Thursday’s Pretties.

January 31, 2008 | Leave a Comment

The San Tropez Ensemble

A tropical delight, anytime… anywhere!

The San Tropez Earring and Necklace Ensemble was imagined and handcrafted by me in The Big Pink Studio. It’s a one of a kind set.

Necklace details:

~ 1 large Peachy Aventurine focal bead, rondelle, plump and smooth
~ 2 African Opal rondelles, creamy white
~ 2 Aquamarine rondelles, pale blue
~ 2 Green Aventurine rondelles
~ 2 Rose Quartz rounds
~ 2 Orange Aventurine barrels, faceted
~ 2 Yellow Aragonite barrels, hand carved
~ 2 Blue Amazonite rounds
~ 2 Green Amazonite rondelles, faceted
~ 2 Orange Candy Jade rondelles, faceted
~ 6 Yellow Calcite rondelles, faceted
~ 2 Orange Aventurine rondelles, smooth
~ Sterling silver oval beads, jump rings, crimp ends and “S” clasp
~ Sterling silver beading chain, 21 inches long

Earring Details:

Matching Orange Aventurine, Green Aventurine & Yellow Calcite Rondelles. Sterling silver beads, headpins and earwires.

Remember, all jewelry items ship wrapped in my signature pink boutique tissue and tucked into an small boutique gift bag or organza pouch, perfect for gift giving or storage.

Available now in my little jewelry shop!

:heart:

Posted by Christine | Filed Under Creative Moments, Thursday's Pretties

It’s the only sane thing to do now.

January 30, 2008 | 2 Comments

First Fred dropped out.

Now Rudy did.

To be quite honest, I really don’t think there’s much difference between the two major parties any more - but I thought that if Rudy got in, at least we’d have decent judges on the Supreme Court for awhile.

And you know, Fred Thompson is 6′ 6” of Tennessee I’ll-whoop-yer-ass-you-hippie. I really liked the idea of him in charge.

I cannot hold my nose and vote for McCain. And I can’t even discern what Romney believes from one day to the next. The Rev. Huckleberry Norris is a big scary joke.

Barack. I love his personality and the way he inspires hope. But he doesn’t have much of a track record, and frankly, anyone who gets the glowing endorsement of Ted *HIC* Kennedy is highly suspect in my book. Furthermore, the last time I supported a candidate merely because he represented “change”, the result was Jimmy Carter. (Hey, I was in 9th grade - give me a break. I was still an idealistic dork. Now I’m not so idealistic… Heh.)

And…

~~Shrillary…~~ ~~Hellary…~~ Billary… HILLARY?

That phony, conniving, socialist harpie! NO !@#$ WAY. NO !@#$ HOW.

Also, think about it: for all we know, Hillary would get elected and have Monica Lewinsky giving her blow jobs in the (renamed) Ovary Office within a week.

(I’m sorry. That “orientation” slam was not nice. Probably true, but not nice.)

So, my fellow Earthlings, I must take the only rational option still available - even if I have to write his name on the ballot. That’s right…

You think I’m kidding, don’t you?

I’m totally freaking serious.

Posted by Christine | Filed Under The Scoop

Love it.

January 28, 2008 | 1 Comment

Ok, no laughing at the my methods here. This video was actually a huge part of the “linear thinking” de-slumpification. This is what happened:

In my ultimate moment of the Great January Funk 2008, I was working on a project with the TV on nearby.

I heard a snippet of this song on a commercial for the show “Nip/Tuck” and it snagged my attention.

I couldn’t recall the name of the song or the singer; all I had to work with was a brief bit of melody and the phrase “You give me something…”

It was driving me crazy, so I did a lyrics search for that phrase and came up with a few choices.

I went to IRC and to my favorite file sharing channel (Undernet, #mp3download) and did another search. After a few downloads, I had the right song and was listening to it; then of course I had to see if YouTube had anything, which it did.

In fact there are several different versions of James Morrison singing the same song, but this video was so filled with metaphor and symbolism that I couldn’t stop watching it, trying to figure it out.

That’s when my internal Socratic method of learning kicked into gear. I became curious about a part of the imagery, questioned it’s meaning… then answered myself with another question. It went back and forth for a very long time.

Suddenly it occurred to me that my mood was no longer spiraling downward. Something as commonplace as 5 seconds of an overheard piece of music was enough to stop the fall, jump start my brain again, and reverse the direction of the mood.

It still amazes me how this happened, and the fact that I am now completely aware of the progression in steps makes me feel so hopeful. I feel like I might be able to consciously employ this method when I feel myself slipping again. Seriously, it’s like finding a medicine for a terrible affliction.

By the way, watch the video and enjoy that song. It’s now one of my favorites EVER. And these are some of the questions that I was debating in my mind while I viewed it over and over. I’d really like to hear your answers to them. I always wonder what other people are absorbing when they view art or listen to music. Please share if you like!

*******************

~ The females are performing. Who are they performing for?

~ Is athletic (school girls) vs. refined (elegant dancers) being portrayed as sexually pure vs. sexually experienced?

~ Is the woman observing everything connected to the singer in any way? If so, is he aware of it? Do you think it matters to the woman if he is or isn’t aware of her presence?

~ In your opinion, is the observing woman more like the females jumping rope or the fan dancers?

~ There are two lollipops in the video, being eaten by two different females. What (if any) is the significance of the lollipops?

~ Where does the attention of the singer seem to be focused? How does his focus effect the other people in the video?

~ Which do you enjoy watching more: the females jumping rope or the females dancing with the feather fans? Why?

~ Divide the energy of all of the characters in the video in four groups: The singer, the observing woman, the fan dancers, and the females jumping rope. Which of these groups of energy seem farthest apart? Which seem closest together?

Ok, that’s enough; I’ll stop there.

I want to watch the video again.

Posted by Christine | Filed Under The Scoop, Videos

Lifting.

January 27, 2008 | 3 Comments

Just wanted to let my friends know that I’m feeling a little better today. Ferociously tired, but have more clarity now. My brain feels like I just drove across country at 100 mph — in a constant hail storm.

At least I feel like my windshield wipers are working again. Holy Jesus.

I am stunned to realize what snapped me out of it. Linear thinking.

That’s right. I interrupted the downward spiral by forcing myself to think in a more orderly fashion. It was so bizarre! It was EXACTLY the feeling that I get when I finally give in and read an instruction manual rather than fumbling along with my chimpanzee-like intuition for hours.

Another thing that I suspect is that even though it was “linear” for me, this thinking process may still seem very abstract or nonsensical to others. (Which is kind of embarrassing because I get really tired of being such a flake all the time.) But I think the important lesson I learned is that if I can manage to focus on it in time, I now have a tool I can use to change the direction of my mood.

Gah gah gah. This is so new. (Now watch… when I tell Dr.K about it this week, he’ll probably say “FINALLY!)

Posted by Christine | Filed Under The Scoop

Friday’s Feast… still defrosting on the countertop.

January 25, 2008 | 6 Comments

Appetizer:
How many times per day do you usually laugh?

Countless times. The outside world is such a freaky, funny place, and the world inside my head is even more so.

Soup:
What do your sunglasses look like?

Classic Ray-Ban WayFarers… and because I had prescription lenses put in them, I even wear them in stores when I am shopping sometimes.

The sun never sets on cool, baby.

Salad:
You win a free trip to anywhere on your continent, but you have to travel by train. Where do you go?

I think I’d like to go to the Pacific Northwest, specifically Oregon. I’ve never been there before and my parents have told me great stories about the Columbia River and how amazing it is. Of course, I’d have to rent a car and drive over this scary mofo’ when I got there:

The Columbia River (Astoria) Bridge, also known as the Astoria-Megler Bridge is just over four miles long (21,474 feet), and is the longest bridge in Oregon. The main span is a 2,468-foot steel cantilever through truss, and is flanked by five steel deck trusses, one hundred forty 80-foot concrete deck girder spans, and, at the Washington end of the bridge, seven 350-foot steel through truss spans. The bridge was designed jointly by the Oregon and Washington state highway departments. Construction was begun in 1962, and completed in 1966.

(There’s your history lesson for today, children.)

Main Course:
Name one thing you consider a great quality about living in your town/city.

Dubuque is well-known for preserving its historical districts and beautiful architecture. Even when a new building is constructed downtown, the designers work carefully to make it blend with the existing structures. I just love that about this town.

Dubuque is also one of 10 communities in the United States to earn the 2007 All-America City (AAC) award title.

Dessert:
If the sky could be another color, what color do you think would look best?

The sky already comes in every imaginable color. What color is the sky in your world?

*********

Ok, that’s all for the Feastie Feast this week. It was a good one, no?

In other happenings, I’m in a deep slump and not handling it well at the moment. I’m needing even more selfish non-communicative time than usual so I am going silent for a bit.

At least a weekend. Maybe a little more.

It might help if I just go laugh inside my head for awhile.

(Be good ’til I get back.)

Posted by Christine | Filed Under Memes, The Scoop