Post, the Second

Okay day 2, post 2 of my post something every day for a month (NaBloPoMo or something like that).  Let’s see what shall we talk about today….  How cold it is in my house right now perhaps?  Yes, let’s discuss that shall we – it will be fascinating…. wait, wait, don’t go I was going to make espresso…

Decided to stay?  Here, have a blankie … So, anyway, I currently have all the doors to the house open trying to warm up the inside to the temperature it is outside (at the moment around 60 degrees outside – it was 50 degrees inside when I got up this a.m.)  Oh, not to worry – I am a woman of a certain age to whom cold is a relative term (or should I say therm – ha, HVAC humor).  I’ve been just fine up to now but it looks like the weather is going to take a turn towards the slightly colder so I’ve got the heating/cooling people coming tomorrow to look at the heater.  Depending on what they quote me to fix it I may or may not be warmer tomorrow.  The warranty expired on the silly thing in May, so of course it waits until November to break down.  Oh that’s right I’ve known about this since early November but haven’t acted on it cause I was out throwing money around like, well, like me – I throw money I don’t even have around – its called “credit” – marvelous invention.   I know, I know I should have spent my employee bonus on the heater rather than an iPhone but it wouldn’t be as much fun…. plus with the iPhone I can instantly check the temperature and weather conditions and my e-mail all without having to come out from under all the blankets… okay enough rambling….

Here, here’s another little something from my shop – we have to pay for the heater repair somehow so feel free to visit the store and purchase liberally (its going to take a lot of $3.25 sales to warm this place up, doncha know).  Click on the image to go to the store – “After All this Time” – please be warned that it does refer to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and if you haven’t read it and don’t want to be spoiled – don’t go there.

I can customize this as a Crhistmas card for you if you’d like.  Just drop me a note at the store.

December 1

Alright I’m going to do it.  While I haven’t officially joined the ranks of NaBloPaMo (National Blog Posting Month), I’m going to try to post every day this month.  I heard that snickering out there.  You don’t think I can do it, do you?  Well, franklyI’m not too sure I can either.  November was a whirlwind of a month and December doesn’t look like its going to slow down but I’m going to try, just to see if I can.  I will post every day – even if its just a line or two of nonsense.  I know, I know what I usually post here is nonsense anyway – man, the hecklers around here are vicious… oh wait… I think those are the voices again…

Alright, ready, set go!  That was it.  My first post for December.  And since I might as well shamelessly self promote.  Here’s a link to my Etsy store where you will find this (click on the photo to get there please)

How to catch a vampire…

 

Tired of sitting by the window with your neck exposed waiting for that special glistening one? Well wait no more! Hang these beautiful beads from a curtain rod, window, door frame and let the glittery blood red crystals work their magic and lure the vampire to you.* Even if they don’t work their magic, the beads are beautiful to watch sparkle in the twilight as you drift off to sleep.   These are available at my Etsy shop – please click on the image to go get them!

 

 

*Note: Use with caution. Not all vampires are young, cute and friendly like Edward! I refer you to an image of Nosferatu.

 

The Vampire Catcher  is approximately 19 inches long, looped on top and made with cloisonne red heart beads, quartz, tumbled garnet, glass beads and crystal beads and comes with a little card explaining their use. click on the image! They make a nice stocking stuffer for that vampire chasers on your list from tweens to those who remember Lugosi.

I went to Vegas and fell in love

I know, huh? And at my age too.  Its embarrassing but you know when it happens, it happens.  I wasn’t expecting to become so utterly infatuated, so completely devoted.  And its the type of teeny-bopper love that makes you want to stop total strangers on the street and let them know how you feel.  I am now back home and still feeling the same way – apparently what happens in Vegas does not always stay in Vegas.

I know its wrong but I am completely and totally in love with my iPhone.  Yes, me who shunned cellphones up until a couple of years ago when for traveling reasons I grudgingly purchased a pay-as-you-go minimalist phone from VirginMobile.  Half the time the battery was uncharged and weeks would go by before I would use the phone.  It served its purpose.  But then one day, for many years of service, I was gifted by my employers with a rather handsome gift certificate to the Apple store.  After thinking about it for six months or so and researching all my options, I dropped in on the 21st century to see if I could tolerate it.  Well,  my, my, my how pleasant the future is.

I took my iPhone on its maiden voyage – my brother and I were escorting out of town relatives (way out of town from Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay out of town) to Vegas.  I used the phone to coordinate and keep constantly informed of where in the casinos my brother (with the octogenarians) was while I (and the underaged one) saw the sites and non-gambling, non-drinking attractions.  I used the my iPhone to take quick pictures, check the weather, verify the time in South America, as an alarm clock, to check my e-mails and let my poor cousin going through internet-withdrawal check hers and surf.  We had forgotten to bring the Southwest info for check-in for our returning flight – I just brought it all up on my new bestest friend.   And the coup de grace, that just sealed the deal on my love was when while walking back to the Luxor, we arrived in front of the Bellagio, video camera in hand,  hoping to see the dancing waters.  We had no clue what the schedule was so I googled it on the iPhone and voila, we knew the next show started in about 15 minutes.  Many, many is the time in the past that while traveling that I wished I had instant access to the internet – it makes life so much easier.  I know the iPhone is not the only phone you can do this with, but it is the coolest phone you can do it with.  It looks good, works great and its easy to navigate and I’ve not even started using the iPod feature or purchasing apps for it…. sigh … my love just grows.   I know this is old hat to most but to me who remembers looking for a pay phone so I could call someone to go to my house to check the flight information that I had left on the front of my fridge door – its magic!  

P.S.:  I just recently started wearing hearing aids and I was worried about not being able to hear properly with the new fangled contraption.  No worries there either – I can hear just fine.  The speakerphone is not quite as loud as I would like but really I don’t need to use it much.  The ringtone could also be a bit louder but since the phone is never more than 3 feet away from me (I even use it as an alarm clock) that issue is also moot.  My other concern was going back to AT&T – so far, they are behaving themselves – except for the $11.00 worth of taxes and fees they tack on to the bill and didn’t mention when I signed the plan – I have the cheapest plan s0 $11.00 makes a difference to me but at this point I’m hooked on the phone.   Oh, and the camera, not the best but I’m not looking for the best out of it – just the luxory of having immediate access to a camera in case the Mother Ship should make an appearance.

Deleted!

I’ve been away for a little bit and came home to find some HBP news  on the net – an eery scene that never made it into the Half Blood Prince.  Its rather good in my opinion but I can see why it was kept out of the film ending as it was edited (I didn’t like the film end as it was edited).  This scene gives us an idea of what the film could have looked like if they had rushed less and had taken the time to tell the story properly.  It is also available here at the Leaky Video Galleries) but here it is on YouTube….

I’ll refrain from heaping praise on Rickman – the few seconds of his performance speak for themselves.  I love the choral reference and the dark yellow green look of the cinematography reminiscent of Prisoner of Azkaban.  Hopefully, there will be more like this (including the It’s over line) on the dvd.

Dixie Cup Bats

My six year old nephew dawdles.  He has his own sense of time and of what’s important.  While I’m rushing him in the morning to get dressed, eat breakfast, brush his teeth, etc., he has his own agenda.  He handed me this the other morning in the midst of my hurrying him along….

I had to stop and marvel at it.  Its a bat made from a dixie cup.  He made it on the spur of the moment.  Opened the cup up, got a marker, drew and created a little vampire bat. 

Pretty cool.  He took a look at on object, saw its potential and created something completely different than the original out of it – wow.  I still marvel at the simplicity of it.

Eels End Times Revealed

Check out the Eels web page for the news:  Eels   End Times is a new album set for release in January.  Check out the Rock Hard Times for more info and analysis.  I’m still hoping the beard goes.  As for the title “End Times” – I’ve been doing a lot of media editing lately and I was wondering if the “end times” has more to do with editing an album than with biblical prognastications.

Eels End Times?

This is the new intro page to the Eels web page:

Apparently “end times” will arrive on January 19, 2010.  There is speculation as to what it all means (check out speculation at Estranged Friends forum if you’re interested).  I personally think that’s the date the beard gets it (and not a moment too soon I might add)!  To back my theory, here is a link to Spinner.com story wherein E supposedly sent in this:  10 Things You Didn’t Know About the Eels singer’s Beard which appeared about the same time the “End Times” front page did.  Case closed.  Frankly, I miss E’s face …. 

I’ve been vulcanized!

This is it!  Now I too can be a Vulcan … perhaps a slightly manly Vulcan, but a Vulcan just the same (I couldn’t find a female Vulcan).

(I had the jpeg here but it was even creeping me out – so I took it down.)

Its enough to make my geeky heart giddy.  I kind of like the hairstyle – it takes about 20 years off my age doncha think?   Or maybe its the ears that do it…. You can vulcanize yourself too – just follow the link below for the full clip (with audio) and then vulcanize yourself and send me a copy!

http://www.trekyourself.com/?mId=31630190.3

Skull Crayons!

How do I make these you ask? I take nasty bits of broken black and grey crayons and force them into molds with the severed pieces of brighter and once happier crayons. I then climb to the tower  ….. why, yes I do have a tower on my lovely home… how silly of you to ask….  Where was I, oh yes…. I climb to the top of my tower, on a dark and stormy night and wait for a bolt of lightning to strike and fuse them  …. into …. into  (cue the organ music)…. Skull Crayons!!!! bwahahahahaha …. (…altho’ they do look a little zombiesh to me).

These are perfect for Halloween treats especially if you don’t want kids wired on sugar.   This is a set of 8 crayon skulls made from only 100% Crayola crayons (so I know they’re safe for kids to use). They are all different and the colors within the black and grey will vary. The size of each skull is approximately 1.25 inches by 1 inch by about 3/8 of inch deep.  I can package them as one unit or individually clearly marked as crayons  so no one is tempted to pop it in their mouths – altho’ they are non-toxic, nasty tasting, but non-toxic – don’t ask how I know they’re nasty-tasting…. just take my word for it.

Click here or on the skulls to go buy some!