the strawberry corner

I feel like adventure.

2012-02-02T00:15:00.001-06:00

I wish it were as easy as "then let's go!"

But things like that aren't so simple (most of the time, anyways). I think I can get there though.

I've really felt like going back to Japan, but there are new places to see too!

Also, (and this is unrelated) do you ever have a weird dream or some experience or thought that you write down, but when you do, it loses something? It's difficult to get all the details and feelings of a moment in words. So maybe some things I won't write down and try to force into sentences.

so i have a pintrest

2012-01-11T23:19:00.001-06:00

I use it quite a bit, and have a little collection built up. Some of it's a bit disorganized, but if you want to see what I like or whatever, you can check it out here:

I've found it really helpful for organizing art, recipe, and craft bookmarks. It's a million times easier to find exactly what I'm looking for when I have that thumbnail to help. So I highly suggest looking into it! And if you're a serious blogger/other webperson, you'll probably like their "goodies" page, which has a "pin this" button you can add to your site (fashion people and cooks will find it handy), and other useful logos/buttons.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T13:55:00.001-06:00

Or whatever holiday you happen to celebrate. Regardless, chubby Santa here and I wish you a lovely rest of your year!

I'm still here!

2011-12-10T23:47:00.001-06:00

You know, in case you were wondering.

I don't really post anymore-first because of school, and also that it's not super important to me. I'm still reading plenty of blogs though.

So here's a bit of what's happen:
Finished the pharmacy tech class!
Passed the PTCE so now I'm a nationally certified pharmacy technician. I could put the letters CPhT after my name on a business card if I wanted to...but I don't.
I got a new job!

I guess those few things are it really, but having them finished is relieving...it was a bit of a pain in the ass to go through that class (which was not the most well run thing I've experienced...), but now I feel like burdens have been lifted off my shoulders, haha.
And the job-it will be nice to actually make some money (and that's what I'm mainly doing this for. Pharmacy doesn't interest me, but having a way to support what I truly care about does). It's full time, and sounds okay aside from the fact that the manager said he was basically hiring for one and a half positions...and how I've heard they're drama queens...regardless, I will do my best.

Sooo...I guess that's it for now-I'm looking forward to the holidays!

earthquake!

2011-11-06T00:59:00.000-05:00

In the middle of writing the last post, I experienced my first earthquake. It wasn't bad, but is something sort of exciting, as they don't really happen here in the middle of the country.

According to what I read, the magnitude was about 5.5. At first I thought that my upstairs neighbor was running around, or that a train was passing by. But as the shaking and noise continued, I realized what it was. There was actually a quake earlier this morning, but I slept through it. It was sort of a strange experience, and the thought "oh no what do I do?" ran through my head, though I also know that earthquakes here aren't likely to be bad (I think. You go outside if you can, right? Or a doorway...). It seemed kind of loud at the time too, but that really could have been just a train.

Overall it was an interesting experience. There have been a few (or two) in the last year or so, but I missed them because I was either out of the area or sleeping. Weird, and I wouldn't want to experience anything worse.

gap....what is this...

2011-11-05T23:16:00.001-05:00


large size pic so you can experience the whole effect this coat has on one's eyes. image belongs to gap and you can view the coat here. if you want to, i guess.

Been awhile since I've done one of these!

I really had to look at this one a bit.I couldn't tell if maybe it was a 2-n-1 deal, or you were only getting one of them...The description says it's a nylon jacket with a contrast felt bodice. So, can you take off the bodice and just wear the tarp/trash bag underneath? Is it all one piece? So many questions...

like, for example, why?

Stream all of Florence + the Machine's Upcoming Album "Ceremonials"

2011-10-29T18:39:00.000-05:00

Found via Nylon's blog. Check it here.

I listened to one song and then pre-ordered it. Just that one because I want my first listen to be "special," haha. I'm sure I'll enjoy it.

You can order the special edition here, the normal here. If you're devoted enough and don't mind spending the money, you might check out the UK release, which has four extra tracks that won't be on the special edition (though I will point out it looks like those are just demos and acoustic versions, which you'll probably be able to get digital versions of at some point).

Ceremonials releases October 31st in the UK, and on November 1st in North America.

on Twin Peaks

2011-10-05T00:07:00.002-05:00

Two weeks ago I finished watching Twin Peaks. I originally had a plan to write something like a mini-essay with all my thoughts on the series, but that was two weeks ago and I've ran over it in my head so many times now that there really isn't much to say. I'll keep it short and spoiler free, though I hope that whatever I say doesn't really skew your view of the show. Better to watch it with a clean slate if you're interested enough.

It's been sometime since I've seen the first season, so I can't say too much about it specifically. Other than being enjoyable, all the different parts (mystery, soap opera, bits of humor and weirdness) seemed nicely balanced. I sort of fell in love with it then.

The second season, on the other hand...This is where you should stop reading if you don't want my personal opinions to spoil your own experience. Not that I have anything particularly scathing to say...

It's okay (more on this in a bit) until a certain point in the series, but after that there doesn't seem to be much to keep pulling it forward. Which is kind of funny, considering I read that they wanted it in the long run to be more about the people in the town than just the one girl. Maybe they should have gone about it differently? But there's not much use thinking about that too much, and they apparently didn't have much choice as far as one certain thing goes so back to the main point...

It's okay. The balance isn't there--there's too much silliness, in my opinion. Maybe I would feel a bit differently if I watched all 30 Twin Peaks episodes in a row. Near the end it seemed like they threw in some unnecessary plot points, but they didn't know that the show was going to end, so I can't blame them too much for that.

Despite these things, the second season did have parts that grabbed and had me all anxious in the dark afterwards. And that last episode...so strange and fantastic! It really made all those not-so-great moments in the series more bearable for me.

Like with everyone else, the end of the series left me with a lot of questions about a lot of different things. To me that's fine; I don't think stories always have to be wrapped up like neat little packages. I read the script for Fire Walk With Me. Seemed alright, though I don't know if I'll ever watch it considering what I've heard about it.

Overall, I have a special little love for the.. sort of, world*, of Twin Peaks. I know it's not perfect, but I like it anyway.

You can watch Twin Peaks on Netflix, DVD, or maybe Hulu depending on where you're at (sorry USA, no dice).
*by world I mean not just the show alone, but the music, trivia, the cast, that one special episode of psych I'm going to put into my queue...all the nerdy stuff, basically. and I guess this did turn into a mini essay.

Valve Offering Portal for Free!

2011-09-16T21:14:00.001-05:00

Again! You can get it for either PC or Mac from now till September 20th. Get it through Steam, or check out this website. Looks like they're trying to promote Portal as a learning tool. It's a fun game, so if you have a computer that can handle it (it's a few years old now so there's a good chance) I highly suggest you take a look at it.

I made a pillow.

2011-08-19T00:24:00.001-05:00

100% hand-sewn mutha uckers.

Haha.

It still has a bit of chalk left on it, but other than that I think did a pretty nice job.

I was originally going to do something with felt leaves and branches, but decided that would be more bold than I wanted. So I went with this!

New EleanorZine out!

2011-08-16T21:42:00.000-05:00

The dear Veronica Fish is on the cover--it's another good issue, so go check it out now!

Missoni for Target Full Lookbook Out

2011-08-15T11:13:00.000-05:00

You can view it here. I have mixed feeling about it--the women's clothing is okay but isn't really my style, but some of the accesories and home-wares (like the scarves pictured above) are fairly cute. The collection will be available September 13th. See anything you like?

(via refinery 29)

Reminder: I have a tumblr

2011-08-04T14:12:00.000-05:00

You can look at it here. Not much original stuff, mostly just reblogs of kittens, desserts, and scenery I fancy. If you aren't a part of tumblr you can subscribe to the RSS feed here.

Speaking of RSS feeds, mine for this blog is now set to full! So you can see the pictures and stuff. Yayyy.....

whyyyy is it so hotttt

2011-08-01T13:21:00.000-05:00

I have elephant socks; also, an elephant plush

2011-07-25T15:30:00.000-05:00

Here's a closeup of the pattern, from Forever 21's website:


It would look cute as a tiled wallpaper, methinks

Bought these as part of a fairly recent order from F21...okay, actually, they were the main reason I bought anything in the first place. Plus there was free shipping. In addition to these I got a fedora with a flower band that looked pretty nice for how cheap it was, a gray tank top with a kangaroo pocket, and a set of studs. I was pretty pleased with everything. I like how they wrap everything up in paper and tuck it all safely together, instead of just putting it in a plastic bag. It seems neater, I guess.

Anyway, plush elephant! Again, this is one of those things that I didn't really plan to make. We are keeping it though because Bryan thought it was pretty cute (are we really in our 20s? haha):

Click to see them larger! Pattern is here.

100 Interviews

2011-07-21T14:57:00.001-05:00

I forget how I stumbled upon this, but I'm glad I did. 100 Interviews is a project that journalist and comedian Gaby Dunn started last October--basically, she gave herself one year to interview 100 different people that she had never met before. It's pretty interesting! Here's some links to some sample posts:

An Abraham Lincoln Expert
Stephen Colbert (there's quite a story around this one)
A Porn Actor (i may have to, uh, check out this guy's work later)
Someone Who Married Their High School Sweetheart

100 Interviews' main website is here; I highly suggest you check it out!

one of my coworkers brought back some snacks from mexico...

2011-07-11T21:30:00.000-05:00

I think he goes there for medicine and something else? Not really sure. Anyway, the one on the left is a sort of Little Debbie mash-up, and the other is just a standard fruit bar. Nothing too special. The first reminded me of something else, but I can't remember. You can see more about this brand of products here. I think the most interesting one is the cookie with lime filling.

(btw the way, my "sister" in japan sent me a package recently. i mean to post some pictures of it soonish)

Cibo Matto

2011-07-08T10:15:00.000-05:00

In an e-mail I opened recently I saw this:

I was kind of surprised! I know they haven’t been together for awhile, but it looks like they will be playing a benefit-for-Japan concert next week, and are apparently working on a new album (according to the e-mail).

I admit I wasn’t much of a listener back in the day, and have only really gotten to know the songs from Stereo Type A recently. But (and here’s a little story for you), I remember that there were a few times when we bought jeans from Levi’s or whatever (in my case usually at JC Penny), and they gave us stuff. Two CDs and a clock. One of those CDs was a mix, and one of the songs was Cibo Matto’s “Spoon.” I can’t remember any of the other songs, though I do think the other CD was a single or something by this girl group called M2M.

Here’s Cibo Matto’s song “Moonchild:”

Things I've Sewn Recently

2011-07-07T14:59:00.001-05:00

For those of you who DIY, do you ever make anything just because you have the materials or time or whatever, and not because you honestly want to? I did the former recently; I've been trying to use up a surplus of felt sheets. Not sure what I'm going to do with most of this stuff (except for the kiiroitori, and one of the matryoshka, those I will be keeping)...Here are the pictures, and I will insert links to tutorials when applies. Click to see the larger versions!

Kiiroitori! I made my own pattern for this, using one of the pictures from the Rilakkuma fan book as a reference. I actually had some purpose in making it, as a companion for the stuff Korilakkuma and Rilakkuma I already have.

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Matryoshka, of varying qualities. The one of the left was the first I made, obviously. I think the orange one is the best. Tutorial is here.

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Two doughnuts. I can't remember which pattern I used, but if you search you'll be able to find many. For the second doughnut I copied the pattern I had and cut it in half, adding the bite marks in.

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I don't like the way this one turned out. You can get the pattern here if you want to try it out though. She has quite a few good stuff-patterns.

This turned out just fine. Pattern.

Used this pattern, but cut it a littler shorter and did the jam part a bit
differently.

This one comes from here; she has a nice little collection of patterns.

And that's it! Maybe I'll give them all away over time, or just keep them stuffed in a box forever.

(also, when it comes to arranging images, this blogger editor sucks pretty bad)

anyone use goodreads?

2011-07-05T13:47:00.000-05:00

I've known about it for awhile but just signed up. Seems like a great place to keep track of books, especially for myself as I read a lot.
I get the impression that goodreads is sort of like Facebook for people who like to read (looking at the interface and what not). Anyway, if you do, or want to check it out and add me as a friend, just click that below. Maybe make sure you have a link to your blog or something so I know who you are:

and if that doesn't work try this link. or this one.

Kawaii.i

2011-06-30T11:54:00.000-05:00

Remember the NHK survey I told you about? Well, the service, Kawaii.i has been launched for 10 days now, and is doing very well. They already have over 5,000 followers!

Most of you have probably already heard of it through Moments Like Diamonds, and you can read her post about the opening here. She also attended a Kawaii.i event, which she mentions in this post.

In a recent update it was mentioned that there might be a Kawaii.i contest soon, and if they get to 50,000 likes, they will open a shopping service. So go check it out here! I'd recommend it; my favorite part so far has been the videos with gal model MaNa. I should also mention that it's not just gal style that is covered, but everything: gal, loli, gothic loli, anime, manga, street style, etc. Remember, kawaii is something a little bit different to everyone! I think this project has done a fair job of covering the bases so far.

Rilakkuma Fanbook 2!

2011-06-29T21:07:00.000-05:00

A heads up for any Rilakkuma fans--JBox now has another Rilakkuma fanbook available! This one’s focus is spring, and comes with a Rilakkuma x honey tote, file folder, and stickers. The mook is $18.50, and can be found here.

Steven Alan

2011-06-20T22:07:00.002-05:00

Discovered this brand through Nylon, I believe, and while I can't reasonable afford any of it, I have to say it is totally adorable and well worth looking at anyway.

(note: all following pictures belong to steven alan, of course! These looks are from the Spring 2011 lookbook. Click any picture to view it larger.)

I like some of the looks for men too:

Visit Steven Alan's website here!

Something for Summer (from Holly Rocks)

2011-05-31T00:38:00.002-05:00

Check out this blog post by local Okie crafter Holly at her blog Holly Rocks. She makes cute crafts like the Tea Time magnet set pictured above. Visit her Etsy shop here, and receive 10% off when you use the code "SUNSHINE."

(note: I'm not getting compensated for this post or anything. I've bought a few of her items before, and liked what I got)

hal, this is why people aren't taking you seriously

2011-05-29T23:13:00.000-05:00