Meandering Missive: January 2006

Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Shameless self-promotion ;)

I'm not usually the type to engage in "shameless self-promotion", but I figure if you can't do it in your own blog, where CAN you do it? ;) I'm excited because I now have more than two dozen items on the auction block at my favourite auction site, eBay! My eBay I.D. is "acorn58", and here's a direct link to my item list. (I meant to post this here earlier, but kept forgetting. The auctions run thru Feb. 4).

My general rule is to use eBay 2/3 of the time for SELLING and 1/3 of the time for BUYING. That way, hopefully I end up making more $$ than I spend. However, it doesn't always work that way! I remember once I went on a buying spree (I love that word) on melt-and-pour soapmaking supplies and spent way more than I thought I would (or should!) But the fragrance oils and essential oils sounded sooo delicious! And the dyes and colourants were sooo beautiful! (My fellow soapsters Shari of Las Vegas and Becky both know what I'm talking about! heehee)

Speaking of such things, if you like the merchandise of Bath & Body Works and/or The Body Shop, I hope you'll take a peek at my auctions, which run through the night of Feb. 4. I'm selling a bunch of indulgent and tempting lotions, body sprays, shower gels, bubble baths, home fragrance oils and lip glosses/balms at mega-bargain prices! (I bought them during the post-holiday mega-sale! *grin*)

Most have either been discontinued, or will only be back again during the June half-yearly sales or during the holidays. Some items are so yummy, I almost hope they don't sell, so I can keep them for myself and give some as gifts to female friends/family members whom I know will love them. But first we'll see how my current auctions go, since I could reeeealy use the profit margin! I've had good luck selling this stuff on eBay in the past, so I hope it continues. :)

* * * * * * * *
Since I'm doing shameless self-promotion, I might as well go all the way and mention something else! As some of you know, I belong to the Amazon Affiliates program (now called Associates, but I like the other name better). It's very simple and totally safe. :)

Each time someone shops at Amazon.com, I earn a 4-10% commission on the sale IF the person "clicked through" using one of my customized Amazon banners located on the following page: Shari's Amazon Affiliate links You can also use the mini Amazon banner at the top right of my blog sidebar.

If you click a banner on my link page, or the banner here on my sidebar, you'll be brought to Amazon's website as usual; nothing looks different. You don't even have to buy anything; you can simply browse for fun. However, if you do buy things, then I benefit. Once I earn enough commissions, Amazon sends me a gift certificate! I earned one a long time ago, and am hoping to earn another soon. :) So if you ever use Amazon, and don't already use someone else's Affiliate link (I don't want to scam on another person), I hope you might use me. *blush*

Thanks so much! Every bit counts, especially when you're as poor as a churchmouse like I am! *squeek squeek* For what it's worth, the majority of stuff I've bought lately on Amazon hasn't even been for me, but rather for friends and relatives. I LOVE giving gifts! :)

Today I am feeling giddy!

posted by ScaryShari @ 5:33 PM 0 comments

Monday, January 30, 2006

Earwax: the genetic shocker!

What type of earwax do you have? And does it matter?

I know this is probably the most inane question you'll hear all week (LOL) but I'm not just being my usual silly self. I actually just read an online news article about this very topic!

Apparently there are 2 types of earwax among humans ("wet/sticky", or "dry") and the type you have says something about your genes and what part of the world your ancestors came from. This sure isn't the type of thing I normally think about, and it's not exactly dinner table conversation or a way to strike up a conversation with strangers!! ;D But it really is kind of interesting, in a "news of the weird" sort of way.

Here is a link to the article. I'd be interested to know what people think.

And now I have just two additional quick "sponsors" to plug/link to in my blog. I did most of my recent batch the other day in a longish post, so I promise this'll be short. FightingForYou.com is a very comprehensive source for info on class-action lawsuits and other legal actions against consumer products, medications, businesses, etc. Accutane side effects are apparently one of the biggies these days, since many folks used to use the drug for severe acne. I'm not sure how to make a clever segue about Boston office space because I don't live there and don't know anyone who does. So I'll just say that Techspace.com looks like a helpful website for anyone looking for a place to hang their high-tech hat. And that's that! :)

Today I am feeling amused (at the earwax thing!)

posted by ScaryShari @ 9:38 PM 0 comments

Sunday, January 29, 2006

Shari's strange dreams

Wow! :D A second blog entry in the same day! I'm mainly writing again because I remembered that I don't want to forget about the strange dreams I had last night! I was foolish not to have written about them, or at least made notes, this morning, when the memories were more fresh. Now it's almost bedtime again! However, due to the fact that I thought about these dreams all day today, I still remember enough to be worth writing.

If you don't know what a chinchilla looks like, you may want to click here before reading the story. :)

The first part I remember about this dream is that I was staying in a rather large, well-appointed hotel room with two beds. The nightstand between the two beds was also quite large; you see in a moment why this came in handy. I don't know why I was staying in a hotel room, or who I may have been staying with. I do remember that I had just received something that for lack of a better word, I will now call a "grow your own chinchilla kit". (Angela, are you laughing or cringing?)

It consisted of a wire cage (too small for chinchillas in real life) and two wadded up balls of what looked like newspaper pieces or wood shavings or fabric strips. I don't really recall. Inside each of them was a baby chinchilla, and I was supposed to wait for each to "hatch". (Now I know who's laughing!)

Somehow I knew they weren't "due" for a few days, so I was surprised when I felt movement inside one of the balls and thought I spied a tiny baby chinchilla through the cracks, peeking at me. I picked up the ball and took it to another cage (where did that come from?) on the hotel room's writing desk near the TV.

All of a sudden, the baby chin burst out of the ball and started bouncing in my hands. Actually more like boinging! LOL I thought the hyper little thing would get away, but it never tried to escape. Its fur was a beautiful gray, BTW. I managed to get it into the second cage without either of us getting hurt, and all was well.

Next thing I know, the other ball starts to hatch! The chinnie in that one wasn't nearly as bouncy as the first (its sibling?) The most unusual thing about it was that its fur had the colouring of a black-and-white hooded rat. I know this colour pattern doesn't exist in chinnies, but it does in rats. In fact, I used to have pet rats like that, so I'm sure that's where it came from in my dream. I've commented to many folks that if rats didn't have such a heartbreakingly short lifespan (2-3 years average), I'd probably still keep them as pets, because I love them so much. :)

Actually, I love all rodents, which is why I now want to get chinchillas, as their lifespan is a remarkable 10-15 years in captivity, or longer! They're larger than rats but not that much heavier; their extremely lush fur makes them seem "hefty", but they're surprisingly light and easy to hold. They're also very social, curious and intelligent, not to mention CUTE with a capital C! I've heard they're not quite as intelligent as rats, but close. Anyway, that's fine with me. The most important thing to me is a friendly temperament. :)

Back to my dream -- I don't remember much else about the two chins, or whether I ever left the hotel room, but I do remember another snippet of the dream in which time must have passed, because suddenly both chins were about 8 to 12 inches long and lounging around on me, one chin on each shoulder! I kept stroking their rich fur and all three of us were very happy and content.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

The next dream also involved two beautiful animals, interestingly enough. This time two dogs (another of my favourite animals). I think one was a black lab or chocolate lab, and the other was a golden lab or a golden retriever. I brought them with me to a part-time job I'd recently taken, which makes no sense because the job was at a Subway sandwich shop, where I used to work back when I was a senior in high school and during my first two or so years in college.

I don't recall much else about the doggies, except they may have gotten into a little mischief in the shop. But the main thing about the dream is that the Subway shop was about as big as the kitchen in an apartment! And rather than being an actual storefront, it was enclosed on all sides by glass windows, through which people could come up and order their food. Very odd! There were several of us in there at a time, and I don't know how we all moved about!

I also remember the "shop" was located at the intersection of Pearl and Chynoweth Avenues (for those readers who live in San Jose). Except I don't think there was affordable housing or a Light Rail station there, but rather the more rural look it had in the 1970s. I also remember one of the employees was a senior citizen, and I wondered why he wanted to work there. He was very nice and we had some long chats about our lives as we worked. Oh, and he wore a baseball cap and glasses, but I don't know if the rest of us wore caps as part of our uniforms. I think part of the time he, I and the others worked in the "shop" was at night, because I remember looking out the windows and seeing it dark. It made me feel a little anxious, for some reason.

And that's about all I recall. Interesting, eh?

Today I am feeling sleepy!

posted by ScaryShari @ 10:22 PM 0 comments

"A word from our sponsor..."

I have a bunch of things to blog about, such as my new slew of cool eBay auctions, and my status as an Amazon.com affiliate, which I'm going to promote with a newfound vim! :) However, my auctions will run through the night of Feb. 4, and my Amazon status will never end (unless Amazon does!), so instead I will write briefly about something more pressing, but which is in a similar vein.

As everyone knows by now, I get compensated for blogging about certain websites, and for linking to them with particular keywords. As everyone ALSO knows, I don't just blindly recommend the sites, but choose to visit and study them beforehand. That way, instead of just promoting them, I can actually find something personally to SAY about them. :) I've just been given a bunch to weave into my blog, so instead of tacking them on at the end of a regular blog entry, this time I'm giving them their own. (Don't worry, I normally never do it this way!)

Remember a long time ago I said I liked DotFlowers because not only do they sell cool bouquets, gift baskets, etc., but they also have an impressive horticultural database I haven't seen on any other online florist? Well, it's time to promote them again, this time because of their specials on Valentine Day flowers, gifts and other festive things -- even heart-shaped cookies!

Speaking of hearts and flowers (how do you like my segues? *grin*), did you know Neil Young has a movie out titled "Heart of Gold"? You probably do, if you're a fan. And if you're not a fan, you probably don't care. For those folks who, like I, am simply curious what it's all about, just click here: Neil Young Heart of Gold.

Since many folks get engaged in February, ShopForWeddings.com will probably get lots of hits as future brides (and possibly grooms) search for ways to keep their wedding expense budget down to a dull roar. ;) Cheap wedding favors don't have to be cheap-looking -- they're simply things you got at a good cost because you shopped online!

For those who need some extra income before they even think about a wedding budget, there's always stock option trading. (It seems I can come up with a segue to connect just about any topic to any OTHER topic! *grin*) At any rate, this link brings you to Poweropt.com, which bills itself as a place to "find, compare, analyze and make money on option investments." It's all Greek to me, but I'm sure it's useful to many people!

posted by ScaryShari @ 8:49 PM 0 comments

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

The 69 Meme!

Yesterday (Monday) night, I kept running into this meme over at Live Journal, where I maintain a companion blog to this one. I guess it's called The 69 Meme (for lack of a better name, it now has a suggestive name) *chuckle* Lamely enough, it's actually missing some questions, so in fact it only has 61 questions! How a handful of numbers got skipped, I don't know!

Anyway, I copied the questions and wrote my answers last night, but since I'd already blogged yesterday, I decided to wait until today to actually post them.

I really enjoy reading memes because no matter how well you know someone (either as an online friend, an in-person friend, or both), you can always learn at least a few new factoids about them when you read their meme answers -- provided they give thoughtful and honest answers. And mine are definitely that! :) ;D

If I post all 61 questions & answers right here, this page will go on FOREVER! So, to save space, I'll redirect you to my LJ "cut" page, where my meme answers are contained. Just click here.

Today I am feeling playful/dorky!

posted by ScaryShari @ 10:22 PM 0 comments

Monday, January 23, 2006

Sleep Inertia: do you have it?

About a week ago, I read a newsbrief about sleep inertia. I think it was in Time Magazine, but I'm not sure. I meant to blog about it since then, but kept forgetting. And (wouldn't you know it?) I kept remembering right when I was lying down to SLEEP! ;D

If you're anything like I am, your body probably feels a little weak and uncoordinated, and your brain feels "foggy" and disoriented when you wake in the morning, even if you got enough sleep. And the feelings are worse if your alarm awakened you from a deeper stage of sleep, such as in the middle of a dream, right? In the latter case, sometimes it almost feels like being intoxicated, although the feeling passes (for me anyway) within 10 to 20 minutes.

I used to think I was just a "slow riser", but now I know that what I experience is sleep inertia. This has definitely validated my feelings and I'm glad I learned about it! :) Here are 3 good articles (don't worry, not too long) where you can read more. I'm curious to know how many other folks experience this. And isn't it scary to think how this can affect the performance of folks who need to be up and active within minutes of being unexpectedly awakened?? Firefighters and on-call doctors are the first examples that comes to mind. :(

Facts About Sleep & Fatigue

Study: Sleep Inertia Affects Decision-Making

Sleep Inertia May Be More Debilitating Than Sleep Deprivation (I don't know about that, but maybe)

Today I am feeling sleepy!

posted by ScaryShari @ 9:53 PM 0 comments

Thursday, January 19, 2006

To whom does the finger point? It points to thee!

(With apologies to Ernest Hemingway, whose For Whom The Bell Tolls quotation I rewrote in an attempt at wittiness)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It seems like the newspapers are full of depressing, frightening and/or angering headlines these days. However, today when I read my hometown newspaper, the San Jose Mercury News, I felt smugly elated! That's because justice was more than served, right here in my own Santa Clara County, to two people who deserved it: Las Vegas residents Anna Ayala and her husband Jaime Plascencia. Anna will receive nine years in prison, and Jaime will receive 12 years, four months! HA HA!! "You've been served, losers!"

I'm not normally a spiteful or hateful person, but in this case, I am. I have neither patience nor sympathy for frauds, scammers and con artists who don't mind ruining the lives of innocent people just to make a buck or two. Those types of people are about as classy as pond scum or yesterday's garbage, and Anna and Jaime are among them. >:( I'm sure their names ring an unpleasant bell by now, since their names -- especially Anna's -- have been headline fodder for almost a year. (I won't provide links to online news articles about this; you'll find more than enough if you do a simple Google search.

In a nutshell: Anna is the person who, on March 22, 2005, placed a severed finger in a bowl of chili at a Wendy's fast food restaurant right here in San Jose! She pretended to be shocked, sickened and angered, and proceeded to ATTEMPT to sue Wendy's for a large sum of money. It's amazing how the whole world learned about this sickening lie in just a few short weeks, and continued to follow the story as details unfolded, including Anna's dark past involving several failed lawsuit attempts (which she never followed through on because her bluff was called or she ran out of steam) as well as a cruel case of fraud.

And her husband is a real winner!! Along with being Anna's accomplice by obtaining the severed finger from a co-worker whom he promised to pay if Anna's scheme earned them some money, Jaime has an even darker past -- failing to pay child support, child abandonment, identity theft and fraudulent use of official documents. The two of them are certainly quite a pair!

The losers were initially also ordered by a judge to pay $21 million in restitution to Wendy's for all the money the corporation lost due to negative publicity before Anna and Jaime's confessions. However, neither the corporation nor the manager of that particular Wendy's are going after the millions. They are, however, demanding the losers cough up $170,000. This is to cover the lost wages of the Wendy's employees who were laid off or had their hours cut due to a drop in business.

Here's a great quote from Santa Clara County Judge Edward Davila that just about sums up the case: "Greed and avarice overtook this couple, and they lost their moral compass." Gee, aren't those two of the seven deadly sins? I wonder how many of the remaining five Anna and Jaime have been overtaken by, and we just don't know it? *smirk* Maybe we don't want to know!

It's nice when the daily newspaper has a HAPPY headline for a change, isn't it?

Today I am feeling gleeful!

posted by ScaryShari @ 9:45 PM 1 comments

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Snapple Pie: everything but the tin! ;)

I've been meaning to write about Snapple Apple Pie all week, but things kept getting in the way. Hopefully it's not too late, and folks can still find it on the shelves! It's apparently been out since October or November, but somehow I didn't see it until January.

On a recent trip to my favourite Safeway, I saw a 4-pack of Snapples that looked different from the others. The cardboard (or whatever it is they make the 4-pack carriers out of) had a totally unfamiliar graphic, and the bottles themselves didn't have the regular Snapple wrap-around labeling, but rather had a PIE graphic on them. See below; if you want a close-up, just click the pic! :)

I'd never heard of Snapple Pie before, but I love apple pie, and I've loved Snapple since they first launched in the 1990s or whenever it was. So I took the plunge and bought the entire 4-pack. It wasn't a mistake.

The colour looks sort of like applesauce, which I found appropriate enough. The smell of the drink is somewhat appley and somewhat just "fruity." I also detected some mixture of spices, and a slight aroma of toasty caramel, for lack of a better description! When I first drank it, the sweetness of apples struck me first, and I thought it might be too sweet, like Snapple Apple turned out to be. But I was wrong!

Almost as though it was timed, I started noticing there was a hint of tartness there too, perhaps from another juice in the mix, or perhaps from citric or ascorbic acid. And then came the spice flavor of what seemed like cinnamon, cloves and/or nutmeg -- very mild, not at all irritating! Then I noticed the toasty caramel again, only when I tasted it rather than just smelling it, it also reminded me of an actual PIE CRUST! Not exactly like a true buttery, flaky crust from Grandma's oven, but enough so that I could see why on the packing, it says "Our crust is a must!" *chuckle*

I'd recommend this drink to anyone who likes apple pie, and who doesn't mind experimenting with novel flavors. Interestingly enough, I can't find ANYTHING on the Net about Snapple Pie in 2005! I only found references to 2003, when it apparently made its debut as a "seasonal flavor" the company hoped would boost sales during the slow winter months.

Here's a very interesting news snippet from CNN: Snapple Pie hits store shelves And here's an undated promo page from Snapple themselves (click here) in which they talk about not only the Apple Pie, but also another pie called Berry Mix & Mingle. I bet it would taste like crumb berry pie, mmm! I wish I'd seen THAT at Safeway; I'd have tried it too! Has anyone else tried either of these? If so, did you like them? If not, what are you waiting for?

Today I am feeling thirsty!

posted by ScaryShari @ 9:41 PM 0 comments

Monday, January 16, 2006

Shari's stir fry adventure

In my last entry, I promised a food-related one this time, so here it is. I'd much rather tell you all that I just started a NEW blog, called Earthly Delights over at Live Journal. It's a way for me to reprint the best past editions of a gardening column I used to write, called Earthly Delights, plus write new columns after I use up the old. I'll also be posting my photos that accompanied the column. (I wanted to start a blog of this name here at Blogspot too, but the name was already taken.)

There's a bit of a story behind the column (don't worry; not too long). I'd be tickled pink if you took a peek at the introductory column by clicking the link above. And if you're a Live Journal member, I hope you'll consider adding my Earthly Delights blog to your friends list. *blush* Thanks! I'll blog more about my column in the near future.

But now, due to popular demand, I shall finally blog again about something that I actually COOKED! Do I hear a cheer coming from the directions of my friends "Milgwimper" and Jo, and my new online friends Clare and Fran? *grin* (These ladies are all good cooks, adventurous eaters and love to blog about food. Milgwimper, my best friend, has also been faithfully encouraging me to expand my forays into cooking and baking. Mainly cooking, as I'm more confident with baking.)

I'm pretty proud of the beef and vegetable stir fry I made the other night, not only because it turned out delicious, but because I made it without even consulting a recipe! (Sadly, that truly makes it an adventure for me, the easily intimidated cook). And here is a photo of my unique dish! Click the pic to enlarge it....

OOOPS! What's going on? I didn't make dog stir fry! Where did those furry little cuties come from? It looks like there's been a terrible error! Please don't call the Humane Society! You know what an animal lover I am!!

*giggle* Okay, so I'm being a little silly and composed a crazy-looking "still life" before I started cooking. But I really did make a beef veggie stir fry, completely sans recipe. I didn't have time to blog about it the night I made it, but here's what I did.

First I browned some ground beef in a frying pan/skillet with a little bit of oil. Not just ANY ground beef, but sirloin! And not just ANY oil, but garlic olive oil!

Afterwards (in another pan), I sauteed/stir fried TWO varieties of mixed frozen veggies, also in the garlic olive oil. Both were from Trader Joe's. The TJ's Harvest Hodgepodge consisted of broccoli, carrots, baby corn, water chestnuts, mushrooms, sugar snap peas, red bell peppers and onions. The TJ's Stir Fry Vegetables consisted of carrots, water chestnuts, mushrooms, snow peas (a.k.a. Chinese peapods), green soybeans, bean sprouts and bamboo shoots. I used half of the veggies from each bag, leaving the rest frozen for another time.

When the veggies were al dente but not soft, I added the beef, along with two sauces by Kikkoman: their Stir Fry Sauce (not sure what all is in it) and Teriyaki Sauce. I was more generous with the Stir Fry sauce than the Teriyaki, not wanting things to get too salty.

Once the veggies had softened a bit (I don't really like them al dente), the beef was hot, and the sauces had melded with each other and with the food, the dish was done! And we ate it! :) And it was colourful, healthy and very delicious! Here's a photo; as always, you can click it for a larger version. The white tinge/blurriness is due to the steam rising.

One quick thing before I go; I have two quick additional "message from my sponsor" links, which I get paid to link to with certain keywords. You all know the drill. *blush* The first is A.E. Feldman, a company that among other things specializes in executive placement, management consulting and risk management jobs. They're definitely not fly-by-nighters; in fact, they've been around since 1967 and are a woman-owned, second-generation biz. I like that! :) The next link is FightingForYou.com. One of the class actions they're currently profiling is the Prempro lawsuit. I know nothing of this because I'm way too young to be on any hormone replacement therapy (and don't know if I'll ever opt for it). However, I'm sure many women 50 and older will find this info of interest.

And that's it! I hope my details about the stir fry (and the hot steamy photo) didn't make anyone TOO hungry! ;) I love stir frying anything and am trying to think up new and tasty combinations of meats, veggies and sauce. If anyone wants to post a comment with suggestions, that would be great! And please check back soon for more news on my Earthly Delights column.

Today I am feeling accomplished.

posted by ScaryShari @ 7:46 PM 2 comments

Saturday, January 14, 2006

I picked a userpic!

And the winner is.... #2
1. 2. 3.

Thank you to everyone who voted both here at Blogspot and at my LiveJournal pseudo-blog for your favourite among the three blog userpics/avatars I designed at Abi-Station.com. (Please scroll down this page to the previous blog entry for more info about my avatar-making and the reason behind it). Between here and LiveJournal, six folks voted.

One person chose pic #1, three chose pic #2, one chose pic #3, and one person's vote was simply that they didn't want #1. It's interesting that the majority preferred #2, because that was the one I was leaning toward myself. I liked all the pix, but the first one had eyes that were a little too "squinty", and the third one had eyes that were a little too round/wide to be real -- more like anime. %-)

Interestingly enough, the more I looked at pic #2, the more I think it resembles Natalie Portman a little bit, especially the eyes (aside from the fact that mine are green and hers are brown). I've always thought she had a classy and classic beauty, and there's no way I could EVER hold a candle to her! *blush* She is simply stunning. So, just for the record, I'm not trying to imply I think I look like Natalie. I just think pic #2 looks more like me than the others do.

"And now a quick word from my sponsors." As most of you know, I also use my blog to make a wee bit of extra $$. I decided against Google AdSense banners along the top or sides of my blog, because I think they're distracting and they don't always match correctly to the keywords in whatever you're talking about.

What I do instead is make brief mention of certain companies, linked with certain keywords, in a few of my blog entries each month. I get a small but nice compensation each time, and it certainly adds up. :) However, since I don't want to ever sound like I'm blindly promoting things, I promised myself (and my readers) I'll never talk about/link to any company until I've actually visited their website myself, and seen what they're all about. And now, without further ado, here are three now!

It seems Internet marketing firms, such as USWeb, are springing up like mushrooms. However, just like shrooms, some firms are better than others. USWeb strikes me as quite professional: they've been in biz 10+ years, offer a variety of services and have an impressive portfolio, including Fortune 500 companies. Next up is Lussori.com and their beautiful (albeit out of my price range) pearl jewelry. Although its name sounds like it's based in Italy -- or at least New York -- Lussori is actually in Carmel, California, a pleasant coastal town I've played tourist in many times. :) Speaking of pretty sparkly things, the price of gold is in constant flux, but the Monex Deposit Company monitors it -- along with silver, platinum and palladium prices -- like a "yard duty" monitors the school playground at recess!

And now that I got caught up with a few things, I'm hitting the hay! Last night (Friday the 13th -- OOOOH!) I had the gals over for our monthly bingo group, The Bingo Belles, and I was so wound up afterwards that I didn't get to sleep until late. It was a very funny and fun game, and so was the company. :) Plus I actually won TWO gifts this time around. (Last month I was a big loser). Anyhoo, between trying to wind down from the party last night, and accidentally waking up too early this morning, I am definitely ready to catch some Zzzzzz's now. I hope everyone is having a great weekend. Thanks again to the five folks who voted for my userpic/avatar. Tune in soon for one of my long-awaited FOOD entries -- with photos! ;D

Today I am feeling sleepy.

posted by ScaryShari @ 10:33 PM 0 comments

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Help me pick a userpic!

As at least half of my regular readers know, I maintain a "pseudo blog" at LiveJournal.com, which basically just consists of mini summaries that point people back here to my real Blogspot/Blogger blog.

Back in September 2005, when I first began blogging, I think I made a mistake by getting set up with Blogspot instead of Live Journal (a.k.a. "LJ"). LJ has a lot more cool, fun and/or useful attributes than Blogspot does, plus more of my friends use LJ. However, I worked long and hard on my customized Blogspot template, so I can't just give it up. *humble smile*

As a trade-off, I started posting "teasers" in my LJ blog each time I update at Blogspot. Each teaser consists of a mini summary. It may also include photos, such as the festive primroses, which I posted two days ago both here and at LJ. Each teaser also contains a direct link to the matching Blogspot entry. That way, not only do my LJ friends (new and old) know when I've updated my blog; they'll also know if the new entry is something they want to read. (Hopefully they will, and hopefully they'll comment as well *grin*)

The OTHER main reason I maintain a pseudo-blog at LJ is because without joining LJ and (I think?) compiling a user profile ( here's mine), you cannot properly leave comments in the blogs of other LJ users. I didn't mind making a profile over there; in fact, I enjoyed it, because there was a LOT more room to list my interests and hobbies than there is here at Blogspot.

And now the reason for this rant: the other day, I discovered an awesome website, Abi-Station.com , where you can make unlimited customized userpics/avatars/icons! :) It's a little frustrating but a lot of fun. There are so many attributes you can pick from (hair colours and styles, eye colours and shapes, eyebrows, nose, mouth, face line, accessories, animals, clothing, background theme, etc.) that I spent a lot of time messing around -- more than I care to admit!

However, I finally arrived at three avatars I think look the most like me. *blush* The hardest part was picking among the millions of EYES. I want to use an avatar as an alternate for the "real" photo of myself that I use when commenting in people's LJ blogs. I just can't decide which pic to pick! (There's one I seem to be leaning toward, but of course I won't say which).

Since I got a lot of responses to my prior blog entry, where I tempted people to tell me which primrose flower cluster was secretly "Photoshopped in", I'll ask you all another visual question. (For the answer to the primrose one, click here ). This time, the question is this: please tell me which of the three avatars below you think looks the most like me. "The eyes have it...."

1. 2. 3.

Today I am feeling indecisive in a silly sort of way!

posted by ScaryShari @ 8:23 PM 1 comments

Sunday, January 08, 2006

A splash of winter colour

Down the primrose path... ;)

I just wanted to share a very bright, cheery and colourful photo that I took a few days ago. (Click the pic for an even better close-up!) When it comes to winter-blooming annuals, it doesn't get much more festive than primroses! In particular, the various Primula x polyantha hybrids, which are commonly called English primrose or Polyantha primrose. The letter "x" is silent, by the way; it's used to indicate hybridization. Tony will never let me live down the first time I said the Latin name of a hybrid aloud, because I said "times" for the "x" -- as in multiplication! LOL I don't even know what tree, plant or flower it was; I just remember the laughter!

Anyway, this primrose is a good choice for winter landscaping, or even for container gardening. They enjoy being in full sun, but they do NOT enjoy heat, so I wouldn't recommend growing them in the summer -- unless you live in a cool-summer region or have the plants in a cool spot. Most primroses also prefer rich, well-drained soil and regular watering. Some species are fragrant, but I don't think these are (I haven't noticed, anyway).

Mini disclaimer: certain primrose species cause an itchy, poison oak-like reaction on some people's skin, so if you've never planted primroses before, pay attention until you know whether you react or not.

I hope other folks enjoyed this photo as much as I do. :) Something about colourful, pretty flowers always seems to raise my spirits. They also bring to mind a moving quote by Lady Bird Johnson: "Where flowers bloom, so does hope."

Today I am feeling content.

P.S. One -- and ONLY one -- of the primrose flower clusters was "PhotoShopped in" (by me). If you can guess which one doesn't belong, you get a prize!

posted by ScaryShari @ 4:08 PM 3 comments

Friday, January 06, 2006

Google "What You Need" meme

I don't know if this meme has an actual name, so I took the liberty of giving it one. ;) It's almost as inane as the meme itself -- which is probably why I'm doing it. Inanity is my middle name! Oh wait, Jennifer is, according to my birth certificate! (heehee)

Anyway, over at Live Journal, where I have a user profile and pseudo-blog because many of my friends blog there and I can't comment in their blogs without an account, I came across this meme. It was written Dec. 18 in the blog of a gal named Natalie, whose I.D. is Brandnewpower54. I don't know her, but found her blog when I did a keyword search for Live Journal users who listed "oak trees" in the Interests portion of their profiles. More folks like oaks than I thought! :) If I had enough additional interests in common with these folks, I introduced myself either via a blog comment or via an email, if their address was available.

I commented in Natalie's blog that I liked this meme so much that I was going to try it myself, and I let her know how to find my Blogspot blog. I did try it, but I never actually blogged about it. Alas, life got in the way (holidays, out-of-town guests, me getting sick, etc.) and I plum forgot. HOWEVER, it's never too late to join in the fun!

Here's what you do. Go to everyone's favourite search engine, Google and type in your name, followed by the word needs. Put quotation marks around it to keep the results focused. For example, I typed the following: "Shari needs" and got a surprising amount of results, despite the relative rarity of this spelling. (Las Vegas Shari is apt to agree!) As you scroll through your results, copy and paste the first sentence of the first 15 different results, and comment briefly on each, if you wish. (If you don't want to do 15, do whatever you like, but at least 10 -- that way there's enough variety).

I emphasize different because you may end up with repetitious re-runs. For example, a gal named Shari Kurzrok of New York was in urgent need of a liver transplant last year, and lots of people quoted pretty much the same info about her on their various websites and blogs. So I didn't keep using that for my meme. The good news is that in August 2005, Shari got a new liver! :) Her blog hasn't been updated in months, but from what I can tell, she's doing OK. I hope she continues that way. I may even drop her a line! She sounds like a smart, generous and kind person who's done a lot of good for others, so hopefully that good is now coming back to HER! :)

And now, without further ado, here are my "Shari needs" (*grin*)

1. "Shari needs our help."
This was from a website raising awareness of organ donation and Shari Kurzrok's plight.

2. "Shari needs a complete liver."
Same as above.

3. "Shari's needs for protection and predictability have not been met."
That sounds like something a psychologist would say, if they were analyzing why I was dissatisfied with some facet of my life. *chuckle*

4. "Sleazy Shari needs to lay off of the lip liner."
LOL! Sometimes I may be breezy, but I'm definitely not sleazy. Also, I don't use lip liner, but I do admit to being addicted to yummy flavoured lip gloss!

5. "Shari needs to learn that respect is earned, not commanded."
I don't think this particular Shari has much in common with me. I know respect must be earned, and I have never been the type to command anything of anyone.

6. "Dan reveals why Shari needs a makeover."
I only know one Dan -- a friend of mine and husband of my friend Jenn -- but I know he'd never insinuate that any of his female friends needs a makeover!;) Especially if he knew what was good for him! (heehee) Then again, I *do* need to do something about my under-eye circles....

7. "Shari needs a 20' cable instead."
Instead of what? I could make a naughty joke about the length of things in inches vs. feet, but I won't. ;) Instead I'll make a more mundane comment, that I wish my new laptop had a longer battery life!

8. "Shari needs to come down from her mountain and join the rest of the not so righteous!"
This is another Shari who I probably don't have much in common with. I feel bad around self-righteous people, because they're generally not very open-minded. And they often have an "It's my way, or the highway" mindset. :( Not the type of person I'd want for a friend, even worse than the Shari in #5.

9. "Sandy and Shari need a variety of 'meaty' articles for this issue."
Back when I worked for the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, one of my co-workers was named Sandy, and she was an awesome person! So this brings to mind many good memories of working with Sandy.

10. "Shari needs to go buy more balls!"
I've never been very good at most sports, and never really enjoyed playing sports, so this one is funny! About the only sports I enjoy that involve balls are miniature golf, bowling and pool/billiards. I think the mini golf balls would be the least expensive, eh?

11. "Shari Perry said she had received a request to use the courtroom for the filming of two television commercials."
This and #13 are the most specific of all the results. I don't recall who Shari Perry is, or what the commercials were for, but her name certainly has an amusing rhyme to it! Of course, "Scary Shari" is a better rhyme. ;)

12. "Shari needs to see what her Lord would have her do."
I am spiritual, but not particularly religious, so I don't have much to say about this one, other than it does not describe my feelings.

13. "Shari needs to know the citizens of Oceanside are upset with these sorts of actions."
Like # 11, this one is interesting because it's so specific. (I forgot what Shari's faux pas was, though!) Also interesting is that Oceanside is in California, and I'm a CA native and have actually been there. It's a very nice town .It's pretty far away though; way down south between Los Angeles and San Diego.

14. "Shari needs to learn to trust was the message he sent."
The syntax of this sentence is a little awkward. It's paraphrasing what some man said about Shari; I think it would read better if he was actually quoted. "To learn to trust" also sounds kind of awkward. (Okay, I'll take my copy editor's cap off now! *grin*)

15. "As a witness, Shari needs protection."
Yikes! I hope this never applies to me. The idea of a witness needing protection sounds scary! The only thing I ever thought I'd have to serve as a witness for, would not have gotten me in trouble. It was for an accident in which a young mother of two crashed her pickup truck into a county bus. The accident was neither her fault nor the bus driver's, but rather was caused by something extremely slippery in the intersection where I, and then she, made left turns. I nearly lost control of my car! Fortunately, I salvaged the turn. Unfortunately, she didn't. She wasn't hurt, and one of her two kids only had a bruise. No one appeared hurt on the bus either. However, you never know if someone on the bus would later lie and try to squeeze money out of this poor woman. So, I wanted the police and the county transit supervisor to know it was not the woman's fault; as I experienced the same dangerous conditions the other woman did, and that there was NO way to have avoided it!

And there you have it -- the Google What You Need Meme! Feel free to re-name it if you use it. I hope at least someone else will try it -- it really makes for some amusing and interesting blogging!

Today I am feeling amused.

posted by ScaryShari @ 4:37 PM 1 comments

Sunday, January 01, 2006

Happy New Year! :)

Happy 2006! :)

Each time there's some holiday or special date in history, Google's resident cartoonist alters the logo of my favourite search engine to reflect it in a cute way. Even though the Google doodle above is understated and hasn't much connection with typical New Year's themes, I really like it! It's bright, happy and hopeful. :) Plus it features a beaver, and since I'm such a rodent-lover, I like them too. (Yes, they are indeed in the same buck-toothed family as rats, hamsters, chinchillas, squirrels, prairie dogs, et. al. Come to think of it, I had buck teeth as a kid before my orthodontic work, so perhaps that's ANOTHER reason why I love rodents! *giggle*)

I hope everyone had a fun and safe New Year's Eve. I was a little worried upon arising on Dec. 31, because it was rainy and wet and the newspapers predicted more of the same throughout the day. Normally that would be fine, but Tony and I had planned to make the Fantasy of Lights part of our NYE celebration. It's a festive spectacle of animated holiday light displays set up throughout Vasona Lake County Park in Los Gatos. (My fave county park). You drive slowly through and enjoy it from the comfort of your warm vehicle. You also can tune your radio to a local frequency to complement the interactive experience with Christmas songs!

Here's a sample of what the displays look like at night. I'll post more photos when I've Photoshopped them and decide which to keep and which to trash. It's so hard taking this type of photo! You can't use the flash or all the lights will be wiped out. But without the flash, the shutter speed is slow enough that any motion of camera or hand makes everything blurry! I like this one, however...

Anyway, fortunately the rain STOPPED raining during the day on the 31st and never resumed. This was good news not just for us, but for everyone else whose plans would have been even more dampened by inclement weather. And so, we had dinner at one of our fave restaurants, went to Fantasy of Lights, hung out at Starbucks where we drank Java Chip Frappuccinos and laughed hysterically while playing Mad Libs, and then drove around Los Gatos and South San Jose (Almaden Valley and Blossom Valley) looking at Christmas lights and holiday displays and almost getting lost. Oh, and listening to some profane guy on the CB radio B.S.'ing with some other guy (who was out of our range) about spending NYE alone on the CB and that they really ought to go get themselves some beers or margaritas! LOL It was hard to follow the one-sided conversation, but what we heard was quite funny!

I know this isn't everyone's idea of celebrating New Year's Eve, but that's okay -- WE had fun. :) I used to prefer wild and crazy parties but nowadays I'm just as happy with lower-key stuff. Plus Tony actually wasn't feeling so well, so it was just as well that we didn't make reservations for the annual NYE party at ComedySportz. (If you enjoy hilarious competitive improv comedy skits, CHECK THEM OUT! There are ComedySportz places throughout the U.S. with performances several nights every week!) Anyhoo, Tony and I attended the show and party last year and had a blast (there's even a midnight post-show dessert buffet), so I didn't mind skipping it this year. In the spirit of New Year's festivities, here's a pic of me taken at the party. It was indeed a challenge getting all the streamers and silly string out of my hair! *giggle*

Today (Jan. 1) wasn't so good, as the weather made up for lost time by storming with a VENGEANCE! I truly haven't experienced this much rain and wind in many, many years. And it went on ALL day! There is so much flooding in the South Bay, and entire Bay Area, that I can't even name all the places. Rivers and roads have just washed themselves away! Additionally, many trees have fallen, and those that haven't fallen have dropped branches all over the place! Lots of accidents too. I feel just awful about all of this! NOT a good way to start the new year! And here on the home front, I think one of our resident Anna's hummingbirds lost his nest, because he hung out on two trees on the patio nearly ALL day! (A small, half-dormant, topiary-style blue potato bush and an even smaller, totally dormant Valley oak sapling.

Here's a photo of the scene; CLICK the photo for a close-up of the hummer...

Some of the gusts of wind were so strong, I couldn't even look at the little hummer, because I thought for sure he'd be blown away. Miraculously and tenaciously, his little feet held tight to the branches. In between gusts, he zipped up to the nectar feeder for much-needed sustenance. As night fell tonight, I stopped looking out at the patio, because I DREADED the thought of seeing him dead on the patio. I hope he flew back to his tree and found better shelter there for the night. These plucky little birds can survive a rainstorm; it's the damn WIND GUSTS that made today so awful for them and I'm sure caused many to lose their nests. I think some of our resident tree squirrels also lost their nests, but at least they're bigger and stronger and thus better able to ride out a storm. (Also more adaptable!)

To end on a happier note, my 4 o'clocks growing along the fence (which I wrote about in the entry just prior to this one) chose TODAY to open their first flower! And here it is -- commentary following. As always, click the pic for a larger version. :)

I'd been watching the couple of developing buds for a few weeks, and the largest finally bloomed! When I went outside this morning, there it was -- pure magenta! It stayed open all day, due to the cold weather. I can't even imagine how mixed up that poor plant must feel! *chuckle* The flower was smaller than normal for fours, but I'm sure that's because the plant is immature. Four o'clock seeds sown in late summer/early fall are actually (per Sunset Western Garden Book) supposed to spend fall, winter and spring growing leaves and bulking up their tuberous roots, then bloom in spring or summer! I guess mine want to "practice" now. The flower is so bright and cheery, and so unexpected this time of year, that I almost feel like it's a good omen, since it finally opened on Jan. 1, 2006. :)

Hopefully future blossoms will display the gorgeous magenta-and-white petal variegation of the parent plant. You never know with fours! In fact, on the SAME parent plant were some solid magenta flowers, some solid whites, and some with various magenta and white stripes, chunks and speckles. When spring comes, I'll plant even MORE fours and see if they catch up with the ones that got their start in September. Please don't try what I did if you don't live in a mild-winter climate. You can't sow 4 o'clock seeds in late-summer/early fall in most parts of the country (they won't make it through harsh/cold winters), but here in the Santa Clara Valley, you can.

And now that it's after 11 p.m., I'm going to catch some Z's, since last night I stayed up late and woke up too early (due to the loud storm). Again, HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone, and may it be a good one for us all! :D I don't generally make "resolutions," per se, but there are a couple of things I definitely plan to accomplish, or at least valiantly attempt, in 2006. But I won't go into those now. I'll leave it with this -- two of my favourite quotes -- "If you can shape it in your mind, you will find it in your life" and "The mighty oak was once a little nut that stood its ground."

Today I am feeling sleepy, contemplative and optimistic.

posted by ScaryShari @ 9:18 PM 2 comments

Welcome to my blog: 'Meandering Missive'!

: Name: ScaryShari; Location: South Bay Area, California, United States

My blog here has been abandoned, sorry! But PLEASE come and visit me at http://scaryshari.livejournal.com -- I update my blog several times each week. And Live Journal is far better than Blogspot/Blogger in many ways!! :)

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