I'm very sad to see all the posts re: Robert Holdstock and to know that they're true. He was one of those writers I would have loved to meet eventually, someone that I probably would have fangirled shamelessly (rather like an incident involving Guy Gavriel Kay at World Fantasy that we shall not discuss). I read his book LAVONDYSS before MYTHAGO WOOD. I have to admit the first time around, I just didn't get it. But the book kept drawing me, bringing me back. And the second time, I realized this man's sheer brilliance. He was one of those writers who made me want to reach harder to make my own work sing.

Thanks for that, Mr. Holdstock. Peace to you and those who have lost you.

There's been a rant floating around in the back of my mind for about three years now, and yet I can't bring myself to put it to text. Partly because it makes me so infuriated (especially over something that at first glance is abjectly petty) that I have a hard time not dissolving into grunts and exasperated throwing up of hands, and partly because aside from the perhaps three people who would laud me for the telling, it would likely offend half of my friends and about 95% of everyone else. Is this a sign that I am getting old, that I would rather privately steam than make my opinion known? Have I somehow been infected with meekness or is some baseline desire not to offend without provocation simply checking the unsheathing of the razors? Perhaps I'll write it anyhow and let the rest be damned. After all, it might be funny.

Oh, also, proof positive that I am glad I'm fairly aphasic. Someone I could glady live forever without seeing again dropped by late thanksgiving day. I'd been up since 4am cooking, so I had passed out in bed about an hour beforehand, and so narrowly dodged having to be polite to someone I (very happily) haven't seen in a decade. From the tale told by the other people in the house, the very vanity and sociopathy that drove me to drop contact after the camel's back finally broke are worse, and they are the same properties that are making her keep calling the house asking for me. Ugh. I'd consider seeing her just to confirm my own suspicions and quell the natural curiosity (has she mellowed out? is she still totally psycho?), but then that would just be encouraging the whole affair, wouldn't it?

The Economy sucks, and I need to move these so...
$25 Each


Two by the moon *sold*

( Luna )

The Economy sucks, and I need to move these so...
$25 Each


Beware the tentacled masses. *Sold*
( Desiderata )

The Economy sucks, and I need to move these so...
$25 Each


All these gifts I give to you in hopes that you will love me too....

( The plane of the ecliptic )

When I attempted pumpkin bread a few weeks ago, it ended up being still doughy in the center. The batter was very wet from the pumpkin, so either a much longer cooking time or smaller loaves/muffins would have been required. So this morning, I thought, "what about pumpkin cornbread?" Cornbread is usually so very dry from the cornmeal, so combining it with pumpkin ought to make the perfect Goldilocks muffins, right? The above recipe made just enough batter for 12 muffins. I omitted the orange zest because it seemed like everything else in there made it plenty flavorful...that the recipe was verging on TGI Chilibee's chipotle-ranch-wasabi-barbecue. Ok, so I doubled the cinnamon, since only a 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon seemed like a good start, like when a recipe asks for just one clove of garlic or just a 1/2 teaspoon of chile. The muffins took 20 minutes to bake and they're fabulous. Soft and tender, pleasantly pumpkin-y, with just the right amount of sweetness and spice. A sprinkling of toasted pine nuts on top would have been indulgent.

I still have 4 cups of roasted pumpkin puree in the freezer. I had 10 cups a month ago; some of it became the previously failed pumpkin bread, some of it became pumpkin-chestnut soup (it was pretty good, but I put a little too much black pepper in it), and some of it became today's awesome pumpkin cornbread muffins. I still haven't tried pumpkin flan...maybe next weekend. And then, of course, there's always pie.

Paypal only please!!!
Prices include shipping if you are in the USA.
Immediate payment is required if using paypal, no echecks!

( cleaning out closet sale! )

We went to the Mornington Peninsula this weekend, and found an alpaca farm where a baby had been born not 18 hours before. Plus there was a 3 week old and several 8-month olds, including some utterly weird longhaired gits teenager types. ( So if you think you can handle the cute... ) Warning - adult alpacas and the odd human showing too

sitting here to type, i recognize that i feel out of touch. it hasn't been all that long- but perspectives and all that...
i am after a 6:30 AM to 7:20 PM shift today, this is after the 13 hours yesterday, and 13+ hours wednesday. today is the first day i don't feel so sore, and i'm not as physically wiped despite staying active today cleaning kennels non-stop in between walking & feeding the dogs. i avoided the front and talking to people, and i am much happier for it.
i was left horrified at how quickly i felt sore and tired this holiday. 4 days of this shouldn't be so hard. i felt unreasonably tired (more mentally than physically) very early on. i guess i've gotten more out of shape than i realized working the front. **for the record- i HATE sitting behind a counter and answering phones and doing paperwork/data entry. handling customers isn't so bad- they typically like me and i like them since we have our pets in common, but dealing with so many human exchanges in a day is wearying to me in a way i can not explain and deeply despise.** getting to just be physically doing stuff and with the dogs was great! i miss it. this leaves me wishing to go back to the way my job was before my promotion to management and resentful even more for the way i am treated by the other manager.
it also has me thinking i need to do more for my health. last year this was easy, this year was tired and hurting in joints that have never bothered me before. if i am going to survive x-mas, i need to change something. but what? diet & exercise seem to be the obvious answers. guess i have to knuckle down even more and somehow manifest the energy after work (once i return to my normal schedule) to go out running or SOMEthing. maybe if i am more active, i will feel less fatigue?
i also want to work on thinking more positively and conducting myself more positively. i complain a lot as a vent. but it focuses me on what's bad instead of other stuff. i need new coping skills.

I'm learning, the hard way, the meaning of being thankful. I am equally as thankful for the true friends who have stood by me, especially the past few days, as I am thankful for the false friends that exposed their jealousy, apathy or prejudice the past few days to show me that I did not need them in my life and they happily removed themselves from my life.

One of them is still very, very painful: Someone I knew for over 2 years, confided in him, shared the hey-yay-deep-things of my dark and twisted mind with him, got counseling from him.. and was horrifically and publicly betrayed by him because I was in 2 NYC style magazines. How does one prepare themselves for that? Close, one of your supposed best friends, does that to you..

Hello Kiddies,

While I have a rather large music collection, I actually am very picky about what I listen to esp. on a daily basis. Most of my stuff is on the 'classic' (read: old) side as most new artists don't really impress me. Every once in a great while though, there is one that comes on my radar that just blows me away. Right now it's these guys.
I discovered them while surfing on Blabbermouth, and their CD got great reviews. But, as Billy Joel said, you can't get the music from the story in a magazine. So I let my fingers do the walking and discovered this little clip.




Oh. My. Fucking. GAWD! Aside from the fact that lead singer Lzzy Hale is downright MFING HOT (and she has a FLYING V for God's sake!), this band really has it together. Great hooks, killer riffs, and good SONGS! I got the album and was impressed with the 'Motley Crue meets Joan Jett' vibe. While invariably these guys may be compared to Evanescence, the fact is they are much more together, and don't have the goth melodrama dragging them down. So my fellow Rockers and Metal Mavens, go out and buy/download this now. I give it four horns up!

Speaking of horns, I recently heard the news of one of the original Metal Gods, Ronnie James Dio having fallen ill. Ronnie was diagnosed with the early stages of stomach cancer and it is believed that it was caught early enough to be very treatable. Of course we wish RJD our thoughts and prayers for a full recovery very soon.

Lets hope that it does not suck!! See everyone out at Midnight tonight, I plan on playing some certain local band tonight!! :)

--Carolynn

this is for you...

http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1545

I hope its ok to post a new thread so soon after my most recent post.
I just found these items & want to offer them for sale to the community.
Thank you for your undert standing <3

[for sale]
-Silver HIM Love pendants
-Silver Thorned Heart Necklace
-domino piece necklace & guitar necklace
- piece skelanimal ghost earring set

( all gothic jewelry behind the cut )

I have made 8 new cuffs, one of them can be worn as choker too (biomechanical). I have never made so many at once.
Two of them are a part of my upcoming collection, which will be presented at industrial scene subculture house Elektra on FEB 2010.

( more pictures under the cut )