Leisure Suite

Yesterday in the waiting room I finally finished the scarf that I started the last time my mom had surgery. Normally I can finish a scarf in 2-3 weeks, but I used really small needles this time and it took forever. But I am definitely keeping this one. Last winter I realized that I only actually own a couple of my own scarves, since I give almost all of them away.

Here is the finished product:

Although I think it looks much handsomer on Clive:

Mad Tom of Bedlam

The huge tomcat of the block likes to (literally) knock on the window and tease my little ladies, Sweetums and Little Bit. What a flirt!

Romeo, oh Romeo:



Competition:

Daily Crime Report

SUSP STRUCK COMP ON BACK OF HEAD USING THE PLASTIC TIP OF A VACUUM HOSE CAUSING A 1/2 INCH CUT.

America Is

-I want to road trip here. And then stay and live there.

-DIY-How to install your keys in a Leatherman handle

ONLY THE BEST FREECYCLE OFFER EVER

And I quote:
"Left over from ebay auctions: Vintage Unicorn collection - Beautiful
unicorn collection from the 80's. These were lovingly cared for and
are in great condition. There is a brass bell, a brass statue that
plays music and rotates, a porcelain unicorn / teddy bear that also
plays music and rotates (would make a GREAT baby gift!!) Also a night
light and a snow globe. The finish on the base of the night light is
slightly worn and some of the liquid has evaporated in the snow globe.
Otherwise it's a beautfiul collection."

Stuff I Like

-the Dramatic Lemur, based on the Dramatic Hamster (prairie dog, whatever it is)

-the mowercycle (I am in love)

Stuff I Like

-Motivational prints, with phrases such as "get your sh*t together," available individually or as a set of 4 for $40

-Easy (keyword) DIY instructions for making a record bowl

-Retro MCM-style prints by Sean Tubridy

-Beautiful lace drain from Rose and Radish

-Recycled rubber dog toys

-Guerrilla Knitting groups

-This oh-so-fabulous sexy surge protector (never thought I'd use those three words together). I don't know where to purchase it...all I could dig up online is that it's called the WirePod and was designed for Artechnica.

Daily Crime Report

COMP DRANK RUBBING ALCOHOL ON LISTED DATE AND TIME. ROS RESPONDING TO THE LOC ON A SIGNAL 46A. UPON ARRIVAL ROS SPOKE WITH DFD 23 WHO STATED THAT THE COMP DRANK A BOTTLE OFRUBBING ALCOHOL. DFD STATED THAT FROM PRIOR RUN INS THAT THE COMP IS AN ALCOHOLIC THAT WILL DRINK ANYTHING. COMP WAS TRANSPORTED TO METHODIST CENTRAL.

Old Ramon

The moment when you realize that you're no spring chicken anymore:

A friend invites you to see a band that you like. You have never seen this band, so you accept and have a great time. Weeks later, you're looking through your scrapbook and come across a ticket stub for said band. As it turns out, you already saw them...in 2004.

No Salt On Her Tail

I had to step in:

Second Intermission

A few things to mention today....

On the way to work I heard a very interesting discussion about a Vermeer forger named Hans Van Meegeren on Think (KERA 90.1). Forgery was not something that was covered in any of my Art History classes, and it was fascinating to learn about different aspects of it, and about the Van Meegeren story. He was a Dutchman, selling Johannes Vermeer forgeries to major museums during WWII and to Hitler and the Nazi party. He was arrested on charges of treason, but the paintings were so good that no one suspected forgery. The Dutch officials were horrified that he had sold the nation's beloved Vermeer masterpieces to the German opposition. Now he was in quite the pickle...if he was found guilty of treason he would be killed, but the only other option was confessing to forgery. He chose, of course, the latter. But when he told official that these were forgeries, not authentic Vermeers, he was laughed at. The officials began to wonder if he was telling the truth, and one of them came up with the idea of giving him a canvas and paints in his jail cell and making him "paint for his life." (I just love that phrase.) This was all researched for the book The Forger's Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Century (Harper Collins, 2008), written by Edward Dolnick. Library, here I come!


This post on the Wooster Collective cracked me up, especially given my Olympics Logo post from June 2007.


Finally, several friends and I were recently chatting about our least favorite fonts. Among the top hated fonts were (no surprise here), Mistral, Cat Scratch, and Comic Sans. I was searching online today for information on retinal degeneration (yesterday my greyhound Clive was diagnosed with having this), and this article, written entirely in Comic Sans, came up in my search. I have no idea if it even has any good information in it, because between the offensive font and the busy paw prints in the background, my eyes can't focus on it. Why do people love to abuse this font? Ugh. Two paws down!

Daily Crime Report

Straight from the daily crime report. I don't make this stuff up.

AP THREW A SHOE AND A SIPPY CUP HITTING COMP CAUSING PAIN AP THREW A SHOE AND A SIPPY CUP AND HIT COMP IN THE HEAD AND THE RIGHT LEG CAUSING PAIN.

Good Vibrations

Downward Dog (and cat):

The Modern Love

As I scoured Craigslist for the perfect end table, I came upon these fantastic mid-century modern Heywood-Wakefield tables. Check out this beautiful matching coffee table and side table, in the original finish.

They're out of my price range, but props to whoever snags this deal.

Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft

Toyota just scored some more brownie points with me.

I just found out today that Toyota has an eco-friendly, pre-fab home division that merges car and home. Super-smart ideas include:

-same key for home and car
-car charges when at home
-homeowners can rely on the car battery as an electricity backup in case of emergency
-earthquake resistant
-plans for an electricity-monitoring system that charges car on off-peak hours
-more than a dozen designs
-houses can be built in 45 days

The Lamb

Am I the only one who had no idea that lambs are born with long tails? So cute!

Little Shop of Hoarders

Maggie: "Do not even think of making me share all of these toys with that boy."



That boy (Clive): "Hmph...WOMEN!"

Lounge (Closing Time)

Once again, I turned the lights off in the lounge today at work on my way to the restroom. I have no idea how many times a week I turn those lounge lights off but I should start keeping track. Two halogen floor lamps and the ceiling can lights, none of which are energy efficient (of course). The plasma TV was also on (plasmas are the MOST energy consuming of the flat screen options.) None of the lighting in my office is energy efficient, save my desk lamp because I bought a CFL for it.

What is it about being at work that makes people lazy about energy consumption? Do they do this at home and just pay massive amounts of money in energy bills? Or am I the only one who turns lights off when I leave a room?

Here Comes the Sun

As some of you know, I am obsessed with sunscreen. Skin cancer runs in my family, so I have to be very careful to daily sun exposure. Also, on the vain side of things, 90% of wrinkles and skin aging (yes, that's 90%) are caused by the sun. It is especially important to us a broad spectrum sunscreen that blocks both UVA/UVB rays.

There are many active ingredients used in sunscreens, and I thought I had found a best friend in Avobenzone (also known as Parsol 1789), a chemical sunscreen that blocks UVA rays. However, questions are being raised about its photostability (how well this chemical sunscreen holds up in the sun and how quickly it breaks down). Isn't that just great? A sunscreen that breaks down in the sun into other chemical compounds that could be absorbed into the skin. Instead of chemical sunscreens, a lotion with a physical sunscreen as the active ingredient is your best bet, and there are only two: Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide. To learn more about all sunscreens, both chemical and physical, I found this article very, very helpful. FYI, it is possible for a sunscreen to keep you from getting any color, but still allow the skin damaging UVA rays through - these two ingredients block both types of rays.

And another good reason to stick to physical (mineral) sunscreens? The chemical sunscreens are bleaching and killing our coral reefs.

Stop In The Name of Love

(Above, Kidman's Far and Away days...and now. dun dun DUNNNNN.)

Apparently the collagen that Nicole Kidman has been pumping into her lips has gone to her brain, because she has named her new daughter after a nail polish color.

"Earlier this morning, Nic gave birth to our beautiful baby girl, Sunday Rose Kidman Urban," the New Zealand-born, Australian-bred Grammy winner announced on his Web site.

full story here...

Double Rocker

Yesterday (the 4th of July) as I drove to work, I saw one of the preppiest couples that my eyes have laid eyes on since I was in private school. They were riding through Oak Cliff on a tandem bike, and the whole thing was so sugary that I may have gotten a cavity just from witnessing it. The guy was totally doing all the work (haha), and the chick was just hanging out in the back with her khaki skirt pretending to pedal...it was straight out of a page in the J.Crew catalog. Her tan purse was even casually slung in the basket on the back of the bike. The only way it could've been more "American" was if there had been a big fat watermelon in the back basket and one of those small American flags-on-a-stick on the handlebars.

True Affection

"Think about it. If you are single, after graduation there isn't one occasion where people celebrate you ... Hallmark doesn't make a 'congratulations, you didn't marry the wrong guy' card. And where's the flatware for going on vacation alone?"
-Sex And The City

Sing It Again

Maggie and Clive, joining in to sing backup for Holly The Singing Greyhound from YouTube.