POWER AND STILETTOS

Long Time No See!

jjastle@att.net (Jennifer Astle) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 15:07:00 +0000

I'm not dead and I haven't quit writing. I have just been preoccupied with a few things and have neglected this poor little blog. To make things easier on me, I have decided to move all of my thoughts and such to one site. So please please please, if you're here on purpose or by accident, visit my portfolio/blog/writing journal at jenniferastle.wordpress.com.

Thanks for checking in and hope to see you there!

- Jenn

Possible Reasons Cheney Threw Out His Back

jjastle@att.net (Jennifer Astle) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:39:00 +0000

Image via CNN

Wrestling Joe Biden for the Vice Presidency.
Chasing Osama Bin Laden into a cave somewhere in Wyoming.
Getting down on his knees begging for immunity.
Lifting boxes of documents to be shredded.
Karma?

Farewell Bush!

jjastle@att.net (Jennifer Astle) — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 15:43:00 +0000

My Sister, My Paint Shop

jjastle@att.net (Jennifer Astle) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 00:54:00 +0000

Heavy on the Squeaky, Easy on the Clean

jjastle@att.net (Jennifer Astle) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 20:10:00 +0000

The Best Job in the World - Queensland, Australia

jjastle@att.net (Jennifer Astle) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 23:09:00 +0000

What if someone invited you to apply for a job where they will pay you $100,000 (US), provide a three bedroom apartment (rent free), and all of the snorkeling, swimming, boating, flying in helicopters, and sandy beaches you can stand in exchange for cleaning a pool or two and blogging about it weekly? You make a video and apply for the job, damn it!

Tourism Queensland is offering a job that appears to be too good to pass up. Applicants are invited to submit video applications expressing why they would be perfect for the job of Island Caretaker. The lucky winner is brought down under and given the job of their (MY!) dreams.

Yeah, you heard me. I'm gonna go for it! Pfft, pay off my student loans by sitting on a beach? No problem. But I need your help with video ideas that will show what I already know; that the job was meant for me! Craziness is welcome!

Ultra Luxurious Job Offers - Tourism Queensland Offers 'Best Job in the World' (GALLERY)

(TREND HUNTER) What's "The Best Job in the World?" Tourism Queensland has discovered an innovative way to attract quality job applicants: offer them a ridiculous amount of money to live on a gorgeous island--and blog… [More]

Via Islandreefjob.com

Vintage Sexism

jjastle@att.net (Jennifer Astle) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:07:00 +0000

"I'm sorry, you're too pretty to do any real work darling..." via BuzzFeed.

Of course Snow White and the seven dwarfs who look after her is a nice touch!

MORE TRENDHUNTER!

jjastle@att.net (Jennifer Astle) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 18:57:00 +0000

Vagvertising - GlaxoSmithKline Lactacyd Commercial Takes Place 'Down There' (VIDEO)

(TREND HUNTER) In case you have ever wondered what the world looked like to your lady parts, GlaxoSmithKline’s Lactacyd vaginal cream commercial shows you. I suppose it’s essential to keep the point of view of your target… [More]

TRENDHUNTER UPDATE

jjastle@att.net (Jennifer Astle) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 18:05:00 +0000

Nude Shockvertising - AnimaNaturalis Strips Women for Animal Rights (GALLERY)

(TREND HUNTER) Animal rights activist groups such as PETA and AnimaNaturalis have discovered the fine art of using the nude body to send a message. These images of AnimaNaturalis activists in Spain depict something much… [More]

Where The Magic Happens...

jjastle@att.net (Jennifer Astle) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 17:45:00 +0000

My office.

The Banning of Facebook Nipples

jjastle@att.net (Jennifer Astle) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:59:00 +0000

Facebook has been getting a lot of heat in the media recently about banning pictures of women breastfeeding because it is deemed "obscene" by the sites policies for posting images.

Blink.

Ok, all problems with social networking media aside, how is an intimate moment between a mother and her child, intended for the mom's list of friends and family, who she has presumably approved or been approved by, obscene? And why the HELL are people complaining about it? For example, the story connected to the video above is here.

Although some of the commenters are coming from an honest place, others are demonstrating their sheer disgust at a woman breastfeeding. It's really an eye opening series of comments.

But on to my point. Facebook doesn't say boo when a man posts a picture of himself coming out of a swimming pool shirtless. I see nipples, I see France, I see gender discrimination on Facebook.

The same people commenting about these breastfeeding moms being, and I shit you not, "attention whores", don't say a word about young, hot, drunk girls posting pictures of their weekend shenanigans. Why isn't that offensive, or attention seeking, hmmmmm? Could it be because nipples (and hot girls) are only there for your enjoyment, and god forbid we entertain the thought of their FUNCTION? Just a thought.

Now I am not saying that everyone should run out, make a nipple collage, and post it to Facebook. What I am saying is that if you want to censor nipples, you have to do it for men and women alike. Fine with me, as long as we play fair.

Oh wait, I forgot the classic argument. Men's nipples aren't sexy or erotic, they're normal, right? Says who? That only presumes that women are not sexually aroused by images of men. Ladies, thoughts?

It seems to me that we are backtracking a few decades here by even entertaining the debate that breastfeeding on Facebook is somehow obscene when we already allow women to do it in public. Here's a thought; don't look if you don't like it. It works for me and Fox News.

Whatever comes of this art project challenging Facebook, it goes without saying that Nipplegate ceases to go away...kind of like women, their babies, and their nipples.

Book Teaser

jjastle@att.net (Jennifer Astle) — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 15:13:00 +0000

I posted a few weeks ago about the book that I am writing and the progress I have made thus far. Currently the word count stands at 15,754 and is going on it's fourth chapter. I plan to have the book completed and ready for a literary agent (hello, are you out there?) by Summer. If by the end of 2009, I haven't secured a publisher, I plan to self-publish.

In the meantime, I always appreciate feedback about my work. So, after taking a big breath of nervousness, I am posting an excerpt (the very first page, to be exact). No one outside of a small circle of friends and family have read this, and it is the first piece of fiction I have written in nearly a decade, so I'm a little apprehensive about sharing it, but I would love to hear what people's initial reaction is. The central question being; if you picked this up in a bookstore and read this first page, would you continue reading it? Why?

In the beginning there were only the stars twinkling in the vast night sky. The life and death of a star was not more than a second and not less than a million years. In the beginning, understand, there was no echo of war, no pleading to the sky, no laughter, no life at all. All was silent. Lilith collided with the world in a blast that cracked the sky and brought dust up from the ground shadowing out the sun. The Earth shook from the inside out, oceans, mountain ranges and cold deserts of snow erupting from the ground. Then all was silent again.

For thousands of years she sat as the snow whispered around her, collecting on her eyelashes while she blinked for the first time. She gazed up into the night mapping the stars out in her mind, recording their ephemeral twinkles, tracing their travels across the blackness until they appeared to her again. Her fingertips danced across them like braille. She read them. The moon presented itself to her, a cooler quieter version of the sun. It cast an eerie light across Lilith that made her appear to glow. Sometimes, if the mood struck her, she would stare at the moon for years on end.

Once the dust began to settle and the sun shone longer and brighter Lilith decided to walk. She could be seen, had there been anyone there to see her, walking naked in perfect form, only the bottoms of her feet black with the soot that had settled on the ground when she was born. She felt no hunger, no pain, no fear or loneliness. Behind her she left no footprints, no trace of her existence.

The wolves were the first to see her walking across the face of the Earth. Their ears pricked high when they heard her body cut the air as she walked through the night. Their heads dropped low to the ground, leaving their skinny shoulders pointed high towards the stars. She allowed them to follow her for some time. Occasionally she would stop, listening intently to the silence as they seemed to hold their breaths. Then she would continue, the pads of their feet hitting the snow softly as they obediently followed. Their tracks said they were following a ghost.

Shameless Self Promotion is a Beautiful Thing...

jjastle@att.net (Jennifer Astle) — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:57:00 +0000

It's a new year full of new goals, one of those being to actually make an honest living from writing...directly or indirectly. That's where shameless self promotion comes in particularly handy. When life hands you lemons, you make T-shirts.

Thanks to my wonderful hubby, who had the foresight to gift me PaintShop Pro x 2 this Christmas, I have fixed up my CafePress store with all sorts of goodies featuring the Power and Stilettos logo.

I also plan to use some of my more artistic skills to create other designs, which I will feature from time to time. So, if you love me, check it out. Maybe someday I'll even be able to pay the logo designer. Pretty please!

Tina Fey Gets Her Period

jjastle@att.net (Jennifer Astle) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 12:47:00 +0000

Via Jezebel

JibJab - 2008 Year in Review

jjastle@att.net (Jennifer Astle) — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 14:38:00 +0000

And for my fellow political junkies...

Thoughts on 2008 and Hopes for 2009

jjastle@att.net (Jennifer Astle) — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 12:52:00 +0000

Is it really over already? Did it all go by so fast? A year ago, to the day, I was in my apartment in Toronto spending my first Christmas away from my family. I bought Justin a Nintendo Wii and he bought me my prized computer (my laptop had died, and I officially threatened to jump out a window if I didn't have a PC and an Internet connection). We celebrated New Year's Eve quietly at home.

In January I went about my business of being store manager for a women's clothing store in a nearby mall. Justin went about the business of being a service engineer and traveling constantly. One day he came home from a job and both of our lives began to change forever. He was offered a job that payed well, wouldn't require him to travel and would see us both permanently in Toronto. His company wouldn't let him go that easily and offered him a job in Kansas City, Missouri.

I remember the day we talked about it seriously and realized that we needed to take the next step before we could make the next move, so to speak. And so it was that we became engaged and prepared for our wedding which would take place only four months later.

Spring came and I quit my job. We traveled to Kansas City to prepare our living arrangements and then flew back to travel 16 hours (Canadian nostalgia moment; we calculate distance in time) to attend our wedding.

On the morning of my wedding I sat at a lunch table with Amy, Jeremy, Lindsay, Iain, and Patrick. I looked at each one of my friends, some had been with me for almost a decade, others had been there only a few years but I was overwhelmed with love for these friends. As much as I was gaining a lot by getting married, I knew I was letting go of sloppy "pretty girl" nights with Amy, hearing Lindsay point out the assholes (and usually be right), tea and AbFab with Iain at four in the morning, and vino and Patrick's cooking at the manor before a long night of dancing until the sun came up. Then I had to leave to throw up.

I found the stability in a relationship that I had always wanted. I found a man who I trusted, which is saying a lot for me. At the end of May I was looking forward to a drive across North America with my handsome new husband with our end destination being our gorgeous brand new home and an exciting chapter in his career.

Somehow I accidentally became a housewife. I'll admit that for the first month or so, I took full advantage. I watched every movie we owned and took afternoon naps. After 50 hour weeks in three inch heels, I meant to enjoy my little vacation.

That got old fast though. My laziness only has a shelf life of about a month and then I become incredibly restless. I started to miss my family badly, and came to the realization that my little sister was now a little woman and was quickly approaching the age at which I left home.

I began to feel older for the first time. I also had a lot of time to think about what I truly wanted to do with my life while I waited for my employment authorization to be approved. Somewhere along the way I began to think about freelance writing.

A friend of mine suggested that I start a blog to keep myself busy. I love writing and I am never short on opinions and thus Power and Stilettos was created. This fed into my freelance writing desires. I also realized that if I had just thought about it earlier, if I had not been wearing the blinders of academia and striving to be published in that arena I would have realized that writing was what it was all about all along. But, then again, everything happens for a reason.

In the few months since I've started, I have enjoyed moderate success. I haven't made a fortune, but I still marvel at what I have made appear out of what seems like thin air.

Of course there is still the lingering reality that at some point, I have to get a job that pays a steady wage. Bitch has debt to pay and although freelancing is where my heart is, it's not where my wallet is yet. Until that day I am destined to work a crap job, unless I get one where I can write which would be like heaven and nirvana colliding.

Barack Obama was elected President, and for the first time I looked at America a different way. Oh yeah, I forgot, the economy collapsed which has made it almost next to impossible to get a job. So I continue to write, and I continue to send my resumes everywhere. I'm a Sagittarius, somehow I always manage to find a way.

I started writing a book. I became a year older. My mother's health improved and mine worsened. I grew up a lot. We bought a truck.

Christmas came and went again. Justin seemed hell bent on spoiling me this year, all of his gifts things that touch my creative side and keep me happy. I realized again how grateful I am to have a husband who sees that about me.

In 2009 I'll celebrate my first wedding anniversary, talk with my sister about her first year in high school, travel home to see my family for the first time since our wedding, and smile proudly at her wedding as Amy marries the man she loves.

In 2009 I'll start earning real money again. I may not know exactly how, but I know that I will and that's enough for now. When it rings midnight on January 1st I'll start worrying.

In 2009 I'll finish my book and hopefully find an agent to sell it to a publisher. I'll start walking my dog more, he's getting older and the exercise would do him and I some good. I'll miss the friends I don't see and die of excitement when I do see the ones I cross paths with. I'll love my husband and my family until it hurts. I'll worry about the lines that are starting to show under my eyes, and quitting smoking. I'll settle into my life as a liberal Canadian living in the Midwest of America.

What will you do in 2009?

MORE TRENDHUNTER!

jjastle@att.net (Jennifer Astle) — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 14:45:00 +0000

18 Reasons Michelle Obama is a Cultural Icon (CLUSTER)

(TREND HUNTER) Drag queens and the Associated Press have one thing in common: They love Michelle Obama. With the announcement that editor Mandi Norwood is penning the Michelle Obama Style Guide for Avon that is due out… [More]

Caroling Kitchen Appliances - Microwave Installation Sings "Jingle Bells" (VIDEO)

(TREND HUNTER) Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way...oh what fun it is to have a microwave that sings...

People do strange things, especially around the holidays. This group decided that a stack of microwaves… [More]

Adhesive iPod Speakers - Sleek, Portable Sound That Sticks (GALLERY)

(TREND HUNTER) iPod accessory providers like Yorozu Audio are really “milking” it these days. The latest addition to your trousseau of iPod-related gadgets is this set of milk carton speakers.

Evidently milk cartons… [More]

Viral Coed Breakdowns - Sobbing Sorority Sister Just Wanted Snow (VIDEO)

(TREND HUNTER) This video, which features a sobbing sorority sister, has been causing quite a stir in the blogosphere. The video went viral after her sorority pals filmed her breakdown following a prank gone wrong. Jezebel… [More]

Stylish Subway Entrances - Toulouse, France Introduces Modern Art to Public Transit (GALLERY)

(TREND HUNTER) Artists are introducing style to the subway system in Toulouse, France. Imagine you are walking down the street on a rainy day, off to ride public transit yet another time. Of course, you feel good about… [More]

Bloodthirsty Lighting - The Liquid Lamp Oozes Drama and Creativity (GALLERY)

(TREND HUNTER) Fans of Twilight will be delighted to see these disturbing designs by Caina's The Design Shop. Based in Japan, The Design Shop produces these blood lamps to have a doubly dramatic effect: they appear to… [More]

EVEN BLOGGERS TAKE VACATIONS

jjastle@att.net (Jennifer Astle) — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 14:38:00 +0000

Merry whatever you celebrate!

I'm out for the holidays but promise to be back on the 26th! Hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday season!

TRENDHUNTER UPDATE

jjastle@att.net (Jennifer Astle) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 18:40:00 +0000

Latex-Coated Desserts - Korean Condom Ice Cream, A Treat You Can Suck (GALLERY)

(TREND HUNTER) If you can’t, just can’t, seem to get enough of the taste of latex, you’ll love Condom Ice Cream. This treat comes packaged in cutesy wrapping depicting a turtle suspiciously, placed behind a blob of what… [More]

Naughty Christmas Sculptures - Paul McCarthy's Santa Isn't Kid-Friendly (GALLERY)

(TREND HUNTER) Paul McCarthy is known for his bizarre art and his versions of Santa seem to surface each December, with this year being no exception. Gone are the days when Santa held a tree in McCarthy's sculptures,… [More]

Fastfood Perfumes - The Burger King Flame Lets You Smell Like A Cheeseburger (GALLERY)

(TREND HUNTER) Burger King has resorted to inventive marketing strategy recently; undoubtedly as an attempt to capitalize on a credit crunch market that favors cheap and fast food. Combine that with the powerful psychological… [More]

Custom Nintendo Proposals - Will You Mario Me? (VIDEO)

(TREND HUNTER) Geeks and gamers can do almost anything with Nintendo products, including propose. This software for the Nintendo DS allows your Peach to solve a puzzle before being prompted with a custom marriage proposal.… [More]

Edible Designer Replicas - Nancy Wu’s Clutch is Made Out of Real Beef Jerky (GALLERY)

(TREND HUNTER) Chanel and beef jerky were two seemingly unrelated ideas, until now. Just in case you are so poor after purchasing that new Chanel replica handbag, Nancy Wu has designed one that is edible! Wu is a design… [More]

Wii Remotes for Hippies - The Hemp-Mote Is Perfect For Tree-Hugging Gamers (GALLERY)

(TREND HUNTER) Wii accessories are all the rage this holiday season, with the newest addition to the Wii family being the Hemp-mote. This Wii remote speaks to the hippie, who wants their video games with a side of eco-love. … [More]

Controversial Drinking Glasses - Yes, That IS a Dog Peeing On The Side of Your GLass (GALLERY)

(TREND HUNTER) Take a nice big gulp from these novelty drinking glasses from the “Moist and Merry” series by Donkey Products.

The Donkey Product drinking glasses are sure to spark conversation at any dinner table as… [More]

DON'T DO THAT : SPEECHLESS EDITION

jjastle@att.net (Jennifer Astle) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 18:36:00 +0000

Yes, absolutely speechless.

h/t Gawker.

TRENDHUNTER UPDATE

jjastle@att.net (Jennifer Astle) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 19:21:00 +0000

Peculiar Bauble Jewelry - Unusual Accessories for Quirky Tastes (GALLERY)

(TREND HUNTER) Feast your eyes on Clever Girl Industries, which produces some of the most stunning and fabulous costume jewelry you'll ever see. If you're gifting for that exceptionally strange, hard to buy for person,… [More]

TRENDHUNTER UPDATE

jjastle@att.net (Jennifer Astle) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 17:52:00 +0000

The Birthday Suit as Couture - Fashion Mags Skip Rags, Save Money (GALLERY)

(TREND HUNTER) We know that fashion designers often try to be ironic in their designs. Social trends influence fashion trends and vice versa. In the face of the current credit crunch, fashion magazines are imitating… [More]

'CAUSE IT'S MY BIRTHDAY AND I'M A DORK LIKE THAT

jjastle@att.net (Jennifer Astle) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 17:23:00 +0000

Personalized Cake Celebrations - 10 Impressive Customized Baked Creations (GALLERY)

(TREND HUNTER) Everybody loves cake! So why wouldn’t you love a custom cake designed just for you?

For the avid amateur Facebook photographer, the Nokia cake is sure to be a big hit. The techie geek in your life would… [More]

REVISITING THE CASEY ANTHONY CASE: BODY FOUND

jjastle@att.net (Jennifer Astle) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 13:39:00 +0000

Things are starting to move along with the Casey Anthony case in Florida. Over the past few weeks Casey Anthony has pled not-guilty on the charge of murdering her daughter, Caylee. The prosecution faced a difficult case without the body of the little girl, despite forensic evidence of decomposition in Anthony's trunk and numerous pieces of circumstantial evidence (text messages and the like).

The media was breaking news for a while about what Casey Anthony was eating (according to Nancy Grace criminals should go to bed without their dessert), what she was buying (volumizing shampoo, I hear those prison cells can be mighty humid). Now they have genuine news to report.

The remains of a small child were found less than half a mile away from Casey and Caylee Anthony's home. Currently, the police have not confirmed whether the remains are Caylee's, but let's be realistic for a moment. It is sad, but pretty much a given that this body is that of Caylee Anthony. The finger is also being pointed at the Anthony family with a media spectacle that involved the police wrapping the house in crime scene tape. How very CSI Miami of them.

I have a question for the police. How in the HELL did you miss that body? Which raises other questions. How long has it been there? If the test results reveal that the body has not been there long, then inevitably Casey Anthony's charges must be re-examined, or an accomplice sought. If they have been there since the summer, it begs the question as to how the police failed to notice A BIG BLACK GARBAGE BAG WITH A BODY IN IT, laying on the ground?

It's a no-win situation, aside from the fact that it might bring us one step closer to understanding what happened to the little girl. With this new evidence and the trial pending, it should make for interesting news. I'm tired of hearing about what brand of razor blades Casey Anthony shaves with.

Images via CNN

DID I EVER MENTION THAT I HEART JON STEWART?

jjastle@att.net (Jennifer Astle) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 18:39:00 +0000

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Mike Huckabee Pt. 2

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video