I have randomly had inspiration to make cartoons about women involving puns. 
Shirley suddenly realizes she might NOT have what it takes to make the Olympic curling team.
Tired of waiting around for Mr. Right, Nadine decides to go clubbing to meet men.
A moment of vulnerability. Years ago my friend told me she could totally picture me on Saturday Night Live. I lit up inside thinking how fun would that be but also that I am not that funny. Lately I have been getting more encouragement from various people. That same friend talked about getting together to do improv last night. Tonight I was showing my mom some of my favorite SNL clips (especially this one: Lawrence Welk…be warned, it might be offensive to certain people and if it offends you, I apologize. Or rather, SNL should.) My mom said to me after I showed her various clips that every time she watches them she thinks that I could totally do them. I was shocked. It gave me courage to sit down and start brainstorming ideas for skits. One of them was really inspiring. I tried to get a couple of other people involved, but no one was available, so I did it myself with my mediocre webcam and limited editing ability. Here it is in all its raw glory. I think it took me about an hour including the eons of time it takes to upload to youtube. (I would have used my new digital camera’s recording ability but I haven’t figured out how to convert it to work with my super ghetto video editor program and the battery was dead. It’s nursing away now in its little charger cradle. I hope you enjoy my flick…and if you don’t, then I’m glad it’s short so as to not prolong your agony.
http://www.originalgood.com/square-deal-handbag-buffalo-horn-beads-and-silk-p-2376.html I can’t decide what color. I would buy it right now except for this: financial advice So I am posting it so that I can find it later and buy it!!!!
(I think I like black the best…no, gold…no, black!!! Ahhh!!!)
Seriously, check out that financial advice link. I love it!!!
The other day I was researching different gyms and exercise programs. I am getting bored with my current routine and was looking into alternatives such as Pilates. I didn’t want to waste my time on something ineffective, so I was looking for the benefits. I have gained several pounds this last year and want to feel like the exercise I am doing is helping to build my metabolism as well as keep my energy levels high. I have struggled with weight issues for several years now. I have dealt with feeling out of control and overweight to feeling in control and thin but still not satisfied and afraid of gaining the weight back. I have actually gained most of it back. In my research on exercise programs, I found a link to a site that recommended a book called The Solution by Laurel Mellin.
It was described as being helpful in dealing with the more emotional sides of eating. I went to Amazon to check it out and saw that a used copy could be purchased for a penny plus S&H. I wanted to pay more than a penny, so I bought a copy for a dollar ninety nine and got it in the mail the other day. I just started reading it. The book is close to 400 pages and has an ugly cover but so far I am finding it super enjoyable. It has lots of stories and is clearly written. The information makes total sense to me and I am so excited about this book.
I have been wanting to have a lifestyle where I am not overweight, am not obsessed with exercise or calorie counting but am also not lazy or irresponsible, where I don’t eat to medicate pain, where I can love and accept myself regardless of my weight. Sometimes when I go to the gym I feel like there is so much pressure to perform. I hate it. I either feel great when I am performing or lousy when I don’t and I don’t want to feel like my mood and love for myself is dependent on my behavior. This book addresses that issue. It helps people to love and value themselves and to make good choices based on that value. This book deals with 6 different areas that affect weight and only 2 of those have anything to do with diet and exercise. This book confronts unhealthy demands from other people to look a certain way, self-judging, coping mechanisms. It provides wisdom and tools to live a balanced and healthy life, the type of life where struggling with weight and food is no longer an issue. This book could help anyone who is dealing with any type of issue such as porn, drugs, bad moods, alcohol. It is a book about being a healthy person. I LOVE THIS BOOK so far. I am not sure what effects it will have in my life, if I will lose weight and keep it off, if I become healthier and happier, but I won’t be surprised if I don’t. I have started using some of the tools and feel so much less angry and way more empowered. I just went to Target to buy cold stuff and walked taller and was less afraid of men. I think this book is going to change my life. A lot of what is in it is a reinforcement of what my counselor has been telling me. Okay, I guess that’s enough. I am not making any money off of talking about this book. I just think that anyone who thinks they need to lose weight and wants to do something about it should read this before joining the gym (which is not discouraged at all by this book) or going on a diet. I think it will dramatically increase not only their success rate but also the length of time that the results are experienced. Also, a little note of joy and excitement: I drank over a gallon of water today!!! For those who know me well, this is a miracle!!!!!! I’ll post some pictures of the book….with my new camera
….oh! I forgot to tell you. I went down to San Diego last weekend and got to see Jimmy and Michelle
(my really good friends who recently moved there) and to visit Expression 58 (the church I want to go to someday…I hope to move to L.A. in a year or so.) Jimmy and Michelle bought me a digital camera as an early Christmas present because they love me and Jimmy is a photographer and they have noticed the very low quality of my camera phone pics!! Thanks guys. You’re amazing!!!! Oh, and why I’m not feeling well?
I stayed home with a sore throat from work today and now have subtle cold symptoms and am tired and was possibly feverish. But Jesus heals and life is good. Toodles!
The first pic I took with my camera.
The three of us at Extravagant Desserts in San Diego. After watching me attempt to take a picture of all 3 of us three times, a random stranger offered to assist. I think he was sick of the atmospheric shock of the flash…and yes, some of these photos were edited. But not all of them. I won’t tell you which. Just think of it as adding better lighting afterward.
Hah… :)
A friend who also loves good make up told me about this mascara. I am always on the look out for a good mascara…
I happened to be at the health food store where they sell this stuff, and since my current mascara is middle-aged and will soon need to go to the mascara old-folks home (one regular year is 160 mascara years), I thought I’d give the stuff a try. But how will it do in comparison to the only mascara I have ever really loved that hasn’t been discontinued….? I open up my make up bag to get out the contender: Lancome Hypnose mascara in platinum.
I love Lancome mascara…if the brush is right. The formulas out perform any other mascara I’ve used. I’ve been disappointed in it only when it has a lousy applicator brush.
Some factors to consider: No Miss black mascara is from Orchard Nutrition and retails for $12.99. Lancome Hypnose platinum mascara, while normally $24 at department stores, came from TJ Maxx for $8…but is not always there and at that price… (If I would have bought it at Macy’s, I would have gotten black, not platinum. The choices at TJ Maxx were limited.)
Oh, and No Miss is a decently natural formula, while who knows what’s in Lancome…
Let the games begin! I’ll give you the play by play:
First coat: While the mascara on the left was superb at defining every lash with no clumps at all, the mascara on the right clearly stands out more with its look of darkness, thickness and length.
Second coat: Left side is more visible now, a very pretty natural look, still staying well defined even though the first coat had dried after applying more, but the right side is still in the lead with the drama factor.
3rd coat… Which one would you choose? The one on the left definitely exists, but is starting to stick the lashes together a bit. The one on the right is like gorilla lashes on steroids. While it is clumpier, the over all evenness of the look minimizes the focus on the clumps.
Next tests: smudge factor and how easily it cleans off…The battle continues!!!
Tear test: squirting them with saline.
Both had black tracks down my cheeks, but the one on the left actually had more smudge.
Burn burn burn…my eyes are burning. I squirted them and blinked about 50 times. The left eye started to smudge with the first blink. The one on the right fought valiantly, but also succumbed to the saline. Both look wet, but the right one is more clumpy looking, like spider’s legs.
I grabbed my Body Shop face chamois and began to rub gently. Both came off decently well with no raccoon eyes. No soap or eye make up remover was used, just about 20 seconds of wiping with warm water. While the left cleaned up slightly better, both did well, much better than say…um…Great Lash mascara…or most mascaras for that matter. I’m not a fan of the beloved and famous pink and green Great Lash because it is so messy to me. Left won, but not significantly enough to make up for its lack of hefty body and thickness.
Instant replay of the third coat image:
Here they are, side by side, awaiting a verdict:
Which one wins? Guess which was which? I want to tell you but may keep us both in suspense a bit longer….
Clean, moisturized face.
Foundation (Bare Escentuals Fairly Light Foundation and Kabuki Brush)
Concealer and Powder (Same foundation applied with concealer brush. You are supposed to use mineral veil but I make my own with cornstarch plus a bit of foundation and Warmth or something to take away the bleached whiteness and some Pure Radience for slight shimmer…I could pay $19…but why when I can pay..um..less than a dollar for virtually the same thing.)
Blush (Dusk Blush applied with small angled blush brush. Except for mascara and powder, all products and most brushes are by Bare Escentuals.)
Eyeliner (My head is tilted back to let it dry. Weather Everything mixed with Midnight Sky liner/shadow applied with MAC eyeliner brush since almost all the BE eyeliner brushes last about 5 applications before the bristles can’t draw a single line and look like a broomstick or a feather duster. This formula rocks. It lasts a long time. But it is a pain to mix it by hand and you have to wait for it to dry before you blink. I did an extra thick line, especially in the middle to have a more retro look. Navy eyeliner if it is dark enough, looks like black but makes the green tones in my eyes stand out more and makes the whites of eyes look whiter. It’s true.)
Eyeshadow all over lid and up to brow. (Precious which is a pale tan with shimmer. Sorry, a few of the photos are blurry.)
Highlighting shadow right below brow. (I tried Hyacinth which is a pale shimmery lavender but it wasn’t light enough so I put on Bikini. I think both are discontinued.)
Center and inside of lid. (Pinot Noir which is a darkish coral shadow with shimmer. Adding some pink especially toward the inner part of the eye adds some interest and brightness. I was taught this trick and the navy eyeliner one from a makeup artist friend.)
Medium brown on the outer part of the crease. (Soft Focus Explore.)
Second coat of eyeliner, which is a pain, but all that shadow on top of it dulled the intensity and that wasn’t the look I wanted. The liner was the biggest part of this look. So I remixed and redrew. I accidentially closed my lid too soon and had to q-tip off a tiny smudge in the crease. Those q-tips are specially made for eyemakeup and have a flat side and a pointy side. I like em. Especially the pointy side.
Mascara (Only on one eye in this pic…can you tell which? I love Lancome mascara…this one is um…Hypnose? Not sure, but the color is Platinum…I got it at TJ Maxx for $7 or $8 which explains the color. You can’t really tell it isn’t black though. I hate the brush on the Difinicils one. The formula is amazing but the brush sucks. Their mascaras usually run about $24 a tube. I think it is worth it. It doesn’t make a big mess when you wash it off, stays on well, both thickens and lengthens while not causing major clumpage..unless you want it. It pretty much rocks.)
Brows. If I am only doing the most simple make up, I will do foundation/concealer, blush and brows. They provide the structure and foundation for the whole look. I used the items in the BE brunette brow kit. Though I didn’t do the gel this time. I usually don’t have too much of a problem with strays, but tonight I did, so I wish I would have used it.
Lips. (I took a skinny silver tube of carmex lip stuff, moisturized my lips, stuck the same tube into the blush and used it as a lipstick. Works great. Then I dabbed Gazebo lipgloss right onto the pout, which is the middle of the bottom lip. Later on in the evening my lips needed some more moisture and I used some Victoria’s Secret med/light pink glittery lipgloss…the passion fruit one…all over and it was lookin’ pretty good as Strong Bad would say.)
Done! (For this last photo, all I did was pull my hair out of the loose bun I had put it in, which is why it is so curly looking. I did my hair before I did the make up. I have a cut with lots of layers to give me body. I used shampoo without sodium lauryl or laureth sulfate because those chemicals make the quality of my hair go down hill fast. I used Mill Creek Jojoba oil shampoo and Aloe conditioner. Then I applied Hi-Shine curl cream stuff from The Natural Source which I love. It gives great body and shine. I put it in, brush it through and then blow dry upside down. I give it a cool shot with the dryer to set the body and then I brushed it upside down as well. The curl stuff gives me nice, soft, shiny body with slight curl at the ends. After awhile my hair wasn’t quite this fluffy. Now that we’re at the end, let’s do small side by side before and after shots!)
There you go. I like me both ways, because I like me, but it just goes to show you the power of makeup. And I didn’t do any shading or highlighting either. You can slightly change the shape of your face and features when you do that, though it usually looks better in photos than real life. Alright, hope that was fun. Have a good night! (Photo source: my camera phone uploaded to my beenup2 account.)
I just wrote a blog on another site that was like a wwf smackdown in your face type piece. I thought about posting it here, but I didn’t feel like it. I think I will instead focus on my sweet self.
Today I spent time with my beautiful mother. I love her. She is amazing. We spent quality time and exchanged honesty and kind words and enjoyed each other’s company. She brought me a mirror. Years ago she made a mirror that I love and when she was getting rid of a bunch of stuff because of a move, she gave it to me. And when she got a bigger place, I gave it back to her. And she just brought it back. I am so happy. It is such a great mirror. Okay, that’s enough for now. If you want to read my blog…I’ll give you a link, but let me warn you, it is a little edgy. :)
You know what? Sometimes it is hard to be a controversial person. I try not to waste my energy on stupid beliefs that don’t do anyone any good, but there are a lot of things that I hold near and dear that ARE really good for people, but they just don’t believe me. And I’m not shoving them down people’s throats either. It really bothers me when I meekly but sincerely go about believing my own business for good reasons usually and someone gets their knickers in a bunch over what I sincerely think is right. IT MAKES ME MAD when people who are ascribing to a belief that I think is not good for them, throw a fit and tirade and somehow seem to win or something because I have the maturity to not roar like a hot and stanky breathed lion at them. Rar rar ra r ra ar ar… on and on they go, too emotional about what they think to actually treat a person like a human being if they disagree!!!! And they call me the unfair one!!!!
It makes me think of a quote:
“My mother always told me that no matter how much you dislike a person, when you meet them face to face you will find characteristics about them that you like. Jerry Falwell was a perfect example of that. I hated everything he stood for, but after meeting him in person, years after the trial, Jerry Falwell and I became good friends. He would visit me in California and we would debate together on college campuses. I always appreciated his sincerity even though I knew what he was selling and he knew what I was selling.” - Larry Flynt (click here for source).
Okay, I’m done. I can’t control how other people behave. Only myself. I just don’t like the thought of persecution. It makes me sad. Well, I guess if I ever have to go through any real persecution, God will give me grace. Makes me love Jesus more to know what he went through and how well he handled it. What a good man. I love him.
Tonight I went to church for a bit and enjoyed it then decided to leave because my neck was hurting. As I was leaving I started craving salami and so I went to the gym and ate cheese and meat and met a couple people who I chatted with and then went home and due to some stuff I had posted on facebook and questions and comments I got in response, did some research and learned a lot. First earlier today I learned about the word ubersexual. Then in an attempt to differentiate between ubersexual and metrosexual I guessed and then did research and realized I was right. Then out of curiosity to discover what the female equivalent of ubersexual is I google searched and found a fascinating article that mentions some interesting things, read a chunk of it, scanned the rest, got some answers, but not completely and then posted this blog. Okay, this is so funny, but when asked to describe ubersexual, the three men that came to my mind are David Beckham, George Clooney and James Bond. Two of the articles list two of those men as examples. Dang, I am spot on! And that was before I did the research.
http://bicarateruna.blogspot.com/2006/07/metrosexual-vs-ubersexual.html
http://www.brandrepublic.com/Campaign/Features/Features/671341/gender-divide/
http://fabulouslybrokeinthecity.blogspot.com/2007/10/random-exhausted-thoughts.html
Hmmmm……I need to think about this term for a minute …………Something is not quite right….. While an ubersexual man is very attractive…I think there is something still missing. Ubersexuality is an attempt for men to be men, to display an image to live up to. As in my thoughts a couple blogs ago, there still must be more. I am a city girl…more specifically a California city girl. I don’t go for wranglers or tons of leather. I go for creative style. I go for something a bit European without involving a lot of sandals. So the ubersexual man is very appealing to me (I think I am more attracted to a man who can dress well than a man who is uber handsome…maybe…) Even though I think they are attractive, I think there is something about an ubersexual man that still comes up short for me. I could be complex, but I think honestly the word is fatherhood. Kids don’t care how great you look, how smooth you talk, how many newspapers you read, how many stocks you own, how many drinks you know how to mix. Kids need someone willing to relate to them, willing to help them, willing to sacrifice for them, willing to care. To me, without the maturity and true masculinity required to be a good father, an ubersexual is only a shell of a man trying to look so flawless no one will criticize him. The perfect man teases his kids and plays with them, not to look like a good dad, but because he really cares. A great dad loves his kids for who they are and doesn’t parent with an unhealthy focus on image or performance. There are two ways to live life: look for the signs of success and try to emulate them or do what is right and healthy and have success naturally grow out of it. To me the ubersexual man is the first. But why try to look like the real thing when you can be the real thing? The problem is that when you are younger the sacrifices it takes to become a quality man (or woman) often involve not having the best image at times and not everyone wants to go through that. One of my favorite examples of this principle is a tree. One can look at a tree and notice the fruit and go out and buy some fruit and tie it on some branches. There is no naked phase, but there is no source of life. Or one can realize, hey, real lasting maturity takes time and there are scrawny seasons and leaveless seasons and it takes time to even get to the place where just a little bit of fruit is being produced. And even after you get somewhere in the fruit department, there is still pruning, fertilizing, etc. They take the good with the bad. They don’t look for the short cut. They’re not trying to fool anyone. I don’t think that ubersexual talks about those things. It just basically adds athleticism, charm, knowledge, people skills and financial success to looking good. It’s almost as if they are saying, hey, we wanted women so we started dressing better. It worked at first, but now everyone is dressing better and women are seeing through the appearance and are wanting more. So we’ll have all those qualities that the movies say we need to have and then we’ll be really superior men… …….but they still don’t have that deep-down abiding sense of who they are to the degree required to be able to lay down their lives for their wives and children.
I think it is funny that the two men who came to mind who were also mentioned in the articles were Bond and Clooney…both notorious womanizers….and few things are more repulsive to me as a woman than womanizing. Hmm…so I guess my opinion of an ubersexual man is that he is a well-baked pie shell with no filling. I want a man who goes through the whole process, who deals with the peeling and slicing and mixing and filling and rolling and cutting and comes out with a great deal of satisfying stubstance as well as a pretty crust. Perhaps this is why I am still single. Great men take time to develop, especially when growing up in a society where good dads are a rare commodity and having one is the fastest way to become a man. And considering I have my own father issues…perhaps I need just as much time to become that tried and true quality woman. Not sure what the right term is for that kind of woman…the closest thing that comes to mind is a queen.
I am now done with work and am trying to decide what to do with the rest of my evening…go to church? Plus: Georgian Banoff which means it will be wild and crazy and everyone will be laughing and falling all over the place. Sushi with my roommate?: I don’t really love sushi. I kind of like it, but almost never crave it. It’s just okay in my book. About as yummy as a hotdog. Eh. Go home and waste time doing nothing? It’s easy and requires no braving crowds or spending money or really any movement at all. I might get some sleep. I might do some laundry. I will most likely waste time watching a movie or spending time on the computer, which is something I already did all day long. Or I could go to my gym which is having a member appreciation wine and hors d’oeuvres night. I think church sounds the best. Honestly I am tired and a little drained from not making pefect choices. If I could do anything I would go to an island for a week…one with very few people and no computers. I would take a journal and a pen and a few books including my Bible. I would eat simple foods and wear comfortable clothes and sit on the sand and watch the water. I’d probably love it at first and then hate it and then love it. I need time away from distractions and requirements, from stress and from other people’s opinions. If I could change one thing in my life, I would stop being afraid to give and receive love..not the romantic kind, the love your neighbor as yourself kind. I would be fearlessly loving and wouldn’t hold back from caring about people. It’s so hard to do if you are afraid of what might happen. How will they take it? Usually the people who don’t ask those questions get the better responses. It’s the ones who worry who see the negative results. I think I will go to church tonight. I might go early. Who knows. Or maybe I’ll go join my roommate for some sushi.
(An excerpt from that website regarding a study of why farts smell. Scientists broke down the gasses and definded what was causing the odor:
They found that the smell of flatus comes from various sulphur-containing compounds. The compounds in a typical flatus are hydrogen sulphide (1.06 micro mol/L) methanethiol (0.21 micro mol/L) and dimethyl sulphide (0.08 micro mol/L). The judges thought that hydrogen sulphide smelt like “rotten eggs” and methanethiol like “decomposing vegetables”, while dimethyl sulphide actually smelt “sweet”.
Male vs female farts
They found an interesting difference between the offensiveness of the farts of men and women. In their rather small sample, they measured that women’s farts had higher concentrations of hydrogen sulphide. The judges agreed, and thought that the women’s farts had a significantly worse odour. However, men generated a greater volume of gas per passage. This compensated for the men’s lower concentration, so that both men and women delivered roughly the same amount of hydrogen sulphide per passage of gas. However, the authors of the paper do emphasise that the sample size was very small, so their results are not very reliable.
So now you know. But granted, this is just Australian women*….
(*actually, I have no idea where this study was done.)