Looking for a job

"Work is the refuge of people who have nothing better to do."
~ Oscar Wilde






My most interesting job so far: mermaid (see above)


Since I'm now officially not in school this semester, let the filler job hunt begin! I have an idea of where I want to work for the next few months, but I'm unsure if they're hiring or if I can get enough hours there.

Today's main task: scope out potential job and, if possible, get hired.

How time does fly and hair does grow

"There's many a man has more hair than wit."

~ William Shakespeare






Not the most flattering picture of me, but kind of a cool shot from several years ago.

Yesterday I noticed that my hair has gotten fairly long again; it's almost as long as it was when this was taken. I liked my "short" (shoulder-length) hair for a number of reasons, but I found I sometimes missed longer tresses.

To cut or not to cut? Hmmm.

Star Wars + LEGOLAND = coming soon!

"I assure you, Lord Vader, my men are working as fast as they can."

~ Moff Jerjerrod, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi






Earlier this month LEGOLAND announced the construction of a new Star Wars area at its California theme park. They've had popular Star Wars Days events for several years running, but with the extremely large crossover already present between these two franchises it's more surprising that they didn't already have some sort of permanent display.



Here's part of the LEGOLAND press release:

"On March 31 LEGOLAND California becomes the first of three LEGOLAND Parks to launch a new STAR WARS Miniland area. Guests can enjoy seven of the most famous scenes from the six live-action STAR WARS movies, as well as a scene from the animated series STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS™ all made out of 1.5 million LEGO bricks and built in 1:20 scale. Guests will be further immersed into the STAR WARS experience as they pose with life-size LEGO models of Chewbacca, R2D2 and Darth Vader. LEGOLAND Billund and LEGOLAND Deutschland will launch the STAR WARS Miniland area later this year."

You can find the whole thing here.

World's Most Expensive Bath

"Sorrow can be alleviated by good sleep, a bath and a glass of wine."

~ Thomas Aquinas








Do you have an extra $50k? If so, the folks at ME! Bath have something special for you.

"The Eighth Continent is a unique collection of our planet’s purest waters and rarest indigenous ingredients revered for thousands of years and harvested from the most remote regions of the world. Close your eyes and let your imagination unfold as you dip into 24 Karat Gold."

Available to be assembled for you in your own home or at a spa/resort, the cost starts at $50k and varies depending on where you wish to enjoy your bath.

For more info on this luxury soak, visit themostexpensivebath.com

For less pricey bath indulgences, you can peruse ME! Bath's site for the less outrageous at www.mebath.com.

Zardoz - the Sean Connery you never knew

"Stay behind my aura."

~ Zed, Zardoz









If you heard there was a movie starring a Bond-era Sean Connery that had often-fired guns, occasionally-naked women, and a score by an award-winning composer, you might find yourself semi-interested. If you then heard that Mr. Connery spent most of the film in what can best be described as an orange diaper, you might think you heard wrong.

Through the power of Netflix I was recently introduced to Zardoz, a 1973 movie set in the 23rd century. Since at that time he was riding high on James Bond glory, you might think that ol’ S.C. would have his choice of truly excellent acting opportunities. On the flip side, it definitely took someone with his skills to make this self-important, drug-trippy film come even close to working.

If you want a flick for your next bad movie night with friends, you might consider this one. There is plenty to laugh and talk about, and the social commentary it makes about the early 70’s is extremely transparent.

If you’re still not convinced, here are a few thoughts from our viewing (without giving any of the movie away):



- His genetic code is a jellyfish?
- Friend can rock the pink tights.
- So is drawn-on facial hair hip in 2293?
- Sean Connery isn’t very good at mime...
- “Needz”: the lolcatz have taken over the future!

Where the wind comes sweeping down the plain...

Awww - "Cute Squirrels" top image search on bing

"Between truth and the search for it, I choose the second."

~ Bernard Berenson








Among other recent changes the search engine site bing.com now has a new landing page for their images section that shows examples of the top 20 searches.

Above I've posted a screenshot of the current top 20. This at-a-glance representation of data gathered from millions of users has brought to light one very important fact:

People Love Cute Squirrels.

Aflac's Japanese Advertising Campaign - the Maneki Neko Duck

"Aflac!"

~ one very excited duck

Aflac is the largest insurance company in Japan, in part thanks to some adorable advertising. In 2009 they introduced the Maneki Neko Duck, a combination of the traditional Beckoning/Lucky Cat and the Aflac duck ("Aflac!"). Cute (kawaii) is big in Japan, so even though these commercials may seem aimed at kids they have been extremely effective at promoting the company. There have also been live mascots, stuffed animals and even a CD single.




The Maneki Neko Duck:

Everybody Dance:

One of many live-action commercials:

Free string of flower lights!

”Earth laughs in flowers.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Hamatreya"









Did someone say free?


Click here to register and get a string of battery-powered flower lights while supplies last. It’s completely free, one per household, they won’t sell your info and you can always opt-out of their emails later. How cool is that?

Halloween Costume Idea - Living Statue

"Dear God! How beauty varies in nature and art. In a woman the flesh must be like marble; in a statue the marble must be like flesh."

~ Victor Hugo

I’m thinking about putting together a greek/roman statue costume for Halloween this year. If you’ve never seen a living statue, it involves painting oneself and wearing clothes made to look like they’re made of whatever material you’re going for - bronze, marble, stone, etc. I’m thinking about doing marble (white).

So let’s see.....white makeup. White clothing. White shoes - I doubt I can get away with being barefoot. White wig? Unless I find a way to give my hair a sort of artificial texture, I think I might have to find a wig.

One detail possibility is white contacts. The closest you can really get to all white are these lattice screen lenses, which impair vision a little (no driving) but would be fine for a party or two.



Another option is doing a broken statue thing like in this video:

Club Albee

"We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance."

~ Japanese Proverb

Last night we went out to celebrate before a friend leaves on a last-minute deployment. Club Albee has a nice little VIP area that’s pretty darn cheap (highly recommended if you’re with a group, both for seating and for the fact that it’s a bit cooler than the dance floor) and military is always free. I’d been there before but never with S.

The club has been open for a little over a year and is on the smaller side compared to some of the other OKC dance hot-spots. This could be good or bad depending on your tastes; I personally like the intimacy. The staff is quick, friendly and entertaining - lots of bartender tricks and drink specials. There are hookahs and cigars for those interested, but the club isn’t swamped in smoke.

DJ Saad (the owner) works with videos as well as music, and one of the best ambiance aspects of the club is the video setup on the walls that feels like it almost surrounds the dance floor. I would have preferred a little more techno and old dance favorites peppered in among the top 40, but overall the music was great.

S is the type that needs a few beers in him before he’s comfortable enough to dance in public, so we spent the first bit talking with the other people there to see our friend off. After a while we found our way onto the dance floor and time flew by. One of the best compliments I can give a place like this is that I had absolutely no idea how late it was when it was time to go.







The club itself obviously enjoyed last night too, and I like to think we were a cornerstone of the party. They posted this picture on their facebook page, and we’ve been playing “Where’s Waldo” to spot several of our friends in the shot. We ourselves eluded detection . . .

MakerBot Thing-O-Matic - "print" 3D plastic items from your computer!

"I slaved over the replicator for hours."

~ Hologram Chakotay, Star Trek: Voyager

What if you could design an object on your computer, hit print and watch it come into being before your eyes?

Manufacturing industries have been using 3D printers for years to produce exact models, delicate parts and other odds and ends that start life on a computer and end up being something you can hold. These machines use very thin layers of material printed one over the other to gradually build up an object based on a computer model.

MakerBot Industries has now introduced a smaller version of these industrial bohemoths called the Thing-O-Matic. It connects to your computer via USB and according to the company is very low-fuss - simply plug in and hit print!

For only $1,225, you could be well on your way to your own army of personalized action figures or a chess set to end all chess sets. If you're a bit shy about making your own designs, http://www.thingiverse.com/ is full of free downloadable objects for your printing enjoyment.

Mnewhosyne's Wha?

"Memory... is the diary that we all carry about with us."

~Oscar Wilde, "The Importance of Being Earnest"

Mnemosyne (the first "m" is silent) is a titaness, mother of the nine Muses and personification of memory and language. I have always loved history and mythology of all types, but for some reason when I first learned of Mnemosyne she stood out in my mind in a way few other figures have. She is not a terribly prominent persona in the Greek pantheon, but she is vital. To her belong all stories and communication; to her belongs the very core of all we consider culture.