leather work

halloween is not quite upon us but a masquerade ball can be held any time of year! tom banwell makes incredibly beautiful leather masks, headdresses, headbands, and cuffs which can be found in his store on etsy.

store: tom banwell designs
leather mask prices: $19.50 - $84 

boys will be

remember all that craziness last halloween when a set of parents let their 5-year-old son dress as daphne from the scooby-doo? well, it's basically happened again. but this time, it wasn't halloween, so people are even more pissed. there was a photo on the j. crew website that showed a designer with her young son. the problem? she had painted his toe nails hot pink.

i don't have a problem with this. i think a lot of the stuff girls do is more fun. i mean, seriously. look at those little fluffy pink dresses girls get to wear, as opposed to the little suits boys wear. i hate pink, i generally don't like fluff or flowers, and i rarely wear dresses or skirts. yet i totally think much of little girl clothes are way more fun. we just have so many more options when it comes to clothing. so who can blame little boys when they want to dress as girls? (for instance, princess boy dyson) girls can wear every color invented, but boys can't. we don't allow them most pastels and even some bright colors are out (no magenta).

i brought up this subject with my boyfriend and asked him what he would do if our son wanted to wear pink nail polish. he said he wouldn't let him. "pink is for girls." so, of course, i asked him what if our son wanted to wear blue nail polish? "nail polish is for girls!" lol. i wouldn't have a problem if our son wanted to paint his nails. but, honestly, i would be a little worried if our son wanted to dress as a girl. i would, however, let him. and it's not that i worry that my 5-year-old son will "become" gay or even a transexual or transvestite. i just wouldn't want the other kids to tease him. i think even the most gay-progressive parents don't prefer their children to be gay, if only because it means that life will be harder on them. i want my kids to be happy. and i worry that since society in general doesn't approve of homosexuality, my gay kid will face more discrimination. worse yet, they might become the target of bullies and homophobes. people get killed because they're gay. no one gets killed simply because they're straight.

getting back to the subject, i would want to raise my kids as gender neutral as possible. i would buy my son dolls, i would also play catch with my daughter. it's probably because i'm not very feminine myself, but i will not buy my baby daughter pink. and i will cringe if she asks for an easy-bake oven (probably because i don't cook). but do you see what i mean? i want my kid to be happy, but if she wants to me to buy her a pink dress, i will hesitate, tho i'd do it, cause, hey what do i care if my kid wants to wear something s/he feels pretty in? gah, it's so hard raising kids, isn't it? knowing how much control to exert over them.

colors

i've been interested in color theory for a while tho i know nothing about it. sometimes when i see a striking combination of colors i'll screen shot them and make a little chart thing.

i don't use it for anything. i guess i mostly keep it around hoping one day i'll do something with it. paint a room, wear those outfit, or have a website that features these colors.

anyway, i recently came across color collective. the creator, lauren willhite, features various artwork then pulls a color palette from each. suffice it to say, she does a much better job at collecting colors than i do.

bad doesn't = good

some people savor negative attention because they think it says something positive about them.

"if you’re not pissing somebody off, you’re not doing it right"
"if you're not offending someone, you're doing something wrong"

while these statements may sometimes be true, that doesn't mean they are always true. and their opposites are always true either. as in, just because you're pissing someone off, doesn't mean you're doing something correctly. or just because you are offending someone, doesn't mean you're doing something right. you might be doing something wrong and just pissing people off in the meanwhile.

an example: "if you’re not pissing somebody off, you’re not doing it right" -> "if you're not pissing someone off, you're not driving lawfully." so if i am driving lawfully, i am making people angry? well obviously, we get mad at idiots who drive poorly, not those who drive well (unless you have anger issues or if you're trying to do something illegal and people driving correctly are getting in your way. in which case, you have problems this logic set can't help you with.)

something else i've read recently:

well clearly those can't be the only three reasons someone hates you. maybe you just fucking suck. for instance, hitler. i don't dislike him because i want to be him, i don't dislike him because i hate myself, and i certainly don't dislike him because i see him as a threat. i mean, he's dead and it's pretty much universally agreed upon that he was wrong. i do hate him because he was a freaking tool who killed millions of people in god awful ways because of his prejudiced thinking. now, you're probably nothing like hitler, but that doesn't mean i can't dislike you too for other also pretty legitimate reasons. maybe you're a cheater, a sexist, a polluter, or a narcissist.

instead of thinking that you're doing right cause people hate you, maybe you can focus on how to do things right without attracting haters. i wouldn't say the two are mutually exclusive but one certainly doesn't have to follow the other in every instance. gandhi and mother teresa, for instance. they did a hell of a lot of great things, and most people like them for it. a few crazies dislike them, but that's cause they're nuts. and you can tell because nearly everyone hates them. so if the only people who hate you have a shit ton of people who hate them, you're probably doing a pretty good job. but if most of the people who hate you are otherwise decent people, you're definitely doing something wrong.

retro laughs

as i went thru tagging and re-publishing all my previous posts from musings and snapshots, i read a few posts.  and damn did i used to be funny!! below are just a couple things that made me seriously lol.

"mary-kate olsen probably need not worry about rape, wat wit the way she's dressed (who really wants to rape a starving homeless person?)..."(og post)

"dressing like paris hilton means just throwing on some bling and wearing close to nothing in the brightest of colors" (og post)

look again!

etsy isn't just for "girlie" crap, you know. you can also buy a lot of awesome accessories for your tech stuff. i picked the ones below because at first glance, it seems like something else. look again and it's actually a a case for your digital accessories!

1. gameboy iphone cozy ($25), 2. laptop sleeve ($40), 3. cassette iphone case ($20)

4. recycled shirt ipad sleeve ($55), 5. felt ipad case ($55), 6. camera cozy ($24)

etsy stores:
1. yummy pocket -handmade iphone, ipod, and ipad cases

2. flak eater - wwII military inspired messenger bags and accessories

3. Crank Cases - iphone, ipod ipad android cases

4. finders&keepers - unique objects for everyday life

5. les petits chantons – felt sleeves for accessories

6. plushism - custom handmade love

golden triangle

my mom was watching a chinese tv travel program of a chinese justin timberlake lookalike visiting the golden triangle, which apparently is the largest producer of opium in asia (and the 2nd largest in the world after afghanistan).

anyway, so said tv host tried a local food, marijuana chicken, even though he was hella freaking out about about all the drugs (and why you would go to the opium capitol of the world wanting to do drugs, yet do pot instead of opium [or heroin] is a little weird too). he was acting scared for some unknown reason, he asked the local market vendors is they were selling any, and he was like "omg! this place is crazy!!" (chinese tv is super dramatic; it's actually hard to take it seriously sometimes) anyway. probably because he ate only a tiny portion, he didn't experience any effects from the chicken. so he goes to a table of three white women tourists (from australia it sounded like) and asked them if they knew this place was big on drugs and if they had tried any. they giggled and said no. so he asked if they wanted to try some of his marijuana chicken. they said no. so what does he do? he ladles a big bowl of the stuff and pushes it into each of their faces encouraging them to eat some. ... smartly, they decline.

undaunted, he goes to a table of male tourists. he finds out that they also did not come to the golden triangle to get high on drugs. in fact, only one of them says he's ever smoked pot before. so of course, chinese justin timberlake tries to push it on them. they also decline. tho he tells us later that one of the guys agreed to try some, but only off camera.

i'm not sure if marijuana is legal there, but i don't think it is because the govt has way cracked down on the people growing drugs. but even if it were legal, i don't think trying to get complete strangers to try drugs is ethical.

no worries, tho, at the end of his program he adds a quick one-liner voice-over psa "don't try drugs!"

(btw, if you're ever in whittier, go to the golden triangle restaurant. it serves burmese food and is excellent [disclaimer: that was the only time i'd ever had burmese food, so i don't know how authentic it was, but either way, it was yummy!])

luxury

henry petroski - "luxury, rather than necessity, is the mother of invention."

emergency kit

taken from ready america.

When preparing for a possible emergency situation, it's best to think first about the basics of survival: fresh water, food, clean air and warmth.

Recommended Items to Include in a Basic Emergency Supply Kit:

• Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
• Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
• Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both
• Flashlight and extra batteries
• First aid kit
• Whistle to signal for help
• Dust mask, to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
• Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
• Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
• Can opener for food (if kit contains canned food)
• Local maps
• Cell phone with chargers

Additional Items to Consider Adding to an Emergency Supply Kit:

• Prescription medications and glasses
• Infant formula and diapers
• Pet food and extra water for your pet
• Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container
• Cash or traveler's checks and change
• Emergency reference material such as a first aid book or information from www.ready.gov
• Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person. Consider additional bedding if you live in a cold-weather climate.
• Complete change of clothing including a long sleeved shirt, long pants and sturdy shoes. Consider additional clothing if you live in a cold-weather climate.
• Household chlorine bleach and medicine dropper – When diluted nine parts water to one part bleach, bleach can be used as a disinfectant. Or in an emergency, you can use it to treat water by using 16 drops of regular household liquid bleach per gallon of water. Do not use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners.
• Fire Extinguisher
• Matches in a waterproof container
• Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items
• Mess kits, paper cups, plates and plastic utensils, paper towels
• Paper and pencil
• Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children    

sample / warehouse sale tips

i've only been to a few sample / warehouse sales, but i learned really quickly that to be an effective shopper, you need to prepare!

1. give yourself a few hours. seriously, i've never been to a sample sale (a good one anyway) that didn't take less than 3 hours. also give yourself extra time to find parking.

2. make sure to check payment types. most places take credit cards (visa and mastercard, anyway) but you never know... also, there seems to be a weird tax rule in california. there is no tax for a sample sale, but there is tax for a warehouse sale.

3. go with someone! a lot of warehouses don't provide mirrors, and if they do, there are only a couple. also one of you can shop while the other stakes out a place in line.

4. what to wear:
       - comfortable shoes that you can easily slip on and off
       - a tight, form-fitting top, so when you try on shirts and tops you won't be bulky underneath
       - either leggings, tights, or a short, loose skirt. you can try on pants on top of leggings or tights, though i prefer a flowy skirt with a loose waistband because it's even easier. a skirt won't interfere with the fit of the pants, and there won't be any friction (hello static!) when trying to take them off.
       - a cross-body purse. you'll be grabbing a bunch of merchandise to try on later and a shoulder purse will just get in the way.

5. decide on your budget before you start shopping. people will cull through their catch while waiting in line, and if that line is really long you'll be tempted to grab a few more things to make the wait "worthwhile." and yes, you can sell your extra stuff on ebay, but will you really?

6. if you get hungry / thirsty easily, bring something. you might be there for hours!

7. don't forget to bring something to do while waiting in line.

black apples

i fell in love with emily winfield of the black apple many years ago when they were just simple portraits of big-eyed girls. but it's been nice to see her grow! today she does all sort of stuff including notebooks, postcards, pins, recipe cards, and her prints.

store: the black apple
prices: $5 pins - $30 prints