tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66811354270802329212024-02-21T00:21:33.618-05:00Princess Sari's GeekdomNews from the kingdom, rants and raves...Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15660055270708614052noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681135427080232921.post-16756169380019104062012-11-28T15:16:00.002-05:002012-11-30T12:07:23.333-05:00Handmade Holiday Gift GuideIt's that time of year, and I've decided to help spread the word about buying handmade and from small businesses this season. I've been tweeting a few shops, but those are easily missed, so I'm going to collect them all in this blog post and update as I share more. These are all companies I've either purchased from and/or know the owner well, so I will personally vouch for any of these suggestions. If you'd like to add your own in the comments, feel free, but I won't back any I don't know. (The "owner" I list under each is to the best of my knowledge. I apologize if I leave out any co-owners/spouses I'm not aware of.)<br />
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Small businesses are good for the economy, and handmade items are often very eco-friendly. I believe in shopping with these businesses as much as possible, for the good of all.<br />
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With that said, here we go! (In no particular order.)<br />
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/TuesdaysDreams" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Tuesday's Dreams</span></a><br />
Owner: <a href="https://twitter.com/TuesdaysDreams" target="_blank">Marti Dickinson</a><br />
Sells: Handmade fabric plushies, some tie-dyed clothing, and her mom's handmade quilts.<br />
Website: <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/TuesdaysDreams">http://www.etsy.com/shop/TuesdaysDreams</a><br />
My fave: Amelia the Neon Rainbow Striped Whale<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/104710523/amelia-the-neon-rainbow-striped-whale" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzVxsNsnqiVwXEMBfdcTZ_BDtDbAYK8GHBlEumizJe99PLocfNrgrnQSxET-YY_GahfMQxErr8EcXQC-HCxuPwjbTACLLXc9RfQTYyi9N_gSph_HD636c3zfNOO9f543jVbZgBS2tkjfI/s200/il_fullxfull.357691637_m8wk.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/IsMightier" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Is Mightier</span></a><br />
Owner: <a href="https://twitter.com/BaronessHeather" target="_blank">Heather McFarlane</a><br />
Sells: Handmade jewelry with vintage fountain pen nibs.<br />
Website: <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/IsMightier">http://www.etsy.com/shop/IsMightier</a><br />
My fave: Purple and Green Chainmaille Fountain Pen Nib Necklace<br />
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/114475767/fountain-pen-nib-necklace-purple-green" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoo4FWflzD8P4MaaX5b3CcLybFzmfUn-5v76RBDU-fkF3FZNgI5mO2SK5nDmZIVpxiqA_XY6KuKEA2j8-xu6dr47GrK6kcWqyCWW07WAiAmIUxqMwhiMp8Ue31N91OoMmfxLXa7bogxjI/s200/il_fullxfull.393385457_qm0o.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/streetspiritphoto" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Street Spirit Photo</span></a><br />
Owner: <a href="https://twitter.com/StreetSpiritPic" target="_blank">Fraser McFarlane</a><br />
Sells: Unique photographs taken in Scotland and the USA.<br />
Website: <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/streetspiritphoto">http://www.etsy.com/shop/streetspiritphoto</a><br />
My fave: Kaleidoscope Sunset<br />
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/78046694/kaleidoscope-sunset" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLmL4LkgSE2-8G2KReumIZXDTacL01RPVA-SrP0eLN7VMQ6wLNa_6uip1_X4CslgQGJoGcbuwGEAr5clDk8lNFnxY7P9lgGKUPla7hxBJph059ZZW3kkInnD5OGms5XewpLOkiXiKW9qA/s200/il_fullxfull.257982903.jpg" width="200" /></a><span id="goog_627864694"></span><span id="goog_627864695"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.luxurylanesoap.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Luxury Lane Soap</span></a><br />
Owner: <a href="https://twitter.com/LuxuryLaneSoap" target="_blank">Kylee Lane</a><br />
Sells: Geeky and vegan/eco-friendly soaps, lotions, lip balms, and hair care.<br />
Website: <a href="http://www.luxurylanesoap.com/">http://www.luxurylanesoap.com/</a><br />
My fave: Hemp Satin Body Cream in Pumpkin Cheesecake<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.luxurylanesoap.com/collections/lotion-cream-butter/products/hemp-satin-body-cream" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhomYdCX7d4THynCOb7pRyliKMHuXe-zS0slVe9eBCn0baD8qnU4HvbcboykrqhEi8aWv-NqCtq9XlIRnApK6af0spTdTNVWNlgH7Ngu-hDd2KFcaT-wQUxaT4vL0Pr3YM9oscBLJ74GQU/s200/CReam5oz2_1024x1024.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/moodyandsanguine" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Moody and Sanguine</span></a><br />
Owners: <a href="https://twitter.com/MoodySanguine" target="_blank">Denise LeBlanc and Melina Knox</a><br />
Sells: Handmade chainmaille jewelry and hand-sewn accessories<br />
Website: <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/moodyandsanguine">http://www.etsy.com/shop/moodyandsanguine</a><br />
My fave: Swinging from the Chandelier Earrings (Side note, I'm featured in the photos for this item! Side side note, I own at least a dozen of her earrings.)<br />
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/40276718/chainmail-swinging-from-the-chandelier" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijUgslwQ4lAxQZagVKWlucrXg0sBlPtjDderNR9-8cFZcWyTCjPywq12_FbW8zhR3sNi12phAqoEqrARlbBE9L9pmOhFRKZlbbjMjod3VpTy_5s_6nbcIj75y7ajkyqhSxEaU2awlXR1A/s200/il_fullxfull.310586260.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/geekyandcheeky" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Geeky and Cheeky</span></a><br />
Owner: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/geekyandcheeky?ref=stream" target="_blank">Jessica MacLean</a><br />
Sells: Handmade felt dolls and toys featuring geeky characters and themes along with some Pagan items.<br />
Website: <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/geekyandcheeky">http://www.etsy.com/shop/geekyandcheeky</a><br />
My fave: The Crew of Serenity <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/79561660/the-crew-of-serenity-firefly"></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/79561660/the-crew-of-serenity-firefly" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMSNBMFBFeUPofxp9cGKF1jr3gQ9IAS9p4Z29A2RWX02JFrn58sEiz9iJG1QBU2YLpB7oCXYPMQITfTfMYbv9_bxanZYQzGtB-gLaUbfm7li_ERD_lj6k1o_qILnYJ4-cEvylUiPO8Wos/s200/il_fullxfull.263152253.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/LittleFreeRadical" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Little Free Radical</span></a><br />
Owner: <a href="https://twitter.com/lilfreeradical" target="_blank">Crystal Evans-Pradhan</a><br />
Sells: Handmade cloth toys, tutus, nursery and party decor.<br />
Website: <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/LittleFreeRadical">http://www.etsy.com/shop/LittleFreeRadical</a><br />
My fave: Spring Rainbow Classic Tutu<br />
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/102983933/spring-rainbow-classic-tutu-custom-size" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx95hivjEXIc3wrIgPeneeccgx8msLI08GqQPRXPjgKYTZYbtpCHrSChpxmZgnF1dw2O6gnEyFZSOZVXoCh5SFxcmphgNRODXh-FG6iU-cmc1RD7jfGoPFRzXeyuKOMVgZBKJIZ4oFrJU/s200/il_fullxfull.351242748.jpg" width="160" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/surly" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Surly-Ramics</span></a><br />
Owner: <a href="https://twitter.com/SurlyAmy" target="_blank">Amy Davis Roth</a><br />
Sells: Handmade ceramic necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and coasters featuring geek and atheist themes.<br />
Website: <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/surly">http://www.etsy.com/shop/surly</a><br />
My fave: Camera Ceramic Necklace in Brown and Red (I own the blue and green version of this, and six other Surly necklaces.)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/115335764/camera-ceramic-necklace-in-brown-and-red" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdm27YzUzXTWauQ_d88MalU2YX0N_GoKEajJxXf_PCqqbUrx3x0i4cIrX0GXbNQqntfbi-LEit264M1tlPMnqo3WTqPESrUGZYQUq4leEeb4uLe1l-6hhq-OkKB7-o2zj1_ZB2geDoHwE/s200/il_fullxfull.396549519_co09.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://peraltartsy.myshopify.com/collections/ucomics-the-comic-starring-you" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">UComics!</span></a><br />
Owners: <a href="https://twitter.com/LenPeralta" target="_blank">Len Peralta</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/geekyjessica" target="_blank">Jessica Mills</a><br />
Sells: Custom made comics starring YOU.<br />
Website: <a href="https://peraltartsy.myshopify.com/collections/ucomics-the-comic-starring-you">https://peraltartsy.myshopify.com/collections/ucomics-the-comic-starring-you</a><br />
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<a href="https://peraltartsy.myshopify.com/collections/ucomics-the-comic-starring-you" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCGCCVI5oq8MorXzrbZYz_5MaobAuXMTY0WbhnXJpnlL5H4OIdzo62PPuqEf62h79Php_WE5E42ugHAy2iZ_pCFCYUNaSaaKJTrvl4gywb7O81lcVuXzNPW365B4e8l-Vtu5R-CxSsyOM/s200/uCOMIC_TEST_2_grande.png" width="128" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.geeksoap.net/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Geek Soap</span></a><br />
Owner: <a href="https://twitter.com/geeksoap" target="_blank">Lesley Karpiuk</a><br />
Sells: Handmade geeky soap.<br />
Website: <a href="http://www.geeksoap.net/">http://www.geeksoap.net/</a><br />
My fave: D20 Soap on a Rope<br />
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<a href="http://www.geeksoap.net/product/d20-soap-on-a-rope-geeksoap" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrJxBzqm0IWBMCTJzJKyl5G0VAJRBQew6gHYsjVm1kMPO3JtyAIDOzb93K5-w7KJy5FBj8-F0Vk36gXSAbKdm1TuGmUc0WXiSrk4Dle8nFdAH4xNgHSfdCITwHhnafzfuMGQiTJyMr_mA/s200/d20onarope01.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.waldoswoodworks.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Waldo's Wood Works</span></a><br />
Owner: Bob Benaim<br />
Sells: Handmade wooden toys and accessories.<br />
Website: <a href="http://www.waldoswoodworks.com/">http://www.waldoswoodworks.com/</a><br />
My fave: Unicorn Puzzle<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.waldoswoodworks.com/puzzles.htm" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7jN54S8bJ-RsZu2x-qb7QzHsUsQ35Cb1B7SCTSUqVPnOXflWZODF63ZZBCfNysdvZrHg0ou2AAAp6Hd4fsXw1WrFY0jpP_fauWk7rKzmGR0spHO7-ZJUujn5iHpU-hBBLvQO4omHnH5E/s200/P-unicorn.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.spiffingjewelry.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Spiffing Jewelry</span></a><br />
Owner: <a href="https://twitter.com/SpiffingJewelry" target="_blank">Annie Nygard</a><br />
Sells: Hand stamped metal geeky jewelry.<br />
Website: <a href="http://www.spiffingjewelry.com/">http://www.spiffingjewelry.com/</a><br />
My fave: Girl on Fire Necklace<br />
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<a href="http://www.spiffingjewelry.com/Girl_on_Fire_Hunger_Games_Necklace_p/hg1.htm" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglJ3Yq7tqoeiIuuj-qp0qcz6JKgvVp4aZciQeel2-ZUET-FdJRY7t2j95hnO5SDgtBd__iCIDsRsAmxm6Gyz-9MTn6yLcvFsULJOVSmlLWlQTHYcoTnsVfQ2k_oaMMoIBYHsVaHknPblQ/s200/GirlOnFire.jpg" width="189" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/sparklej" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Sparkle J</span></a><br />
Owner: <a href="https://twitter.com/sparklej" target="_blank">Joelle Burdette</a><br />
Sells: Hand-knitted Jayne hats and hand-sewn lunch bags and other accessories.<br />
Website: <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/sparklej">http://www.etsy.com/shop/sparklej</a><br />
My fave: Jayne's Cunning Hat<br />
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/60531376/commission-jaynes-cunning-hat" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEy_HXcz6I7OG2rjDNgkNJ8kPaSpCxFH6k-qHPV4cpU2akswJLCXMKvTqAKRDsPzKHZoMxIfaSfrwKSZLwezGEEoKyjIavq9fWp9_KpNnVlYwujKBOVPk8Mp9ZK_QdO6IuxzqQLhOv1vU/s200/il_fullxfull.188555540.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/gamrgrl" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Creations by VR</span></a><br />
Owner: <a href="https://twitter.com/vr00mie" target="_blank">Vanessa Reynolds</a><br />
Sells: Original geeky paintings.<br />
Website: <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/gamrgrl">http://www.etsy.com/shop/gamrgrl</a><br />
My fave: Think<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/101862012/think" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn5uEwTaIpg4JJ40KfVvQqxXTPHZUwR4RmwtWRq2JHNtS6GbOAyh8ZkqD3jdmKbHWoOR6f0uk6cgo8dudMh8Jo40Fnz_EEFNsfFrAYxBf5bL7bY63rOJq1aIlr9XPrUVlN_pklyGd2nac/s200/il_fullxfull.344447501.jpg" width="149" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.dragonchow.com/zencart/" target="_blank">Dragon Chow Dice Bags</a></span><br />
Owner: <a href="https://twitter.com/GeekyLyndsay" target="_blank">Lyndsay Peters</a><br />
Sells: Unique cloth dice bags.<br />
Website: <a href="http://www.dragonchow.com/zencart/">http://www.dragonchow.com/zencart/</a><br />
My fave: Red Kanji Dice Bag (I want this one next; I own 2 bags and have bought at least 3 for gifts!)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.dragonchow.com/zencart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=12_11&products_id=734" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd3tyoS_g5t19Dv1pbQXI80CrTf8LDoiXjL-D-XxS6NyUMnJpkTs6kfdu7ATUiPbirFoX1bCG8xFeidaLrMuPkedxTMVHYeXeuUTXLSeXF5EJ2fgJUFhFKbs1S_4g5Er7tWnE6_56BNEI/s200/IMG_4260.jpg" width="165" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/88links" target="_blank">88 Links</a></span><br />
Owner: <a href="https://twitter.com/88Links" target="_blank">Lady Steel</a><br />
Sells: Upper arm bracelets, earrings, rings, and other jewelry.<br />
Website: <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/88links">http://www.etsy.com/shop/88links</a><br />
My fave: Wishing Star Gold Earrings<br />
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/115041493/wishing-star-gold-earrings-for-handmade" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidpBhF0KohG5VZnYzJkNScg2IUSNF7InZJE5vc9JXHPJ5v3EnjYRSrKANRCIs9ujmV946kMlWXUiwkZjERRVn2KwI7Ja9zAmxXJK_3EQ_5AFIoNtUCX8RpOVvUHbP2vIA5-ZEe4VQygdM/s200/il_fullxfull.395455375_7efr.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/blablover5" target="_blank">Introverted Painting</a></span><br />
Owner: <a href="https://twitter.com/introvertedwife" target="_blank">Sabrina Zbasnik</a><br />
Sells: Gorgeous paintings of trees, the sky, and geeky themes.<br />
Website: <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/blablover5">http://www.etsy.com/shop/blablover5</a><br />
My fave: Four Seasons<br />
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/85720964/four-seasons-acrylic-painting" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIG_N7W6Tcr0tt8rw0A33WxPcjeWK-4LM9fw3t2iy57taUKaJJ0XFNa9tnBM2DD8O5JUTJovwHvhyphenhyphenp_mL3vw4pmIe8kmSCD7yFwCLKvzQrR7N4FVaJ-gi5JjO6Ws27NSSl0v6crwtXjx0/s200/il_fullxfull.284775573.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/SweetThreesBoutique" target="_blank">Sweet Threes Boutique</a></span><br />
Owner: <a href="https://twitter.com/sweetthrees" target="_blank">Lindsay Meuse</a><br />
Sells: Holiday, wedding, and baby cards with unique textures.<br />
Website: <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/SweetThreesBoutique">http://www.etsy.com/shop/SweetThreesBoutique</a><br />
My fave: Christmas Cards<br />
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/112321192/christmas-cards-holiday-cards-christmas" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFDheLinF8z3NpEeyeN_URLdNohhBPPGeQl-lL1IQbhcE6I2tZSK8fOD5MgaBbbfnxImKMW3jJ2uYzOkJebFpShbxhTvSVy-hn2FZroL5lqswzpJVLDYveEqafxRNvvO7CGF1ime_at1M/s200/il_fullxfull.398153514_6wkv.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/geekabyebaby" target="_blank">Geek-A-Bye Baby</a></span><br />
Owner: <a href="https://twitter.com/geekabyebaby" target="_blank">Elizabeth Nelson</a> (Not related to me...as far as I know!)<br />
Sells: Unique handmade geeky baby toys, clothing, and nursery decor.<br />
Website: <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/geekabyebaby">http://www.etsy.com/shop/geekabyebaby</a><br />
My fave: Jayne Hat Bib<br />
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/112274012/firefly-inspired-brown-flannel-with?ga_search_query=firefly" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTXkG5VztfVY21Uec99TgR6jdhyphenhyphenVwnsSMl12zitd8FQSXrutDpFUi13IrRjgFAcwbm85Up8oEXQEkZ1l6Hl6eoluaMhyeqcEs0h_j_-CaqDS9q2X4Vc0uxQecKkf08aJS6NLAnJVEbSv8/s200/il_fullxfull.385337114_i649.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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I'll just post my own businesses at the bottom here. ;)<br />
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Owner: <a href="https://twitter.com/CelestialAxis" target="_blank">Sarah Nelson</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/CelestialAxis" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Celestial Designs</span></a><br />
Sells: Geeky and Pagan jewelry.<br />
Website: <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/CelestialAxis">http://www.etsy.com/shop/CelestialAxis</a><br />
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<a href="http://celestialaxis.smugmug.com/Landscapes/Fine-Art-Landscape-Photography/21981921_NbLBFz#!i=1753347621&k=JpLKxhR" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">CelestialAxis Photography</span></a><br />
Sells: Landscape photography from around New England.<br />
Website: <a href="http://celestialaxis.smugmug.com/Landscapes/Fine-Art-Landscape-Photography/21981921_NbLBFz#!i=1753347621&k=JpLKxhR">http://celestialaxis.smugmug.com/Landscapes/Fine-Art-Landscape-Photography/21981921_NbLBFz#!i=1753347621&k=JpLKxhR</a><br />
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More to come!Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15660055270708614052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681135427080232921.post-81254772963977185442012-11-13T13:55:00.000-05:002012-11-13T13:55:10.252-05:00Marian Call Adventure QuestBackground on this post: http://www.mariancalladventurequest.com/adventuresome-questy-task-12/<br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">I do love that shiny song "Dear Mr. Darcy." Reminds me of a doctor I know, and that confusin' awkward dance we've been dancin'. I'm tired of waitin', and it's goin' on a year since I had something twixt my nethers twerent' run on batteries. Boy needs to see what's right under his nose!</span><br />
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Playlist:<br />
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1. "Least Complicated" - Indigo Girls<br />
2. "Eight Easy Steps" - Alanis Morissette<br />
3. "C'est La Vie" - B*Witched<br />
4. "As Cool As I Am" - Dar Williams<br />
5. "100 Easy Ways to Lose a Man" - Marian Call<br />
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Haiku:<br />
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I wait for my doc<br />
To kiss me with such sweetness<br />
In the engine room<br />
<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15660055270708614052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681135427080232921.post-27730617906288502222012-09-26T16:31:00.001-04:002012-09-26T16:31:28.193-04:00DreamsHad an odd dream the other night that seemed like it might be meaningful. I asked Twitter for feedback and my friend <a href="https://twitter.com/Cosmic_Psycho" target="_blank">Cosmic_Psycho</a> obliged. Just thought I'd share the dream and interpretation and see if anyone had something to add.<br />
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Dream:<br />
Hubby and I were riding in little motorized boats in the ocean near a beach. We'd drive them forward, only to have the waves push us back to shore. We were enjoying ourselves but were worried because we kept landing near people and didn't want to hurt them. We tried to move further down the beach so our antics in the waves didn't injure someone, but the sea wall was closer to the ocean further down so there was no beach to land on and we'd hit the wall.<div>
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J's interpretation:</div>
From what I can tell, your dream is symbolizing your worry that you aren't able to enjoy time with your hubby without others interfering or "getting in the way". Also, you worry that taking time to enjoy yourself may result in others being hurt, most likely mentally or emotionally rather than physically. The part with the sea wall says to me that you put serious limits on how much you can do. And this is not necessarily intentional or even a conscious action.<div>
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He came up with a lot I never would have considered. It's definitely hard to interpret your own dreams objectively. Thoughts? Anyone have experience with this?</div>
Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15660055270708614052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681135427080232921.post-8006213637243433452012-07-31T13:24:00.001-04:002012-08-01T15:32:03.629-04:00Fat is not a 4-letter wordSomething I've been working on for a while is body acceptance. I'm fat, dieting (literally) makes me crazy, and I'm perfectly healthy. I even have recent lab results to prove it. It's been a battle, but I'm finally at a place where I pretty much accept myself the way I am, even LOVE myself. I've found a wonderful community of body-positive people online, and the articles and stories they share slowly pull my self-esteem from the murky depths it was inhabiting.<br />
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I recently read a post called "<a href="http://danceswithfat.wordpress.com/2012/06/23/things-obesity-is-not/" target="_blank">Things Obesity is Not</a>." One point that really hit home is "Obesity is not a metaphor." I'd like to add "Obesity is not an insult." How many times have you called someone (to their face or behind their back) fat, or various iterations of the word, when they don't agree with you? Have you heard others do it? It's pretty common, if you think about it. I may have even done it myself, in the past. "Fat idiot," "lard ass," etc. are all based on someone's actual or perceived weight. How is that any different from the N word, "gay," "fag," etc. being used as an insult? Those will get you in trouble. Those will get people angry at you. But call someone a fat jerk and no one bats an eye.<br />
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Today on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/humanrightscampaign" target="_blank">HRC's Facebook page</a>, they were discussing Larry Wachowski's transgender transition into Lana. Apparently someone made an ignorant comment about her being an "it," which understandably caused some anger. What I don't agree with is this person's response (click to view fully):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjonen8AL8Eo6EyoHy2alddG15hm9S6vxIxv6NRmlYJGjn7Lsgjey1s2659F_voioSvL77eHZPAi6z1oaD3VozXXIbXH-GaihW4ZaEQ1Dgsxx8UBGfGLDTnw2WSTDMGJvyXlPZ_SiLJRQI/s1600/hrc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjonen8AL8Eo6EyoHy2alddG15hm9S6vxIxv6NRmlYJGjn7Lsgjey1s2659F_voioSvL77eHZPAi6z1oaD3VozXXIbXH-GaihW4ZaEQ1Dgsxx8UBGfGLDTnw2WSTDMGJvyXlPZ_SiLJRQI/s640/hrc.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I haven't gone back to the conversation, as I'm sure it would only anger me more.<br />
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I just don't understand. Someone who used to be obese, and presumably used to be another gender, thinks it's okay to use someone's weight as an insult? This person has probably been bullied and prejudiced themselves (pardon my lack of pronoun, I don't want to assume this person's gender). Why do we do that? Why do the bullied become the bullies?<br />
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I'm very disappointed in this person. They "like" the Human Rights Campaign, yet can't afford the same dignity to fat people that they do to LGBT people? Fat isn't an insult. It's a physical characteristic, just like eye color, height, hair texture, etc. I'm fat. I'm totally okay with that. What I'm not okay with is someone thinking that's an appropriate way to insult me if we disagree. My weight does not affect my intellect. I steadily gained weight throughout college (and beyond), yet graduated Cum Laude, and I have an above-average IQ. There are stupid thin people and smart fat people and vice versa and everything in between.<br />
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If you've gleaned anything from reading this, I only hope that going forward, you try to be more conscious of the language you use. I can't ask you to never insult someone again; we all get angry. However, think about the words you're using. If you wouldn't insult someone based on their gender, race, or sexual orientation, don't insult someone based on their body size. It only makes YOU look like the ignorant one.<br />
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Also? "Skinny bitch" is mean too. ;)Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15660055270708614052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681135427080232921.post-88931077775163410352012-06-08T13:44:00.002-04:002012-06-08T13:45:01.408-04:00An open letter to JC PenneyDear JC Penney,<br />
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Thank you.<br />
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Thank you for being one of a few companies in this day and age to step up and show REAL families in your ads. In particular, gay families, which so many other companies seem deathly afraid of. Thank you for showing them lovingly and realistically, without plastic perfection or forced happiness. Thank you for not making a big deal about it, even when others did.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8N3t9UZcLHi7TWDocsb5OEL9_3WqjneXyYn7_oU1tsoayPNZ6Ox4Zc5swRYRHciQKWwzTLH9d9wuDnU5RWPwAVUwZyXaHrQhjh0N1jIrZidRQQSPzsoug0EdOprnR5tvDSegReEvCwUU/s1600/jcpenney-ad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8N3t9UZcLHi7TWDocsb5OEL9_3WqjneXyYn7_oU1tsoayPNZ6Ox4Zc5swRYRHciQKWwzTLH9d9wuDnU5RWPwAVUwZyXaHrQhjh0N1jIrZidRQQSPzsoug0EdOprnR5tvDSegReEvCwUU/s320/jcpenney-ad.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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You see, my sister is gay, and she's engaged. We're planning her June 2013 beach wedding. I am going to suggest to her that we purchase as much wedding clothing from JC Penney as we can. I have outfits picked out that go with their theme, but you know how brides can be. I can only suggest.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEishBdGB9YvXVFJDrVVvwxreSNolIw4yrBxb8RJC3vXQaJoL_9w529pfTwAZHdnaONNu3NIkTwTo5R-6-RDMmsGAGeqKChoKe-K-IUR6zcyFj7xjQC_WiOps-ND2PDLrQxPi0Vu3dDb0hI/s1600/katywedding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEishBdGB9YvXVFJDrVVvwxreSNolIw4yrBxb8RJC3vXQaJoL_9w529pfTwAZHdnaONNu3NIkTwTo5R-6-RDMmsGAGeqKChoKe-K-IUR6zcyFj7xjQC_WiOps-ND2PDLrQxPi0Vu3dDb0hI/s400/katywedding.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Kaitlyn in a <a href="http://www.jcpenney.com/dotcom//women/brands/view-all-brands/lilianna-rosette-waist-chiffon-wedding-dress/prod.jump?ppId=1de4f47&catId=cat100210008&deptId=dept20000013&selectedLotId=2293029&selectedSKUId=22930290067&navState=navState-:catId-cat100210008:subcatId-:subcatZone-false:N-100210008:Ns-:Nao-48:ps-24:pn-3:Ntt-:Nf-:action-pagination&topDim=null&topDimvalue=null&currentDim=null&currentDimVal=null&searchCount=805&sortType=Featured" target="_blank">Lilianna Rosette Waist Chiffon Wedding Dress</a></div>
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Some attendants in blue <a href="http://www.jcpenney.com/dotcom/women/brands/view-all-brands/lilianna-chiffon-v-neck-dress-with-rosette-detail/prod.jump?ppId=1de661b&catId=cat100210008&deptId=dept20000013&selectedLotId=2291090&selectedSKUId=22910900026&navState=navState-:catId-cat100210008:subcatId-:subcatZone-false:N-100210008:Ns-:Nao-24:ps-24:pn-2:Ntt-:Nf-:action-pagination&topDim=null&topDimvalue=null&currentDim=null&currentDimVal=null&searchCount=805&sortType=Featured" target="_blank">Lilianna Chiffon V-neck Dress with Rosette Detail</a></div>
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Stephanie in a white <a href="http://www.jcpenney.com/dotcom//men/fair-square-pricing/best-prices/dress-shirts-ties/stafford-essentials-short-sleeve-broadcloth/prod.jump?ppId=16b2b55&catId=cat100250013&deptId=dept20000014&selectedLotId=5312821&selectedSKUId=53128210307&rootDimName=sleeve%20length&navState=navState-:catId-cat100250013:subcatId-:subcatZone-false:N-100250013%204294966489:Ns-:Nao-0:ps-24:pn-1:Ntt-:Nf-:action-guided%20navigation&topDim=Sleeve%20Length&topDimvalue=short&dimCombo=Sleeve%20Length&dimComboVal=short&currentDim=Sleeve%20Length&currentDimVal=short&searchCount=241&sortType=Featured" target="_blank">Stafford Essentials Short Sleeve Broadcloth</a> and <a href="http://www.jcpenney.com/dotcom//men/fair-square-pricing/best-prices/pants/stafford-flat-front-linen-look-khaki-pants/prod.jump?ppId=1dd54c9&selectedLotId=5533662&selectedSKUId=55336620042&rootDimName=gender&navState=navState-:catId-:subcatId-:subcatZone-false:N-%20507:Ns-:Nao-0:ps-24:pn-1:Ntt-linen+pants:Nf-:action-guided%20navigation&topDim=Gender&topDimvalue=mens&dimCombo=Gender&dimComboVal=mens&currentDim=Gender&currentDimVal=mens&searchCount=15&sortType=Best%20Match&searchTerm=linen%20pants&catId=SearchResults" target="_blank">Stafford Flat-Front Linen-Look Khaki Pants</a></div>
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Some attendants in blue <a href="http://www.jcpenney.com/dotcom//men/fair-square-pricing/month-long-values/stafford-essentials-short-sleeve-oxford-shirt/prod.jump?ppId=1e36b06&catId=cat100250013&deptId=dept20000014&selectedLotId=5312711&selectedSKUId=53127110125&rootDimName=sleeve%20length&navState=navState-:catId-cat100250013:subcatId-:subcatZone-false:N-100250013%204294966489:Ns-:Nao-0:ps-24:pn-1:Ntt-:Nf-:action-guided%20navigation&topDim=Sleeve%20Length&topDimvalue=short&dimCombo=Sleeve%20Length&dimComboVal=short&currentDim=Sleeve%20Length&currentDimVal=short&searchCount=241&sortType=Featured" target="_blank">Stafford Essentials Short Sleeve Oxford Shirt</a> and <a href="http://www.jcpenney.com/dotcom//men/fair-square-pricing/best-prices/pants/stafford-flat-front-linen-look-khaki-pants/prod.jump?ppId=1dd54c9&selectedLotId=5533662&selectedSKUId=55336620042&rootDimName=gender&navState=navState-:catId-:subcatId-:subcatZone-false:N-%20507:Ns-:Nao-0:ps-24:pn-1:Ntt-linen+pants:Nf-:action-guided%20navigation&topDim=Gender&topDimvalue=mens&dimCombo=Gender&dimComboVal=mens&currentDim=Gender&currentDimVal=mens&searchCount=15&sortType=Best%20Match&searchTerm=linen%20pants&catId=SearchResults" target="_blank">Stafford Flat-Front Linen-Look Khaki Pants</a> </div>
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Stephanie has a six-year-old son that my sister Kaitlyn will be the step-mother of, and they plan on having at least one more child together. They will be a family, just like any other American family. Thank you for representing them. In thanks, I will give you as much of my business as I can, and recommend you to others (I was already a happy customer of yours before this ad).</div>
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Thank you for holding your ground in the face of angry bigots. You are truly a caring a company.</div>
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Sincerely,</div>
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Sarah Nelson</div>
<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15660055270708614052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681135427080232921.post-329569998326159972012-04-19T17:10:00.000-04:002012-04-19T17:10:24.959-04:00The incredible eBay jerk debacleThere are much stronger words I want to use to describe this jerk but I will be using this blog post to report him to various companies so I should probably keep it clean. Therefore he is a JERK.<br />
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In October of last year, an MJ Defrancesco ordered a <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/70188998/premium-d20-necklace?listing_id=70188998&listing_slug=premium-d20-necklace" target="_blank">dice necklace</a> from me on Etsy. The week after, he ordered another one. Cool, repeat customer! The he ordered another. Then he ordered one and had it sent to someone else. Ooo, he's giving them as gifts! He must really like them. I was very happy. He continued ordering them, having them sent to himself or various other people in various countries, all the way through this month.<br />
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Unrelated, I was browsing eBay for Firefly and Serenity stuff because I'm obsessed, and found someone selling the <a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/180840488611?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649" target="_blank">Blue Sun Travel posters</a>. Ooo, shiny. I'd only seen them on eBay and this seller appeared to have the best price, so I bought them, thinking "Less than $40 for all 5 posters? Great deal!"<br />
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The next day, I'm in my PayPal account printing a shipping label for someone who made a purchase from me, when I notice a payment to MJ Defrancesco, a name I know well. I was confused for a moment then realized I had bought those posters from HIM! What a funny coincidence! I was pleased our various geeky internet selling ventures had come full circle. I even emailed him to say how funny it was.<br />
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Then I thought, what other fun geeky stuff might he be selling? Let's find out! He has an entire <a href="http://stores.ebay.com/bullseye-wins-free-game?_trksid=p4340.l2563" target="_blank">store</a> full of fun geeky things. How neat.<br />
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Then my heart dropped. Then the rage started.<br />
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Right there in his eBay store was my <a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/Comic-Con-D20-Spiral-Necklace-Custom-Made-/180837316587?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a1abe77eb#ht_1292wt_1163" target="_blank">dice necklace</a>. I could tell it was mine because HE WAS USING MY PHOTOS. MY photos, that I painstakingly took after cataloging all my dice and arranged the necklaces and options so nicely and used my nice camera and edited the photos in Photoshop. MY WORK. The photos have since been removed from the listing and I didn't think to screen shot it, so unfortunately I have no proof. I hope you will trust me.<br />
<br />
This means all those dice necklaces I thought he was sending to friends WERE BEING SENT TO HIS CUSTOMERS. Notice anything else funny? Oh yeah, A TEN DOLLAR MARK-UP. To say I was livid would be the understatement of the century. I was a veritable She-Hulk of rage.<br />
<br />
I immediately sent him this message, after I had just messaged him saying how funny it was that we bought from each other:<br />
<br />
"Other hilarious coincidence? YOU'RE USING MY DICE NECKLACE IMAGES. CEASE AND DESIST IMMEDIATELY."<div><br />
</div><div>I then called eBay to report him. While I was on the phone with a very nice but bewildered Indian lady, he removed the photos and I received this message from him:</div><div><br />
</div>"...hope all is well sarah -<br />
...posters have been shipped -<br />
...will add tracking -<br />
...photos removed as requested -<br />
very truly yours -<br />
MJ"<div><br />
</div><div>I concluded on the phone with eBay, who would "investigate further." Right. I responded angrily to him:</div><div><br />
</div>"Did you really think it was okay to resell my necklaces and use my images without permission? Did you really think it was okay to have me do YOUR job and send the necklaces to YOUR customers? I thought they were GIFTS. I thought you were just a good customer. I am NEVER selling to you again, you lying worthless jerk. I can't BELIEVE you did this to me."<div><br />
</div><div>To which he maddeningly responded thus:</div><div><br />
</div>"...thank-you for gifting the world with your creations -<br />
...this item has ended -"<div><br />
</div><div>What the EVERLIVING FRAK??? He was just making me MORE ANGRY. So I responded, a little more calmly:</div><div><br />
</div>"I appreciate that you are trying to apologize, but I don't think you're getting why I'm upset. You USED me. If you had only ASKED me first, we could have worked together on this. Ask permission and give credit. It should be pretty common sense. Instead you used my product and images without permission or credit. I put a lot of work into cataloging, photographing, editing, and listing my products. All you did was use the work I did. That's not fair to me at all. I hope, if anything, you can at least understand that."<div><br />
</div><div>He promptly sent:</div><div><br />
</div>"...as a sincere apology for this unprofessional (d*ck) action a full-refund has been issued -<br />
...please accept your item free-of-charge -"<div><br />
</div><div>I was slightly mollified at this point. $40 worth of free posters was kind of cool. I didn't respond. I was completely worn out from my rage and just wanted it over with. Which I thought it was. Until today.</div><div><br />
</div><div>The UPS man comes to the door and hands me a package from <a href="http://www.thinkgeek.com/" target="_blank">ThinkGeek</a>. "Huh," I think to myself, "but I've already gotten the order I placed with ThinkGeek." I open it to find...the <a href="http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/posters/ad49/?srp=1" target="_blank">Blue Sun Travel posters</a> I ordered from MJ Defrancesco. Which you will see, if you follow that link, were EIGHTEEN FRIGGING DOLLARS FROM THINKGEEK. Not $40. Not even close.</div><div><br />
</div><div>He did the EXACT SAME THING HE DID TO ME...to ThinkGeek. He sold an item in his store, ordered it from the merchant, and had it delivered directly to his eBay customer. Of course I immediately looked it up on ThinkGeek. And found the dramatically lower price. And flipped out again.</div><div><br />
</div><div>I love ThinkGeek. They are one of my all-time favorite stores. If I had realized they sell those posters, I would have bought them from them in a heartbeat. Stupidly, I thought his $40 price was good. Luckily he refunded me for his "d*ck behavior" so I haven't wasted any money on them, but WHAT THE FRAK?</div><div><br />
</div><div>Further delving led me to find Ian Leino's Serenity Sake <a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/Brilliant-Firefly-Serenity-T-Shirt-/170823640851?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27c5e1e713#ht_1941wt_1163" target="_blank">t-shirt</a> in his shop (which I own, and bought directly from <a href="http://shop.ianleino.com/product/serenity-sake-t-shirt" target="_blank">Ian Leino</a>, THE ARTIST) today, so I notified Ian that he's probably doing the same thing to him. No artist credit in his eBay listing, big surprise. Gods forbid the customer figures it out and buys directly from the artist.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Amazingly, MJ has decent feedback, and none of his <a href="http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=defrancescoco&iid=170823640851&de=off&items=25&which=negative&interval=180&_trkparms=negative_180" target="_blank">negative feedback</a> seems to indicate anyone else has caught on to his game. Don't worry, I'll be adding my own. I also reported him to Etsy, trying to get him banned as a customer in case he was doing it to anyone else, but they sent a typical non-answer:</div><br />
"Thank you for reaching out to us. We are so sorry to hear about this. Intellectual property concerns are a legal matter which Etsy takes very seriously.<br />
<br />
If you believe that another member or item on Etsy is using your photos, you may choose to respectfully contact the other person via Etsy Conversations with your concerns. This page from our Help site provides information about using the Conversations feature on Etsy to contact another member: <a href="http://help.etsy.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/71/">http://help.etsy.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/71/</a><br />
<br />
For concerns about other types of infringement, we must follow specific protocol when handling these complaints. Etsy has a detailed policy regarding how to report infringement, and if we receive proper notice per the policy, we may remove listings from a shop."<div><br />
</div><div>Since he was not infringing on my rights with an ETSY listing, there is nothing they can do. Whatever. Thanks for nothing.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Here's my packing slip from ThinkGeek:</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzavjR7PODmz7EwkodQHW55F3Unn2s9W7VkO_O7VSdjBwDVfwF0bYRsRw3Ms3pm9we7T3wUkWGm7XiN3L9fmjWPTKxLbUkXZa5nPyR5OMySGuKMDUlz2BRLkguS595VmIP4aKLO_tLmLc/s1600/mjthinkgeek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzavjR7PODmz7EwkodQHW55F3Unn2s9W7VkO_O7VSdjBwDVfwF0bYRsRw3Ms3pm9we7T3wUkWGm7XiN3L9fmjWPTKxLbUkXZa5nPyR5OMySGuKMDUlz2BRLkguS595VmIP4aKLO_tLmLc/s400/mjthinkgeek.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>I don't know how his other eBay customers haven't smelled something fishy when their package "from him" arrives directly from another vendor. I doubt he has a single item in his store actually in his home. I can't prove that, but it appears to be his selling method to use photos from someone's store, create a listing for the item at considerable mark-up, then order from the original vendor and ship it to his customer when the customer orders from him. It feels like that's probably what they teach you in those sleazy "Get Rich on eBay" seminars.</div><div><br />
</div><div>The worst part is, he's probably just skating on the edge of legality. I'm not 100% sure we can get him on anything but the copied photos. But what he's doing makes me SICK. Sure, the original vendor/artist gets paid, but MJ makes a profit for doing NOTHING. It's just exploitation. It's DISGUSTING.</div><div><br />
</div><div>So, if you're a vendor affected by this and want to do something, I can supply all of MJ's contact information. If you're a friend and are as outraged as I am, leave a comment to make me feel better. This whole debacle has been a ridiculous roller coaster of rage.</div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15660055270708614052noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681135427080232921.post-4568361654597948892012-03-28T17:26:00.000-04:002012-03-28T17:26:08.256-04:00Food shamingI saw this on Facebook today:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPw5aQYdAf7A2d18375NyVfSg-M27mtYKjetU9Ny-3RVED9ewmZX29hBRaf87t5YpoQxC1RDFFeCVM7iyQmXOdrK0g0HSCM8JjSdllikI55vKpAM_uFJX48RUQw4Zwpbvk0vioEflpX7Q/s1600/photo+(23).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPw5aQYdAf7A2d18375NyVfSg-M27mtYKjetU9Ny-3RVED9ewmZX29hBRaf87t5YpoQxC1RDFFeCVM7iyQmXOdrK0g0HSCM8JjSdllikI55vKpAM_uFJX48RUQw4Zwpbvk0vioEflpX7Q/s1600/photo+(23).JPG" /></a></div><br />
I. Am. PISSED.<br />
<br />
This isn't a cute reminder to eat your veggies. It's food shaming and fat shaming and it's WRONG.<br />
<br />
This sort of crap is why people have eating disorders. This sort of crap is why fat people sometimes eat in private so they won't be judged. This is why some fat people are ASSUMED to eat the crap on the bottom of the photo even when they're eating the lawn trimmings at the the top.<br />
<br />
I argued my case briefly in a comment under the photo. Obviously no one agreed with me. This sort of black or white, this or that attitude about food is BS and it's making me sick to my stomach. YES salads are generally better for you, but photos like this skew the reality of health. "Good" and "bad" food labeling is harmful, judgmental, and just plain wrong.<br />
<br />
How DARE you judge a fat person and make the assumption that all they consume is fast food. How DARE you suggest that I'll be happy and thin if I'd only eat salads and water because it's just that simple? It's taken me YEARS to come to love my body the way it is. Yes, I'm trying to be healthier, but I'm HAPPY JUST THE WAY I AM.<br />
<br />
So take your shaming and your polarized thinking and kiss my beautiful fat ass.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15660055270708614052noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681135427080232921.post-34651515392691173392012-03-19T13:49:00.001-04:002012-03-28T17:29:05.977-04:00This is why I hike<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZfL5jJJ5RGqtaJuUtWqr8AjzRV7jpIQsANCk-qx4r73fE0XEyikIEX6LjSoOUZzR9kZXctTTcUDw03G_3fNMK4p7JajF8fUslK4huRFDA4Is4eu_kMehUk2M6G8Ui398EmGmJbdFPvII/s1600/photo+(22).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZfL5jJJ5RGqtaJuUtWqr8AjzRV7jpIQsANCk-qx4r73fE0XEyikIEX6LjSoOUZzR9kZXctTTcUDw03G_3fNMK4p7JajF8fUslK4huRFDA4Is4eu_kMehUk2M6G8Ui398EmGmJbdFPvII/s320/photo+(22).JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br />
<br />
This is why I hike<br />
The sounds of civilization fall away as if dying in the distance<br />
Feeble murmurs of the world I leave behind<br />
Trail blazes mark my way so I'm never truly lost<br />
Tethering me to the reality I escape from<br />
Tiny animals scurry beside me<br />
Never seen, only heard<br />
I hide with them<br />
I exercise a body too often sedentary<br />
I still a mind too often in motion<br />
I balance my being<br />
I center my soul<br />
I leave behind the concrete and the gas<br />
I divorce myself from the noise and the hurt<br />
And when I am filled to the brim with stillness<br />
I come home to my love<br />
And my life is completeSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15660055270708614052noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681135427080232921.post-2946618710838655862012-02-27T16:56:00.001-05:002012-02-27T16:57:38.142-05:00The trials of loving oneselfI'm still very proud of my post about finally accepting and loving myself. Most of the time I can keep that attitude up. Then, days like today happen, and it crumbles all around me.<br />
<br />
I take a belly dance class, which has been fun and exercise and socialization all in one, even if I'm usually the youngest in the class by about 30 years. ;) I majored in theater and dance in college, so picking up the movements wasn't too difficult. I get complimented by my teacher and classmates constantly on my grace and grasp of the moves. I feel good about it.<br />
<br />
I've done two performances with my class so far, where I was one of five and in a full-coverage costume (when your teacher is in her 70s, there are no sequined bras, thank goodness!). It was an awesome time.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdbPfl_2smavCgqOQGcNt_d4K2jowtF4RqT4jK7GWqs3d2SEIOpQH3kjiPbQpoEgAcfI8bzonLM7Nc4vzPdQPgifNCuMmqra7C3n7oKF-hrNQ68wLL7wcKl6zr958RFehrOO0VzTw44fI/s320/3.jpg" width="320" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>We have another performance coming up in March and my teacher asked me to do a solo, mainly because I had been talking about a song I'd been wanting to choreograph to. Awesome! A solo. Good times.<br />
<br />
March is fast approaching so I decided to get serious about choreographing it instead of just having a few ideas in my head. I set up my webcam (after wrestling to get the mic working for about an hour) so I could video myself doing some improv dance to the song, and remember later what worked and what didn't.<br />
<br />
So I worked on it. I replayed the video. And I nearly cried. I looked so fat and awkward and ridiculous. I could barely stand to watch. It's one thing to look at yourself in a mirror and be okay with what you see. It's a completely different experience to watch yourself in 360 degrees as others see you. It was horrible. It made me want to quit belly dance on the spot.<br />
<br />
Every cool move I'd imagined in my head looked awful when I actually did it. It was a disaster. I know it was just improv, but I feel completely incapable of looking even remotely graceful. I was absolutely disgusted.<br />
<br />
I know it will pass. I know I'll feel better when wearing a costume that covers my arms, and I've had some time and distance from this experience. But I won't forget how I looked. I can't come to terms with how godawful it was. Why has everyone been lying to me? Why did they let me look like that? I feel completely betrayed.<br />
<br />
These are the days when loving your body is fucking HARD.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15660055270708614052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681135427080232921.post-29183124225176104952012-02-02T12:27:00.003-05:002012-03-28T17:29:59.688-04:00Sexism in GamingOh my. You ladies are gonna LOVE this one. Especially my fellow geek ladies. Brace yourselves. This is a doozy.<br />
<br />
Behold, an email from Gamestop that was sent (not to me) with the subject line: "Send her flowers so you can game!"<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtaBae8buyIKRpeL4eTfAz15u8xYT2VkouzrHH2gETLUdRFfF95L4cJXg74EDVStKHMrVTZLOrnxLzdQ2rag-lwCqvzCw56aKl0Z5kr_hoEKdQet6HGyuDKpaOqJfJsl4EmpB0YuheYXk/s1600/Gamestop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtaBae8buyIKRpeL4eTfAz15u8xYT2VkouzrHH2gETLUdRFfF95L4cJXg74EDVStKHMrVTZLOrnxLzdQ2rag-lwCqvzCw56aKl0Z5kr_hoEKdQet6HGyuDKpaOqJfJsl4EmpB0YuheYXk/s320/Gamestop.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">(Click to enlarge)</div><br />
Yes men, that's right. Don't worry about your pesky girlfriend keeping you from gaming on Valentine's Day. Just shut her up with pretty flowers and game away! Because you obviously have to choose one or the other. You can't have both. Silly men!<br />
<br />
I...<br />
<br />
I don't even know where to start. The misogyny is ASTOUNDING.<br />
<br />
I already hate GameStop. Amazon has much better prices. So boycotting them is a start, but it doesn't change much for me. I can't even begin to think of a proper way of punishing them for this drivel.<br />
<br />
When I was single for the first time in 6 years, I wasn't sure where to start. I don't do bars or clubs. I didn't have a way to meet new guys. So, I turned to online dating. I wasn't ready to pay for a site yet, nor could I really afford it, so one of the sites I used was Craig's List. I posted the following personal ad:<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Hello! I'm a positive, confident, outgoing Wiccan woman. My religion is important to me, but I don't need to date another Pagan necessarily. I'm 4'11", curvy, long brown hair and brown eyes. I love singing, reading, computer games (WoW, D2, AOE, etc.), nature, animals (especially cats, rodents, and reptiles), and lots of other random stuff. I'm very easy-going and down to Earth. I'm looking for a guy with some similar interests, a good sense of humor, around age 25-35. I'd like a LTR eventually. So drop me a line, and a pic if you have one, just cuz I'm curious. =)<div><br />
</div><div><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: monospace; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span><br />
One of the responses (among the <a href="http://geekdomprincess.blogspot.com/2011/01/geek-dating.html" target="_blank">dozens of truly horrid ones</a>) was my now-husband Simon. He was intrigued by our shared interest in gaming. After a few dates, the first time I came over his house was to play WoW together. We even had WoW-dates from our own homes where we chatted on Vent while playing. I guess you could say our relationship is based on gaming. TOGETHER.<br />
<br />
There has never been a time where he's need to bribe me to "let" him game. I even went to a LAN party with him and was the only girl there. I had a BLAST. I may seem unusual. I may seem like a dying breed. I AM NOT.<br />
<br />
If you visit my <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/CelestialAxis" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and see some of the ladies I follow, you'll find a WHOLE LOT of women gamers. We exist. We are normal. And we're AWESOME. So guys? Ask us to game WITH you. Don't bribe us, don't sneak off, don't exclude us. We're here, and we LOVE to game.<br />
<br />
GameStop? Seriously, STFU. That email was so full of fail I can't even properly express my rage. Sexism FTL.<br />
<br />
UPDATE:<br />
<br />
I sent the following email to GameStop:<br />
<br />
<br />
I would like to complain about a recent email sent to Gamestop customers (presumably just your male ones) with the subject line "Send her flowers so you can game!"<br />
<br />
This is the most sexist, misogynistic, and misguided email I have ever seen. It purports a number of fallacies:<br />
<br />
1. Girls don't game.<br />
2. Girls don't like it when their boyfriends game.<br />
3. Girls have to be bribed to LET their boyfriends game.<br />
<br />
Is that really a message you want to be sending? You do realize that almost half of gamers are female, right? Obviously you had no idea.<br />
<br />
So on Valentine's Day, instead of spending ONE DAY with your significant other, you need to bribe her to "let" you play a game. Men aren't allowed to game WITH women? Men can't take a day off from gaming? Men need to ask PERMISSION to game? I'm not sure what kinds of relationships your advertising department has had, but they can't have been healthy.<br />
<br />
My husband and I started dating because we both love to game. We are now married and continue to game together. There are also women who watch sports, drink beer, and do all kinds of "manly" things you think we aren't interested in.<br />
<br />
Neither my husband nor I, nor many of our friends, will ever be shopping at your store again. You obviously don't appreciate your female customers, or even acknowledge that you have any. I am disgusted.<br />
<br />
Sincerely,<br />
Sarah Nelson<br />
<br />
P.S. - Feel free to read more of my rant in my blog, which is making its way around the internet so everyone knows how sexist your company is.<br />
<br />
http://geekdomprincess.blogspot.com/2012/02/sexism-in-gaming.html</div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15660055270708614052noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681135427080232921.post-73972527639066442512012-01-27T17:36:00.000-05:002012-01-27T17:36:17.355-05:00SPAMWe all hate spam. I'm not talking about the meat product (some of you may like it, who knows), but that sneaky email demon we love to hate. It's bad enough when it comes from random vendors. It's far worse when it comes from people you know.<br />
<br />
If you have my email address and the only thing I ever receive from you is commercial in nature, you're doing it wrong. If you want to tell me about some new website, or something you're selling, AND we're friends on Twitter and Facebook? DO IT THERE. I get enough crap in my email. If you share it on Twitter and Facebook, I can just keep going if I'm not interested. And if you know me, you know I'm on both sites constantly. Trust me, I'll see it.<br />
<br />
Unless we are VERY good friends (not, like, we met once and got along and exchanged contact info), NEVER assume I want to be invited to, signed up for, or subscribed to ANY website, blog, sale, etc. Not your Avon, not your Scentsy, none of it. If you're not sure, send me a quick tweet first. Or even an email! I'd much rather reply to your email and say "No thanks" than have to unsubscribe from some mailing list that I can't guarantee hasn't already sold my email address.<br />
<br />
I have a lot of people's email addresses. I have a few businesses I run. I even have every email address of everyone who's ever purchased something from me. I will NEVER email them a sale, site, or anything because it's intrusive. We're at a point in society where we get SO MANY emails every day. All it does is piss people off, unless they themselves signed up to receive updates and such. I will NEVER assume someone wants email from me. If I have your email address, I will use it to communicate a friendly message or send information you requested. THAT'S. IT.<br />
<br />
This is basic Internet etiquette, people. Remember when those chain emails were all the rage and your inbox was flooded with "OMG FORWARD THIS TO 5 ZILLION PEOPLE OR YOU WILL GET A BLOODY NOSE IN FRONT OF YOUR CRUSH"? Yeah, those sucked. Most people have realized how very annoying they are and have stopped. This is the next wave. I know we're ALL selling something online these days, or you entered a contest and you get more entries if you email the contest to your 100 closest friends, or you REALLY think I need to know about the latest cancer risk (PLEASE check <a href="http://snopes.co/">Snopes.co</a>m first!). I know you mean well.<br />
<br />
But please. STOP.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/anwy2MPT5RE" width="420"></iframe>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15660055270708614052noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681135427080232921.post-40722536519454682492012-01-26T14:36:00.002-05:002012-01-29T15:09:35.834-05:00Body ShameThis post is the result of YEARS of suffering, not any one recent event. Just in case someone gets it in their head that they sparked this...you didn't. Don't worry. :)<br />
<br />
I was always small. I stopped growing at age 12, topping out at 4'11". At my senior prom, I weighed 95 lbs. and wore a size 3. I was TINY.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOv1tUBrJLC5I0LXIKiip-pqMybgHtVA3wfgA7lDDsR99cRpxj711MI3tk4mH0DXWmnbtMowYmSYpk6-bSNpTqI6eiHs1nd-X6cH1FXi2rJTjxwUrbAW1Wz3DdDCb0rcNoY-NegwjYD7E/s320/PB4.jpg" width="225" /></div><br />
Believe it or not, I had body issues even then. My little pooch of a tummy shamed me. I focused on my big nose, overbite, braces, acne...you name it, I was ashamed of it. I was almost never single. I certainly was attractive to SOMEONE. But I hated myself.<br />
<br />
Fast forward through six years of college. I put on 60 lbs. The cafeteria offerings were atrocious. I didn't party; I can count on one hand the number of times I actually got drunk in college. With age and food choices, the weight started adding on. I was horrified. I'd go to the gym for a few weeks, then get tired of it. It was easier just to get fat. Looking back, I think I looked better in college than high school.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL1s82rmdgYJEwO_TSjtYcTEkbNhoAtPe2iCJRwCI_5yoshbxAjjTPaqotB-FM-qL19HJu8l17d2VRiQbjboL75IJPo_wbuxpAmgWI2wCDRLtOEYqTeai6D_K6wQQQP9IK-AmfqIsn7eg/s320/101838760_l.jpg" width="320" /></div><br />
A month after I graduated college, my mom died. I packed on another 20 lbs. seemingly overnight. My boyfriend of 4 years moved in with me. We were poor and lazy and ate horribly. My weight fluctuated constantly. I finally broke up with him after years of emotional abuse, and moved on.<br />
<br />
I met Simon. :)<br />
<br />
We moved in together after 8 months of dating. We went out to eat a lot. He was on Jenny Craig and I joined it too, until I decided I'd rather cook and save us the money. $800 a month for Jenny food for two! Crazy! But once again, the weight crept on as life got busy. Simon proposed to me when I was at my heaviest: 200 lbs. (Unrelated, just pointing out that he loves me no matter what size I am).<br />
<br />
We were engaged for a year and a half, and for the first few months, I planned on losing weight for the wedding...later. Suddenly it was 2010 and we were getting married in 10 months! I freaked. I worked my butt off and lost 30 lbs. in 6 months. I slowly lost another 5, then gained it back, then 5 more as the stress of planning a wedding got to me. At one point, I was told by a relative that my gown would look perfect if I "just dropped 5-10 more lbs." She meant well, she meant to encourage me, but I got pissed. I got married at 175 lbs. I hated myself for it at the time, but I know now that I looked beautiful.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUMghbeZjYpy4NRoUNjl6gi6Vs2RCzluqNAsQZ6u071dIOyL0SyREJbSWMvDPw2xMNE8B_oLQFxlc5ATqMDuX5sMQODDeUTplw2mKZ1xdj11y4z4vMrGFGnYw5sojeldsJTU5sGEAgrF0/s320/100910_wedding-108.jpg" width="213" /></div><br />
After the wedding and honeymoon, we eventually tried to get back into eating right and exercising. I mentally rebelled every step of the way. 2011 was a constant struggle. I finally started seeing a therapist about my self-esteem issues. I went back to counting calories and tracking exercise, then gave up. All it did was depress me. Toward the end of the year, I stopped tracking, stopped weighing in. I've gained a bit back. I'm probably not back up to 200 lbs., but I really don't want to know.<br />
<br />
You may have seen this picture circulating the internet:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9fcJwJPvU7L6Q_u_VNa_BRJ1HKoZtYgG59cmm0PwNaccae1vmfTiozgRJJvk_9zMYr9KTXPKIzSuSkWbDgSzUqyhwIYPPDM6ngKt34FKVWxN7EPIs3usrRo6W4JGlsX-wR9TS-mil5Q/s400/AkGx09lCAAErkut.jpg" width="266" /></div><br />
At first, I was righteously proud of it. Yeah! Real women have curves! Embrace your body! But then I think about my skinny best friend who never could gain weight. The one who got stretch marks just from passing 100 lbs. She's beautiful too! We all are! We're all "real" women. Who's to say the skinny ones are "fake"? No one! No one has the right to judge us!<br />
<br />
Then I saw this:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTWQFY1MFIfOZp47Bk6ZyUC-WIaE5yKJg6r7wwmpsGe4TIuLL-3WJJtgPBzpTwHP12TbiYS3tMR_K_3JsWsxNnCc1BlZrHxLnZu-AUTTefkgkZxA8pHOqHK7ERyLcF6MtD3QkUH1A_kVo/s400/jstwc.jpg" width="263" /></div><br />
THIS struck a chord. THIS is the message I was looking for. THIS makes me proud.<br />
<br />
My Twitter friend <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/theroseinbloom" target="_blank">Danya</a> jumped on this. She understands my struggle. She understands body shame. And she's sick to DEATH of it. I helped her create this logo:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTgaj1rahCZ0Hqz517V2hqVVqvAyMVuucv0T2x16zi0HE98MtPNn2GBXHktkL5OXvSNwvpPBrRmyZ4BksHVpsFtxvNJEs4rR_6utePVkknbudVKYPEyjz7bVpC7RFvH3qw-bWY4Sz5O7k/s320/Tee+copy.jpg" width="320" /></div><br />
She put it on <a href="http://www.cafepress.com/theroseinbloom" target="_blank">t-shirts</a>. We're spreading a message, a truth, a BATTLE CRY.<br />
<br />
We REFUSE to be ashamed.<br />
We REFUSE to conform to some arbitrary body standard.<br />
We REFUSE to accept judgement from others.<br />
We REFUSE to be told we're not healthy.<br />
<br />
Health at any size. HAPPINESS at any size.<br />
<br />
From now on, I will eat when I'm hungry. I will try to eat healthful foods. I will eat "unhealthy" foods sometimes. Because I FEEL LIKE IT. I will exercise when I can and when it's enjoyable. I will be ACTIVE, not just for the sake of burning calories. I will buy clothes that fit NOW, not ones I want to fit into "later." I will wear what I want. I will be happy with ME. NOW. Not later. NOW.<br />
<br />
Please also read about the <a href="http://feministing.com/2012/01/04/georgia-cruel-weight-loss-ads-bully-children/" target="_blank">body shaming of children in Georgia</a>, and visit <a href="http://marilynwann.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Marilyn Wann's Tumblr</a> of images combating the body shaming campaign.<br />
<br />
It starts young. It cuts deep. It's so very hard to let go of.<br />
<br />
EDIT:<br />
<br />
I'm pretty sick with a bad cold right now, so I may not have come across the way I wanted to. Let me add a few things.<br />
<br />
If you want to lose weight, that's your right. If you want to be healthier, more active, stronger, faster, etc., then AWESOME. I wish I had the strength you do. I wish I could count calories or track my weight without falling into depression. I admire you.<br />
<br />
This was about my personal journey to acceptance. I want to be happy where I am. If you're going to be happier losing weight, then do it! All I want to say is to do it for YOU, not society. That's all. We're all beautiful. You're beautiful now, you're beautiful pregnant, you're beautiful when you lose 50 lbs. I am NOT against weight loss or being healthy.<br />
<br />
All I want is for you to love yourself.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15660055270708614052noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681135427080232921.post-59754842484215293212012-01-13T12:01:00.001-05:002012-01-13T12:32:36.162-05:00My sister is getting marriedMy sister is getting married!<br />
<br />
She's 24 years old and works as a brain injury unit nurse in a rehabilitation hospital. She met her fiance through a singles meet-up group and they've been dating for almost a year.<br />
<br />
Her fiance is 35, divorced, and has a 6-year-old son that's mildly autistic. He's a super sweet kid who adores my sister.<br />
<br />
My sister's fiance works for the USDA and just got a promotion to move to an office closer to my sister so they can move in together.<br />
<br />
They are blissfully in love and it's a joy to see them together. I could not approve more of how happy my sister's fiance makes her.<br />
<br />
Her fiance proposed on a beach and presented her with a custom engagement ring with their birthstones. They're getting married on a beach in June of 2013. I will be my sister's matron of honor.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
My sister is gay and her fiance is a woman. Would you have known if I hadn't said it? Is their love really any different from a straight couple's?<br />
<br />
Not.<br />
<br />
At.<br />
<br />
All.<br />
<br />
End this madness. Support gay marriage. It's as simple as that.<br />
<br />
Luckily, they can get married here in MA or in NY where my sister lives right now. They could get married in four other states than those two. In the other 44, they could not.<br />
<br />
Please visit and "Like" <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Straight-People-for-Gay-Marriage/184414518261032?sk=wall" target="_blank">Straight People for Gay Marriage</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Straight-People-for-Gay-Marriage-Massachusetts/233542773389360" target="_blank">Straight People for Gay Marriage Massachusett</a>s on Facebook. Thank you.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15660055270708614052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681135427080232921.post-63645158873780532472011-12-28T11:05:00.000-05:002011-12-28T11:05:51.973-05:00Rape Jokes Aren't Funny<div class="tr_bq">WARNING: This post contains rape triggers.</div><br />
So, I was going to start this post with a screen shot of the tweets that inspired it, but of course he deleted them. Can't say I'm disappointed though.<br />
<br />
Therefore, here are the tweets almost exactly as written; as they happened just a few minutes ago, I recall them very well.<br />
<br />
<blockquote><i>Random guy retweeted by <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/Mothpete" target="_blank">MothPete</a></i>: No matter how many times I tell them "Sshhh," I can't get girls to stop screaming with excitement when I give them surprise hugs in a parking garage.<br />
<i>Me to MothPete</i>: Wow, a rape joke. Classy. Unfollowed.<br />
<i>MothPete to me</i>: Sshhh.</blockquote><br />
Not only did he RT a rape joke, but he felt the need to throw the punchline back at me. I then blocked him. I don't want to hear another word from him. I wonder if he thought better of his actions though, as he deleted both of those tweets soon after.<br />
<br />
Not only is the joke tasteless, but it's a HUGE rape trigger for unsuspecting followers, and makes a joke of something that has ruined countless women's lives. How is that funny? Why is that worth sharing?<br />
<br />
When I was 11, I was babysitting my 5-year-old sister one summer afternoon while our parents were out. Our neighborhood was full of kids, and we visited her friend Raymond's house to hang out with them. Raymond was her age, and he had a 17-year-old half-brother. The little ones played in the playroom, while myself, the 17-year-old Billy, a 14-year-old boy, two 13-year-old girls, and a ten-year-old girl hung out in the living room and decided to play Truth or Dare. Yes, it was an odd assortment of ages, and unfortunately these kids tended to be quite cruel to me, but I desperately wanted to fit in.<br />
<br />
The game started with stupid things: standing on your head, admitting crushes, etc. I should have known it was out of my league when I was dared to kiss the 14-year-old and he shoved his tongue so far down my throat, I literally gagged. That was my first kiss. I don't count it as such, but it technically was. Disgusting.<br />
<br />
Not long after, I was dared to go into Billy's bedroom with him and let him go as far as he wanted until I said "Stop." Yes, I kept choosing Dare, because the deep parts of me they were trying to get at with Truth questions were even harder for me. Plus, picking Dare was "cool." So I did it. We went in his room.<br />
<br />
He locked the door behind us, which immediately worried me. He gently pushed me and I fell on the bed in shock. I immediately said "Stop," but he laughed and said that's not how it works. He climbed on top of me, lifted my shirt, and started kissing my stomach. I again said "Stop!" and started to struggle. He got angry and tried to hold me down, but I was tiny and wiggly and squirmed away, unlocking the door and running out of the room before he could stop me.<br />
<br />
I immediately grabbed my sister and headed home without saying a word to anyone else. I was still in shock. Even at that age, I knew it was disgusting for a 17-year-old to even WANT to do things like that to someone my age. I felt sick to my stomach and finally realized what messed-up kids these were. Spoiled rich brats that always got what they wanted and played with my life for entertainment.<br />
<br />
I never told my parents. My father either wouldn't have believed me or would have tried to kill the kid; I had no idea. My mom would have been livid but too scared to do anything. It was easier just to forget about it. After all, I wasn't "really" raped, I told myself.<br />
<br />
That fall I attended a friend's birthday party; a group of kids all my age that I trusted. They started playing Truth or Dare and I ran into the closet and cried. I couldn't play the damn game again till college.<br />
<br />
Yes, I was lucky. I wasn't raped, my virginity wasn't ripped from me, I didn't have to endure someone unwanted inside of me. But I was violated, body and mind. I was hurt. I was damaged.<br />
<br />
This is the tip of the iceberg of what rape does. I can't even imagine what it's like for others. I tell this story because it wasn't my fault and I'm not ashamed. Rape is never your fault. And it's NOT A JOKE.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15660055270708614052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681135427080232921.post-34532510509775434682011-03-01T15:13:00.002-05:002011-03-01T15:40:18.191-05:00Dreaming of SpringIt's almost here. It's so close I can taste it. It's nearly...SPRING!<br />
<br />
You know what that means? MOTORCYCLE WEATHER!<br />
<br />
Since last year was my first full season riding my own motorcycle, this winter has been particularly hard. And long. And depressing. Some days all I wanna do is go RIDE. But I can't. :(<br />
<br />
It's so close now. Weekend trips up to New Hampshire to try some new restaurant. Quick evening jaunts to Woburn to hang out at our friend Mark's ice cream shop <a href="http://nanabettes.com/">Nanabette's</a>. Aimless rides into western Mass. with our cameras in tow for scenic shots. CAN. NOT. WAIT.<br />
<br />
In the meantime, I'll do what I do best: shop online. ;) Or at least "window shop." I've found a new site I really love called <a href="http://assets0.revzilla.com/">RevZilla</a>. They have a shop, forum, contests, and you can earn TeamZilla cash toward future purchases. I just created an account, entered their current <a href="https://www.revzilla.com/march11-contest">contest</a>, and started browsing around today.<br />
<br />
It actually turns out my husband bought his <a href="http://assets0.revzilla.com/product/gmax-gm68-titan-helmet">helmet</a> from them last year. Unfortunately he didn't clue me in to what an awesome website it is! ;)<br />
<br />
They have a pretty extensive selection of women's gear. I've been lusting after the leather jackets, since mine is too big on me. This is a particularly gorgeous one:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOfUN8CT9EKq77XYuTl1tFrBH0g1gqsXRPBrDaArtLN_0mpylTPp-jKS7yjCpe07lYAUsGLazXFT3Qkmlc6BGQ_vksPBAuklH51NGgnKlJ7H3m27dNQK781_M6jAJt02nXFN9vPjnrLh8/s1600/River_Road_Womens_Basic_Leather_Jacket_Black_zoom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOfUN8CT9EKq77XYuTl1tFrBH0g1gqsXRPBrDaArtLN_0mpylTPp-jKS7yjCpe07lYAUsGLazXFT3Qkmlc6BGQ_vksPBAuklH51NGgnKlJ7H3m27dNQK781_M6jAJt02nXFN9vPjnrLh8/s320/River_Road_Womens_Basic_Leather_Jacket_Black_zoom.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><a href="http://assets0.revzilla.com/product/river-road-womens-basic-leather-jacket">http://assets0.revzilla.com/product/river-road-womens-basic-leather-jacket</a><br />
<br />
It's a STEAL at only $159.95. I love the waist buckle and multitude of zippered pockets, and it's available all the way up to a 3X, which is rare. I often only see up to L, sometimes XL.<br />
<br />
I like my bright red helmet but always dream of getting one with a really fun design. This one is too gorgeous:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg06JHbMlU6aNTubRI-Mqvpmv6qwGujyU8GC8-YtmvLA3TPCFPJQmgtb9aEt5ZjEA6F9R4Ddji-TMV7UqP2W9yc3wllX4mtnd3xgY39Y6u2yLLKmlFxbvgm1UeUUWXxkFSGuqK1rZn7H8Y/s1600/Scorpion_EXO-700_Dahlia_Helmet_Black_zoom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg06JHbMlU6aNTubRI-Mqvpmv6qwGujyU8GC8-YtmvLA3TPCFPJQmgtb9aEt5ZjEA6F9R4Ddji-TMV7UqP2W9yc3wllX4mtnd3xgY39Y6u2yLLKmlFxbvgm1UeUUWXxkFSGuqK1rZn7H8Y/s320/Scorpion_EXO-700_Dahlia_Helmet_Black_zoom.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><a href="http://assets0.revzilla.com/product/scorpion-exo-700-dahlia-helmet">http://assets0.revzilla.com/product/scorpion-exo-700-dahlia-helmet</a><br />
<br />
I have a thing for red. ;)<br />
<br />
So here we are. March 1...staring down the barrel of the equinox. We just got some more snow, but it looks like we might finally be done. As soon as the roads are 100% clear and the temp hits about 60...we're off!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNa1ztSCiGg5J0a_LB6xucgopFOxA7HPLlOJTjhqdQRXmUqN7aVDJwE_wJzKF2KQC0ilbc3c_kI-GGtZzsB2bYCDblJ3rG2fiRSSSuYUA2lQsz_u-J0ifbqiP1wMmMVXTw7ZXN5ltPDaw/s1600/IMG_0552.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNa1ztSCiGg5J0a_LB6xucgopFOxA7HPLlOJTjhqdQRXmUqN7aVDJwE_wJzKF2KQC0ilbc3c_kI-GGtZzsB2bYCDblJ3rG2fiRSSSuYUA2lQsz_u-J0ifbqiP1wMmMVXTw7ZXN5ltPDaw/s320/IMG_0552.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15660055270708614052noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681135427080232921.post-51642262201891332962011-01-11T13:01:00.000-05:002011-01-11T13:01:14.241-05:00The Etsy Drama<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I'm sick of arguing about it on Twitter, and 140 characters cannot allow clear expression of my thoughts. I just want to make my feelings clear and put this to rest.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>I believe in free speech.</b> I also believe that:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">...a privately owned store or marketplace has the right to refuse to sell something.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">...a store or marketplace whose Terms of Service state: </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">“Use of mature, profane and/or racist language or images in the public areas of your Etsy shop is not permitted. This includes your username, Public Profile, item titles, tags, avatar, banner and/or shop selections” </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">and</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> “Items that promote or glorify hatred, racial, religious intolerance" </span>has a RESPONSIBILITY to uphold those terms.<br />
...nudity and swearing are not automatically inappropriate or offensive.<br />
...anything glorifying rape IS and always WILL BE automatically inappropriate and offensive, no matter the circumstances.<br />
...glorifying rape or making fun of AIDS or Down's Syndrome is hateful and has no place on Etsy.<br />
...other sellers suffer when Etsy refuses to shut down a horribly hateful and inappropriate store. People will boycott Etsy, and innocent sellers suffer. Etsy still makes money off our listing fees, and do not suffer with the rest of us.<br />
...banning a store that glorifies hatred and makes fun of tragic diseases and birth defects will not start a "slippery slope." There is nothing slippery about this situation. It will not lead to the banning of artistic nudity. It will keep Etsy the loving, supportive community it was meant to be.<br />
<br />
<b>In my opinion</b>, this is appropriate:<br />
(Caution, nudity)<br />
<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/64890651/pastel-drawing-of-raven-haired-woman-on">http://www.etsy.com/listing/64890651/pastel-drawing-of-raven-haired-woman-on</a><br />
<br />
And this is NOT:<br />
<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/65234494/congratulations-card-youve-got-aids">http://www.etsy.com/listing/65234494/congratulations-card-youve-got-aids</a><br />
<br />
That's the best way I can explain how I feel about this. For a much more eloquent explanation of the situation, please see this <a href="http://prbreakfastclub.com/2011/01/11/etsy-latest-brand-disappoint/">PRBreakfastClub blog</a>. Thank you.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15660055270708614052noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681135427080232921.post-46905227733867777502011-01-07T21:18:00.002-05:002011-01-07T21:25:01.316-05:00Geek datingI love to tell the story of how Simon and I met. We met on CRAIG'S LIST for heaven's sake. And ended up getting MARRIED. Well, a long time ago, I was newly single at age 25 after ending a 6-year relationship. I don't do bars or clubs, so what does a geek do? She turns to the internet. I put up ads on Yahoo personals, OK Cupid, Craig's List, whatever was free. Here was my Craig's List ad:<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px;">Hello! I'm a positive, confident, outgoing Wiccan woman. My religion</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px;"><br style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;" /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px;">is important to me, but I don't need to date another Pagan</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px;"><br style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;" /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px;">necessarily. I'm 4'11", curvy, long brown hair and brown eyes. I love</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px;"><br style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;" /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px;">singing, reading, computer games (WoW, D2, AOE, etc.), nature, animals</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px;"><br style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;" /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px;">(especially cats, rodents, and reptiles), and lots of other random</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px;"><br style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;" /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px;">stuff. I'm very easy-going and down to Earth. I'm looking for a guy</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px;"><br style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;" /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px;">with some similar interests, a good sense of humor, around age 25-35.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px;"><br style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;" /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px;">I'd like a LTR eventually. So drop me a line, and a pic if you have</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px;"><br style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;" /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px;">one, just cuz I'm curious. =)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">Other than Simon's awesome email (which led to me asking him out), I got lots of weird weird weird responses. Some gross, some mean, some just plain wrong. I saved them all in Livejournal, which I logged back into tonight to find these to share with you. Enjoy. :)</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;">(My comments are in brackets.)</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small; line-height: normal;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small; line-height: normal;">~~~~~</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small; line-height: normal;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
[You can skim this one...]<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small; line-height: normal;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.75pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><span style="color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I'm a good looking SWM, 180 lbs witty and a fun guy. Sweet, friendly, caring, been told a good kisser, trustworthy, affectionate, open-mind, respectful and responsible. I have to laugh at all the things we type in, like nice, normal and good hygiene.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.75pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.75pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><span style="color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Well I am normal, intelligent guy, have a good close family, a good circle of friends and a great job. Divorced have a daughter who lives in Kansas. Have had long term relationships. I hope to start another one again with the right person, don't smoke or drink, and work out by walking quite regular. Don't ask for much and I'm very easy going, someone that is a good communicator, can have my quiet moments, but a very good listener. I'm also understanding and attentive to a woman's needs, basically tuned in for the most part. I don't expect the world from somebody, but do look for certain things, like someone I can confide in and trust, someone that shares some of my interests, as I hope to share hers.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.75pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.75pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><span style="color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I think chemistry is very important, too. You can feel it if it is there almost instantly when you meet someone. I want to be close with someone, think</span><span style="color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">true love comes</span><span style="color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">with time, but can come quickly, depending. What is really important is the trust and understanding that develops between the both of us.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.75pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 9.75pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><span style="color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">My stats:<br />
*5'8" Tall, 32<br />
*Dark Brown Hair<br />
*Brown Eyes<br />
*Medium Build. I'm in good shape and exercise often.<br />
*I own a home in Chelmsford.<br />
*Professional Network Administrator</span><span style="color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
*I can hold an intelligent conversation on many topics.<br />
*Close to my family</span><span style="color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
*Love to eat at new restaurants and don't smoke or drink.<br />
*A good sense of adventure. I'll try just about anything. Love the Patriots, Outdoors, Softball, and being active. Movies (Netflix?) in or out are cool.<br />
<br />
[Now imagine this with a border of sparkly stars and a pic of an old, ugly guy at the bottom. Hmm.]<br />
<br />
~~~~~<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.75pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><span style="color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">my nephew lives in revere on the water if you want to have a drink he is at</span><span style="color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">xxx xxx xxxx<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 9.75pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><span style="color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
[Meddling aunt much???]<br />
<br />
~~~~~<br />
<br />
hi there, i read your post and i'm very curious about you being wiccan.<br />
<br />
are you a real witch ? a good one or a bad one ? you look to cute to</span><span style="color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
be a bad witch. how do you become one and do you have any special</span><span style="color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
powers ? just curious, thanks.........john<br />
<br />
[Oh for goodness sake...]<br />
<br />
~~~~~<br />
<br />
hey whats up 27m south shore wanna talk<br />
<br />
[My, that's in-depth...really got my attention...NEXT!]<br />
<br />
~~~~~<br />
<br />
BY PAGANS WOULD YOU BE REFERING TO THOSE IN THE MOVIE DRAGNET WHOS MONNIKER STOOD FOR "People Against Goodness And Normalcy"?<br />
<br />
[Dude...wait, what?]<br />
<br />
~~~~~<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.75pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><span style="color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">WOULD YOU DO THIS.......SURE ITS LEGAL .BUT HOW BOLD AND DARING ARE YOU...WOULD YOU CARRY A MULTI COLORED BEACHBALL AROUND A SHOPPING MALL-BARNES AND NOBLES- HOME DEPOT, BOUNCIN IT AS YOU WALKED ALONG,TWIRLING IT WITH YOUR FINGERS AND THEN WHEN ASKED TO DO SO PLACE IT DOWN AND FLATTEN IT LIKE A PANCAKE USING SOME SORT OF HIGH HEELED SHOE.. .LET ME KNOW..HAVE A GOOD DAY.....S</span><span style="color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 9.75pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><span style="color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
[Uh...WTF?]<br />
<br />
~~~~~<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.75pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><span style="color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">hello cutie im a warlock male witch id love to have some fun you a cute witch lets dance on the full moon</span><span style="color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://us.f319.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=moonglow658@aol.com" target="_blank"><span style="color: #003399;">xxx@xxx.com</span></a></span><span style="color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">ill male a picture if you write kisses rob. lets explore lifes misteries together i will cast a sexy love spell for us<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 9.75pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><span style="color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
[The second someone says they're a warlock...oy. MALE WITCHES ARE NOT WARLOCKS. They are witches. Nice try...NOT!]<br />
<br />
~~~~~<br />
<br />
well --you may not be interested but it worth a shot<br />
I am looking for someone who can just chill on a weekend night--maybe daytime. cuddle up --lots of feeling -touching-maybe oral--sex more than once. ordering pizza--chinese in<br />
<br />
I am a older white male<br />
<br />
[Ew. Nuff said.]<br />
<br />
~~~~~<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.75pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><span style="color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Im looking for a local submissive woman.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.75pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.75pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><span style="color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Fit attractive male here<br />
<br />
[And may I repeat...ew.]<br />
<br />
~~~~~ <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.75pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><span style="color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
Hey how you doing my name is gerardo i live in revere im a part-time student and currently working for an ambulance company i love having fun fishing rock climbing, skydiving, video game, and flying aswell as thunderstorm. I hope I can really get to know you take care. You are very pretty<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.75pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.75pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><span style="color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sincearly your: gerardo<br />
<br />
[I think this may be the meddling aunt's nephew!]<br />
<br />
~~~~~<br />
<br />
how r u? saw your ad online, thought of droping by few lines.<br />
would u like to chat on icq/yahoo/aim, etc?<br />
where r u located?age?<br />
i m short 5'4,bald.dark skin,indian asian american,and small person<br />
..lol.</span><span style="color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
interested in talking?<br />
<br />
[Location and age are in the ad...and...yeah. No.]<br />
<br />
~~~~~<br />
<br />
since ur a witch can u cast a spell to make a serious court case go away?<br />
<br />
[Oh for fuck's sake...]<br />
<br />
~~~~~<br />
<br />
Hi my name is Marcos I need k`now you,send mess thank you<br />
<br />
[Huh?]<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 9.75pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">~~~~~</span></span><span style="color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">I am looking for someone to teach me how to become a Warlock.</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span">thank,</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span">Chet</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">[AGAIN, with the warlock shit!]</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">~~~~~</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">if a 41yr old handsome guy scares you off, let me know,but here is my picture, I am down to earth easy going and an atheist and believe in just living life, well here is my picture if you find you might be interested I would look forward to getting you know you,here I am</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">[Too old, sorry...]</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">~~~~~</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">Just would like to know how bad you ar ??? what s ur limit ?? can u</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span">controle</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span">ghost???</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">[Learn English and STOP MAKING ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT WITCHES. Thank you.]</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">~~~~~</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">Interested in getting to know me better? Yes, fisrt, sex pleaseeeeeeee</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">[Oh yeah, that turns me on...]</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">~~~~~</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">whats a pagan a motorcycle gang?</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">[Huh what?]</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">~~~~~</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">Love you are into withcraft. Bet you are the best woman a man could ever want. I have never tried to get a great woman as you. Nmae is Shawn am 31, 5'1" little muscular, be nice to find a woman so I can be more muscular for and have her enjoy me as me. Am a quiet man that loves to listen to others talk. Would love to get to know you alot more, what you want in a life. Shawn</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">[Okay, that's just SHORT. I mean, dude...you're a DUDE.]</span><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <span class="apple-style-span"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">~~~~~</span></span><span style="color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">Hi, my name is dan would you like to chat? I am a looking guy 6 feet 180lb brown hair green eyes.if you email me back I will give you my pic</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">[A looking guy, huh?]</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">~~~~~</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">Hmm you're cute heh</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">[Wow, I'm impressed...]</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">~~~~~</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">Hi,</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">Nice pic... I like girls with curves (more feminine) and someone at least 6 inches shorter than myself.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">I'm 5'8" white male with dark brown hair, green eyes, medium weight, healthy (former jock, two sports in college), very well-educated (Ivy League) and attractive. I am very easy going, and have a wry sense of humor. I am very passionate (albeit non-kinky) lover, which means lots of kissing, holding and touching. I'm looking for a friends with benefits relationship (emphasis on relationship), and hoping that it goes to LTR. I'm a bit older than you (41), but I'm sure you won't mind.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">Please holler back if interested, and I wish you the best of luck.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">GG</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">[Yes I do mind, 41 is too old, and it's also too old to be saying "holler back"!]</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">~~~~~</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">[These next three lines are three separate emails from the same loser.]</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">MAN THE HARPOONS</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">also, i bet you play a human priest</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">or a nelf or something</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">fatty</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">[His name is Robert king if anyone wants a go at him, lol.]</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">~~~~~</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">hi there</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">i hope that this image expresses my wishes to you</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">well, i am really interested</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">sam</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span">27</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">[Followed by a pic of a boy and girl hugging, not sure who they are. Lame.]</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">~~~~~</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">i'm going to call you beautiful instead of hot..i'm going to</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span">call you back when you hang up on me...im going to lay under the</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span">*stars* and listen to your heartbeat, and will stay awake just</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span">to watch you sleep...im going to to show you off to the world</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span">when you're in sweats..im going to hold your hand in front my</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span">friends and i find u as pretty without make-up...im going to</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span">constantly reminding you of how much I care and how lucky u</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span">are.. to me. i dont play no head games...im not shy. I have a</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span">photo for those of you who would be willing to share. I promise</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span">you will not be disapointed.. im francisco live in 617 area no kids with a nice job and i play tennis, hope to hear from you</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span">adios</span><br />
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<span class="apple-style-span">[Whoa...too much buddy, too much.]</span><br />
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<span class="apple-style-span">~~~~~</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;"><span style="color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span class="apple-style-span"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace;">[Wow. Just…wow.]</span></div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15660055270708614052noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681135427080232921.post-27192853922563644452011-01-05T17:58:00.000-05:002011-01-05T17:58:06.312-05:00BurnoutI have some serious WoW burnout. I haven't played in a couple of weeks. I love Cataclysm, I'm level 83 now, and the new content is cool. I'm working on guild achievements and rep, and striving toward my goblin trike. But every evening, I sit down to game and think "Meh." I just don't feel like it.<br />
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Part of the reason may be my new addiction to Plants vs. Zombies, which, funny enough, is a direct result of the PvZ quest in WoW. I've beat it twice on my iPhone and three times on my computer. I have a Zen garden that produces thousands of (virtual) dollars a day. I LOVE THIS GAME. So I play it instead of WoW.<br />
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I think my husband is going to cancel my WoW subscription if I don't play soon. I want to play, in a way, but it's too much mental work. I just want to veg out on front of a (fairly) mindless game. I don't want to THINK. =P<br />
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Hopefully I'll get the WoW bug back soon. I really do miss it. Any advice for curing game burnout?Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15660055270708614052noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681135427080232921.post-89186397107921979022010-12-27T13:35:00.000-05:002010-12-27T13:35:00.032-05:00BeautyI am a geek, I am a woman, and I am beautiful.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpiErRPHdD3xyvf179xhi0KvIsABujBiI0wYnjqr8SneLcw_OFzFcqpsuU-zRn26Rc6J-BrNT37NK1VFQXUxVtWH0Yb8rHqwqMXhUPLplrHjFFYZbUqk4qg0gsituVpYrXXB52vjBT0ss/s1600/Lightsaber2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpiErRPHdD3xyvf179xhi0KvIsABujBiI0wYnjqr8SneLcw_OFzFcqpsuU-zRn26Rc6J-BrNT37NK1VFQXUxVtWH0Yb8rHqwqMXhUPLplrHjFFYZbUqk4qg0gsituVpYrXXB52vjBT0ss/s320/Lightsaber2.jpg" width="281" /></a></div><br />
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I hardly ever feel beautiful, but I'm working on it. Fun self-portraits help. I often hate myself. Blogging about confidence helps.<br />
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I am married to the love of my life. He thinks I'm beautiful. I love him and respect his opinions, so I'm working on recognizing my beauty.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My body is a canvas. I use it to express myself and what I love. Music, nature, and Simon mainly.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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I am overweight, mostly because my mother died and depression kicked in. I refuse to think less of myself because I take up too much space. I refuse to think I'm unworthy because I don't fit some mysterious ideal of beauty. I refuse to continue hating myself, because I am loved and worthy of that love.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitNoenrkRVADmgUibMB26jCCJF4sICUtQLhAvRRoLoHgnYVlHirq3qoXCFWJQf-wBW-7qUgXTUQntLZzXKvB8wSd8CmgEMwnjL1JfuEjuPjY2NwD1fQ_xanRXhBnMBxF86bIil6zVHPbo/s1600/ReducedNoise1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitNoenrkRVADmgUibMB26jCCJF4sICUtQLhAvRRoLoHgnYVlHirq3qoXCFWJQf-wBW-7qUgXTUQntLZzXKvB8wSd8CmgEMwnjL1JfuEjuPjY2NwD1fQ_xanRXhBnMBxF86bIil6zVHPbo/s320/ReducedNoise1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I am a woman. I am sexual, strong, romantic, and wondrous. I can kick your ass or bake you cookies. I can play World of Warcraft with you or crochet you a scarf. I can ride a motorcycle and sing like an angel. I can read a book faster than you could imagine, and have an intelligent conversation about it. I laugh at fart jokes on Family Guy and I love babies and kittens. I am NOTHING if not impossible to label. I am soft and hard, kind if you're good or malicious if you hurt someone I love, light and dark, and everything in between.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD2iQATH_EHIOiq7xJdCPmYp0FwnkqNrmlCv7fPLkok90JHX8VyfT_tpsGJU-p2jKrDrJmPUh-kXeqQ_Lnv1frjwoTR_HuSqtdvV0xh1nv3Hdehp9Mfocq_o5vG0Hkj_x5VCL6r-zO-w0/s1600/100910_wedding-136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD2iQATH_EHIOiq7xJdCPmYp0FwnkqNrmlCv7fPLkok90JHX8VyfT_tpsGJU-p2jKrDrJmPUh-kXeqQ_Lnv1frjwoTR_HuSqtdvV0xh1nv3Hdehp9Mfocq_o5vG0Hkj_x5VCL6r-zO-w0/s320/100910_wedding-136.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>I am beautiful, I am loved, and I matter.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15660055270708614052noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681135427080232921.post-41046711065416007272010-12-23T15:08:00.000-05:002010-12-23T15:08:00.646-05:00InsomniaYeah, so this insomnia/oversleeping cycle I'm in right now is killing me. I woke up at 11:30 today. Not cool. Yeah I'm a housewife and can get away with it, but I'd like to get SOMETHING accomplished in my day. Right now I'm sitting here in the dark battling a killer headache and sipping wine. Healthy, I know. It's 5 o'clock somewhere. =P<br />
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I'm trying to get back into posting in all my blogs and Twitter accounts. I like sharing and feeling connected with the world. And I wanna be famous, but I doubt that'll happen. I like so many different things: geekery, motorcycling, crafting, cooking, singing. I may feel more fulfilled by actively doing these things more and blogging about them. BTW, Etsy shop is back up and in full swing:<br />
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/CelestialAxis">http://www.etsy.com/shop/CelestialAxis</a><br />
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4 sales since I reopened this month! So psyched. Check it out.<br />
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So yeah, hopefully you'll be hearing more from me.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15660055270708614052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681135427080232921.post-4143225177775824822010-12-17T11:13:00.002-05:002010-12-17T11:15:52.982-05:00Travel rantTrying to get back into this. I swear! So sorry. :( Well I always have a rant brewing in my head, so I'll just put them here.<br />
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We're traveling to Florida in just under a month for the wedding reception of my dear Twitter friend <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/rbfletcher">Becca</a> and to hit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter while we're in the state. I'm a pretty fair hand at travel planning, as I had to deal with a lot of it at my old job. I look at hotel reviews and compare prices like a pro. But here's the thing: no matter what I do, most of the time the hotel ends up sucking. We can't afford 5 stars, so we're always taking a chance, but really, why does it have to be this way?<br />
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Because booking a hotel is pretty much blind. You read reviews from people who didn't even seem to stay in the same hotel. This person says it's spotless, this person found a roach. You try to go for one with a high average, but your personal experience could be very different. It could be crowded with teenage girls on a soccer trip. Your room could be next to the elevator. Something is broken or someone is grumpy and something is messy. You NEVER know.<br />
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The other thing you try to do is look at pictures. Yeah, THAT helps. Because every hotel takes the best possible, and most likely Photoshopped, pics of the property. It's NEVER accurate. Our worst experience was last year when I tried to book us a hotel for one night in Maine for the Christmas Prelude. It was some motel, but with good reviews, and $100 for the night was cheap for the area. Well, we get there to check in, and it's a total motor lodge. I wait forever to check in, grab the key and head to the room. I open the door (marked "nonsmoking") to find two double beds when even my CONFIRMATION stated the king I had chosen, and a room that reeked of smoke. Back to the desk to ask for a king, oh there's none left, so sorry, so I told her we weren't staying there and I would NOT be charged. Luckily they were honest and didn't, but jeez!<br />
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How do you mark a room as "nonsmoking" when it's clearly been smoked in? You can't just say it is, you need to rip that room apart down to the studs and re-finish it before you can change a room from smoking to non. Plus, I always pick a king bed on vacations because we have one at home, so if I'm paying for a bed I want it to be at least as big as ours. We're not squeezing into a full. We are not thin people. I ask for it, it's confirmed, I EXPECT it. Sigh.<br />
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So here we go, off to Florida soon, staying in TWO different hotels for 2 nights each (Miami and Orlando). To say I'm nervous is an understatement. I've been burned too many times. I also worry because I tell Simon to trust me, I'll book it, and if it sucks I always feel responsible. This is the worst part of travel. Gah. Wish us luck.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15660055270708614052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681135427080232921.post-6092689993905007702010-12-03T12:52:00.000-05:002010-12-03T12:52:52.196-05:00First Vlog<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #29303b; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Just putting it all out there...</span><br />
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(Pardon the audio delay, not really sure what the problem is, new to this.)Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15660055270708614052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681135427080232921.post-18408606922113774322010-08-10T22:04:00.000-04:002010-08-10T22:04:38.300-04:00Oh haiBad blogger, BAD. I need to start doing this again. I love blogging. So here I am.<br />
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Lately I've been having a lot of geek girl envy. First was San Diego ComicCon. Then GenCon. Lots of my fave geek girls on Twitter were there and I was SO SAD. =( But with my wedding 2 months away, I can't even think about extra travel right now. We want to take a weekend road trip to Niagara Falls and meet my Canadian bff on Twitter, Shana, sometime this summer. Then we have our honeymoon in Cancun in October, my other Twitter bff Becca's wedding reception in Florida in January, and my cousin's wedding in Cozumel, Mexico in April. Whew! But hopefully, later next year, I can try going to a con or two.<br />
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Speaking of which, GEEK GIRL CON. @<a href="http://twitter.com/GeekGirlCon">GeekGirlCon </a>on Twitter. Must. GO. I want to see all my lovely geeky ladies! I must party with them. I will finally feel among my own kind. I do not have nearly enough geeky ladies in my "real" life. OMG GEEK GIRL CON SQUEE.<br />
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That is all. I'll have real blogs for you soon, I promise. =)Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15660055270708614052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681135427080232921.post-21355645627419837362010-02-12T13:02:00.000-05:002010-02-12T13:02:24.730-05:00Sorry!I've been gone so long! Work/life balance has been a bit off, along with the additional effort of trying to lose weight. I promise to try and keep up with this blog more soon.<br />
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I may update tonight if I can think of something to blog about!Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15660055270708614052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6681135427080232921.post-11566349056034340712009-11-15T17:18:00.000-05:002009-11-15T17:18:56.166-05:00Updates! Etsy shop!Oh man, sorry people, it's been WAY too long. I sort of can't do the blogging and tweeting thing at work any more, so it's hard to fit this in.<br />
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Biggest update: I opened an Etsy store!<br />
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/CelestialAxis">Celestial Designs</a><br />
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It's got all kinds of geeky, fantasy, and Pagan jewelry and crafts. I've sold two things so far! Hoping for some increased business as the holidays approach. Tell your friends! Buy stuff!<br />
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Other than that, life is pretty tame. I'll try to come up with something interesting to blog about soon. ;)Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15660055270708614052noreply@blogger.com0