The "create your own" Converse I ordered. John thinks they are hideous. I love them. :)
20260222 - Sun - Mount Field and Russell Falls
8 months ago
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Monday, November 8, 2010
Yay! CatherinetteRings is Having a Giveaway!
There you will find most beautiful, fun, unique steampunk rings and jewelery that I've ever seen!
If you haven't seen the shop yet, here it is - Etsy Shop!
An example of some of the jewelery and sculpture:
Check out his BLOG for details!
I will be buying something anyway for my mom and myself for Christmas but winning something would be awesome, too! :D
If you haven't seen the shop yet, here it is - Etsy Shop!
An example of some of the jewelery and sculpture:
Check out his BLOG for details!
I will be buying something anyway for my mom and myself for Christmas but winning something would be awesome, too! :D
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Marry Whomever You Want!
Why is this even an issue??
CONSENTING ADULTS. I don't care if you are a man and a woman, two men, two women, three women and a man, three men, twelve women, etc.
I don't care! Why should ANYONE care?
People against gay marriage (Bill O'asshole Reilly for one) are using the argument, "If gay people can marry then so can three people!" (they are using this argument along with their old standard, "OMGZ IF GAYEZ MARREE THEN ANY1 CAN MARRY ANYTHING. A DUCK, A TURTEL, A DOG, A LOLCAT!!")
Why NOT three people? It's a contract that has NOTHING to do with your church. Why do you care who anyone marries? It has nothing to do with you or your god. (Well, Mormons will love it so I suppose it has something to do with THEIR god.)
The dog, duck whatever argument has been shot down numerous times and I can't believe it's even used anymore. A DOG IS NOT A CONSENTING ADULT. Neither is a child, or a tree, or your toaster.
People are just moronic and their need to control what others do is so freaking weird to me.
CONSENTING ADULTS. I don't care if you are a man and a woman, two men, two women, three women and a man, three men, twelve women, etc.
I don't care! Why should ANYONE care?
People against gay marriage (Bill O'asshole Reilly for one) are using the argument, "If gay people can marry then so can three people!" (they are using this argument along with their old standard, "OMGZ IF GAYEZ MARREE THEN ANY1 CAN MARRY ANYTHING. A DUCK, A TURTEL, A DOG, A LOLCAT!!")
Why NOT three people? It's a contract that has NOTHING to do with your church. Why do you care who anyone marries? It has nothing to do with you or your god. (Well, Mormons will love it so I suppose it has something to do with THEIR god.)
The dog, duck whatever argument has been shot down numerous times and I can't believe it's even used anymore. A DOG IS NOT A CONSENTING ADULT. Neither is a child, or a tree, or your toaster.
People are just moronic and their need to control what others do is so freaking weird to me.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
The Starbucks people are nice. :)
I wandered into Starbucks today, my mouth watering at the thought of a nice, cool, sweet & bitter iced mocha latte.
Months ago I had gone in to get one and my check card wouldn't scan and I didn't have my credit card on me. The barista was sweet and said, "Don't worry about it, it's on us!". I felt bad about it though and called later, trying to give her my credit card # over the phone. She wouldn't take it, insisting that it was ok. I figured she was busy and didn't want to take the time.
So today I asked them to charge me double since I wanted to pay for the "free" one I got a few months ago. They still wouldn't let me, which was really nice. As I waited for my drink, I heard one of the other baristas say to the one making my coffe, "These are all expired from last month, do you want to take them?" as she held up chocolate graham cracker packages. I said to my barista, "Hey, nice little perk, huh? Free chocolate, yay! Funny that they even have an expiration date, it's graham crackers and chocolate, that stuff keeps forever!" and the barista agreed and smiled. Then as I was walking out she ran over and handed me a package of the chocolate covered graham crackers with a grin. I said with a laugh, "Ack! Not only do I not get to pay for my old latte but now you're handing me free stuff!" She replied, "It's because you wanted to pay! Thanks!"
So that was nice. Sometimes even just trying to be honest creates good "karma". :)
Months ago I had gone in to get one and my check card wouldn't scan and I didn't have my credit card on me. The barista was sweet and said, "Don't worry about it, it's on us!". I felt bad about it though and called later, trying to give her my credit card # over the phone. She wouldn't take it, insisting that it was ok. I figured she was busy and didn't want to take the time.
So today I asked them to charge me double since I wanted to pay for the "free" one I got a few months ago. They still wouldn't let me, which was really nice. As I waited for my drink, I heard one of the other baristas say to the one making my coffe, "These are all expired from last month, do you want to take them?" as she held up chocolate graham cracker packages. I said to my barista, "Hey, nice little perk, huh? Free chocolate, yay! Funny that they even have an expiration date, it's graham crackers and chocolate, that stuff keeps forever!" and the barista agreed and smiled. Then as I was walking out she ran over and handed me a package of the chocolate covered graham crackers with a grin. I said with a laugh, "Ack! Not only do I not get to pay for my old latte but now you're handing me free stuff!" She replied, "It's because you wanted to pay! Thanks!"
So that was nice. Sometimes even just trying to be honest creates good "karma". :)
Religion vs Medicine
A mother testified that religious beliefs prevent her son from taking chemo. Doctors said he will likely die without it.
By MAURA LERNER, Star Tribune
Last update: May 8, 2009 - 11:03 PM
The mother of 13-year-old Daniel Hauser testified Friday that she and her son would refuse to comply with any court order requiring the boy to resume chemotherapy for his cancer.
"Danny clearly made up his mind. He's not doing it,'' Colleen Hauser, of Sleepy Eye, Minn., testified on the opening day of a trial over whether a court should order the boy into medical treatment against the family's wishes.
Hauser, whose son was diagnosed in January with Hodgkin's lymphoma, said conventional treatments such as chemotherapy conflict with the family's religious beliefs. She said they prefer natural remedies such as herbs and vitamins.
Asked where she learned about the alternative healing techniques, Hauser said, "on the Internet.''
Daniel sat stoically through the opening part of the trial as his first oncologist, Dr. Bruce Bostrom of Children's Hospitals and Clinics in Minneapolis, testified that his chances of survival would drop to 5 percent without treatment.
The boy left shortly afterward and never returned to the courtroom. He is scheduled to testify this morning in a closed session before the judge, after his lawyer said he was uncomfortable talking in open court. The case is expected to be finished today, and the judge said he didn't expect to issue a ruling this weekend.
As a day of tense testimony began, dozens of family friends and supporters lined the courtroom, but the mood was subdued. At one point, a handful of natural-health advocates arrived with signs to show their support for the Hausers. But they were ordered to leave their placards outside the courthouse.
The Hausers declined to speak to reporters after Friday's court session. But Dan Zwakman, a member of the Nemenhah religious group to which they belong, acted as the family spokesman. He argued that this is a case about religious freedom, noting that the group's motto is "our religion is our medicine."
Link to original article: HERE
I'm trying to figure out where I would stand on something like this. Obviously the parents are clinically insane for believing prayer or their religion (or some "natural" remedies) will cure their child of cancer. Dangerously insane since their child will likely die without chemotherapy.
I suppose the horrible question is... do I care?
Of course I would feel bad for the kid. He's been raised to trust his parents and he believes what they are telling him. That's not his fault, he's just a kid and kids (as I well know. I AM the one who almost jumped from a 19th story balcony when I was 8 because I was thinking if I believed it enough, I would fly. I guess you would call that, "throwing myself at the ground and missing" :P) have great imaginations and a huge capacity for belief.
I do believe in the freedom to do what you think is right for yourself as long as it doesn't harm others. In this case, the parents would be harming a young child but he is THEIR young child. If he passes away that is really just natural selection at work, is it not? Their genes will not live on because they were maladaptive. Bad for the kid, better for humanity.
Yet if they were physically abusing him through beatings and neglect I WOULD advocate removing him from their home, so how is this any different? I suppose that is the fine line here.
My other thought was, "What if they are doing this to force the issue so they won't have to pay for treatment?" That really would be some evil genius right there. Imagine: Parents take the kid for chemo once (the article clearly states he won't "resume chemotherapy"), spend their savings, the kid's college fund, their 401K - then decide they just can't afford any more. What to do? Refuse treatment so the courts force the issue and make the kid get chemo! Then the parents can argue, "We never wanted chemo, you don't know if he would have gotten better with our INTERNET remedies - WE AIN'T PAYING!" and then the payment can be forced onto the taxpayers. Brilliant.
So I suppose at the end, I hope they take that kid away from the parents all together - not that they will. They are allowed to be as religiously kooky as they like and everyone else will continue to pay the price, including their children.
By MAURA LERNER, Star Tribune
Last update: May 8, 2009 - 11:03 PM
The mother of 13-year-old Daniel Hauser testified Friday that she and her son would refuse to comply with any court order requiring the boy to resume chemotherapy for his cancer.
"Danny clearly made up his mind. He's not doing it,'' Colleen Hauser, of Sleepy Eye, Minn., testified on the opening day of a trial over whether a court should order the boy into medical treatment against the family's wishes.
Hauser, whose son was diagnosed in January with Hodgkin's lymphoma, said conventional treatments such as chemotherapy conflict with the family's religious beliefs. She said they prefer natural remedies such as herbs and vitamins.
Asked where she learned about the alternative healing techniques, Hauser said, "on the Internet.''
Daniel sat stoically through the opening part of the trial as his first oncologist, Dr. Bruce Bostrom of Children's Hospitals and Clinics in Minneapolis, testified that his chances of survival would drop to 5 percent without treatment.
The boy left shortly afterward and never returned to the courtroom. He is scheduled to testify this morning in a closed session before the judge, after his lawyer said he was uncomfortable talking in open court. The case is expected to be finished today, and the judge said he didn't expect to issue a ruling this weekend.
As a day of tense testimony began, dozens of family friends and supporters lined the courtroom, but the mood was subdued. At one point, a handful of natural-health advocates arrived with signs to show their support for the Hausers. But they were ordered to leave their placards outside the courthouse.
The Hausers declined to speak to reporters after Friday's court session. But Dan Zwakman, a member of the Nemenhah religious group to which they belong, acted as the family spokesman. He argued that this is a case about religious freedom, noting that the group's motto is "our religion is our medicine."
Link to original article: HERE
I'm trying to figure out where I would stand on something like this. Obviously the parents are clinically insane for believing prayer or their religion (or some "natural" remedies) will cure their child of cancer. Dangerously insane since their child will likely die without chemotherapy.
I suppose the horrible question is... do I care?
Of course I would feel bad for the kid. He's been raised to trust his parents and he believes what they are telling him. That's not his fault, he's just a kid and kids (as I well know. I AM the one who almost jumped from a 19th story balcony when I was 8 because I was thinking if I believed it enough, I would fly. I guess you would call that, "throwing myself at the ground and missing" :P) have great imaginations and a huge capacity for belief.
I do believe in the freedom to do what you think is right for yourself as long as it doesn't harm others. In this case, the parents would be harming a young child but he is THEIR young child. If he passes away that is really just natural selection at work, is it not? Their genes will not live on because they were maladaptive. Bad for the kid, better for humanity.
Yet if they were physically abusing him through beatings and neglect I WOULD advocate removing him from their home, so how is this any different? I suppose that is the fine line here.
My other thought was, "What if they are doing this to force the issue so they won't have to pay for treatment?" That really would be some evil genius right there. Imagine: Parents take the kid for chemo once (the article clearly states he won't "resume chemotherapy"), spend their savings, the kid's college fund, their 401K - then decide they just can't afford any more. What to do? Refuse treatment so the courts force the issue and make the kid get chemo! Then the parents can argue, "We never wanted chemo, you don't know if he would have gotten better with our INTERNET remedies - WE AIN'T PAYING!" and then the payment can be forced onto the taxpayers. Brilliant.
So I suppose at the end, I hope they take that kid away from the parents all together - not that they will. They are allowed to be as religiously kooky as they like and everyone else will continue to pay the price, including their children.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Shirt.Woot is Awesome.
Shirt.Woot sells wonderful, clever t-shirts for just $10. Different shirt every day - but you can ofetn go back and order older ones for $15.
I finally bought something from them (http://shirt.woot.com/) after lurking around a while. It was this:
I love that colour!
Anyway, my shirt arrived and it was the wrong size. I looked back at what my receipt said and either I put in the wrong size to begin with or some snafu happened when I clicked "order" because the size was incorrect.
I emailed Woot to ask if there was anything that could be done. I sent the email Friday afternoon and it got answered Monday. (they don't work on the weekends which was perfectly fine with me. It's a t-shirt, not insulin)
They asked what size I wanted and promptly sent me a new shirt in the correct size.
I asked how they wanted the original shirt returned and they said to keep it! Normally (even if it costs them money to restock or something) companies won't do that kind of thing just on principle.
Their customer service was wonderful and they were extremely friendly and personable in their emails to me.
How can you beat a beautiful $10 t-shirt (no shipping, no tax) and great customer service? They rule!
I finally bought something from them (http://shirt.woot.com/) after lurking around a while. It was this:
I love that colour!
Anyway, my shirt arrived and it was the wrong size. I looked back at what my receipt said and either I put in the wrong size to begin with or some snafu happened when I clicked "order" because the size was incorrect.
I emailed Woot to ask if there was anything that could be done. I sent the email Friday afternoon and it got answered Monday. (they don't work on the weekends which was perfectly fine with me. It's a t-shirt, not insulin)
They asked what size I wanted and promptly sent me a new shirt in the correct size.
I asked how they wanted the original shirt returned and they said to keep it! Normally (even if it costs them money to restock or something) companies won't do that kind of thing just on principle.
Their customer service was wonderful and they were extremely friendly and personable in their emails to me.
How can you beat a beautiful $10 t-shirt (no shipping, no tax) and great customer service? They rule!
Saturday, April 18, 2009
My 10 Seconds.
Steve Agee promised to read the names of all of his Twitter followers if he hit the 5k mark before a certain date. He did. He read about 7,800 names total over 6 hours. This is my 10 seconds of fame!
So beautiful.
Super slo-mo with a gorgeous camera.
I-Movix SprintCam v3 NAB 2009 showreel from David Coiffier on Vimeo.
I-Movix SprintCam v3 NAB 2009 showreel from David Coiffier on Vimeo.
Friday, April 17, 2009
What would Jesus not do?
This is almost TOO good, awesome. :D
Until it's all put together like this you don't realize just HOW FUCKING SILLY it all is, even if you think it's silly in the first place.
Until it's all put together like this you don't realize just HOW FUCKING SILLY it all is, even if you think it's silly in the first place.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
My Letter to Fox.
(EDIT: It MAY not be being cancelled after all! YAY!)
There is a petition to save Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.
Some choice quotes and VERY good points:
"This is one of the best sci-fi shows on TV. Now that Battlestar Galactica is done, it will attract new viewers."
"Please renew Terminator: Sarah Conner Chronicles.
It is a great science fiction show, of which there are far too little of on television right now.
Take advantage of keeping the 'smart crowd' (IE: the science fiction watchers) pleased, they are the ones with the money to spend on products advertised by your sponsors. Intelligent Sci-Fi is efficient business. Just because American idol had 5 times the people watching does not mean 5 times the spenders.
Stop canceling the good sci-fi!"
"This show has higher ratings than most of your FX programs. Don't let the Terminator fans down when you're so close to potentially expanding the fanbase with the upcoming movie."
"Fox cannot live on "The Simpsons" alone.... TSCC is a great show and can only continue to grow in popularity once the new Terminator movie comes out. Please reconsider! Thank you!"
"It is an intelligent show with a lot of potential if marketed correctly. The BSG viewers (and there are MANY) are looking for a new show. Many are unaware of T:SCC. Find a way to market to them and you have a hot commodity."
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/the-sarah-connor-chronicles/signatures.html
Moving the show to another night when TEENAGERS are home (you are really missing out, having this show on Friday nights. You don't need the few sci-fi geeks that are geeky enough to be home on a Friday night - me, for example :P - you need the hordes of kids that grew up with computers, the ones that GET this stuff like it's second nature to them. Sci-fi is fast becoming a mainstream genre. It is no longer "dorky" to love it.) will guarantee you more viewers and with the movie coming out it's a slam dunk!
Please don't cancel T:TSSC. Not only for the sake of your wallets but for the sake of good television. Think of the human race! There need to be more shows that deal with deep issues of love, redemption, terror, fear of the "other", loyalty, heroism, war and family bonds. This show has moved me with it's ability to see to the heart of humanity.
What kind of society would we be if we always appealed to the lowest common denominator?
Thank you for your consideration, Fox.
Nikki Smith
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Friday, April 3, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Let my Amanda go.....
This was filmed (not by me) at Amanda's concert at the Culture Room we attended last night. :)
SHE KICKED ASS!
(and kissed me, by the way! Sure I had to ask but hey! A kiss is a kiss)
SHE KICKED ASS!
(and kissed me, by the way! Sure I had to ask but hey! A kiss is a kiss)
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
People...You Suck. Mostly.
Mini rant time!
So, one of the guys at work is having a 50th birthday party at his house on an upcoming Saturday. I was invited to come along but as John works till 10 pm and I really wouldn't go without him I'm not going to go. I said thanks but no thanks. They know why, too. It's not like I'm not up-front about my antisocial tendencies.
But the arguments and the incredulity begin; "But you know US, you can come 'cause it's US" "You LIKE us, it's not strangers, it's US"
I'm really very sorry people. I may like you (most of you) but I wouldn't hang out with any of you outside of work on any kind of regular basis. I like you, you are basically nice people but that DOES NOT exempt you from my antisocial shit. People always think THEY are the special ones, they are the ones I will want to hang out with - they never believe that I could include them in my "I DON'T LIKE HANGING OUT WITH ANYONE" routine. Just because I like you doesn't mean I want to be around you. :P
John is special, he's the only one who is exempt from this. Even my family is subject to it.
It's not like I am being elitist or picky or putting you down if I don't love spending time with you - I'm also very aware that it's no prize to spend time with me. I'm just saying I don't like spending time with people. It is very rare that a person will come along that is an exception to that rule.
So stop being surprised.
Then they go on and on about it and I end up feeling like a shit because I don't want to go to the party. Now I'm some big asshole who "hates" them and thinks I'm too good to hang out with them.
FUCK YOU, DICKS. THIS IS WHY I DON'T LIKE PEOPLE.
You can never be comfortable and just be who you are without feeling like a shit for it. I always have to worry that I am hurting people's feelings or I am letting someone down or that I am annoying them in some way.
Because the way I am makes it soooo much worse, you see. I worry. I WANT people to like me so I worry that they are angry, or disappointed or think I'm stupid. That's why it is so FUCKING EXHAUSTING to be around people. I'm always disappointing someone or feeling guilty for not doing what they want.
So oddly - I am antisocial because I like people too much?
I feel better now, having typed this rant. Did I mention I have my period? :P
So, one of the guys at work is having a 50th birthday party at his house on an upcoming Saturday. I was invited to come along but as John works till 10 pm and I really wouldn't go without him I'm not going to go. I said thanks but no thanks. They know why, too. It's not like I'm not up-front about my antisocial tendencies.
But the arguments and the incredulity begin; "But you know US, you can come 'cause it's US" "You LIKE us, it's not strangers, it's US"
I'm really very sorry people. I may like you (most of you) but I wouldn't hang out with any of you outside of work on any kind of regular basis. I like you, you are basically nice people but that DOES NOT exempt you from my antisocial shit. People always think THEY are the special ones, they are the ones I will want to hang out with - they never believe that I could include them in my "I DON'T LIKE HANGING OUT WITH ANYONE" routine. Just because I like you doesn't mean I want to be around you. :P
John is special, he's the only one who is exempt from this. Even my family is subject to it.
It's not like I am being elitist or picky or putting you down if I don't love spending time with you - I'm also very aware that it's no prize to spend time with me. I'm just saying I don't like spending time with people. It is very rare that a person will come along that is an exception to that rule.
So stop being surprised.
Then they go on and on about it and I end up feeling like a shit because I don't want to go to the party. Now I'm some big asshole who "hates" them and thinks I'm too good to hang out with them.
FUCK YOU, DICKS. THIS IS WHY I DON'T LIKE PEOPLE.
You can never be comfortable and just be who you are without feeling like a shit for it. I always have to worry that I am hurting people's feelings or I am letting someone down or that I am annoying them in some way.
Because the way I am makes it soooo much worse, you see. I worry. I WANT people to like me so I worry that they are angry, or disappointed or think I'm stupid. That's why it is so FUCKING EXHAUSTING to be around people. I'm always disappointing someone or feeling guilty for not doing what they want.
So oddly - I am antisocial because I like people too much?
I feel better now, having typed this rant. Did I mention I have my period? :P
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