Sexycoat

So you know that coat I've been working on for a few years?

VICTORY!!!

I so finished it. Here it is:

I'm just too happy.
Now to work on the hoodies that were supposed to be my siblings' 2008 Christmas gifts.

Trebuchet, Bold and Gray

I had my final Final yesterday! I love school and everything, but I was soooo glad to get this semester done and over with. It was just too much with work and music and everything. I have too much for this next year that I am going to focus on - writing music, designing clothing, my trip to the U.K., my own photography, etc. - so I probably won't be going back to school for a while. I have finally come to terms with myself and the fact that I don't function the same as everyone else, so I'm just going to do things my way, even if it takes me forever to do it.

I'm looking at my fingernails and how long they are, and it makes me happy at first, because my hands don't look half so manly as they do when my nails are short, but then I look at them more and it makes me sad, because it means that I haven't played guitar in a long time. Granted, I have had lots of school stuff to work on, but I really should make more of an effort to find time to play.

I got a free Christmas tree! I really liked the real tree I had last year, but having a real tree is pretty much a mistake if you have cats. Like I do. Of course, cats will climb any tree, whether real or fake, but real trees means hundreds of pine needles all over the floor with every mad antic of a cat. So a coworker gave me a fake tree for free! Apparently she changes her tree every year and has too many. It's a slimline, but I really like it. I haven't noticed any broken or missing ornaments, and I haven't caught a glimpse of a cat dragging off one of my feathered birds either, which is huge.

And now, for your viewing pleasure- Since it's been so long and you are feeling so deprived, here are some photographs I took for school on SLC urban minimalism. Enjoy.


P.S. any of you folk who live near Magna (or who would take a trip to Magna for an excellent reason such as this), I suggest you visit the Kiwi Bakery. New Zealand food. Oh delicious. Eat there. Just do it.

*sniff*

So, at work I got moved to a new cubicle - cubie no. 7 in 4 1/2 years - so I'm back in the room I was in the first 2 1/2 years of my employment. I went into the bathroom, which I haven't been in for 2 years, and guess what?

It still smells like My Little Ponies.

I have got to figure out why.

(P.S., you do know what I mean when I say it smells like MLP, right? That sugary-sweet smell that came with practically all soft plastic toys made in the 80s? Seriously guys.)

And, specifically for YOUR enjoyment (or purely my own), a photo depicting the ultimate mesh of My Little Pony and 80s film:

12:14

12:14 at the kitchen table
A glass half empty, cracked and casting shadows
Across my hand

A steady humming from the T.V. set
Reminds me I've been talking to myself and
I'm not good for conversation

I used to like the thought of being alone
But the feeling only lasts so long
And now the feeling tells me I was so wrong

(chorus)
Help me see
Help me believe
I'm looking for you, but please
Look for me
(repeat)

Starlight leaking from the window pane
A million tiny faces kissed my tangled hair
And I was more alone

An invitation from a static song
A frozen moment and I swear I felt your heart beat
To the breaths I would take

I used to like the thought of being alone
But the feeling didn't last too long
And now the feeling is telling me it's time to walk on

Help me see
Help me to believe
I promise to look for you, but please
Look for me
(repeat)

It isn't sane but the mind knows nothing
And when my heart finds you, I'll let it explain
I hope it can explain

12:14 at the kitchen table
A glass half empty, cracked and casting shadows
Across my hand

Yellowstone

Here are some pics I took while my family was at Yellowstone over the weekend:

So...I'm a little freaked out by the Geico commercials. Why do the people smile after they realize they are being freakishly stalked by a wad of cash with ridiculously large eyes? Does no one else find that disturbing? I mean, how does a dollar bill dial a phone number anyway?

New Wedding Pics

Here are some of the photos I took for my friend's wedding reception:

It was at a family home, so there wasn't a variety of backgrounds, but I think the results turned out pretty nicely, eh?

This One's For You, Brian!

So over the weekend I had a family reunion and I mentioned a scientific study I had read a while ago, on the 5-second rule, to my cuz Brian. I couldn't remember the results, so he wanted me to let him know what I figured out. He said, and I quote, "You should blog about it. Because you would." It appears he was correct. This one's for you!

High school senior Jillian Clarke conducted a scientific study during a six week internship at the food science and nutrition department of the University of Illinois. It basically consisted of dropping food on the school floors for different timed intervals to see when the food began to collect bacteria. Now, I am a 5-second rule observer, so I was a little disheartened to find that they discovered a transfer of germs before 5 seconds. However, what needs to be taken into consideration, in my point of view, is the floor upon which the food is being dropped. Obviously. In another study I looked at, they tested their food subjects on floor surfaces that had been generously tainted with monstrous amounts of E coli and salmonella for the purpose of the study. Of course those food pieces are going to be contaminated instantly, silly people. But in Ms. Clarke's study, the floors she tested were swabbed beforehand and found to be surprisingly clean. The bacterial numbers were too small to count. Now, would that make you sick? Probably not. However, all floors are not created equal.
Let's also look at the type of food being dropped. Of course nobody is going to eat a scoop of ice cream that has fallen out of its cone. (At least I hope not). But what of other foods? In a seperate study (Yes, this seems to be a fad among young scientists) they dropped apple slices versus skittles on the floors of their school cafeteria and recorded the results. The apple slices showed no signs of bacteria for about 30 seconds, while the Skittles remained "clean" for about 5 minutes. (Again, another clean cafeteria floor? That's the most unexpected thing I discovered during this whole research thing.)
All in all I guess there is no solid answer. To be on the safe side, health experts advise to err on the side of safety and don't eat anything that has touched those nasty, germ-laden floors. Bacteria is everywhere, it's true, and many harmful germs can be found on a number of surfaces. Are all surfaces guilty of harboring E coli and salmonella? Heavens, I don't know. But I think I'm still going to eat that stray skittle anyway. Especially if it has fallen on a school cafeteria floor, apparently.
I'd also like to mention that Jillian Clarke won the Ig Nobel prize in 2004. It's a parody award granted for "research that first makes you laugh, then makes you think." How cool is that?

And that's my random post for the day.

Oh, OOOHHH I'd like to rant really quickly, before I take my leave, about how disappointed I am that the newest and final Georgia Nicholson book does not come out until October. Want to know how disappointed I am? SO DISAPPOINTED! Gah! I can't even talk about it. Good night.