Friday, February 29, 2008

Red sexy



My KimonoMomo bags got a nice mention A Mom in Red High Heels recently. Cool site! I say check it out.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

It's all about change.



A new candidate has joined the race! Loki Weasel today announced his intention to run for president, along with his long time associate, Lux Ferret.

Loki's stance on foreign policy might be a bit shaky, but that's just because he doesn't get out of the house much. His running mate Lux has strong views on education and national health care, so she'll get the job done. And as for hot button issues like illegal immigration, you know they'll be on top of things. They have experience in that regard, as so many of their bretheren live illegally in New York City and the state of California.

"Fluffy bedding, fresh kibble and clean drinking water are our top priorities," states Lux. "No one should go without the simple necessities in life. A safe place to sleep and food to eat should not be luxuries, but available to all." The candidates also are keen to make basic health care more accessible. "Loki and I both know first hand how devistating it can be to face health problems with inadequate or no insurance coverage, so we will work hard to devise the best possible plan for all, large or small."

"Let's get the rats out of office," says Loki, harkening back to the days when ferrets were highly regarded as being tough on crime, especially in erradicating vermin. "We want to clean up the government, and will work from the bottom up to ferret out those who have been corrupted by lobbyists, special interest groups and corporations."

Outspoken Dooker of the House, Boomer Rang, has thrown his support behind these two stalwart advocates of equality. "I've known them a long time, and I can honestly say Loki will put corrupt officials where they belong--on their knees. As for Lux, I know for a fact she won't take sh*t from anyone. Some may call her a shrew, but she works hard to stand up for what she believes is right."




IT'S TIME TO PUT A REAL WEASEL IN THE WHITE HOUSE

LOKI & LUX 2008

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Saints preserve us!

With apologies to FranIAm (who I'm sure will get a chuckle out of this anyway), I now present to you these icons designed and created by fellow Etsy artist Madelyn Smoak of Mad Art Jewelry in North Carolina.

First up we have Saint Pilaf, The Patron Saint of Imaginary Weapons of Mass Destruction. Doesn't Condi look so reverential?



This next icon brings together Saint Malevictus, The Patron Saint of Senseless Sacrifice and several of those who have been sacrificed in the War on Terror. I love the feel of this piece and the level of craftsmenship involved. Gorgeous, and yet depressing.



This one is just plain silly: Saint Doobie, The Patron Saint of Global Village Idiots.



Click through and check out her work. Madelyn has quite a selection of non-political pieces, both elegant and artistic, but these make such a statement. In keeping with my kimono theme here on the blog, I'd also like to add this one, Wabi Sabi Geisha.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

And now for the gentlemen

Because Comrade Kevin asked and also because I need the practice, I give you the men's version of dressing in kimono, speed-style. (note: this is not quite the traditional way, and the guys are obviously non-Japanese, but it's a funny video from the perspective of someone who has had to dress people in kimono in a hurry)

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It's as easy as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, ......

Just in case you were wondering what goes into putting on a kimono, this video will show you what I go through putting mine on, only I do it by myself with a mirror. It's kinda like having both hands tied behind my back!

Monday, February 11, 2008

Book meme

I picked this one up from Comrade Kevin and DCup today because after a too-long hiatus, I'm back to reading their blogs (which I suggest you do too, if you don't already). I'm tagging myself with this one as I figured no one else would since I've been out of the loop for so long. So, here it goes:

(1) Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more. (No cheating!)
(2) Find Page 123. Find the first 5 sentences and read them.
(3) Post the next 3 sentences.
(4) Tag 5 people.

Well, since no one tagged me, I'm not going to tag anyone else. If you want to do it, I say go for it on your own volition. It's fun. The first book I grabbed was Beyond the Tanabata Bridge, Traditional Japanese Textiles. It lives either next to my bed or at my desk, depending on where I'm sitting at the time. Page 123 has a color plate of a fireman's jacket, a fantastic example of craftsmanship.





"Commoner's firefighting coat (hikeshi banten), Late Edo-early Meiji period, mid-19th century. Quilted (sashiko) cotton coth with freehand paste-resist decoration (tsutsugaki)." --yes, I do actually read this stuff for fun.

But I figured the point of the meme was to find something with actual words, so I picked up Heaven's Net is Wide by Lian Hearn (an interesting fictional tale about feudal Japan, but Shogun it ain't) and found this lovely passage:

"In the distance, a lone figure was stumbling across the plain. It fell repeatedly, struggled to its feet, sometimes crawled on hands and knees. As it came closer, they could hear its voice, a thin anguished howling that now and then quietened to sobbing only to rise again in a note that made horror touch the spines of the watching men."

Think men with really sharp swords and no centralized government to tell them, hey, leave those peasants alone! Yeah, feudal Japan, where samurai were armed and peasants occasionally got slaughtered.

Okay, your turn. Go!

Saturday, February 09, 2008

lil' bizzy bee, that's me

Today I signed up with flickr and Talent Database. Why? um, because people at Etsy forums told me it would be good for networking. And I guess there just aren't enough places to be online already, right? I'm already on Trunkt (which is juried, so that's really cool), myspace, here on blogger, wordpress, Etsy, eBay, Squidoo, my own website, and... I'm sure I've forgotten some.

I guess this kinda explains why I haven't been blogging much, doesn't it? I'm pooped.


TalentDatabase.com

Thursday, February 07, 2008

Sakuran

I just finished watching this film (I take Thursdays off) and it was most excellent. And before you ask, no, they are not geisha, and yes, it's as much fun as it looks. Great costumes, lots of sex, even some romance. Just perfect.

Of course, it would be nice if the trailer had subtitles, but since it doesn't, I'll tell you that the cherry tree in bloom (sakura) and the goldfish are both highly symbolic in the story. Other than that... eh, I don't want to ruin it.