jobs they offered.

Unfortunately, I don't have much to say about the pay system yet. I don't get paid for 29-30 days. Then, the money should be wired to my PayPal account. It seems simple enough, and the system counts down the days for me and alerts me if it has any problems. Soon, theoretically I will have a steady cash flow coming in. It gives me at least a partial sense of security; I now have what amounts to a steady job that will give me extra spending money while I'm in school. That's good; I get into way too many tight spots they way I'm running my finances now.

If I get enough money from this thing, I'm going to buy this. I'll get a pretty good discount if I buy it at the school computer store before I graduate. My laptop PC is falling apart.

New MP3 mix and writing

2007-12-10T06:24:00.001-08:00

Final Warning - Wumpscut
Noise Complaint - Bid D and the Kids Table
Time After Time - Cyndi Lauper
Shark Attack - Math the Band
Eyes Without a Face - Billy Idol
What We Do on Christmas - Atom and His Package
Screaming Infidelities - Dashboard Confessional
Under Pressure - Bowie and Queen
Staying Alive - Ozzy Osbourne
99 Luftballoons - Nena

Yesterday, my writing schedule worked well for both of my blogs and my novel. I'm well on my way to finishing up my novel either in this draft or the next one. I switched over my playlist again to change it up. I also managed to finish up my online class last night, so I only have one project I have to worry about for another class. I'm unsure of whether I like integrating PPP posts into my blog, but both of the posts I have so far are posts I was going to write anyways, so we'll see what happens. Plus, a lot of the writing opportunities on the site are closed off to Blogspot writers, so it might not be a problem. My next post is going to be about the PPP experience so far.

Why I love my Nikon Coolpix

2007-12-09T21:14:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time, I realized that as a journalist, I was going to need a good digital camera to take pictures with. My ex's camera (which I took) was getting shaky from being dropped five or six too many times. So, I went on a search for a camera with a 3x digital zoom, which I heard was a good thing.

I had the camera guy at Best Buy explain camera jargon to me and make his recommendations. I ended up buying a Nikon Coolpix, sure that within a few months my technical ineptitude would destroy it in one way or another.

I was pleasantly surprised.

I can take video with it. I can take pictures with it. The resulting pictures are hi-res enough for me to have published in Web sites, newspapers, and magazines. I've taken pictures of my friends, family, artists, artwork, my cats, and yarn.

Even better yet, I've managed to drop my camera, submerge it in both water and some sort of cleaning fluid, and lose it for days in my hot car, only to have it work once I've shaken it off/ dried it out/ cooled it down.

I think I've recommended it to just about everyone looking for a basic, point-and-shoot digicam, especially if they're not technically minded, like me.

The only beef I have with my camera is the shakiness of the "no flash" setting. With my old camera, I used to take pictures all the time without the flash on; I could eventually steady myself for a clear shot. Even one of my best friends, who is an amateur photographer, can't get a clear shot from the Nikon without the flash. But, I'm working on it.

Here's my favorite picture I've taken with my Nikon so far:

It's an unpublished photo I took for a print package about people whose lives have changed because of urban hip-hop. The graffiti is on display at Crossover Community Church in Tampa, FL.

I also, as I've stated, am very technologically unfriendly in many ways, so it's great having a camera that's (so far, knock on wood) virtually indestructible, even if I do eventually have to get a tripod to take artsy-farts pictures without my flash.

Here's a site that sells a bunch of Nikon cameras and other digital models, as well as a bunch of other stuff.

This post is sponsored by Ritzcamera.com.

Important things from the internet

2007-12-09T15:20:00.001-08:00

Yes, my livejournal friends are weirdos. This is from Tangerined, a MA based artist: hover bacon.

And, Lira Cruz, from Watching The Office, brings up a good point about one of my favorite blogs, Schrute-Space. The last post is dated Nov. 22, after the writer's strike began. If a striking NBC writer wrote the post after the strike, then they have a lot of explaining to do.

However, since I'm now pretty familiar with co-opt type blogs, where different people write posts under the same heading, and more familiar with corporate blogging, chances are a writer wrote the blog post long before the writer's strike, specifically for the holiday. There's also a chance that the writers who make the online content for NBC aren't TV writers, instead they might be employed just to provide online content. It would be interesting to find out who provides the online voice of Dwight Schrute and when they wrote the Thanksgiving post.

Best Christmas gift ever: Sweeney Todd

2007-12-09T10:19:00.000-08:00

Thank you, Tim Burton, for making your own movie version of Sweeney Todd and giving me something to do Christmas Day.

What could be better than a Tim Burton movie with Johnny Depp and Alan Rickman? Especially when Johnny Depp takes up the role as the "demon barber of Fleet Street?"

It's interesting, because my entertainment life has been filled with revenge flicks/ serial killer movies lately. The most interesting was Keeping Mum, a British comedy staring Rowan Atkinson and Dame Maggie Smith.

The movie begins with Smith's character as a young woman traveling by train. Her trunk is discovered with blood seeping out all around it; it is soon clear the young woman has committed the ultimate act of revenge: her husband was cheating on her, and she simply couldn't stand for that sort of thing. So, she killed him.

Fast forward to the present day, where Maggie Smith's portrayal of the polite, gentle housekeeper Grace slowly builds up a body count as she struggles to protect her new charges from both the outside world and themselves. The most interesting statement made by the film is that Grace sees murder and revenge as a necessity in an evil world, where she stands as sentinel against outside forces. Does the neighbor's dog keep the family up at all hours of the night? Well, then it has to go. Has the nosy woman down the street caught on? Off she goes.

The most powerful scene comes when the family's mother's lover is found spying on the daughter with a video camera. Played by Patrick Swayze, the man is downright creepy as he breathes hard and gives the unsuspecting teenager directives as he watches her through her bedroom window. It's impossible to feel remorse as Grace adds him to her body count. The service she provides is almost acceptable as she resumes her grandmotherly housekeeper role inside her household, although for much of the movie viewers are made to wonder if she'll turn against her employers.

Sweeney Todd has a similar need to protect his family, and some parts of the two movies' plots parallel each other. Without spoiling too much from either movie, here's a brief synopsis of Sweeney Todd and why it's awesome:

Johnny Depp's character, Todd, lives above a pie shop, where the owner is having a difficult time finding meat for her pies. To protect his daughter, get revenge for his wife's death, and provide for his new landlady/ piemaker, he starts building his own body count with his trusty straight razor. Out of all of the Broadway musicals out there, this is the first I've seen with a high body count and a wicked sense of humor. It's like The Phantom of the Opera, if the phantom was a homicidal maniac instead of a brooding outsider.

Sweeney Todd is a musical, which may turn some viewers off. But, it's also a demented revenge musical filled with gore, so it may make a splash in the box office. I know I'm going to see it.

For updates, trailers, and more visit the official Sweeney Todd movie site.

For an added bit of obsession, visit Sweeney Todd on MySpace.

Daft Punk Video

2007-12-08T13:56:00.000-08:00

The things Orianna Kurrus finds on the internet...

In lieu of Friday's Fabulous Fat Chick...

2007-12-07T15:07:00.000-08:00

I aim to misbehave.

Okay, I admit that's a pretty bad pun/ Serenity reference to start out a post about Missbehave.

I fell in love with this magazine a few months back when I noticed it at a local Barnes and Noble. Lo and behold, I saw it at my campus bookstore a few days ago and picked up the newest copy. I also plan on mailing in my subscription form in the next couple of days.

This magazine is the perfect brain candy for me, because it combines real women and bright, hot fashion. It's the new Paper with a more girly feel. (Not that I'll ever be able to truly give up my Paper addiction.)

Not only was this issue filled with enough club trends to keep me going for at least the next few weeks, but there was also an entire feature dedicated to my new obsession: ball-jointed dolls. I didn't know I was in desperate need of a $1,000 doll before reading that article. For cheaper dolls, check out this site. Even better yet, one girl's site dedicated to her dollies.

Yes, Missbehave is a glossy fashion magazine, and no, I do not usually read glossy fashion magazines dedicated to the newest advances in fake fingernails and hoodies. But, as far as glossies go, Missbehave is light years ahead of the times. They even have real-looking women (i.e. not suffering from eating disorders) all over their pages. So, because I love torturing my readers today (see above salivations over uber-expensive dolls), here's a breakdown.

Inside cover: Yay, a picture of a beautiful young girl in a loose-fitting tee and bulky skirt. I.e. something normal girls wear.
P. 33: Picture of a real subscriber! Yes, people who read the magazine actually get to be in it.
P. 49: Okay, with the clothes the girl is wearing, I can't really tell how much she weighs, but it's yet another picture of a young woman who isn't being exploited for being rail-thin.
P. 63: A beautifully done picture of a young woman and her dollie. The woman has short, curly red hair, glasses, and is definitely nowhere near a size 2. It's refreshing.
P. 64: A cute couple poses with their ornately bedecked dollies; the girl's dress matches her dollie and both real people look deliciously indie.
P. 66: Even better yet, a picture of a woman over a size 16. Are magazines even allowed to do that? Granted it's not an ad or photo spread, but I don't see many large-and-lovely folks in other fashion mags unless they make millions of dollars a year and are supposed to "inspire" the rest of us dregs.
P. 84: To me, it looks like the models in the shoot are a loving lesbian couple, one has piercings and wild hair. Fabulous!
P. 94: A two page spread of real women found clubbing. (No celebrities in sight, unless you count the fact that most of the women profiled are indie DJs, fashion designers, and musical artists.)

Like I said before, I find all of this very refreshing. When I find magazines and media outlets that show women as I see or want to see them, I support them with my money. No more emaciated figures and pop-star wannabes for me.

I just wish they'd add a bit more content. DIY apartment decorating, simple recipes for the glam and lazy, and fashion tips for bigger girls would all be much-appreciated.

Embracing a writing stupor

2007-12-07T12:25:00.000-08:00

The semester is technically over (I have one last project I need to keep an eye on), and I've decided my plan of attack for the next three weeks is as follows: write eight hours every day (unless I'm working at the bookstore), read as much as possible, and escape to my mother's house for laundry and food a couple days a week. I think it will work.

I'm poised to start working on the second draft of my first novel. I've got pens, notebooks, and my huge novel file at the ready. (In fact, this is me procrastinating against working on it.)

Because it's so overdone, I've decided to write a "what I'm listening to" post. So here's a sampling of my super-duper writing mix of doom I'm listening to as I type this.

Hair - The Cowsills
Even Hamsters Fall in Love - Hampton the Hamster
Don't Stand So Close to Me - The Police
Under Pressure - Queen and David Bowie
Stay - Blutengel
Indian Summer - Zero 1
This is Halloween - Danny Elfman

That's not everything on there, but I thought writer's mix v. 1 merited a write-up.

Dismemberment= Beauty?

2007-12-05T06:56:00.000-08:00

But, before I get into that, Happy Channukah!!!!! My landlady and I both sported menorahs last night, but hers has electric blue lights and mine has tiny, tiny birthday candles. It's cute, though, and the candles burnt out fast, so I didn't have to worry about staying up to wait them out.

Now, onto the serious (?) stuff.

I love MAC.
I love drag queens, therefore I love MAC.
It's all very logical.

Even my friend Brady wears MAC, which proves my point that every drag queen in the world wears MAC products. (If this isn't true, dish on the makeup brands, please! I need to know, I somehow managed to weasel my way into a local drag show. And, I'm not sure if Jeffree Star counts as a drag queen, but I'm using his image. He's too pretty not to.)

Even though I love the makeup, the creative team at MAC always manages to come out with an ad, a line, or a look that really bothers me. This year, the award has to go to their Of Beauty collection; the picture I see every time I go to the Of Beauty page looks like the dismembered head of a burn victim, displayed proudly in layers of shattered glass.

Weird fashion spreads of police scenes, hangings, and all sorts of violent acts against women (think serial killer spreads) have been pretty big in the world of high fashion for a while. Why is this so? This picture looks even worse in my blog than it did on the MAC site, because at first glance you can't say, "Awwww, that's just the kind of thing the artsy-fartsy artists at MAC would do." When did dismembered, charred heads become sexy?

Short fiction... By me!

2007-12-03T13:50:00.000-08:00

A story you say? Well, did you know they made a movie about me? It’s all very interesting.

Well, I guess you could say I made a movie about me. I was the muse, the source of funding, the casting director; I took a production going downhill fast and brought it into the light, so to say.

It was ahead of its time. It didn’t do well at all when it first came out, but you can still buy it today, on DVD. In fact, I have quite a few copies lying around, if you’d ever like to see it. Some would say it’s a bit of narcissism on my part, but who wouldn’t want to see their own life story memorialized for all time on a bit of shiny plastic?

I even lobbied for my charges to have parts in the production. That definitely was ahead of its time. Back then, freaks were kept in the shadows, sequestered in tents for those willing to shell out a few cents to peek behind the curtains. A whole movie about them was seen as the height of distaste. Instead of hiding them away, I thrust them into the national spotlight, only to have the ignored, or even worse, thought as hideous creatures to revile. But, I’m getting ahead of myself. Where to begin, where to begin?

I was born to a life in the circus. I was a beautiful young girl, coddled by my parents and loved by all of the performers who made their trade under the bigtop. I grew up amongst seals, elephants, clowns, and of course, the freaks who were popular in sideshows at the time. They had their own tent with a barker who charged for each attraction.

From a young age, I had tutors in song, dance, literature, languages, and gymnastics. It was understood I would one day become a part of my parent’s high-wire and trapeze show. Alas, they died when I was quite young. It was up to their circus family to take over their jobs in my life.

At the age of 15, I became the star attraction of Rosenthald and Regent’s Circus of Wonder. I could hear the gasps of my adoring audience as I tiptoed above their heads on a wire or flipped through the air off my trapeze. Their awe-filled faces became a blur as I executed precise tricks in the air.

Soon, my face was plastered over all circus promotions. I like to believe they came to see my well-publicized beauty as well as my daring acts. I have to admit, I carried a healthy ego around in addition to my talent and skill.

Unfortunately, the events that led up to my present condition were caused by my own pride and foolishness. Back then, I saw the other performers and workers in the circus as inferior to me, especially those in the freakshow. I thought up elaborate schemes to make them seem ever more pathetic than I thought they were. I befriended them, only to betray and make jokes of them. The most heinous act I committed was to steal a tiny man away from his family.

I made it clear I wanted to start a romance with the man. He plied me with gifts and eventually moved in with me. I had many lovers on the side. When I was assured the man was devoted to me in every way, I cast him aside in a public display. It demeaned him; he ran out of the tent weeping. The other freaks turned on me that night, but they set out for vengeance two days later, when the man was found hanging from my lowered trapeze.

At gunpoint, I was led to his body and restrained as they slashed at my face and body with any sharp instruments they could find: cutlery, switchblades, razors, it’s had to know what all cut into my trembling flesh. They planned to make a more elaborate job of it and accept me into their fold, as an entirely different kind of attraction.

Before they had the chance to do any debilitation damage, a roar sounded from somewhere close by. I could see a hulking, bestial monster throw the freaks to the side through my own blood and tears. With a growl, he demanded they end their defacements and bandage and nurse me. I remember it clearly as he told them if I hadn’t learned my lesson, I would every time I looked in the mirror. That said, he disappeared.

The next few weeks are a blur to me. While they had good intentions, the freaks weren’t doctors, and they weren’t likely to call one for me, a traitor and fiend. My body battled infection and was overtaken by fever. The freaks wondered what to do with me when it became clear I would never recover. Fortunately, the monster from the night of my attack was watching and waiting. As my life ebbed, he made a deal with the freaks and carried me away to a small island off the coast of New England.

He carried me to a small farmhouse, where his noble, cat-like visage changed into a shrunken, smushed in wreck. I was placed on a soft, relatively clean bed as he readied the room. He surrounded me with mirrors and gathered a bucket of water, some towels, and more blankets. From time to time, what I took to be his servants came in and out of the room and followed his orders.

Once everything was in place, he unwrapped my bandages. The undersides were covered in dried blood and pus; many times bits of scabs and flesh came off with the fabric. He was surprisingly gentle, even though his hands were gnarled and his fingers resembled claws. I was too far gone to register horror at his appearance, I only appreciated his ministrations.

I blearily remember glancing at my own reflection, but even this didn’t bother me.

I didn’t notice what he was doing until drops of foul-tasting liquid began to slide down my throat. That’s when the real pain started.

I soon realized the pain-filled howls were mine. My new caretaker held me and whispered to me as he wiped at my brow with warm, wet towels. Even though my mind was filled with agony, I couldn’t help but watch the fascinating sight of my wounds opening as my skin was pulled taut across my body. Soon, the wounds were dripping with a black, oozing sludge. My flesh seemed to wither, and a foul odor began to seep out from my skin.

After a few days of my transformation, my skin was taking on a distinctive gray cast, not unlike that of my new master. Where my wounds gaped open was now a tough layer of what looked like black, shiny leather. My lips stretched taut against my face, and my eyes seemed caved in and yellow. The majority of my nose was hanging to the side from a long, threadlike connection of skin; I decided to pull it off soon after. It wasn’t doing me any good.

This entire time, Master was sitting by me, feeding me blood from the strange creatures at his beck and call. His voice was quiet as he explained why he chose me. Why I was given the curse I now see as freedom. I have been given the chance to redeem myself for my former nastiness; that a man lost his life because of my evil intentions means I may spend the rest of eternity atoning.

Because of the size of the village we were in, he said it was impossible for me to stay. However, they would always welcome me in times of need. He helped me to learn the skill of 1,000 faces, so I would always be able to fit in with mortal and kindred society. He taught me some other things, then sent me on my way to rejoin the circus.

I took up my old role as aerial acrobat and took on the new role of protecting the freaks under my care, both from the normal performers and from the outside world. I also did double duty every once in a while, dropping my disguise in towns where the marks wanted to see some extra frights or taking on a new, lesser deformed persona. By day, I learned to hide myself from prying eyes while asleep, which was a must when we were on the road and were subject to inspections and investigations by the local police.

Now we come to the best part, my movie!

Because I felt so terrible about what happened to the midget who fell in love with me and wanted to make things better, at least for his family, after a few years I managed to get in touch with a film-maker who was all the rage in the kindred world. He directed a rendition of Dracula; I hired him to film a version of my own life story. I’d previously published a short story rendition of the events in a magazine, and I made sure he got a copy. I promised to help fund the film, if he would cast my freak-friends in starring roles and give me a hefty chunk of the earnings. My friends were thrilled to be off the road for a bit. They were also excited at the prospect of making a mainstream film that presented them as they saw themselves- as real people capable of love, greed, revenge, and the like. A few facts from my story were changed, and my own transformation was much different in the movie. But, everyone knew it was about me.

When they saw themselves on the screen, it was a delight to see the light in their faces. Even I took on a small role, in disguise. Unfortunately, the viewing public wasn’t excited about our endeavor. It was soon clear our endeavor was a flop. We went back on the road, and I tried to find more ways to support and nurture the family I’d destroyed through my old errant ways.

These days, all of my old friends are either dead or moved on. I know a couple are back with Master, in that old, forgotten town filled with generations changed by the blood he gives them. Before the last of the old ones died off, I followed them around the country until they moved to Gib-town; my family retired in Sarasota. Now there’s only one boy left for me to take care of, an orphan going to a school over there. This is the closest I want to get to the rebel territory, but I send him money so he can continue his education and rise above the lot the rest of society would like to give him.

But, he’s growing up. Soon, I won’t have to take care of him any more. While he might have children of his own, and I’ll always be there if he needs me, I think it’s time to make a place of my own. As one person, I can help a limited number of people. When I was out with the troupe, I took care of 20 to 30 at the most. With the backing of the Nosferatu and the Camarilla, I know I can help a greater number realize their full potential and give them safe places to live.

Master leaves his village less and less. Only a few islanders dare leave for the mainland; even they are too alien to venture across the waters. Even with babies born all the time, there is no place for me there. Too small of a blood pool. So, for the first time in my life, I’m venturing out on my own. I know it will be extraordinary.

I wrote this as a back story for my new Vampire: The Masquerade character, Tikvah. It's for an OWBN LARP; writing back stories is my favorite part of the character creation process. Picture is from Orianna Studios.

My last post before bed

2007-12-01T22:04:00.000-08:00

At a little over 17,000 words, I've finished the rough draft of my first novel. Now, it's time to finish my zombie novel and start on the second draft of my chick lit revenge novel. What fun!

Bernard the Jewish elf

2007-12-01T20:44:00.001-08:00

I was watching The Santa Clause on TBS a few minutes ago. It always tickles me a bit that Jewish dreamboat David Krumholtz plays Bernard the Christmas elf in the series.

It begs this question: Do dreamboat Jewish Christmas elves celebrate Channukah?

Movie review: Freaks

2007-12-01T16:23:00.000-08:00

I finally finished watching the movie Freaks after owning it for almost a month. I bought the film because of my love for Daisy and Violet Hilton, the original Hilton sisters.

The sisters were Siamese twins, and are contenders for being the most famous performers of their time. It's too bad no one remembers them. They had it all: they could sing, dance, act- the only thing holding them back was the tiny bit of flesh and cartilage holding them together.

Freaks was one of many undertakings that were supposed to revitalize their careers, which were suffering from America's sudden aversion from the freakshows that dotted the landscape only a few years before. In 1932, the viewing public wasn't ready for Freaks, which treated freakshow attractions like the real people they were. They especially weren't ready for the romantic scene where Violet gives her fiance a kiss and Daisy sets her book down and enjoys the tingles.

Freaks suffers from the same problems most movies from the 30s share. The editing is choppy and the acting overdone. However, the movie is filled with show-stealers.

The most notable scene stealer for me is Daisy Earles. A member of "The Doll Family," she was paired with her brother Harry as Frieda and Hans, an engaged couple. While by today's standards it is a little ooky to watch a brother and sister play lovers on the screen, I believe it gave Daisy a source of emotion for her scenes. Her nemesis in the film, the beautiful trapeze artist Cleopatra, steals Hans away from Frieda, because he has money to burn.

It soon becomes clear Frieda loves Hans while Cleopatra does not. Cleo keeps a lover on the side and makes fun of the other freaks whenever possible. Frieda's heart is torn asunder as she watches her true love fall head over heels for Cleo. The worst (or best) scene in the movie is during Cleo and Hans' wedding feast, where Frieda is one of the guests. She watches the festivities and Cleo's drunken, obnoxious behavior with tears brimming in her eyes; she knows Cleo's going to make a fool of Hans.

Watching Daisy on the screen, I was struck by how beautiful she was. She was also one of the better actors in the film. As the lovelorn Frieda, she was both elegant and regal. Inside of the film, she transitioned between a performer ready to go onstage to a woman in love to simply a woman trying to find her way through the minefields of a rocky romance with ease.

More scene stealers were the trio of pinheads, twins Zip and Pip and the unrelated Schlitze. They come off as gentle and childlike in the film; they kid around with the circus clown Phrosa, who treats everyone in the circus like an equal member of the troupe. They even come off as flirtatious as Phrosa promises to buy them new hats and tells them they're wearing beautiful dresses; he manages Schlitze's jealousy with ease and becomes a happy-go-lucky hero as most of the other "big normals" come off as callous at best and murderous and conniving at their worst.

The Missing Link provides small tidbits on the Freaks cast, where it is reported that Schlitze was really a man, even though he's referred to as "she" in the movie and was given the name Maggie in some of his shows. Unfortunately, he was institutionalized after his owner and manager (yes, owner) died and almost died himself, of loneliness. There is also an even better account of the life of Schlitze at the horrifyingly bright site There's Something about Schlitze.

Johnny Eck played Half Boy. A handsome man, Johnny didn't have a large part in Freaks. However, there is something special about him in the scenes he is in. He's perfect with his timing. When the other freaks discover the plot Cleo has hatched against their friend Hans, they retaliate. Even though Half Boy cowers in fear from men in the beginning of the movie, he helps the other exact their revenge against Cleopatra and her lover, Hercules.

Even more startling to the eyes was Prince Randian, who was billed as the Human Worm. Randian also has few scenes, and more than any of the other characters, seems to have been placed in the movie solely for his physical appearance.

For me, the saddest thing about the movie Freaks isn't in the movie at all. It's what happened to the actors after the film ended shooting. Tod Browning brought together a wonderful group of immensely talented performers, and many of them died in obscurity or worse, simply because they were different than normal society. Reading about their lives in the modern world is reading about horror after horror, from Schlitze's institutionalization to Johnny Eck's shunning of society after burglars broke into his house and sat on him to keep him from defending his property. In The Missing Link, Johnny is quoted as saying "If I want to see freaks, all I have to do is look out the window."

While some of the freaks (and, I use the term loosely and with a sense of irony) were mentally disabled in some ways, many of them were intellectuals and philosophers. Prince Randian was a Hindu who supported his wife and children. Johnny Eck excelled at school, and Angelo Rossitto (another little person cast in the show) was going to study law before he got into show business.

While the world's obsession with exploiting freaks benefited some, like Daisy and Violet who received a top-notch education because of their money making abilities, it held many others back.

At times, I wish I could have lived in the freakshow heyday and been some sort of advocate or at least a friend to these long-forgotten performers. Watching movies like Freaks makes me pine for those days. However, watching the film also gives me a grim sense of righteousness as the normals finally get their due.

The ending is bitter for Cleo and Hercules (who is killed) and sweet for Frieda and Hans. While Cleo lives out the rest of her days as a chicken woman in the freakshow, Frieda meets Hans at his new palatial estate, where everything is forgiven and the couple can live happily ever after. Unfortunately, too many side stories that were central parts of the movie were left with loose ends, the final minutes are unsatisfying to those who want to know what happened to the many other romances of the film.

Friday's Fabulous Fat Chick: Ann Wilson

2007-11-30T14:47:00.000-08:00

Sultry brown eyes. A powerful voice. And, of course, makeup provided by MAC. (According to her official site.)

No, I'm not talking about another drag queen, even though I love them so. I'm talking about Ann Wilson, the voluptuous half of the sister-act faces of Heart.

With a career spanning over 20 years, Wilson lent her voice to classics like Barracuda and Magic Man.

Unfortunately, I can't give you all of the sordid details of her life. I'm not a music person, but I can say I grew up listening to her music; her last CD was released in 2004. She's been a star longer than I've been alive, which must count for something.

I do have a complaint for her promotions team, though.

Stop hiding her voluptuousness behind her sister! Stop cutting off pictures of her to pretend she's not fat. She is. She's also one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen.

Have some respect.

The workplace is a'changin'...

2007-11-30T09:10:00.000-08:00

Would you let the woman to the left watch your children or hire her to work in your company? Or, would her piercings be a barrier to her entering the professional world, a reason not to hire her?

I just finished an article in the St. Pete Times about a young woman who was "fired" for a small, almost unnoticeable nose piercing.

She was told by her supervisor that it wasn't in her best interest to get a facial piercing. When she was told to take it out, she told her supervisor she would take it out and give her tw0-weeks notice a few days later. That night she had a change of heart and was upset when the tax collector's office she worked for wouldn't take her back.

Should this story be in the paper? Of course. Piercings are becoming common enough among young people to warrant a rethinking of corporate dress codes. As more professionals enter the workplace with piercings and tattoos, more workers are going to clash with their companies' policies. It's almost inevitable.

However, I don't think this particular case is a good topic for a news story. The fact that the woman in question was specifically told it wasn't in her best interest to get the piercing turns this away from the realm of public interest to a personal problem she had with her company. They were within their rights to fire her.

However, this story would make a great opinion column. Here's how I'd do it:

1. I would start out with Lauren's story and how one piercing introduced consequences into her life she'd never imagined.

2. I would continue with statistics on the rise of piercings in the U.S. and the impact it's having on the workforce.

3. I would try to showcase one or two professional businesses with more open dress codes that allow piercings and other body mods.

4. I would finish with ways the corporate world has changed over the past decade and try to finish up with advice from an image consultant or something similar as well as include a sidebar with tips on surviving in the business world.

I've never been accused of being the most mainstream person out there; however, I like to feel my resume speaks for itself. Most of my professors have fielded the "Wendy, don't worry about your hair color or what you look like, just write," talk with me. I think the topic of alternative styles is going to be pretty popular in the next few years.

And, just as an added bit of information, the woman in the picture up top is my friend Virginia. She gets paid to watch three little girls as a professional nanny.

Where do we go from here?

2007-11-28T17:42:00.000-08:00

So, I started this blog as a class project. Then, I realized how powerful a blog, if it is used correctly, can be. Now, I have to deal with questions. Questions like, should this blog remain strictly a feminist blog? Should I open it up to include more general news items and things that strike my fancy? Should I narrow my focus to writing about the process of reporting and the future of the newspaper industry?

Almost against my better judgment, I think I will open this up to become an opinion column. It's going to be my take on the world around me, with some reporting thrown in. I'm going to be talking about race. About feminism. About religion. The truth is, I think the country I love more than any other, the U.S., is slipping down a slope I'd rather not see it go down.

So, what do you think? Is broadening my horizons a good idea? Or, will my blog suffer because of it?

Yay, or Boo!

2007-11-27T06:26:00.000-08:00

In the interest of making money, I'm going to be joining a site that allows me to write about products and.... Make money off of it!!!!!!! I need monies!

So, some of my posts from now on might have "sponsored by" badges attached to them. However, I will not be writing about products I'm not familiar with, and I will not be supporting products I don't like. You will never see me gushing about the Rose Petal Cottage!!!!! (Unless the pod-people get me. Then, who knows what will happen.) So, let's see ho this goes. If it doesn't work for me, I won't stick with it.

Speaking of capitalistic opportunities, I'm having a super-serious-goth-superstar auction, because once again, I'm drowning in stuff I don't wear/use/need.

Where do I stand.... on abortion?

2007-11-26T13:06:00.000-08:00

Here's the nitty gritty, down-and-dirty, no-holds-bar stance I hold on abortion and related issues.

Do I believe every woman should have access to "safe" abortions?
YES.

Do I believe every woman should have access to birth control?
YES.

Do I believe every woman should have access to morning access pills?
YES.

Do I believe every pharmacy technician to have the right to deny customers their birth control prescriptions over the technician's own code of morals?
NO.

And, with the religious fervor and attacks over the Planned Parenthood Health Center in Aurora, Illinois, I am for the center's right to be open, to provide health care for women who need it, and to provide abortions to women who want them.

The best article I've read on the issue is from the Chicago Tribune.

Giving thanks, every day

2007-11-25T18:19:00.000-08:00

Why the odd silence over the holidays?

1. I was at my mother's house for the end of the week and most of the weekend.

2. I could have done the horribly cliched "Yay, this is what I'm thankful for Thansgiving post," but that's my style. Since I'm almost late on everything (see my lack of Fabulous Fat Chick posts on Fridays) I've decided to post what I'm thankful for today.

I try to be thankful for what I have every day. I don't really see the purpose of setting out to be extra thankful on a specific day. However, as an anthropology minor, I do see the good getting together and feasting with family units can bring forth. Holidays usually create one of the following reactions from the people I know: extreme happiness, suicidal depression, or indifference. I lean towards indifference in some instances, extreme happiness in others, depending on the holiday. (Yay, Halloween!!!!!)

Before I start rambling on too much, here are the top 10 things I'm thankful for every day:

1. My mother is here for another holiday. Two years ago, she managed to almost die, because when she feels sick, she holes up in her house, hides the severity of her illness from everyone, and lies in bed without eating or drinking.

2. For now, birth control is legal in the U.S. However, groups around the country are trying to promote legislation that would consider fertilized eggs to be independent entities with their own human rights. So, every contraceptive that keeps fertilized eggs from implanting in the uterus and many fertilization procedures that fertilize a number of eggs and only implant a few would be illegal (varying from state to state, at least at first).

3. I live in a country where, if I'm raped and go to the police, I won't be punished for being a victim.

4. I have access to a university library, where I just checked out The Rape of Nanking, Fire Wife, and Alias the Cat! I plan to review at least some of these titles soon.

5. I never have the money to get caught up in the whole Black Friday affair. Those people scare me.

6. There are so many LARP groups in my area, I could almost go to a game a day if I wanted to.

7. Zombie invasions. I might post pictures of last night, if I get the chance.

8. Over at "The Poisoned Apple", I just read that Joss Whedon is going to make a new series called The Dollhouse. I almost cried. I just wonder if the strike is going to throw a wrench into the works.

9. Two beautiful cats, who hate each other.

Okay, it's just the calico. She hates Sirius Black.

10. My muse, who I've named Troxie, and looks like a little gnome. (Think of the goblins in Labyrinth. He has kept me in some pretty good scenes from my last novel endeavor. I'm still behind, though.

So, what is this digital content worth?

2007-11-20T19:51:00.001-08:00

The writers from The Daily Show make their case for the writers' strike:

Zombie etiquette...

2007-11-20T11:49:00.000-08:00

Or, how not to make an ass out of yourself in a few easy steps:

The article's at Sticks of Fire.

Feminist Icons: Joeprah?

2007-11-20T07:06:00.000-08:00

One of the biggest debates in the feminist universe out there revolves around kids. Should we have them? How can mommies keep their feminist edge? Should mothers work, how often, and how many hours?

Both Bitch and Bust have studied the issue in depth. Feminist moms have their own blog, and Hugo Schwyzer studies topics like feminism and motherhood all the time.

Then, there's Joeprah. He's just a regular Joe out there, raising two daughters while his wife brings home the bacon. He cooks, cleans, blogs about toy grudge matches, and, best of all, dresses his little girls in boys' clothes, so they have enough room to roll around and get dirty as much as possible.

One of my biggest complaints about society today is that little girls aren't allowed to be little kids. They're supposed to always be looking ahead to that next physical milestone, when they can get their ears pierced, wear hiphuggers, get that tattoo plastered just above their rump, and marry that rich man who will take care of them for always.

If you're at work, turn down the volume on your computer; the following page links lead to sites that are equipped with sound.

At best, they're allowed to be children only as long as they can consume Rose Petal Cottages and the newest Disney Princess crap (it's a coincidence the Rose Petal Cottage ad is at the top of the Disney Princess Web site but not surprising). Don't forget about Bratz; I know I haven't.

Compared to mothers I know who obsess over their daughters receiving the most exciting pink accessories and painting them up to be younger versions of themselves, Joeprah seems to have a pretty good grasp on the whole fatherhood thing. Even with the weird stares of seeing a man out with his daughters or the well-meaning advice from women who think he's just another one of those befuddled but well-meaning dad's society likes to pawn off on us. Think According to Jim.

Today, more than ever, we need more male role models like Joeprah, who take what life gives them with a smile and a hug and doesn't complain that he could be doing more manly things like Nascar racing or fight-clubbing.

Instead, he has the most important job in the world.

TVLAND: Cold Case and Heroes

2007-11-19T20:17:00.000-08:00

So, trying to find a picture of Linsey Godfrey dressed up like a boy from her Cold Case episode "Boy Crazy" is more difficult than cracking the identity of a CIA operative. Apparently, pictures of her from last night's episode do not exist. So, pretend this girl really looks like a boy from the 60s:

Even better yet, pretend she has a short wiffle cut but is dressed in a bright pink prom dress and is lying at an unnatural angle, dead and washed up in the reeds of a lake's shore. Then, you'll see her as viewers of Cold Case did last night to bring home the concept that people don't like gender-ambiguous folks.

Like Brandon Teena in Boys Don't Cry, Samantha Crawford doesn't see herself as a girl. Instead, she views herself as a boy, or at the least, a tomboy who should be allowed to dress and do as she pleases. And, like in the movie version and real-life happenings of the Brandon Teena case, the world around her will not let young Sam be.

This is by far one of the most moving episodes of Cold Case I've ever seen. The show always seems to explore the humanity of the characters involved, especially when they go against society's norms. There have been interracial lovers in the time before the Jim Crow laws were repealed, gay cops presented in the black and white TV format of their era, and a couple of young punks who were accused of murder and convicted after they sought to portray themselves as the despicable monsters everyone said they were. In the end, the murders the Cold Case investigators look into are more complicated than they first seem.

In the case of young Sam, she has to deal with a school system forcing her to conform, two teenage bullies who have it in for her, a love interest who questions his own sexuality over his attraction for her, a father who is confused over what he should do, and a psychiatric facility with a "cure" for her deviant behavior.

They all contributed to her demise, finishing with a tearjerker ending. I have to admit, it got the best of me.

And, as long as I'm on the subject of getting all teary-eyed, Heroes got to me tonight. I think it was the fact Claire watched her father get shot for the second time. I've noticed a trend emerging. Every season, Claire is going to witness violence that tears her life apart.

Now, she has to live with her last real exchange with her father, where she told him she hated him. In the last few minutes of the episode, they played up her guilt.

Tonight's theme was control. Matt's control over Molly and Mrs. Petrelli. Hiro's control over time and his ability to save his father from death. Claire's father's control over her. And, the question of how Elle's father controlled her in the past.

Yes, Elle Bishop is the zappity electricity girl, played by Kristen Bell of Veronica Mars fame. She's sadistic, tarty, and apparently used to be all about rainbows and unicorns before The Company got to her. The electricity baked her brain, according to Claire's father, Noah Bennet.

It's going to be interesting to see if Elle's daddy really allowed her to become one crazy experiment in electricity. It's clear Claire's father loves her enough to die for her, twice over. Does Elle's patronly unit compare, or is going to let her down in the end?

Kevin Walker is a god

2007-11-15T07:02:00.000-08:00

So, TBO.com has a new entertainment gimmick: BOT.

Am I mentioning this because I'm technically an intern at The Trib?

No.

Am I mentioning this because I got to see the page in its test phases and thought it was cool?

No.

The only reason I'm mentioning it is because Kevin Walker is the host of the entertainment show. And, the video clip reminds me so much of something off of VH1, I have to watch it. Especially since I don't get VH1 any more.

So, who is Kevin Walker?

Well, once upon a time, I was a little girl who only read the comics and Dave Berry in the paper. Then, one day, I flipped to The Trib's entertainment section and came across "The Rail."

In the column, Kevin wrote about the hippest books, the most indie music, and tons of arcane pop culture knowledge. I read that column every time it came out, two to three times a week. I answered the trivia question he posed ever week. I wrote him letters.

And, when I got into the journalism program at USF, I set out to meet him. Which I did, and I landed a small-time gig writing book reviews for his book page in The Trib.

There, now that I've got that out of my system, check out BOT!

My idols: Anais Nin

2007-11-12T20:35:00.000-08:00

To some, Marilyn is akin to a goddess. She had the hair. She had heads of state. She was seductive in that naughty “I’m a little bit bad, and I pretend to be a bit vapid, but really I’m just a whole lot of fun,” kind of way. Even when she was posing for Playboy, there was a glamorous bit of taste thrown in as she posed on top of red velvet.

Others like Audrey, who managed to mix her girl-next-door naivety with an equal dose of grace. Her face was unique but held a demure beauty. Generations of women have held their heads up high to emulate her bearing since Roman Holiday earned her an Academy Award and shot her name out into the public sphere.

For me, Anais Nin is the closest thing I may ever have to a feminine and seductive role model. Instead of using her bad-girl sensuality or good-girl grace to captivate crowds, Anais used words. She also lived an internal life filled with books and letters. Her external life has caused some controversy, because she insisted to live by her own moral code.

While her fiction shows off her intellectual erotic style, the diaries published by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich offer a glimpse into her personal life and mind. Much like blogs try to do today, which makes sense. Blogs are diaries of a multi-media sort.

With so many authors of today and throughout history, their inner thoughts are lost unless they happen to be attached to the notes they kept for their books or in the letters they sent. Anais kept a detailed diary from the age of 11 until she died, giving the voyeurs of the literary world insight into her deepest thoughts and longings.

Probably the most well-known of her diaries, the “first” volume (from 1931-1934) chronicled her relationship with Henry and June Miller and was turned into the film Henry and June. It also set the stage for readers to question Anais’s sexuality. In her journals, she writes about her sexual and romantic relationships with women, starting with June, who she is in love with almost to an obsession. At the same time, Anais and Henry spend much of their time trying to solve the mystery that is June, who seems to lie and has made her life into a giant game of pretend.

It’s interesting to note Anais’s first husband was not mentioned in the first volume; it is unclear where he is, what he is doing, why he allows his wife to spend so much time with the Millers, and what he would think of her need to be around June at the expense of everything else in her life.

More than her literary works, Anais’s diary shows her to be a dreamer who escapes reality in her own head. For a few girls growing up today, it is easy to idealize someone over thirty years dead. To pick through her life and find clues on how to live a life more interesting and divine than 2007. However, we have a few advances over the men and women of the 30s, when her edited journals begin (not counting the later volumes of her earlier journals from her childhood on).We’ve made so many strides in social equality, it would be interesting to see if Anais would bother with erotic fiction in today’s society and if she would have stayed with her husband or left with Henry and June.

I think I love Anais the most because of all the questions she answers with her journal, her writing leaves a mysterious air about her persona. Anais Nin: lover, dreamer, vulnerable child, author, mystery.

Sickness, work, and important appointments

2007-11-08T19:16:00.000-08:00

I am still on the verge of being sick. I'll be sick for a while (like at four this morning), get worse, then feel okayish (like right now). So, I slept for two or three extra hours today. I also went to work, and I had an important appointment up until about an hour ago, so I haven't had time to post. But, there will be a post tomorrow! Until then, here's a link to my newest published article, which ran in The Tampa Tribune today.

Check it out.

Dangerous Books: The Girl Next Door

2007-11-06T18:37:00.000-08:00

It's easy to feel outraged over things that make us uncomfortable. That's why people ban books. Why they protest movies.

With my super-psychic powers, I can see a storm brewing. See, Jack Ketchum wrote a novel a few years back. The Girl Next Door. It's a hard read. The book describes the torture of a teenage girl; I had to put the book down multiple times before I got to the end. And, now it's a movie. It premiered on Oct. 3.

Even the horror reviewers, hard and calloused souls used to reading about all sorts of depravity, are getting the queasy "I can't believe this is happening" feeling I struggled with while reading the novel.

JACK KETCHUM’S THE GIRL NEXT DOOR is the best film I’ve seen that you couldn’t pay me to see again. Well made, flawlessly acted, clearly written. But these are just technicalities critics hide behind because, well, how often does a movie really DEAL with what it’s about? ~Dr. Royce Clemens~

I agree with Clemens when it comes to the book. It was well-written and hit all the nerves it set out to hit. It was also like reading de Sade. Something not to be taken lightly or on an empty stomach.

I can see the feminist groups now, carrying torches and pitchforks on the way to theaters playing the film.

Even the trailer makes me a little twitchy.

Poor Meg, the girl who's tortured, doesn't have a chance. The villain of the story is a housewife who sees in Meg all of her failures. She sets out to "educate" the girl on how to be a woman, which includes having the neighborhood kids tie her up, strip her, cut her with knives, burn her, and mutilate her genitals so she will never know sexual pleasure. Meg never had a chance.

The hero is a 12-year-old boy, the only neighborhood kid who sees how monstrous his buddies and the mother next door have become. Except, in the beginning, he gets caught up in it all, too. He figures out his own moral compass a little too late, and a little late to keep these events from changing him forever.

The thing is, I don't think feminists should protest. They should watch the movie and see what they're up against. Things like this really happen. Ketchum based the novel on a woman who scared him, a woman who really got the kids in her neighborhood to help her torture a young girl living with her.

Think this kind of thing wouldn't happen today? You're wrong. A woman in Naples, Fla. went on trial for piercing her daughter's genitals. Her story: her daughter is rebellious and she wanted to teach the girl a lesson by making sex painful. And, guess who is accused of having sex with the daughter? The woman's boyfriend.

Think the government really cares about us poor little women out there, getting hurt and mutilated? That it will protect us? According to Tracy Clark-Flory (wait for the site pass to process, then click on the Enter Salon link at the top right), the U.S. government doesn't give asylum to women who have suffered genital mutilation, even if they don't want their children to experience the same practice. They will, however, give asylum to women who face forced sterilization, because the loss of the ability to have children is deemed more reprehensible than the loss of a mere limb.

In some ways, it reminds me of the trial of the mother above. See, the jury deliberating over the trial had a hard time punishing the mother. In some ways, they can see where she's coming from, having to deal with a bad, rebellious daughter. And, what harm is it to forcibly pierce your daughter's genitals? It doesn't harm the ability to have kids.

Here's something else that makes me a little queasy: the power of fate. I received my copy of The Girl Next Door on Saturday. I read about the case of the mother while I was reading the book. And, I just found out about the movie coming out yesterday. Unfortunately, the timing was right.

I'm a contributor!

2007-11-06T05:23:00.000-08:00

My new posts are up on http://sticksoffire.com. It's a Tampa blog; it's a pretty big deal, because it's been known to scoop the major papers in Tampa on important happenings. I'm covering the art beat.

Hidden hydrogenated oils, p. 1

2007-11-05T06:43:00.000-08:00

After I ate my miso soup last night, I decided to check my bouillon label for hidden gluten/ wheat products. I overloaded my diet with carbs during Howl O Scream, thanks to the large portions of foods like lasagna and manicotti (not to mention the hamburgers) that cost next to nothing in the employee cafeteria. I use vegetable bouillon because, for less than $2, I get 25 cups of broth, as opposed to about a dollar per one or two cups for the glam, liquid veggie broths in the store.

I was reading through the surprisingly chemical names for a vegetable broth when I saw it. Partially hydrogenated palm oil. The horror!

Even in my unhealthy days, I did what I could to avoid the stuff. Then, the non-hydrogenated oil renaissance began. Even Doritos now come without the ooky, gooky, bad oils. I thought I was safe.

Now I know better.

You think I would have started scrambling through my cans and boxes, searching out the oiled fiend. But, no, I went about my nightly business until I decided it was time for a cup of hot cocoa. I picked up my super-expensive, gourmet, frou-frou box of Hershey's Cacao Reserve Mayan Blend hot chocolate and read the box once more, looking for the dreaded gluten/ wheat products. You can imagine my horror when I found, once again, the even more-dreaded partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (soybean and coconut oil).

While I knew the fatty, toxic oils still existed, I assumed a faux gourmet product like the hot chocolate and a food marked "vegetarian" would be free of the oils of death. I mean, partially hydrogenated oils are on the road to being banned, right? I mean, it explodes hearts. (Okay, maybe not. It just causes heart blockages and slowly kills the consumer.)

Now, I really do get to go through every single food product I own that didn't come in a produce bag and kvetch to the companies responsible for this. If you have any opinions on the use of hydrogenated oils in foods, please visit the Maggi and Cacao Reserve Web sites.

Domesticity

2007-11-04T12:15:00.000-08:00

Okay, I'm not a domestic woman. Especially not when I'm sick, like today. But, it doesn't matter. I live alone; I have to be domestic. Even if I'm sweaty and have a deep cough that makes my lungs hurt.

This rambling can all be traced back to feminism. I'm a feminist because I want to have options. I want to be able to go to school, work at a job I love, and live in my own glorious apartment for as long as it suits me. I want the same thing for men. I want each man alive on the earth to have the option not to marry, to live alone, work at a job he loves, and to follow his education as far as it takes him.

This probably seems like it will go to a long rant about feminism or lack of options in third world countries. However, in my delirious mind right now, it all makes sense, because it's all going back to domesticity. And, my lack of it.

I'm not a good cooker. I'm not a good cleaner. My idea of decorating is to slap as many pieces of art as I can onto the walls and (hopefully) make sure my sheets make their way back onto my bed at some point on laundry day. When it's time to sleep, I either slide all of the day's newspapers, books, and craft projects to the side or onto the trunk serving it's time as an end table next to my bed.

Fortunately, I don't have to be a domestic goddess. I have Teh Interweb. (That's "the internet" in silly internet speak, by the way.)

So, here are my top five sites for women like me, who are young, clueless when it comes to household matters, and want to enjoy a nice, quick bowl of miso soup when they're at home and sickly.

1. Fatfree Vegan Kitchen
Pretty much all of the recipes are quick, and many of them are kid-approved by the blogger's daughter, which means I will eat it even when I'm not in an adventurous mood.

2. Gothic Martha Stewart
Okay, I protest when people call me goth in real life. That doesn't mean I can't appreciate the more sensual, dark things in life.

3. The Crafty Chica
I love crafts. I love sugar skulls (even though I'd probably never eat them). I love color and projects to clutter up my house until I'm drowning in fun.

4. Method
Like many modern women, I have allergies. I also couldn't imagine sticking even gloved hands into a bucket full of bleach or breathing in the mustard gas concoctions my mother used to make to clean the house. Instead, I use Method supplies. They smell yummy, and the gingerbread scented soy candle I bought from Tarjay hasn't died yet, even though I bought it before Halloweenie.

5. Amazon
I need my books, and there's something about getting a package sent just to me that's pretty exciting, especially if it's a book.

Friday's Fabulous Fat Chick: Marjane Satrapi (and sickness)

2007-11-02T22:04:00.000-07:00

I know I'm actually sick when I get paranoid about my teeth. No matter how clean my teeth actually are, I decide bad oral hygiene is why my head hurts/ my tummy hurts/ I feel queasy. This is how I've been all day. Super-teeth-brushing/ sickness mode. Then, I went to what may indeed be a friend's going away party and decided my yarn falls were pulling my hair too tight and were causing my headache (which I'd had all day long). But, the show must go on. Without further ado, here she is-

Marjane Satrapi

I first found out about Marjane after reading her comic, Persepolis. Apparently, she's just made a movie based on her comic autobiography; it's showing in France, where Marjane now lives. The movie (and comic book) chronicle her childhood in Iran. Young Marjane doesn't want to wear the veil, listens to rock n roll records at home, and comes from a family where members disappear for standing against the new regime. She is eventually sent to Europe, where her parents believe she will be safer.

Marjane doesn't look fat to me, but in a Telegraph article, Sheila Johnston calls her buxom and mentions that Marjane's comic self is a lot more slender than the older, well-proportioned and healthy looking Marjane. That's good enough for me. If she's called fat in the media, she can be in my blog. Especially when her work takes such a serious and deep look at religion, government, gender roles, and so many other topics I care deeply about.

NaNoWriMo is upon us! And, non-sexy Halloweenies.

2007-11-01T10:10:00.000-07:00

I love November. It's when I set out to write an entire novel in a month. I have never won, yet I keep plugging along. I'm very close to finishing the first draft of my first novel; today I plan on writing about 2,000 words. I have no words so far.

I think NaNoWriMo's great, because it offers an open challenge to anyone who wants to join. So, kids in school are writing their novels alongside 80-year-olds, who are talking on the forums to the weird goth kid who lives next door to them. NaNoWriMo takes a very personal act and uses it to bring people together through forums, write-ins, parties, and competition.

In other news, I noticed a lot of posts in the blogosphere and media about sexy costumes. The Tampa Tribune, where I'm interning, posted an article about risque costumes and young girls. College Fashion.net wrote about older girls and "slutty" costumes.

Being the original ghoul I am, I decided to be a little sexy while still letting my creative juices flow. I was a Fight Club Fairy. No fairies were harmed last night. At least not by me.

Halloween's spectacular spooky chick

2007-10-31T07:44:00.000-07:00

Okay, they aren't spooky; they're adorable. And, they're technically not one chick. But still, I think it's appropriate to write about Daisy and Violet Hilton on the most wonderful day of the year.

The original Hilton sisters are a lot more interesting then their modern counterparts. Born to a young, unwed mother, the Siamese twins were seen by her as a punishment from God. She left them in the care of a pub owner who immediately set out to exploit their freak quality.

By the time they hit their teens, Daisy and Violet were the most popular entertainers in America, maybe in the world. They could sing, dance, play musical instruments, and their intelligence, grace, and vivacity enthralled millions.

The down side to all this is the sisters really just wanted to lead normal lives, get married, and raise families. Violet even tried to get married; she and her paramour fled through most of the 50 states trying to find a judge to wed them before their love disintegrated from the strain.

Today, with political incorrectness, you'd think the public's infatuation with Siamese twins and freakshows would be a thing of the past. But, it's not.

Dean Jensen just published The Lives and Loves of Daisy and Violet Hilton, and a musical was made from their story. The public cares enough about the sisters enough to add video clips of them to YouTube.

And, Siamese twins were even included in a stage show for Howl O Scream this year, Freaks.

I'd say the legacy of the Hilton sisters lives on; if only it wasn't at the expense of their happiness.

Night cyclers beware

2007-10-30T18:05:00.000-07:00

I love seeing a girl on a bike. Women in general need to raise their activity levels; I often hear my friends excuse themselves from activities like walking, biking, and climbing stairs because they'll sweat, their shoes are too uncomfortable, they'll hit the gym later, and a number of other reasons to take the easy way out.

From what I understand, or at least according to the Telegraph and Eric Smithers, one of my classmates, biking is in.

However, I have some advice from the bike savvy girls out there. If you're not riding appropriately at night, I will hit you with my car. Like I almost did tonight, if it wasn't for a pedestrian who yelled at me to stop from where he was standing on the sidewalk.

I don't usually look to mow down bikers after a quick jaunt to my local Tarjay. Here's what she did wrong:

She was riding on the sidewalk on the wrong side of the road and didn't stop when she reached the area where the parking lot lets out to Bruce B. Downs (a very busy, multi-laned road).
I waited for another biker doing the same thing, looked to my right to see if any more people were biking along behind him, looked to my left to see if the pedestrian was going to walk across while I was at a stop, then inched forward only to hear the guy shout at me to stop.

Her bike didn't have any reflectors or lights.
If it did, I would have seen the reflectors or lights moving towards me from where she was illegally riding on the sidewalk.

She was wearing black.
Also not good for my visibility.

Like I said, I'm all for biking, especially hip-chick biking. But, please, if you need to venture out at night, obey traffic laws (like using bike lanes and traveling on the right side of the road), make sure your bike is as visible as possible, and wear light colors and reflector pads so people can see you. If you're going to drive by a busy side street or business, make sure to stop at all areas where there's heavy traffic coming or going.

My new gig

2007-10-30T08:25:00.001-07:00

I'm going to start writing for Sticks of Fire, a blog about, for, and by Tampa residents! I'm going to cover the art beat!

http://sticksoffire.com

What I'm going to do with all of this free time

2007-10-29T19:56:00.000-07:00

NaNoWriMo!

I'm going to write a 50,000 word novel in thirty days.

I'm going to finish the first draft of my first novel before NaNoWriMo starts (on Thursday); it will only be a few months late.

I'm going to promote a local art festival going on this Saturday in Ybor by profiling some of the happenings and artists involved on Artist's Passion.

I'm going to write a special multi-platform series on courage. (More to come.)

I'm going to write some new reviews.

I'm going to read some more books.

I'm going to try my hand at ending racism by joining the Erase Racism Carnival.

I'm going to work on a possible short story idea I got from reading a Web Urbanist article.

Surprisingly enough, I'm also probably going to get more sleep.

Oh yes, and I'm going to make more squiddies for my study abroad in Ireland.

More of the freaks I worked with

2007-10-29T07:46:00.000-07:00

I'll get back to writing soon.

The freaks I've been working with the past month and a half

2007-10-29T06:36:00.000-07:00

Last night of scaring people

2007-10-28T07:58:00.000-07:00

Tonight is my last night of scare-acting. After this, I should get over my sleep deprivation and once again be able to add posts of substance to my blog. Tonight is also the unofficial costume party/ potluck in my area (it's going to be unimpressive; we have three people), and I'm bringing sushi.

In other news, thanks to Busch Gardens, I now have $25 in my "Send Wendy to Ireland for Study Abroad" fundraiser. I won $50 and used the other $25 for frivolous expenses, i.e. groceries.

Only $7,975 to go.