1/8 Friday Freaky Fun Fact & Foto

FACT: I know how to party. I do, really. I once went topless on St. Patrick's Day on Sunset Boulevard in Westwood! I was hot, what can I say? (Sorry, no foto for that one, and let me reassure the few of you out there - DAD - that are worried this story is leading to an arrest: that is not the case; this isn't that kind of fun fact).

But when I went to Burning Man 2004: The Vault of Heaven, I learned a whole new flava of party. One week, one desert moonscape, one 40 foot man atop one 40 foot geodesic dome, and 35,000 of your closest friends - now THAT's a party!

This gem of a Kodak moment captures me and my Humboldt friends Dave & Cragen, all liquored & lit up from our visit to their theme camp Whiskey & Whores Saloon (the Asylum folks really know how to put on the dog! Their motto: "Get your whiskey. Join the whores. Dance on the bar. Be entertained. Be entertaining.") After that, we were hittin' the playa!

I can't begin to describe the wonders that are Burning Man, but you know mouthy Velma, I'll try anyway: the Thunderdome; Ubercarney: a home-made roller coaster w/ accompanying go-go dancers in cages!; a Roller Disco; Camp Lite Brite, featuring a 6ft. tall interactive light board; the Hookahdome, a middle-eastern oasis of belly dancing & flavored tobacco; the Costco Soulmate Trading Outlet, purveyor of low-cost, quality soulmates; dozens of art installations; the Star Wheel, a 22ft. rolling, bicycle-powered ferris wheel; a plethora of art cars; the Temple of Stars, 100ft. tall structure sprawling 1/4 mile across the playa, where any & all can reflect, honor, remember, and celebrate those they have lost before being burned to the ground Sunday night, & where I left, on the altar of sacrifice, my wedding bouquet from my second marriage, to mark the end of that chapter of my life; and on, and on, and on... All this, I should remind you, plunked down in the middle of Nevada desert, miles from any power, water, or other conveniences. An entire city springs up here for one week each September, and being part of it changed me.

I'd like very much to participate in Burning Man again. The cost can be prohibitively high (all told, I think I spent about $2k when I went in '04, what with tickets, van rental, provisions, & accoutrements; no chump change). But maybe next time I will try a more seat-of-my-pants, no-frills, low-budget strategy. Either way, you know I'll be there to PARTY!

(More pics in my Flickr Burning Man '04 set).

Tags: Burning Man, meme, party

Friday Freaky Fun Fact & Foto

I know, Fridays are supposed to be for Fiber, but I'm bored with that. Thought I'd introduce a new Friday theme: Friday Freaky Fun Fact & Foto! I'll reach back into my murky past and pull out a little known and (to some anyway) freaky fun fact about me. Photodocumented where possible, of course.

Jumping right in: this Kodak Moment from September 7, 2002.


That's yours truly on the left, flanked by my peeps: Nettie, Cheryl, Marsh, Doug, & Patty. This was taken outside Casablanca Restaurant in Eureka, CA (RIP) the day I... (wait for it) - got my nipple pierced! Yes, I'm a pierced badass. This is our commemorative photo (Nettie & Cheryl were with me, but I'll leave it to them to disclose their nipular status, be they be bejeweled or unadorned). But why is Marsh baring his nipple, you ask? The official plan was, everyone would flash the camera, but without discussion everyone else had the good sense to leave their hems firmly over their belts; but not Marsh! Good thing, too; this shot would have been yawn-city without his manly torso on offer.

OK, I got the ball rolling. In an attempt to become a trend-setter, I tag and challenge the following bloggers to follow my Friday Freaky Fun Fact & Foto lead:

Kerry
Violet
YarnPrincess
Bea
Autumn

Tag, you're it! Write a post with a freaky fun fact (and a photo if you have one), and don't forget to tag 5 more.

Tags: meme, blogging

Meme on Monday

I've been tagged... by Loopykd! AND by Colorado Knitter!


These are the rules!

1. Link to the person that tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
4. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
5. Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.

My six non-important things:

1. I am a Gemini, which means there are 2 people inside me: one is a neat freak, one is a slob.

2. I am an excellent cook, but I almost never do it.

3. I watch an inordinate amount of television.

4. I have an exceptional vocabulary, and I'm not afraid to use it.

5. I played the violin for 3 years as a child: from grades 3-5, first chair. I cannot play a lick now.

6. I can drink a beer without touching the bottle with my hands.

Now I have to tag some people. If you don't like memes or being tagged, well, bite me.

1. Eva in Santa Cruz

2. Bea in Arcata

3. Susan in Highland Park, IL

4. David in Auckland, NZ

5. Mandie in Tongala, AU

6. Holly in Florida

Tags: memes, tagged, blogging

The Crack is Back!

That is from Rebecca's comment to yesterday's post.

Since I've been gone awhile, and because I am soooo behind on a few of my swaps and I've just *got* to get to work on them rather than spend a lot of time here blogging, and because I couldn't think of anything better: A One-Word Meme. Found on Anna's Yarn Mansion (thanks), who nicked it from Lulahsknits (thanks).

The Rules: You Can Only Type One Word. One. Word. Only. Explanations? No. Nyet. Nada.

1. Yourself: complicated
2. Your boyfriend/girlfriend (spouse): bestestest
3. Your hair: lank
4. Your mother: missed
5. Your Father: trying
6. Your Favorite Item: laptop
7. Your dream last night: killed
8. Your Favorite drink: beer
9. Your Dream Car: Tacoma
10. The room you are in: kitchen
11. Your Ex: friend
12. Your fear: fear
13. What you want to be in 10 years?: happy
14. Who you hung out with last night?: lover
15. What You're Not: shy
16. Muffins: blueberry
17. One of Your Wish List Items: pompons
18. Time: -less
19. The Last Thing You Did: percolated
20. What You Are Wearing: lots
21. Your Favorite Weather: balmy
22. Your Favorite Book: current
23. The Last Thing You Ate: popsicle
24. Your Life: full
25. Your Mood: hungry
26. Your best friend: Wiener
27. What are you thinking about right now?: coffee
28. Your car: dead
29. What are you doing at the moment?: blogging
30. Your summer: gone
31. Your relationship status: taken
32. What is on your TV?: nothing
33. What is the weather like?: brrrrrrr
34. When is the last time you laughed?: now
35. Who do you tag?: volunteers

That's all, kiddies! Off to spin. Oh, wait... You probably want something fiber-related. Ok, here's a crane shot of my freeform knit 365 project, taken yesterday (Day 27). Enjoy!

Tags: blogging, meme

A Meme

No energy to think this morning (totally unrelated to the intake of martinis yesterday, I assure you), so in lieu of a real post this morning, I offer the following:

According to the highly complex set of computer algorithms at Rum & Monkey, I am:

an apparently intelligent,
liberal,
not-too-generous,
not-too-selfish,
pathetically simple-minded,
dribbling child

Sound about right? I think so. Which makes me 88% compatible with my new bff Natasha, who started this. (And who, btw, apparently liked the package of birthday goodies I sent her last week; happy b-day girl!)

Want to find out if we're compatible? Probably not. But take the test and see.

See how compatible you are with me!
Brought to you by Rum and Monkey

Tags: meme, blogging, rum&monkey

Not. Dead. Yet.

Hey, I'm not dead, or in Sri Lanka, or MIA writing the Great American Novel, I'm just experiencing technical difficulties. The laptop is in the shop, and I'm borrowing the 'puter next door at the Coffee Break (thanks, Carlos!).

In the meantime, I got meme-tagged by Jono at *insertwittytitlehere* and must play along, particularly after my "I love memes" post the other day. He provided me the following five "random" words, to which I responded with the first thing that came to mind, ala Freud.

1. Stick = up
2. Bottle = rocket
3. Mint = julep
4. Camera = candid
5. Trolley = train

Now, my five words for fellow bloggers Natasha, Pippi, Patrick, Mike, and Maven:

1. book
2. bottle
3. bench
4. bounce
5. blink

Meme on, my friends, meme on.

Life's To-Do List: 150 Things About Me

I can't help it; I love memes and I love talking about myself. This one I saw at Snarky.

Life's to do list - Completed items are bolded (I'm 1 shy of 50% completion).

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said 'I love you' and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris (France, not Texas)
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen an eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 10 provinces or all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake Dead River
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in aisles at Rocky Horror
96. Raised children.
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an illness accident that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146: Dyed your hair
147: Been a DJ
148: Shaved your head
149: Caused a car accident
150: Saved someone's life

Tags: meme, to do list, 150 things about me