Can you say TRANSFORMERS??

How about HOLY SHIT

Story here.


Just a thought... We all know cars age -some better than others- but do they wrinkle now as well???

Pig Candy

The grass rubs our feet as we run, sticky and sweet. The heady scent of St. Augustine fills us, makes us giggle. Some of us wear shoes, some don't. I suppose we appear a motely group; there's Cindy with her sweet pink, knee length dress, carefully brushed hair and perfect heels looking every inch the prep; Robert in his mean streak leathers and boots and everyone else in between, laughing and shouting. Though, I suppose it doesn't much differ from what you'd expect to see in a gaggle of teens. All different, all the same. Anna runs beside me. Like me her hair is loose and wild, well fitting dress, though faded, haphazardly slung on, no make up. We are coming to the fences now, where the cars are parked and the movies play. We all climb up the rattling metal, some more easily than others. As always Ben has to reach up and help Peg jump down. Once over the crowd disperses, and I swerve right going up a few cars to the turquoise chevy silently waiting for me. I wriggle in through the window and my dress hikes up against the soft leather as I slide in. There you are, he says. I was wondering if you'd ever get here. Sure... I think. I'm always here 7:30 on the dot. He begins to kiss me in his usual fashion, first the ear then down to the jaw. I try to concentrate on the film playing in front of us before he gets to my lips. My concentration has definitely improved with time. His kissing is only a minor distraction now, and despite missing a few scenes every now and then I can pretty much follow the story line. I vaguely feel embarrassed. What must I look like to the other couples with my all too perfect boyfriend all over me, and me very visibly ignoring it all? The other girls used to say I took him for granted. And I used to listen and feel all rotten inside. I even had the gall to talk to Mr. Assenworth about it once, it bothered me so. Now I dont pay any attention to them. In fact they may even stil be saying those thing. Hmph. The scene changes to something lighter and Johnnie-O eases up on my face a little. I watch Cary Grant kiss that female actress, whose name I'll never remember. Tell her how much he loves her. Johnnie says that sometimes. I wonder if I should dump him, but i quickly reject the idea. Too quickly. He's sweet, and kind and perfect. The sort it would be easy to spend eternity with...Right?

Morning brings ice and crystal dew on green fingers, rustling slightly. We find ourselves in the park -Lover's Lane, or so they old stories said- strewn about on jackets and blankets like a pretty girl's rejected clothing. Murmurs and whispers fly around before we lazily rouse ourselves fully and begin the process of departure. There are shouts and peals of laughter here and there, but the gentle hush of morning has silenced us some and we mostly speak in whispers. We leave in our usual group, back tracking the way we came, through the field, across the old lot, over the ditch and fence to the silent houses. They're washed out now. No longer the inviting sentries of last evening. Now they have more in common with graves rather than homes. One of us, Robert I think, starts singing one of the old songs and soon the whole lot of us are screeching out the words.

Pretty Polynesian baby, I remember the night, when we walked on the sands of Waikiki, and I held you oh so tight...

Johnnie swings my arm in his and for a moment it's ecstasy. There's only this cotton candy sky, crystal breeze, and the sweet tune of memories better forgotten.

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Running away from the cookie cutter houses with their warm lights glowing softly against the night. Its a certain safety we hardly take comfort it. The way you might keep a stuffed animal by your bedside every night though you seldom touch it anymore.

Devout Dolls

These morbidly interesting little creations are the work of Seattle based Sara Lanzillotta. She specializes in two headed headed dolls and animals, but is willing to do custom work. Many of her dolls have been featured in exhibits along the west coast and you can find some in select stores. My personal favorite is her Snow White. Her website is www.devoutdolls.com and you can find her Myspace here.

Mood Swings Anyone?

I dont really agree with any of the issues this paper runs but i admit that this is rather cool.

The Blue People of Troublesome Creek

On the news last week they ran a story about a man whose skin turned blue. Due to the overwhelming noise going on in the kitchen at the time I could not here the story properly nor could I find the article (I think the station was either MSNBC or CNN). Either way I did find this interesting story about a family that is known for inheriting the color due to intermarriage. The disorder is called methemoglobinemia which you can read more about here. There is also a brief article concerning the family here.

The World's Wonders

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Pyramid of Giza, Statue of Zues at Olympia, Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, Mausoleum of Maussollos at Hallicarnassus, The Colossus of Rhodes, and The Lighthouse of Alexandria are the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World that we all know. Lately, however, there's ben a lot of talk to come up with a new list which you can find here. Last month this article was put on the Wall Street Journal website. It goes over some "missing wonders of the world" and if you click the first picture in the article it talks in depth about each one.

Banksy

For the past year or so I've been noticing more street art than usual around L.A. I was curious but tried to put it in the back of my mind. However I've finally figured out some of it's the work of Banksy, an English street artist who hit LA sometime in early 2006. The messages of his stencils are usually anti-war, anti-capitalist, anti-establishment or pro- freedom; while many of his usual subjects include rats, policemen, children, and soldiers. On wikipedia I found out that "In May 2005 Banksy's version of a primitive cave painting depicting a human figure hunting wildlife whilst pushing a shopping trolley was found hanging in the British Museum, London. Upon discovery, the museum added it to their permanent collection" ,which i pretty awesome if you ask me. Needless to say thanks to the books by Kirsten Miller I have a new found appreciation for street art.

some videos with more information:

Street Art

Who said chalk was just for kids?







The creator is Julian Beever, an English freelance performance artist who creates murals for companies. The technique he uses to create this amazing side walk art is called trompe-l'oeil" meaning to "trick the eye" in french. You can see more of his incredible artwork here. There's also a video showing just how he does it here

Black Widows

Black Widows. Most of us think of the nasty little black spider when we hear this. However, the women named after them can be quite a bit deadlier. I found this interesting article on Wikipedia concerning Giulia Toffana and her perfectly poisonous business.

Arsenic

The notoriously poisonous metalloid Arsenic or element # 33 on the Table of Elements was known as The Poison of Kings or "Inheritance Powder" during the Middle Ages and Renaissance because of its popularity as a murder weapon by the nobility. This was largely due to the fact that at the time it left no traceable elements in the body, and because it is a white, tasteless, and oderless powder that can easily be slipped into food. The first to prepare arsenic trioxide (the most common form used in murders) was an Arab Alchemist named Jabir in the 700s. Famous victims include Francesco I de Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany and his wife; George III of Great Britain; Charles Francis Hall; Huo Yaun Jia; Clare Boothe Luce (although hers was unintentional and she only became extremely sick); and Napolean Bonaparte(there is no proof that he was intentionally poisoned). Also chronic arsenic poisoning could be behind Monet's blindness, Cezanne's development of severe diabetes, and Van Gogh's neurological disorders as the element was used in the making of a pigment frequently used by Impressionist painters called Emerald Green. Other inadverdent poisonings include arsenic being used in medication(quack and real); as a cosmetic for Victorian women who used it to help them become paler, when mixed with vinegar and chalk; and used in the frosting on pastries during the Victorian Era to make them look better.
Common symptoms include violent stomach pains, vomiting, diarrhea, convulsions and cramps, clammy sweats, red eyes, lividity of the extremities, delirium, and finally death.