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Fabric Dye and Hair

2012-01-10T09:58:00.000-08:00

It's been a very very very long time since I've posted but I really felt that this should go out there.

I love brightly colored hair. Blue, green, purple, red, fuchsia, teal, lavender, whatever. I have experimented with colors and methods for almost 20 years which means I've learned a lot and made enough mistakes to no longer have too much emotional attachment to my hair. I'll try anything. After all, hair just keeps growing.

The problem with those funny colors is that they only come in semi-permanent vegetable dyes. These dyes work by staining and often need to sit in the hair for a long while. Everyone I've met that dyes in funny colors, including myself, usually keep it in all day or over night. And then they fade with every wash. Every shampoo creates colored lather. I'm lazy, I don't want to reapply every 2-3 weeks.

So I had the bright idea for fabric dye. After all, it's used for wool, which is hair. And it's used on delicate fabrics. Next I need to find out if there's a fabric dye that doesn't require boiling water- there is! I chose Dylon Cold Water Fabric dye since it seemed the gentlest. I even found an instance of it being used on human hair extensions! This must be it!

My first attempt was to use it like regular dye. I made a 1"x3" section and "painted" the dye on, then wrapped in foil to "process" for 45minutes, just like I would with hair dye. All I got was a vague tint.

Weeks later I decided to I try it again as per the fabric dying instructions: submersion. I took that same section and dipped it into a jar that contained the dye mixture. Only about half of the 9" length was able to stay submerged for the recommended 45minutes. Holding a jar of dye against your face for 45 minutes is annoying.

When time was up and I went to rinse, I was amazed by the color! Holy cow, this is gonna be awesome! And then I touched it. I haven't felt hair this overprocessed and chemically burned since I tried to go from natural Asian black to platinum white in one weekend when I was in 9th grade!! I did my tried and true emergency measures of deep conditioning and protein pack, but it's useless: the cuticle is burnt off.
My test strip is mush.

Dying human hair with fabric dye is a BAD idea.

In hindsight it makes sense: in order to be a cold water dye it probably uses a mild acid to deliver the pigment into the fiber. Cloth is made of thread, which is made of bits of fiber tightly twisted. It's okay for those tiny fiber bits to get damaged because they're twisted into a compressed strand. My individual strands of hair never stood a chance!

Now I'm off to chop of the damage. Hopefully the rest of the hair in that area will be able to conceal the cut. Lucky me that i couldn't get the whole length into the jar!

Lesson Learned!

Dinner

2011-06-01T16:58:00.000-07:00

This is a refreshing meal to be served cold.

Spring Quinoa Pilaf - 15-20 servings
This is a delicious side that can also stand alone as a vegetarian/vegan main dish. It's also fantastic as a meal of it's own when you add tuna and drizzle with Sriracha!

1 c. quinoa
1 box Near East Couscous with Toasted Pine Nuts
2 c. broth (chicken or vegetable)
1.25 c. water
1/2 large cucumber, diced
1 c. cherub tomatoes, cut in half
1 c. corn kernels (canned, frozen or fresh)
1 red bell pepper, roasted and diced
4 tbs fresh dill, minced
4tbs fresh cilantro, minced
1/2 c. black beans (drained)
1 mango, diced
2 tbsp lemon juice

Mix all of the water, broth, spice packet from the couscous and quinoa in a large pot (at least 2qt) and bring to a rolling boil. Immediately take it down to a low simmer and cover with a lid for 15 minutes. Immediately mix in the couscous, remove from heat and leave to steam with the lid on for at least 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a very large bowl, toss together the rest of the ingredients.

Turn out the quinoa/couscous mix into the bowl and toss briskly.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve chilled.

Zesty Mango Salsa - 10 servings
This is a very mild salsa that can be used for a variety of dishes as an accompaniment (great with pork chops, fish, etc) or just eaten with chips.

1 mango, diced
1 c. corn kernels (canned, frozen or fresh)
1/2 red onion, diced
6 tbsp fresh cilantro, minced
1/2 c. black beans (drained)
1/2 cucumber, diced
2 tbsp lime juice

Dice everything to be about the same size as the kernels of corn. You want a uniform, smallish size. Mix in a big bowl. Let sit for at least 10 minutes before serving and always stir before serving (juices sink to the bottom).

Spicy Mango Shrimp Tacos - 2-6 servings
Fast and easy but can't really be made ahead of time.

approx. 24 shrimp (4 per taco)
1/2 can black beans (drained)
1 large jalapeno, diced
4-6 tbsp Major Grey mango chutney (I like the Patak brand)
Smart Balance cooking spray (or whatever you prefer)
6 corn tortillas

Turn on oven to 300 degrees. Place tortillas directly on the wire racks (unless your racks are dirty, in which case: ewww! clean those things!) to warm up.

In a hot pan, begin to cook the shrimp. Keep them moving. After a minute, toss in the chutney and jalapeno. Keep it all moving. Once the shrimp is done cooking, add the beans and stir until everything is coated with the chutney.

Place about 4 shrimps on each taco and evenly distribute the chutney mix across the rest.

Put it all together and you have a refreshing summer meal, most of which can be made up to a week ahead of time.

Wardrobe Essentials.... PTHTHTHTHTLT!!!!

2010-12-28T06:14:00.000-08:00

I have been told many times in the past that I am "stylish" or "fashionable". I have been asked by folks where I've gotten this or that item. But I am not, in fact, fashionable OR stylish. I am, in fact, gaudy and cheap. It just so happens that my flavor of gaudy and cheap appeals to people. I also hit jackpot in the genetics lottery. I'm tall for a woman, with slim Asian bones and muscles stretched out on a Western scale with wide shoulders and hips giving me an hourglass framework. This is why I look nice, this genetic jackpot, not the clothes.

Take a closer look: My faded green thermal shirt has little holes on the side and back where the cat fought with it. My slacks are a half-size too loose or tight and there is a strange puckering at the hip where I hastily "repaired" a hole. My men's sweater is unravelling at a cuff but is still warm. Except for a handful of items I've tried to care for, much of what I own is second-hand, faded, worn out and coming apart. Some have permanent paint, ink or bleach stains. But I'm cheap so I can't bring myself to preemptively toss them out and replace them. I've gotten pretty good at layering stuff so that the worst is covered and the rest appears "artistic" and intentional. I like bright colors which is always appealing. I have learned that, with good posture, bone structure and confidence, a woman can make any outfit look good. But it would be nice to have stuff that's not literally coming apart at the seams.

Thanks to the holidays I've got money for new clothes and, by golly, I'm gonna spend it on new clothes! Since shopping usually spins me into anxiety attacks I've decided to figure out the ingredients for a functional wardrobe. This is, so far, a mistake.

Every article lists the humble white button-up shirt as the holy essential grail. It's dressy, it's relaxed, it's comfortable, it cures cancer and can make you fly!!! I own cats (one is black and loves being hugged). I "get my hands dirty" at the spur of the moment. I'm clumsy. I don't wear light clothes. Plus, most light shades make me look sickly. The button-up shirt also makes me look like a waitress for a nice restaurant.

Next on the list is usually a black skirt, trench coat, Little Black Dress, etc. This is when it dawns on me that I am not the target audience for these articles. None of them mention color; everything is white, beige, black and grey. None of them seem aimed at people who are perpetually cold. Slacks are thin and non-insulative. My poor thighs would be icicles after a day in a 70* office wearing a solitary layer of slacks! Who the hell every thought that 3/4 sleeves are a good idea when they leave your forearm cold or bunch up at the elbow. Ballet flats = might as well be barefoot for all the comfort and protection they afford.

All of these lists are desperately trying to channel Audrey Hepburn. She was a lovely-looking woman to be sure, but it's not the 60's and I'm no gamine. I'm a juggernaut with power tools, a geek and biker, an office worker and foodie. It's 2011-ish. I have no business wearing what she wore and to do so would be a farce.

So now I have to design my own "wardrobe essentials" list. Hopefully it will be as attractive and appealing as it will be comfortable and practical.

1) Long johns- the kind that are silky on the outside so they won't catch the fabric of your pants. Three of them should be enough. All in black. Better make it four.

2) Long-sleeved, square-necked thin-knit shirts that can reach the waist or lower. Since women's pants and tops usually refuse to meet I need base layer pieces that will cover my butt-crack when I bend. Long sleeved for warmth and square-necked so they won't show in other necklines. I have a green one, next I'd like teal, purple, blue and grey. Maybe black. All told, at least four of these.

3) Brown shoes. I have colored shoes and black shoes but no brown shoes. I should get some so I'm not embarrassing to be with in public.

4) Long-sleeve cardigan/jacket-type thing. Slim fit so it can be worn under jackets and coats. Long enough to overlap pants. I have one of those exercise outfit jacket things that currently serves this function but it's black is quickly turning grey. This is obviously a useful item so I should have more than the one. Two or three should do.

5) Pants- This is probably the most frustrating bit. I know exactly what I want and need and I'm gong to have a hard time finding them. Pants that extend above my hipbones, aren't skin tight AND are made of a spandex-blend are rare. Todaye a woman can usually wear jeans into the office as long as they are dressed up. The article itself is ubiquitous and few will dare tread on a woman's sense of fashion so it's often allowed. Still, I do realize I need slacks that fit well, even if there are long-johns underneath. And I need to remember to reinforce the hem since that's usually the first thing to go. I've already got the denim covered so I need slacks... let's say three.

6) Nice tops. This is the decorative outer shell that is seen peeping from within the jacket or sweater when it's cool, and standing on it's own when it's warm. Preferably without buttons or other 3D embellishments that will pop off and of a single jewel-toned color. Four of these.

7) Skirts- not likely.

Generally, everything should be slightly slippery so they will not catch each other when I'm layering for warmth. Buttons and embellishments should be at a minimum since I usually ruin them, lose them, or neglect to repair/replace them when necessary. Embellishments also betray the age of the item- something to be avoided when one goes shopping once per year.

Everything should be made of fabrics that will age gracefully (ie: contain synthetics) or be so resilient (ie: denim, canvas and leather) that, as it wears out, it will retain it's shape. Everything will be made of wrinkle-free materials: knit, jersey, denim, spandex-blends, etc. I'm a shoddy clothes keeper. Things on my hangers are haphazard and, often, inside out. Everything in my drawers are senselessly jammed together. Some may have been folded once but I can't keep them folded so often give up. Wrinkle free means I will still look nice when I get out of my motorcycle gear.

The bright colors will be accessory enough since I seldom wear jewelry because it catches on stuff. I have my utility bag for every day and a purple purse for dressing up. I've rocked the "color as accessory" thing long enough that I've got it mastered and I can now pull off a purple purse with anything.

So there it is: I now know what I need and there's enough wriggle-room that I'm sure to find something that fits the bill. Now it's time to take more cold medication and go shopping! (4 long johns, 4 long sleeve layering shirts, 1 brown shoes, 2 cardigan thingies, 3 slacks and 4 tops)

Hair Stupid

2010-11-22T10:41:00.001-08:00

Historically I let my hair run feral. The agreement is that I don’t try to humiliate it every day and it won’t strangle me in my sleep. So I’ll go for years letting my hair grow longer and longer until I’m overwhelmed then sashay into a salon and have them hack it all off. By the way, if you tell a stylist to just cut it all off then they’ll get very uncomfortable. It will take rounds of encouragement and ensuring them you aren’t the litigious sort before they agree.

And for the first three months I love my sassy new hair. It’s an adventure of buying various hair goops and no regular brushing! But I get bored; don’t want to get a re-cut, and accept that I don’t know what to do with “fibre wax”. Usually I just ignore it for another year or so and then the cycle begins again. But this time I had my grown out pixie cut “cleaned up” due to my ongoing search for unemployment. The girl gave me something called a “fractured bob” or something else that sounds like my hair should have a handicap placard.

This new cut seems to require blowdrying. If I don’t then it sits on my head like a betrayed puppy. But if I use a dryer it goes berserk, also like a puppy but this time it's being attacked by a blowdryer. I don’t know how to use the damned things so I end up with a puffball. Luckily, if I brush my hair and then ignore it for a while, the puff eventually settles down for a nap and looks okay.

So now all I have to do is ignore it again, but this time I’ll get a trim when Dave tells me that things are looking way too bad to leave the house. He usually lets me know when I’m not fit for public consumption and, usually, I listen to him. Do I have makeup smeared on half my face from when I took a nap? Am I dressed like a cross between a crazy Asian granny and a clown? No problem! Unless I’m really comfortable and I don’t think where we’re going warrants effort (I’m looking at you, Target and Wal-Mart!) in which case his words fall on deaf ears.

I am a treat dispenser

2010-11-19T08:57:00.000-08:00

We got the cat treats because I was starting to worry about Bossy-Cat's teeth. Not for any real reason, just dawned on me he had teeth and they should be cared for. Bossy is also pretty picky so I wasn't all that sure he'd even be interested in the treats but I knew that the retarded Fatty cat would eat anything that Bossy didn't.

Bossy loves the treats. I give him a few and he'll scream at me for 15 minutes to give him more. He's convinced my fingertips magically dispense the treats and huffs them noisily. I've hidden the treat bag because he's starting to equate rustling as an indicator that my fingertips will begin dispensing treats.

He doesn't even chew! Just swallows them like the delicious choking hazards that they are! At most we've seen three chomps before the gulp but I swear half the things are just swallowed like benzos. Which I think defeats the purpose of feeding him tooth cleaning cat treats. Unless they're like those foaming drain cleaners, triggered by kitty stomach acid, filling him with dental cleansing foam. But since he hasn't looked rabid lately I'll assume that's not the case.

He's so loud and obnoxious afterwards that I almost don't want to give him any more but then feel guilty about his old bossy teeth. He yells and grumps, following me around the house till he gives up. That's when he melodramatically falls onto his side with a great sigh as if all the joy in life has died.

Now every time I go to the kitchen he pokes his head expectantly around the corner and I swear his meow sounds like "whatchadoin?" Once he sees I'm only washing dishes he sighs and goes away. I'm almost afraid to try and eat chips around him.

I'm a moron

2010-11-18T07:04:00.000-08:00

For the last three and a half years I've been living in San Francisco. During this time my primary and only vehicle was my motorcycle. Now that I'm back in Texas I also have a car and it's taken some getting used to but it's nice to no longer worry about getting wet or having a bug splatter itself against my throat.

The other day, while visiting my local motorcycle shop to pick up some stuff to clean my chain with, I noticed a police patrol car circling me as I parked. While I gathered myself to exit the car he pulled alongside me and rolled down his window.

"Hello, ma'am. You seem to be missing your registration sticker."

My brain froze. A what? Wasn't that the little thing on my license plate? I got out, circle my car, returned to my starting point and stared at the officer like a retarded puppy. I swear I almost tilted my head. As we stared at each other I watched the subtle change in his face as he obviously experienced an inner facepalm.

He got out of his car, walked over to me, and tapped the windshield.

"This is your inspections sticker," he said as if talking to an especially slow child. "This tells me that the car is safe for the road. That it's lights, brakes and such are in good working order."

I was growing more and more embarrassed and he was embarrassed for me.

"Now around this sticker, either above or to the side, is usually another sticker. It's called a registration sticker. Do you have this sticker somewhere?"

My mind raced. And then I had a flicker... maybe that thing we got in the mail. The thing that confused both myself and the Fiance!

"I think it's at home. I'm sorry, I've been riding nothing but motorcycles for years now and I'm not used to car... stuff... anymore."

We stared uncomfortably a bit longer. He let me know that these stickers were important if I wanted to avoid tickets in the future and I should get it on there as soon as I could. I thanked him and felt stupid as he drove off.

After picking up the cleaning stuff, I drove home wondering where the thing in the mail might be. As soon as I walked in the door the damned thing stared me in the face from the top of the little foyer cabinet.

First I'd like to state that I am, in fact, not utterly stupid. When Fiance and I received the registration paperwork and license plates, we thought everything was fine. The plate had it's little registration sticker on it, obviously peeled from the bottom half of the paperwork. This bottom half also had a larger sticker but for some reason we agreed that this must be some sort of optional sticker. I swear, it wasn't just me. Fiance thought it too!

But looking at it now, in the harsh glare of humiliation, I saw the bright red boxes encircling the sticker, screaming in bold caps: FOR WINDSHIELD.

I swear they weren't there before. Long story shortened: I put the sticker on. Felt stupid. Told Fiance so he could keep me company in feeling stupid. He did and I felt better.

Marchesa's Newest Offerings

2010-09-21T14:46:00.000-07:00

Marchesa has done it again with elegant drapings, mind-bending structures and amazing use of color! Their ability to combine ethnic influences in romantic/classic styles with explosions of modern shapes, make then one of the most innovative fashion houses today.

2010-03-17T15:36:00.001-07:00

How to Dance K Pop Style 2008

2010-03-03T15:05:00.000-08:00

2010-02-08T10:45:00.001-08:00

I would buy this man an ice cream cone if I met him

2009-12-31T12:15:00.001-08:00

Bless you, internet, bless you!

Rock on, Lolita-bass-man!

um....
oh.... my.......

2009-11-27T18:20:00.000-08:00

In 1958, on Leave it to Beaver, there is a scene at the end of an episode in whihch the father is reading a letter- here's the letter!

Kinda neat!

2009-11-26T21:05:00.001-08:00

Amazing Places

2009-11-17T21:39:00.000-08:00

2009-11-09T10:59:00.001-08:00

How to Bypass a Ducati Monster Kickstand Cutoff

2009-10-12T22:18:00.000-07:00

Apparently Ducati thinks that it's perfectly reasonable to have a rider sit on their bike, twiddling their thumbs, for the eternity it takes to warm the bike up. Since I think I could better spend that time putting on my gear, closing my gate/garage door, or anything else I did a bypass for the kickstand cutoff.

Now, the easiest thing would be to disconnect or jumper the kickstand so the bike thinks it's always down. The downside to this is user error. I'm not a morning person and I'm guilty of trying to ride off with my kickstand down. This inevitably results in that heart-stopping moment when the stand hits the ground. If you're lucky (90% of the time) the stand will pop right up and out of the way. But you can't be lucky all the time and eventually that stand will bite the ground and send you cartwheeling through space.

The glory of this bypass is it's built-in safety. If the stand is down and the bike's in neutral, it will start. If the stand is down and you pop the bike into gear, the engine will turn off. No more riding away with your stand down!!

My method was cobbled togethor using what I could find on the Ducati Monster Forum. Unfortunately the pictures/diagrams I hoped to find had long since expired so I did this. Enjoy.

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What You Need:

Left to Right: Some sort of quick connectors (it really doesn't matter what kind, I had these lying around from a turn signal swap), these squeeze connectors allow you to tap an electrical line without having to cut anything (18 - 14 gauge should work with Monsters), 3amp barrel diode (MUST HAVE).

Not seen: an extra couple of feet of 18 - 14 gauge wiring (better too much than too little)

Left to Right: Needlenose pliers; wirestripper (I couldn't find mine so I used a knife), wire cutter (the ones on my pliers were dull), heatshrink tubing (not necessary, but awesome)

Cold wrap: like electrical tape, but extra stretchy and sticks to itself wonderfully!

Tap the Kickstand:

From the left side of the bike: look at the top of the kickstand and you'll see a little wire coming from it, moving towards the front and up along the engine inside the frame. This line ends in a weatherpack/connector thingy.

Here's a closeup of the weatherpack/connector thingy. (I've already added the splicing connector in this pic)

If you look at the splicing connector, you'll see that it has two "channels" in it: on that runs all the way through and one that has a little barrier. On my bike the ground is black and the live wire is green/black. Run the live wire through the channel that runs completely through. Now close the connector LIGHTLY and push your added wire into the channel with the barrier. It should be in far enough so when you close the splicer all the way the knife/fork thing contacts the added wire, thus making a connection. Because the splicer had a hinged door that secured the splicer, i just ran the ground cord in the hing so it would all be a tidy package. Ignore the ground.

I ran my added wire up (inside the frame) between the airbox and the battery. You can run it however you wish.

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Splice the Neutral:

Now go to the right side of the bike and look behind the rear wheel at the engine. You'll see the port for neutral. Follow the line from it and you'll find another little weatherpack/connector thing. Mine was attached to my frame.

It's smaller than the one for the kickstand and only has one wire going into and out of it.

Do the same splicing thing here using the other end of the wire that you threaded through. I have lots of wire so I gave myself a LOT of slack to work.

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Fun with Diodes:
Snip the wire you threaded through the engine in a way that will allow it to be nestled back in without having to bend the diode part we're about to make. Since I threaded mine between the airbox and battery I made my snip about 3 inches from where it emerged on the right side of the bike. This allows the diode part to be nestled against the battery area under the tank.

Now strip an inch or so of the wiring from the kickstand half of the wire.

Note: I'm not going to pretend that I know what a diode does and, truthfully, I'm not finding myself caring too much. The diodes come with extra long wire thingies coming from their ends. You'll want to trim these so they'll make a solid connection inside the terminals, but not so long there's an excess. When I put mine on I could see the end of the diode's snipped wires in the channel of the terminal. I threaded the diode-wires into the terminals and used the pliers to squeeze the hell out of the openings to make a solid connection (ie: I gave tugs and wiggles and the diode didn't slip out).

Double note: It doesn't really matter if you use the male or female parts for the diode. Heck, you don't have to use them at all (just wrap the stripped part of your wiring around the diode-wires, solder, then wrap in tape). The reason I used the terminal connectors is because I heard that sometimes the diodes dies (some say 3 months, others say 3 years) and I wanted to be able to swap mine out easily.

I used the male connectors for the diode. I then attached the female connectors to the wiring. I left myself enough wiring so I could work easily and have some spare in case I messed up and had to cut off a few inches to start over.

This is what it looked like afterwards. Make sure the gray end of the diode is pointing towards the neutral port.

Here it is all plugged together.

And with the heatshrink tubing. My tubing was too big so ended up a bit loose.

And heatshrunk down (notice it's not a tight shrink)

So, because the ends weren't weathertight, I added the trusty coldseal tape.

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Tape and Paranoia:

I'm a spaz when I wash my bike. The pressure's too high and I end up pointing the hose every which way. Therefore I want to make sure my weatherproofing is extra thorough to combat my stupidity.

From the kickstand

From the neutral connector

For added protection I got some tiny, black zipties and zipped the ends of the tape down so they won't unravel.

Afterwards it's just a matter of tucking in the wiring and ziptieing down wherever it's needed.
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Because I had some of this stuff lying around my immediate out-of-pocket for this was about $10 USD.

There's a bunch of kits available from $20 - $40 but I;m a cheapskate.

Enjoy

2009-09-14T14:01:00.000-07:00

2009-09-11T17:12:00.001-07:00

Test

2009-07-23T11:48:00.000-07:00

WWJD?

2009-07-10T10:51:00.000-07:00

What Would Jackie Do?

He'd sing the "I'll Make a Man Out of You" song from Mulan in Cantonese while shoing off some of his amazing, technically perfect yet gracefully organic wushu and kungfu.

Is it any wonder that this man is often treated as royalty in the countries he visits?

Carolyn Tillie

2009-07-06T12:17:00.001-07:00

Beautiful and fun jewelry from Carolyn Tillie!

2009-07-02T20:23:00.001-07:00

2009-07-02T20:10:00.001-07:00

2009-07-02T20:00:00.001-07:00

Gobelins - Annecy 2009

2009-07-01T09:12:00.000-07:00

From Wiki: Gobelins L'Ecole de L'Image or Goblins School of the Image is a Parisian school dedicated to the visual arts. A consular school funded by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Paris, it provides training in various formats at a variety of different costs. It is best known for the Cinéma Department of Animation, founded in 1975 by Pierre Ayma, who brought the school into the spotlight. It acquired an international reputation, producing numerous talented individuals and teams which found their place within studios as prestigious as Disney, Universal Studios, Hanna Barbera, Pixar, Dreamworks and Warner Bros.

This is the Gobelins entry for the 2009 Annecy International Animated Film Festival.

Fallen Princesses by Dina Goldstein

2009-06-13T11:28:00.001-07:00

Sita Sings the Blues

2009-05-08T08:43:00.000-07:00

Sita is a goddess separated from her beloved Lord and husband Rama. Nina is an animator whose husband moves to India, then dumps her by e-mail. Three hilarious shadow puppets narrate both ancient tragedy and modern comedy in this beautifully animated interpretation of the Indian epic Ramayana. Set to the 1920’s jazz vocals of Annette Hanshaw, Sita Sings the Blues earns its tagline as “The Greatest Break-Up Story Ever Told.”

Click to be taken to the full length film and watch it's gorgeousness online!

2009-04-27T22:20:00.000-07:00

Singh if Kinng

2009-04-21T09:01:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday

2009-04-20T09:17:00.001-07:00

Yakuza Mistress

2009-04-17T09:55:00.000-07:00

Dandy Lion

2009-04-15T22:03:00.000-07:00

Inner Self

2009-04-15T22:02:00.000-07:00

Columbian Necktie

2009-04-15T22:01:00.000-07:00

Rainbow Processing Plant

2009-04-15T22:00:00.000-07:00

Snow White, Rose Red

2009-04-15T21:58:00.000-07:00

Reflective

2009-04-15T21:57:00.000-07:00

That's Just Charming!

2009-04-15T21:56:00.000-07:00

Dream Candy

2009-04-15T21:52:00.000-07:00

2009-04-15T21:50:00.000-07:00

How It Works

2009-04-15T21:49:00.000-07:00

Yeah!

2009-04-08T12:33:00.001-07:00

D&Baptist

2009-03-20T10:11:00.001-07:00

2009-01-18T20:21:00.001-08:00

2009-01-18T20:16:00.001-08:00

I Know What I Have to Do

2009-01-18T20:08:00.000-08:00

Next Halloween... I know what I have to do. I must practice and train, every fiber of my being must be engaged for this. I can do this.

Franklyn

2009-01-13T09:16:00.000-08:00

LA PRINCESSE, THE GIANT SPIDER OF LIVERPOOL

2008-11-10T09:07:00.000-08:00

The giant spider of Liverpool arrives at the city hall, wakes up after a sleep and, in some dramatically speeded up footage, crawls up a building to rest.

La Princesse was created by a French company, La Machine, as part of the Liverpool European Capital of culture programme. - filmed and edited by Giselle Leeb

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-11T12:08:00.001-07:00

Good Parenting

2008-05-09T20:27:00.000-07:00

Hmmmm

2008-04-26T13:54:00.000-07:00

Nice shoes!

2008-04-24T21:52:00.001-07:00

Damn...

2008-04-11T22:26:00.000-07:00

Just plain hot

2008-04-11T22:25:00.000-07:00

2008-04-11T22:24:00.001-07:00

Saran Wrap, anyone?

2008-04-11T22:23:00.000-07:00

i loves me some carousel!

2008-04-11T22:13:00.000-07:00

It's got a name?!

2008-04-06T20:24:00.000-07:00

L’esprit de l’escalier (stairway wit) is the sense of thinking of a clever comeback when it is too late. The phrase can be used to describe a riposte to an insult, or any witty, clever remark that comes to mind too late to be useful—when one is on the “staircase” leaving the scene. The German word treppenwitz is used to express the same idea. The closest phrase in English to describe this situation is “being wise after the event”. The phenomenon is usually accompanied by a feeling of regret at having not thought of the riposte when it was most needed or suitable.

Breaking News!

2008-04-02T13:52:00.000-07:00

I've been gone for a while, but I have a good reason: first came the all-consuming year-end holidays, then all sorts of business that kept me too occupied to update. What business, you ask?

Coddswaddle Derringer (me) is slated to wed (eventually) and my mind's abuzz with weddie thoughts.

This means I will probably begin peppering posts with wedding related stuff. I'm sure this is the last thing some of you want to see, but tough. I'm still going to do the "Best Of" thing, so rest assured I'm not abandoning you completely.

That all said:

I ADORE this dress:

Pourquoi parler Anglais

2008-03-30T19:46:00.000-07:00

Can I get an Awwwwwww!

2007-11-30T20:06:00.001-08:00

Gnarls Barkley- Crazy... on a theramin!

2007-11-21T23:07:00.001-08:00

Nicholas Brothers in Stormy Weather

2007-11-06T18:47:00.000-08:00

Fred Astaire once called this performance "the greatest dance number ever filmed". The ending is just jaw-dropping impressive!

Rube Goldberg format site!

2007-11-06T13:16:00.000-08:00

This delightful German site selling... I'm not sure.

Just let it load, don't click anything, and enjoy the show!

HEMA

The Truffle Shuffle... Revamp

2007-11-05T23:11:00.001-08:00

Animal Humans

2007-11-05T11:38:00.001-08:00

From "Animal Humans"

How to make your own projector!!!

2007-11-03T09:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T09:51:00.000-07:00

Found on eternallycool.com:

"The crypt of the church comprises five chapels, the floors of which are covered with earth brought from the Holy Land. Friars that were part of the Capucin community at this church were buried in that holy earth, but when the space was filled, bodies of the long deceased were dug up and dismantled to make room for new occupants. The bones of the disinterred - from some 4000 bodies dating between 1528 and 1870 - were then used to create intricate designs that cover the walls and the vaults of the chapels."

Dorina Nowill Foundation for the Blind: Dots

2007-10-30T10:26:00.000-07:00

~from I Believe in Advertising

Advertising Agency: McCann Erickson, São Paulo, Brazil
Chief Creative Officer: Adriana Cury
Executive Creative Director: Adriana Cury
Creative Director: Danilo Janjacomo
Copywriter: Mario Cintra
Art Director: Daniel Chagas Martins
Executive Agency Producer: Paula Moraes
Production Company: Vetor Zero, Sao Paulo
Producer: Alberto Lopes
Director: Nando Cohen
Animation Company: Vetor Zero, São Paulo
Animator: Vetor Zero Team
Special Effects Company: Vetor Zero, São Paulo
Editing Facility: Vetor Zero, São Paulo
Editor: Vetor Zero Team
Music Production Company: Universal Music
Performer: Snow Patrol

Postcards showing the year 2000. (aka: gypped)

2007-10-24T13:00:00.000-07:00

"...an amazing collection of postcards from the dawn of the twentieth century that depict what life would be like in the year 2000."

So now the tally lies thusly: not only do I *not* have a jetpack, nor a flying car; I also do not have my summer holiday at the North Pole and there's not a weather-controlling machine in sight.

*sigh*

Brilliant!! USB Disk Dock lets you plug in hard drives

2007-10-22T11:15:00.000-07:00

Now you can hook up a dirt-cheap SATA disk drive to your PC or Mac by simply plugging it into this USB desktop adapter that works just like an iPod dock. Until now, if you wanted to add a bare hard drive to your computer, you either had to put it in some sort of enclosure, or open up the hood of your PC and install it next to the other drive in there. That's not easy for the uninitiated.

This disk dock couldn't be simpler, accommodating 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch disks that you simply plug into its top. It's a cinch to connect it to your PC or Mac, too, because all you need to do is hook up a USB cable between this dock and your computer, just like you do with your digital camera. Then that naked hard drive acts just like any more-expensive external drive. All this convenience is relatively cheap, costing you just $46.79. — Charlie White, Geeks4U

She's so adorable!

2007-10-20T11:55:00.000-07:00

Orbiting Frog Otolith

2007-10-19T09:53:00.000-07:00

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

The Orbiting Frog Otolith (OFO) was a NASA space program which resulted in the successful launch in 1970 of the Orbiting Frog Otolith spacecraft (OFO-A mission), sending two bullfrogs into orbit for the study of weightlessness. The name, derived through common use, was a functional description of the biological experiment carried by the satellite. Otolith referred to the frog's inner-ear balance mechanism.

The Orbiting Frog Otolith Program was a part of the research program of NASA's Office of Advanced Research and Technology (OART). One of the goals of the OART was to study vestibular organ function in space and on the Earth.

The OFO experiment was designed to allow researchers to collect neurophysiological data on the response of the otolith to prolonged periods of weightlessness. The otolith is a part of the inner ear that is associated with equilibrium control: acceleration with respect to gravity as its primary sensory input.

The Orbiting Frog Otolith (OFO) spacecraft.

(This is what happened when I was wiki-ing the names of various encryption codes.)

And another one

2007-10-15T09:59:00.000-07:00

Odd, isn't it? Ya'll don't hear from me for ages and you get three... count 'em: THREE (3) posts in one morning! Why? Because I dread the fiscal year-end refiling and archiving I have to do. Prastination.

So, turns out Mario's mushrooms are real. Amanita muscaria is an adorable little red cap found throughout the world. Also known as fly agaric or Fly Amanita it has a strange ability. No, it won't make you triple in size, but it'll make you trip balls... or die. You know, whichever.

And this is just plain funny

2007-10-15T09:40:00.000-07:00

Nike: Momentum

2007-10-15T09:36:00.000-07:00

Why can't sports be more like this?

2007-09-27T09:45:00.001-07:00

I love old people!

How I’d Sink American Vogue

2007-09-26T10:25:00.000-07:00

"Picture this: Anna Wintour has resigned. The sheer effort of keeping an immaculate bob and an unfeasibly large pair of sunglasses in place 24 hours a day has finally taken its toll. In a move that has shocked the fashion industry, American Vogue has appointed as her successor graphic-designer-turned-artist Scott King. For his first issue in charge, King decides that Vogue should have an anti-war theme. Oh, and it should also be free…"

Sucks to be him.

2007-09-25T14:15:00.000-07:00

His life is a lie!!!

2007-09-25T10:13:00.000-07:00

In teh beginning...

2007-09-20T18:58:00.000-07:00

Click to see it better

Oh My!

2007-09-13T09:43:00.000-07:00

Click to see it in all its glory!

Geostationary Banana Over Texas

2007-09-13T09:25:00.000-07:00

What part of "Geostationary Banana Over Texas" can't a person love? Think about it: a banana, visible to the naked eye at all times, hoving in that bold blue that only Texas skies seem to have. From the gritty windswept openness of El Paso to the stinking, humid traffic jams of Houston to the green hills of Austin: a banana in the sky!

I think this is my first LOLcat

2007-09-12T21:57:00.001-07:00

Burble?

2007-09-10T09:19:00.000-07:00

The Burble is a massive structure reaching up towards the sky, composed of approximately 1000 extra-large helium balloons each of which contains microcontrollers and LEDs that create spectacular patterns of light across the surface of the structure.

Can you imagine seeing this up-close and personal?!

Don't Copy That Floppy!

2007-08-25T17:30:00.000-07:00

Made Images a la Random

2007-08-08T19:01:00.000-07:00

Age Inspires

2007-08-03T20:04:00.001-07:00

The world doesn't stop. Not for you; not for me. And amazing things come with age: experience, history, discoveries...

Amazing examples of Ottoman Calligraphy

Kahlil Gibran: 20th century Syrian-born mystic poet,
philosopher, and artist. I like his Rumi-esque-ness.

We should all be so lucky as to find love in the 90's

Find newspapers from each day in history, dating back to 1759

Bernice Bobs Her Hair: by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Age Inspires

2007-08-03T20:04:00.000-07:00

The world doesn't stop. Not for you; not for me. And amazing things come with age: experience, history, discoveries...

Amazing examples of Ottoman Calligraphy

Kahlil Gibran: 20th century Syrian-born mystic poet,
philosopher, and artist. I like his Rumi-esque-ness.

We should all be so lucky as to find love in the 90's

Find newspapers from each day in history, dating back to 1759

Bernice Bobs Her Hair: by F. Scott Fitzgerald

More pics

2007-07-29T11:29:00.000-07:00

Click to see image

Click to see

That should keep y'all busy...

Been a While...

2007-07-29T10:42:00.000-07:00

Eye Witness to History

2007-07-22T10:43:00.000-07:00

Your ringside seat to history - from the Ancient World to the present. History through the eyes of those who lived it.

Rocky Horror Little Mermaid

2007-07-21T12:40:00.000-07:00

Horiyoshi 3

2007-07-16T18:29:00.000-07:00

Traditional Japanese Tattoo by Horiyoshi 3

Blue Fugates of Kentucky!

2007-07-14T17:13:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I left without saying anything. But I'm sort of back now. I have moved from Texas to California with nary a hitch and I'm still trying to settle into a world without cardboard boxes.

To tide you over, I give you the Blue Fugates of Troublesome Creek:

Six generations after a French orphan named Martin Fugate settled on the banks of eastern Kentucky's Troublesome Creek with his redheaded American bride, his great-great-great great grandson was born in a modern hospital not far from where the creek still runs.

The boy inherited his father's lankiness and his mother's slightly nasal way of speaking.

What he got from Martin Fugate was dark blue skin. "It was almost purple," his father recalls.

7 Reasons the 21st Century is Making Us Miserable

2007-06-13T07:50:00.000-07:00

Scientists call it the naked photo test, and it works like this:

Say a photo turns up, of you nakedly doing something that would shame you and your family for generations. Bestiality, whatever. Ask yourself how many people in your life you would trust with that photo.

Food for the Eyes

2007-06-11T14:40:00.000-07:00

Do you play with your food?

Samwell - "What What (In the Butt)"

2007-06-06T08:29:00.000-07:00

A Pox on your History- Reviewed by E. Michael Jones, Ph.D.

2007-06-05T12:57:00.000-07:00

At some point during late 1967 or early 1968, I decided that in order to complete a novel I was attempting to write, I needed the help of a creative writing instructor. I had already shown some of the stories I had written to Hiram Hayden, who was teaching at the Annenberg School of Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, but decided that I needed advice on a weekly basis, and Hayden, who was at the end of an illustrious career, wasn’t available. That’s how I met Bob Summers. He was an ad man turned playwright who was, I would estimate, 20 to 25 years older than me. His most famous play was The Seeds in the Passes. It had been performed, which is accomplishment enough, in both theaters and on TV. For the next year or so, we met on a weekly basis. He was, as I remember, a sympathetic listener who always had something encouraging and intelligent to say. We became friends. He introduced me to the woman he was living with at the time, who had a dance troupe and had just had a child by him. Bob was involved in fighting the city of Philadelphia’s ill-fated cross-town expressway at the time, a 10-lane monstrosity which was planned to go down South Street in Philadelphia and would have permanently altered the relationship between the center of town and the Italian and Jewish neighborhoods to the south. As part of those efforts, he was also instrumental in the founding of The Painted Bride, a coffee house ahead of its time in its anticipation of the rebirth of boho South Street out of the ashes of the former retail garment district. Bob scheduled poetry readings at the Painted Bride and brought the same sympathy to that operation that he brought to the creative writing classes.

Web 2.0: The Machine is Us/ing Us

2007-06-04T14:02:00.000-07:00

Web 2.0 will force us to rethink everything through publishing more of the written word