The Law of Blogity

The One-Sided Mirror Ceiling

2008-11-05T10:20:00.006-05:00

Coffee just isn't doing the trick this morning. I sprang out of bed with only 4 hours of sleep, and indulged in a few minutes of news surfing just to assure myself it wasn't all a dream. Now, I'm peacefully tired for the first time in a long time. There are countless articles and reactions about Obama's big win, and I don't wish to echo those reports, but record my sentiments for my kids before they fade from my notoriously weak episodic memory.

I guess even though I sucked it up to knock on doors for the man and stood in line for hours just to get a glimpse of him in person, I was nearly convinced that democracy in America was a joke. That "they" were going to purge , rig, and preach John McCain into the white house, no matter what. That is the difference between today and yesterday for me. There is no "they", there never was, but my generation was somehow lulled into that notion after a lifetime of political doldrum and exclusivity. People like to talk about shattering glass ceilings, but surprisingly the "highest and hardest" had nothing to do with gender or race. It was that misconception that WE couldn't make a difference, that WE weren't really a part of the process, that WE weren't the ones running the show. The glass in this ceiling was a one sided mirror. We didn't have a clue what the view from the roof would be. There's still some time to take it all in, but I think we're pretty anxious to get to work installing solar panels while we're up here.

Image courtesy of Hopeful in NJ on Flickr

Palling Around with Scientists!

2008-10-09T21:52:00.005-04:00

During the 2nd presidential debate, John McCain slammed Obama for earmarking $3M for an "overhead projector". Maybe teachers flipping around transparencies and the smell of dry erase markers came to mind for you.

The Adler Planetarium in Chicago is what he was referring to. From their website, adlerplanetarium.org:

"The Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum has taken the lead among planetariums world-wide in establishing an astronomy and astrophysics research group in a museum setting. Adler Planetarium astronomers possess rich and diverse expertise in many areas of astronomy as well as other closely related science fields such as particle physics and geophysics. Several members of the Adler Astronomy Department also hold joint appointments at the University of Chicago and Northwestern University."

If you call that pork, then break out the BBQ sauce, because I do not want to pass on a world to my kids where institutions like this have withered away due to underfunding and science classrooms have posters of humans walking alongside dinosaurs.

For serious. Copernicus must be orbiting in a heliocentric system in his grave.

Duhbate

2008-10-08T01:20:00.014-04:00

I watched the debate live, but found myself a little too mesmerized by CNN's "focus group response analyzer" to read much into what they said. Certainly, the gaffe heard round the world was when McCain called Obama, "That one."Color me impressed that minutes later a "That One" group popped up on facebook(as in, "I'm voting for That One!").They are running a repeat on MSNBC right now, and I noticed something pretty disturbing. I'll be using snippets from the transcript, and you can read the whole thing here.

The first question, from a senior citizen, Alan Shaffer, a white male asked, " With the economy on the downturn and retired and older citizens and workers losing their incomes, what's the fastest, most positive solution to bail these people out of the economic ruin?"

The answers were rather stumpy, not much worth noting. McCain's explanation wasn't train wreck...energy independence, buying up bad loans and renegotiating mortgage rates. Keep in mind though, that the participants asking questions were not given any opportunity to contribute additional questions or comments. So, moving on to the next question from the audience.

Oliver Clark, a young black male asked, "Well, Senators, through this economic crisis, most of the people that I know have had a difficult time. And through this bailout package, I was wondering what it is that's going to actually help those people out."

McCain: "I left my campaign and suspended it to go back to Washington to make sure that there were additional protections for the taxpayer in the form of good oversight, in the form of taxpayers being the first to be paid back when our economy recovers -- and it will recover -- and a number of other measures.
But you know, one of the real catalysts, really the match that lit this fire was Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. I'll bet you, you may never even have heard of them before this crisis."

If abruptly suspending his campaign wasn't just a publicity stunt, then why wasn't this move cited as part of the "fastest, most positive solution" that Alan had asked about? Maybe that part would not have rubbed me so wrong if his tone of voice hadn't changed from the last answer. He sounded like he was addressing a grade school classroom while answering Oliver. Also, he assumes the young black man has never heard of Fannie and Freddie. Oh, but it gets better...

McCain (still answering Oliver): "So this rescue package means that we will stabilize markets, we will shore up these institutions. But it's not enough. That's why we're going to have to go out into the housing market and we're going to have to buy up these bad loans and we're going to have to stabilize home values, and that way, Americans, like Alan, can realize the American dream and stay in their home."

Look, I don't normally blog politics, but I haven't seen this brought up yet. I don't care how inadvertent it was. It's probably one of the most blatantly racist displays in politics I've ever witnessed...and I mean the kind of racism that is just tattooed on a person's soul no matter what kind of pretty face they put on.

MY POINT, JUST TO BE CRYSTAL CLEAR: McCain assumed that the older white gentleman was a homeowner, and that the younger black gentleman was not. McCain assumed that the younger black gentleman had, before the financial crisis, paid no attention to the matters of Wall St. or home ownership. McCain told an African-American that he's going to stabilize home values so that a white American can realize the American dream.

EPIC FAIL.

Dubbya

2008-09-29T10:02:00.002-04:00

Strange Folk was everything I dreamed it could be, but frankly all I want to do this morning is lounge around in fuzzy slippers and aimlessly surf the internet before I tie up loose ends and put the gnome to bed. Caught this newly released W. trailer on Digg and couldn't contain my enthusiasm any longer:

WTF?

2008-09-24T19:23:00.004-04:00

You think I have time to blog? Ummm. Noooo.

You're going, right? We have giant mushrooms and fried Snickers bars, and 120 artists who I think deserve 700 billion way more than asshole bankers.

Girls Love Their Toys Too

2008-04-30T13:38:00.003-04:00

Husband is on his way home to take me to the airport, and I'm playing with my new camera! "It was an early Mother's Day present.", I explained after I bought it.

Current TV just e-mailed us that they will have a set up for live blogging and vlogging, so maybe you will hear from me again over the weekend. To hold you over, I want to show you something special I made to lug around all my crap in. You saw it here first: The Blogging Backpack

It DOES have Boober on it, for now. See you at Maker Faire! XOXOXO

What I Did for Earth Day

2008-04-22T11:41:00.000-04:00

Where have I been lately? Oh ...here, there, and everywhere . Etsy, I love you, but you published my sake face all over your internets. I have been working on all this right under your noses, or while standing on them. Or maybe I've never even seen your nose...

There is no need to wax poetic any further, but Blogity demands the inside story. So, the night after giving my presentation on the environmental impact of crafting, Leslie, EJ and I were hanging with Rachel at her loft. She was tying up some lose ends in the office and yells at me to get in there, but I'm more fascinated that Leslie and I brought the same pair of pants. Finally, Rachel strong-arms me into her desk chair with an open e-mail on the screen in front of me.

It was from the editor-in-chief of Craft:
... they want me to speak at Maker Faire.
We jumped around and drank a lot of port wine.

The next morning, I get an e-mail from my editor at Crafting a Green World offering me the position of head writer! I couldn't stomach more port, but walked a couple blocks to get good coffee. Mind you, I am in the middle of downtown San Francisco this whole time, not far from Haight-Ashbury. Upon returning, Etsy asked me to write that article for The Storque, and I'm slated to publish another in the November issue of Craft. This was an odd conflict to address. I actually left a lot from my talk out of the Etsy article, so it's definitely not the whole story!

So, in about a week, I hop on a plane to California once again. If you will be at Maker Faire, I know that I'm speaking to the makers on Thursday, to everyone else over the weekend(not sure yet on my time slot), and performing a craft demo called "Geurilla Pattern Making" on Sunday at 3. Come throw fruit at me.

It's ironic that we had an earthquake in Illinois between my trips. What was I doing? Thinking that since I had to work at the coffee shop the next day, I would hear a lot of people talking about what they were doing at 4:30 in the morning. I wish I'd been doing something cool, like meditating in a meadow or having sex.

If you want to do something cool besides those two things, you could contribute to The Eco-Crafters List of Demands on Crafting a Green World, or make tire sandals. The rest of my day will be spent designing a backpack with Boober on it. I might even make it with stuffed legs that hang down to show off his adorable Fraggle Toes.

D.I.Y. Disaster Movie in 10 Easy Steps

2008-03-20T21:13:00.012-04:00

1. Watch Mega Disasters on the History Channel religiously. There are plenty of untapped scenarios you can base your plot on. May I suggest a Gamma Ray Burst? Why has no one jumped on this??

2. While creating your script, be sure to use poetic license within scientific explanations. Much of your audience will have the audacity to reference your "facts" during "intelligent" conversations. The rest of us will get a good laugh when you are roasted by Phil Plait. It's a win-win.

3. Required characters include: Renegade Scientist who does not work for the government, Heroic Woman with no sex appeal but pretty enough to cause obnoxious romantic tension with Renegade Scientist, Pompous Ass Scientist that works for the government, Black Guy, Cute Nerd, Benign Government Liaison, and various useless characters that can be shot down like skeet.

4. No one takes Renegade Scientist seriously. Regardless, he should receive high level security clearance within 10 minutes of telling Benign Government Liaison the bad news.

5. In the room where Renegade Scientist meets with the joint chiefs/president/generic committee to explain said impending disaster, don't forget to include a smorgasbord that no one partakes of. This serves only to benefit Renegade Scientist, who serendipitously uses fruit as a visual aid.

6. Said impending disaster has plenty of warning signs. The worst of which should level a large European city, kill thousands and destroy priceless landmarks. Things are taking a turn for the worse, but contagious optimism continues.

7. An obvious visual or audible clue is required to let the audience know the government is hiding something. The government is hiding something.

8. Boys love their toys, so don't forget the importance of acquiring/building/stealing/ a multifaceted impenetrable vessel and specialized weapons. Bonus points for anything phallic in appearance.

9. Pompous ass scientist redeems himself either after being terribly embarrassed, or just before he is killed.

10. Can't think of a good ending? Take the easy way out: blur together various newscasts of hopeful recovery while the sun sets (or rises) amidst a peaceful landscape.

Note: You can make that royalty check out to Autumn Wiggins.

Republican Rainbow Yarn

2008-03-06T19:52:00.010-05:00

Rainbows are following me everywhere this week. I dug one up from my yarn stash at an inopportune moment:

Autumn: "Go away rainbow. I'm feeling a little too emo for you right now. I want to listen to Emily Jane White and and eat Stephen Colbert's AmeriCone Dream, but only because I'm hungry, and too lazy to cook anything."

Rainbow Yarn : "I understand, but don't lie, you are craving sherbet. I can read you like a book, and I'm a ball of fucking yarn."

Autumn: "A cussing ball of yarn? That's too bad, you were going to be knitted into legwarmers for my niece."

Rainbow Yarn : "Bullshit! You want me all to yourself, you hippie bitch!"

Autumn: "Wow, you sure are a smart ball of fucking yarn, aren't you?"

Rainbow Yarn: "Look, I'm just getting so tired of you left wing liberals with your pork barrel spending, trying to save the planet, and all that shit."

Autumn: "Has someone been watching Fox News in my home?"

Rainbow Yarn: "No, didn't you read my label? I'm 70% wool and 30% Sean Hannity toupee"

Autumn: "Well, I was close. You are right about me though. I'm going to macrame your ass into a bookmark for myself, but you will only be used in non-fiction by Keith Olbermann, Lou Dobbs, or Al Franken."

What happened after that is a mystery. I thought my stash box was safely stowed away, but somehow said yarn must have "fallen out". Eli proceeded to chew it into a million little knots while I was out shopping.

I still made a bookmark.

The end.

I'm Blogging for Green! ...Options!

2008-02-13T10:17:00.009-05:00

Ice is falling on people's heads in Chicago. I know how that feels, because a packet of teriyaki sauce fell out of the freezer on to my foot yesterday.

You can now add "Freelance Eco-Craft Blogger" to my list of professions. Recently I contracted with Green Options Media to contribute 2-3 posts a week on their environmental blog network. Mainly you'll see me over at Crafting A Green World, where I will be sharing ideas for sustainable supplies and projects, featuring eco-friendly microbrands, and displaying benign acts of civil disobedience. Check out my first post, where I show you how to do your taxes!

Other multi-author blogs on this network include:
Ecoscraps
PlanetSave
Sustainablog
Eco Worldly
EcoChildsplay
Clean Technica
Ecopreneurist
Gas 2.0
Green Building Elements

An added super-duper feature of Green Options is the PlanetSave Free E-mail system. After you sign-up, every e-mail you send through the interface will save 5 sq ft of Rainforest land! How cool is that?
Now, go bookmark/ subscribe/ stumble/ reddit/ digg/ tag/ syndicate your little heart out, but most importantly, read. :)

Happy Valentines Day, Luvies! Is my husband as unsentimental as I think he is? Find out Friday!

Do you ever dream in Stumble?

2008-02-11T22:18:00.000-05:00

I did last night!
There was no computer, and no surroundings. Only this rectangle screen in front of my eyes. The StumbleUpon toolbar remained at the top, and I was able to click on buttons and links just by thinking about it. I think all the pages were products of my imagination. It's getting blurry now, but I remember a "John Kerry for Guinea Pig Rights" site that had American themed colors and graphics. Also, a candy store site done in Flash, where gnomes were eating ice cream in cones made out of flower petals.

You can check out my Stumbles in waking life here:http://autumnelayne.stumbleupon.com.

In related news, I recently signed up for Facebook.
It's the shit because:

Clean layout, and no schizophrenic template customizing.
A search function that makes sense
Really useful and fun extension apps
I can display the Blogity RSS feed in my profile
I can display items from my Etsy Shop in my profile
Real-time display of my StumbleUpon activity
I can stump for charities
I get to poke people!

Now, that's one tasty mix of syndication, nonsense, and interactivity. Such is the Law of Blogity. See you tomorrow...here and elsewhere :)

On the "3/4 of" 12th Day of Blogity

2008-02-08T01:14:00.000-05:00

We're going back to pithy title format...
because 9 action-packed, fun-filled posts have been had.
because 9 is a sexy number.
because my RSS Feed looks like the Articles of Confederation.

Ya heard? I'm a Nimrod in the morning:

That's enough to make you stop the presses, I'm sure.
However, I was magically able to redeem my barista composure at work:

We at The CoffeeHouse Co. respect your freedom of coffee customization. If you think a Griffindor should be Cinnamon and Banana instead, we can make that happen. If you want a Ravensclaw frappe, or Hufflepuff french soda , no problem. I'm already concocting potions for our next installment: Harry Potter and the Order of the Latte...how does a Many Flavored cappuccino sound? My boss kicks so much ass. She is even going to let me create a menu of presidential candidates this summer. Now there's even more at stake for the nominees!

You know Mitt Romney wants nothing more than to be immortalized as a foo-foo drink. If that's the case(lets hope it's not), I would love to see his name next to "White Chocolate Lavender Rasberry with Extra Whip and Shprinkles".

Ok, tell ya what. I'm all about democracy.
I will post a list of all our syrups(we have 30+!) here once the candidates are announced, and you guys will get to nominate flavor combinations. Hopefully there will be enough participation to constitute a latte election :)

On the 8 1/2th Day of Blogity: Bikini Time!

2008-02-01T13:41:00.000-05:00

First thing's first. I'm sorry to say that due to all the complications that stem from immense amounts of water in solid form, you won't be seeing String Theory stuff at Indie Valentine :(
However, as soon as I have a chance to snap photos, that merchandise will be in my long abandoned Etsy shop.

Now, take a look at this photo from last year. Tube sleds are awesome, but eventually they pop. Such was the case after our last snow storm. As the white stuff descended on us again Thursday, I began a desperate search for some trusty plastic saucers(because they don't make the kick ass metal ones anymore!).
Instead, I was confronted by no less than 12 racks of swimsuits upon my arrival at Target. Not to mention those horrid bermuda shorts...are they really the big thing AGAIN this year?

So, I guess NONE of you have lost a glove, or suddenly outgrew your snow boots? It's just not necessary to carry seasonal essentials in stores anymore during the season, because we are all so fantastic about planning way ahead, and our kids don't experience growth spurts. Not to mention, 6 year olds are perfectly capable of keeping tabs on numerous items of clothing!

Leave it to Ace Hardware to be reasonable. We are sledding like it's hot, and staving off frostbite with mismatched isotoners :)

On the 8th Day of Blogity: Useful Output

2008-01-28T00:25:00.000-05:00

This time of year is always interesting to me. I hear a lot of talk about the nasty weather and feeling the post-holiday blahs. It's understandable. There are no more family gatherings to plan for, and no shopping sprees to be had. Activities are so scarce, that even those who scoff at sports anticipate the Super Bowl , or at least the half-time commercials. It's a nice change that the primaries are right now. The future leader of the free world is in fact a tad more important than whatever ridiculous new flavors that Doritos have in store for us this year. Try the Peanut Butter Banana Pepper Chipotle...will change your LIFE.

I don't believe in New Years resolutions, it's just changing planes on a flight to stress. When the ball drops, does the thought occur to anyone, "Hey, we just completed our elliptical orbit around the sun, bitchin'!"?
I hope so, but booze don't lend much to thinking in a scientific perspective.

The stillness of January isn't all that bad. I can measure the invariant mass of my thoughts because they are briefly within my frame of reference. Multiply that by the speed of light and square it.
According to my calculations, that's roughly a yottajoule of energy.
Witness my useful output!

Kepler Scarves loves you.

New Design! Codename Name: Rocketbook Pocketbook
Padded interfacing makes it stiff. Convenient front compartment for easy access to your valuables.

New Design! Codename: Sketchelope
Why: Because I'm fed up with 1. Throwing my sketchbooks in my purse, where they will meet the likes of loose change and lip gloss 2. Accidentally writing checks with vine charcoal 3. Oogling over, and occasionally purchasing, those "Silly artist, you need to organize your shit in 48 different pockets because you actually think that being OCD about your supplies is going to make you a more efficient scribbler." polyester nylon velcro zipper-upper binder carry case thingies.

Sketchelope, you are awesome. Instead of the obvious button or velcro closure you get bound up in ribbon, because you're worth it.

New Design! Codename: Transonic Swappers
My friends and I seem to always be exchanging CDs, and other little niceties such as tea or stickers. Inevitably some cute envelope or Teavana bag gets passed back and forth till it disintegrates. These are about the size of a jewel case and lined with felt. Notice more fabric bondage, this time inspired by manila envelopes.

You can find all dees and more swinging stuff at the wild and crazy
Indie Valentine this Saturday :)

On the 7th Day of Blogity: Merry Minimalist Christmas

2007-12-25T22:58:00.000-05:00

~~Tis~~ Twas the season be consumer whores, and mingle with the occasional relative who appears dimmer than a bubble ornament. As you ponder how far towards the deep end of the gene pool you are swimming, do you hold your breath or tread water? It sure helps to bring a snorkel.

Whenever I start to get too pessimistic about how ridiculous the holidays have gotten, I try to picture a winter without them. Basically, January for 4 months. Wouldn't happen though. Maybe instead of Santa, we'd have a jolly Winter Solstice Polar Bear. Either way, as a WifeMomma in America, one is bound to the role of syndicating merriment in many forms . For a couple years I embraced it, but ultimately rejected my bio-battery status in the Christmas Matrix. No red pills required, but much like the movie, freeing your mind only constitutes a nuisance to the machine. You are still very much at it's mercy, and not beyond a measure of control. As long as my kids are kids (and if they have kids that are kids), there will be a tree in our home and unbridled enthusiasm for gift giving. The tree may have no ornaments and a replica of the Death Star at the top. I don't have to explain to the boys that Santa is magic, because they already dismissed the whole thing as being illogical to begin with. However, Doug still insists we leave out cookies on Christmas Eve, so he can magically make them disappear.

Furthermore:
Wrapping paper, you're on my shitlist.
So are you, useless imported bobbles.
Hey Garden Ridge! Next time you decide to remain open 96 hours straight, I'll be there alright...at 3:30 a.m. with 20 of my closest friends to shop for $12 comforters, but we won't buy any, because they are crap. We'll have a pretend tea party with $2 snowman "latte" mugs. Then, reflect on the fact that the drink meant to go in it costs twice that much, yet somehow is worth every penny in comparison.

There, and elsewhere, I'm marveling at the "industrial powder coating" that graces the packaging of every item on the shelf, including food. Have you ever tried to see if it gives you nummies? It can't be good that I know what a nummy is, on top of the fact that yes, indeed it does.

Don't get me wrong, I am not a grinch. I like LED lights, making fudge, and buying toys for kids I know, or better yet, don't know.

5 more days of Blogity are on the way as promised, sans uber constrictive time-frame.
Don't hold your breath... I'll gladly share my snorkel.

On the 6th day of Blogity: Book Lust

2007-12-11T10:03:00.000-05:00

About once a month I have a feeling come over me I like to call "Book Lust". It's when I must go to Borders, Barnes and Noble, or Subterranean to peruse for at least an hour. I give myself a budget of about $50 generally, and try to squeeze at least 1 magazine into the deal (CRAFT:, MAKE:, Sky and Telescope, or Computer Arts are common picks). These fulfill my reading fix for the rest of the month, then I start lusting again.

Contrary to popular belief, I don't buy many project based craft books. I can decipher most technical instructions either from a manual or online. Since I spend so much time creating my own designs, any project that I would follow instructions for has to be splendidly fun, and so original that I'm giddy to nod at the person that imagined it.

More often you'll find me plopped down in the computer, science, and occasionally, cookbook aisles. I figure I'll start reading fiction around the time I start collecting Social Security.

These are all books that I've purchased this year:

Simple Sewing with a French Twist by Céline Dupuy - One of my guilty pleasures is to gush over shabby chic stuff. I want to smack myself for liking anything floral. As I've said in the past, I'm a fungus fan. Truffles aside, this book has 50+ projects that range from a wool beret, to bohemian flip-flops...bags, rugs, aprons and on and on. Nearly all are unintimidating, even for a beginner. The photographs are so pretty that I want to make about every single thing in the exact fabrics she chose. Too bad they have flowers all over them :P

Craftivity: 40 Projects for the DIY Lifestyle by Tsia Carson - Dye yarn with Kool-Aid, grow moss graffiti on rocks, embroider your screen door...I like this book because it dabbles in pretty much everything. There is a different contributor for each project, and they all have great stories to go with them. It's sophisticated, and defining of the indie craft movement.

Stupid Sock Creatures by John Murphy - I like vury mouch to make dees seeelly tings. Problem is, I have not come across any worthy socks that I can resist wearing on my feet.

The Zen of CSS Design: Visual Enlightenment for the Web by Dave Shea and Molly E. Holzshlag - Cascading Style Sheets allow entire websites to have a coordinated design through the commands of one relatively simple page of code. It sure beats

<repetitive-ass tags></repetitive-ass tags >

Having been a long-time fan of the CSS Zen Garden website, this was a must have!

Moosewood Restaurant New Classics by The Moosewood Collective - This vegetarian eatery in Ithica New York has several cookbooks out, and I decided this was the most "Doug Friendly" hands down. We've loved everything I've made out of it. The Moroccan Roasted Vegetables made an appearance at Thanksgiving in place of yams! Lets see, what kind of egg salad will I make today? Creole, Greek, Italian, Mexican or Scandinavian? For dessert...a Blueberry Buttermilk Falls Smoothie!

Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen by Anna Lappe and Bryant Terry -
This is 1/2 cookbook, and 1/2 expose on the mainstream food industry. I'll spare you any details since you may prefer to be blissfully unaware, but.... great book. :)

Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant by Daniel Tammet- I just started reading this. So far I know that to him, the number 11 is friendly, and number 4 is shy. I like the way he writes.

The Illustrated A Brief History of Time & The Universe in a Nutshell by Stephen Hawking - Years ago I checked both of these books out from the library a few times. Even though I've always wanted to own them in hardback, I really couldn't justify spending so much on 2 books that I had already read cover to cover. Then one day a friend e-mailed me that this duo was on the bargain shelf at Borders for $15. Needless to say, I booked it (heh heh) up there the next day. I'm so glad the boys will have it to thumb through as they get older.

Quantum: A Guide for the Perplexed by Jim Al-Khalili - The thing about quantum physics that's so interesting to me is that is makes sense mathematically, but fails to fit our standards of macroscopic reality. This book has AWESOME illustrations alongside explanations. I highly suggest it as a follow-up to watching What the Bleep Do We Know.

View From the Center of the Universe by Joel Primack and Nancy Abrams -
Here you have some excellent, creative explanations of cosmological science with delves into history, and the future. Feels a wee bit fruity at times...like they are trying to get you overexcited about facts instead of explaining how we observed them. If the vastness of space and time overwhelms you, then I think this is a good book to help put those things in some perspective.

Where's My Jetpack? A Guide to the Amazing Science Fiction Future That Never Arrived by Daniel H. Wilson, Ph. D. - This is a blue/silver/black book of shiny metallic goodness, and I think it smells good! Whateva! It wittily explains why we don't have the flying cars, smell-o-vision, moon colonies, or ray guns we were promised. On the plus side, I learned how to make my own hoverboard using a leaf blower. No, they weren't real in the movie..up yours Marty McFly!

I found a sweet t-shirt on Threadless to match my book.
It reads:
"they lied to us
this was supposed to be the future
where is my jetpack,
where is my robotic companion,
where is my dinner in pill form,
where is my hydrogen fueled automobile,
where is my nuclear powered levitating house,
where is my cure for this disease"

Speaking of reading, what do you think of my new glasses? I just picked them up yesterday!

In my best Ron Livingston voice...
Fucking-A.

On the 5th day of Blogity: Movie Monday

2007-12-10T20:11:00.001-05:00

Alright, Fuck it. You will get 12 Days of Blogity friends, and I'll do my best to stick to everyday. If I skip a day or 2, the universe will not implode on itself. It's Movie Monday, and this is my top 10 list of films I saw for the first time in 2007:

1. Paris, Je T'aime - My new all-time favorite, second only to Chocolat. French movies, or movies in French settings, je t'aime. Parfois j'envoie messages des textes en français après que j'observe ceci!

2. Donnie Darko - Please don't doubt my commitment to Sparkle Motion, or watching this movie over and over again.

3. 300 - Dear Fashion Gods, Please incite the return of metal arm cuffs and capes as a major trend in casual wear. Amen.

4. What the Bleep Do We Know? - Having read my fair share of books on quantum physics, I'll say I'm skeptical about some of the new age mumbo-jumbo in this...as convincing as Ramtha and pretty water crystals may be. However, I can't complain too much, since particle-wave duality electron experiments have made it into quasi-mainstream cinema. All around, entertaining and thought provoking.

5. Fargo - I let this movie fall through the cracks 10 years ago, and was excited to catch it for free on our digital cable doohicky. Watched it 4 times before it expired....Doontcha Knoow!?! (sorry, couldn't help myself.)

6. Two for the Road - Just when I had lost all hope of ever seeing Albert Finney in a swimsuit....in France. Old movies rarely keep my interest, but this one's smart & sassy.

7. Pan's Labyrinth - Was lucky enough to catch this at the Tivoli when it came out, thanks to Mai's rave review! It's hilarious when you rent foreign films at Blockbuster. They have to make sure you know it has subtitles, because most people change their mind and put it back. Shame on you.

8. The Fountain - Is Hugh Jackman hotter as a Conquistador, a doctor, or an astronaut? Hmm. I love that the amazing outer space scenery for this was created in a petri dish!

9. Marie Antoinette - There is so much to love about this film, except Kirsten Dunst, and the ending...come on Sofia Coppola...you had everything else perfect!

10. Sicko - In Soviet England, hospital pay you. I don't care if you hate Micheal Moore. I dare you to watch this, if you're strong willed enough to resist communist propaganda! :P

Hmm, feelin' maybe book list tomorrow? I still have tales of international intrigue, but you're going to have to wait a few days for that ;)

On the 4th day of Blogity: Geeky Friday

2007-12-08T12:25:00.000-05:00

I know, a little late on this one. The weekend is my busy time. If you're not busy this weekend, be sure to go buy String Theory stuff at the Rock N' Roll Craft Show! More on that in another post. Get your mouse clicking finger ready, it's Geeky Friday(in spirit)...

You guys know I design websites, all my own graphics, and single handedly manage Strange Folk from 7 lbs of soon-to-be scrap metal. Incidentally, a lot of big name software is "required" to render these things. Did you know I should be forking out around $2100, and hundreds more every few years for upgrades? I don't, and I'm not a pirate, but I like to say, "Arrhhhhgg!!!"

What's my secret? Open source.
It saves me even more money than dancing lizards can on car insurance.

All these projects are undertaken and developed by programing gurus that network around the world! It is made available to us, the end-user, for free on the principle that "One should not only get the source code but also have the right to use it."*

Open Office (openoffice.org)- Lets start with Open Office, because if you've never heard of it you're not going to believe it. We all know Corel sucks, and who wants to shell out $600 for MS Office so they can write a letter and spell-check it? Open Office is one of the biggest open source collaboratives in the world, and one of the most useful. If you want to give big business and proprietary software the finger, start by downloading this. You'll find that unless you require very advanced Excel features, this suite will fill about all your needs and more. You can open, edit, and save any files in familiar MS format. You can export any document to PDF!!! It's awesome, and FREE...need I say more?

GIMP 2.4 (gimp.org)- I acquired a copy of Adobe Photoshop 10 years ago, and taught myself the ropes through online tutorials and books. When I said bye to my clunker desktop, Photoshop went with it. There was no back-up cd, and it was 4.0 anyways. Enter The GNU Image Manipulation Program, a.k.a. GIMP. I was surprised to find that it had every feature I utilized in PS, save for a few favorite plug-in filters.

I use GIMP for editing photos, creating web graphics, desktop publishing...everything! Every ad, poster, flyer, blog button, or graphic for Strange Folk, String Theory or otherwise was the end product of at least some, if not all, editing in GIMP. I highly recommend you give it a go, even if you are a beginner. Install is a cinch now that they have packaged it as an executable with the runtime files. There is also a fabulous handbook available for download on their site to get you started.

Inkscape (inkscape.org)- This program mimics the capabilities of Adobe Illustrator. It's relatively new to my collection, but I'm already finding it indispensable. Many elements of the new look for Strange Folk are the direct result of tinkering with Inkscape. I'm very excited about utilizing the SVG (scalable vector graphics)file format in my work. Basically, objects are saved based on their proportions rather than the contents of pixels...which is why if you blow up jpegs, they look so grainy, er "pixelated". If I need the resolution high enough to have something printed large scale, this'll do it. It's not a program you would use for photographs, but absolutely amazing for type and line art creation. I love importing my drawings and converting the lines to "paths". One can smooth out jagged edges and manipulate curves and angles. Then it's generally off to GIMP for further editing. World-Class combo if you ask me :)

Drupal 4.7(drupal.org) - Content management systems are a relatively new way of creating and coordinating a website. You install the base files on your server, locate a suitable CSS template, or build your own. Maybe some other tweakies if your geeky. From then on, all your pages are created through the website itself, in a WYSIWYG format, an environment much like that of posting on a message board or blog. That means anyone you give permission to can add content that will be dynamically added to the correct link and menu areas you specify. Trust me, it's really great!
If you make web pages, even casually, Drupal is a CMS worth learning to develop around. After trying a few others, such as Joomla, I found this to be superior by all accounts. You'll need some knowledge of CSS, HTML, PHP, and MySQL to manipulate the back-end, but installing it on your server is such a breeze, and you can start creating content right away. Once you get the lingo down (modules and blocks and nodes, oh my!) The documentation is vast, and easy to understand. I think a gajillion plug-ins are available for this . I'm especially fond of the RSS aggregator, FCK editor, and SMF database bridge that I triumphantly implemented on EtsyLou.

I have so many other great programs to tell you about. My next installment of Geeky Friday (er, Geeky Whatever Weekend Day I Get To It) will focus on freeware (yes, there is a difference from open source!), and internet based apps, if I have room. So, go try out some of these amazing programs! If you find them really useful, and they have the option, consider making a small donation to help them stay afloat. To learn more about the many other open source projects out there, be sure to take a gander at Sourceforge.net. Also, if you have any questions you know where to find me, for the next 8 days at least :)

*quote from Wikipedia's Open source page

On the 3rd day of Blogity: Family Portrait

2007-12-06T10:01:00.000-05:00

There's more to blogging than meets the eye. You have to choose your flavor. Some focus on a specific topic of interest...you may not even know if the writer is male or female. Some chronicle day-to-day activities. That's tricky, you have to write pretty well to entice browsers to keep reading. I really never meant Blogity to be either of those. It falls somewhere between a J. Peterman catalog and an Erma Bombeck book, mostly having to do with my many interests. Truly, one of the reasons why I only get around to a couple posts a month is that most of my time is spent taking care of my family. Inevitably, if I'm going to make a commitment to writing every day for 12 days then I've acknowledged it's time to let my guard down....because pithiness is only effective in moderation. That said, I consider the fact that my kids might read Blogity someday. Maybe sooner than later since they are both getting iMacs for Christmas! Save for this little glimpse, I will likely continue to not to bring them up here often.

So, I'm admittedly unsentimental. I think school photos are the most horrible representation of a child. Same thing with department store family portraits, and I buy neither. I'm totally content with taking a few snapshots every now and then, and stashing them away on the hard drive or in a box somewhere. I may be crafty, but can say with confidence that I will never EVER scrapbook. We couldn't, however, pass up the opportunity to have Michelle of Green Wall Studio take some candid family portraits. She was such a trooper to hike all over the woods at Rock Springs Park with us! Above was decidedly the most accurate depiction: Doug is tickling me, Jack is intensely observing something, and Max is feigning to change his clothes.

It's true, everyday when Max gets home from school he makes a b-line for the lounge wear in his closet. Color coordination is very important with what he chooses...as in the colors should not coordinate whatsoever. 6 hours and 3 costume changes later he's ready to go to sleep in style. He writes numbers often, and will make pictures out of them or just counts all the way up to 100. He pretends marker caps are people, while actual Little People tend to fall to the bottom of the toy box. On most cell phones, he can figure out how to get the camera working and listen to ring tones. He also has fun building obstacle courses with Jack , and bike helmets are worn to make it really authentic. So far they have invented atleast 2 Olympic worthy sports: Rubbermaid Tote Lid Faux Snowboarding( a la pool kickboards), and Put This Clear Plastic Shoebox Over Your Face Then Watch Me Throw a Nerf Ball at It. Max is exactly 10 1/2 months younger than his brother.

If Jack isn't wiring up some sort of electronic contraption, he's drawing one. Their bedroom, at times, looks a bit like Radio Shack, but with everything out of the packages. I buy him every issue of MAKE. Between the 2 of us, we ate an entire crate of clementines in 3 days last week. When Jack is done eating, he announces that he's full of bologna. Recently we took a trip to the toy store to pick out Christmas presents, and all he really wanted was an Xbox, but I'm uber suspicious that it would be for the purpose of dismantling. Jack is 4ft tall and 6 years old.

I don't like to spew mommy advice at people, even when they ask for it. I don't follow other people's examples, and I don't expect them to follow mine. I don't "Save Box Tops!", or fall for any other indirect fund raising retail bullshit that I'm bombarded with daily from their backpacks. You can rest assured the General Mills CEO would be buying his wife a Louis Vuitton bag with all the money I might have dutifully spent to feed my kids crap all year round. Then the school maybe get $100 out of the deal? Sorry children, mommy cares too much about your eating habits. You're going to have to forgo 3 reams of neon colored construction paper in your classrooms.
They don't even like construction paper, it's too rough to draw any details. I let them watch Family Guy, and feel proud when they laugh at the good jokes. I'm also proud that they know not to repeat what they hear on TV, or jump on other peoples couches (except gramma's). I will not over schedule them, but they will be given the opportunity to over schedule themselves. They have bunk beds, but always share the bottom mattress. Many mornings I wake up to an additional 2 pillows, 1 sleeping bag, 3 snuggly bed hogs and a 60 lb labrador at my feet . It's my favorite part of the day, despite the kink in my neck.

On the 2nd day of Blogity: EtsyLou

2007-12-05T19:54:00.001-05:00

Sometimes I bite off more than I can chew. What you don't know is that I'm a chipmunk. EtsyLou began last year as a collaboration between Lauren (stellaloella) and I to form a group(street team) for Etsy sellers in St. Louis. In the beginning, street teams were this uncharted territory where type A sellers scrambled to stake their regional claim... present company included. There was really no clear-cut purpose or standard for success. We created a shop, an email, a banner, and waited to see what fishies would bite. Eventually it gained enough interest to warrant a meeting...in June.
What become painfully clear, is that it was a bit silly of us to try putting our nose to the grindstone during the busy show season. We had lots of good discussion about promoting our shops at upcoming shows, things we could do to raise funds, etc. I volunteered to make our website (um, are my cheeks getting fatter?), and had every hope that there would be a lull before Strange Folk to work on it. None such luck, but afterward I had to crack the nut or bury it.
I guess I don't have the balls to bury my yummy nuts! Now, EtsyLou members will be able to interact through creating blog posts, discussions on the forum, scheduled chat meetings, and having a central location to link all our shops and events. Everyone is still getting used to the water, but we'll be swimming laps soon.
As with pretty much all the sites I create, I wanted to learn something new while making this one. I've been playing with content management systems, and decided on Drupal for the back-end. Now, I'm not going to go into details about all that just yet. You're going to have to wait for my "Geeky Friday" post. Lets just say I opened a can of Sandworms, but managed to ride them all the way through template hacks and over database bridges.
I worked diligently on this for a solid month and a half. In the beginning I had visions of brick backgrounds, fluer de lis, stained glass for the motif, but couldn't shake the bright and white instinct. Then the "aha!" moment: Lets just see what I can dig out of Etsy's CSS code... not for the sake of copycatting, but to show it's not infallible. Then, do it justice around a different layout. Now, go on, have a look-see for yourself...toggle Etsy and EtsyLou. I'm not faclemped, but it's buttah and, you can still talk amungst y'selves. I'll give you a topic: EtsyLou, neither Etsy nor a lou, discuss...

On the 1st day of Blogity: Strange Folk

2007-12-04T19:15:00.000-05:00

Strange Folk...

This is around where we left off last time. I was the bionic promoting woman. We estimated about 6,000 turned out, with 80% of our vendors reaching or surpassing their sales expectations. Tres Bon.

There are numerous crowd and vendor shots on our Flickr Pool. Don't mind the silly alien going around trying on everyones stuff, and more annoying is that he refused to pay full price for anything. Mars is a bitch of a place to live. What do you expect?

I made changes this year to make it better than last year, and it was. Further tweaking will ensue for the 3rd year, but it's getting close to clockwork . There are only a few morsels of information to share about that:

It will be 2 days: The weekend of September 27th and 28th
Hours are not finalized, but we are thinking along the lines of 10-5 Saturday and 11-4 Sunday
It will be in Community Park again
New idea: The stage in the big pavilion will house an activity for kids, and be decorated to look like a crafty felt forest.
I am trying to figure out a way to move all the tents into the shaded area, we'll see.
The tote bags were a big hit but I have a lot of reservations about the raffles.
We will once again have zines, but not order so many. I'd also like the info booth more in the middle of things. Is it just me, or did it look like an island deserted by Rainbow Brite?
The music and food will be far-far, but not too far away from vendors. Worry not, your wares will not smell like BBQ after next year...even though I know you love dem pork steaks.

Listening to Chopin...don't feel inclined to go into a peppy, descriptive play by play of 2007. I wore the cutest, most horrible shoes ever that made my heels bleed profusely without my knowledge for some time. I was floored by the creativity of our vendors. I wanted to take home the baby alpaca. Chris climbed a tree. This year I had a cheat sheet, so I could know everyone's first name instead of calling them their biz name or email prefix. I smoked a cigarette at 4 o'clock. The gyros were good, and the candy corn Jones Soda was not. You know you want to tap dat ass.

I feel like I'm writing different...epiphany or blown fuse? Only you can decide, and only you can prevent forest fires. Meet you back here tomorrow ;)

12 Days of Blogity: Starting December 4th!

2007-11-28T00:47:00.000-05:00

I believe we have some catching up to do. I'm sewing up a little storm right now for the upcoming Rock N' Roll Craft Show. It will mark the end of a ridiculous amount of projects I've committed to this year. I can't wait to tell you about my many adventures, both domestic and international, that have taken place over the past few months.

You'll notice I've taken the Handmade Pledge...that means I am once again making Xmas presents this year, and thought you might enjoy a gander at my own wishlist of handmade goodies on Etsy.com. Meet you back here in a week, and every day after that for nearly a fortnight good friends!

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade
stringtheory.etsy.com

I Like Giants and Eco Fashion

2007-08-29T10:42:00.000-04:00

First, listen to this song... and smile!

I'm buried in preparations for Strange Folk. If you want to scoop on that, be sure to check out the festival blog....written by yours truly. I know, I can barely keep my personal blog alive, what business do I have writing another one? Blogging is alot like having a container garden. You really do have to keep up with watering it. I tend to wait till the leaves start to wilt.

Speaking of leaves, you may just get a glimpse of me in an oak leaf bikini or perhaps a shrubbery as I strut(ha, yeah right. try stumble.) the runway in the Back to Eden Fashion Show at Art Outside on Friday, September 7th. I am modeling for two good causes: Eco Fashion and Strange Folk...since I've arranged for promo materials to be available at the show. ..the things I do for you people...gee whiz.

ST. LOUIS— On Friday, September 7, 2007, Boutique Chartreuse, the Midwest’s first Green Fashion Boutique,
will feature fall’s best eco-fashions from basics to designer lines during a 45-minute fashion show at the Schlafly
Bottleworks’ Art Outside alternative art show 7260 Southwest Ave. in Maplewood.
Boutique Chartreuse’s Back to Eden fashion show puts Eve in charge of the runway with forty local women
wearing clothing from an Eco-Fashion “Garden of Eden.” The eco-fibers used to create the stylish, wearable
apparel and accessories featured during the show include bamboo, soy, hemp, organic cotton, flax, silk, wool,
and alpaca. Sustainable man (or Eve)-made materials include Eco-Spun Fleece, made from recycled soda pop
bottles, and a sustainable alternative to Rayon called Lyocel, a wood pulp based material created with 99%
reclaimable chemicals. Designers featured on the runway include: Doie Designs; Perfectly Imperfect; Passenger
Pigeon; organic denim “IT” brands Del Forte and Loomstate; and LA-made Kim White Bags as seen in Lucky
magazine. Many other eco-fashion brands and small designers will also be featured on the runway.
Boutique Chartreuse owner and Green Fashionista Lori Allen is thrilled to be a part of the Art Outside show. “Art
Outside is an ‘alternative’ art show and our apparel is ‘alternative’ as well – alternative to the sweat-shop made,
toxic clothing that fills the malls and big box stores. ‘Back to Eden’ represents back to knowing what you are
wearing – where it came from, how it was made and who made it,” said Allen. “Schlafly, the Art Outside show,
and Boutique Chartreuse share a deep commitment to supporting the local community. Most of our clothing is
US-Made and we especially look for small designers who produce locally in their communities” stated Allen.
“Our models will be local as well. They are our customers, real women from the St. Louis metro area women will
walk the catwalk as modern-day ‘Eves’ in fall’s best looks – all produced in sustainable materials and under fair
labor conditions.”
Boutique Chartreuse will have a second fashion Saturday November 17, 2007 at 1pm during the Fifth Annual
Fair Trade Market at Manchester United Methodist Church. This is the second year Boutique Chartreuse has
been invited to join the Marketplace and the first year they have done the fashion show.
Volunteer to be one of the 40 real women in the Back to Eden fashion show by contacting the store:
314-458-2410 or email lori@boutiquechartreuse.com for more information. All volunteer models will be given a
20% discount on the ensemble they model during the show. Models must be over 21.
Boutique Chartreuse is the first Green Boutique in the Midwest focused on bring ecologically friendly, justly
made, wearable fashions for women to the St. Louis area. New items arriving at Boutique Chartreuse weekly
are chosen based on their ecologically friendly production, wearable style for a variety of women sizes 2-14, and
price point ranging from $25-$250. They are located at 7298 Manchester Road, Maplewood, MO 63143. Hours
are Tuesday – Thursday 11Am to 6PM, Friday 11AM-7PM and Saturday 11AM to 5PM. For additional
information see the website at www.boutiquechartreuse.com.

More shameless Strange Folk plugging I'm afraid:

- Check out our beauteeful ad in this week's Riverfront Times pull-out Art's Guide! We also are having a mad-successful banner ad campaign on their website.
- Don't miss our Art Essentials write up in the September issue of SAUCE. Why am I so excited about this? Because the reporter has told me he is bringing a van full of people. Mind you this is the same weekend as Taste of St. Louis and its a food magazine...that's huge people.
- Put us on your blog!! Check out the new, super-cute gnome graphic you can link to.
- Print some flyers for crying out loud.
- Remember that I love you!

ReadyMade Muffins

2007-08-01T22:06:00.000-04:00

You ever wonder how the big Kool-Aid pitcher feels when he breaks through a brick wall and yells, "Oh yeah!". Really? No? I feel like that right now! Like a big fat glass jar of cherry tasting chemicals and sugar... lots of sugar. Hey, atleast I don't rot your teeth, and stain your clothes and your upper lip. Check out Strange Folk on ReadyMade's map 'o 25 national craft shows!

Now for a completely unrelated and demented YouTube favorite, because I like you, and I like muffins.

I thought about trying to bake my own bits of glass muffin, but use Czech glass beads instead... for an extra crunchy twist on an old favorite.

Before I get to any further baking, or cooking for that matter, I really need to invest in a genu-iiine garbage bowl. I mean seriously, it's probably the most important specialty item one can have in their kitchen.

Insomnia

2007-07-19T04:00:00.000-04:00

I'm not an everyday blogger, and I'm not going to beat myself up over it...you shouldn't either! Even if a month or 2 goes by, please know that I haven't abandoned Blogity :)

Most of you know what I've been up to: A whole lot of Strange Folk.
So, be sure to come see the fruits of my insomnia!

You too can put fun Strange Folk buttons on your blog.

I'd like to address an F.A.Q. before making any more posts:

What's up with String Theory?
Scientists everywhere are trying furiously to prove it wrong! Oh, the making stuff thingy you mean? She's in her cocoon again. I can't juggle kiddos out of school, teaching art classes, designing web pages, organizing giant craft fairs, working at the coffee shop, and a sewing machine all at once. Get real, and get me a mojito while you're at it! I look at it this way, there are now curators of craftiness just as there are with art. Curators may not neccessarily have time to make thier own art, especially when they are busy putting together exhibits.
Don't you worry though! Things will chill out, and I'll start concocting some hairbrained new bag to sew, and you'll hear all about it here.
Hopefully never at 4 in the morning again.

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