Archive for May, 2007

It is entirely unlike to me to win contests of any sort, which is why I was so pleased when I got an e-mail from one of the staff at thisnext.com, saying I’d won a Wine Excursion Backpack Gift Basket for participating in their entertaining contest last week.

Squee! Double squee!

Never mind that the S.O. and I know nothing about wine, nor do we drink it - who cares? I won something! YAY!

And while I’m on the subject of free stuff, Moo is giving away 1000 packs of 10 minicards each to Voxers who are quick on the draw. I’ve already snagged my 10-pack - it contains my most recent flower photos. I may have to pick up one of these handmade Moo carrying cases from Etsy seller splatgirl to go along with ‘em!

Other items on my “I will buy this next month because we won’t have to pay the gas company or the bank because of my leet bookkeeping skillz” wish list:

• Sticker-maker! Stickersstickersstickers! I was sticker-obsessed in my youth, and the thought of making my own stickers fills me with unimaginable joy.
• A through-the-lens camera, like an Argoflex or a Duaflex, so I can play around with some through-the-viewfinder techniques. I have a Brownie Hawkeye that I picked up from the local Salvation Army, but it’s in sorry shape.

Also: The underside of my caramel rice cake looks like brains. That is all!

Ahhhh. Today is the kind of day where I can’t find a single thing to complain about.

No, really.

Really!

OK, I suppose I could complain about the lack of being able to complain about something, but that’s it! I swear!

Over the last week I’ve written several blog entries, but I think I will keep them to myself. They’re overly long and probably not as funny to you, dear Internets, as they are to me. Sooo….

What is Caro thinking right now? aka abi tagged me, so ten items this round!

• My office looks like, and I quote, “a troll’s cave” according to one campus VIP. I’ve been charged with putting more of myself into it, but I don’t know how to do that without bringing in a pillow and blanket and sleeping there. Tips on office decor are much appreciated!
• The S.O. and I spent last weekend watching a lot of movies about death, death, and more death, thanks to a mix-up with our cable company and my infallible* bookkeeping skills (read: I paid two of our bills twice, but forgot to pay the cable company - hence, it was a movie rental weekend). Said movies were quite good, but very death-y.
• Ooh! I’ve found something to complain about! It’s a beautiful day outside, but I can’t open my office window because the constant drone of weed whackers/lawn mowers/other landscape beautification devices will drive me insane. It’s a short trip.
• Also, the toilet paper in the bathroom? Way too flimsy. Toilet paper should not dissolve entirely on contact with wet skin. University, please take note: What money you save on cheap toilet paper will be swiftly used for the extra soap and paper towels I need to get the pee off my hands.
• While I’m at it, why do people feel it necessary to turn on the lights in the bathroom, where there is a big window and plenty of natural light? Is it entirely necessary to see yourself pee in such well-lit detail? Do you really need to examine every minutia* of dirt on the bathroom floor? Energy conservation, people! Let’s all pee in the semi-dark and save a tree/whale/rain forest/your-choice-of-endangered-species-goes-here.
• A week ago, I canceled my Warcrack account. Today, I un-canceled it. Normally I’m not this indecisive. Or maybe I am. I don’t know - I can’t decide!
• I want a button making machine. All the cool kids have them. Hmmph.
• I’m sticking this one at the bottom in hopes that people won’t read this far. Hah. May’s photo shoot is a no-go. I have no excuse, dear Internets. The only thing I can offer are these jaunty flower photos. The good news is, I have a shoot scheduled for early June!
• … I got nothin’.
• *I had to look infallible up, to make sure I was using it correctly. I was. Also, minutia** to make sure I was spelling it correctly. I wasn’t.
• ** Now used correctly! Thanks Jack!

It’s about that time again. Here are two Etsians I’ve had really great shopping experiences with recently!

WoodcraftsAndCandles - wood crafts and (you guessed it) candles
I freely admit that I have little in the way of decorating sense. How do I compensate? Candles. Lots and lots of candles. If my house doesn’t look polished and put together, at least it smells good enough to eat. So when I found WoodcraftsAndCandles’ shop, I knew I was in trouble. Thankfully, Mother’s Day gave me an excuse to spend money, and I purchased these margarita candles for my mum. Of course, before they made their way to her hands, I snuck a whiff for myself… and I almost didn’t give them to her! Hah! But I did, and she loves them, and it’s only a matter of time before I go back and fill my home with more luscious scents.

donnapool - buttons, magnets, and puzzles
Donna Pool’s shop is proof that keeping a blog can help your sales. I first found these vintage camera buttons via Donna’s blog at Vox and they’re the perfect accessory for a photo geek like yours truly. My set even has my favorite film SLR - a Pentax K1000. I opted to have them made into super strong magnets to decorate my fridge. Donna also makes these unique plush puzzle balls, which are great for kids, or for those of us who are kids at heart!

Phew, what a busy weekend.

On Friday, we saw 28 Weeks Later, which was about as good as I expected it to be. It was scary in that “something’s going to jump out at me any second I just know it” sense, but was weak in character development and plot… unlike the first movie, which did it all, and so very well. But the sequel did leave an impression… I didn’t sleep much on Friday night!

On Saturday the S.O. and I got off our lazy arses and checked out the Orono Bog Boardwalk, which is exactly what it sounds like - a 1-mile-long boardwalk through a local bog. We mostly went for the exercise, but if you’re into hiking and nature walks and being a damn dirty hippy, this is a fun and educational way to spend the afternoon. I’d love to go back in the evening… photos are better when the sun isn’t high in the sky. But I did upload a few to flickr, nonetheless.

Saturday was also the day of my younger brother’s college graduation, so kudos to him! He graduated from the New England School of Communications with a B.S. in (you guessed it!) Communications. Now I can tease him about having a degree in bs, ’cause I’m mature like that! Hah!

Sunday, we visited a friend and had delicious turkey chili and watched Notes on a Scandal. Great movie, great food, great company - what more could you ask?

And now we’re back to Monday, and I’m spent. Someone at the office just brought around a box of mini ice cream sandwiches. Summer vacation has officially begun, which means campus is empty, just the way I like it. It’s spring, the sun is out, and life is good!

So I’ve been tagged TWICE, and I take that to mean I’d better do this meme or some greater entity will smite me from above.

The idea as I understand it is to post 7 facts about yourself, and then tag 7 others to do the same thing. It’s like a plague, except on the Internet, and hopefully with less death!

7 things about me that you may or may not know, and I make no promises as to whether or not you will care to know what I know. Know that:

1. I find meme’s like this one really hard to do. I mean, how I can I sum up the entirety of my being in just 7 facts, without sounding conceited (let’s face it, that’s just impossible) or trite? One fact always ends up being more profound than the other facts, which causes unrest. Then five of the facts form a union because they feel they were misrepresented, and the whole thing goes to pot. This meme stuff is serious business! Oh, the anxiety!
2. I named my cats after Disney characters because there is only so much creativity in me, and I figured I should save it for photography. Stitch doesn’t care (she only cares about The State of the Food Dish) but Nala disapproves. Apparently she didn’t like The Lion King.
3. I have a giant head. Okay, no, not really, but doesn’t it look that way? Rarrr! Giant head! Rarrr!
4. There is only a small chance I’ll actually finish this meme in the next half hour. I actually started this meme once, but scrapped it after about, oh, number 4. Hey! That’s where I am right now. Commence Meme Failure Countdown in 5… 4… 3….
5. Hey look, number 5! I am not a very style-conscious or fashion-conscious person. At all. I spent the majority of my youth in sweatpants and/or jeans, no make-up, and not quite sure which end of the hair dryer was the blowy end. In high school, my friends staged something akin to an intervention when they pinned me down and plucked my eyebrows for me… it certainly makes one question the nature of said friendships, but I digress. Stacey and Clinton would probably have a ball torturing me over my lack of dress-finesse, and sometimes I think I would give them the opportunity, because at this point I’m just flailing in the dark.
6. When I was a younger, I aspired to be a veterinarian, a country singer, a psychologist, and a sex therapist. Not all at once, of course, though doing so might have earned me a spot in the yearbook as Most Likely to Drive Oneself Crazy With Bad Music Whilst Humping a Sheep.
7. I love sarcasm. Love it, love it. And I’m not being sarcastic. No, really, I’m not!

I’m done, haha, heehee, hoho! I would tag some people, but I’m worn out, and it’s almost time to eat pizza. Pizza > tagging people. So, hey, you. Yeah, you! Consider yourself tagged!