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|  Hi all. I absolutely love that people find my random musings interesting enough to read. Quite flattered, really. That being said, I've got a lot of different people who read my journal, and I don't know who you are. And as people are coming to my journal from all sorts of places, I've decided to apply filters to my lj, so people aren't coming across stuff they're just not looking for. If you want to continue to see my random musings, can you please leave a comment (all comments will be screened, so I'll be the only one who can see them) letting me know who you are, and how you stumbled across my journal. If you know me from one of the photo comms, this is where you should tell me. Scrapbook access: ~The 'photo comm' journal posts are archived in my scrapbook, and are currently already filtered. I will not be removing any access, but if you wish to be added, please also let me know this. (18+, must have birthdate in profile) Oh, and if I know you in real life, and we're dear friends already, go ahead and ignore this. I know who you are, and I I'm pretty sure you know and love me despite all my oddities, so I trust that you can self-filter the stuff you don't want. | |
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| I just did a cull to the friends list. My friends page/profile has gotten a little out of control these days, and this is how I did it: ~ I don't know you in real life, and you never comment on my journal posts. ~ You never post. Whether I know you in real life or not. If you haven't updated your lj in at least 3 months, I don't even know if you're still here or reading my posts There are a couple of exceptions to this, but not many. I'll leave this public for a week or 2. If you're suddenly only able to see my intro post and this one, your journal has been removed from my friends list. If you feel compelled to still be able to read my random stuff, comment here, and I'll reconsider. This isn't meant to be mean, just a rare attempt at organization. - Feelin':awake
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| Ok, so I posted about my little spidey friend before, but just in case you missed it, or in case you really, really want one - or, because you feel compelled to help someone make a ginormous pirate ship, here's some more info on how to get one. Plus, here's a really fun video of Andy welding on the legs of his personal one with a bucket on his head. Because everyone wants to see someone welding with a bucket on their head, right? *** Available for adoption *** *** How to get one *** *** What they'll help build ~ aka the rockin' pirate ship *** And... Andy welding with a bucket on his head. Because, well, he can. - Tags:)'(
- Feelin':amused
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|  © 2009 Sue Cammack Thanks to everyone who came out to Soma this year to enjoy its light and fire and support the Flaming Lotus Girls. We do what we do because of all of you! This year, we had an extra-special addition to our fire repertoire: the sparkle poof. The sparkle poofs are propane-fueled, titanium-injected poofers that so many of you got to fire off by pushing those wonderful bronze buttons on the legs of the lower cell body of Soma. Each sparkle poof fixture was hand-crafted out of stainless steel and copper, carefully wrought into flaring petals shooting out from the upper cell body. Like all the aspects of our work, much time, energy, expense and love went into their creation. Sadly, one of these sparkle poof fixtures was taken from the playa. On Monday evening, the day the event closed, these fixtures were placed next to our container. They were to be loaded up with all the other bits and bobs of Soma on Tuesday morning for transport back to San Francisco. Much to our dismay, one of these beautiful fixtures was missing when we returned to our site for packing. It seems someone ‘borrowed’ a sparkle poof for themselves.  © 2009 Sue Cammack We are putting a call out to try to recover this essential piece of Soma. She’s just not complete without it. In order to run the sparkle poofs, we’ll have to make another fixture – an endeavor which requires even more time, energy, expense and love, all of which we’re currently expending on other upcoming projects and events. The art people create for the playa isn’t meant to be a souvenir. It is meant to have a life beyond the desert where people around the globe can explore and appreciate the experience of participatory art in their own backyards, having their minds blown by the power of creativity just like we get to at Burning Man. Soma is no different.  © 2009 Michi Catanese If you have any knowledge of where our little sparkle poof may have landed, please email info@flaminglotus.com and put SPARKLE POOF in the subject line. We’re not interested in blame or shame or anything of the sort. We can even arrange to have her delivered to a neutral location. We’d just like her back. As soon as we can get her.
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| Ok. Just an update. The hard drive on my laptop is officially dead. Will be able to get repairs done around the 8th or 10th. Online access until then will be ridiculously spotty. Just so you all know. | |
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|  Before dawn this morning, a small team of climate and Native Rights activists rappelled from the US observation deck at Niagara Falls. Dangling hundreds of feet above the ground, they sent a special welcome message to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper ahead of his first official visit to the White House to push dirty Tar Sands oil. Not that he’s feeling so welcome anyway. Obama limited the meeting to just one hour. While some have called it a slap in the face, Aides say Harper will turn the other cheek. “The economy, and the clean-energy dialogue,” one aide told the Globe and Mail, “will dominate the discussions.” Obama needed to dodge controversy over oil imports from Canada’s tar sands in the midst of the Climate Legislation debate. Harper needed a story to go with his photo-op. During Harper’s first official trip to meet Obama in the U.S., the two leaders are expected to discuss climate change and energy policy ahead of the upcoming G20 Summit. Canada supplies 19% of U.S. oil imports, more than half of which now comes from the tar sands, making the region the largest single source of U.S. oil imports. The expansion of the tar sands will strip mine an area the size of Florida. Complete with skyrocketing rates of cancer (by 400%!) for First Nations communities living downstream, broken treaties, toxic belching lakes so large you can see them from outer space, churning up ancient boreal forest, destroyed air and water quality, the tar sands have been called the most destructive project on Earth. Tomorrow’s visit to the U.S. by Prime Minister Harper is the latest attempt by Canadian Federal and Provincial officials to lock in subsidies for 22 new and expanded refinery projects and oil pipelines crisscrossing 28 states, which would transport and process the dirty tar sands oil. Many are concerned that Prime Minister Harper wants to protect the tar sands oil industry from climate regulation, even though it is one of the fastest growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada.
“Climate change, one of the biggest security threats of our time, is something Canada and the United States face together. Extracting tar sands oil, which sends three times more climate-changing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than conventional oil, puts us all at risk,” said Eriel Deranger a member of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation and Rainforest Action Network’s Tar Sands Campaigner in Alberta. As this oil spills into the U.S., communities living near oil refineries face increased air and water pollution, which contains 11 times more sulfur and nickel and five times more lead than conventional oil. Opposition to tar sands oil has been rising on both sides of the border. Just last month, four Native American and environmental groups sued Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Deputy Secretary James Steinberg and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over Enbridge Energy’s Alberta Clipper pipeline. If built, the 1,375 mile pipeline would pump 800,000 barrels of tar sands oil per day from Northern Alberta to Midwestern refineries. On the Canadian, Native activists escalated pressure on the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) for their funding of the tar sands a few weeks ago. 
Canada has no regulations to reduce greenhouse gas pollution, and the federal government’s climate change plan would allow total pollution from the tar sands to increase almost 70 percent by 2020. Tar sands oil production is the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada and was recently cited as one of the most important reasons Canada will miss its Kyoto targets by over 30%. Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) used to be the centerpiece of Harper’s pitch. Global warming pollution from coal and tar sands “can be solved by technology,” declared Obama. Not to be outdone, Harper’s office announced that “A strengthened U.S.-Canada partnership on carbon sequestration will help accelerate private sector investment in commercial scale, near-zero-carbon coal facilities to promote climate and energy security.” 
Half a year and billions of wasted tax dollars later, though, CCS is still a pipe dream. FutureGen, North America’s supposed proving ground for the unproven technology, can’t keep private investors to save it’s life. Two of its biggest private backers, Southern Co. and AEP, jumped ship last June. Around the same time, sponsors lowered the goal-post on the project to just 60% less carbon. So much for near-zero-carbon facility. Projects promised in the tar sands are fairing even worse. No matter. Harper is back, hat in hand, looking for legislative handouts to an industry destined to ruin the climate. So here’s our welcome to you, Prime Minister Harper. Now, please, go home. And take your dirty tar sands with you.
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On the surface of the world right now there is
war and violence and things seem dark.
But calmly and quietly, at the same time,
something else is happening underground
An inner revolution is taking place
and certain individuals are being called to a higher light.
It is a silent revolution.
From the inside out. From the ground up.
This is a Global Operation.
A Spiritual Conspiracy.
There are sleeper cells in every nation on the planet.
You won't see us on the T.V.
You won't read about us in the newspaper
You won't hear about us on the radio
We don't seek any glory
We don't wear any uniform
We come in all shapes and sizes, colors and styles
Most of us work anonymously
We are quietly working behind the scenes
in every country and culture of the world
Cities big and small, mountains and valleys,
in farms and villages, tribes and remote islands
You could pass by one of us on the street
and not even notice
We go undercover
We remain behind the scenes
It is of no concern to us who takes the final credit
But simply that the work gets done
Occasionally we spot each other in the street
We give a quiet nod and continue on our way
During the day many of us pretend we have normal jobs
But behind the false storefront, at night
is where the real work takes place
Some call us the Conscious Army
We are slowly creating a New Paradigm
with the power of our minds and hearts
We follow with passion and joy
Our orders come from from a Central Spiritual Intelligence
We are dropping soft, secret love bombs when no one is looking....
Poems ~ Hugs ~ Music ~ Photography ~ Movies ~ Kind words ~
Smiles ~ Meditation and Prayer ~ Dance ~ Social Activism ~ Websites
Blogs ~ Random Acts of Kindness...
We each express ourselves in our own unique ways
with our own unique gifts and talents
'Be the change you want to see in the world'
That is the motto that fills our hearts
We know it is the only way real transformation takes place
We know that quietly and humbly we have the
power of all the oceans combined
Our work is slow and meticulous
Like the formation of mountains
It is not even visible at first glance
And yet with it entire tectonic plates
shall be moved in the centuries to come
LOVE is the new religion of the 21st century
You don't have to be a highly educated person
Or have any exceptional knowledge to understand it
It comes from the intelligence of the heart
Embedded in the timeless evolutionary pulse of all human beings
Be the change you want to see in the world
Nobody else can do it for you
We are now recruiting
Perhaps you will join us
Or already have.
All are welcome
The door is open...
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| Wow! It's true. Good things really do come in threes. And it has certainly been that kind of day. Well, yesterday. But, since it started yesterday and ended today, I'm saying it counts. First, I get into work yesterday, and there is a package waiting for me. And I ordered this package, but mail is always nice to have. Inside, were 3 Lush treats that I've had my eyes on for a while and picked up from someone here on LJ who was looking to rehome their unloveds. Yay! Then. And this really floored me. I got a call at the shop from one of my regular custies who wanted to make sure I was going to be in the shop, because she wanted to stop by with a present for me. Yes, really! We had talked before about Lush's temple balms, which you can now only get in the UK. I have only ever tried one, but there were a couple of ones out now that I have been dying to try. I thought she was going to order some for herself, and bring them in for me to sniff. Nope. She ordered THREE just for me to have and enjoy! Seriously? How amazingly generous and thoughtful is that? And they are even more perfect than I had hoped they might be. I really, truly, love these! So, thank-you M. That may very well be the most amazing thing that has happened to me at work. And there have been a lot of amazing things! And. Because, really... It needed to get better? I came home last night after a very long, exhausting day, and I found a package slip from the post office letting me know that I had my reveal package from my Switch Witch waiting for me. Remember my super secret sock fairy? Well, she struck again. So, I hiked up to the PO and sat in the sun to open her gifts. And they just kept pouring out of the box. It was amazing! A huge assortment of things that she acquired from local merchants around the metro Detroit area. Car cookies, and coffee and coffee mug, and salsa and candies and tea. Soaps and bath salts. A notebook and jewelery and perfume. And these very mysterious little wicker D-rings. And the most stunning handmade green tile with a naked wooden nymph-like lady perched on the front. What a wonderful and thoughtful gift. If you are on the BPAL forums, this lovely woman doing these amazing swtich witchery was Courtcat. And what a treat she is! If you're on LJ, please do let me know who you are. So, thank-you to everyone who has spoiled me with goodies and love. I am truly blessed to have people like you in my life. Thank-you! | |
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| How about this?... Swing on by the boxshop, have some good eats and drinks, listen to some good music, get yourself a little schwag, and see what I've been doing all summer (and why I'm always so damned tired...) 
Flaming Lotus Girls Summer Party This Your Brain… On Fire! Saturday, August 1, 2009
5pm – midnight
The Boxshop, San Francisco, 951 Hudson Av, SF 94124
Google Map: http://tinyurl.com/2jarn7
Entry fee: FREE Come to the sneak preview of Flaming Lotus Girls 2009 Burning Man sculpture, Soma. Soma, created by the Flaming Lotus Girls, captures the essence of a neuron. Spinning balls of fire act as nuclei and dendrites extend up into the sky and reach down to the earth, emitting fire and light. Come see for yourself at the Flaming Lotus Girls Soma Art Preview! Bring the friends you want to impress with your BIG… brain. Let the Flaming Lotus Girls stimulate all five of your senses, as only they can! SEE! Molecular structures on a monumental scale! Challenge your rods and cones with sights never before seen! TOUCH! The sculpture; send mysterious messages through stainless steel, fire, and electricity. Ply your propriocepters by punching buttons. HEAR! Live bands & DJs Stimulate your glutamate with funky grooves. TASTE! Cash BBQ & bar Get your GABA flowing with lively libations. SMELL! Propane!!!!!! J Pump up your adrenaline… fight or flight, baby! http://www.flaminglotus.com/ | |
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| Now, if you know me personally, you are fully aware of the fact that the sock situation in my house is darn near tragic. This hasn't always been the case. I used to actually have socks. Lots of them. I had all sorts of amazing boot socks and OTK socks, and stockings and knee-highs, with anklets and sports socks rounding out the collection. And then I moved. And through the hell that that move entailed, I came through mostly unscathed. My socks, however, didn't encounter such a fate. Somehow through it all, I managed to lose one bag. Just one. But in that bag was the bulk of my socks. In August, I had purchased a lovely assortment of OTK socks from Sock Dreams, as well as a handful of amazing military-style boot socks. Those, along with a good deal of my beautiful stockings, were in that bag. I got to enjoy those lovely socks for one month. One! I've managed to make it on far fewer socks than most would deem reasonable. A very dear friend of mine has very graciously let me steal a few pairs of his without too much ribbing and even pulled out his sock drawer and offered up a pretty decent assortment of lovely socks that just never get any wear. A few were even barely worn socks from the holy grail of sock shops, the aforementioned Sock Dreams. I'm sharing with you the tragic story of my sock situation so that you might understand the absolute squeeage and downright giddyness that occured when I opened my email to find a gift certificate to Sock Dreams, of all places. Sock shopping! Really, I get to go sock shopping. Now, I understand that getting socks isn't too exciting to most. But for me, I just don't live anywhere even remotely close to anywhere I can get them. And I certainly don't have the time to travel for them. So this is indeed the most delightful of surprise gifts. And to top it all off... It's from a stranger. I have absolutely no idea who decided to act as my sock faerie. Well, I know who actually sent it to me. It was the wonderful Stellans. But she did it for someone else, as part of my secret Switch Witch swap. So, immense thank-yous all around. Really, truly, this is just about the sweetest and most appreciated thing ever. And, because how I know how much everyone likes looking at socks.... Here's the haul!
So, many thank-yous to my darling SW and my nacho witch, Stellans! You've made my tootsies extremely happy!
- Tags:sw
- Feelin':excited
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| I just spent a few hours working on a new layout for my lj - which means hours and hours fiddling with little bits of code. So, please let me know if it looks 12 shades of wonky now. I'm on FF, but that doesn't mean it works on other browsers. And I also went through and updated my fl. I peeked at profiles to try to figure out where people found me, but it would be awfully nice if people would leave a comment on the intro post letting me know where you found me or that you added me, so I don't have to spend hours hunting down profiles to figure things out. Just adding me doesn't do much, especially since 90% of my journal is flocked. I didn't automatically add everyone who has friended me, so if you see this but none of my other recent posts, there could be a few reasons why. * You post NSFW content, and your journal is not f-locked. * I have no idea who you are. * Your journal is not in English. * Your journal is empty (I'm not opposed to 'alter-ego' journals, but again, I don't know who you are...) The friends request post is there for a reason, folks. Please help me out and take the time to just leave me a comment letting me know who you are. That way, you can get added to the appropriate filters that unlock certain types of content. As it stands, I may have added you, but I won't be adding anyone to any filters without specific requests. Just so you know... Now, apologies for being a crabass. It's late. I'm still sick. And I'm tired. And I'm pretty sure I broke my toe.. Again. | |
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Your result for Howard Gardner's Eight Types of Intelligence Test...
Linguistic12% Logical, 41% Spatial, 61% Linguistic, 24% Intrapersonal, 37% Interpersonal, 37% Musical, 8% Bodily-Kinesthetic and 31% Naturalistic! 
"Verbal-linguistic intelligence has to do with words, spoken or written. People with verbal-linguistic intelligence display a facility with words and languages. They are typically good at reading, writing, telling stories and memorizing words and dates. They tend to learn best by reading, taking notes, listening to lectures, and via discussion and debate. They are also frequently skilled at explaining, teaching and oration or persuasive speaking. Those with verbal-linguistic intelligence learn foreign languages very easily as they have high verbal memory and recall, and an ability to understand and manipulate syntax and structure. Careers which suit those with this intelligence include writers, lawyers, philosophers, journalists, politicians and teachers." (Wikipedia)
Take Howard Gardner's Eight Types of Intelligence Test at HelloQuizzy
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| Yay! Let the ninja stalking commence!
This, btw, is a hello to members of a secret gift-giving game I play with others on a perfume forum. Just so the rest of you know... | |
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| My scent tastes keep changing on me. All the time. I used to be all cakes and pastries, and honeys and berries. Now, these all seem to turn sour on me. So, I'm making a switch over to the resins, and I'm finding my skin, and my nose, adore them. Fave notes: Sandalwood, Vetiver, Boozey notes, musks, Chocolates, Saffron, woods, some jasmines (when mixed with heavier notes), and darker, almost bourbon vanillas. No can do's: Primarily citrus notes, red berries (for the most part, not always), mints, white florals, lightweight or breezy aquatics. ( Cut to save the non perfume junkies' FLs ) | |
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| This is a fabulous fashion blog for the queer femme, with a little bit of adventure, politics, and romance thrown in for good measure, written by a delightful lass who comes into my shop. I adore her! Her fashion sense is fierce (excuse the Project Runway reference), and the photo work is fabulous. There's even a quote from me on one of her shopping trips nestled in there somewhere. You'll know it when you see it. Please check her out and send her some support. Fit For a Femme  | |
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| It's been a while since I've done one of these, so I thought I'd share. Tonight it was all about pulling out some the favorites and getting super soft. Mission accomplished!  The picture didn't turn out super well, but it was a lovely shade of lavender, with a nice creamy froth that kept swirling around and around in the tub. The cocktail, as it were... JIngle Spells bath bomb - This is definitely in my top five of all-time bombs. It's like a rich, liquor-soaked ripe juniperberry. It's not a bright sweet scent. At all. It's a warm, spicy berry, with the fennel undertone adding an edge to it all. Floating Island bath melt - Another 'go-to' favorite. I get more sandalwood than lemon from this. On its own, it actually smells like cream cheese frosting to me. But here, the scent falls into the background as its combination of cocoa butter and almond oil work together to soften both the water, and me. And because I like to mix things up a bit, I tossed in a few drops of BPTP's Gula bath oil -
-Cocoa absolute, sugar cane, honey, black currant, vanilla, and caramel.-
Shea oil, olive oil, mineral oil, apricot kernel oil, fractionated coconut oil, rosehip seed, evening primrose oil, vitamin E, cocoa absolute, Absolue Cire d'Abeille, isopropyl myristate, glycereth-7-cocoate (derived from coconut), oleth 3, and Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab perfume blends.Did you see that list of scents? It's intoxicating! To my nose, it smells like ripe berries, soaked in honey, then rolled in dark chocolate. Gorgeous! Lush doesn't really do scent combos like this, and since I rely on BPAL to fill my need for essential oil perfume blends, I'll occasionally throw one of their bath products into the mix, too. And, gettin' down to business: Shave the Planet shave cream - I'm not usually a shave cream kinda gal, but since it's starting to show up all around my house, I figured I'd give it a try in the bath. I scooped out a nice dollup and slid it over wet legs. It was a really light texture, once it mixed with the water on my legs, but it ended up working really well. It wasn't so thick that it clogged my razor to an unmanagable degree, but gave a nice, soft finish. Bamboo infusion, goji and acai berries, lavender, and rosehip makes for a pretty good combo, and it was a treat to have something that smells like my beloved Handy Gurugu in the tub. B Never Too Busy To B Beautiful shower gel - This continues to be my favorite Lush shower gel of all time! Dark honey. Not like the honey in HIWTK or Honeywood. Or what you get from Honey B. This is pure, unadulterated, rich, fresh honey for your skin! Buffy Body Butter - I did say this was all about the old favorites, right? Cocoa and Shea butters pack an extra moistuizing punch, and the ground almonds and aduki beans srub off every last bit of anything you don't want left behind. I rinsed off, patted dry, then sat down to enjoy what was, without a doubt, the softest, silkiest me ever. Oh, and topping it off with a little Business TIme only made things better! | |
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| - Feelin':amused
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| I haven't done one of these in a while, so here are two tasty, resiny, sultry-scented bath cocktails for your perusal. Tonight: Since I'm trying to get through my stash, I've starting using things in all sorts of combinations just to see what I come up with. Tonight, it was all spicy, warm, and sultry. I mixed what is normally two different bath combos because they both give me a similar vibe, and I wanted to see what would happen when I mixed the warming, resiny scents of Blue Skies / Floating Island / Chai with the rich heady scents of Magic / YSTW / Business TIme / Silky Underwear. Turns out its ALL good...  
In the BathBlue Skies and Fluffy White Clouds Bubble Bar ~ Patchouli, Frankincense, and Cinnamon. This bubble bar is huge. Normally, you can get 2-3 baths out of one, and that was my original intention, but after I crumbled it into the strainer and held it under the faucet for a while, I realized I forgot to put in the plug and the bubbles were going down the drain. So, I said to hell with it, and just crumbed up the rest of the bar and enjoyed the amazing scent and the heaps of fluffy bubbles. This is a really warm, spicy scent. It's the scent of world markets and fresh tea and fancy silk cloth, and was the perfect base for layering all of the other scents.
Magic Bath Bomb (but just the blue outside layer from a broken bomb) ~ Marjoram and Rose. Marjoram is a rich, herbal scent, with undertones of Pine and Citrus, and when combined with Rose, added a really intoxicating layer to the bath. Since it was just the blue outside layer of the bomb, it turned the bath color this beautifully intense shade of turquoise. I wasn't sure how this would work, but it didn't drown out the other scents, and was a perfect addition. Floating Island Bath Melt (1/2) ~ Sandalwood, Lemon, and Labdanum, with Cocoa Butter and Almond Oil. I have been crushed out on this bath melt for a couple of months now, and I love mixing it with almost everything. It seems to take on the theme of whatever you mix it with, and here, I could catch whiffs of the Sandalwood. I don't get a lot of citrus from this, which is good for me, since I'm not much of a citrus fan. I love Labdanum. It's a sweet, musky scent and I'm frequently drawn to anything that contains it.
Chai Shower Gel (Retro) ~ Cinnamon, Ginger, Allspice, Red China Tea, Lemon. This is an intensely warm, heady scent. The tea infusion and lemon oils are both astringent, so is very toning for the skin. I got this amazingly rich, creamy lather, and used it to shave. It left me super smooth and soft and sent the "faraway places" vibe of this bath off the charts.
You Snap the Whip Body Butter ~ Cocoa Butter and Macadamia Oil, scented with Bergamot, Cassis Absolute, and Cypress Oils. I wouldn't normally add something like this into the mix, but I was feeling the need for a nice, exfoliating scrub. The Cassis gives this a rich, blackcurrant scent that layers really well with the Magic ballistic, so I figured I'd give it a shot. The charcoal and pumice was a nice, gentle scrub, and since I melted these down into single-serving cubes, I just scrubbed one all over until it disappeared. This brought the scent back to where it was after I just added the magic, and I fell asleep (for about 45 minutes! - and no worries, I have a bath pillow...) shortly thereafter. I just closed my eyes for a 'second' to take in the amazingly complex combination I was soaking in, and I was out like a light! All in all, this bath was amazingly luxurius, with the intoxicating scents of far away places all swirling and intermingling together around me like a warm blanket. I only wish I had an Aqua Miribilis I could have used instead of the You Snap the Whip, but only because I think the combo of Sandalwood and Rose would have been perfect. My skin in super soft and I still smell fabulous! After the BathBusiness Time Massage Bar ~ Cocoa and Shea Butters, with Almond Oil, Lavender, Rose and Fennel. This is my all time favorite massage bar! It's softer than the others, and I just rubbed it onto my skin after towling off, and it immediately left its melty oils all over. There is a dark undertone to this, certainly not the Lavender you get from the Therapy massage bar. This is smokier, sultrier. Definitely gender neutral. Silky Underwear Dusting Poweder ~ Powdered Cocoa Butter and Kaolin Clay, with Jasmine and Vetivert. You've heard me gush about Vetivert before. It gives lighter scents a darker, richer undertone. This is a more mysterious take on Jasmine, and I decided to top off all the soft massage oils with a heavy dusting of this powder before spreading it around with a giant powder puff. It locked in the moisture from the Business TIme, and now my skin feels like Silk and I can't stop smelling myself! I don't know what I'd ever do if Lush took this away. I can't think of any scents I enjoy that it doesn't go well with, with the exception of my love for the scents of baked goods. But for that, I have the snowcake-scented Snow on Snow (from '06 even!), so I'm all set. But for right now, this heady Jasmine can bring things home after any bath! **************************************** **************************************** ******* Last Week: I pulled out a couple of bath goodies I haven't used in a really long time. When I've been having difficulty sleeping, I'd been turning to lavender, chamomile herbal blends but decided to change it up a bit and try something new.  In the BathHot Milk Bubble Bar ~ Patchouli, Orange Oil, and Coconut Milk. I haven't had a hot milk bath in years. The last time I tried this, I was still in a scent phase where I was all about herbal and sweet scents, and I hadn't developed the nose for resins yet. So, I had written it off. Then I had the opportunity to try it again and gave it a go when I just couldn't find a way to get to sleep. I didn't get a picture of the water, and it is a soft, pale orange, but you can see from the pic that the bubbles just kept growing and growing, so I didn't really even see the color of the water the entire time I was in the bath! The scent was warm and comforting and reminded me exactly of those glasses of hot, spiced milk that my grandma would make me when I was a young girl to get to sleep. I think I need to find a keep a few more of these in my stash.
Gold, Frankincence, and Beer Shower Jelly ~ Stout, Clove, Cinnamon, Black Pepper, Star Anise, and Mandarin. I haven't given this sparkly, brown jelly a go since the '07 holiday season, and it was nicer than I remembered. In fact, it was awfully nice! I have a molded chunk from a gift set, so it is far easier to hold than a normal chunk, which meant I just grabbed it and used it like a large chunk of very squiggly soap. Having it slip out of my hands and hunting for it underneath all the bubbles just added to the fun. The lather was thick, rich, and frothy, and the combinations of oils smelled like root beer to my nose, and lingered after I got out. King of Skin Body Butter ~ Cocoa, Shea, and Coconut Butters, with Avocado, Banana, Lavender, Sandalwood, Almond and Rose. I love this body butter when I just need an extra dose of moisture and softness. It doesn't have any exfoliation to it, so I use it for shaving to leave me baby soft, and that's exactly what it does. It has a really calming, soft scent, and doesn't overpower anything else. After the BathHelping Hands Hand Cream ~ Cocoa and Shea Butters, with Linseed and Almond Oil, Lavender, Honey, and Tagette's Oils. This one of Lush's richest creams, and I adore it as a foot cream. I slathered up and threw on some socks, and woke up to incredibly soft tootsies in the morning. And Tagette's is a natural antibacterial, so its great for my nicked up and abused hands. I wield a big butcher knife all day, and because its me, I end up with more little scratches than I can account for most of the time. | |
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| Okay, the posting is a little behind as of late. In a nutshell.. I'm working hard, I'm pooped, and there's not too much else going on at the moment. But I thought I'd post the results of a 2-question test I took on okcupid. Only two questions to answer, and the result is more 'me' than many with hundreds of questions to pore through. Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz... You Are a Katharine!
You are a Katharine -- "I am happy and open to new things" Katharines are energetic, lively, and optimistic. They want to contribute to the world. How to Get Along with Me - * Give me companionship, affection, and freedom.
- * Engage with me in stimulating conversation and laughter.
- * Appreciate my grand visions and listen to my stories.
- * Don't try to change my style. Accept me the way I am.
- * Be responsible for youself. I dislike clingy or needy people.
- * Don't tell me what to do.
What I Like About Being a Katharine - * being optimistic and not letting life's troubles get me down
- * being spontaneous and free-spirited
- * being outspoken and outrageous. It's part of the fun.
- * being generous and trying to make the world a better place
- * having the guts to take risks and to try exciting adventures
- * having such varied interests and abilities
What's Hard About Being a Katharine - * not having enough time to do all the things I want
- * not completing things I start
- * not being able to profit from the benefits that come from specializing; not making a commitment to a career
- * having a tendency to be ungrounded; getting lost in plans or fantasies
- * feeling confined when I'm in a one-to-one relationship
Katharines as Children Often - * are action oriented and adventuresome
- * drum up excitement
- * prefer being with other children to being alone
- * finesse their way around adults
- * dream of the freedom they'll have when they grow up
Katharines as Parents - * are often enthusiastic and generous
- * want their children to be exposed to many adventures in life
- * may be too busy with their own activities to be attentive
Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy | |
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| I was hanging out with Gregory last night, and he mentioned that someone put a video up on youtube of him and the 'gang'. Gregory hangs out on Union street with Booger, Kitty, and Mousey, making himself available for photo ops to raise change for hotels and anything else he needs in this economy of ours. I see them everyday, and it never fails to bring a smile to my face. And I thought I'd share it with you.
His message is simple: natural enemies can not only find a way to get along, but can choose to have positive, supportive relationships with each other. Its all about chosen family. As it should be...
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| I decided tonight was a 'pamper nite'. I've been running myself ragged lately (all in good ways), and I just needed to spend the night at home taking care of me. Here are the details... Pre-bath: I sat with my feet covered in Volcano foot mask (pumice, tomato, potato, cinnamon leaf oil, and papaya) and wrapped up in little plastic baggies. Mmm, sexy! Well, sexy or not, I have delightfully soft and pretty tootsies now. The Tub: 1 Youki- Hi bath bomb: Sea salt, Jasmine, Ylang Ylang, with a touch of golden glitter + 1/2 Golden Slumbers bath bomb: Lavendar, Chamomile, Neroli + Ceridwen's Cauldron bath melt: Cocoa butter, Walnut, Sandalwood, Lavendar, and tangerine oils, with whole oats + King of Skin body butter: Cocoa, Shea, and Coconut butters, with Avocado and Banana, Sandalwood, and Rose absolute + B Never 2 Busy 2 B Beautiful shower gel: 5 types of honey (honey, clover, orange blossom, manuka, eucalyptus), Jasmine, Sandalwood, Rose Followed up with Dream Cream body lotion: Oat Milk, Olive Oil, Lavendar, Chamomile, Rose, Tea Tree, Benzoin  (those are bits of fresh lavendar from the Golden Slumbers floating around in there with the golden glitter) I hadn't really been a fan of jasmine before, but lately, I've completely fallen in love with Lush's version. It's beautiful! And tonight, I just wanted an extremely moisturizing bath, filled with intoxicatingly beautiful and herbal scents. Jasmine and Ylang Ylang both have a history as aphrodisiacs, and Lavender, Chamomile, Neroli, Sandalwood, and Rose are all oils known for their soothing properties, both for the skin and for the mind. I am constantly amazed by how well the scents from essential oils layer in a complex, but complementary fashion. And add to all that, the moisturizing effects of the butters and oils, and the antibacterial, antiseptic, and antioxidant properties of honey, and its no wonder my skin is looking nice and bright and feeling luxuriously soft. Its amazing how easy it is to spend over two hours enjoying one of these baths! Shaving tip: I rubbed the King of Skin all over my legs before applying a generous amount of the B Never (Lush's sister company) shower gel, and it made for a smooth, easy shave and left me completely soft, non-itchy, and post-shave bump free! I think this might need to become a permanent thing. | |
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| I've decided I'm going to start keeping a bath diary. I am sure this is of very little interest to most anyone but myself, but I'm going to do it anyway. Mostly, I want to keep a record of the combos I'm trying and what I'm using as a tool to help me get through my stash. That, and I think it will be a fun way to know what works together and what doesn't, so I can make recommendations to customers, too. Plus, I think it is just completely silly, and well, why not? Oh, and because I'm that much of a dork, I have pictures, too! Tonight's pleasantries: 1 Magic bomb (Rose, marjoram, basil, peppermint) - LE, no longer available + 1 Floating Island melt (almond oil, with lemon and sandalwood) + Sultana of Soap (black currant, cranberry, apricot, with bergamot oil and olibanum oil), followed up with Gentle Lentil solid shampoo and Retread conditioner for the hair = an amazingly soft and yummy smelling me!  I love this bomb! Seriously, the color from this is just, well, magic! I love it when the water hits the mini bomb inside and sends it racing around the tub shooting the rich magenta color into the already gorgeous turquoise water. It ends up this dark, rich indigo color and the scent from the combo is out of this world. Good thing I have a stash of these li'l buggers, since they're all gone for the year. And I wasn't sure about the floating island, since I'm not a big citrus fan, but it really tempers the spicyness of the magic, and adds that moisture that the bomb doesn't have. All in all, I'm soft and I smell fabulous! And I think I may have finally found my hair combo. Gentil Lentle is perfect. Too bad it's retro and only available online. Good thing people keep giving me chunks from their stash. I mean seriously, how can a girl not love a gift of a giant brick of solid shampoo? I feel loved. It's got an amazingly soft, beautiful lather, doesn't weigh my hair down, and has a gentle scent that doesn't overpower the nose of my scent-sensitive friend. It's an all around win. And retread? Yep. A nice, thick, heavily moisturizing conditioner that doesn't make my fine hair fall all flat and limp. My hair is very happy with me. Looks like I'll have to cave in and purchase a tub. I might even have to purchase a tub for cute boy, too. | |
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| Your rainbow is strongly shaded violet and red. What is says about you: You are a passionate person. You appreciate beauty and craftsmanship. You get bored easily and want friends who will keep up with you. You are patient and will keep trying to understand something until you've mastered it. Find the colors of your rainbow at spacefem.com. | |
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| Top 5 Facts for this Name: Tura Mooney
 50% of the letters are vowels. Of one million first and last names we looked at, 2.2% have a higher vowel make-up. This means you are extremely well envoweled.- In ASCII binary it is... 01010100 01110101 01110010 01100001 00100000 01001101 01101111 01101111 01101110 01100101 01111001
- Backwards, it is Arut Yenoom... nice ring to it, huh?
- In Pig Latin, it is Uratay Ooneymay.
- People with this first name are probably: Male or female... We don't know yet. We're working on it!
Name Origin and Meaning:
Forename:
Origin: Hmmm... Sorry, we don't know.
Meaning: Surname:
Origin: Meunier, French, a miller. 3 Things You Didn't Know:
 Your personal power animal is the Bactrian Camel- Your 'Numerology' number is 3. If it wasn't bulls**t, it would mean that you are enthusiastic, creative, optimistic, and fun-loving. You seek self-expression through words or the arts, and enjoy learning through life experiences.
- According to the US Census Bureau°, fewer than 0.001% of US residents have the first name 'Tura' and 0.0136% have the surname 'Mooney'. The US has around 300 million residents, so we guesstimate there is only 1 American who goes by the name Tura Mooney.
Find yours here- Tags:me
- Feelin':amused
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| I've been following this since Nevada's caucus (which was one of the greatest exercises in futility I've ever experienced), and if you aren't familiar with his policies on Iraq, Iran, and national security in general, please take a peek at this. Or for that matter, read between the lines on his own website. http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/FDEB03A7-30B0-4ECE-8E34-4C7EA83F11D8.htmIt actually reads similar to that of Obama (minus the exit strategy..). It's amazing how political jargon functions to distort. Or, take a peek at this. No one needs horror flix anymore. You just need CNN. | |
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