On the 7th Day of Blogity: Merry Minimalist Christmas

Tis Twas the season be consumer whores, and mingle with the occasional relative who appears dimmer than a bubble ornament. As you ponder how far towards the deep end of the gene pool you are swimming, do you hold your breath or tread water? It sure helps to bring a snorkel.

Whenever I start to get too pessimistic about how ridiculous the holidays have gotten, I try to picture a winter without them. Basically, January for 4 months. Wouldn't happen though. Maybe instead of Santa, we'd have a jolly Winter Solstice Polar Bear. Either way, as a WifeMomma in America, one is bound to the role of syndicating merriment in many forms . For a couple years I embraced it, but ultimately rejected my bio-battery status in the Christmas Matrix. No red pills required, but much like the movie, freeing your mind only constitutes a nuisance to the machine. You are still very much at it's mercy, and not beyond a measure of control. As long as my kids are kids (and if they have kids that are kids), there will be a tree in our home and unbridled enthusiasm for gift giving. The tree may have no ornaments and a replica of the Death Star at the top. I don't have to explain to the boys that Santa is magic, because they already dismissed the whole thing as being illogical to begin with. However, Doug still insists we leave out cookies on Christmas Eve, so he can magically make them disappear.

Furthermore:
Wrapping paper, you're on my shitlist.
So are you, useless imported bobbles.
Hey Garden Ridge! Next time you decide to remain open 96 hours straight, I'll be there alright...at 3:30 a.m. with 20 of my closest friends to shop for $12 comforters, but we won't buy any, because they are crap. We'll have a pretend tea party with $2 snowman "latte" mugs. Then, reflect on the fact that the drink meant to go in it costs twice that much, yet somehow is worth every penny in comparison.

There, and elsewhere, I'm marveling at the "industrial powder coating" that graces the packaging of every item on the shelf, including food. Have you ever tried to see if it gives you nummies? It can't be good that I know what a nummy is, on top of the fact that yes, indeed it does.

Don't get me wrong, I am not a grinch. I like LED lights, making fudge, and buying toys for kids I know, or better yet, don't know.

5 more days of Blogity are on the way as promised, sans uber constrictive time-frame.
Don't hold your breath... I'll gladly share my snorkel.

On the 6th day of Blogity: Book Lust

About once a month I have a feeling come over me I like to call "Book Lust". It's when I must go to Borders, Barnes and Noble, or Subterranean to peruse for at least an hour. I give myself a budget of about $50 generally, and try to squeeze at least 1 magazine into the deal (CRAFT:, MAKE:, Sky and Telescope, or Computer Arts are common picks). These fulfill my reading fix for the rest of the month, then I start lusting again.

Contrary to popular belief, I don't buy many project based craft books. I can decipher most technical instructions either from a manual or online. Since I spend so much time creating my own designs, any project that I would follow instructions for has to be splendidly fun, and so original that I'm giddy to nod at the person that imagined it.

More often you'll find me plopped down in the computer, science, and occasionally, cookbook aisles. I figure I'll start reading fiction around the time I start collecting Social Security.

These are all books that I've purchased this year:

Simple Sewing with a French Twist by Céline Dupuy - One of my guilty pleasures is to gush over shabby chic stuff. I want to smack myself for liking anything floral. As I've said in the past, I'm a fungus fan. Truffles aside, this book has 50+ projects that range from a wool beret, to bohemian flip-flops...bags, rugs, aprons and on and on. Nearly all are unintimidating, even for a beginner. The photographs are so pretty that I want to make about every single thing in the exact fabrics she chose. Too bad they have flowers all over them :P



Craftivity: 40 Projects for the DIY Lifestyle by Tsia Carson - Dye yarn with Kool-Aid, grow moss graffiti on rocks, embroider your screen door...I like this book because it dabbles in pretty much everything. There is a different contributor for each project, and they all have great stories to go with them. It's sophisticated, and defining of the indie craft movement.


Stupid Sock Creatures by John Murphy - I like vury mouch to make dees seeelly tings. Problem is, I have not come across any worthy socks that I can resist wearing on my feet.





The Zen of CSS Design: Visual Enlightenment for the Web by Dave Shea and Molly E. Holzshlag - Cascading Style Sheets allow entire websites to have a coordinated design through the commands of one relatively simple page of code. It sure beats

<repetitive-ass tags></repetitive-ass tags >

Having been a long-time fan of the CSS Zen Garden website, this was a must have!


Moosewood Restaurant New Classics by The Moosewood Collective - This vegetarian eatery in Ithica New York has several cookbooks out, and I decided this was the most "Doug Friendly" hands down. We've loved everything I've made out of it. The Moroccan Roasted Vegetables made an appearance at Thanksgiving in place of yams! Lets see, what kind of egg salad will I make today? Creole, Greek, Italian, Mexican or Scandinavian? For dessert...a Blueberry Buttermilk Falls Smoothie!



Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen by Anna Lappe and Bryant Terry -
This is 1/2 cookbook, and 1/2 expose on the mainstream food industry. I'll spare you any details since you may prefer to be blissfully unaware, but.... great book. :)





Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant by Daniel Tammet- I just started reading this. So far I know that to him, the number 11 is friendly, and number 4 is shy. I like the way he writes.









The Illustrated A Brief History of Time & The Universe in a Nutshell by Stephen Hawking - Years ago I checked both of these books out from the library a few times. Even though I've always wanted to own them in hardback, I really couldn't justify spending so much on 2 books that I had already read cover to cover. Then one day a friend e-mailed me that this duo was on the bargain shelf at Borders for $15. Needless to say, I booked it (heh heh) up there the next day. I'm so glad the boys will have it to thumb through as they get older.



Quantum: A Guide for the Perplexed by Jim Al-Khalili - The thing about quantum physics that's so interesting to me is that is makes sense mathematically, but fails to fit our standards of macroscopic reality. This book has AWESOME illustrations alongside explanations. I highly suggest it as a follow-up to watching What the Bleep Do We Know.




View From the Center of the Universe by Joel Primack and Nancy Abrams -
Here you have some excellent, creative explanations of cosmological science with delves into history, and the future. Feels a wee bit fruity at times...like they are trying to get you overexcited about facts instead of explaining how we observed them. If the vastness of space and time overwhelms you, then I think this is a good book to help put those things in some perspective.




Where's My Jetpack? A Guide to the Amazing Science Fiction Future That Never Arrived by Daniel H. Wilson, Ph. D. - This is a blue/silver/black book of shiny metallic goodness, and I think it smells good! Whateva! It wittily explains why we don't have the flying cars, smell-o-vision, moon colonies, or ray guns we were promised. On the plus side, I learned how to make my own hoverboard using a leaf blower. No, they weren't real in the movie..up yours Marty McFly!

I found a sweet t-shirt on Threadless to match my book.
It reads:
"they lied to us
this was supposed to be the future
where is my jetpack,
where is my robotic companion,
where is my dinner in pill form,
where is my hydrogen fueled automobile,
where is my nuclear powered levitating house,
where is my cure for this disease"

Speaking of reading, what do you think of my new glasses? I just picked them up yesterday!


In my best Ron Livingston voice...
Fucking-A.

On the 5th day of Blogity: Movie Monday

Alright, Fuck it. You will get 12 Days of Blogity friends, and I'll do my best to stick to everyday. If I skip a day or 2, the universe will not implode on itself. It's Movie Monday, and this is my top 10 list of films I saw for the first time in 2007:

1. Paris, Je T'aime - My new all-time favorite, second only to Chocolat. French movies, or movies in French settings, je t'aime. Parfois j'envoie messages des textes en français après que j'observe ceci!




2. Donnie Darko - Please don't doubt my commitment to Sparkle Motion, or watching this movie over and over again.






3. 300 - Dear Fashion Gods, Please incite the return of metal arm cuffs and capes as a major trend in casual wear. Amen.

4. What the Bleep Do We Know? - Having read my fair share of books on quantum physics, I'll say I'm skeptical about some of the new age mumbo-jumbo in this...as convincing as Ramtha and pretty water crystals may be. However, I can't complain too much, since particle-wave duality electron experiments have made it into quasi-mainstream cinema. All around, entertaining and thought provoking.

5. Fargo - I let this movie fall through the cracks 10 years ago, and was excited to catch it for free on our digital cable doohicky. Watched it 4 times before it expired....Doontcha Knoow!?! (sorry, couldn't help myself.)




6. Two for the Road - Just when I had lost all hope of ever seeing Albert Finney in a swimsuit....in France. Old movies rarely keep my interest, but this one's smart & sassy.





7. Pan's Labyrinth - Was lucky enough to catch this at the Tivoli when it came out, thanks to Mai's rave review! It's hilarious when you rent foreign films at Blockbuster. They have to make sure you know it has subtitles, because most people change their mind and put it back. Shame on you.



8. The Fountain - Is Hugh Jackman hotter as a Conquistador, a doctor, or an astronaut? Hmm. I love that the amazing outer space scenery for this was created in a petri dish!





9. Marie Antoinette - There is so much to love about this film, except Kirsten Dunst, and the ending...come on Sofia Coppola...you had everything else perfect!





10. Sicko - In Soviet England, hospital pay you. I don't care if you hate Micheal Moore. I dare you to watch this, if you're strong willed enough to resist communist propaganda! :P






Hmm, feelin' maybe book list tomorrow? I still have tales of international intrigue, but you're going to have to wait a few days for that ;)

On the 4th day of Blogity: Geeky Friday

I know, a little late on this one. The weekend is my busy time. If you're not busy this weekend, be sure to go buy String Theory stuff at the Rock N' Roll Craft Show! More on that in another post. Get your mouse clicking finger ready, it's Geeky Friday(in spirit)...

You guys know I design websites, all my own graphics, and single handedly manage Strange Folk from 7 lbs of soon-to-be scrap metal. Incidentally, a lot of big name software is "required" to render these things. Did you know I should be forking out around $2100, and hundreds more every few years for upgrades? I don't, and I'm not a pirate, but I like to say, "Arrhhhhgg!!!"

What's my secret? Open source.
It saves me even more money than dancing lizards can on car insurance.

All these projects are undertaken and developed by programing gurus that network around the world! It is made available to us, the end-user, for free on the principle that "One should not only get the source code but also have the right to use it."*

Open Office (openoffice.org)- Lets start with Open Office, because if you've never heard of it you're not going to believe it. We all know Corel sucks, and who wants to shell out $600 for MS Office so they can write a letter and spell-check it? Open Office is one of the biggest open source collaboratives in the world, and one of the most useful. If you want to give big business and proprietary software the finger, start by downloading this. You'll find that unless you require very advanced Excel features, this suite will fill about all your needs and more. You can open, edit, and save any files in familiar MS format. You can export any document to PDF!!! It's awesome, and FREE...need I say more?


GIMP 2.4 (gimp.org)- I acquired a copy of Adobe Photoshop 10 years ago, and taught myself the ropes through online tutorials and books. When I said bye to my clunker desktop, Photoshop went with it. There was no back-up cd, and it was 4.0 anyways. Enter The GNU Image Manipulation Program, a.k.a. GIMP. I was surprised to find that it had every feature I utilized in PS, save for a few favorite plug-in filters.

I use GIMP for editing photos, creating web graphics, desktop publishing...everything! Every ad, poster, flyer, blog button, or graphic for Strange Folk, String Theory or otherwise was the end product of at least some, if not all, editing in GIMP. I highly recommend you give it a go, even if you are a beginner. Install is a cinch now that they have packaged it as an executable with the runtime files. There is also a fabulous handbook available for download on their site to get you started.


Inkscape (inkscape.org)- This program mimics the capabilities of Adobe Illustrator. It's relatively new to my collection, but I'm already finding it indispensable. Many elements of the new look for Strange Folk are the direct result of tinkering with Inkscape. I'm very excited about utilizing the SVG (scalable vector graphics)file format in my work. Basically, objects are saved based on their proportions rather than the contents of pixels...which is why if you blow up jpegs, they look so grainy, er "pixelated". If I need the resolution high enough to have something printed large scale, this'll do it. It's not a program you would use for photographs, but absolutely amazing for type and line art creation. I love importing my drawings and converting the lines to "paths". One can smooth out jagged edges and manipulate curves and angles. Then it's generally off to GIMP for further editing. World-Class combo if you ask me :)


Drupal 4.7(drupal.org) - Content management systems are a relatively new way of creating and coordinating a website. You install the base files on your server, locate a suitable CSS template, or build your own. Maybe some other tweakies if your geeky. From then on, all your pages are created through the website itself, in a WYSIWYG format, an environment much like that of posting on a message board or blog. That means anyone you give permission to can add content that will be dynamically added to the correct link and menu areas you specify. Trust me, it's really great!
If you make web pages, even casually, Drupal is a CMS worth learning to develop around. After trying a few others, such as Joomla, I found this to be superior by all accounts. You'll need some knowledge of CSS, HTML, PHP, and MySQL to manipulate the back-end, but installing it on your server is such a breeze, and you can start creating content right away. Once you get the lingo down (modules and blocks and nodes, oh my!) The documentation is vast, and easy to understand. I think a gajillion plug-ins are available for this . I'm especially fond of the RSS aggregator, FCK editor, and SMF database bridge that I triumphantly implemented on EtsyLou.

I have so many other great programs to tell you about. My next installment of Geeky Friday (er, Geeky Whatever Weekend Day I Get To It) will focus on freeware (yes, there is a difference from open source!), and internet based apps, if I have room. So, go try out some of these amazing programs! If you find them really useful, and they have the option, consider making a small donation to help them stay afloat. To learn more about the many other open source projects out there, be sure to take a gander at Sourceforge.net. Also, if you have any questions you know where to find me, for the next 8 days at least :)

*quote from Wikipedia's Open source page

On the 3rd day of Blogity: Family Portrait

There's more to blogging than meets the eye. You have to choose your flavor. Some focus on a specific topic of interest...you may not even know if the writer is male or female. Some chronicle day-to-day activities. That's tricky, you have to write pretty well to entice browsers to keep reading. I really never meant Blogity to be either of those. It falls somewhere between a J. Peterman catalog and an Erma Bombeck book, mostly having to do with my many interests. Truly, one of the reasons why I only get around to a couple posts a month is that most of my time is spent taking care of my family. Inevitably, if I'm going to make a commitment to writing every day for 12 days then I've acknowledged it's time to let my guard down....because pithiness is only effective in moderation. That said, I consider the fact that my kids might read Blogity someday. Maybe sooner than later since they are both getting iMacs for Christmas! Save for this little glimpse, I will likely continue to not to bring them up here often.

So, I'm admittedly unsentimental. I think school photos are the most horrible representation of a child. Same thing with department store family portraits, and I buy neither. I'm totally content with taking a few snapshots every now and then, and stashing them away on the hard drive or in a box somewhere. I may be crafty, but can say with confidence that I will never EVER scrapbook. We couldn't, however, pass up the opportunity to have Michelle of Green Wall Studio take some candid family portraits. She was such a trooper to hike all over the woods at Rock Springs Park with us! Above was decidedly the most accurate depiction: Doug is tickling me, Jack is intensely observing something, and Max is feigning to change his clothes.

It's true, everyday when Max gets home from school he makes a b-line for the lounge wear in his closet. Color coordination is very important with what he chooses...as in the colors should not coordinate whatsoever. 6 hours and 3 costume changes later he's ready to go to sleep in style. He writes numbers often, and will make pictures out of them or just counts all the way up to 100. He pretends marker caps are people, while actual Little People tend to fall to the bottom of the toy box. On most cell phones, he can figure out how to get the camera working and listen to ring tones. He also has fun building obstacle courses with Jack , and bike helmets are worn to make it really authentic. So far they have invented atleast 2 Olympic worthy sports: Rubbermaid Tote Lid Faux Snowboarding( a la pool kickboards), and Put This Clear Plastic Shoebox Over Your Face Then Watch Me Throw a Nerf Ball at It. Max is exactly 10 1/2 months younger than his brother.



If Jack isn't wiring up some sort of electronic contraption, he's drawing one. Their bedroom, at times, looks a bit like Radio Shack, but with everything out of the packages. I buy him every issue of MAKE. Between the 2 of us, we ate an entire crate of clementines in 3 days last week. When Jack is done eating, he announces that he's full of bologna. Recently we took a trip to the toy store to pick out Christmas presents, and all he really wanted was an Xbox, but I'm uber suspicious that it would be for the purpose of dismantling. Jack is 4ft tall and 6 years old.

I don't like to spew mommy advice at people, even when they ask for it. I don't follow other people's examples, and I don't expect them to follow mine. I don't "Save Box Tops!", or fall for any other indirect fund raising retail bullshit that I'm bombarded with daily from their backpacks. You can rest assured the General Mills CEO would be buying his wife a Louis Vuitton bag with all the money I might have dutifully spent to feed my kids crap all year round. Then the school maybe get $100 out of the deal? Sorry children, mommy cares too much about your eating habits. You're going to have to forgo 3 reams of neon colored construction paper in your classrooms.
They don't even like construction paper, it's too rough to draw any details. I let them watch Family Guy, and feel proud when they laugh at the good jokes. I'm also proud that they know not to repeat what they hear on TV, or jump on other peoples couches (except gramma's). I will not over schedule them, but they will be given the opportunity to over schedule themselves. They have bunk beds, but always share the bottom mattress. Many mornings I wake up to an additional 2 pillows, 1 sleeping bag, 3 snuggly bed hogs and a 60 lb labrador at my feet . It's my favorite part of the day, despite the kink in my neck.

On the 2nd day of Blogity: EtsyLou

Sometimes I bite off more than I can chew. What you don't know is that I'm a chipmunk. EtsyLou began last year as a collaboration between Lauren (stellaloella) and I to form a group(street team) for Etsy sellers in St. Louis. In the beginning, street teams were this uncharted territory where type A sellers scrambled to stake their regional claim... present company included. There was really no clear-cut purpose or standard for success. We created a shop, an email, a banner, and waited to see what fishies would bite. Eventually it gained enough interest to warrant a meeting...in June.
What become painfully clear, is that it was a bit silly of us to try putting our nose to the grindstone during the busy show season. We had lots of good discussion about promoting our shops at upcoming shows, things we could do to raise funds, etc. I volunteered to make our website (um, are my cheeks getting fatter?), and had every hope that there would be a lull before Strange Folk to work on it. None such luck, but afterward I had to crack the nut or bury it.
I guess I don't have the balls to bury my yummy nuts! Now, EtsyLou members will be able to interact through creating blog posts, discussions on the forum, scheduled chat meetings, and having a central location to link all our shops and events. Everyone is still getting used to the water, but we'll be swimming laps soon.
As with pretty much all the sites I create, I wanted to learn something new while making this one. I've been playing with content management systems, and decided on Drupal for the back-end. Now, I'm not going to go into details about all that just yet. You're going to have to wait for my "Geeky Friday" post. Lets just say I opened a can of Sandworms, but managed to ride them all the way through template hacks and over database bridges.
I worked diligently on this for a solid month and a half. In the beginning I had visions of brick backgrounds, fluer de lis, stained glass for the motif, but couldn't shake the bright and white instinct. Then the "aha!" moment: Lets just see what I can dig out of Etsy's CSS code... not for the sake of copycatting, but to show it's not infallible. Then, do it justice around a different layout. Now, go on, have a look-see for yourself...toggle Etsy and EtsyLou. I'm not faclemped, but it's buttah and, you can still talk amungst y'selves. I'll give you a topic: EtsyLou, neither Etsy nor a lou, discuss...

On the 1st day of Blogity: Strange Folk

Strange Folk...

This is around where we left off last time. I was the bionic promoting woman. We estimated about 6,000 turned out, with 80% of our vendors reaching or surpassing their sales expectations. Tres Bon.

There are numerous crowd and vendor shots on our Flickr Pool. Don't mind the silly alien going around trying on everyones stuff, and more annoying is that he refused to pay full price for anything. Mars is a bitch of a place to live. What do you expect?

I made changes this year to make it better than last year, and it was. Further tweaking will ensue for the 3rd year, but it's getting close to clockwork . There are only a few morsels of information to share about that:

• It will be 2 days: The weekend of September 27th and 28th
  
• Hours are not finalized, but we are thinking along the lines of 10-5 Saturday and 11-4 Sunday
• It will be in Community Park again
• New idea: The stage in the big pavilion will house an activity for kids, and be decorated to look like a crafty felt forest.
  
• I am trying to figure out a way to move all the tents into the shaded area, we'll see.
• The tote bags were a big hit but I have a lot of reservations about the raffles.
  
• We will once again have zines, but not order so many. I'd also like the info booth more in the middle of things. Is it just me, or did it look like an island deserted by Rainbow Brite?
• The music and food will be far-far, but not too far away from vendors. Worry not, your wares will not smell like BBQ after next year...even though I know you love dem pork steaks.

Listening to Chopin...don't feel inclined to go into a peppy, descriptive play by play of 2007. I wore the cutest, most horrible shoes ever that made my heels bleed profusely without my knowledge for some time. I was floored by the creativity of our vendors. I wanted to take home the baby alpaca. Chris climbed a tree. This year I had a cheat sheet, so I could know everyone's first name instead of calling them their biz name or email prefix. I smoked a cigarette at 4 o'clock. The gyros were good, and the candy corn Jones Soda was not. You know you want to tap dat ass.

I feel like I'm writing different...epiphany or blown fuse? Only you can decide, and only you can prevent forest fires. Meet you back here tomorrow ;)